October 2007 Print

"Au fond de la cour"

Paris, France

The editor has always had an interest in finding out more about the Society's University Institute of St. Pius X in Paris, France.

Recently, an American student went abroad to pursue advanced studies there. Angelus Press took advantage of this opportunity to get a first-hand look at the Society's premier institution of higher learning abroad. Photographs were taken by the authoress.

 

A similar comprehensive article is being written about St. Mary's College, St. Marys, Kansas, due to be published when received in The Angelus.

 

 

Six-thirty, sunshine is coming in the blinds. Paris is not yet awake. Eight floors below, a few buses glide down the boulevard, bringing a few early-risers to work. The Eiffel Tower is still comfortably wrapped in its early morning mist. The smell from the boulangerie on the first floor creeps through the building and wafts sweetly in my window. A pleasant reminder; a promise for later.

I'm not late, so I take the long route, through the Luxembourg Gardens. Such a pity, having to share my garden with the Senate and with so many tourists! But at 7:15, there is no one but a few brave joggers doing their morning "footing," as the French call it. The Luxembourg is an eminently French garden, carved and lined and delimited by clearings and sycamores, statues of queens and courtiers presiding over the central fountain, stags and Ganymedes and languishing authoresses decorating the side alleys.

Out the iron gates and back onto the Boulevard Saint Michel, toward the Seine. I head to the right toward the Pantheon, once the Church of St. Genevieve, now a blasphemy, the burying-place of all the gods of the Republic. Shaped like a sort of miniature US Senate with a cross on the cupola, it is majestic so early in the morning with the sunrise full behind it. To the left of the Place du Panthéon is the Library of St. Genevieve: in two hours the wall will be lined with students, slouching, smoking, in a winding sort of queue, waiting for the doors to open. I often wonder if they notice, 30 feet above their heads, carved into the stone: "Ptolemy–Aristotle–Plato–Boetius–Albert the Great–Thomas Aquinas–Dante–Francis de Sales..." At any rate, they ought to be happy, for the age of long lines will soon be ending: more reading rooms are in preparation in the old College of St. Barbara, recently annexed to the venerable library–the old College of St. Barbara, where Francis Xavier and Ignatius Loyola burned the midnight oil.

But this morning there are no students, the street belongs to me, and I make my way toward the Seine, passing in front of the Church of St. Stephen: unusual, an oddly beautiful conglomeration of turrets and towers and winding columns flanking the sober Pantheon. It is here that the last relics of St. Genevieve are conserved–a finger bone, if I am not mistaken, along with the burial stone on which she was first laid to rest. But not forever. The revolutionaries threw her body into the Seine. And so the two great saviors of France, heroines of "la Patrie," Joan and Genevieve, came to sanctify the same waters.

Now I am off the straight avenues and into the heart of the Latin Quarter: the little Street of St. Genevieve's Mountain winding sharply down toward the Seine. The towers of Notre Dame are straight ahead, but I turn right at the Place Maubert, two streets before the river. "Maubert," "Master Albert," Albert the Great, who taught class at this intersection 800 years ago, with Thomas Aquinas at his feet, or at his side; the great St. Thomas Aquinas, the Angelic Doctor, the Parisian Doctor. It is here in the Latin Quarter that he wrote much of the Summa Theologica.

Nearly there. And suddenly the bells are ringing. The Angelus bells–one, two, three; one, two, three...and the final volley, all the bells at once, calling to praise, calling to Mass, filling the air, stating their calm possession of this apostate city of saints.

Just in time. If Mass hasn't already started. Because here comes Fr. Lorans [say "Low-rawnce"], out the door, passing me in the crosswalk, smiling, surprised. "Bonjour, Monsieur l'abb–," "Bonjour, Mademoiselle"; he would surely tip his hat if he had one. And Fr. Thouvenot [say "Too-ven-oh"], younger, quicker, resolute, with his black briefcase in hand. Quick, but he holds the door when he sees me. "Merci, Monsieur l'abbé," "Bonjour, Mademoiselle," and a bow, and off.

Off, through the Place Maubert, across the Rue Saint Jacques, across the Boulevard Saint Michel, perhaps by way of the Rue Dante (yes, Dante lived here, too, and did some writing...). If Father wanted, he could cross through the Luxembourg Gardens, crisscrossing my own path of 20 minutes before, in front of the Senate, out the north gate near Saint Sulpice, near Saint Germain des Prés. But he probably takes the quicker route, straight west along the Rue des Écoles, down the Rue de l'École de Médecine, before St. Sulpice, under the shadow of the great Bossuet, orator of princes and prince of orators, reigning over Visconti's "Fountain of the Four Bishops," across the Rue de Rennes. When they were carving out the Rue de Rennes in the 19th century, they uncovered a well-shaft and found it full of bones: the bones of over 100 priests, victims of the September Massacres of 1792, slain in the gardens of their own monastery. Most of the slain were the clergy of St. Nicholas du Chardonnet, but there were also a number of Carmelite priests. Their relics now lie enthroned, exposed in the crypt of the church that opens onto the same gardens; that church which was their prison in the days before their martyrdom. The Carmelite monastery is now a seminary of the diocese of Paris, behind the Catholic University of Paris. Find an obliging seminarian to show you around.

Across the Rue de Rennes, and left into the Rue du Cherche-Midi. Past the gourmet bakery, past the shoe shop, past the jewelers... 21 Rue du Cherche-Midi, "au fond de la cour–at the end of the garden."

That is Paris: on the street, all you see is an iron gate or a massive, weathered, wooden door. But type in your code, or push the door, and you realize that Paris, the garish city of lights, is in fact a city of great discretion. A city with a sense of privacy. A city that opens inward.

Behind the gate, 21 Rue du Cherche-Midi, a circle of brick Parisian apartments with their typical high windows. All is silence here behind the gate. A little later in the day, for hours on end, a pianist somewhere in one of the apartments serenades the passers-by; at odd hours, piano music filters into the classrooms. Father walks straight ahead and briskly up the steps of the building at the far end.

"Au fond de la cour," all the shutters are closed, it is only a little after eight. The chapel is still locked. The secretary isn't in yet. Some black coffee, a little breakfast, check the fax machine; and the first students push through the same gate. Laughter, greetings as they walk to class, "at the end of the garden." And up the stairs.

"Bonjour, Monsieur l'abbé!"

 

Father, you have been the rector of the Institute of Saint Pius X since 2002. Was this your first contact with the Institute?

No. I knew the Institute for having attended conferences here as a student and followed a few courses. After my ordination, I was appointed here as a professor before succeeding Fr. Lorans.

Tell us a little bit about the history of the Institute and the circumstances of its founding. Who founded the Institute of Saint Pius X, and why?

