Brisson, Louis Alexandre
BRISSON, LOUIS ALEXANDRE
Religious founder; b. Plancy (Aube), France, June 23, 1817; d. there, Feb. 2, 1908. He was the second and sole-surviving child of Marie Savine (Corrard de la Noue) and Toussaint Brisson, a grocer. After studying at the minor and major seminaries in Troyes from 1831, he was ordained (1840). He then taught at the major seminary and also served as chaplain at the local convent of the visitation nuns, where he came into contact with Maria chappuis, the superior and mistress of novices. At her urging, he founded the oblate sisters of st. fran cis de sales (1866) and the oblates of st. francis de sales (c. 1871). He also directed a successful society to promote the spread of the faith in mission territories. His spirituality was modeled on that of St. francis de sales. Brisson's sole extant writings are those preserved by his followers. The Decretum super scripta in his cause for beatification was issued in 1955.
Bibliography: k. burton, So Much, So Soon: Father Brisson, Founder of the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales (New York 1953). p. dufour, Le Très Révérend Père Louis Brisson (Paris 1937); Dictionnaire de spiritualité ascétique et mystique (Paris 1912–) 1:1962–66.
[e. j. carney]