The parish priests of Vierville
Excerpts from the notice on the parish priests of Vierville, started by Abbé Le Paulmier, and continued by Abbé Robert,
list completed after 1940
All texts in italics are explanatory comments
We do not have the list of the first parish priests of Vierville. We know that the parish priest received 1/3 of the tithes, the rest belonging to several fief owners and the abbeys of Mondaye and St.-Sever.
We see in the archives of Caen a narrow strip of parchment attesting that Raoul de Vierville received in 1407, the clerical tonsure from the hands of the Bishop of Bayeux, Nicolas du Bosq, adviser to the king and president of the Chamber of Auditors of Normandy. But this does not mean that he was parish priest of Vierville
Abbé Paulmier's record contains the list of parish priests from 1653, but also baptismal and marriage certificates from the years 1795 to 1804, sacraments administered by Abbé Binet and other priests, and transcribed by Abbé Le Paulmier. Before the Revolution, only parishes established acts of civil status, of a religious nature. From the Revolution, civil status acts (births, marriages, deaths) were established by the newly created municipalities.
"In this register intended to collect the acts of baptisms, marriages made during the Revolution, as much as I was able to discover, we will find the list of the Parish priests, vicars, priests and servants who have served the branch and Cure de Vierville s/mer since 1653, when we began to keep a register of birth and burial certificates in Vierville"
Pierre ALEXANDRE, parish priest of Vierville from 1653 to 1770
He is the first parish priest to have kept records (of baptismal acts, marriages, deaths). Made many foundations and bequeathed to the church of Vierville several pieces of land (intended for church works, relief of the poor and instruction of children, these lands were of course sold as property of the clergy to the Revolution).
He died on August 28, 1670, but was not buried in Vierville. Founded 3 high masses for the day of his death (August 28)
Vicaries:
Jacques Fontaine in 1653
Antoine Manvieux in 1662
Jacques Fontaine in 1667
Ditto, obitier, in 1669
Gilles Camut in 1669
Jean Lucas in 1670
Nicolas LE MONNIER, parish priest from 1671 to 1701
Serving the cure from January 1671. Died in 1701.
Donna (at the church) the house and the school garden, by deed passed before the notary of Trévières on September 3, 1694:
First act, dated June 14, 1694, shows the parish priest, buying from René du Jardin a "land and house located in the hamel de Guesberne, bordered by the representatives of Marin de Tour, rue Bertin, the path from the church to the Croix-Mitard,all these so-called places are found today in the southern districts of Vierville.
Second act, the will of the parish priest Nicolas Le Monnier on September 3, 1694: "In addition ... gave and osmoned to one of the obitiers priests, who will be required to go to school and instruct the children of the said parish, and failing that to another person who will be judged capable of instructing the youth and appointed by the donor and his successors:
1° the usufruct of a closed land of hays with living plants on which there is a kitchen, cellar, stable and sheds and other facilities purchased from René Du Jardin... ",
(the limits indicated show that it is probably the land today immediately south of the so-called Chasse Bertin street, the district being called that of Guerberue)
and 2° an annuity of four pounds and two floors. "
Vicaries:
Pierre Gardin in 1700
Jacques Périou, obitier, in 1700, then parish priest of St-Laurent in 1719
Pierre Gardin, serving in 1701
Adrien LAIR, parish priest from 1702 to 1715
Appointed to the parish in 1702, began to serve it in 1703.
Died on February 14, 1724, aged 80. Buried in the church.
Gave his furniture to the poor, who, sold, provided an annuity of 50 pounds due by Mrs. Félicité de la Roche de Normanville (this family owned at that time the domains of Than and Normanville which still exist in Vierville, but their current buildings are a little more recent). This rent placed with Mr. Graffey in Formigny was squandered by him.
Vicaries:
Jacques Périou in 1704
Gabriel PHILIPPES, parish priest from 1715 to 1740
"Did not make any foundation (except that of the Easter Day procession at the Croix de la rue Pavée - this cross no longer seems to exist), gave nothing, neither to the church nor to the poor."
He died on May 4, 1740, and was buried in the church, in the presence of Issac-François de Canivet, and Jean Louis de Canivet, Sieur de Vacqueville.(Vacqueville was owned by these 2 brothers, they sold it in 1755)
From his time in 1739, on January 2, died Gilles-Armand de Marguerye, lord and patron of Vierville, father of Gilles-Edouard de Marguerye, the last lord. "(the son and grandson of Gilles de Marguerye already cited, all successive bosses of the parish, since 1670; their graves are in the cemetery around the church)
Vicaries:
J.B. Dardonnel in 1717Jean Jacquelin in 1719
Thomas Merline in 1722, died in Vierville on May 13, 1726
J. Vassal in 1726
Robert Dupont, obitier in St-Laurent, vicar in Vierville, in 1732
Mr Letellier in 1739
Jean Baptiste LARCHER, parish priest from 1741 to 1755
He died on December 19, 1755. "He was pierced with gout"
Vicaries:
M Dufour in 1742
Julien Le Chevalier in 1749
François Mesnil in 1751
The Miller in 1753
Mr. Daligaux, parish priest of Condé in 1764
Jean Michel JULIEN, parish priest from 1757 to 1773
"Doctor of Sorbonne". Was from Mosles. Died at the age of 51 on August 24, 1773.
