Eugène Courtais

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Eugène Courtais

Visitor of the Missions (with powers of provincial) 1924-1928

Sixth Provincial of Oceania 1928-1932

Eugène Courtais was born in La-Chapelle-Saint-Florent, Maine et Loire to Jean Courtais, brick layer, and Françoise Grasset on 18 March 1878, in the Diocese of Angers.[1] After studies at the Minor Seminary of Mongazon (1889-96) and just over one academic year at the Major Seminary of Angers (where he was tonsured),[2] he entered the Society in February 1898, making his novitiate at Sainte-Foy-lès-Lyon.[3] He was called to do military service with the 77th Infantry regiment from 14 November 1899 to 24 September 1900.[4] He completed his formation at the scholasticates of Montbel[5] and Belley[6] and was professed in the Society of Mary on 26 May 1901. He was ordained a priest on 13 July 1902 and was appointed to what was then New Hebrides [Vanuatu]. He left Marseilles bound for Sydney on RMS Ophir on 13 December in that same year. He travelled in a group of 14 priests and scholastics, including John Rausch (later procurator under Courtais).[7] They arrived in Sydney on 16 January 1903. On 24 January seven of the group sailed for Nouméa on FMS Pacifique and Courtais finally arrived in Port-Vila on 19 February 1903, at the age of 25.
On 8 April he was sent to Mélé[8] to replace Charles Faure who had just died. But Mélé, which was to have been the site of the Catechist School, was found to be too unhealthy and most of the pupils had been moved to Montmartre.[9] Courtais soon came down with malaria and had the remaining pupils sent to Montmartre. He was then assigned to Port-Olry.[10] On 11 September 1904 the newly ordained Bishop Victor Douceré left him at his new post, at the same time whisking Pierre Bochu off to his new post in the South West Bay on the island of Malekula. But the seas were too rough, and they had to return to Port-Olry. There the bishop found Courtais completely distraught. He refused to remain alone in a place where he knew neither the language nor the people. Contrary to his practice, the Bishop yielded and left Bochu there with the frightened young missionary.[11]
In September 1906 Courtais was recalled to Port-Vila to become Procurator. During his time at Port-Olry he had suffered greatly from fever. He found the Sakau language difficult and the people unruly. He was not sorry to leave.[12] In the archives of the Diocese of Port-Vila is an exercises book 85 pages long of a dictionary and catechism in the language of Port-Olry attributed to him.[13]
He had a good head for figures and made an excellent Procurator, a position he occupied from 1906 to 1912. But he did not have an easy job, because the Bishop wanted to be able to control everything and quibbled down to the last centime. He forbade Courtais to use double-entry book-keeping because he did not understand it. But Courtais continued, nevertheless, as he had always done. He also continued to smoke his pipe which the Bishop abhorred. The tension mounted between the two men, and they put up with it for six years.[14] From Port-Vila, Courtais would make periodic visits to Mélé.[15]
Courtais went to Sydney via Noumea in December 1912[16] for his second novitiate and returned to Vanuatu in July 1913. The bishop, who had taken the accounts under his own control in Courtais’ absence, sent Courtais in mid-December 1913 to Port-Sandwich[17] to check on the mission stations after the Ambrym earthquake.[18] Courtais had repairs done to the house, arranged the reception of refugees from Ambrym,[19] looked after Jean-Pierre Romeuf, who had had a fall[20] and returned to Port-Vila in January 1914.[21] Douceré also recalled Jean-Baptiste Strock from Port-Sandwich to Port-Vila, who then took over as Procurator.[22] Meanwhile Charles Nicolas, Provincial, had requested Courtais’ transfer to Sydney,[23] which had been approved by the General Council.[24] [25]
Courtais arrived in Sydney on 10 April 1914.[26] He went to Villa Maria to study English[27] and was then appointed Acting Procurator, while Jean-Baptiste Chevreuil attended the General Chapter. He developed a heart condition in July 1915 and he had still not fully recovered a year later.[28] In June 1916, Courtais was naturalised a British subject.[29]
Called up to serve in the French military, he was exempted for health reasons on 5 September 1915, a decision reconfirmed on 9 January 1917 on the advice of the French Consul in Sydney.[30]
In 1917 he was appointed chaplain to St Joseph's College, replacing the authoritarian and pro-German Karl Flaus,[31] who was not very popular. He was appointed procurator of the missions on 13 November 1918, replacing Chevreuil who had been appointed provincial. At that stage he handed over the chaplaincy at the college to Léo Carcenac and returned to St Patrick’s.
