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27 May – 3 September, 1842. — Report by Victor Poupinel on his journey to Rome with Jean-Claude Colin

According to Mayet 4, 1-80.

Translated by ChatGPT, February 2024

This extensive report by Poupinel is published here in full. Various excerpts have already been edited: see the introduction to CS1, doc. 372, and doc. 392.

My notes on the journey I made to Rome in 1842 to accompany our Reverend Father Superior General.

[1]

On May 27, 1842, the eve of our departure, the priests of the house in Lyon went to the room of the Father Superior to receive his blessing. He said to us: Although you are priests, I will bless you in nomine Domini, then he added: I am not going to Rome, as you well know, to deal with a personal matter. Whatever Rome's decision, whether for yes or no, I will be equally content with either. I fear only one thing, that Rome may go further than I want; otherwise, whatever it wants: the Holy Spirit guides it.

[2]

This journey, which the Father had long felt the necessity of, frightened him for a long time by the mere thought of it; but as soon as he decided, he hastened the moment of departure as much as he could. But he often told me that he wanted to appear very humble, very simple in Rome; he always rejected anything that might have a slightly less religious and less modest air. The letter that the Bishop of Belley wrote to the Holy Father almost made him blush because it was so flattering to him and to the Society.

[3]

On Saturday the 28th before our departure, the Father asked me for holy communion, and after the boat departed, we said quite long prayers to place our journey under the protection of the Holy Virgin, St. Joseph, and the holy angels. The Father was tired for a few hours.

[4]

On Sunday, the 29th, we celebrated Mass at the cathedral of Marseille; the father maintained incognito, although the vicar general seemed to have suspected a little who he was on that occasion; the father strongly recommended me not to make him known during the journey because a hidden life was very pleasing to God. I can assure you that what occupied him greatly throughout the journey was living unknown.

[5]

On May 30, we went to confess and say Mass at the Reverend Capuchin Fathers; the father was very pleased with the simplicity and cleanliness of their chapel. At 4 o'clock in the afternoon, we were on board the Mongibello; at 5 o'clock, we left the port. We occupied the second-class seats; but when the father saw the magnificence of the accommodations, he expressed his surprise and sorrow; then he reminded me how much he preferred the small merchant ship that had first brought him to Rome; for he lay on ropes, and everything breathed the poverty of Nazareth.

[6]

On June 2, in Livorno, the father strongly recommended to me in conversations not to easily express my opinion, not to decide: this is contrary to humility; then he does not like priests who judge, condemn, treat rigorously at every opportunity. He even feared that many priests would come to France within 20 years to trample on true principles under the pretext of getting rid of rigorism. Then he said to me: I never judge bishops. My principle is: papa ante omnes, episcopi ante alios.

[7]

Several clergymen, including Mr. Féret, told me that they were struck by the air of holiness and simplicity impressed on the father's face. Mr. Féret, in particular, admired his prudence, his faith, and he told me, pointing to the empty niche near the statue of Blessed Liguori in St. Peter's: that's where your superior's place is. How many times this same clergyman said to me: I must go pay my little visit to your venerable one, and he did it almost every day. The father's modesty struck all those who saw him.

[8]

True to his principle of remaining hidden, he never referred to himself as the superior general of the Society when he went to make visits; at the beginning of visits, he called himself a Marist priest, when it was necessary for the matters he was dealing with. This reserve greatly edified certain people, including two Carthusian fathers who later learned of the father's status.

[9]

One day he said to me: "The Pope no longer looks; the present is mine, and I must foresee the future as much as it depends on me." Thus, I constantly had the opportunity to admire his prudence, especially regarding the affairs of the missions in Oceania. He was constantly occupied with this mission; he was alarmed by the extraordinary difficulties it presented. His zeal was not discouraged; but while saving the Oceanians, he did not want to lose the subjects bound to him by vows. "My heart does not allow me to abandon them," he said, so he surrounded himself with all possible lights; he prayed and had communities pray; he consulted religious superiors and other individuals of recognized prudence and experience. "For nearly fifteen days," he told me, "I seem to be doing nothing, and I have done a lot because I have consulted a lot. If I were to stay in Rome for six months, I would spend three months without setting my affair in motion."

