Br. Solomon

"Nicholas Leclercq was born in Boulogne-sur-Mer, France, on November 15, 1745. He entered the Novitiate in Rouen at age twenty-two where he received the robe and the religious name of Brother Solomon. Once the monarchy had been overthrown early in the French Revolution, the next target was the Church. In 1790 the Civil Constitution of the Clergy gave the state complete control over the Church in France. In order to continue to function, priests and religious were forced to take an oath to support the constitution. Most of the Brothers refused and so were forced gradually to abandon their schools and communities. Eventually the Institute was deprived altogether of legal status in France. Brother Solomon was secretary to Brother Agathon, the Superior General, after having been a teacher, director and bursar. He always showed a great love for people and a great attachment to his work. Having refused to take an oath, he lived alone in Paris in secrecy. We still have many of his letters to his family. The last one is dated August 15, 1792. That very day he was arrested and imprisoned in the Carmelite monastery - that had become a prison - together with several bishops and priests. On September 2nd, almost all of the prisoners were killed by sword in the monastery garden. Brother Solomon was the first of our Brother martyrs and also the first Brother to be beatified. His feast is celebrated in September with the other Brothers Martyr of the Hulks of Rocheford, who died two or three years later. As a teacher, Director, and administrator, he showed a great love for souls and devoted himself completely to the work confided to him. Because he aligned himself with the clergy who refused to swear allegiance to the "Constitution" during the French Revolution he died a martyr on September 2, 1792, at age forty-six, having been a De La Salle Christian Brother for twenty-four years. He was beatified with 188 other religious who died during the French Revolution on October 17, 1926."