The Society of the Priests of Saint Sulpice and the Institut Catholique of Paris jointly organized a colloquium held November 19-20, 2008 titled, “ Jean-Jacques Olier, Man of Talent, Servant of the Church,” to mark the four hundreth anniversary of the birth of the Sulpician founder (1608-1657). The goal was to promote a better familiarity with this holy priest, seminary founder, great formator of priests, master of prayer, pastor, and missionary. More than two hundred participants attended the event.

A book has now appeared in French that commemorates this colloquium. Both the colloquium and the book were under the direction of Sulpician Father Maurice Vidal, p.s.s., former professor at the Institut Catholique in Paris and Le Grand Séminaire at Issy-les-Moulineaux.

The title of the book is Jean-Jacques Olier, homme de talent, serviteur de l’Evangile (DDB, 25€). It includes the following presentations:

Jean-Jacques Olier, fondateur du séminaire et de la Compagnie des Prêtres de Saint-Sulpice, by Philippe Molac p.s.s.; Jean-Jacques Olier et l’Ecole française de spiritualité, by Richard Cadoux; Jean-Jacques Olier, maître d’oraison, by Gilles Chaillot, p.s.s.; Méthodes d’oraison – a round table discussion with the participation of Dominique Salin, s.j., Dominique Sterckx, o.c.d., and Gilles Chaillot, p.s.s.; Jean-Jacques Olier, curé de Saint-Sulpice - Les curés entre réformes et Contre-Réforme, by Nicole Lemaître; Jean-Jacques Olier et les missions de France et au Canada, by Catherine Marin; Jean-Jacques Olier, directeur spirituel, et le discernement des vocations, by Bernard Pitaud, p.s.s.; and La pédagogie sulpicienne de la formation des prêtres et ses présupposés théologiques – a round table discussion with Maurice Vidal, p.s.s., and Fathers Laurent Villemin and Robert Scholtus.