Father J.M. Villars (circa 1818 – March 5, 1868) was a Catholic priest in Indiana. He died in mysterious circumstances in 1868. He has since become a folk saint.
Father J.M. Villars | |
|---|---|
| Personal life | |
| Born | 1818 Chavanay, France |
| Died | March 5, 1868 (age 50) |
| Resting place | Holy Cross Cemetery, Indianapolis, Indiana |
| Religious life | |
| Religion | Catholic |
| Profession | Priest |
| Ordination | 1848 in Dubuque, Iowa |
J.M. Villars | |
|---|---|
| Priest, saint | |
| Born | 1818 Chavanay, France |
| Died | March 5, 1868 (aged 50) Richmond, Indiana, United States |
| Venerated in | Folk Catholicism |
Life
editVillars was born in Chavanay, France, in 1818.[1] He was ordained as a priest in Dubuque, Iowa, in 1848.[1] From 1862 to 1863 he served as an assistant at St. John's in Indianapolis,[1][2] then moved to Richmond, Indiana, to lead St. Mary's church.[1] He also took over as a visiting priest for the church in Cambridge, Indiana, when the missionary who founded it became unable to continue running it.[3]
Death
editOn Friday, March 6, 1868, when Villars did not show up for mass an altar boy was sent to check on him and found him dead in his bedroom, with his suspenders looped around the bedpost and his neck.[1] The death was officially determined to be a suicide, but many suspected murder.[1] He was buried in Holy Cross Cemetery on the south side of Indianapolis.[1]
Folk saint
editPeople began making pilgrimages to Villars' grave in the early 1910s, inspired by a woman who dreamed she saw Villars "hanging by a rope the victim of murder."[1] The woman visited Villars' grave and prayed for her son who miraculously recovered.[1] In the 1930s there were many reports of miraculous intercession by Villars, including a woman whose home was saved from foreclosure.[1]
Although the local archdiocese has done nothing to encourage people, and claims that there is "nothing special about Villars" people continue to visit the grave, praying and leaving coins and notes with pleas for miracles.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Higgins, Will. "Priest's mysterious death in 1868, then — miracles?". Indianapolis Star. Gannett. Retrieved 23 June 2015.
- ^ Holloway, William Robeson (1870). Indianapolis: A Historical and Statistical Sketch of the Railroad City, a Chronicle of Its Social, Municipal, Commercial and Manufacturing Progress, with Full Statistical Tables. Indianapolis: Indianapolis Journal Print. pp. 240. Retrieved 23 June 2015.
Father J.M. Villars.
- ^ History of Wayne County, Indiana: Together with Sketches of Its Cities, Villages and Towns, Volume 2. Inter-State Publishing Company. 1884. p. 528. Retrieved 23 June 2015.