In his letters to the general administration in 1920 and 1921, Courtais had asked for two things: that the New Zealand Province be encouraged to send men to develop the Society in Australia, and that the general administration appoint an official visitor to assess the situation at first hand. Early in March 1922, he received superior general Raffin's circular letter promulgating the declarations and decisions of the 1921 Chapter; he was delighted with what he read there, and wrote to John Holley[32] on 8 March to tell him so:[33]
We have just got Father General's letter. In regard to what concerns you, you well know that we are very glad to see you coming over to Australia and wish you every success and expansion.
In 1922 Courtais was commissioned by the General Administration to investigate the alleged harshness of Chevreuil, then Provincial, towards the Sisters at Villa Maria. He was a good choice, being a fair man not given to spite or ill will. There were allegations on both sides and Courtais found both parties partially at fault but lay most of the blame on the Provincial who gave the "impression of a man who despises those whom Divine Providence has less well endowed ... he talks too much and often says in public things which a Superior is not able to say without causing deep hurt."[34]
In 1923 Assistant General James Moran came on visitation to New Zealand and Australia. In his report to the General Administration, Moran described how impressed he was with Courtais as Procurator, "Everything is perfectly ordered - his accounts are admirable, he would appear to have a lot of common sense."[35] Courtais was appointed Master of Second Novices to replace an ailing Antonin Moussey in spite of his own ill-health; he had been operated for appendicitis in February 1923.[36]
At the Extraordinary General Chapter of 1923, convened to appoint a new Superior General, at which Oceania and New Zealand had no representation,[37] it approved “the principle of allocating our missions among the Society’s various provinces, leaving it to the General Administration to examine the details of the project and determine the date of its implementation.”[38] The intention was to ensure an adequate flow of manpower from the allocated "home" provinces to the Vicariates in Oceania, as the Provinces in France could no longer supply the required numbers.
Since his arrival in Sydney, Courtais had had several periods of ill-health including an operation for appendicitis. In February 1924 he sailed for France,[39] on extended sick leave, with John Rausch taking over the Procure. With Chevreuil’s term as Provincial approaching its end and taking into account the decision of the Extraordinary General Chapter, on 11 October 1924, the General Council appointed Courtais not as Provincial but to the position of ‘Visitor with all the powers of a Provincial’.[40] As he believed he could also concurrently fill the roles of Superior of Villa Maria and of Master of the Second Novitiate, to take effect from his arrival in Sydney, he was also confirmed in them, as Courtais informed his former bishop that it would not be fair to take someone away from a vicariate to carry out function of Master given the present manpower issues.[41] Furthermore, there were not the numbers eligible for a second novitiate for one to be required every year.
Before returning to Sydney, he embarked on a 3-month conference tour about the Oceania Mission.[42] As Augustin Aubry had found 30 years previously, not all dioceses were welcoming of such talks.[43] In December 1924, he gave a talk at the Institut Catholique in Paris about the Marist Missions, which was published in L’Apostolat missionnaire de la France, Paris: Pierre Téqui, 1926.
Departing Toulon on 13 February 1925 on the maiden voyage of RMS Oronsay, Courtais was back at Villa Maria on 19 March. Courtais' first task as Visitor was to supervise the formal transfer of the Australian houses to New Zealand on 1 April, but this would have required little effort. In his circular letter, Courtais indicated the transfer was a consequence of the decision to disband the province. He also set out his role:[44]
As I said at the start, I received from the Superior General all the powers of a provincial: I am therefore simply succeeding Father Chevreuil. Whilst the holder of authority has changed, the religious authority over you remains the same… you will deal with the Visitor about the matters you used to deal with the Provincial.
The Marists working in Australia simply remained at their posts; they were now considered to be under the authority of the New Zealand Provincial unless they had specifically asked the superior general to stay with the Oceania Province; from 1 April, only Louis Rigard, Julien Huault, Victor Couderc, Victor Thierry, Rausch, and Brothers Théodore Caron and Jean-Marie Pélicot remained under Courtais’ authority.