[10]

Upon arriving in Rome, we went to pray at the Mamertine prisons and walked the Way of the Cross at the Colosseum. The father was upset that the season, his weakness, and his duties did not allow him to visit these places of devotion. Despite the oppressive climate, he was often on the move, and I often admired how little he listened to the weakness of his health in order to consult only the zeal for the glory of God.

[11]

"At home," he told me, "we must follow the Jesuits' approach, but the Marists must have the spirit of St. Vincent de Paul. I confess that I love all religious orders, and if I were in a position to be useful to anyone, I would render all possible services to them, believing that in doing so, I would be useful to the Church and to us. People of high standing warned him to be on guard against certain religious. However, circumstances led him to entrust some of his affairs to them, and he said to me: "In God's care. If God wants us to stand, they will not overthrow us. If His will is that we do not go further, so much the better! God's will shall be well accomplished, and I will be greatly relieved." He had much to be thankful for to the Jesuit fathers, and among others, to the general who opened his heart to him. The father thanked him for the service the Jesuits have rendered to our Society in France, for the warm welcome they give us. He implored the general to deign to admit us into prayer union with them and to kindly consider us as their younger brothers. On the eve of our departure, the general father came with Father de Villefort to visit the Reverend Father Superior.

[12]

I mentioned how Mr. Féret was struck by the father's modesty; I could say the same for several other Frenchmen and several devout and edifying Roman priests. His main concern in Rome was to remain hidden; he had an extraordinary apprehension of being forced to make noise, and I confess that he was in a position where he could easily have gained access to the great, receive congratulations, and even be celebrated. He did everything possible to remain in Rome always tanquam ignotus et occultus. One of the reasons that led him to leave the Hôtel de France was that there he would have too many visits and would be too much in the public eye. We withdrew to two small and rather inconvenient rooms for him (Via della Dataria, No. 94, on the 2nd floor), but which had, in his eyes, the great advantage of keeping us hidden.

[13]

He strongly recommended me never to make him known without necessity, and to better achieve this goal, he often reminded me that I should not without reason identify myself as a Marist. So, when he received visits and it was not necessary for people to know that he belonged to the Society, he had himself announced solely as a French priest. When he went to deal with the affairs of the Society, he had himself announced simply as a Marist priest, and he only mentioned his title of superior general when he was asked.

[14]

Archbishop Cadolini, Archbishop of Edessa and secretary of the Propaganda, was deceived at their first meeting; then, having soon learned that the father was our superior general, he eagerly inquired, from several people, about the location of our lodging, in order to come and visit, he said, this venerable Mr. Colin; I took him for a saintly priest when I saw him, but he was too modest; he did not tell me who he was. Then the father hastened to visit Archbishop Cadolini, who gave him the warmest welcome.

[15]

Moreover, it cost him significantly to make visits, and that's because he feared inconveniencing, because he loved solitude, and above all, he did not want to seek the favor of the great. He had sufficient reasons to see the majority of the cardinals in Rome, and he only saw Cardinals Lambruschini, Acton, Polidori, Mai, Ostini, and Fransoni. He often met Cardinal Castracane, who was in charge of the affairs of the Society.

[16]

I know that their eminences receive French priests well, but I believe that several of them received him with a kind of respect and veneration, among others Cardinals Castracane, Acton, Polidori, and Mai, who accompanied him well beyond their room. I had told the father that it was customary to kiss their eminence's ring; he wanted to do it, but none of those who were not bishops ever allowed it. I heard Cardinal Castracane say, and he said it very often to Father Duclos: "I venerate Mr. Colin; he is one of those men we almost never see. How modest he is! How admirable his simplicity is! Then his judgment is remarkably sound."

