Miguel Febres Cordero
| St. Miguel Febres-Cordero, F.S.C. | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born |
November 7, 1854 Cuenca, Ecuador |
| Died |
February 9, 1910 (aged 55) Premià de Mar, Barcelona, Spain |
| Venerated in |
Roman Catholic Church (Ecuador and the Brothers of the Christian Schools) |
| Beatified | October 30, 1977 by Pope Paul VI |
| Canonized | October 21, 1984 by Pope John Paul II |
| Major shrine |
Sanctuary of St. Bro. Miguel Quito, Ecuador |
| Feast | February 9 |
Saint (Brother) Miguel, F.S.C., was a member of the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools. He spent his life as a schoolteacher who exhibited a strong foundation in his faith, both to his students and the Brothers with whom he lived. He has been declared a saint by the Catholic Church.
Background
He was born Francisco Febres-Cordero Muñóz in Cuenca, Ecuador, to a politically powerful family, but was unable to stand until the age of 5. In 1864 he was enrolled by his family in a Lasallian school, soon after the arrival of the Brothers in the country. He felt called to follow their life and, overcoming strong family opposition, he was admitted to the Brothers' novitiate on March 24, 1868, the first Ecuadorian to be received by them.[1]
Brother Miguel, the religious name he was given upon admission to the novitiate, decided to pursue teaching as a career. He proved to be a gifted educator, and published a new text book for the teaching of Spanish in 1875, which quickly came to be used throughout the country. He also did research and authored books on literature and linguistics, which earned him membership in the Ecuadorian Academy of Letters in 1892, followed by the Academies of Spain, France, and Venezuela.[2]
In 1907, Brother Miguel was sent to Belgium to translate texts into Spanish, which were to be used by the Christian Brothers who had just been driven out from France. In 1909, he was transferred to the Brothers' novitiate at Premià de Mar in Spain, due to a breakdown in his health, where he oversaw an evacuation of his charges to Barcelona during an outbreak of civil unrest. Shortly thereafter, he contracted pneumonia and died at Premià.<ref name=FSC /[3]
On October 30, 1977, Febres was beatified by Pope Paul VI and on October 21, 1984, Pope John Paul II canonized Brother Miguel Febres Cordero.[4] His remains are preserved for veneration at a sanctuary dedicated to him in Quito.[5]
References
- ↑ "Saint Miguel Febres Cordero Muñoz". Patron Saints Index. Retrieved 4 March 2013.
- ↑ "Saint Miguel Febres Cordero Muñoz". SPQN.COM. Retrieved 4 March 2013.
- ↑ "Saint Miguel Febres Cordero". Lasallian.org. Retrieved 4 March 2013.
- ↑
- ↑ "Visitando el Sanctuario". Caballeros del la Vírgen, Heraldos del Evangelio (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 March 2013.
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