The Institute of Saint Pius X has been here for 27 years. Archbishop Lefebvre founded the Institute in 1980 at the request of several professors. Many came from the Sorbonne and wanted to rescue higher education from the post-1968 disaster by providing a Catholic atmosphere for studies, rather than purely secular if not atheist. Most of them had signed a petition in support of Archbishop Lefebvre during the "hot summer" of 1976.  The Archbishop blessed their project after taking time to reflect, seeing that the idea was serious, that the professors were motivated. In his sermon for the ordination Mass in 1980 he announced the foundation of this university institute, which he considered as a real blessing from our Lord, a gift from heaven for the tenth anniversary of the Society. It is the crown of the Society's educational work in France, the continuation of its schools.

What is the relation today between the Society of Saint Pius X and the Institute of Saint Pius X?

The Institute forms a part of the educational works directed by the Priestly Society of Saint Pius X.

What are the specific advantages of your professorial staff?

Competence and quality, first of all. The professorial staff is highly qualified. We have several doctors, or doctorate plus agrégation,² graduates of the École Normale Supérieure,³ of the École des Chartes,⁴ etc. Next, their approachability. The family atmosphere of the college facilitates conversation between the professors and their students, makes it easy to ask advice. Finally, the love of what they do, under the eyes of God, faithful to the educational mission of the Church.

Do they teach elsewhere than at the Institute?

Yes. Our professors teach in other universities, in Paris and in other major cities of France, or in preparatory schools⁵ or in high schools.

What is it that attracts these professors?

The desire to teach classes that are intellectually stimulating within a privileged environment. We do not have the problems of discipline or promiscuity that you find in the huge universities, where anarchy, student strikes, and mental mishmash too often reign supreme. We foster a spirit of genuine civility, teaching classes of a reasonable size with a coherent curriculum.

How are the relations between the Institute and the French Ministry of Education, the French university system?

The Institute of Saint Pius X is a private establishment of higher education offering classes toward the Licence (in English, the licentiate degree) and the Maitrise in philosophy, classics, and history. But it is the Paris Board of Education [Rectorat de l'Académie de Paris] that delivers the diplomas, which are recognized not only nationally but throughout Europe.

Was that the case from the beginning? Was there a struggle to gain recognition?

In the beginning we had an agreement with the Sorbonne, which theoretically guaranteed us a certain autonomy for our curriculum. But our autonomy kept shrinking as the years went by, until one day it effectively was no more.

Providence took care of everything in 2001: henceforth, a board of directors [jury rectoral] composed of professors at the Institute answers for the seriousness of the establishment, watches over the curriculum, organizes the examinations, grants equivalencies, etc. Which means we now have total freedom to offer a quality higher education.

What is the value of the diplomas obtained by your students?

Because the French State holds the monopoly of university degrees, the Commissioner of the Paris Board of University Education [Recteur Chancelier des Universités de Paris] delivers our diplomas of Licentiate and Maitrise. Their value is the same as at any other university, since the diploma is recognized nationally and even throughout Europe. Officially obtained, of course, at the Institute of Saint Pius X.

Describe the program of studies put in place by your predecessors. What was their inspiration in their choice of a curriculum?

In the beginning there was the agreement with the Sorbonne, which meant that we were obliged to follow the same program as the Sorbonne, but obviously we gave it a Catholic touch: Thomistic philosophy, history of the Church, Christian authors, in order to teach differently. There would have been no point in coming here if it were only to receive the same teaching as in the State universities. So from the very beginning there were classes in introduction to philosophy for every major, Latin and Greek, classical and Christian civilization, spiritual conferences, symposiums, etc.

However, ever since 2001, ever since we were set free, ever since we obtained the recognition of our independence, we have tried to organize our programs even better, following more closely the scholastic formation in philosophy, introducing more history of the Church, studying Christian authors, the Fathers of the Church, etc. The order of studies has likewise been improved, made a more coherent whole. To give you a few examples, this year we gave a history class on the relations between the Cross and the Crescent: the age-old battle between Islam and Christianity, especially around the Mediterranean, from the Byzantine Empire all the way to the Ottoman Empire. We have also inaugurated a "French Heritage" course which helps the students better know the treasures of the capital. We continue to concentrate on the classical humanities, Latin and Greek. In English, the students are discovering Shakespeare's final play, The Tempest, currently at the Odeon, by the way.⁶

Could you tell us more about the curriculum, the different courses of study?

All of our programs are described on-line on our website, www.iuspx.com, or else anyone interested can write and ask for greater detail. Just to give you an idea, in philosophy, for example, we follow the scholastic formation. There are logic classes over three years. The formation begins with a general introduction, ethics before political science, physics before metaphysics, psychology then epistemology, and we complete the program with an initiation to theology, the crowning glory of the program and of all Christian philosophy.

You do not offer a degree in theology?

No.

To give a little bit of context to our readers, how does the American bachelor's degree, particularly in liberal arts, compare with the licentiate degree that you offer? For one thing, the French degree is over three years, the bachelor's is a four year degree. In America, liberal arts universities often impose a "core curriculum" in the first two years of the bachelor's degree, requiring that all students take a certain number of hours of class in every discipline, before specializing in one subject which will be their "major." Do you impose a similar program?

I'm afraid the two systems are not really comparable. In France, the students specialize in their fourth year, but they already choose their course of study in the first year. For example, if they are working on a licentiate in history, for three years they will have to take classes in ancient and medieval history, modern and contemporary history, plus geography or art history. They will only specialize in their fourth year, when they begin the Maitrise.

Of course, ever since 2005 and the European educational reform, they are trying to make the different courses of study more flexible, to open up the partitions, as they say [décloisonner], so that students can choose electives in other subjects. But they remain electives for those students who already have their "major." The only thing which resembles what you describe is the class of introduction to philosophy, which is required for all of the students in their first semester, as a kind of propaedeutics [preparatory instruction].

Could you explain the new reform of the French system, which just changed to be in line with the Anglo-Saxon diploma system?

There is no longer a national system of education, but "a great European domain of knowledge," as one of the French Ministers put it. France used to have a diploma after two years, the DEUG; after three years, the licentiate, after four years the Maitrise, after five years the DESS or the DEA ("diploma of applied studies" or "diploma of specialized higher studies"), and finally the dissertation, the doctorate. So we had diplomas of baccalaureate +2, +3, +4, +5, and +8. Now the system has been simplified, there are only three diplomas, baccalaureate +3, 5 and 8: Licentiate, Master's, Doctorate.

Did you follow them in this reform?

Yes, we reformed our Licentiate, reorganizing it over six semesters, over three years, and eliminating the DEUG, which had become obsolete. However, we have not yet received the authorization to open a complete Master's program, so we have kept the old system of the Maitrise, which retains its value as a diploma, since it is still in effect.

