Louis de Sabran
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Louis de Sabran was a French Jesuit born in Paris, 1 March, 1652; died at Rome, 22 January, 1732.[1]
[edit] Biography
As his father, who became a marquis, was attached to the French embassy in London during the Commonwealth, and visited the martyrs Corby and Venerable John Duckett before their deaths, Louis de Sabran married an English lady, was sent to the English college of St. Omer and entered among the English Jesuits. Distinguished for many talents, he became one of the royal chaplains to King James II in 1685, preached with great diligence and was engaged in controversy with William Sherlock, Dean of St. Paul's, and Edward Gee.
On the outbreak of the Revolution in 1688 he was first sent to Portsmouth with the infant Prince of Wales and then became involved in many adventures. He was repeatedly seized by the mob and maltreated but escaped, finally to France.
He was subsequently appointed visitator of the Neopolitan Jesuits, and represented his province at Rome in the congregation of 1693, when the case of Father González was discussed.
In 1699 the Prince-Bishop of Liège appointed him president of his episcopal seminary, which excited a furious attack from the Jansenistic party, and the bishop had to enforce order with soldiers. Once the crisis was passed, Father Sabran's rule was successful.
In 1708/09, he was made provincial superior. He then wrote to Father Metcalfe, a Jesuit in the North, about the progress of Jansenism, but his letter was intercepted, and was declared by some to portend that he intended to gain possession of Douai College, as he had done that of Liège. A long-drawn and somewhat bitter controversy ensued.
After his provincialship he became rector of St. Omer (1712-5), then spiritual director at the English College in Rome until he died.
[edit] Publications
The titles of his controversial tracts will be found in Sommervogel; he is alleged to have written a paper "Artes Bajanae" about 1701 against Jansenism.
[edit] References
- This article incorporates text from the public-domain Catholic Encyclopedia of 1913.