"He did not make any decoration in his church, nor any repairs in the presbytery that he left in a pitiful state"
Vicaries:
G. de Chypel, died in Vierville on September 19, 1770
Deshayes in 1771
Mr. Le Jeune, serving in 1773
M. Le Barbier, serving in 1773, then parish priest of Trouarn
Jean Charles Edouard LE VERRIER, parish priest from 1774 to 1784
Priest of Canisy, godson of Mr. de Marguerye. Enters office in November 1774.
"In 1747, Jean-Charles Le Verrier, originally from Cricqueville, appointed parish priest of Vierville, full of zeal for the house of God, beautified and decorated the church of Vierville, which before him was quite gloomy; he had the vault of the choir knocked down and had the paneling placed there [which was seen there in 1815]; he had an arcade much too low torn down and rebuilt another much higher one; he had the whole choir repainted, drill through the windows. It was he who gave and had the beautiful counter table placed and painted the curtain that accompanies it that we see today in the said; he built and adorned the sacristy".
Finally he had the two bells re-founded and added one. (Two of these bells were removed by the revolutionaries).
He died at the age of 53 on March 14, 1784. He was buried near the Cross, behind the sacristy.
He did not have time to repair the presbytery, but his heirs paid 1600 pounds for this purpose.
His first function was to be buried on November 12, 1774, Madame Lavalley, wife of Monsieur de Normanville, father of Monsieur de Rochefort. (It is probably Pierre-Nicolas de Marguerit de Rochefort, born in 1747, who built with his father around that time the mansion of Than, destroyed on June 7, 1944)
Vicaries:
Mr. Le Poutrel in 1774
Mr. Le Peton in 1777, was then parish priest of Monfreville, then of Epinay sur Odon
Mr. Binet in 1782, was parish priest in 1785
J.B. Gautier in 1784
Mess. Louis Henry of MARGUERYE, parish priest in 1785
Relative of "Mr de Vierville" (i.e. Gilles-Edouard de Marguerye, lord and boss of Vierville). He was originally from Vassy and died at the age of 44 in April 1785.
Jean Jacques BINET, parish priest from 1785 to 1802
Appointed by Mr. de Vierville in July 1785. He was "Master of Arts" at the University of Caen. Originally from Canchy. Remained parish priest of Vierville until 1802.
In 1791, he took the oath requested by the Constituent Assembly, bought part of the land of Obites. In 1792, the church was stolen (i.e. burglarized), then looted in 1793. The furniture sold was bought by Mr. Gilles de Marguerye and thus preserved. It was the same, in the underhand, for the cure.
In 1794, Abbé Binet retracted and was forced to hide and roam in the canton, while trying to practice, both in Vierville and Isigny, until March 16, 1803.
At that time, - again according to the manuscript of Abbé Le Paulmier, - the parish of Vierville was suppressed and reunited, with those of Saint-Laurent and Véret, to the parish of Louvières, chosen as the most central to be the capital of what was then called a branch...
Mr. Binet, initially slandered, was reintegrated, at the request of Mr. Cafarelly with the bishop, and appointed to the Marsy branch in 1804.
He died on April 7, 1811. By will of December 8, 1807, he bequeathed to the factory of the Vierville branch all the property of which he had been awarded in 1793.
Vicaries:
Mr. Jourdain in 1785
J.F. Lamoureux in 1786
Mr. Vérel in 1787, was then serving the Cricqueville branch
This is what the Historical Notes on the Bessin say, about Abbé Binet, refractory parish priest, at the time of the Revolution and the revolt of the Norman Chouannerie.
THE TRIBULATIONS OF A CURE OF VIERVILLE at the time of the Revolution
(extracts and adaptation of the Historical Notes on the Bessin)
"While some Viervillais howled with the revolutionary wolves, the others hospitalized (hosted) their parish priest, Jean-Jacques Binet. He had been expelled from the presbytery and the church. He had retracted the oath he had taken in good faith but unnecessarily.
Through Abbé Nicolas Guérin, in charge of correspondence (i.e. the clandestine liaisons of the time with the royalist emigrants) with the Bishop of Bayeux, exiled in Jersey, he had received the necessary powers to administer the Sacraments throughout the region.
Denounced to the Societies, called popular, he was hidden sometimes in his family, sometimes with friends; he wandered incessantly in the cantons of Trévières and La Cambe sharing with Fathers Le Maître and Nicolas Guérin, the sick to visit, children to be baptized, marriages to bless.
On October 15, 1795, he returned to Vierville to baptize Marie-Thérèse Le Maître; on the 27th, he attended the wedding of Pierre Lepelletier and Marie Lecoustillier, a wedding celebrated by Abbé Daudibert, great vicar, at the caselaine du Thaon, curator of the wife. On November 22, he signed as parish priest of Vierville, the act of baptism of Edouard Née!, son of Michel.
