Celebrating 203 Years of Basilian Resilience
It is not too often you get the opportunity to celebrate a 203rd birthday! November 21 marks the founding day of the Congregation of St. Basil (Basilian Fathers). This anniversary celebrates their commitment to education and evangelization and serves as a testament to the strength and resilience of the congregation of priests who laid the foundation for St. Michael’s College School (SMCS). Bishop’s Palace in Toronto “The congregation has embraced diversity, in part because we have ten founders,” says Fr. Kevin Storey, CSB, Superior General of the Basilian Fathers. “This means that in our schools and parishes we are stronger because our faculty, staff, and students have a variety of academic talents, athletic prowess, and artistic gifts. Furthermore, with a multitude of racial and socio-economic backgrounds, our schools become welcoming communities of excellence. You can walk into any Basilian school or institution in North America, Latin America, or Europe, and you may not be able to speak the language, but you will feel at home.” Here is a look a a brief history of the Basilians through the ages. Founding Fr. Joseph Lapierre, CSB, first superior of the Basilians. The Congregation of St. Basil was born in France in a time of turmoil, revolution, and harsh persecution targeting the Catholic Church. After the revolution, in 1790, all religious orders were abolished. Clergy became employees of the state and forced to take an oath of loyalty that would override the authority of the Pope. Those who refused to take the oath were sent to the guillotine. This period became known as the Reign of Terror, during which over 30,000 French citizens were publicly executed; priests and seminarians were imprisoned and massacred; and churches were destroyed. In 1797, Archbishop Charles-François d’Aviau of Vienne returned to France after fleeing the Reign of Terror and asked Father Joseph Lapierre to open a