He led his first Second Novitiate from June 1925 until early November. On 18 November 1925, he left on his first Visitation, destinations Samoa, Tonga, Fiji, Wallis and Futuna, Rotuma. Steamer, petrol-driven, on foot, on horseback, he quickly got to know all the means of locomotion in the islands. In Samoa, on the coast of Savai’i, following a mechanical problem, the Polemoni, Bishop Darnand’s mission vessel, which was carrying him, was very nearly thrown on the reef. As soon as he returned to Sydney, on 1 May 1926 he began the second novitiate. At the novitiate’s end, he left for the Solomons, the New Hebrides and New Caledonia. This was to become his pattern in the following years, a Second Novitiate May to November, followed by visitation of one or more Mission vicariates, returning to Sydney in the early months of the new year.
He managed to repair some of the damage and poor morale in the Sisters' community at Villa Maria after the difficulties with Chevreuil, but even this was not entirely successful. Harmony prevailed only after 1932 when the Third Order Sisters had become a fully-fledged Religious Congregation in their own right[45] and had drawn up a contract with the Marist Fathers for the services they provided.
In November 1926, before his departure on visitation, Courtais wrote to the Superior General about the holding of a provincial chapter in preparation for the General Chapter as no official dissolution of the province had occurred by that stage.[46] By the time of his return from visitation, he had received the response to follow the process he had proposed.[47] [48] At the time of the convocation of the 1928 General Chapter, Oceania was still listed as a Province, though with the title ‘Province of the Missions’.[49] [50]
Courtais believed that even though the principle of repartition of the missions had been decided by the 1923 extraordinary chapter, it would come up at the provincial chapter and that it could become a heated discussion.[51] This was in fact the case.[52] Capitulants were not happy that the decision had been made without the presence of representatives from Oceania, as they knew best the conditions on the ground.[53] The commission, which looked at the question of the repartition of the missions, made three conclusions:[54]
1. The repartition is not currently advisable.
2. That the status quo be maintained as long as necessary.
3. To establish links between missions and provinces, allocate as much as possible missionaries of the same nationality to the same mission.
In 1928 as Visitor,[55] Courtais attended the General Chapter, the first to be held in Rome. He had arrived in Rome when he found out that his mother had suffered a stroke. He reached La-Chapelle-Saint-Florent in time to see her. He assisted at the funeral and arrived back in Rome, having missed the first day of the chapter. In reporting to Rausch, “We won our point on the question of Repartition of the Missions; the Province of Oceania remains, and the Repartition is buried … for the time being, i.e. probably for a long time.”[56] However, the recommendation remained to “group together Fathers of the same nationality, as far as needs and possibilities allow.”[57] So, Oceania remained a Province and Courtais was officially, at last, Provincial.[58]
At the request of the superior general,[59] he accepted the invitation of Fr. Charles, S.J., to make a report on the “Faithful of Melanesia” during the “Missiological Week of Leuven” (10-14 August 1928), report published in L'âme des Peuples à évangeliser, (Compte-rendu de la 6e Semaine de Missiologie de Louvain, 1928, pp. 88-101). He also had published Blessed Peter Chanel, First Martyr of Oceania (Australian C.T.S., 1928, 30 pp.), a small booklet which was reprinted several times.
Arriving back in Sydney on Commissaire Ramel on 16 November 1928, as Provincial, he learned of Rieu’s upcoming visit to New Zealand and requested that some missions be included in that tour.[60] (Rieu in fact extended his tour to include at least one mission station in every vicariate and prefecture.) There was also some surprise in learning of the appointment of the second New Zealander, Emmet McHardy,[61] to the North Solomons and not to Samoa.[62] [63]
When the third New Zealander, Denis Moore, hesitated in taking up his appointment to the South Solomons (to the displeasure of the superior general),[64] Courtais penned a letter, empathetic and positive, which also reminded of the obedience under which a religious lives.[65]
Courtais, at the superior general’s request, made a concerted effort to collate statistics and other data about the missions to inform the general administration (particularly to assist in the allocation of missionaries) and other interested parties.[66]
He had extended the buildings at Villa Maria. With the increase in workload, in 1929 he was relieved of the position of Novice Master, taken over by Joseph Bertin.[67] [68] In 1930 Courtais undertook two visitations, Samoa and Tonga. He managed to get a berth on a government vessel travelling to the Niuas,[69] the northernmost islands of Tonga, the first provincial to see Pierre Jouny since André Marion’s visitation in 1909. Towards the end of 1931, the Procurator, John Rausch, had a heart attack. Courtais became Acting-Procurator. He discovered some errors in Rausch's accounting and did not want him to take up the post again when his health recovered in April 1932.