A few weeks later, he used his powers in the parishes of Castilly, Saint-Marcouf and CIouay whose parish priests were exiled.
Located near Sainte-Marguerite-d'Elle, Clouay was reunited in St-Jean de Savigny, by decree of Napoleon I, on September 17, 1812. The church that we still see in the park of the castle of Rochefort was near the municipal agent (the local mayor of the time), the honorable Pierre Raould, farmer of Pierre-Nicolas de Marguerit, who had married the châtellan of Thaon and who hospitalized (accommodated) willingly the parish priest of Vierville.
As a defender of his citizens, Pierre Raould displeased the board of the canton of Saint-Clair by asking, on 14 nivose, year IV, (January 4, 1796), a stay of the execution of his decree claiming 30 quintals of wheat, for the Cerisy market. Clouay's agent proposed a visit to the farmers of Cerisy and those of Clouay.
Moon's similarly protested against the request for 117 quintals made to his commune. But the cantonal administration says "to have exhausted all the means of sweetness and had the armed force sent to Clouay and Moon at the expense of these municipalities. "
In addition, the following month, she took advantage of the circumstances to imprison and have Pierre Raould and his friend the parish priest of Vierville sentenced. Having a lot of land to lime, Pierre Raould had asked for a day (of work) to all the farmers and agricultural workers in the neighborhood to bake (put the lime to cook). The day before the indicated day, he had stocked up: 80 pounds of beef, a pig, a sheep, two batches of bread, etc. In the evening, a strong band of chouans arrived who used (seized) the provisions!
As soon as he was informed, the board called on the armed force, which violently snatched from their occupations the honorable mayor and Abbé Binet, suspected of having attracted the chouans to take revenge for the requisitions. Taken to Saint-Lô, these unfortunate victims of the Revolution barely had time to prepare their defense. The presentation of the appeal made for the lime should have been sufficient to dismiss the grievance of complicity with the chouans. During his captivity, Pierre Raould wrote this presentation very well, perhaps with the help of the parish priest of Vierville. But the death penalty was nevertheless pronounced against this worthy agent of Clouay for the alleged crime of hiring by the Chouans; this unjust sentence was executed on the same day, in floréal of the year IV (April 1796).
Condemned too, Father Binet was able to escape and bored the patience of those who were looking for him. To be useful, he secretly baptized, on August 3, 1796, Michel Blondel, who had Angélique Raould as godmother; he married, on September 13, Jacques Leguay de Louvières. On February 2, 1797, he provided the baptismal ceremonies to two children born from the marriage of Charles de la Cour and Marie-Clotilde de Suhard, of Longueville (Louise-Esther, waving around December 14, 1794, with Esther de Basnage as godmother, and Charles de la Cour, undoyed on January 16 and appointed by Charles de Canivet, assisted by Angélique d'Argouges).
Getting closer to Vierville, he did all the pastoral functions there: the parishioners of Saint-Laurent and Louvières benefited from it like those of Vierville and elsewhere, until March 16, 1803.
Pierre François CLERISSE, parish priest from 1803 to 1804
He was appointed servant of the Louvières branch on the 24th Ventôse of the Year XI (March 1803) and stayed there for 1 year.
On the 17th Nivôse of the Year XII (around February 1804) the church of Vierville was definitively erected as a branch and Véret, Louvières and St-Laurent were attached to it.
Abbé Clérisse returned to Vierville, but resigned in October 1804.
Monsignor the Bishop gave him the Donnay branch, near Harcourt, where he died in 1806.
Pierre Alexandre LE PAULMIER, parish priest from 1805 (January 2) to 1824
Died suddenly during a visit to his friends at the castle of Asnières in 1824.
Abbé Le Paulmier's diary was kept until 1821. He was taken back by Abbé Robert.
Following his wanderings from 1792 to 1805, we can read this:
Abbé Le Paulmier makes in his newspaper a list of the great dates of the Empire:
(1814) "Bonaparte, Corsican of nation, artillery officer, became by the protection of Barras, one of the five Directors......"
(1815) "On March 1, Napoleon Bonaparte, this former emperor who had abdicated on April 4, 1814...."
(July 25, 1815) "I was mistaken in believing that the pussances of Europe would see Bonaparte's usurpation with an indifferent eye..."
(July 29, 1815) "... He surrendered to the English on July 18..."
"On August 18, 1816, two new bells made by the Guérente brothers, of Hambye, founders, were blessed by Sieur Pierre-Alexandre Le Paulmier, a servant parish priest.
The largest was named "MARIE", by Marie-Madeleigne-Félicie La Roche, wife of Mr. Nicolas de Marguerit, "squire", here before (i.e. ancient or earlier the Revolution) lord and patron of Clouai, assisted by Mr. Joseph Morin de Litteau, squire, sieur de Vaulaville.
The little one was named "PAULINE" by Mrs. Pauline Morin de Litteau, wife of Mr. Adrien Achard, assisted by Mr. Henry de Marguerye, Knight of the Military Order of Saint-Louis, and Mayor of Vierville."