And for students who have earned a Maitrise and who would like to earn a Master's...

Normally, they would just register for Master's second Year, and obtain a recognition of their Maitrise from the new university.

It generally goes very smoothly?

Yes, of course. At least as long as the universities are not too autonomous from one another and have fairly similar criteria of selection. You have to see case by case, because different universities can have different requirements.

Is this system going to make it easier for American students to pass into the European university system and vice-versa?

I think with the new system of credits it amounts to the same thing. For a student coming to the Institute with credits from an American university, our board of directors comes together for an evaluation or equivalence committee and authorizes inscription or not, and at a given level, according to previous education and transcripts.

Have you already welcomed foreign students?

Yes.

Mostly from Europe?

Not only. Over the seven years that I have been here, I have seen students from the Ukraine, from England, from Belgium, Italy, Angola, Gabon, Argentina, Mexico, Columbia, Germany, and Switzerland, and the United States, of course! There is a certain amount of diversity. Even among the French, we have students from the Caribbean, the Island of Reunion, from Martinique, etc.

What would you say to a young American who is thinking about the possibility of coming to study in France? Could you tell us a little bit about the steps he would have to take and the obstacles he may have to overcome?

Everything depends on his level of studies, that is all. There is also the obstacle of the language. You have to have a mastery of the language before registering. There is a competency test organized every year in order to verify that the students would be able to follow classes in French. It is the TCF, the French Competency Test, which takes place on March 9. An American who wanted to register at the Institute of Saint Pius X would have to pass this test the year before his enrollment.⁷

So you could accept credits from students who had already completed a year or more of university studies? They would not necessarily have to start all over?

No, but everything depends on the decision of our evaluation and equivalence committee.

Where do most of your French students come from? Solely from traditional chapels?

Not only, but in general. Most come from traditional high schools, boarding schools or day-schools, others come from public school and knew about the Institute because their parents are among the faithful at our chapels. Some of them found us through the Internet or on the radio.

You advertise on the radio?

On Radio Courtoisie, which broadcasts from Paris.⁸ We also host other activities, symposiums, the review of the Institute.

How many students enroll at the Institute every year?

It depends. This year I have around 100 students including about 30 auditors at our night classes.

What do most young French traditionalists do after the baccalaureate?⁹

They continue their studies, because the baccalaureate is not worth much anymore, the level has really gone down... Professional formations normally open to students with bac +3, which means after the licentiate. So they have a good reason to come to the Institute of Saint Pius X, earn a licentiate, and then go on, either along the same lines as our literary studies, which are centered around teaching and university research, it is true; or else specializing in another area of studies. At least they will have acquired the maturity they may not have had at 18.

What would you say to French parents, especially parents of boys, who object that a liberal arts education will not get their son a job, and that he would be forced to go to school for several more years?

Everything depends on whether the student has genuine qualities or aptitudes for teaching or university research. In that case he will be like a fish in water. Moreover, I direct an establishment of higher studies and so I expect the students to study. When they leave here, they will know how to write, how to work; they will have acquired a method of study, they will have matured. If they do not wish to continue in the liberal arts and their natural career outlets, they can easily branch off into complementary or parallel formations. To my knowledge, no former student is out of work.

Are the activities of the Institute limited to courses for young students?

No. The Institute publishes a university review, Vu de Haut [Seen from Above], which you can obtain if you go to the Institute's website, www.iuspx.com. Every year we have symposiums on different themes, and Monday evenings during the academic year we give conferences on various subjects: history, theology, spirituality, politics, economics...

Father, what is you vision for the future? You have obtained official State recognition for the Institute; you have helped to build up an extraordinary professorial staff and a very serious program of studies. What progress remains to be accomplished in the years to come?

Eh bien, better. Doing better what we already do, focusing even more on rendering our teaching truly Catholic, on the intellectual quality demanded of candidates; correcting what may still be lacking. We certainly are not perfect. Paris was not built in a day...but "impossible" isn't French!

 

¹ The summer of the "suspensio a divinis," after the ordinations at Econe. (1976 also happened to be a year of record heat-waves in Europe.)

² The agrégation is a prestigious professional qualification for high school and university teachers in France; it consists in a series of examinations at which only 10% of candidates succeed.

³ The École Normale Supérieure is one of the "grandes Écoles" of France, intended for future teachers and university researchers; only 5-10% of candidates pass the entrance exam.

⁴ The École des Chartes is another of the extremely prestigious "grandes Écoles," for the formation of historians, archivists, and librarians.

⁵ The French "classes préparatoires" or "Écoles préparatoires" consist in two years of intensive study after the baccalaureate for students aiming to pass the agrégation or enter one of the grandes Écoles.

⁶ The Odéon was founded by the Académie Française in 1782 to lodge the king's official players; it was closed for a time during the Revolution and the actors placed under arrest for having staged a play denouncing the Terror. From Theater of the Nation it officially became the Theater of Europe in 1990 and specializes in international productions. It remains the most famous theater in Paris, alongside the Opéra (cf. www.theatre-odeon.fr).

⁷ See www.ciep.fr/en/tcf/ (The present writer was not obliged to take this test for entry into graduate work. It may be possible to present equivalencies.)

⁸ www.radiocourtoisie.net.

⁹ The baccalaureate is a series of standardized examinations administered by the State after high school and are the equivalent of a diploma. High schools in France do not have the right to give a valid diploma, but only prepare students for the "bac."

Courses of Study

Classics:

French Language and Literature:

l Introduction to literary genres: poetry, theater, narrative prose, novels

l Literary methodology toward the study of classical 17th-century literature

l The great 20th century authors

l Literature and language of the Middle Ages

l French grammar

 

Latin Language and Literature:

l Mastery of the language and grammar, initiation to linguistic studies

l Selected works of Latin literature

l Roman history and civilization

 

Greek Language and Literature:

l Greek classes for beginners

l Linguistics

l Selected works of Greek literature

l History of Greek civilization

 

History:

Ancient History:

l Introduction to the history of Rome

l The Roman Republic, from the Punic Wars to Augustus

l The Roman Empire, from its foundation to its conversion to Christianity

l Greek History, from Athenian hegemony to Alexander's Empire

 

Medieval History:

l The High Middle Ages, from the barbarian invasions to the Carolingian renewal

l The Capetian Middle Ages

l The Hundred Years' War and its consequences

l The Duchies of Brittany and Burgundy in the 14th and 15th centuries

 

Modern History:

l Political institutions and society under the Ancien Régime

l From the Italian dream to national unity (16th-17th centuries)

l Religious France and its role in Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries

l France under Louis XV and Louis XVI

l The Enlightenment

 