In May 1932 Courtais was appointed to the Procure in Lyons to replace Gaston Régis and his successor as Provincial, Joseph Bertin, was named. Courtais was stunned to know of Bertin’s appointment and communicated this to the Superior General Rieu as was his right under the Constitutions.[70] [71] Farewell gatherings were held at Villa Maria and St. Patrick’s where the Apostolic Delegate, Bishop Cattaneo, presided at the banquet. Courtais was very moved when he replied to the praises that were addressed to him. Leaving his many friends, to be away from the missions of Oceania, was a hard sacrifice.
And then, Divine Providence takes its course: I used to think that perhaps events would unfold that would allow me to remain in Oceania to work and die there, as I had always imagined. But no, Divine Providence ultimately decided that I would continue to work for our Missions, yes, but in Lyons, and that I would one day die in exile from my adopted homeland.[72]
Once Elie Bergeron arrived to take up the procuratorship, Courtais left Sydney on the Romolo on 17 October, landed in Naples on 29 November 1932 and was at the General House the same day. He left Rome on 6 December, visited family in France, and began his work as Procurator-General for the Missions in Lyons on 24 December 1932.[73]
With his needing to house visiting missionaries and to store merchandise, the General Procure for the Missions moved on 31 May 1934 into a property on the road to Ste-Foy, at 123 chemin de Choulans, a house, surrounded by 7000 square metres of land, for the greater part in forest. This is where he lived and worked until 1951, supported by Brother Jean Bruyas and a former missionary to Tonga, François Faivre. Guy de Bigault also came to live at the Procure. During the Second World War, Courtais experienced all the difficulties of supply. He had no coal, so he himself cut trees in the park and took care of the maintenance of the boiler during winter. One of his most frequent outings, besides the regular one to the Basilica of Notre Dame de Fourvière on Sunday, was to Cuet, birthplace of St Peter Chanel. Several times he celebrated the mass of the April pilgrimage or preached the panegyric.[74] At least twice these panegyrics were printed.
On 23 May 1951, he celebrated his 50th anniversary of profession and sang the solemn Mass in the chapel at Ste-Foy, the same place where he had taken his vows fifty years before. At the banquet, which took place at the Procure, the emotion of the Jubilarian was great when he tried to make summary of the graces received during 50 years of life as a Marist and he could hardly hold back his tears.
From Easter 1951, Charles Verlingue took over responsibility for the Procure, and a few days after the golden jubilee celebrations, Courtais left for Paris where he was going on a “busman’s holiday.” His goal was to put in order the accounts of Achille Rivière, the provincial bursar, who had suddenly died. The financial report to the Provincial Chapter of Paris in July 1951 made such a good impression, that instead of the retirement he had so deservedly merited, or at least an easy job better suited to his age, he was appointed as Provincial Econome for Paris.
His outwardly robust constitution,[75] his assiduity at work, the interest he took in the province’s finances and even in the movements of current thinking, his long Sunday walks to Notre Dame de Paris, to Notre Dame des Victoires, and as far as the Sacré-Coeur at Montmartre, gave hope of several more, good, active years. But the Master of life and death had decided otherwise.
From the beginning of March 1953, Courtais had complained of a loss of appetite and of pain, but he kept up his routine. On several occasions, Adrien Chambouvet, the provincial, urged him to see a doctor, with no other result than polite refusal. On Easter Saturday, Alphonse Bossis convinced him to see a doctor. On Easter Sunday he slept in after taking his prescription and joined the community for lunch. However, he was taken to hospital after haemorrhaging that evening. After two more days at about 4am on Wednesday 8 April he gave up his soul to God.
His youngest brother, Joseph,[76] Parish Priest at Loiré (Maine-et-Loire) arrived Tuesday evening, too late to see him alive. His brother celebrated the funeral mass on Thursday 9 April at Notre Dame des Anges. His body was laid to rest in the Marist plot at the Cimetière de Montparnasse.
The following tribute seems to summarise well the life and work of this Marist.[77]
Gifted with solid common sense, pious, optimistic, regular, hard worker, methodical, Fr. Courtais rendered immense service to the Society of Mary and particularly to missionaries. Having business know-how and above all the sense of religious life his name will be remembered and blessed by all those who knew him.