[17]

As soon as this eminence learned of the father's arrival in Rome, he sent word that he greatly desired to see him. Every time he presented himself at his residence, he welcomed him with remarkable eagerness, saying each time: "Come and see me whenever you want; you will always please me." It is noteworthy that this cardinal is overloaded with affairs and works constantly. Every time he passed by us on his walk, he greeted the father with remarkable kindness; once on foot, he quickened his pace to reach us. Another time, when he did not notice us, when Fr. Duclos told his Eminence that Fr. Colin had just passed, he went to the carriage window and gave us several gracious salutations. Before our departure, he invited us to dine at his home.

[18]

Although the father had a great aversion to visits and cut out those that were not absolutely necessary, as soon as business demanded, he did not listen to his aversions or fatigue. Then, he often made long and arduous journeys to go where the interests of the mission and the Society called him.

[19]

These journeys overwhelmed him, as did the climate and poor food. He was almost constantly in a state of suffering and illness during the first month and beyond. He scarcely spoke of his sufferings; nevertheless, he attended to his affairs and did not take any softeners or minor remedies. Cardinal Castracane, Archbishop Cadolini, the Jesuit General, and others, having learned about his health, strongly urged him to take some trips by carriage and to stop making his visits on foot; they all added that he should not be holier than St. Philip Neri, who traveled quite well by carriage in Rome and said that in Rome everything is vanity except going by carriage. The father then took perhaps half a dozen rides, and his health improved significantly. He subsequently felt better for a month than he had for a long time in France. He believed that the prayers of the Marist sisters contributed greatly to the improvement of his health!

[20]

The father sometimes dictated new letters to me solely because he thought that a more modest phrase could be substituted. Several times he expressed that he did not like it when, in indifferent matters or those that did not concern us, one took an opposite view to that of the people one was with. I have seen him several times listen with interest and attention to stories to which he did not add much faith. I am quite sure that he did not make any enemies on his journey; he would have taken great care not to offend anyone.

[21]

In his conversations, he often returned to the love of hidden life, to his favorite expression: "Tanquam ignotus et occultus." "At least," he said, "let this spirit not be lost in the Society during my lifetime. If we make ourselves small, God will bless us." Then he added, "My little Marists, be very small, small. Look, if I could, I would put all my Marists in a bag so that the world would not pay attention to them. But, Father," I said to him, "our vocation is to work for the salvation of souls, and that in all kinds of ministries and in all countries. How do you want, especially in the age we live in, for that to happen without people talking about us?" "I know well," he said, "but this word must make you understand my thought and the conduct I would like to see the Marists follow. Look, I really like the Marist sisters: they are well hidden, no one talks about them. However, the good Lord bestows many graces upon them. They have the spirit of prayer, and I know among them souls for whom I have profound reverence because of the workings of the Holy Spirit.

[22]

"As a result of the new divisions in the Oceania mission, one of our colleagues from France found himself elevated to the episcopate and was to be consecrated in France," he told me. "I want this matter to remain secret, and that there be no talk of it at all in France. But, Father, how will you do it? I understand that you will delay the knowledge of this matter as much as possible, that you will strongly recommend modesty, simplicity to the chosen one, that you will make as little noise as possible. But don't let it leak out, let the newspapers maybe not even seize on this matter, I don't know exactly how you will go about it." "Alas! It's true," he said, "why can't we do good without the world knowing about it! The mere thought that this is going to happen, that people will be talking about us, that we will have to gather bishops, that alone could make me sick. Then he examined what means he could take, the advice he would give to the chosen one to stay simple and hidden. He would have liked the consecration to be done by a single bishop: "Then," he said, "almost no one would have known. At least," he said, "I won't make this news public for a while, and the chosen one himself will not know about it.

[23]

The father was especially keen on maintaining incognito during the early days of his stay in Rome because he wanted to surround himself with all possible insights to walk prudently and better understand God's will. He consulted during the entire time he stayed in Rome the most knowledgeable and gifted individuals. He asked me to write to Lyon to have prayers offered in the Society. I requested prayers from some communities in Rome. Often, he said Mass for this intention, and it was the second intention every day. For the breviary and the rosary, it was the same. Once, we offered Mass for three days, and another time for nine days, so that in all his actions, he only did the will of God.

