Birth and Early Life<\/b> Priesthood and the Revolution<\/b> Restoring the Church in Vend\u00e9e<\/b> Challenges and Later Years<\/b> Legacy and Cause for Sainthood<\/b> According to R.P. Yves Chaille, recounting the history in his book <\/span>Histoire du petit s\u00e9minaire de Chavagnes\u2011en\u2011Paillers<\/span><\/i>, a dying priest whispered to Father Baudouin:<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIl y aura toujours un s\u00e9minaire \u00e0 Chavagnes.\u201d<\/b> That prophecy has rung true for over two centuries\u2014despite Revolutionary laws, Napoleonic suppression, anti\u2011clerical secularisation in 1905, a wartime occupation under the Nazis, and multiple closures. Each time, the seminary re\u2011emerged: as an ecclesiastical college, a refuge, and now as a thriving <\/span>international Catholic school<\/b>. It is the living fruit of Baudouin\u2019s legacy.<\/span><\/p>\n Chavagnes International College continues Father Baudouin\u2019s mission in its own unique way. Some remarkable outcomes over 23 years:<\/span><\/p>\n Your support helps the College:<\/span><\/p>\n Father Baudouin\u2019s founding spirit\u2014and the prophecy whispered to him\u2014live on in every boy or teacher who comes to Chavagnes and is shaped by its life; that same spirit of fidelity and dedication then goes forth with our alumni as they put down new roots of faith in the communities they help to build up and serve. Europe, and our world, need Catholic heroes, just as they did in the time of Father Baudouin. That’s why we invite you to play your part in this work of restoration, not just of\u00a0 buildings, but of our Christian civilisation.<\/span><\/p>\n In electis tuis mitte radices<\/i><\/b> \u2014 may we continue to put down roots in those chosen by God, generation after generation.<\/span><\/p>\n If you would like to explore how to support Chavagnes International College\u2014through prayer, volunteering, or donations\u2014please let me know. From 23rd to 31st July 2025, we are praying a special Novena. You are welcome to join us. The text is here.<\/a> But you can pray for us any time!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n I\u2019ll be happy to hear from you. God bless you.<\/span><\/p>\n Sincerely,<\/span><\/p>\n Ferdi McDermott, <\/span><\/p>\n Headmaster and Founder of Chavagnes International College<\/span><\/p>\n P.S. You can donate now online by card here, by clicking on this link.<\/em><\/p>\n If you are in the USA, you can give to a US non profit that will make you a tax saving. Just email me<\/a> for details. The same goes for the UK, where we have a charity that benefits from Gift Aid. Email me for details<\/a> : support@chavagnes.org.<\/a> In France, you can join, and donate online with LES AMIS DU CARILLON<\/a> . (They will give you a tax receipt, so that a gift of 1000 euros will only cost you 340 after deduction of tax.)<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Venerable Louis\u2011Marie Baudouin (1765\u202f\u2013\u202f1835) On Day FOUR of our novena to the Venerable Louis-Marie Baudouin, I want to give you some more information about this wonderful priest who continues to be an inspiration to us all.\u00a0 (To join in our Novena, click here.) Birth and Early Life Louis\u2011Marie Baudouin was born on 2 August…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"give_campaign_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[40,39],"tags":[61,110,59,116,115],"class_list":["post-4538","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog","category-news","tag-boarding-school","tag-catholic","tag-education","tag-novena","tag-vendee"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.chavagnes.org\/en_gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4538","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.chavagnes.org\/en_gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.chavagnes.org\/en_gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.chavagnes.org\/en_gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.chavagnes.org\/en_gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4538"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.chavagnes.org\/en_gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4538\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4553,"href":"https:\/\/www.chavagnes.org\/en_gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4538\/revisions\/4553"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.chavagnes.org\/en_gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4538"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.chavagnes.org\/en_gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4538"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.chavagnes.org\/en_gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4538"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n<\/b>![\"Louis](\"https:\/\/www.chavagnes.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/Screenshot-2025-07-26-5.51.23-PM.png\")
Louis\u2011Marie Baudouin was born on <\/span>2 August 1765<\/b> in Montaigu, in the deeply Catholic Vend\u00e9e region of France. He was the youngest of eight children. His father, a gardener, died when Louis\u2011Marie was two, and after his mother\u2019s death in 1780, his education was supported by local clergy and family members.<\/span><\/p>\n
\n<\/b>He entered the Grand S\u00e9minaire of Lu\u00e7on in 1782 and was ordained priest at Saint\u2011Malo on <\/span>19 September 1789<\/b>. Shortly thereafter, he refused to swear the oath to the Civil Constitution of the Clergy. Arrested and imprisoned twice, he ministered clandestinely until exiling to Spain in September 1792, along with 400 other Vend\u00e9e clergy. He remained in exile \u2014 mainly in Toledo \u2014 until returning to France in August 1797, often in disguise, even learning lace\u2011making to evade detection.<\/span><\/p>\n
\n<\/b>In July 1801, Baudouin was appointed parish priest\u00a0 of Chavagnes\u2011en\u2011Paillers. By <\/span>1803<\/b>, he had founded the junior seminary at Chavagnes\u2014the first such institution reopened in post\u2011Revolutionary France. In <\/span>1802<\/b>, together with Charlotte\u2011Gabrielle Ranfray (Mother Saint\u2011Beno\u00eet), he founded the <\/span>Ursulines of Jesus<\/span><\/i> congregation to educate young girls; later, in <\/span>1828<\/b>, he established the <\/span>Sons of Mary Immaculate<\/span><\/i> (the P\u00e8res de Chavagnes) to form priests and evangelise rural France.<\/span><\/p>\n
\n<\/b>In <\/span>1812<\/b>, by order of Napoleon, the Chavagnes seminary was partly transferred to La\u202fRochelle. Baudouin served as rector of the seminary there and vicar\u2011general of the diocese. After the restoration of the Diocese of Lu\u00e7on in <\/span>1821<\/b>, he returned to lead the seminary in Chavagnes until his retirement in <\/span>1829<\/b>. He passed away there on <\/span>12 February 1835<\/b>, aged 69.<\/span><\/p>\n
\n<\/b>His cause for beatification began in the 1860s. On <\/span>20 December 2012<\/b>, Pope Benedict\u202fXVI, in one of his last actions as Pope, recognized his heroic virtue and declared him <\/span>Venerable<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\nChavagnes International College Today<\/b><\/h2>\n
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The Prophecy: \u201cIl y aura toujours un s\u00e9minaire \u00e0 Chavagnes\u201d<\/b><\/h2>\n
\n<\/b> \u201cThere will always be a seminary at Chavagnes.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\nInvitation to Support the Mission<\/b><\/h2>\n
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<\/span><\/p>\n\n
![\"Catholic](\"https:\/\/www.chavagnes.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/20250319_123829-229x530.jpg\")
We invite you to help ensure that <\/span>\u201cthere will always be a seminary at Chavagnes\u201d<\/b> by supporting the College through <\/span>prayers and financial contributions<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.chavagnes.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/Screenshot-2025-07-26-5.30.50-PM.png\")
You can email me<\/a> with your pledges of support, of prayers, or your suggestions. <\/span><\/p>\n