Notes

  1. ↑ APM 634-675 Courtais Eugene Personal File. Birth certificate
  2. ↑ APM 634-675 Courtais Eugene Personal File. Dioecesis Andegavensis. Litterae Ordinum
  3. ↑ APM 634-675 Courtais Eugene Personal File. List of important dates, written by E. Courtais
  4. ↑ Archives départementales de Maine-et-Loire. Cote 1R Cholet, Registre matricule, 1898, no.1450, Registre matricule Vue 542/605
  5. ↑ The scholasticate of Montbel was in La Crau, Var. Bourtot, Bernard SM, «Les Pères Maristes à Montbel (1852-1903) ». Forum Novum 12 (2010) 114-123
  6. ↑ The scholasticate at Belley was the property known to Marists as “La Capucinière”. It is now the site of the Lycée du Bugey. The building of the former chapel is known as “La Chapelle Mariste”.
  7. ↑ ACTA SM No.11, July 1953, pp.65-69; https://www.marinersandships.com.au/1903/01/090oph.htm
  8. ↑ A village in the northwest of the main island of Éfaté.
  9. ↑ A property near Port-Vila.
  10. ↑ A mission station on the island of Espiritu Santo.
  11. ↑ Monnier sm, Paul. L’Eglise Catholique au Vanuatu. Vol 15: Port-Orly et Tolomako, Espiritu-Santo. Imprimé à la Maison Mariste, Port-Vila, 1991/2016, p.63 https://andrewmurraysm.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/monnier_15-port-olry.pdf
  12. ↑ Monnier sm, Paul. L’Eglise Catholique au Vanuatu. Vol 21: Biographies : Cent Ans de Mission, 1887 -1987. Imprimé à la Maison Mariste, Port-Vila, 1988, p.41 https://andrewmurraysm.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/monnier_21-biographies.pdf
  13. ↑ OMPA Reel 174 Archives of the Catholic Diocese of Port Vila. A.X Local Languages. Port Olry – Tolomako. http://hdl.handle.net/1885/249292
  14. ↑ Monnier, Vol 21 Biographies, p.42
  15. ↑ Monnier, Vol 21: Biographies, p.154
  16. ↑ Arrived Sydney 23 December 1912 on FMS Pacifique from Noumea. "SHIPPING." The Sydney Morning Herald 24 December 1912: 8. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article15385469
  17. ↑ Now called Lamap; a village on the island of Malekula.
  18. ↑ OMPA Reel 391. D.4.12 Eugène Courtais. 19140114 Courtais-Chevreuil, http://hdl.handle.net/1885/249509 p.128/707
  19. ↑ Nearly 70km separates the islands of Ambrym and Malekula.
  20. ↑ OMPA Reel 143 A.V.16 COURTAIS Eugène,1878 – 1953 19131229 Coutais-Douceré; http://hdl.handle.net/1885/249261 p.391/661
  21. ↑ Monnier, Vol 21: Biographies, p.42
  22. ↑ Monnier, Vol 21: Biographies, p.193
  23. ↑ Courtais knew of the appointment by December 1913 before he went to Port-Sandwich. OMPA Reel 391. D.4.12 Eugène Courtais. 19131212 Courtais-Chevreuil, http://hdl.handle.net/1885/249509 p.126/707
  24. ↑ The presentation of Courtais’ time in Australia, is taken and in parts summarised from McMurrich sm, Peter. Not Angels, nor Men Confirmed in Grace: The Marists in Post-Federation Australia, 1892-1938. Sydney: Revised MA Thesis, 2008
  25. ↑ APM General Council minutes 19131006; 19140127; OMPA Reel 361. A.1.1. From Superior Generals and Assistants. 19131010 Raffin-Nicolas http://hdl.handle.net/1885/249479
  26. ↑ On FMS Pacifique from Noumea. https://www.marinersandships.com.au/1914/04/054pac.htm
  27. ↑ OMPA Reel 307 AAN 108.5 Autres Procureurs 19140419 Courtais-Chanrion http://hdl.handle.net/1885/249425 p522-523/612
  28. ↑ OMPA E1.1 Procurator’s Office Outgoing Letters. 19150802 Chevreuil-Lambotin; 19160804 Chevreuil-Lambotin
  29. ↑ NAA: A1, 1916/16552 Item ID 234704 Eugene Joseph Courtais – Naturalization; APM 634-675 Courtais Eugene Personal File. Certificate of Naturalization
  30. ↑ Archives départementales de Maine-et-Loire. Cote 1R Cholet, Registre matricule, 1898, no.1450, Registre matricule Vue 542/605; APM 634-675 Courtais Eugene Personal File. 19170109 Certificate of exemption
  31. ↑ Flaus, born in Kerbach, Moselle, France in 1865, grew up under German rule with the annexation of Alsace-Lorraine after the Franco-Prussian War in 1871.