[24]

He often prayed to the apostles Saint Peter and Saint Paul. He offered prayers for the Holy Father and the cardinals, seeking the light of the Holy Spirit for them. He had great devotion to invoke the glorious martyr Monsieur Perboyre and our blessed fellow member Father Chanel; he always added that our prayers would be useful to them if they needed it. He also prayed for the souls in purgatory. He never forgot our good mother. Many times, before dictating letters or beginning a task, he would say fervent ejaculatory prayers to the Blessed Virgin. Especially when the papers were ready to be submitted to the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith, he exclaimed several times, "Ah! Holy Virgin, may this matter encounter obstacles if it is not the will of your divine Son!" Another time, he knelt down and addressed a long and touching prayer to her.

[25]

After consulting and praying in this way, enlightening the congregation, he would say to me, "I will be content with any decision. I have done what I had to do; we are not asking for a favour but that a responsibility be imposed on us. If my request is denied, I will have less responsibility. If I made these requests, it is to show my Oceanian confreres that I am constantly concerned about them, that I do not forget them when they are at the ends of the earth. Ah!" he often said to me, sharing his concerns and troubles about the mission, "how painful it is to be a superior! You might not see it, but all these worries exhaust me. If I were far from affairs and worries, I would be in better health. But when I feel my confreres in difficulties, in troubles, when I see their virtue exposed to failing, then nothing is too much for me to be useful to them.

[26]

On this occasion, I will recount what happened regarding the arrangements he wanted to make for the good of the mission. The prelate cardinal told him that he had found him very moderate in the complaints he had brought to the Sacred Congregation. But the superior, who had consulted people very knowledgeable in mission work, did not want to be satisfied with the letter that had been written to Bishop Apostolic Vicar; for he clearly understood that more guarantees were needed to procure the good of the mission and the religious. He asked for the power to appoint a provincial, to recall missionaries... Objections were raised, then promises were made. When they showed him the draft of the decree, he found it not very favourable to his views. So he wrote a very respectful letter to the Bishop Secretary, but where he explained with holy freedom that the good of the mission and the missionaries required that the superior not be so restricted in the exercise of his authority. The decree was revised. Certainly, it was not what the father wanted, but he realized that he could not easily obtain more, since having proposed twice to Bishop Secretary means to cut short the miseries that devastated the mission, he saw that it revolted him! He seemed content with what he had, and he didn't talk about this matter anymore, because , he told me, God showed me that he didn't want more for the moment. But he was determined to take up this matter again as soon as he believed that God wanted it, and on his return to France, he found the opportunity.

[27]

He had many reasons to propose the erection of a new vicariate for Central Oceania. He explained them to the secretary who found them excellent, although one was not too much in line with the way of the Propagation. Although they had not received the response from Bishop Pompallier, the prelate assured that they would go ahead. Instead of erecting a vicariate, the prelate would have liked two, even three or four; but he entered into the father's views of modesty, and, in order to make less noise and spectacle, they agreed to make a slightly larger vicariate, to appoint an apostolic vicar, and to give him a coadjutor; thus achieving the same result. As for the candidates he presented, he had consulted the members of his council beforehand; he had gathered information from many places; he also examined in Rome, and on this occasion, he prayed a lot. He often spoke to me about the responsibility he felt. And never, he said, will I take such a thing upon myself without consulting my confreres.

[28]

Regarding the Cafre mission, he presented to Bishop Secretary the letter from the priests who wanted to dedicate themselves to this mission, which was accepted immediately with thanksgiving and a declaration that all the good of the Propagation came from France. But the father made it clear that he would not want a bishop to be immediately placed at the head of this mission; that this number of bishops in a fledgling society would harm its well-being and simplicity. His request was immediately granted.

