Fr. Jacques DHERBOMEZ died in Lyon on June 15, 2016, after many years of illness. He served as Assistant General from 1966 until 1972, when Fr. Léo DESCHÂTELETS was Superior General. Born at Harcourt in 1925, he pronounced his first vows in 1946; he was ordained a priest in his home village in 1949.
His first obedience was to the former Province of Northern France (France-Nord); he became part of the parish mission preaching team at Notre-Dame de Sion. He was one of the principal movers in the transformation of this type of ministry.
In 1960, he was appointed provincial of France-Nord where he served until 1966 when, during the General Chapter, he was elected Assistant General. He was assigned to supervise the three provinces of France, the two in Belgium, as well as the Polish vice-province. In his care were also mission territories such as Mackenzie and Hudson Bay, Cameroon-Chad and Congo. Therefore, he had many memorable visits and trips: “What struck me was that the missionaries were focused on human development and especially that of women. All this through education and dignity.”
Upon his return to France in 1972, he was named superior of the scholasticate at Solignac and he also worked for several years as a parish priest. In 2003, as he concluded 18 years of service in a parish in Mons-en-Baroeul, a suburb of Lille, the Voix du Nord had an article about him where the journalist stated: “The people remember him fondly, for he had the delicate courtesy, after the ceremonies, to visit newly-weds and grieving families. With the gentle regard that characterizes him, he knows how to put everyone at ease and it seems easy to confide in him, as he exudes warmth, understanding and tolerance.” (www.oblatfrance.com)
