Nicolas Roland

Nicolas Roland
Official Portrait of Nicolas Roland, from the Livre du Choeur Hannesse, 1888
Born	December 8, 1642, Baslieux-les-Reims,  France
Died	April 27. 1678, Reims,  France
Honored in	Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, Lasallian educational institutions
Beatified	October 16, 1994
Feast	April 27

Nicolas Roland (Baslieux-les-Reims, France, December 8, 1642 - Reims, April 27, 1678) was a French priest, canon and educator. He was a friend, contemporary and spiritual director of Saint John Baptist de La Salle.

Biography

Childhood and early years

Nicolas Roland was born on the small town of Baslieux-les-Reims,^[1] 9 kilometers away from Reims, son of Jean-Baptist Roland (1611–1673), he was Commissioner for wars and old cloth merchant. His baptism godfather, July 23, 1643, was his uncle, the later famous Matthieu Beuvelet.

In 1650 he joins the Jesuit College at Reims by the church of St. Maurice where he shows an active intelligence and the wish to become a priest. In 1653 he obtains the tonsure from the bishop Pouy at the abbey of Saint Pierre les Dames.

Once a cleric, he begins his studies in rhetoric and theology. Once he finished his studies he left priesthood momentarily to begin a travel around France. After a tough journey at the sea he decides to consecrate his life to God and become a presbyter.

The young student moves to Paris in 1660 to continue his studies on Philosophy and Theology probably with the Jesuits once again staying at the college of Bons Amis. He joins several pious associations showing the passionate and active character he would continue to show during his lifetime, associations like the “Friends Association” of the Jesuit Jean Bagot and the one from Saint Vincent de Paul, he even thinks of the possibility of joining the Jesuits. He also becomes quite excited with the work of the missionaries and decides to move to Siam after finishing his doctorate on theology. In 1664 he receives the diaconate and on March 3 of 1665 he becomes a priest.

After receiving the canon sinecure at the Reims Cathedral, his desire to become a missionary fades away. Once as a canon he makes some missionaries trips as a popular preacher, although his main occupations remain the writing of sermons and the formation of new priests.

Apostolic Life

In 1666 he leaves his parents house moving to a house on Barbâtre Street, on Reims, where he begins a life in poverty dedicated to charity. He establishes contacts with the Saint Nicolas-du-Chardonnet seminary where his uncle works there he impregnates himself with the spirit of Adrian Bourdoise, Jean-Jacques Olier and the renovation movement of the French clergy. He also spends some months living at the church of Saint-Amand in Rouen under the staircase following the teachings of Antoine de la Haye in complete poverty. After this experience his house becomes some sort of seminary where young applicants for priesthood are encouraged and helped in many ways.

From all his apostolic activities, the education is the activity the young canon feels more attracted to, especially after the publication in 1668 of “Bans” by Charles Démia, the precursor of the school for poor people.^[2] In Rouen he meets yet another clergyman passionate for the poor people education, the minimal and later blessed Nicolas Barre, who arrived at the city in 1659.

On October 15, 1670 he begins the legal defense of the Reims' orphanage founded by Marie Varlet. He requests from the priest Nicolas Barre for him to send two teachers from the “sisters of the providence” to help him on his quest.

On December 27, 1670, the teachers arrive, their names, Francoise Duval and Anne Le Coeur, later on he would start along with them the Congregation of Sisters of the Holy Child Jesus, dedicated to the education of poor and abandoned girls.

Meeting La Salle and the founding of the Sisters of the Holy Child Jesus

Saint John Baptist de la Salle: painting by Pierre Léger, its kept at the Founders Room in the main house at Rome, painted in 1734, it is considered as the official portrait.

In 1672 he meets a young canon from Reims, John Baptist de la Salle, from whom he assumes for a while the spiritual guidance. Both encourage themselves into apostolic works that they both undertake. While John Baptist de la Salle remains at the Saint-Sulpice seminar, in Paris, he keeps close communications and several meetings. Their first relationships are rather spiritual, even though he is instilling the same detachment that he has and that later the founder of the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools manifest.^[3]

After his father's death in 1673 he becomes more involved on his apostolic priesthood and encouraging the growing new community of the “Sisters of the Holy Child Jesus”. He also takes care of some neighborhood schools and the orphanage. On July 13 he opens the first school of the sisters. He does it so at his own expense. He feels confident in teaching girls, but he doesn’t know how to proceed as to boys, he tries to involve De La Salle in the masculine teaching, however unsuccessfully.

In 1675 he receives the approbation from the ArchbishopCharles Maurice Le Tellier regarding the formation of the order of the sisters. They are officially named “Sisters of the Holy Child Jesus” due to their devotion in their veneration to the Carmelo de Beaune, their favorite place for peregrination. He describes many spiritual works and publishes the manifest “Notices for the regular people”. One of the notices left for the sisters reads:

The sacred fire must embrace the sisters, it makes them inflame the others and above all the teachers, the students and all the people they come in contact with, That way with their example and edifying words, they will do good as the divine providence wishes, With this fire they will love thy neighbor, God does not wish to divide the charity with which we love him with we must give this one equally to all humanity. This is the principle on which we must encourage the teaching of girls in the schools, not making any distinction of their human and natural qualities.^[4]

The following year he gives all his possessions to consolidate the young congregation, he also multiplies his activities in favor of the needed. He suffers some miscomprehensions with the cathedratic board and the church authorities. He also makes some trips to Paris looking for the civil recognition of his community, however the process is delayed.