[29]

When the father went to bid farewell to Bishop Secretary, he embraced him affectionately several times and expressed their gratitude to him.

[30]

In the report sent to their Eminences the cardinals for the erection of the vicariate, great praise was given to the zeal of the father, who had the success of the missions entrusted to his care so much at heart.

Affairs of the Society during the Voyage

[31]

The father wanted to take advantage of his trip to Rome to further strengthen the Society by obtaining some privileges from the Holy See. Upon arriving in Rome, he quickly handed over the handwritten manuscript of our constitutions to Father Rosaven, assistant to the Father General of the Jesuits. This father, an experienced man and consultant to the Congregation of Bishops and Regulars, after reading the manuscript, assured the father that if he submitted the rules for approval, they would be adopted.

[32]

The father stated that he did not want to take such a step so soon, a decision that was highly praised by the consulting father. The consulting father even assured him that their own constitutions, those of the Jesuits, had never been submitted for approval and had been received in their general congregations. Seeing that he could not get the approval of the Society's direction and spirit without presenting the rules, the superior father changed his plan and contented himself with requesting some privileges.

[33]

He submitted a very brief petition, asking for the ability to renounce ownership of one's property after a few years, make a vow of stability, renounce dignities, and admit subjects with an exeat to orders. He had also added that the Sacred Congregation declare whether the superior general, assisted by his council or in a congregation, had the right to make particular laws. Since Cardinal Castracane himself answered that the superior could govern and moderari without this power, this declaration was omitted.

[34]

The papers for this matter were initially handed over to Canon Crociani, an estimable man in all respects, for whom the father was deeply grateful. After reading the petition, which was only two pages long, he exclaimed, "Small paper, but great things." This remark amused the father considerably, and he spoke to me about it often, saying more than once, "Grant me that, and I don't need to have a rule approved, at least for a long time."

[35]

The good canon in question, the minutant secretary of the Sacred Congregation of Bishops and Regulars, took this matter to heart all the more because he had played a significant role in approving the Society. He was also delighted with the father's modesty, the prudence he observed in him, and even his patience. Despite being eager to leave, the father never appeared hurried. The good canon made many efforts for the success of the matter.

[36]

The dossier was handed over to Cardinal Castracane, who had been the rapporteur the first time. However, as the papers were handed to him very late, and he was very busy, coupled with unforeseen engagements, his work had not yet been submitted to the Sacred Congregation when we left. Mr. Crociani took it upon himself to continue the matter. During his stay in Rome, the father also gave him the manuscript of our rules for examination.

[37]

Here are some remarks that Father Rosaven made about the rules: that the mode of electing the superior by the testament of the predecessor was new, had its dangers, and due to its novelty, the congregation might pose some difficulties, but if the Society insisted on this mode, they would yield.

[38]

He said to the father, "Your rules are good; besides, you have followed ours." The father said, "Yes. But he told me afterward, "It's true; the approach is the same, but I had conceived the entire plan of our rules before reading any Jesuit rule.

[39]

He also mentioned that our way of dealing with bishops, pastors, and others was good, but it was not always easy to follow. The father said to me, "Nevertheless, I will not change it; it's what made us succeed; it's what will propagate us. I want us to miss the establishment of a house, an opportunity to do good; we will find that more than compensated."

[40]

I believe that the other remarks did not contain anything else very important.

The affair of the Marist brothers.

[41]

The father also showed Fathers Rosaven and Mr. Crociani the papers of the Marist brothers; both of them responded that their approval would not suffer the slightest difficulty if it were requested as the approval of a separate body, but it might not be the same if approval were sought as part of a single body with the priests. Here is one of the main reasons that raised this difficulty.

[42]

When the father superior made his first trip to Rome, he was tired of the constant battles he had to fight against everyone for the establishment of the Society, and he was also pressed by a vow he had made around 1818, if I'm not mistaken, to work on this work until it was brought to the knowledge of the Holy See according to the plan conceived for it and that it already existed. So, to fulfill this vow, in the presentation he was obliged to make in Rome to submit to the Sacred Congregation on his first trip, he showed the Society divided into its three distinct branches united under the superior and, in addition, a third order.

