Clerics of Saint Viator of France saw their provincial houses, juniorates, novitiates, and residences for retired members closed and their personnel dispersed. All primary and secondary schools were affected; many of them disappeared. All properties of the Congregation were seized by the State; communities fell apart. Certain members went before tribunals and were sentenced to prison. Other members, especially those who were somewhat older, left for other countries. Belgium became a possible place of refuge for the members of the Province of Vourles, while Spain played the same role for those of the Province of Rodez. The Province of Canada indicated that, in case of necessity, it would welcome French confreres; 31 accepted Canada's hospitality. The provinces tried to re-establish themselves gradually. All the schools were free and run by laypeople. To support themselves, the organization took part in gardening and farming operations, a tailor shop for religious garb, and sold objects of piety. In Brussels, Belgium, and Vitoria, Spain, new schools were opened. When World War I broke out, about half of the French members were drafted,; 29 of them were killed in battle. This time period corresponded with the decline of the French influence upon the Congregation. By 1907–1908, the number of North American members was greater than the number of European members. 1920s-1960s From the 1920s until the 1960s, the number of Canadian members grew steadily and eventually constituted two-thirds of the Congregation's membership (1,146 out of 1,760 in the year 1960). They set up several classical secondary schools, including in Joliette and Rigaud, as well as specialized institutions for the hearing impaired in Montreal and Quebec, and for the blind in Montreal. This resulted in members moving east toward the mouth of the Saint Lawrence River, north toward the regions of Abitibi and Témiscamingue, and west toward the Province of Manitoba. Several members, in 1931, went abroad to found a school in Manchuria. Also in 1931, the Brothers of Our Lady of the Fields was merged into the Clerics of Saint Viator. Because of its growth, the Canadian Province was divided into smaller provinces: in 1938 provinces of Montreal and Joliette were established; in 1955 Abitibi and Saint Lawrence were founded). Over the years, Canadian members introduced the Congregation to Japan (1948), Taiwan (1953), Peru (1959), and Haiti (1965). In 1928 members of the Chicago Province petitioned for beatification of the organization's founder, Louis Querbes. The