William Repin the Blessed

Born in Thouarcé on August 26, 1709, William Repin entered the seminary in Angers at 19 and was ordained a priest. During the French Revolution, he refused the constitutional oath, becoming a non-juring priest. At 83 years old, he was arrested on June 17, 1792, and imprisoned in the Angers seminary, which had been converted into a prison. Liberated by the Vendéens on June 17, 1793, he was recaptured in the Mauges on December 24, 1793, and taken to Chalonnes-sur-Loire prison. Brought before the revolutionary committee in Angers, he was condemned to the guillotine and executed in Angers on January 2, 1794. He is the doyen of the 99 Martyrs of Angers. His cause for beatification, initiated by Bishop Joseph Rumeau in 1905, led to his beatification by Pope John Paul II on February 19, 1984, along with the other martyrs of Angers. His liturgical memory is celebrated on January 2.