[43]

Cardinal Castracane was the rapporteur; he found the plan gigantic, monstrous. He was convinced that such a society could not function with this constitution. Consequently, he reported in this manner, and when the Society was approved, he caused a clause to be added to the decree stating that, in approving the congregation of priests, the congregations of brothers and sisters would be set aside. However, to approve the brothers anew, considering them as one with the priests, even though they had separate administrations, occupations, and houses, it required either an annulment or evasion of this first decree. It was assumed that this would be challenging for the cardinal who had authored it since he now found himself obliged, through the new petition, to present an opinion entirely opposite to the one before other cardinals. Moreover, in Rome, changing one's opinion or annulling a previous decree is not well-received.

[44]

So, the first time the father spoke to his eminence about the approval of the brothers, proposing to do whatever she wished, the cardinal immediately responded: "But there is a contrary decree." The father explained the reasons, which the cardinal did not fully grasp - not surprising as in Rome, the situation of the clergy and religious in France is not well understood.

[45]

However, the father discussed it with Mr. Tavenet, explaining the state of the brothers' congregation and expressing his affection for the Marist brothers. He even told Mr. Tavenet that if he could one day step down from the position of the superior general, he would join the Marist brothers. After this, the father laid out to the venerable Sulpician the position of the brothers in France, their need for priests, their administrative style among themselves and with the Marists, and the spirit of the Society. Mr. Tavenet conferred with the cardinal, who was completely changed.

[46]

His eminence summoned the father, who candidly and simply explained the reasons. The father was happy, he said, to return to his straightforward and frank character, which had been somewhat displaced despite himself. The pressure to shape the petition in a way that showed priests and brothers as one society was considerable. The father had difficulty accepting this form, but he was urged in every way. He was told that in Roman congregations, a lack of formality could hinder the success of this matter. He said enough to convey the state of the congregation, and that was true. "Yes," said the father to me, "but there is a bit of human in that, and I want there to be nothing of us, but that the good Lord does everything."

[47]

Cardinal Castracane noticed the reluctance, and in the first meeting after Mr. Tavenet's discussion, he said to the father with kindness: "But, Mr. Colin, you have put some skill into your petition." It was then that the father explained everything to him with the greatest clarity, having gone to the cardinal with this intention. He handed him a document a few days later, clearly outlining the relationship between the brothers and the priests, the state of the brothers' congregation, as seen by bishops and pastors.

[48]

Several conversations of this kind that the father had with the cardinal revealed to his eminence all the uprightness, prudence, and purity of intention in this character. Therefore, he spoke highly of him to Mr. Crociani and Mr. Duclos. "He is one of those men you hardly see nowadays; he is the vir simplex et rectus mentioned in Holy Scripture. Mr. Colin is a saint. He has understood his century," added Cardinal Castracane. He even declared that he would not want exemptions from bishops, even if the Holy See offered them.

[49]

The cardinal, still struggling to find a way to pass the matter of the brothers, said again: "I know everything will go well during Mr. Colin's life; he will know how to lead this vast body with prudence. But who can guarantee that there won't be troublemakers after him?" This was always his major concern: he feared a separation in the future when the brothers, having become numerous, would feel their strength and begin to presume.

[50]

"It is true," said the father, "that this could happen if superiors were always tormenting and hindering the brothers. However, besides the precautions taken by the rule, it doesn't require an excess of prudence to ward off all the dangers that can arise over many years. Moreover, the inconvenience would not be very great if the separation occurred later. Whereas it seems very important for the existence of the brothers that union takes place now, and they are dependent on the superior."