  32. ↑ Provincial of New Zealand, 1916-1922.
  33. ↑ OMPA E1.32 Procurator’s Office Outgoing Letters. 19220308 Courtais-Holley
  34. ↑ APM 1501.21442 19220420 Courtais-Raffin
  35. ↑ APM 1612.23436 Visitation reports Australia. n.d. Moran Report
  36. ↑ APM 634-675 Courtais Eugene Personal File. List of important dates, written by E. Courtais
  37. ↑ Given the distance from Europe, Propaganda had decided in 1889 to restrict New Zealand (and later Oceania) delegates’ attendance to ordinary general chapters. Superior General’s Circular letter No. 81 – III, 6, 2 July 1889
  38. ↑ Superior General’s Circular letter No. 111 – V, 1, 24 October 1923
  39. ↑ Courtais recorded his departure as 19 February 2024. APM 634-675 Courtais Eugene Personal File. List of important dates, written by E. Courtais. He travelled on Ville de Verdun. OMPA Reel 400. D.10.1 EUGENE COURTAIS 19240322 Courtais-Rausch http://hdl.handle.net/1885/249518 p.612/675
  40. ↑ APM General Council minutes 19241011
  41. ↑ OMPA Reel 137 A.IV.13 Eugène Courtais. 19241015 Courtais-Douceré http://hdl.handle.net/1885/249255, p.327-328/651
  42. ↑ OMPA Reel 375 b.3. COURTAIS. 192502 Courtais-Rieu http://hdl.handle.net/1885/249493 p.279-283/649
  43. ↑ See biography on Augustin Aubry
  44. ↑ OMPA Reel 382. C.2. Circular Letters from Provincials. 19250401 Courtais to Missionaries of Oceania. http://hdl.handle.net/1885/249500 p.280/628
  45. ↑ The Third Order Sisters were approved as the Missionary Sisters of the Society of Mary on 30 December 1931.
  46. ↑ OMPA Reel 376 b.3. COURTAIS. 19261108 Courtais-Rieu http://hdl.handle.net/1885/249494 p.57-60/649
  47. ↑ OMPA Reel 376 b.3. COURTAIS. 19270402 Courtais-Rieu http://hdl.handle.net/1885/249494 p.154-155/649
  48. ↑ OMPA Reel 382. C.2. Circular Letters from Provincials. 19270524 Courtais to Missionaries of Oceania. http://hdl.handle.net/1885/249500 p.284-286/628
  49. ↑ Superior General’s Circular letter No.112 – V, 2, 28 October 1927. The convocation provided for three capitulants from that province. It can be inferred then that the remit from the 1923 Extraordinary General Chapter had not been implemented at that stage.
