On Monday morning, February 2nd, 2026, the Feast of the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple, Father Athanase (Charles) Renoux returned to the Lord whom he had served so faithfully. He was 100 years old, born in Bouin (Vendée) in 1925, professed at En Calcat in 1950, and ordained a priest in 1954. His long life, rooted in prayer and scholarship, leaves a lasting legacy within his community and far beyond.
At nearly 101 years of age, he entered into the joy of the Risen Christ, in whom he believed with deep conviction and contagious enthusiasm. Raised in a Christian family alongside his brothers Joseph and Jacques, he entered En Calcat in 1948 after studying at the minor seminary of Chavagnes-en-Paillers and the major seminary of Luçon. At the monastery he taught French to the students and worked on the Livre d’Heures as well as in the library. His scientific work, however, defined much of his life. A rigorous and passionate researcher, encouraged by Mgr Martimort, he devoted himself to studying and translating Armenian and Georgian liturgical manuscripts. As a member of the CNRS, he produced an internationally recognized body of work: nearly 300 articles and 30 books, the latest published at the age of 100.
After the Second Vatican Council, he played an active role in the liturgical renewal of the abbey, marked by intelligence, discernment, and a profound ecclesial sense. Deeply relational and loyal in friendship, he remained firm in his convictions, often punctuating his remarks with a resolute “absolutely.” In recent weeks, his decline was gradual; being unable to read or write—activities that were his lifeblood—was a true suffering, especially as he still had book projects in mind. He leaves in En Calcat the memory of a monk fully attuned to his vocation: joyful, radiant, faithful to the very end.