(do not confuse the families of Marguerye - at the castle of Vierville -, and Marguerit de Rochefort - at the mansion of Than -, even if they have sometimes allied themselves)
"..... On March 27, 1817, I had two very authentic relics placed on the high altar, scavoir of St-André next to the Gospel and St-Pierre on the side of the Epistle.... .....and a third, scavoir of St-Roch at the altar of the St. Virgin, the "authentic" will be in the archives of the factory....."
"..... On February 18, 1820, Pierre-Alexandre Le Paulmier, parish priest serving the branch church of Vierville, gave by donation between vivo to the factory of the said branch church of Vierville, three furrows of earth, located in the so-called commune of Vierville, delle de la Marguillette, containing about 15 ares, in charge of saying or having said 12 low masses, one each month on the day his death will arrive and in perpetuity for the rest of the donor's soul, the said furrows estimated about 24F...."
Abbé VOISIN, parish priest from 1824 to 1864
Before being vicar of St-Pierre de Caen.
Made repairs to the chapel and the vault of the nave. Had the barn of the cure built (probably the "dime barn" currently belonging to the municipality).
Died on April 10, 1864.
Abbé CHARLOTTE, parish priest from 1864 to 1866
Named chaplain of the Augustinian nuns in Condé sur Noireau in 1866.
Ferdinand-Pierre BUNOUF, parish priest from 1866 to 1900
Had occupied the Louvières branch. Was born in Trévières. Was vicar in Bretteville-l'Orgueilleuse.
Sick, he had to leave Vierville in 1900.
Abbé Victor Auguste ROBERT, parish priest of 18 July 1900 to 7 March 1940
Born in Vire, ordained a priest on June 29, 1888, vicar of Ste-Marie-Laumont (1888-1889), from St-Léonard to Honfleur (1889-1891), from St-Sauveur to Caen (1891-1900), appointed by Monsignor (the Bishop of Bayeux) in Vierville in 1900.
The presbytery was repaired by Mr. Etienne de Cauvigny, of St-Sever (he was mayor of Vierville).
Father Robert died in his presbytery of Vierville on March 7, 1940.
Here is what a parishioner from Vierville wrote to her son on March 12, 1940 about "The funeral of our old priest. Indeed, this one that I announced to you as very tired in my last letter died on Thursday, having wanted to fulfill his duties as a priest until the end; he had said Wednesday the monthly mass for our dear father and all those we cry, he wanted to do the same on Thursday and dragged himself to the altar, ending his mass with great pain, and he then returned to the presbytery without being able to do the catechism to the children, went to bed and died in the night after painful suffering (I do not know what he died of). He had prepared as a good Christian all his departure, still recommending to Christine Dagoubert who helped the poor old Louise, collapsed, to have him buried in the purple satin chasuble that her dear father had chosen for her for the wedding of your elders. To my great regret, I could not go to bless his remains or attend the funeral where the whole country had met and I called your sisters who could not get gasoline to come here, regretting it well! - me too! - I sent our people, there were, it seems, 22 priests, the veterans and their flag as well as the firefighters, and all the benches were filled with assistants.
He was parish priest 40 years ago. I'm not sure who we're going to have, priests are rare, young people gone to the armies, there are chances that we will be served as well as we can by the parish priest of St-Laurent who already has 3 parishes on his own, with Vierville and Louvières I wonder when we will have a mass!! The mayor leaves here, he had to go talk to the dean of Trévières, ....... .........I would be sorry that our village is without a priest, and I think with emotion of the One who has just left, he liked us all, and it's still a little of all my old past that goes away! Winter has been cruel to all old people."
Abbé PREMPAIN, parish priest of Saint-Laurent and serving in Vierville) from March 1940 to October 1946
Abbé Prempain lived in the presbytery of Saint Laurent sur mer which was totally destroyed during the landing of June 6, 1944, the presbytery was located on the site of the current town hall.
He died on February 6, 1958 and rests in the cemetery of Vierville sur mer near the Church. He was committed to creating the choir of Vierville sur mer.
At the rendezvous in Rome a messenger was missing: tale by Roger QuesnelRead the rewritten text
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This tale by Roger Quesnel, dated Bayeux in April 1949, is presented as a fiction inspired by the physical and moral distress of the villages of Bessin after the fighting. The preface to his republication, more than a quarter of a century later, specifies that the characters and the place must not be identified with real people. Some shape tweaks have been made. The friendly dedication of 1949 to Abbé J. C. has become a tribute to the memory of Abbé J. Chemin, former parish priest of Vierville, resting near the rebuilt church.
Through fields, crossing barriers and embankments, Jean-Pierre rushes to the temporary church: a rectangular barracks placed on a bare moor, under a pastel blue sky crossed by white clouds. At the foot of the cliff, the sea changes color with the sky. The child is ten years old. His left sleeve, rolled and pinned to his black schoolboy's apron, hides a pink stump, a memory of a day in June 1944.
