Brother Auguste Chassagne

Chambellan is a lovely little town in the region of Grande-Anse near the city of Jérémie. This is the place where Wilbert Chassagne was given birth on August 8, 1935. This is also where, several years later, in 1958 to be precise, he uttered his first vows under the name of Brother Auguste.

As a missionary, Brother Auguste spent many years in the capital city of Port-au-Prince and its vicinities. In two separate occasions, he served at the helm of the Pope John XXIII School of Bicentenaire on Harry Truman Boulevard. He was appointed to that location in the early years of the 70s and then during the 80s and the 90s respectively. Simultaneously, one could find him very active at the following locations: the Normal School of Impasse Lavaud, the Collège Canado-Haitien of Turgeau, the Carrefour Novitiate (Juvenat) and St.John the Evangelist School of Turgeau.

From this exemplary religious man, emanated superior human qualities firmly entrenched in his passion for principles. It turned out that the latter characteristic of his was not unanimously understood and appreciated in his general environment. Nevertheless, it did epitomize his personality and character strength to the extent that allowed him to accede to very high levels of responsibility in his congregation and in the society at large. Brother Auguste was the first Haitian religious individual to have been promoted as the national Leader of the Brothers of Sacred Heart province in Haiti which comprised both Haitians and Canadians. That resulted into the formation of a promising relief for the future. On the Church front, he integrated several pastoral commissions of catechesis and Catholic Education, namely the formation of future religious individuals at the Haitian Conference for Clerics (CHR).

A while later, he returned from Canada, after several years invested in the studies of Catechesis and Psychology. At that time, his inclination for prolific accomplishments proved incomparable. In line with his vocation as a clerical brother, he initiated his pastoral life. He was extremely proud shedding the Education lights for others to benefit from. Moreover, he also proved to be a tremendous source of inspiration to countless fathers, heads of families. How many times during his catechetic classes and pastoral reunions was he asked: “Why don’t you just embrace marital life yourself?” For his teachings were tantamount to a university whose dedication was to prepare future Christian couples who believe in unity and fruitfulness with the purpose to better the Haitian society and its political life. Thus, by 1978, he responded to the demands of young students from both sexes. He proceeded to inspire them to regroup. With them, Brother Auguste formed a lifelong bond, a sort of applied laboratory for his knowledge in Psychology and Catechesis, subjects that he widely taught in his missions.

Further, his predilection for the youth inspired him to tackle a colossal project in the capital city. In it, he persevered into bringing together young members coming from all social backgrounds - a sort of Christian family that he aptly baptized as the “Foyer d’Epanouissement de la Jeunesse (FEJ)”, translated roughly “Haven for Youth Development”. Wherever he went, by virtue of his vows of religious obedience, he created a space for this group of young people in as many of the schools’ locations as possible, from the Impasse Lavaud to the Bicentenaire and from the Bicentenaire to Turgeau. Because of his commitment to the young, the demands were increasing. He had enough confidence in them to render this commitment unshakeable. For the FEJ, Brother Auguste did not spare any sacrifices. There, he showed his faith in God and in the youth in a practical way. He did so by clearing a path of hope to the future - not only for these young ones that he inspired but also for the country as a whole.

But alas! During this past introductory decade of the 2000 millennium, physical fatigue intervened in his life in the form of an illness courageously endured until recently. In that final earthly challenge, Brother Auguste demonstrated a serenity and a peace of mind that very much reflect a well accomplished life mission.

May he rest in peace!