Gérard Calvet
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Dom Gérard Calvet (November 18, 1927 - February 28, 2008) was a French Roman Catholic abbot and founder of the St. Madeleine du Barroux abbey in Le Barroux, France.[1] He was considered to be an important figure in contemporary Catholic traditionalism.[1]
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[edit] Early life
Calvet was born in Bordeaux, France, on November 18, 1927.[1] He took his vows to become a Benedictine monk on February 4, 1951.[1] Calvert was ordained a Catholic priest on May 13, 1956.[1]
[edit] Saint Madeleine du Barroux
Calvert and several traditional monks set out to restore the closed Saint Madeleine du Barroux, which is located in Provence, France, after the Second Vatican Council.[1] Calvert often allied himself with other Catholic conservative traditionalists, such as the Society of St. Pius X and Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, in order to perform pre-Vatican II rites, such as the Latin Mass, at the abbey.[1] As a result, Calvert's monastery often operated outside of the official recognition of the Catholic Church.[1]
Calvert also founded the Chartres Pilgrimage, a three day annual pilgrimage for traditional Catholics from Paris to Chartres, France.[1] He published Tomorrow Christendom, which sharply criticized the lack of Christian spirituality in Europe, in 1986.[1] In 1988, Calvert objected to consecration of bishops by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre without Vatican approval.[1] Calvert's decision to back the Vatican over Lefebvre in the dispute led to better relations between the Vatican and the Saint Madeleine du Barroux abbey.[1]
[edit] Death
Father Gérard Calvet died at the age of 80 on February 28, 2008. He had been in poor health since suffering a stroke in the late 1990s.[1]