Contemporary History:

l International relations in the 19th century

l The question of nations and French nationalism from Napoleon III to the Great War

l The Holy See, Church and State in France (1849-1939)

l France between the wars

 

History of Political Ideas: from Ancient times to present day

Geography Elective: Physical geography and demographics

 

Art History Elective:

l Medieval art, pro-Romanesque and Romanesque

l History of Renaissance and Western arts: Northern Europe, France and Spain in the 15th and 16th centuries.

l Baroque and classical art in Italy and Europe (1590-1660), Rome in the 17th century

 

Philosophy:

l Philosophy of nature, history of ancient philosophy

l Psychology, moral philosophy, methodology, logic

l Metaphysics, philosophy of science, modern philosophy, political philosophy

l First philosophy, history of modern and contemporary philosophy

l History of political ideas

l Initiation to theology

Integrated Preparations (parallel to the degree programs):

 

Teacher Formation: Preparation for teaching through the study of genuine pedagogical methods, taking into account the elements of realistic psychology. The formation includes four hours per week over two years, with internships in primary or secondary schools.

 

Political Science: Preparation for the entrance exam for the Paris Institute of Political Studies through the acquisition of a solid formation in general culture, contemporary history and the English language. The formation includes classes in general culture and the history of political ideas (4 hours) as well as preparation for the history exam (2 hours). Weekly evaluative tests.

 

Living Latin: Latin for beginners all the way through to advanced level, under the direction of Professor Viain, according to the internationally reputed Oerberg method.

 

Interview with Catherine

Catherine, why did you choose to come to the Institute of Saint Pius X instead of going to school in England, for example?

I would have liked to study maybe classics at Oxford, but it was only kind of a small idea because my parents wouldn'™t have wanted me to go to Oxford on my own. The way that universities are, it's very hard to keep the Faith and lead a proper moral life, especially if you're on your own with no other Catholic friends to support you, so I decided to stay in France, especially as we've just moved to France.

So do you live then with your parents, or are you living on your own in Paris?

I live on my own in Paris, and I go home quite regularly, back to Normandy, where my parents live now.

What are you studying?

History, with an option in history of art.

Where did you learn French?

I learned it when I arrived at school, in the 8th form [fourth grade], so I was eight. I'd had a couple of French lessons before but just learned as I went along, really.

Is this degree which you are earning at the Institute going to be valid if you decide to return to England, for example, or continue your studies elsewhere? You haven't finished, in any case; you still have a year to go.

No, I haven't finished. I've just finished my second year, so I have one more year to get the license, which is a European diploma. I haven't really actually looked into what way it's going to be valid, but it's a European system, and it's been changed especially to fit to European standards.

Including England? If you consider England to be a part of Europe.

I haven't checked, to be honest, but I should think it should, or at least a Maitrise, should be the equivalent of a Master of Arts.

But you're not planning on going back to school in England? What are you planning?

Not at all at the moment, no; I'm planning to carry on in France obviously for one more year, then afterwards hopefully to go to a State university, like the Sorbonne, to do an equivalence in history of art, then go to Italy for my Master's course, then maybe to work in Italy in history of art.

Do you have friends who are going to the university in England? Do you have any comparison with the level of studies at the Institute versus the level of universities in England?

All my friends who went to university in England went to Oxford, so obviously the comparison is difficult. I think compared to–obviously in England I don't know really what the level is, apart from Oxford and Cambridge, which is obviously a very good level, especially in things like classics–but compared to French universities, the Institute is definitely superior, above average, especially even compared to the Sorbonne, which has good teachers, but the Institute has better working conditions that make it easier to have a more personal working method....The teacher follows you up much more in the Institute, and it's easier to talk to him, to get help if you need it.

Do you work part-time or are you just a student? Do you have other activities?

In the way of leisure I sing in a choir. Next year I'll have singing lessons, but as for working, I haven't done so yet for these first two years, but I hope maybe next year to get something in the way of just baby-sitting or something.

Do you have difficulty adjusting to being in a different country and dealing with the French all day long? Or are you just so used to it?

Well, this is my tenth year in France, so obviously I get used to it!

Interview with Diego

Diego, could you start by telling us how you heard about the Institute?

I heard about the Institute from priests of the Society who come to Mexico, and for a long time they had been telling me that there was a university of the Society in Paris. So I looked on the Internet for the Institute's website, and I found information there.

Did you already speak French?

No, when I got to France I did not speak French yet, but I first went to a Society school, to follow some 11th grade classes. I did that for six months, then I stayed with three different families, and I had to speak French. So I took a year to learn French, and then I came to the Institute.

The school was in Alsace, and I also lived in Lyons, and then starting in February 2005 I was in Paris.

Where do you stay now? Did you already know people who lived in France?

I found my lodgings through the priory, St. Nicholas du Chardonnet. I called the Mutual Aid number, and there I found an elderly lady who offered to rent me a room.

What is your major at the Institute?

I am working on a Licence in history. I am in my first year.

Do you intend to return to Mexico with that degree?

Yes, exactly, I intend to return to Mexico at the end of my studies, normally at the end of my Master's, so that means five years of studying in France. Then I will go back to Mexico, since in Mexico a foreign diploma is more impressive than a national diploma.

If you don't mind talking about it, I know you had a serious car accident at the beginning of the year. Did you feel that the students and professors at the Institute supported you during your recovery? Are you going to lose your year, or is the Institute helping you catch up?

It is true that I felt the support of my classmates, even those I didn't know very well. For example, there was a boy in my class who was with me at the time of the accident, Pierre-Joseph. He stood by me during the whole time I was in the hospital, he often came to see me. Beyond that, some of the other students from the Institute came to see me, especially when I was back in [the hospital in] Paris. While I was still in Tours, Nolwenn came to visit me just before she went home on vacation. Several other people came to see me when I was in Paris.

At first I thought I was not going to be able to carry on with my studies, because I had lost three months and I did not feel at all up to continuing. But after speaking with some of the professors at the Institute, with the Rector, the secretary, they told me that if I worked hard I could just maybe pull through the year. So in spite of that feeling of powerlessness after the accident, I decided to go ahead and try, and in fact I am about to take the final exams in June for the second semester. In September I will take the make-up exams for the first semester, which I lost. But it is truly thanks to the professors at the Institute, especially to the Rector, that I came back to school. Otherwise, I had decided to come back next year and redo my first year. But now I am going to try to make it this year. Normally, if everything goes well, even if there are still two or three classes that I fail, I can still go on next year and at the same time work on the classes I didn't pass this year.

Are you spending the summer in France, or are you going back to Mexico?

For the summer vacation I am going back to Mexico, for the first time in two years. I think it's important; I really miss my family.