  50. ↑ The term used for the convocation of the 1921 and 1935 General Chapters was ‘Province of Oceania’. Superior General’s Circular letter No.105 – IV, 7, 7 July 1920; Superior General’s Circular letter No.1114 – V, 4, 8 December 1934
  51. ↑ OMPA Reel 376 b.3. COURTAIS. 19280413 Courtais-Rieu http://hdl.handle.net/1885/249494 p.466-467/649
  52. ↑ OMPA Reel 376 b.3. COURTAIS. 19280516 Courtais-Rieu http://hdl.handle.net/1885/249494 p.481/649
  53. ↑ OMPA Reel 383 C.3.Minutes of, and Papers Presented at, Provincial Chapters: 1928, 1935, 1947. Commission des Missions Apud Infideles. Séance du 18 juillet, à 9h. http://hdl.handle.net/1885/249501 p.6/683
  54. ↑ OMPA Reel 383 C.3.Minutes of, and Papers Presented at, Provincial Chapters: 1928, 1935, 1947. Conclusions. http://hdl.handle.net/1885/249501 p.66/683
  55. ↑ Even though the convocation includes him in those attending by right as a Provincial. Superior General’s Circular letter No.112 – V, 2, 28 October 1927
  56. ↑ OMPA Reel 400. D.10.1 EUGENE COURTAIS 19280726 Courtais-Rausch http://hdl.handle.net/1885/249518 p.647/675
  57. ↑ Superior General’s Circular letter No.113 – V, 3, 28 October 1928, p.3
  58. ↑ Superior General’s Circular letter No.113 – V, 3, 28 October 1928, p.4
  59. ↑ OMPA Reel 361. A.1.1. From Superior Generals and Assistants. 19280410 Dubois-Courtais http://hdl.handle.net/1885/249479 p.471/690
  60. ↑ OMPA Reel 376 b.3. COURTAIS. 19281129 Courtais-Rieu http://hdl.handle.net/1885/249494 p.518-519/649
  61. ↑ Sadly, McHardy’s time on mission was cut short with his early death from tuberculosis in 1933. Hugh Laracy. 'McHardy, Emmet Charles', Dictionary of New Zealand Biography, first published in 1998. Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/biographies/4m13/mchardy-emmet-charles
  62. ↑ OMPA Reel 376 b.3. COURTAIS. 19281205 Courtais-Rieu http://hdl.handle.net/1885/249494 p.537/649.
  63. ↑ Samoa was under NZ administration from 1920 until its independence in 1961. The first New Zealander to join Oceania, John Fotheringham, left NZ for Samoa in February 1928. With the chapter decision to group together those of the same nationality as much as possible, it was a surprise not to see that followed for its first application. The third New Zealander, Denis Moore, was appointed in November 1929 to yet a third vicariate, the South Solomons, and arrived there, after some hesitation on his part, in June 1931!
  64. ↑ OMPA Reel 361. A.1.1. From Superior Generals and Assistants. 19300413 Dubois-Courtais http://hdl.handle.net/1885/249479 p.495/690
  65. ↑ OMPA Reel 377. b.3. COURTAIS. 19310422 Courtais-Moore http://hdl.handle.net/1885/249495 p.456-459/641
  66. ↑ OMPA Reel 361. A.1.1. From Superior Generals and Assistants. 19281204 Dubois-Courtais http://hdl.handle.net/1885/249479 p.475/690; OMPA Reel 382. C.2. Circular Letters from Provincials. 19291126 Courtais to Chanrion. http://hdl.handle.net/1885/249500 p.295-297/628
  67. ↑ OMPA Reel 361. A.1.1. From Superior Generals and Assistants. 19291119 Dubois-Courtais http://hdl.handle.net/1885/249479 p.489/690
  68. ↑ Bertin’s first second novitiate started immediately after his arrival in Sydney in April 1930. APM 1498-21369 Lettres du p. Bertin Provincial 1932-1939 19300503 Bertin-Rieu
  69. ↑ The islands of Niuafo’ou and Niuatoputapu each had a mission station, each staffed by two Marists. SM Index 1930.
  70. ↑ APM 1497.21361 19320608 Courtais-Rieu
  71. ↑ OMPA Reel 361. A.1.1. From Superior Generals and Assistants. 19320502 Rieu-Courtais http://hdl.handle.net/1885/249479 p.356/690
  72. ↑ OMPA Reel 382. C.2. Circular Letters from Provincials. 19320908 Lettre No. 18. Objet: Notification de Changements. http://hdl.handle.net/1885/249500 p.298-301/62
  73. ↑ APM 2205.9719 Lettre aux missionnaires No.40 19330108 p.2. PDF p278/588
  74. ↑ St Peter Chanel was martyred on 28 April 1841 on the island of Futuna; hence pilgrimages to his birthplace in this month.
  75. ↑ In a letter written in July 1952, Courtais gives the impression that he knows his days are more limited than those around him believe. APM 634-675 Courtais Eugene Personal File. 19520715 Courtais-Haour
  76. ↑ Email received by Elizabeth Charlton from the Archives of the Diocese of Angers, 2 August 2023
  77. ↑ Obituary written by unknown Marist of the Province of Paris. Email received by Elizabeth Charlton from the Archives of the Diocese of Angers, 23 March 2026; partly reproduced in ACTA Societatis Mariae. July 1953. N.11: 65-67;69.

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