Today, February 28, is the memorial of Blessed Daniel Brottier.
Devotee of St. Therese of the Child Jesus.
Daniel was born in Loir-et-Cher, France in 1876. When his mother Herminie asked a very young Daniel what he wanted to be when he grew up, the child replied that he wanted to become Pope. Herminie replied that he had to be a priest first. The kid agreed.
He was ordained in 1899. He taught at the college of Pontlevoy, France. As he wanted to become a missionary, Daniel joined the Congregation of the Holy Ghost at Orly, France. He went on a mission to Saint-Louis, Senegal in 1903. Eight years later, his health suffered, and he was ordered to return to France.
At the request of Bishop Hyacinthe Jalabert, Daniel raised funds to build a cathedral in Dakar, Senegal. He promoted the structure as a way to honor Africans who had died for France, and French who had died for Africa.
He served as chaplain in the French army in World War I. He was cited six times for bravery, and was awarded the Croix de Guerre and the Legion of Honor. He credited the intercession of St. Therese of the Child Jesus for his survival during the war. He had built a chapel for St. Therese at Auteuil when she was canonized.
After the war, he administered the Orphan Apprentices of Auteuil and declared that he wanted to help the society’s poorest and to honor St. Therese.
He died at age 59 of natural causes in 1936. Pope St. John Paul II beatified him in 1984 in Paris, France.