Born at Regnévelle (Vosges), April 30, 1825.
Ordination to the priesthood at Saint-Dié, October 28, 1849.
Taking of the habit at Nancy, June 5, 1859.
Oblation at Nancy, June 7, 1860. (no. 515)
Died at Pontmain November 14, 1891.

Jean Baptiste Colombot (GA).

Jean-Baptiste Olivier Colombot was born at Regnévelle in the diocese of Saint-Dié on April 30, 1825. Ordained to the priesthood at Saint-Dié on October 28, 1849 he entered the novitiate at Nancy on June 5, 1859 and made his oblation there on June 7, 1860.

We have very little information on this priest who has no dossier in the general archives. In his notes, the master of novices mentions him only once, without giving details. His name, however, appears a number of times in Missions O.M.I. The few bits of information given there allow us to say that this priest was, first and foremost, a missionary and went often from one community to another.

Initially, he was prison chaplain in Nancy from 1860 to 1864, then he became a mission preacher. We find him at Notre-Dame de Cléry in 1864-1865, at Limoges in 1866, at Autun in 1867. During the 1870-1871 war, he was allegedly a member of the house at Angers, but a chaplain for the army of the Loire, then a chaplain for the soldiers in prison in Switzerland. He was then reassigned to the house at Nancy until 1879. In the February 16, 1876 report from this house, Father Bourde wrote: “In order to give an idea of the zeal of our priests, I need only cite some figures. They will be more eloquent than any words. […] Rev. Father Colombot preached 13 jubilees, most of them in parishes where the people are believers and practice their faith. If he did not suffer the concerns and annoyances of those who preached in bad towns, he was obliged to endure endless sessions in the confessional, especially at Pouxeux in the Vosges. In spite of so much labour, Rev. Father Colombot managed to remain in good health. And he returned to us with that good humor for which he is noted and which adds a delightful element to our community.”

Afflicted with an ear ailment in 1880, he was sent to a warmer climate. We find him working as chaplain to the Brothers of the Christian schools at Talence until the expulsions of November 1880. He was subsequently in Angers in 1882-1884, then custodian of the shrine and the parish of Pontmain in 1887-1889. According to a June 25, 1895 report by Father Achille Rey on the house at Pontmain, Father Colombot left there in 1889 or 1890 to return a sick man on September 16, 1891. The illness which was undermining his health was progressing and he died on November 14. His body was laid to rest in the Oblate vault in the communal cemetery.

Yvon Beaudoin, o.m.i.