Interview with Monsieur Lanavère

Mr. Lanavère,¹ you have been with the Institute of Saint Pius X for many years. Can you start by telling us what subjects you teach here?

I teach French literature. One of the founders of the university, Jean-Pierre Brancourt,² a law professor who taught government history, brought me over from the Sorbonne, where my specialty was 17th-century French literature. Right away I had to start teaching all of French literature.

Are you still a professor at the Sorbonne?

I am still there, not as a professor, but as a conference master.

What first attracted you to the Institute? What made you come and what makes you stay?

What makes me stay is that the atmosphere at the school is extremely pleasant. A small number of students, all of them–or nearly all of them–hard workers, enjoyable personalities. Every now and then we have students with difficulties, and it is rewarding to be able to become involved and help them.

And then there are the rectors. I have been under three rectors: Fr. Simoulin,³ Fr. Lorans, and now Fr. Thouvenot. All of them are very different, all of them extremely pleasant, good colleagues; again, all of them very different, coming from all sorts of backgrounds. In the beginning, the Institute had professors from all over France, not only Paris; people who wanted there to exist a Catholic university, faithful to Tradition. And now some of my colleagues are former students! Eh, oui! Time has gone by, because I must be the most senior professor, along with Mr. Buron.⁴

The school has always been very pleasant. At the least problem, we can meet with the parents. The parents tell the rector about their worries. We are able to have a real impact on the students. And then, the school is Catholic: there is a chapel on the ground floor, there is Mass every day, you can stop in and say a prayer, speak with a priest.

So the school pleases me a great deal, all the more so because I have taught at the Catholic Institute of Paris for even longer, for 40 years, and I saw a Catholic university little by little becoming less and less Catholic, less and less Christian, with students brought on board any which way, priestly colleagues leading scandalous lives, theology and philosophy departments where they teach everything except Catholic theology and Christian philosophy. So I have witnessed the decline. Obviously there are still students, there are still professors. But the directives of the popes in matters of Catholic teaching are never respected at the Catholic Institute of Paris. So I witnessed the decline over there, and in spite of everything I still teach there, because I love teaching, and because they have a splendid library; but their teaching is no longer Catholic, or even Christian. Whereas here it is the contrary.

How do you find the level of studies here compared to what you find elsewhere? Better? Worse? Watered down? As regards the level of classes, the seriousness of the students?

I think it is better, because I know my colleagues, professors of Philosophy and History, and they are remarkable. As for Classics, I don't mean to praise myself (many of my former students are professors) but the level is better because here we only have Classical Literature, so not Modern literature. That might seem to be a disadvantage, from a certain point of view, because if we had Modern Literature we would certainly draw more students. But here the young men and the young women come to us with Latin and Greek; those are serious subjects, first of all very demanding. They have to translate French into Greek or French into Latin. And then it gives them an excellent culture in the very foundations of the West. So here I have no difficulty teaching 17th-century literature. When we study Tartuffe, for example, [by Molière], I am not obliged to give them a little introductory catechism lesson and explain that in Paris in 1664 Catholicism was the dominant religion. No, the level here is better. The pity is that we do not have more students.

And do you think it is because of the subjects that are offered?

In literature, yes. And I also think that for children coming from traditional families, educated in traditional schools–it is true of them, but it was true of me, too, when I was in high school–there comes a moment, after graduation, when you dream of freedom, of total freedom, and I think the children do not want to find themselves back in an environment they think is going to restrict them. So, you have to make their studies more attractive, offer cultural activities that are enriching and original. In the literature curriculum, we try to introduce works that have never been studied.

The students we have are good. I have kept in contact with a good number, and students send me news after they graduate. Young women who are now religious, very good religious, teaching or contemplative; others teach, they are excellent professors, in traditional schools or elsewhere. Many of the young women are married, have children, they raise them well. I have the impression that the students leaving here perfectly succeed their passage into adult life. Which, as we know, is not the case elsewhere.

Let's talk a little bit about "elsewhere." At the Sorbonne, for example, have you noticed a decline in the behavior of students? Are there real problems?

The tragedy with the Sorbonne–and I wish them no ill because I think it is one of the least bad universities as far as literature goes, and we have good presidents, who try very hard–but the tragedy is that we have a huge number of students who are there without the least vocation to literature. They were bad in science, so they are not in a science program, they are not preparing to enter engineering school. They are bad in foreign languages; they cannot handle a foreign language. Ultimately, they are bad in everything, they are very mediocre students. Don't worry, I have been teaching for 40 years, and there is still the same small proportion of excellent students. But what has disappeared is the solid average student. Now, 70-80% of the students are frankly poor and decide to study literature because they do not know what else to do. The do not want to read, they do not know how to write, they do not know how to think, they have no logic, they do not want to study Latin, they do not want to study foreign languages. You can see it in the hallways: In February there are little notices on the walls from students selling their books from the first semester. They sell Molière, Victor Hugo, Baudelaire–because they do not need them, they are no longer of any use, they have their "credit" and that is enough. We are dealing with students without a vocation. Not unpleasant, not very well bred, very, very poor intellectually. Here, no. We have had students with psychological problems, like you find everywhere, less than elsewhere, but they are still students who love to read. They were taught how to read.

Is it possible to attend class in peace?

Yes, but that has not always been the case. The students are becoming less and less political. There were certain years, after May 1968,⁵ which were sometimes very turbulent. But on the whole that is over. Today is the consumer generation, very ill-bred. I have taught classes where the boys keep their baseball hat on their head, everyone chewing their chewing-gum. The young ladies are constantly drinking. They think it makes them thinner. They are lazy; they come late and leave early. The French no longer read–except the free newspapers they hand out in the subway.

Here, at the Institute of Saint Pius X, I know that the boys and girls have a number of healthy activities alongside their studies. They are leaders of scout troops, they sing in choirs, they are active in Catholic movements; several of the boys are in theater. One of my students had an excellent reading voice and she used her talent to record books for the blind. I find them all very active. It is a sign of intellectual health.

Fr. Thouvenot granted us an interview and spoke of the events of a year ago, with all the student strikes, and two months without classes. Did those events have any echo at the Institute? Did you have any problems at the Sorbonne?

At the Sorbonne, yes. My memories are a little confused because there have been so many strikes, student strikes and public transportation strikes! In general, the students at the Sorbonne do what they can to come, but they cannot come when there are bus and metro strikes. And then there is always some leftist student commando, extreme left, who does something idiotic, and then the Paris Board of Education, which has authority over all the public universities, closes the Sorbonne to avoid damage being done. At that point there are no more classes. The professors cannot come, starting up again is always laborious. Every time there is a vacation or else a strike, the students take advantage of the opportunity to abandon everything. Yes. You must never give students a vacation! (If you want to keep them from the beginning of the year to the end.)

