Rome, Italy – Pope Francis formally recognized that Brother Victorino Arnaud Pages, who dedicated his life to establishing schools and alumni associations in the United States and the Caribbean, lived the Christian virtues in a holy way. The Decree on the “heroic virtues,” approved by Pope Francis Saturday April 6, 2003 raised our Brother of French origin but who lived for 50 years in Cuba, to the rank of Venerable.
Soon after he joined to the Brothers of the Christian Schools, due to the expulsion of the religious from France at the beginning of the 20th century, he was forced to go into exile. This was in 1905. From Montreal, Canada, where he had first taken refuge with many others, he offered to go and found new schools in Cuba. This Caribbean island welcomed him and it was there that he worked from 1905 until 1961. He was the founder of the La Salle Association in 1919, the male and female Catholic Action in 1928, the Catholic University Hostel in 1946 and of the Catholic Family Movement in 1953.
Exiled a second time, this time from Cuba by the dictator Fidel Castro in 1961, he spent his remaining energy trying to reorganize the various associations he founded among Cubans scattered in New York, Miami and other Caribbean countries. He established several La Salle Alumni Associations in New York and Miami as well as Puerto Rico, where he lived for five years before his death in 1966, dying in San Juan on April 16.
AMAZING THING OF BRO. VICTORINO WAS HIS FUTURE VISION,.AFTER STUDENTS LEFT SCHOOLS,HE GIVE THEM OPPORTUNITY TO CONTINUE THEIR RELIGIOUS FORMATION. HE FOUNDED : CATHOLIC YOUTH ACTION FOR BOYS AND LATER FOR GIRLS. THEY HAVE REGULAR MEETINGS TO TALK ABOUT RELIGIOUS THEMES,AFTER THAT.MOST OF PARISHES IN CUBA HAD THEM. HE REALIZED THE YOUTHS NEED A PLACE TO STAY WHILE STUDYING AT THE UNIVERSITY. NOW WE HAVE “PARTNERS” BRO. ASKED THE STUDENTS TO BE IN CHARGE. HE ADVANCED OUR PRESENT TIME. LATER HE FOUNDED THE CHRISTIAN MATRIMONY: “CATHOLIC FAMILY ASSOCIATIONS” I LIVED WITH BRO, IIN .THREE DIFFERENT OCCASIONS. OFTEN I SAW HIM MEETING WITH LEADERS OF DIFFERENT GROUPS. PLEASE FELL FREE TO CORRECT MY ENGLISH
What an amazing Brother. His organizing skills in forming and nurturing La Sallian Groups is without equal. Live Jesus in Our Hearts!