During the months of March and April of 1678 he participates in a big predication and apostolic campaign helped by the priests of the Oratory. On march 30 he assists with great joy to the firs mass of his appointed Saint John Baptist de La Salle. He encourages De La Salle to trade his sinecure for a small parish but the archbishop opposes to it and the matter remains unsettled.

Sickness, death and legacy

Occidental facade at the Reims cathedral.

On April 19, 1678, he has to stay in bed due to a severe headache. On the 23rd of the same month he redacts his testament, leaving the order to finish the institute to Saint John Baptist de La Salle and Nicolas Rogier. On the 27th he peacefully passes away, being buried on the sisters chapel on the 29th. He was only 36 years old and yet he left behind a huge apostolic project, even if it only had 20 sisters, an asylum and four schools.

Saint John Baptist de La Salle will then continue with the approbation of his work and later on will follow his footsteps founding the congregation of the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools for the human and Christian education for the poor.

Nicolas Roland was blessed in Rome by the Pope John Paul II on October 16, 1994, amongJosefina Vannini, Alberto Hurtado Cruchaga, Petra de San Jose Perez Florido and Maria Rafols as a previous step for canonization. His remains now rest in a crypt at the Reims Cathedral.

Writings

• "Short Treatise of the virtues that are necessary for the Sisters of the child Jesus", Traité Petit traité des vertus les plus nécessaires aux sœurs, qu’on a trouvé écrit de la main de M. le Théologal, où il exprime ses sentiments sur la Communauté in French.
• "Advise to regular people", Avis donnés par feu Monsieur Nicolas Roland, Théologal de Reims, pour la conduite des personnes régulières in French.
• "Conferences about perfection", Première Conférence faite par le sieur Théologal à la Communauté du Saint Enfant-Jésus, sur ces paroles: «soyez parfaits, comme votre Père Céleste est parfait» in French.
• "Memorial to the Archbishop of Reims", Mémoires sur la Vie de Monsieur Nicolas Roland, prêtre, Chanoine Théologal de l’Église de Reims, et Fondateur de la Communauté du Saint-Enfant-Jésus in French.
• Correspondence: Recueil des Lettres écrites par la main de Monsieur Nicolas Roland, Théologal, à plusieurs de ses pénitentes in French.

Roland's Pedagogy

Roland’s pedagogy has much to do with his own life: humble, simple, natural, but also ambitious and compromising, even captivating and contagious:

• It is cutting edge pedagogy, for pioneering works of popular education.
• Ascetic and mystical at once, said that the life of man is great if understood as a struggle and surrender to divine service.
• The most valuable of his attitude was his testimony and his passion. Traits that were considered irreplaceable educational values in their masterpieces. With them, he adorned the Christian school for girls that he designed and easy ideas to their teachers who offered selfless and generous people grouped with effort and trust in God.

Nicolas Roland is one of the teachers who made possible in the 17th century the spread of popular schools, predecessor next to Saint Pierre Fourier and Charles Demia of what would later become the popular schools from the Church, especially in the work of John the Baptist De La Salle.

Bibliography

• AROZ, L.M., Nicolas Roland, Jean-Baptiste de La Salle et les Sœurs de l'Enfant-Jésus de Reims, Cahiers lasalliens 38, Reims, 1972.
• AROZ, L.M., The succession of Nicolas Roland, chanoine théologal de l'église Notre-Dame de Reims, Cahiers lasalliens 53, Paris 1995.
• HANESSE, A., Vie de Nicolas Roland, Reims, 1888.
• BERNOVILLE, G., Un précurseur de saint Jean-Baptiste de La Salle: Nicolás Roland, fondateur de la Congrégation du Saint Enfant Jésus de Reims, Paris, 1950.
• GOY, J. La vie de Nicolas Roland, Reims, 1993
• CHICO, P. Nicolás Roland en Fundadores de órdenes religiosas de la enseñanza, Valladolid, 2000.
• GALLEGO, S. San Juan Bautista de La Salle: vida y pensamiento, BAC, Madrid, 1986 ISBN 84-220-1232-4
• CAMPOS, M., SAUVAGE, M., Juan Bautista de La Salle: Anunciar el evangelio a los pobres, Bruño, Lima, 1977.
• BÉDEL, H., Orígenes 1651-1726, Estudios Lasalianos nº5, Rome, 1998

References

1. ^ According to AROZ, L.M., Nicolas Roland, Jean-Baptist de La Salle et les Sœurs de l'Enfant-Jésus de Reims, Cahiers lasalliens 38, Reims, 1972, pp. 53.
2. ^ Cfr. HANESSE, A., Vie de Nicolas Roland, Reims, 1888
3. ^ AROZ, L.M., The succession of Nicolas Roland, chanoine théologal de l'église Notre-Dame de Reims, Cahiers lasalliens 53, Paris 1995
4. ^ Virtues necessary to the Sisters, nº 5

Persondata
Name	Roland, Nicolas
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	December 8, 1642
Place of birth
Date of death	April 27, 1678
Place of death