Serge A. Theriault - Msgr. René Vilatte: Community Organizer of Religion (1854-1929)

To the glory of God

in appreciation for the ministry of

Msgr. ONeill Ct, 1939-1986

Former Bishop of the Christian Catholic Rite in the

International Council of Community Churches

Apocryphile Press

1700 Shattuck Ave #81

Berkeley, CA 94709

www.apocryphile.org

1997 by Serge A. Theriault

Apocryphile Press edition, 2006 (updated and revised)

ISBN-13: 978-0-9683473-3-1

ISBN-10: 0-9683473-3-9

eISBN: 1-937002-70-5 (Kindle)

eISBN: 1-937002-71-3 (Nook)

Ebook version 2.0

No parts of this book may be reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the author.

Copies of this book are available from www.amazon.com or by writing:

The Christian Catholic Church in the Capital Area

Saint Bernard and Saint Gregory

30 Briermoor Crescent

Ottawa (ON), Canada K1T 3G7

Table of Contents

FOREWORD

There are movements which seek Christian Unity in ways that foster cooperation among various communions at local, regional, national and international levels. There is also a movement, which seeks not only the just-mentioned ecumenism, but also unity without uniformity within local churches. This is the Community Church Movement.

Since the early 1980s the churches of this Movement have had in their memberships persons of various Christian traditions. Free to fashion its own worship forms, most often a church in this Movement has utilized Protestant practices. However, when a churchs membership has been comprised mainly of persons with Orthodox or Catholic backgrounds, it has preserved one of these worship traditions.

In 1923, two organizations emerged within the Community Church Movement. One was an alliance of professional church workers and another was an association of churches. This second organization, in 1950, merged with a third organization in the Movement to form the current International Council of Community Churches.

As the reader will discover, Bishop Theriault has provided us not only with a biography of Msgr. Vilatte, but also a history of various organizations dedicated to the preservation of some cherished Episcopal and Catholic traditions while attempting to answer the prayer of the Christ that his followers be united.

The Rev. Dr. J. Ralph Shotwell

Executive Director Emeritus

The International Council of Community Churches

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This work would not have been possible without the collaboration of the following persons, to whom we express our deepest gratitude:

• The Reverend Dr. J. Ralph Shotwell, Executive Director Emeritus of the International Council of Community Churches (I.C.C.C.), who developed the concept of community organization of religion that proved so helpful in understanding Msgr. Vilattes ministry;
• His Eminence Mor Timotheos Aphrem Aboodi, D.Chr., Patriarchal Vicar of Canada, Syriac Orthodox Church, and Prelate Commander of our Traditional Order of the Crown of Thorns, who shared with us the affirmation by the late Patriarch Ignatius Jacob III (1912-1980), in his history of the Church in India (written in Arabic), that Msgr. Vilatte was consecrated Metropolitan for a new Archdiocese in America;
• Ms. Gail Gordon of Claridge, Arizona, Mr. Reginald Robillard of Brussels, Wisconsin, his cousin Glennie (Robillard) DeBroux and her son-in-law Charles Enigl of Green Bay, for providing information and photos on the French Canadian families at the founding of the church in Wisconsin: the Laviolettes, the Pelletiers, the Robillards and others;
• Colonel (Ret) Steven F. Donarski of Green Bay who provided photographs of the bell purchased by Msgr. Vilatte for Saint Louis Church. His mother, Mrs. Eva (Derepkowski) Donarski, was baptized by Father J.B. Gauthier.
• The late Paul and Rene Durand of Minnesota who have provided useful documents by their father, Msgr. Casimir F. Durand and on his work as our second Bishop Ordinary between 1922 and 1957, and as Presiding Bishop of the American Catholic Church, from 1940 to 1957. Also Mrs. Bonnie (Durand) Norman, Renes daughter.
• Dr. Richard Lougheed, professor at the Facult de Thologie vanglique in Montreal; Dr. Daniel Shute, librarian at the Presbyterian College, Montreal, and Dr. Allan Pquegnat, Custodian of Father Chiniquys Archives, who supported us in our project by providing highly valued information and documents. Dr. Pquegnat shared photographs and researched the reformers Pastors Register, where he found Msgr. Vilatte listed among communicants he has received in St. Annes Church and ministers he has trained in his seminary;
• Mr. Gary Bishop and Mrs. Barbara Davies of the St. Joseph Island Historical Society, and Mrs. Shirley Lukala of the Browlees Tourist Cabins, Gawas Bay, for providing us with a description and picture of Our Lady of the Lake Mission House and Lot in St. Joseph Island (Algoma Co.), Ontario, dating from the time it was established by Msgr. Vilatte;
• Dr. Bertil Persson, President of St. Ephrems Institute, Solna, Sweden, for having shared information and documents with us, including his Biographical Sketch on Msgr. Vilatte and his Biographical Sketch on Swedish American Bishop Axel Z. Fryxell, who consecrated our Second Ordinary, Casimir F. Durand;
• Mrs. Renae Wuerger, Coordinator of Public Relations for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Green Bay, Wisconsin, and Sister Ella Kaster, former Diocesan Archivist, who have given us access to the rich documentation on Bishop Vilatte assembled by former Vicar General J.A. Marx. This documentation provides appreciated details on the last years of his life at the Cistercian Abbaye in Pont Colbert near Versailles, France.

Our gratitude goes equally to the following organizations and persons:

• The Cercle Gnalogique de Versailles et des Yvelines (CGVY) for permission to reproduce the picture of the Abbaye Sainte-Marie du Pont-Colbert, Versailles, that appears on the cover of the CGVY book LAbbaye cistercienne du Pont Colbert Versailles by Jean Vatus;
• The Parkview Health and Rehabilitation Center, Brown County, Wisconsin, U.S.A., for permission to use the painting of the Holy Trinity from the Christian Catholic Cathedral of St. Louis, King of France, in Green Bay. This painting is now hanging in the center chapel, 2900 St. Anthony Drive, Green Bay;
• The University College of Cape Breton in Sydney, Nova Scotia, for authorization to reproduce the painting of Eustache Le Sueur (1617-1655), representing St. Louis, King of France, holding the Crown of Thorns, which is part of the University College Art Gallery Permanent Collection.

And many others, among whom we want to mention:

• Bishop Thierry Teyssot of the Gallican Church at Bordeaux (Gazinet Apostolic Tradition), who provided texts on the implication of Msgr. Vilatte in the Movement of the Cultuelles (Religious Associations of Worship) in France and the restoration of the Gallican Church;
• Msgr. Maurice Cantor, General Superintendent for France, I.C.C.C., who shared information on his Community Church of Sainte Marie in Mont Saint-Aignan, near Rouen, France;
• Monsieur Jean-Franois Mayer from Fribourg, Switzerland, who sent us Carmo Azevedos book on the life of Mar Julius Alvares, Syriac Orthodox Bishop of Colombo, Sri Lanka (1836-1923) and also Sunny Thomas book on the life of Saint Gregory of Parumala (Mar George Gregorius), Syriac Orthodox Bishop of Niranam, India (1848-1902). Both bishops consecrated Msgr. Vilatte in 1892;