NOTICES BIOGRAPHIQUES
Père Jean
Vialleton
Cétait le dimanche du Christ Roi. Les infirmières avaient préparé Jean pour quil puisse se rendre à la messe. Comme il y avait encore du temps, elles lont invité à sallonger sur son lit. Cest à ce moment-là que le cur a lâché. Sa mort a été à limage de sa vie, toute en discrétion.
Jean est né le 10 avril 1926, à Dunières, ville située au nord-est de la Haute-Loire, dans le diocèse du Puy. Son père était pâtissier, sa mère soccupait du ménage.
Il fit ses études primaires, dabord chez des religieuses, puis chez les frères du Sacré Cur, le tout couronné par le certificat détudes. Il fit ses études secondaires à « Note Dame de Vallebenoite », à Saint Étienne, où il était pensionnaire. Cest là quil obtint sa première partie de baccalauréat.
Cette période des études a été très perturbée, dabord par labsence de son père, parti un an à la guerre, ensuite par la maladie de sa maman, décédée en 1940. Au retour de la guerre, son père se remarie.
Pendant deux ans, Jean abandonne ses études et soccupe de la jeunesse de sa paroisse. I1 les reprendra en 1945, au petit séminaire dYssingeaux, où il obtient sa deuxième partie de baccalauréat.
Comment Jean a-t-il connu les Pères Blancs ? Il nen parle pas lui-même. Mais à cette époque-là, les Pères Blancs de Lyon visitaient souvent les collèges de la région.
En 1946, Jean entre à Kerlois et commence le cursus de la formation
chez les Pères Blancs : deux ans de philo à Kerlois, un an de
noviciat à Maison Carrée, suivi dun an de service militaire
à Tunis. Après son service, Jean fait ses 3 années de
théologie à Thibar, suivies dune année à
Carthage. Il est ordonné prêtre en 1954.
Tous ses formateurs font remarquer que Jean est gêné dans ses
relations par sa timidité ; ce qui le rend un peu brusque et sec. Il
est très dévoué et réussit très bien avec
les enfants. Ce sera une constante dans sa vie.
Après deux années détudes darabe et dislamologie à La Manouba, Jean est envoyé au collège des Pères Blancs à Maison Carrée, où il enseigne de 56 à 63.
Puis il est nommé en Kabylie, à Beni Yenni dabord, ensuite à Boghni et enfin à Tizi Ouzou. Pendant 22 ans Jean enseignera dans des collèges, donnant ainsi le témoignage dun missionnaire au service des Algériens, par le biais de lenseignement.
Sur sa demande, il quitte lAlgérie en octobre 78 pour le Rwanda ; il est affecté par son régional à la formation des petits séminaristes, dabord à Kigali, puis à Kabgayi jusquen 91. En octobre 91, Jean fait la session de Jérusalem. Puis il est envoyé à Goma pour enseigner le français aux candidats P.B. En 1993, il rejoint Kigali ; cest là quil est témoin du génocide davril 1994. Il est évacué par les parachutistes belges sur Nairobi dabord, puis sur Paris.
A son retour en France, Jean a manifesté son désir de faire du ministère dans une paroisse du diocèse du Puy. Mgr Brincard, lévêque du Puy, le nomme alors à Saint Romain Lachalm ; il y restera daoût 94 au mois de mai 2013.
Il y a une constante dans la vie de Jean, cest quil sest toujours occupé des jeunes, que ce soit durant sa formation, en Algérie ou au Rwanda. Sa nièce, venue aux obsèques, a témoigné que durant son séjour à Saint Romain Lachalm, il aimait se retrouver avec les jeunes ; il leur faisait le catéchisme.
En mai 2013, il est hospitalisé à Firminy, puis à Rosières ; il demande alors de rejoindre une maison de retraite P.B. En attendant, il est accepté au Puy, dans une maison de retraite pour le clergé.
Il a rejoint notre maison de Billère le 23 janvier 2015. Cest là quil est décédé le 20 novembre 2016.
