MAUNOIR, JULIEN, blessed. — Jesuit, missionary of Brittany, born at St-Georges-de-Reintembault on 1 October 1606, died at Plévin on 28 January 1683. Having completed his studies, he intended to depart for the missions of Canada, but, stricken by a serious infection that was on the point of bringing him to the grave, he vowed that, if he recovered, he would devote himself to the Breton missions. He did in fact recover, and began his apostolic activity at Douarnenez and on the islands of Ouessent and Molènes (1641).
He found in Brittany a spiritually abandoned people, and in 42 years of missions transformed it completely; at first travelling through its dioceses with the elderly Fr. P. Bernard, and later organizing an association of missionary priests from the diocesan clergy, who eventually numbered 1,000, with whom he carried out the gigantic work of restoration. His method was based on preaching and popular catechisms, making use of symbolic tableaux and spiritual hymns, in which the principal truths of faith and morality were expressed; he combined general communions with religious processions representing particular mysteries of the life and Passion of the Redeemer. He also organized spiritual exercises, both closed and open, for the entire population;
for this purpose he opened a special house at Quimper, where each year approximately 1,000 priests and laypeople made their retreat. M. was granted the gift of miracles. He was beatified by Pius XII on 20 May 1951.
M. composed many popular spiritual writings in the Breton language. M. la Nobletz was his disciple.