At the Institute, there was no problem, except that certain students who lived far away, in the suburbs, couldn't manage to get here. Otherwise, no problem.

That is typically French, always going on strike.

Typically. Alas, alas. It is truly absurd.

But actually, that is not quite true! Let me remind you that the great European upheavals of 1968 started at Berkeley, which is not a French university.

True enough. So May '68 began in America?

Yes, the Vietnam War protests, the strikes, the student sit-ins, and the far left, Marxist extremism with Marcuse.⁶ And then sexual liberation, cohabitation in the university dormitories. It all began over there, and then Europe imitated: Berlin first, then Paris, and then Milan, Barcelona...

I have the impression that the effects were more lasting and more severe in Europe.

Alas. Alas.

But here, truly, we do not have that kind of problem. You speak of politics; we have a few boys here who have a tendency to be active politically, usually not left-wing! So we professors tell them to be careful. Political activism can be very engaging, and their studies pay the price. So we try to tell them, fine, go put up posters, distribute literature, it is good to be involved; but be careful, your studies come first! Archbishop Lefebvre used to tell the students: "Your duty of state is to pass your tests. To learn as much as you can. And the rest comes after." He said it because, in the beginning, many students, men and women, were active in youth groups. Eh, oui. They spent hours and days organizing pilgrimages; they would be better off translating Latin and writing essays. That is a student'™s duty of state. He was right. He always had so much common sense.

Since you have known the Institute practically from the beginning, could you tell us a little bit about life under the different rectors? Angelus readers know Fr. Simoulin, for example, because his sermons are sometimes published in America. Did you know him well when he was here?

Very well. Ah, yes. I have many memories of him. Our Rector Fr. Simoulin had been a career officer, a military man who then entered the seminary, so he conducted himself like a military man. He was demanding, straightforward, strict, did not want the young ladies to wear pants, did not want them in mini-skirts. He was constantly posting up notices to remind students of the rules. He was very imposing, with big black eyebrows. He looked very severe–too severe. But he had a wonderful sense of humor. We had a lot of fun together. I made fun of him, he made fun of me. We were partners in crime. I admire him because he was really not interested in directing a university. What he enjoyed was the ministry, he loved preaching retreats to monks and nuns. He was very spiritual, a man who loved the priestly ministry. He was not a university type. But thanks to him we had excellent relations with the Sorbonne because he was extremely dignified and had a lot of finesse. At that time the students had to pass all of their tests at the Sorbonne. We had to negotiate the curriculum. Everything went very, very well.

In those days, Archbishop Lefebvre was still alive, and the Institute used to have a party at the Mutuality.⁷ The students sang, put on a play. And we had a Latin professor, a priest, Fr. Baillot,⁸ very scholarly, very original. He had the students stage a scene in Latin, a Medieval mystery play in Latin, and they staged a scene in Greek. All of the parents applauded, and they had not understood a single word! Archbishop Lefebvre came here many times, with his kind smile. He came to encourage us, and he was all kindness and encouragement.

In the days of Fr. Lorans....Fr. Lorans was full of humor, always playing on words. He was a literary type, he had studied literature. The atmosphere suddenly became less military. The young ladies were very appreciative. Now they could get away with skirts to the knee! Fr. Simoulin wanted them well below the knee. The relations with the Sorbonne remained very good with Fr. Lorans, as well.

There used to be a party for the rector's birthday, and the students put on a play, which was performed in the room on the ground floor. I can remember...different professors used to recite poems. I read a poem I had pulled together, in Alexandrine verse, it must have been for Fr. Simoulin's 50th birthday. I made great fun of him and his advanced age–I am a few months older than he is! For another birthday, or for some other event at the Institute, the students put on The Miser. One of the characters in Molière's The Miser is a very unsavory woman who is a matchmaker. She is trying to sell a young lady to Harpagon. The part was played by a young lady who took on the most vulgar allure. You would have thought you had walked into a house of ill repute–that student is now a nun. And a good nun! Sometimes we would all go together to see a play when they were staging something that was on the curriculum. It was almost a family atmosphere, very convivial.

No, life here has always been amusing, with a few eccentric professors. For example the Latin professor I mentioned, Fr. Baillot, who was very demanding, very strict with the students, always worried about the decline in quality–so of course the quality never declined! We had a history professor, Mr. Guillotel–he is no longer here, he died–who thought that France was finished, finished, down the drain...ever since the Merovingians⁹! His specialty was the Merovingians. After that, everything basically fell apart.

Forget the Capetians!

Forget them! Yes, very original professors, enthusiastic, brilliant, amusing, who have always had a very good relationship with the students, very human, paternal, friendly. Which is indispensable. Since the students are relatively few in number, we know them, and we enjoy poking fun at them–and they poke fun at us, but nicely! Just this morning, I was sneezing, coughing, blowing my nose, and one of them told me I was just like the "imaginary invalid" of Molière, which is on the curriculum. No, the little anecdotes are all very sunny.

And I can say that we have worked wonders. Every now and then we have had freshman who arrive here in a terrible state, young men who had failed in law, failed in literature; they get here and we made something of them. They regained their self-confidence, they learned how to smile again, they made progress in their studies, they passed their tests. Now they are married, fathers and mothers of families, and we can tell ourselves that it is thanks to the Institute.

What would you say to young people who would be afraid to come to Paris, who would not come to the Institute because they would be afraid of this big city, crushing and full of vice? Is it an advantage or a disadvantage having the Institute in the heart of the capital?

It is a great advantage. It is a very great advantage. I am not afraid for the students. We have a network of rooms, parishioners at St. Nicholas who rent rooms in their apartments, we can help them find lodging in Paris.¹⁰ Very quickly they are shown the good areas of Paris; good students find their niche. Students from the country have the opportunity to discover Paris–modern Babylon, Sodom and Gomorrah, but not only! In Paris you have the Académie Française, in Paris you have the Louvre. In Paris you have a quantity of national monuments, of walks to take. Archbishop Lefebvre used to say to us–and I love to repeat it–traditional families, families with the Society, must not close themselves into a ghetto, a church within the Church, almost like a sect. We have to stay Catholic and traditional, but we also have to live in our time. And the Archbishop wanted us to open the windows: girls especially, coming from their provincial towns, with very little exposure to the outside world, shut away in their families or in their boarding schools, but the boys, as well, who have their little youth group, their Mass times, their priest, their network of family and friends. The Archbishop wanted us to teach these boys and these girls–not how to live, they live very well!–not to change their faith or modify their commitment, but to look the world in the face, as it is. As he himself always did with so much lucidity.