« Viens, bon et fidèle serviteur, Entre dans la joie de ton maître. »
Maurice Cadilhac, M.Afr.
PROFILES
Father Jean Vialleton
It was Sunday, the feast of Christ the King and the nurses were helping Jean get ready to go down to Mass at our Nursing Home in Pau. As there was plenty of time, they invited him to lie down before going to the chapel. Hardly had he done so, when his heart gave out and Jean Vialleton died as discretely as he had lived his life.
Jean was born on the 10th April 1926 at Dunières a village in the northeast of Haute-Loire Department in the Diocese of Le Puy. His father was in the confectionary business while his mother was the homemaker.
Jean did his primary schooling, initially with the local sisters before moving to a primary school run by the Brothers of the Sacred Heart where he received a primary school certificate. He then went to the College Notre Dame de Vallebenoite in St. Etienne as a boarder for his secondary school studies. He passed the first part of the Baccalaureate Exam. However, this period of his studies was severely disrupted by the war as his father was in the Army and by the death of his mother in 1940. His father remarried when he returned from the war.
Jean left school for a period of two years and worked with the youth of
the Parish. He returned to his studies in 1945 and went to the Junior Seminary
of Yssingeaux. There he obtained the second part of his Baccalaureate Exam.
How did Jean get to know the White Fathers? He never spoke about it. However,
we do know that the White Fathers in Lyon often visited the secondary schools
in the region.
Jean joined the White Fathers in 1946. He followed the usual course of studies; two years of Philosophy in Kerlois, one year at the novitiate at Maison Carée near Algiers, military service (one year) in Tunis, three years of Theology in Thibar and finally one year of theological studies in Carthage. He took his Missionary Oath in Thibar on the 29th June 1953 and his ordination to the priesthood took place in Carthage on the 18th April 1954.
All those responsible for Jeans training remarked that his relationships were hampered by his shyness, which meant that he could seem to be brusque and abrupt with people. He was very devoted and got on very well with children. This was to be a constant in his life.
After ordination, Jean went to La Manouba in Tunisia to study Arabic and Islam. From 1956 to 1963, he was teaching at the White Fathers College at Maison Carée. He was appointed to Kabylia in 1964, firstly at Beni Yenni then at Boghni and finally at Tizi Ouzou. For 22 years, Jean taught in colleges witnessing to his missionary vocation at the service of the Algerians through the means of teaching. He did the Long Retreat in Villa Cavalletti in 1965 and took some time out for studies in Lyon in 1972.
At his request, Jean left Algeria for Rwanda in October 1978. He was appointed to teach in the Junior Seminaries initially at Ndera and then at Kabgayi. During the following years, he occupied other teaching posts. He was appointed to Nyakabanda in June 1991 and did the Session/Retreat in Jerusalem in October 1991. In May 1992, he was appointed to teach French to White Father candidates attending the Foyer Ngongo in Goma. In 1993, he returned to Kigali to work in the Library/Archives of the Regional House. He was a witness to the genocide of April 1994. He was evacuated with the help of Belgian paratroops, firstly to Nairobi and eventually to Paris.
After his return to France, Jean expressed the wish to work in pastoral ministry in his home diocese of Le Puy. In July 1994, Bishop Henri Brincard of Le Puy appointed him to Saint Romain Lachalm where he was to remain until May 2013. If there is one thing that marks the life of Jean Vialleton, it is his apostolate to young people over the course of his priestly ministry. It began during his training and continued during his work in Algeria and Rwanda. His niece testified at his funeral that he liked to be with young people and to teach catechism to them.
In May 2013, Jean was hospitalised at Firminy and then at Rosières. He asked to retire to a White Father Retirement Home. While he was waiting for a place, he stayed in a Retirement Home for clergy in Polignac, not far from Le Puy. He moved to Billère on the 23rd January 2015. He died there on the 20th November 2016.
Well done my good and faithful servant Come; share your masters joy. (Mt 25, 21)
Maurice Cadilhac, M.Afr.