French military chaplain and missionary Blessed Father Daniel Brottier

This WWI chaplain believed St. Thérèse saved his life

Aleteia report

And he dedicated the first church in the world in her honor.

Get to know blessed Father Daniel Brottier on YouTube

Father Daniel Brottier* always wanted to be a missionary. For this reason he joined the Congregation of the Holy Spirit in 1902, and was promptly sent to Senegal, West Africa.

However, God had other plans for him. Father Brottier was graced with eight years of missionary work, but was forced to return to France because of poor health. His body couldn't withstand the harsh climate and ultimately he yielded to the fact that he would never be able to go out on mission again.

Father Brottier returned to France and shortly thereafter, World War I (WWI) erupted. He volunteered to become a chaplain for the 121st Infantry Regiment. He was a courageous chaplain in the midst of battle, risking his life at every turn. Afterwards he was awarded the

Croix de Guerre and the Légion d'honneur.

Saved by St. Thérèse:  Yet, Father Brottier knew that he had a heavenly helper during his military chaplaincy. He gave all credit to the intercession of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, whose cause for canonization at the time was recently introduced. Thérèse wasn't even declared "venerable" until 1921, three years after the conclusion of WWI.

For Father Brottier, it was a miracle that he wasn't wounded in any way during his several years of military service in a harsh war of the trenches.

Father Brottier found a spiritual companion in Thérèse, who also desired to become a missionary, but was unable to because of poor health.

When Thérèse was canonized in 1925, Father Brottier was the first to dedicate a church in her honor, doing so in Auteuil, France. 

When building it he was criticized for wanting an elaborate church in her honor. He said, "They reproach me for wanting too expensive a chapel, but I asked Little Thérèse herself: Do you want a simple dress or a pretty one❓ 😇" , She provided and he was miraculously able to secure the resources for a beautiful church.

For the rest of his life, Father Brottier founded a project (with the spiritual help of "Little Thérèse") that helped orphaned children outside of Paris. His work there had an immense impact on hundreds of children during his lifetime and thousands since then.

When asked what his secret was, he said, "My secret is this: Help yourself and heaven will help you. … I have no other secret. If the good God worked miracles [at Auteuil], through Thérèse’s intercession, I think I can say in all justice that we did everything, humanly speaking, to be deserving, and that they were the divine reward of our work, prayers and trust in providence.”

His funeral in 1939, (❓- not sure why funeral date is given three years after the article reports death in 1936) was attended by 15,000 people and many were inspired by his child-like faith and his gentle charity towards all people. Brottier was beatified in 1984, and when his body was exhumed, it was discovered to be incorrupt.

*Daniel Jules Alexis Brottier, C.S.Sp. (7 September 1876 – 28 February 1936), was a French Roman Catholic priest in the Congregation of the Holy Spirit (Spiritans). He was awarded the Croix de Guerre and the Légion d'honneur for his services as a chaplain during World War I, did missionary work in Senegal, and administered an orphanage in Auteuil, a suburb of Paris. He was declared venerable in 1983, and then beatified on the 25 November 1984, by Pope John Paul II.

Timeline of Daniel Brottier's Life:

• 1876- Brottier is born in northern France. Brottier expressed the desire to be a priest at a young age.
• 1899- Brottier is ordained a priest and becomes a teacher.
• 1902- Brottier feels called to become a missionary and decides to join the Congregation of the Holy Spirit (Spiritans). He is sent to Senegal.
• 1906- Illness affects Brottier to the degree that he’s sent back to France to recover. 
• By 1910, he is sent home permanently and begins raising funds for a cathedral in Dakar, Senegal.
• 1914- When WWI starts, Brottier volunteers as a chaplain for France’s 121st Infantry Regiment. He serves tirelessly throughout the war, praying for the intercession of St.Therese of Leseiux for protection. He earns the nickname Teflon Dan as he remains miraculously unharmed.
• 1923- The Spiritans are asked to take over Orphans Apprentices of Auteuil, and Father Brottier becomes administrator of the Orphanage.
• In the next 13 years, Father Brottier attends to the needs of children, whether or not they can be accepted into the program.
• He Improves conditions significantly and helps boost the self-esteem of the children in his care. One student says: “Before I arrived at Auteuil, I had always been called by a number; but Father Brottier called me John.”
• Ensures children learning jobs like agriculture are properly paid.
• Increases the number of apprentices trained for future work from 140 to 1500.
• 1936- Father Brottier dies February 28. Approximately 15,000 people attend his funeral Mass.

1984- Father Brottier is beatified by Pope John Paul II on November 25.