Michael Garicoits
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Saint Michel Garicoïts |
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| Priest | |
| Born |
15 April 1797 Ibarre, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, French First Republic |
| Died | 14 May 1863 (aged 66) Bétharram, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Second French Empire |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholic Church |
| Beatified | 10 May 1923, Saint Peter's Basilica, Kingdom of Italy by Pope Pius XI |
| Canonized | 6 July 1947, Saint Peter's Basilica, Vatican City by Pope Pius XII |
| Feast | 14 May |
| Attributes | Priest's attire |
| Patronage | |
Saint Michel Garicoïts (15 April 1797 – 14 May 1863) was a French Roman Catholic priest and the founder of the Congregation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus of Bétharram. He combated Jansenism in his parish due to the threat that it posed to the faith. He served as a teacher and preacher and was known for his ardent devotion to both the Eucharist and the Sacred Heart.
The sainthood cause commenced under Pope Leo XIII in mid-1899 while Pope Benedict XV later named him as Venerable on 10 December 1916 upon the confirmation of his heroic virtue. Pope Pius XI beatified him in 1923 while Pope Pius XII later canonized him as a saint of the Roman Catholic Church over a decade later in 1947.
Michel Garicoïts was born on 15 April 1797 in Saint-Just-Ibarre as the first of six children of the peasants Arnaud Garicoïts and Gratianne Etchéverry. His parents remained faithful and true to the spirit of the faith during the persecutions of the French Revolution while also doing their best to shelter priests. His father helped priests flee persecution and helped them cross the border into Spain. One brother was born after him in 1799.
In 1801 he trespassed into his neighbour's home and hurled a stone at a woman who he believed had wronged his mother before fleeing the scene. In 1802 he stole a pack of needles from a travelling salesman – his mother reprimanded him for this – and in 1804 stole an apple from his brother to his mother's disdain. In 1806 he was sent to the village school but was taken out in 1809 to work as a servant on a farm for additional income.
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