Fr. François Bandet, EP

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Father François Bandet EP, born in Rantoul, (Illinois, USA) in 1962, is a French-Canadian from the city of Chicoutimi (Québec).

After 35 years as a consecrated layman in the Catholic Community of the Heralds of the Gospel, he was ordained a priest on July 22, 2009 for the Clerical Society "Virgo Flos Carmelii".

He obtained a licentiate (2009) and a doctorate (2015) in Fundamental Theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome (Italy) and a licentiate (2021) in Philosophy at the Centro Universitário Ítalo Brasileiro in São Paulo (Brazil).

He collaborates with the Thomist magazine "Lumen Veritatis" and is currently a missionary in Brazil.

Biography

Fr. François Bandet EP, was studying cinematography at Concordia University in Montreal, Canada, when he first came into contact in October of 1981 with the International Pilgrim Statue of Our Lady of Fatima. The statue had miraculously shed tears in New Orleans (Louisiana, USA) in July 1972 and was then traveling around the world inviting people to conversion and to a return to Christ. Having been brough up in a conservative Catholic family that lived the daily message of Fatima, this encounter with the Pilgrim Statue inspired Fr. Bandet to dedicate himself entirely to spreading the message of Fatima and working for the Triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

Having put aside his cinematographic studies he embarked as a missionary of Fatima that brough him over the following years to evangelize communities in Canada, the United States, Brazil, France, Spain and Italy. This allowed him to increase his language skills from his fluent childhood French and English to also learn to speak Portuguese, Italian and Spanish.

After having finished his philosophical and theological studies with the Heralds of the Gospel in São Paulo, Brazil, he was ordained a deacon in 2007 by His Eminence Cardinal Bernard Francis Law in the Papal Basilica of St. Mary Major (Rome) and ordained a priest in 2009 by the Most Reverend José Maria Pinheiro, bishop of Bragança Paulista, in the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary (Caieiras, Brazil).

At the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, Father Bandet studied under Luis Francisco Ladaria Ferrer, S.J., Salvador Pié-Ninot, William Henn, ofmcap, and Donath Hercsik, S.J. His Licentiate Thesis in theology was intitled: “L’esistenza umana e il suo senso alla luce della teologia di Juan Alfaro” and was moderated by Carmelo Dotolo (2007). His Doctoral Thesis entitled: “Maurice Blondel et Juan Alfaro : à la quête du sens de la vie” was moderated by Carmen Aparicio Valls (2015). In 2021 he obtained his Licientiate in Philosophy at the Centro Universitário Ítalo Brasileiro in São Paulo, Brasil, which was entitled: “O homen e seu destino segundo a filosofia de Maurice Blondel” and the moderator was Luiz Felippe Matta Ramos.

From the year 2010 to 2013 he served as rector of the church of San Benedetto in Piscinula (Rome, Italy) where his language skills came in handy welcoming the many international pilgrims who would visit this historical house of worship.

Today Father Bandet serves as a counselor for pilgrims and for youth at the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary and at the College of Thabor (Caieiras, Brazil). He is also involved in the pastoral activities of the Parish of Our Lady of Graces (Mairiporã, Brazil) where he takes spiritual care of the poor and needy of the community of Santa Inês.

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