Right around the corner, you have St. Germain des Prés.¹¹ Or even here in the Rue du Cherche-Midi, at certain times of the day you can see a shameless crowd of what they call the "bo-bo's," the "bohemian-bourgeoisie." Filthy rich Parisians glued to the shop windows, buying monstrosities at exorbitant prices. There are luxury restaurants where the bohemian intellectuals all pile in, television stars, eh oui, the street is crawling with them. All Paris knows their names. It is very good that our students run into them, even challenge them, not be ashamed to be what they are, and know how to practice their Christian virtues even in Paris. So I think that for foreigners or for young people from the outlying towns, it is fabulous that we should be here right in the heart of Paris, and that we should be able to offer them a solid framework for Catholic studies.

Hearing you speak, apparently Archbishop Lefebvre put a lot of stock in the Institute, staked a great deal on the work to be done here.

A great deal. He used to remind us that for the Society it was a serious expense; he wanted the school to be full to cracking. We could welcome 50 or 100 more students without a problem. And, it seems to me, so much the better if those students come from very different places. This year I was delighted to have two young ladies from England as students. It may be an opportunity for other students to go to England, stay with those families and learn English at the same time, eh oui! We had a very good student who came from Madagascar, Eva. We have a foreign language professor who is Russian, another who is British, and it is a very good thing. It adds a certain culture to our students, a certain open-mindedness.

It is a beautiful building.

We are welcomed here by an association honoring the memory of Bishop Gaston de Ségur, the son of Madame the Countess of Ségur, who is an author of children's books, from the Second Empire.¹² So we teach class in some of their rooms, which have a sort of 19th-century feel to them. The altar in the chapel was the altar of Bishop de Ségur. The house is modern, but they brought his altar from his private chapel, end of the 19th century, and installed it here. And the conference room of the association is actually the private study of Bishop de Ségur. You may have seen all the old pictures of bishops from the 19th century. The students are amused by that old-fashioned feel to the place because you almost feel like you are in another century. And then you go out in the street and you find modern people, people of today, and we are modern ourselves!

It is true that it is a lovely environment.

Very lovely. But it does feel like, oui, like a 19th-century apartment! It used to be even more that way. The association which welcomes us, which lodges us, is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year. So there used to be old portraits of priests from the turn of the century, bishops from 1880, cardinals...

Sounds like a pre-seminary!

Yes, what the seminaries used to be like. They kept the portraits of old professors, of old bishops, of old dignitaries. The Institute still has that side, a little bit, but it is not unpleasant. You step into a different world, all in keeping your feet firmly in today. Then there is the chapel. You may have noticed the portrait of St. Francis de Sales; I think there is also a picture of St. Peter. Those are the works of Bishop de Ségur, who used to paint. Eh, oui! Who painted very well, who had real artistic talent, and he ended up entering the seminary. So we are in his private chapel, where he celebrated Mass all his life. He was a great friend of Pope Pius IX. But that brings us back to 1850.

There is also a display window in the chapel containing vestments worn by the pope, if I am not mistaken?

Yes. Pius IX had a great affection for Bishop de Ségur, and he offered him the miter which he wore for the proclamation of the Immaculate Conception.

So on the one hand you have a modern building, but there is an historical side to it, which is fairly amusing.

It is extraordinary. That is why I am going to keep teaching here for as long as I possibly can.

 

 

¹ "Lan-a-vayre."

² "Brahn-coor."

³ "See-moo-lahn."

⁴ "Bew-ron."

⁵ In May 1968, a wave of student protests, workers' strikes, and rioting brought the government to its knees and resulted in a number of permanent reforms which changed the face of French society.

⁶ Herbert Marcuse (1898-1979), author of Eros and Civilization, was a German-American philosopher, influenced by Karl Marx and Sigmund Freud as well as Martin Heidegger and Edmund Husserl. He was one of the most influential members of the so-called Frankfurt School, an association of thinkers uniting Freudian psychology with Communist theory in view of radical social change. It was first founded in Germany in the 1920's as the Institute for Social Research at the University of Frankfurt, before taking refuge in the US in the 1930's. See the article by Arnaud de Lassus, "Cultural Revolution: The Frankfurt School," published in the July 2007 issue of the Angelus.

⁷ The Maison de la Mutualité is a conference hall next door to St. Nicholas du Chardonnet.

⁸ "Bye-oh."

⁹ Frankish dynasty reigning from the fifth to the eighth century.

¹⁰ The priory of St. Nicholas du Chardonnet can be reached by dialing 011-33-1-44-27-07-90, fax 011-33-1-43-25-14-26. The Mutual Aide organization, "Service d'Entraide," can be reached at the same number, or by dialing 011-33-1-43-25-72-14.

¹¹ St. Germain des Prés is one of the oldest neighborhoods in Paris, built around an abbey first constructed in the sixth century, but Mr. Lanavère is referring to the district around the old abbey, known for being the literary center of Paris, with many bookstores and publishing houses but also many fashionable nightclubs and literary cafés, the gathering place of existentialists and intellectuals after the Second World War. Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir held court at the Café de Flore, for example.

¹² The Å’uvre de Saint François de Sales, founded by Bishop de Ségur in 1857 to promote solid Catholic piety, apologetics, and instruction. Louis-Gaston de Ségur was born in Paris on April 15, 1820, the eldest son of Sophie Rostopchine and Eugene, Count de Ségur. Sophie was born in Russia in 1797, the daughter of General Rostopchine; her father was instrumental in forcing Napoleon's defeat before Moscow, but he was later a victim of a political rivalry and exiled with his family to France. Mme de Ségur is famous as a woman of deep piety but also of broad culture and literary talent: she is the author of a large number of short novels for children which are still widely read in France. Louis-Gaston attended art classes for a time after graduation from high school but felt the call to the priesthood during a voyage to the family estate in Russia. He was a heroic defender against liberalism and Gallicanism as well as a wise director of souls; he likewise distinguished himself as a zealous advocate of frequent Communion for the laity and of first Communion at a young age, thus battling against the after-effects of Jansenism still affecting much of the French clergy. He suffered from total blindness from the age of 35 until his death on June 9, 1881.

Interview with Maitre Bouscau

Master Bouscau, I would like to give our readers in America an idea of the professorial staff at the Institute of Saint Pius X. You are a history professor here, and I know that you teach elsewhere. Moreover, you are also president of the board of directors of the Institute.

Yes, I am a law professor and I teach in the city of Rennes, in Brittany, and I am also a lawyer.

What classes do you teach at the Institute?

