Official feasts used to be an important part of the human community. People would gather together to remember something sacred, express their faith and hope for the future, and / or just be together formally, recognizing each other as being part of a shared community. Few things express a desire for shared companionship and social intimacy more than dining together. Sadly, the gathering together for feasting is increasingly a relic of the past – at least here in the West.
It need not be so! Today we will remember the ancient feasts.
The Feast Day of St. Hugh of Châteauneuf
This is a Christian religious celebration of Hugh, an 11th and 12th century Bishop of Grenoble, who was a partisan of the Gregorian reform, instrumental in the foundation of the Carthusian Order, and during the French Wars of Religion, centuries later, the Protestant Huguenots set fire to his body. His life was marked by many challenges he dealt with in the church – including a campaign he led against simony (buying and selling of ecclesial offices within the Church) – but he was known personally as a humble and agreeable man.
He is a patron saint of Grenoble and of headache sufferers.
Hugh of Châteauneuf (French: Hugues de Châteauneuf, 1053 – 1 April 1132), also called Hugh of Grenoble, was the Bishop of Grenoble from 1080 to his death. He was a partisan of the Gregorian reform and opposed to the Archbishop of Vienne, later Pope Callixtus II.
Biography
Born at Châteauneuf-sur-Isère, County of Albon to Odilo of Valence, Hugh showed piety and theological facility from a young age. While still a layman, Hugh was made a canon of Valence. His piety was such that it was said of him that he only knew one woman by sight.
At the Council of Avignon in 1080, he was elected bishop of Grenoble, though he was not yet ordained. The See of Grenoble had fallen into a very poor state and Hugh was selected to be its Gregorian renovator. Conducted by a papal legate to Rome, Hugh was ordained by Pope Gregory VII himself. Upon his return, he immediately set to the task of reforming the abuses in his new diocese. When he had succeeded in countering abuse and fostering devotion after two years, he tried to resign his bishopric and enter the Benedictine monastery at Cluny. However, the Pope ordered him to continue his episcopal work.
For the rest of the 11th century, his episcopate was marked by strife with Count Guigues III of Albon over the possession of ecclesiastic lands in the Grésivaudan, a valley in the French Alps. Hugh alleged that the Count had usurped the lands from the bishopric of Grenoble with the help of Bishop Mallen of Grenoble. An accord was finally reached between Hugh and Count Guigues only in 1099. The Count agreed to cede the disputed territories while Hugh acceded to the Count’s temporal authority within the vicinity of Grenoble.
Hugh was also instrumental in the foundation of the Carthusian Order. He received Bruno of Cologne, perhaps his own teacher, and six of his companions in 1084, after seeing them under a banner of seven stars in a dream. Hugh installed the seven in a snowy and rocky Alpine location called Chartreuse. They founded a monastery and devoted their lives to prayer and study, being oft visited by Hugh, who was reported to have adopted much of their way of life. Hugh also founded the nearby Monastère de Chalais, which grew into an independent order.
What can you eat to celebrate the Feast Day of St. Hugh?
When researching this feast day recommendation, I came across a recipe recommendation at catholicculture.org that sounded very French, very, uh, adventurous, and maybe like something that might be worth trying on an Feast Day that coincides with April Fool’s Day.
There is a cultural association with the dish, in France, that is much more political than spiritual. I assume that the recipe is recommended for St. Hugh, though, because of his status as a patron saint of headaches.
Of course, if you don’t have the nerve or the stomach for this one, I wholly understand. It is a French delicacy, which usually means that it’s an unusual thing to eat in the U.S.
Tête de veau (Calf’s Head, alternatively referred to sometimes as Mock Turtle Soup)
Tête de Veau is a dish made with a calf’s head which is slowly cooked in a broth flavored with aromatics and vegetables, accompanied by gribiche sauce with hard-boiled eggs and herbs.
Origin & Cultural Significance
A typical dish of the French soil, Tête de Veaus traditionally eaten on January 21. It is one of the ways in which the sans-culottes commemorate the beheading of Louis XVI and the fall of the absolute monarchy by divine right during the French Revolution.
Originally, the Tête de Veau was made from pigs. However, after the establishment of the Second Republic in 1848 which led to the ban on a Parisian banquet, the calf’s head replaced the traditional stuffed pig’s head. Since the middle of the 19th century, there have been banquets on January 21 everywhere in France where this dish is enjoyed in groups.
Ingredients
FOR THE CALF’S HEAD:
Calf’s Head – 1kg
Carrot – 1
Onion – 1
Garlic Cloves – 2
Wine vinegar
Bouquet Garni (parsley, thyme, bay leaf)
Flour – 1 tbsp
Coarse Salt – 1 tbsp
Pepper
FOR THE GRIBICHE SAUCE:
Eggs – 2
Shallots (small) – 6
Pickles – 4-5
Capers – 2 tbsp
Mustard – 2 tbsp
Sunflower Oil
Wine Vinegar
Sprigs of Parsley – 2
Salt
Pepper
Instructions
Start by peeling the carrot and slicing it into pieces that are neither too thin nor too thick. Peel the onion and finely chop it into rings. Finally, peel and crush garlic cloves.
Place the boneless and rolled calf’s head in a casserole dish, then cover it completely with water.
Add carrots, onion, garlic, vinegar and bouquet garni. Sprinkle it with coarse salt and pepper to your liking.
Mix the flour in a little water and add to the casserole dish. Bring to the boil, cover, lower the heat and simmer for about 2 hours on low heat.
Meanwhile, prepare the recipe for the gribiche sauce. Take hard-boiled eggs, shell them, crush the yolks on one side and chop the white on the other side. Peel the shallots and chop them finely. Cut the pickles into thin slices.
In a bowl, add the mustard and the rest of the vinegar. Salt and pepper to taste, then beat everything and gradually add the oil.
Then add the egg yolks, shallots, parsley, capers, pickles and egg whites to the mix and combine.
At the end of cooking, drain the calf’s head, cut it into slices and place it on a hot dish. Serve hot, topped with gribiche sauce and decorated with capers and half lemon slices.
If you’ve tried this, please let me know about your experience!
What is a prayer you can say on the Feast Day of St. Hugh?
O Heavenly Patron, Saint Hugh, in whose name I glory, pray ever to Christ for me. Strengthen me in my faith; establish me in virtue; guard me in the conflict; that I may vanquish the malignant foe and attain to glory everlasting. Amen
When is the Feast Day of St. Hugh celebrated?
This Feast Day is celebrated annually on 1 April.
I hope that everyone who celebrates has a wonderful day!
I hope that everyone who celebrates has a wonderful day!
