Who are we?

Priests and deacons living in community at the service of the Universal Church

The Community of Saint Martin, which reports directly to the Holy See, is an association of secular priests and deacons living their vocation in community, at the service of the Universal Church’s pastors. By responding to the bishops’ calls, the Community is entrusted with various apostolic missions, serving in parishes, schools, boarding schools, and sanctuaries.

Today, the Community is comprised of 183 priests and deacons who are sent to mission in groups of at least three, praying, living and working together in spiritual and pastoral fraternity.
Over 100 seminarians are being trained in its House of Formation under a simple way: an intense community life, a rich liturgy, demanding studies, a concern for mobility and a certain sense of humor.

The Mother House and the House of Formation are located in Evron, France.

Mobility

In addition to community life, mobility is another aspect of the Community’s mission. For priests, this mobility is a symbol of our earthly pilgrimage, which is in some way common to all Christ’s disciples.

As a result, the average length of a priest’s mission in the Community of Saint Martin is around six years, which is about the same as it is for secular priests in France.

International

Although most of the seminarians being trained are French, nine other nationalities are also represented at the seminary and among the Community’s priests.

The Community is becoming more and more international, as in addition to some German-speaking seminarians, seminarians from Syria, Cuba, Belgium, Portugal and Netherlands are also being trained in Evron. Besides, bishops from Germany, Cuba and Italy have entrusted the Community with apostolates in missions, parishes and sanctuaries.

1/3 - Why the Community of Saint Martin?

“So many things exist in the Church. It is necessary to seek for their inner foundation. Why was the Community founded, why did the Church approve it as a Public Clerical Association of Pontifical Right?

Researching ecclesiology

If we are living today in a rich time for the Church, the Community has emerged from a series of ecclesial difficulties that have been part of our times. First of all, we experienced the crisis of ecclesiology, a crisis from which we are now beginning to emerge, a crisis of the meaning of the Church, of the Church in its inner identity, of what it is at its core, and in its outer identity. This crisis of identity came from within, from theology, dogma, morality. It was a crisis of the spirit.

An inadequate theology of the priesthood

Another crisis has arisen from this mishandled ecclesiology: the priestly crisis. The massive collapse in vocations number in old Christian countries such as France came from a crisis in the priesthood’s theology. There again, it was an inner crisis, since it is not Jesus who stops calling souls to himself. The ecclesial crisis led to the crisis of priestly identity; all of this is internal.

A Christian life made difficult

There has also been a crisis of reference for the Christian life. We have seen a revival of ‘biblical’ life, but this has not overcome the crises in sacramental life, in particular with the Reconciliation and the Eucharist. The proportion of baptisms has fallen, as has the number of children being catechized. If we are to be ‘light’ in this time of darkness, we will inevitably, and by God’s choice, be inclined to shed light without any self-conceit: we are called to be beacons, lights, witnesses. Today’s Christians stand out not only by attending Sunday Mass, but also by offering a witness that can be costly.”

2/3 - The French School of spirituality

“I was trained by the Sulpicians in the spirituality of the French School, that of Jean-Jacques Olier, Cardinal de Bérulle and the other ‘Messieurs’ of the 17th century, and I’ve remained deeply influenced by it. These priests rediscovered the priesthood of Jesus Christ from within, based on a very strong Christology, meaning a sense of Christ in his humanity and divinity.

Up until them, vocations were not brilliant, nor was training. Olier and Berulle sorted out the situation by interiorizing the notion of priesthood: a priesthood grounded in a vision of the total Christ, true God and true man, whose unique priesthood closely binds the one and the other nature, a priesthood that is all about piety towards the person of Jesus, a priesthood modeled on the formula ‘sacerdos alter Christus’ (the priest is another Christ); a priesthood of confronting, of adjusting as closely as possible to the imitation and resemblance of the unique priesthood of Christ. Jesus needs this substitution in us to continue his unique priesthood. This is the secret of the Catholic priesthood.”

3/3 - An Eucharistic spirituality

“The sacraments nourish personal life, with the Eucharist at the heart of it. Many are aware of the care we take in celebrating the liturgy in general, and the rigorous approach to the Eucharist in particular. At Évron, we celebrate the Paul VI liturgy entirely in Latin, without confusion. It’s normal, even more than normal, for priests and future priests to have a great Eucharistic cult. The heart of a priest’s life is Christ, who dwells in the Eucharist. The Church is necessarily all about the sacrament of Christ’s essential sacrifice, of his life and mission. ‘The Church is Jesus Christ spread and shared,’ writes Bossuet. ‘About Jesus Christ and the Church, I simply know they’re just one thing’ said Joan of Arc. We are but the continuity of Christ’s life and word. The Christian is an extension of his life and mission.

Devotion to the Eucharist is also the essential path to recovering vocations to a priesthood rooted in the celebration of the Holy Mass. Priests must first concern themselves with their own personal sanctification, in order to lead others to holiness. If we do not want to sanctify ourselves, why should we ask Christ for priests? The need for priests will always lie in our desire to sanctify ourselves, with a view to eternal life.”