That day, he was waiting for the end of the battle at the bottom of an old drinking trough covered with dry mud. Blood suddenly invaded him and he lost consciousness. Old Grégoire, a blacksmith and master chanter of the parish since always, seized him and took him away despite the gusts. Forgetting his own safety, he ran to a Red Cross truck, about a hundred meters away, where the injured were picked up without distinction of uniform. The child was embarked there.
The fighting was faring away. Grégoire, exhausted, his clothes torn, his hands injured by brambles and barb, wanted to join his church to celebrate the Liberation in his own way: ring the bell. The rope was already going up when a last shell hit the bell tower. In his chest open, he rolled on the three steps of the gate. On the side of the deserted road, his hands opened and closed in anticipation of death. The last vibrations of the bell mixed with his agony; when he died, the bronze crashed on the baptismal font.
The Christ on the cross, placed for centuries between the nave and the choir, now dominated the broken bell and the blacksmith's body. The village had no other victims of this lightning assault. Grégoire was remembered as a man who drank willingly, but above all a brave and solid ringer. Jean-Pierre, suffering on a hospital bed, also received pity from the inhabitants, who did not know the exact severity of his injuries and hoped for his recovery.
Then, in the midst of the accumulated ruins, we gradually stopped thinking about the mutilated bell, the crushed font and the dismantled bell tower. Spring has returned with its soft colors, pink and white hawthorn, dog games and laughter on a sunny threshold. A new Easter Eve, after the morning mass, Jean-Pierre quickly moves away from the new parish priest. Since his return, he reserves this moment for a discreet pilgrimage to the old church.
Kneeling near the bronze lying, he caresses it with his only hand. He therefore renounces to immediately go for the sweets that, according to tradition, the bells returning from Rome disperse in the meadows covered with dew and the corners of the family orchard. Since the cruel year, a sadness remains: his bell is missing from the rendezvous of Rome, and Gregory is no longer there to announce the Resurrection.
For several years, the child has been praying for the bell and the bell. He asks God to keep his old friend with him and to forgive him for his anger, his swearing and his excessive taste for cider and alcohol. He wants the angels to also lead their poor abandoned bell to Rome. In exchange for the lost arm, he hopes for a beautiful new bell for his village.
Leaving the sanctuary, he feels a little pain, but keeps deep inside him a whole faith. In the village that still heals his wounds, no one knows his secret. Life resumes with the hard daily work of the countryside and its familiar scenes. Six yellow ducklings go to the bath for the first time behind their green and blue mother, whose eyes bear both pride and instinctive fear of the man.
Jean-Pierre grows up without giving up his miracle. Every year, while the other bells are supposed to leave for Rome and then bring gifts to the children, his remains motionless on the slabs. It takes all his innocence to continue hoping. The laughter of a villager, claiming in front of another child that this trip is just a joke, even troubled his heart for a moment.
One evening close to Easter, however, he notices that the broken bell has disappeared. Without ever having doubted the goodness of heaven, he looks up and thanks God. Apparently, nothing has changed around him: the little donkey of master Anselme returns from the grass with Maria, the daughter of the house, between his dented and shiny copper cans.
A light bell, beautifully chiseled at its base, is soon installed on a temporary frame near the door of the barracks. The Sunday crowd is waiting for his blessing. In his red cassock, Jean-Pierre seems a little lost among the conversations; Grégoire's soul also seems present to him.
The narrator wonders: is it a miracle or simply the result of a subscription intended to support the new parish priest, to find the Angelus and not to wait for the reconstruction of the church? Why did Master Anselme give birth to the idea? Why did Mr. Charles, a vacationer for more than thirty years and reputed to be thrifty, sign such a big check? Why did modest families give so generously? Jean-Pierre, on the other hand, is certain that Grégoire interceded for all. The story leaves open the possibility of a faith rewarded by the generosity inspired by men.
Once the ceremony is over, joy wins the village and enters the homes. No one particularly thinks of Jean-Pierre, since no one knows his secret. The child, hurt by human madness, nevertheless believes himself to be the happiest: he has the best part of this shared joy. He hopes to replace Gregory one day and make the Angelus of peace resonate in turn on this campaign that he loves.
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"In memory of Abbé Chemin, Conte Pascal"
Abbé Chemin's funeral in Vierville-sur-MerRead the rewritten text
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A considerable crowd attended the funeral of Abbé Chemin in the parish church of Vierville. The ceremony was celebrated by Abbé Gouget, parish priest of Formigny, under the chairmanship of Bishop Châtillon, vicar general. The corners of the sheet were held by Messrs. Legallois, Mayor of Saint-Laurent, Grosmelon, Mayor of Louvières, Ygouf and Le Terrier, as well as by the parish priests of Blay and Saint-Martin-des-Besaces. Michel Hardelay, mayor of Vierville, wore the candle of honor.
Among the audience were Mr. Vautier, general councilor, mayors of municipalities, school children, patriotic societies and many representatives of the clergy, including Abbés Averland, parish priest and dean of Trévières, and Quesnel, parish priest-dean of Saint-Clair-sur-Elle.