[51]

Every new piece of information that this pious and excellent cardinal learned each day left him increasingly perplexed. He didn't know how to resolve the issue of the first decree. He suggested to the superior to involve the brothers in the graces; later, to approve them as tertiaries with dependence on the superior general. Seeing all these difficulties and that the time had not yet come, the father asked his eminence not to present this matter. She responded that it would please her if it did not contradict Mr. Colin too much. I was tasked with replying that this delay aligned with his intentions, that he sought only the will of God, and his eminence's sentiment was a sign of that for him. The cardinal also stated that he did not believe the time had come yet and was pleased with the father's patience. However, he asked the father, after his return to France, to send him a clear note on the reasons favoring the union of the priests with the brothers.

[52]

The cardinal invited the father to dinner with him a few days before his departure. In the course of the numerous audiences that the cardinal deigned to grant the father, he had the opportunity to make known the spirit of the Society, its way of dealing with ecclesiastical superiors and the lower clergy, the progress the congregation had made in so few years, and how eagerly priests or Marist brothers were requested. All of this surprised his eminence greatly; she kept saying, "The Holy Virgin has blessed; but always maintain the same spirit."

Affair of the Roman Breviary

[53]

The superior consulted Jesuit fathers on this issue, namely whether our congregation could take the Roman Breviary and Missal without the authorization of the Holy See and of its own authority. They were in favor. Secretaries of the congregation of Bishops and Regulars had a different opinion. So, the father wrote a petition that I initially brought to the Sacred Congregation of Bishops and Regulars. Based on the advice of two secretaries, I imprudently submitted it to the Propaganda without consulting the father. This affair understandably annoyed him. In Rome, there is apprehension about French bishops; they fear upsetting them because of their independence from the general laws of the Church. It is believed that they have no intention of tolerating the Roman Breviary in their dioceses. Monsignor Caldolini, therefore, took the petition to the Holy Father; his Holiness referred it to the examination of the general congregation of cardinals of the Propaganda. Since there was no "consente ordinario" in the petition, they did not want to decide. The father learned the next day what had happened from Cardinal Castracane. The father couldn't help but laugh and said to the cardinal: "If only that troubled their eminences, they should have added: 'de consensu episcopi.' Don't worry, monsignor; I will never quarrel with my bishop over the Roman Breviary." The father then expressed his opinion in such a cheerful manner that the cardinal also laughed heartily. At his invitation, the father wrote a letter the next day to Monsignor Caldolini, expressing his sentiments on the Breviary and the sentiments received in France. It was then that the Holy Father granted not only the faculty to follow the Roman rite but also to recite a good number of specific offices.

[54]

This affair, which had bothered the father, pleased him in two respects. First, it was that by bringing this matter to the Holy See, they had followed the spirit of the Society. Similarly, he said, I will confer with our bishops when I return to France, for I do not want to do anything without the Pope and the bishops. The second thing that pleased him a lot was to see that in Rome, they did not outwardly condemn the bishops' conduct even when it might not be in line with the spirit of the Roman court. They respected a lot the acts of their administration. This wise conduct is in stark contrast to certain minds in France who judge, decide, criticize, condemn. I do not act like that, he said. If my bishop permits me to do something, I do not examine whether he exceeds his powers; that's his affair, not mine. I am always safe in obeying, if Rome does not object, and Rome will never blame me for acting this way. My principle is: Papa ante omnes; episcopi ante alios.

Some specific details about the father during this second trip to Rome.

[55]

During his stay in Rome, the father celebrated Holy Mass almost every day. He was prevented several times by illness and two or three times by very important matters.

[56]

Finding a suitable church was a matter of great importance for him. He wanted a sparsely attended church, a somewhat secluded altar, a silent church, and above all, modest altar servers. He visited several churches multiple times but did not find one suitable for his piety. He usually chose the national church of Lucca under the invocation of the Crucifix; it was close to our residence.

[57]

One day, he found there a little altar server with a typically Italian lightness, which initially disconcerted the father. But the boy's modesty and seriousness impressed him, and the boy eventually served the Mass with modesty. Since then, the father was attached to this church, and sometimes, when he realized that he didn't have this server upon entering the church, he would leave and go elsewhere.

