Hyacinthe-Marie Cormier

Life

His father died when he was young, after which his mother and his only brother Eugène near his uncle who was a priest. His brother Eugène died shortly afterwards. He received his early education at home. Later he studied in the school of Christian Brothers. In 1846, at the age of thirteen, he entered the minor seminary of the diocese of Orléans.

As a student, the son drew a family of merchants in the literature and even more in the music. He was good in the game, the flageolet, the organ and the Ophicleide and had a fine singing voice. He kept his passion for music throughout his life, especially sacred music. Franz Liszt heard him play the organ on one occasion and declared him a master of this art.

After entering the seminary of the diocese of Orléans, led by the Sulpician, he studied philosophy and theology. He was admitted to the Third Order Dominic ' as a seminarian. He graduated at the top of its class. The Bishop of Orlèans, Felix- Antoine- Philibert Dupanloup, ordained him a priest on 17 May 1856. He was granted a dispensation, since he had not yet reached the canonical age for ordination.

Dominican life

Shortly after his ordination to the priesthood for the Diocese he felt to join the Dominicans, who were officially founded in France in 1850 new, after its suppression by the French Government. Appointed His inspiration for joining the Dominican order was supposedly the holy life of the Dominican Agnès Galand. He went to Flavigny, where Father Henri Lacordaire opened a novitiate of the Dominicans.

He got the necessary permission to the service of the diocese was given leave by Bishop Dupanloup and June 29, 1856, he received the habit of the Order began his novitiate at Flavigny. It took at that time the religious name Hyacinthe -Marie.

Although he excelled in his studies, he suffered from chronic bleeding. His health problems were so severe that they prevented him lay his religious vows. The Fathers of the novitiate decided to send him home. The Master General of his order at this time, Alexandre Vincent Jandel, however, happens equipped the monastery of Flavigny from his canonical visit. He was greatly impressed by Cormier's character and dedication. He was ready to report the case to the Holy See for a special dispensation for Cormier for his profession. The General Master accompany him back to Rome as his personal secretary and sent him to the monastery of Santa Sabina on the Aventine Hill, where an international novitiate had been recently founded.

Upon receipt of the petition, Pope Pius IX showed. agree that Cormier was allowed to take his profession under the condition that he was free of bleeding for a full month, but with the statement, as it is not for him to live under the religious habit, it is on at least for him to die under it. He then served as personal secretary Jandrels. He missed the repeated papal demand to meet, to go as far as 29 days without incident, but never a full month. He became so ill that it was expected that he may die. Given his condition, he was put in the chapter room of the Dominican convent of Santa Sabina, a deathbed profession on May 23, 1859. Soon after, however, he experienced a full recovery. After his profession, he was sub- master of novices at Santa Sabina. In 1863 he was elected prior of the monastery in Corbara Corsica.

Two years later he became the first provincial of Toulouse was installed, a post to which he was re-elected in 1869 and held until 1874. Then he was appointed prior of a church in Marseille, where he completed the construction of a church and the priory. He left this position when he was elected wiedermal elected provincial in 1878, a post he held until 1888. He was then determined to definitor for the General Chapter in Lyon in 1891.

Proposed Cardinal

Sadoc Szabo told in his work Hyacinth Marie Cormier: 76th Master General of the Order of Preachers, that in 1899 Leo XIII. began to raise him to cardinal, but he prevented, because the French government to represent not sympathetic to a cardinal from a religious orders to their interests as a member of the Roman Curia.

Master General of his Order

After the General Chapter (later Cardinal ) was to Rome as socius, the newly elected General Master, Andreas Frühwirth sent. In Rome he was appointed procurator of the Order. On 21 May 1904 he was elected at the General Chapter in the Monastery of Santa Maria de la Quercia to General Magister near Viterbo. As a general master he asked many provinces resolved to restore and to build new, including Holy Name in the western United States of America.

As a general master, he played a crucial role in the reorganization of the College of St. Thomas in Rome, the future saint Thomas Aquinas Pontifical University, commonly known as the Angelicum. The General Chapter in 1904 ( Viterbo) addressed to him the desire to develop a study generalissimum for the whole Order, the college building on the legacy of the first Roman studies of the Order in the priory of Santa Sabina founded in 1222, the study generale, originated in 1426 in the monastery of Santa Maria sopra Minerva, and arising in 1577 College St. Thomas. He founded the new study generalissimum as the main instrument for the dissemination of orthodox Thomistic thought not only at the Dominicans, but also among the secular clergy. He gave the Angelicum his motto veritatis as General Master caritas. The college was to be raised in status and renamed the Pontifical Collegium Divi Thomae de Urbe in 1906 and increased again in 1963 to the level of Pontifical University.

Retirement and death

After the end of his term in 1916, Cormier moved into the monastery at the Basilica of San Clemente in Rome. He died there on the following December 17 at 12.30 clock after a brief illness.

His body was laid in San Clemente. He was buried in the grave of the Dominicans in the cemetery Campo Verano in Rome. On December 17, 1934, his remains were in the church of Santi Domenico e Sisto, University Church of Angelicums transferred, where his body above the high altar in one direction, and before the altar of the university chapel behind it in the opposite direction.

Beatification

During his life, his sacred qualities were noted: He gives peace to all that he touches. On numerous occasions, he was seen by monks in the Angelicum floating in the air while praying before the Blessed Sacrament. The process of beatification was opened by the Holy See in 1945. In his homily for the beatification Mass of Pope asked that: the Church wants to recognize and honor the work of the human intellect, illuminated by faith.