In his speech, Abbé Averland conveyed to the family, mayors and parishioners of the three served municipalities the condolences of Bishop Jacquemin, bishop of the diocese, and those of the clergy. He announced that Abbé Gouget would provisionally provide the services of the three parishes. A thirtieth-day memorial service was scheduled in the provisional chapel of Vierville on March 5 at 10:30 a.m.; masses were also to be celebrated in Saint-Laurent and Louvières at the initiative of the Catholic Action groups. According to the wishes of the inhabitants, a tombstone would be placed on the priest's grave. A collection was organized; donations could be entrusted to the mayors of the three municipalities or to the deanery of Trévières.
The tribute then retraced his life. Born on March 12, 1909 in Ernée, in the diocese of Laval, Abbé Chemin had known suffering from his youth. He had first worked as a mechanic and locksmith before feeling, around the age of twenty-second, his religious vocation. He had studied in Pontmain, then in Rome with the Oblate Fathers. The disease had forced him to rest for a long time in Switzerland. On his return, he had gone through a serious crisis of conscience; a stay in Epron, with Father Robert, had helped him. The story then evokes the war from 1939, the evacuation of Dunkirk and the return by England.
The newspaper presents him as the first priest ordained in the Basilica of Lisieux by Bishop Falaize. He had worked in Saint-Just, near Vernon, before Bishop Picaud integrated him into the diocese of Bayeux and Lisieux and entrusted him, in 1946, with Vierville, Saint-Laurent and Louvières.
Abbé Averland greeted a generous priest, attached to poverty experienced as a virtue and convinced of the power of prayer. He described an affable, helpful man who was particularly close to the most humble, whose disappearance aroused a strong emotion. The cut ends with the newspaper's condolences to the bereaved.
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Abbé Georges TOURQUETIL, parish priest from 1975 to 1997, dean of the Aure in 1986 - 5 bell towers grouped (Vierville, Saint-Laurent, Louvières, Asnières, Formigny).
Georges Tourquetil celebrates fifty years as a priestRead the rewritten text
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Many parishioners in the Vierville sector surrounded Father Georges Tourquetil on a Sunday afternoon for the fiftieth anniversary of his ordination. About fifteen priests, including from the Deanery of Aure and the surrounding area, celebrated a Mass of thanksgiving in a crowded church.
Born in 1917 and ordained in 1943 after the small and then the grand seminary, he had chosen the priesthood while his teacher imagined him as a teacher. His parish priest had invited him to become a male fisherman.
He had been an educator for eleven years with the Petits Clercs de Sainte-Thérèse de Lisieux, then worked for fourteen years in Saint-Pierre-la-Vieille, Saint-Lambert, La Villette and Périgny. He accompanied in particular the teenagers and young people of the JAC du Bocage.
At Molay-Littry, he had joined the pastoral team with Fathers Rousseau, Prodhomme and Beaudoin. After a serious illness leading to a disability, he had continued his mission as a confessor in Saint-Pierre de Caen, then for eighteen years with the nine parishes of the Vierville sector. He had also been dean of the Aure for several years.
The seventy-six-year-old priest thanked those who had prepared this day and expressed his affection to them. After a wine of honor and the delivery of a souvenir gift, more than a hundred people shared the evening meal with him.
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1993, priestly golden wedding of Father Tourquetil
above and opposite
Nine parishes join Father Tourquetil to mark fifty years as a priestRead the rewritten text
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A host of friends and faithful from the nine parishes in the area met on a Sunday afternoon in the church of Vierville for the fifty years of the priesthday of Abbé Tourquetil. The fresh flowers and audience gave the solemn Mass a particularly moving character.
The priest, present for eighteen years with these parishes, recalled that he had chosen his vocation very early. Faced with the growing lack of priests, he invited those who felt called to join the Church. More than two hundred people participated in the wine of honor. An armchair, a CD-radio-cassette player and other gifts were offered to him. In the evening, more than one hundred and ten guests met at La Marquerie, in Grandcamp-Maisy, for a warm meal.
Born in Commes in 1917, Georges Tourquetil had spent his childhood there. Entered the Caen seminary at the age of eleven, he remained there until 1934 before the grand seminary, completed in 1943. He had received the sub-diaconate on March 20, 1943 in the Carmel chapel of Lisieux, then the diaconate on May 30 at the chapel of the bishopric of Bayeux. Nineteen days later, he was ordained a priest at Bayeux Cathedral. He kept a vivid memory of Abbé Chemin, who died thirty-eight years earlier according to the article.
Professor with the Petits Clercs de Sainte-Thérèse de Lisieux until 1954, he then worked for two years at Saint-Jean de Caen. Appointed in 1956 in Saint-Pierre-la-Vieille, near Condé-sur-Noireau, he had accompanied the teenagers and children of the Bocage as a chaplain. In 1970, he joined the Molay-Littry priestly community as a priest and parish priest.
His health led him to resign in October 1973 and spend a year in Saint-Pierre de Caen. Returning to Bessin in 1975, in Vierville, he had been dean of the Aure for six years. Father Tourquetil insisted on the happiness he had found in exercising the functions of priest and parish priest during these fifty years.
