UBALD D'ALENÇON

Capuchin historian, whose name in the world was Leo Louis Berson; b. Alençon, France, Dec. 22, 1872; d. Bry-sur-Marne, July 5, 1927. At the age of 19 (1891) he entered the Capuchins and made his profession of simple vows in November of the following year. He was ordained June 29, 1898. Chronic ill health kept him from the active mission apostolate, so he devoted his talents to the history of his order. Doing most of his research in Paris, he quickly acquired an acknowledged competency in his field. Despite continual illness, he turned out a large number of works and lectured at the Institut Catholique de Paris during the 1915–16 school year. Ubald was a frequent contributor to the Études franciscaines, the Annales franciscaines, the Revue Sacerdotale, the Neerlandia franciscana, and other periodicals.

His works include: Les FF. Mineurs et l'Université d'Angers (1901), L'Obituaire et le nécrologe des Cordeliers d'Angers (1902), Catalogues des manuscrits de la bibliothèque franciscaine provinciale [des Capucins ] (Paris 1902), Les Travaux des Capucins sur l'Ecriture Sainte aux XVII–XVIII siècle (1902), Mémoires et lettres du P. Timothée de la Flèche, O. Cap. (1907), Les Idées de St. François sur la pauvreté (1909), Les Idées de St. François sur la science (1910), Les FF. Mineurs et les débuts de la Réforme à Port Royal (1911), Des influences franciscaines sur l'auteur du "Combat Spirituel" (1912), L'Ame franciscaine (Paris 1912, 1913), Leçons d'histoire franciscaine (1918), and Le "Chemin de la Croix" dans l'histoire et dans l'art (1923).

Bibliography: Analecta Ordinis Fratrum Minorum Cappucinorum 43 (1927) 267–268, Necrology. Édouard d'alenÇon, Bibliotheca Mariana Ord. FF. min. Cappucinorum (Rome 1910) 71. jean de dieu, "Le Révérend Père Ubald D'Alençon," Études Franciscaines 39 (1927) 552–566. Lexicon Capuccinum (Rome 1951) 1756. h. lemaitre in Revue d'histoire Franciscaine 4 (1927) 652–655.

[d. la guardia]