Here I teach history, but in fact I am a law historian. I have a Maitrise in history, so in the public universities I teach law history, from antiquity to modern times. That is where I am most at ease. Here I began by teaching medieval history, the Capetian period, meaning between 987, the beginning of the reign of Hugh Capet, and the Hundred Years' War [1337-1453]. And this year I am teaching the history of monarchic institutions between the 16th and the 19th centuries, the modern era.

How did you learn about the Institute? Who first brought you on board?

It was in the days of Fr. Lorans, when the Institute was changing systems. Before, there was an agreement with the Sorbonne, since the State has a monopoly over university degrees, and at that time the private universities–which were not called universities but "institutes"–had to bring their students before State professors. And then the politics changed; I think it is tied to European pressure. There are truly free universities in many neighboring countries, in Belgium for example. As a result, the State gave up the system of agreements, at least in certain cases, for us anyway, and they began the system of boards of directors [juries rectoraux]. That is why Fr. Lorans called on me.

And you knew the Institute already since you were present, in fact, at the taking of St. Nicholas.¹

Yes, I was at the taking of St. Nicholas, and my family is very attached to tradition–religiously, politically, etc. I also audited certain conferences, especially on the history of the Fathers of the Church. So I had known the Institute for a long time.

Could you compare the Institute with the other universities where you have taught?

On the one hand it is difficult to compare because of the question of number. The French state universities have opted for "mass universities"–not necessarily the right option–so even outside of Paris there are huge numbers of students, and many of them do not stay very long. So the relations with the students are much better at the Institute because we know who they are. At the state universities, those who want to work, work, and those who do not want to work...you only realize it when you are grading exams, too late. So there is the clear advantage of a nearly family atmosphere, which means there is more following-up of students. Moreover, certain students wish they were a little less followed-up! They look toward the state universities with envy! But the serious students really appreciate it.

There is also the question of quality of studies. The state program is not to be disdained, but for example at the Institute we teach Latin. I know that some people, even in traditional circles, are not sure whether Latin should be a subject, but I think at the very least it gives an intellectual formation that prepares the way for many things, and I think it is very good. I think the State would do well to put Latin back in the law curriculum. They study less and less Roman law because fewer and fewer people study Latin. So the Institute is on the cutting edge, if you will. I am thinking of the Living Latin program, for example, taught by my colleague Mr. Viain.

Could you tell us a little bit about what the board of directors [jury rectoral] represents for the Institute and the freedom which it gave, as well as your own work within the board? It is a system which is fairly foreign for us.

The board of directors is composed of state professors who are chosen by the president of the state university, in light of their qualifications. This board vouches for the results of studies at the Institute and bestows on them the value of state diplomas. We do a kind of transmutation, we do not change lead into gold but we transform diplomas from the Institute into state diplomas, since the Institute, like every private establishment, can give its own diplomas. Moreover, there are certain subjects in which the board of directors does not intervene, for example in the teacher-formation program. So the Institute could very well make its own diploma alongside the official diploma. That is what it did under the old system, under the agreement [with the Sorbonne], and it sometimes happened, amusingly enough, that certain students would receive the state diploma and fail to obtain the Institute diploma.

Now, everything takes place at the Institute, and the results are examined by the committee which makes a final judgment. Sometimes when the student is floating around a passing grade we let him pass, for example. But we are not lax–I'll come back to that later. Nonetheless, the committee looks at all the results, declares them officially, and the diploma granted by the Institute is a state diploma, which means it is good anywhere.

Now, when I say that we are not lax, I mean we are not a kind of diploma distributing machine. The unworthy students are asked to step aside, and we do sometimes refuse to give a diploma.

To give you an idea of how a committee meeting works, it is fairly amusing, because there are three sections to the room. There is the committee in the middle, to the left you have representatives of the National Ministry of Education who watch over everything to make sure it all takes place according to the rules, and to whom we send the minutes of the meeting, and our test subjects, so we are followed really very closely. And then on the other side you have the representatives of the institution, the rector and a few professors. That is how it all takes place.

Beside all that, there are certain powers proper to the president of the jury, for example in the matter of equivalencies: there the president alone, namely yours truly, has the right to grant equivalencies according to the diplomas presented. It is fairly strict. Sometimes there are foreign students with diplomas which are not covered by an equivalence agreement, and in that case we can grant an equivalence in light of the work previously accomplished. Once again, we are not lax, we are a serious operation, and moreover we are under a close watch because everything is sent on to the Ministry of Education. As a side note, the Ministry has never had to step in and call us to order, because our policies are serious. We want our diplomas to be worth something, and the only way for our diplomas to be worth something is if we have serious policies. It is somewhat rigorous. On the other hand, we cannot go too far in the other direction; I hear students complain that it is more difficult to obtain a degree at the Institute than in a state university. That is not our wish, either. We want our diploma to be equitable. We believe we offer a unique framework for study, and that is the great advantage for these students.

I have a question about equivalencies for American diplomas. The Bachelor of Arts, which is over four years, is not strictly equivalent to the French "Licentiate." The Bachelor of Arts includes many different subjects; it is a different system.

In a foreign diploma, we look at what is on the inside. For example, I have given equivalencies allowing students with a Bachelor of Arts to enter directly into the Maitrise. It seems to me to be possible because it is a diploma which can vary a great deal. But in every university establishment, the board of directors has the final word and you can have different cases. There is nothing automatic in the domain of equivalencies. We look at precedents in what we have done in the past, what other universities do, as well as the contents of the diplomas presented. Candidates show us their diplomas, sometimes they show us their transcripts, with their grades and the different classes they have taken, and then we give an equivalence. We may give them the equivalence but oblige them to follow an extra class, for example. We can also take other factors into account, other studies elsewhere.

An equivalence is not the same as a diploma. It is a permission to enroll in this or that program. If you have an equivalence from the Institute, it only has value at the Institute. An equivalence has value only for the university that granted it, public or private, same thing, whereas a diploma has a universal value. Normally, with [your Maitrise from the Institute], you can go to any state university and ask to enroll in studies in view of a doctorate, saying, here you go, I have a Maitrise which is worth a state diploma.

 

¹ On February 27th 1977, under the direction of Monsignor Ducaud-Bourget, a large group of faithful gathered at the Palais de la Mutualité and entered the near-empty Church of St. Nicholas to celebrate Mass. They never left, in spite of the extreme indignation of the local clergy. For several months young volunteers (including Professor Bouscau) kept watch in the church night and day. A documentary in honor of the 30th anniversary of the church's resurrection is available on www.stnicolas-lefilm.com. The film includes an interview of Professor Bouscau and also of Fr. Lorans.

 

For more information:

Institut Universitaire Saint-Pie X

21 rue du Cherche-Midi

75006 PARIS

Phone: 01.42.22.00.26 FAX: 01.42.84.31.94

e-mail : iuspx@free.fr Website: http://iuspx.free.fr/