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The parish hall is named after Georges TourquetilRead the rewritten text
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The parish hall of Vierville-sur-Mer now bears the name of Georges Tourquetil, the priest who had been the project manager. One Sunday morning, after the mass celebrated at the Saint-André church by Father Aubry, parish priest of the new Saint-Exupère-en-Bessin parish, a commemorative plaque was inaugurated on the wall of the building.
Appointed to Vierville in 1975, Father Tourquetil had practiced there for more than twenty years. He died on September 3, 1997. His last years had been devoted to the construction of this room, which the article says blessed by Bishop Pican eight years earlier. Many faithful attended the tribute, concluded with a drink of friendship.
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Plaque in honor of Father Tourquetil, inaugurated in 1998 in the parish hall he had built.
The 5 Bell Tower Fair
(Vierville, Saint-Laurent, Formigny, Louvières and Asnières), organized by the parish of Vierville, each year between 1979 and 1995, in order to raise funds to build a parish hall.
A lively Five Bell Towers fair from noon to nightRead the rewritten text
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The sun accompanied the five bell towers fair in Vierville on a Sunday. Residents and tourists met at noon around the outdoor rotisserie to share mutton, sausages, chops, pastries and patties.
In the afternoon, lottery, chaboule-tout, exhibitions and refreshments animated the party for young and old. Mutton, fries and pastries were again served in the evening to end the day.
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August 5, 1979 in Vierville
A fair to finance the parish hallRead the rewritten text
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The annual fair organized by Abbé Tourquetil took place on a Sunday according to a formula that has become traditional. The day began with a mass, followed by a wine of honor. Many participants then gathered for lunch.
In the afternoon, the various stands welcomed visitors. The profits of this festival were to contribute to the realization of a parish hall.
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1988 Fair
The five bell tower fair finances the catechism roomsRead the rewritten text
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The five bell towers fair again attracted a large audience. At noon, seven to eight sheep finished roasting for the visitors; the children of the colony of Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer had come to have lunch on the grass. The afternoon offered flea market, games of skill and chance, lottery and refreshment bar.
Abbé Tourquetil emphasized the quality of the collective work, the atmosphere and the understanding of the preparations. He recalled the importance of an annual success: the revenues were used to repay the loan taken out for the installation of catechism rooms. Thanks to the turnout, the parishioners of the five bell towers could continue their financial commitments.
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Nearly two hundred people at a mass in the castle parkRead the rewritten text
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On a sunny Sunday, nearly two hundred people attended an outdoor mass in the shady park of Vierville Castle. The parish of Saint-Exupère organized this village gathering for the first time. Around noon, the participants shared a picnic in a friendly atmosphere.
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July 25, 1999 - Festival at the Château de Vierville, organized by the new parish Saint-Exupère-en-Bessin
1983 Fair
The fair of the five bell towers brings together young and oldRead the rewritten text
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Organized for several years by Vierville and the neighboring municipalities, under the patronage of the parish priest of Vierville, the five bell towers fair offered different stands for young and old.
The main attraction of this edition was the draw for a sheep, in which many competitors had participated. Visitors could also have lunch on the grass and thus prolong this festive moment.
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Parish and summer people gathered at the fair of the five bell towersRead the rewritten text
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Under the sun of a festive Sunday, the fair of the five bell towers brought together parishioners and summer visitors around the tents and stands. About eighty people had worked with his initiator, Abbé Tourquetil, to organize this meeting between Vierville, Asnières, Englesqueville, Louvières and Saint-Laurent.
The parking lot was full and the games of skill or chance maintained the animation. The proceeds of the day were intended for the maintenance of churches, so that each parish could continue to see its bell tower illuminated.
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The Five Bell Towers fair finances the halls of the presbyteryRead the rewritten text
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The traditional July fair of the Five Bell Towers attracted a large crowd to Vierville on a sunny Sunday. Games, lottery, books and flea market offered distractions; the large tent of the meal was full.
The profits of this annual event were used to repay the loan contracted to build the halls of the presbytery. The winning numbers of the raffle were 2422, 2859, 3829, 3528, 2256, 3297, 2496, 2181, 3970, 3013, 2777, 2429, 3982, 2174, 3990, 3557, 2746, 3160, 2622 and 3475. The lots were then to be collected at Philippe Ygouf's, in Les Isles, route de Formigny.
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1994
The five bell towers fair, a festive stop before the beachRead the rewritten text
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The traditional five bell tower fair was held on a Sunday on the field of Vierville. The volunteers of the parishes had prepared many stands to welcome young and old.
The sun led many visitors to the beach; some stopped to let the children play and eat. The pancakes were a great success. The work of the volunteers and the proceeds of the day benefited the parishes.
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July 1995
The five bell tower fair supports the maintenance of churchesRead the rewritten text
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The five bell towers fair gathered a large audience on a Sunday afternoon in Vierville-sur-Mer. The newspaper highlights the success for the seventh consecutive year and salutes its organizer, Abbé Tourquetil, dean of the Aure and parish priest of the parishes of Saint-Laurent, Louvières, Asnelles, Englesqueville and Vierville, according to the printed list.
