(ANS - Vatican City) - On Tuesday, 8 July, the Holy Father Pope Francis authorized the Congregation for the Causes of Saints to promulgate the decree on the heroic virtues of the Servant of God Joseph August Arribat, a Salesian priest.

The French Salesian,Venerable Fr Arribat (Trédou, 1879 - Navarre, 1963), was a good father to all his children. His life is the epitome of the Gospel expression: "I came not to be served but to serve." He never refused any kind of work, and indeed he himself sought the most humble services. Because of his availability for the work of cleaning, the novices used to call him "The Knight of the Broom."  He attended the sick throughout the night. During the war, he would give up his room and his bed for confreres who might be passing by, and he would spend the night on a chair or in the chapel. Miraculous cures were attributed to his intercession.

He held many positions of responsibility, especially that of Rector for many years and in several different houses. In all of these Fr Arribat was exemplary, always present among the students in the playground and in the chapel, in the catechism class and in the infirmary. He would move from the dining hall to the dormitory, from the confessional to the garden, always attentive to everything and everyone. He had an extraordinary respect for every person and treated all with great sensitivity, especially the little ones and the poor. Like St Joseph he watched over the house – they used to call him “the lightning conductor”.  He had an open smiling face and never turned anybody away. His gaunt ascetic figure reminded people of the Curé d'Ars, while his gentleness and his smile were worthy of St. Francis de Sales.

There is a short biographical sketch of the Venerable on the website sdb.org.

Published 10/07/2014