Bottle fishing, bag race, chamboul'tout and other stands were to finance the refurbishment of churches and supply the coffers for the 1985 fair.
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1984 Fair
Twelve years of fair for the benefit of the churches of the sectorRead the rewritten text
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The Five Bell Towers fair, bringing together the nine parishes served by Father Tourquetil, won a new popular success on a Sunday. Created twelve years earlier, it financed the maintenance of churches.
Since 1980, the parishes had benefited from 98,000 francs, plus 44,000 francs of common expenses for maintenance, painting and equipment. A catechism room had also just been built near the Vierville presbytery.
The draw of subscription vouchers for these rooms had designated numbers 3207, 3249, 2050, 3258, 3380, 2171, 3101, 2304, 2619, 2093, 3463, 2653, 3196, 3155, 2858, 1683 and 1329. The 1.786 kilogram lobster was won by Mr. Legrand d'Englesqueville and the lobster by Mr. Bernard-Marie d'Asnières-en-Bessin.
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Around 1992
A sunny and very busy five bell towers fairRead the rewritten text
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About eighty organizers from Vierville, Asnières, Englesqueville, Formigny and Aignerville had prepared the five bell tower fair. One Sunday, on a field close to the beach, the parishioners offered many activities: bouncy castle, lapinodrome, chamboule-tout, angling and mini-brocante.
The sun and the summer people were there. A roast mutton meal was offered at noon. Between the beach and the games, the event brought together many participants; the photograph underlines the success of the lapinodrome.
The winning numbers of the raffle were: 2091, 1330, 2855, 3376, 2187, 1981, 2040, 1184, 3355, 1928, 3433, 2035, 1841, 1494, 1760, 2900, 3059, 2621, 1769, 3430, 2316, 1390, 2363, 1449 and 2619. The lots were to be collected from Mr. Philippe Ygouf, in Vierville-sur-Mer.
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Inauguration of the Vierville catechism roomsRead the rewritten text
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The catechism premises of Vierville were inaugurated on a Sunday in the presence of the mayor, Mr. Oxéant, municipal councilors, mayors of the served municipalities and parishioners. Also present were Mr. Girault, responsible for diocesan work, Abbé Aubry, treasurer of the bishopric, Abbé Edy, dean of the Aure, and members of the economic council.
Father Tourquetil, parish priest, sent his thanks. The mayor congratulated him for his dynamism; Mr. Girault praised his action and that of the council. Dean Edy blessed the places as well as the crucifixes for the four catechism rooms.
The realization cost 390,000 francs. The profits of the annual fair had already made it possible to self-finance 160,000. The visit of the premises ended around the glass of friendship.
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The twinning of the German parish of Altena with the parish of Vierville
This twinning, to which Father Tourquetil was attached, originated from the coming on vacation in our region of young Germans from a small town of 20,000 inhabitants located in the diocese of Cologne, east of the industrial agglomeration of the Rhur.
These contacts were fruitful and the informal twinning has continued since the 75/80s, and he is still alive today, taken over by the new parish Saint-Exupère en Bessin, centered in Trévières.
Vierville and Altena create a friendship between their parishesRead the rewritten text
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The parishes of Saint-André de Vierville and Saint-Matthieu d'Altena, in Germany, formalized a friendly on a Sunday intended to develop exchanges and friendship. The day began with a bilingual mass. Abbé Tourquetil then blessed a bronze of Saint Matthew fixed in the church and offered by German visitors.
In the afternoon, the parishioners of Vierville and the Altena delegation signed the charter. Mireille Guilbert traced the origin of the ties: a group of German scouts had come sixteen years earlier; for eight years, the young people had been staying with a chaplain preparing the mass with the parish priest. In 1988, Jean Broxterman had facilitated the first receptions in French families for a snack. In October of the same year, a dozen singers from the Altena choir came to give a concert.
On May 1 prior to the signing, Father Tourquetil and four young people, Véronique and Jérôme Blaize, Karine Maris and Mireille Guilbert, had spent three days in this parish of Westphalia, about a hundred kilometers northeast of Cologne. They had prepared the terms of the text, then signed in the presence of most of the mayors of the municipalities served by the priest.
A management committee in each parish was to animate this fraternal community within the Church. After the friendship drink, the young people played a friendly football match.
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At the death of Father Tourquetil, the parish of Vierville was integrated into the new parish of Saint Exupère en Bessin.
Recall the successive servants of this new parish:
from September 1997 to December 1999: father Aubry
winter and spring 2000: interim by Father Pitel, Vicar General of the Diocese
from summer 2000 to summer 2005: father Lescroard
autumn 2005: father Pécullo
from January to summer 2006: father Lair
from September 2006 to September 2007: brother Cyrille (from the abbey of Juaye-Mondaye)
from September 2007 to September 2009: brother Martin (of the abbey of Juaye-Mondaye)
Since September 2009: father Fabrice Verrier (priest) and father Hugues Hérout (cooperative priest)