[58]

His health did not allow him to go far to places of devotion. However, he visited some, like the altar where Alphonse-Marie de Ratisbonne was converted: he was particularly moved during Mass. He also visited the room of Saint Louis de Gonzaga, where he celebrated Mass for the congregants of the small seminary of Belley and placed all their names on the holy altar. Saint Peter in Montorio, the place of the crucifixion of the Prince of the Apostles. We went there in very hot weather; the journey was long and strenuous, and he was very tired. However, he told me that God had given him very sweet consolations in return.

[59]

On this occasion, I must say that he had great devotion to the two princes of the Church in Rome; he often invoked them, recommending the success of his affairs, or, to put it better, the fulfillment of God's will. He often told me that he would be content with any outcome. It was only for that reason that he undertook to have prayers said upon his return to France.

[60]

In the evening, after our dinner, around five o'clock, we would take a walk with Mr. Féret; often it was to visit places of devotion or basilicas. An indisposition prevented him from descending with us into the catacombs of Saint Agnes; besides, as the company was numerous and a bit noisy, this pilgrimage would not have been to his liking.

[61]

After the visits and letters required by the affairs he was dealing with, he spent his time consulting and gathering as much useful knowledge as possible for the Society. He also obtained some books on canon law, which he studied with great pleasure.

[62]

The father particularly liked to be in the areas of ruins during his walks, in the deserts of ancient Rome. The Palatine Hill, especially, with the ruins of Nero's famous palace, led him to meditation and to despise vanity and what passes away more and more. One day, we went to the Aventine Hill to visit the convent of Saint Sabina, where Saint Dominic had lived. He went through all these places with great devotion. But when he arrived in the chapter room where the devil had refused to enter with the patriarch of the Dominican Friars, the father superior knelt down and kissed the ground: so this is the place where this great saint gave such wise advice to his disciples.

[63]

Not everything pleased him in Rome concerning customs, churches, and other things. At first, he took great care not to talk to me about it. But as I noticed many things that displeased me, I made many reflections on the subject. At first, he excused it, but when I strongly motivated my opinion, he told me that he thought the same, that many things shocked him, but on his first trip, he had resolved never to speak ill or criticize what he had seen in other countries. It is true that many things depend on character, but what revolted him, although he kept it from others, was the paintings and sculptures so indecent that are found everywhere in Rome, even in churches, as well as the lack of decency in the dress of people of the opposite sex. One evening, he spoke to me with great emotion on this subject: I certainly do not condemn the government, he said; there are evils that cannot be prevented, but I am also convinced that this state of affairs is unfortunate. No matter what people say, familiarity with all these things, there are indecencies that are disastrous everywhere and that must make many victims. I am happy, he said, that God has given me poor eyesight; at least, I do not see what surrounds me.

[64]

During his stay in Rome, the father was informed about the papers of the case of Pierre Michel Vintras, the preacher of the Work of Mercy. This affair frightened him because of the diabolical he recognized in it. There is everything here, he said, in the course of the demon of heresy. What particularly distressed him was seeing that these unfortunate enlightened adopt and put forward the most beautiful, sweetest devotions of the Church, such as the Immaculate Heart of Mary, her immaculate conception, Saint Joseph, devotion to the souls in purgatory. This is, he said, a trick of the devil; he sees that a devotion, including that of the Immaculate Conception, is making rapid progress, and he would like to discredit it. He was also distressed when he saw that a certain number of priests and even a religious congregation of women were compromised. Ah! I will be vigilant, he said, so that no Marist will ever get involved imprudently. Let us always be wary of these extraordinary things. I told him then that I had read the first work of Pierre Michel with the circular of Bishop de Bayeux. He was very surprised and promised that he would have the book handed over to him immediately upon his return. I owe it to all of you to keep your faith pure. He greatly approved of the conduct of Bishop de Bayeux, who brought the matter to the judgment of the Holy Father. I had been given the papers of the proceedings; he did not want me to read them and withdrew them. Only from time to time would he himself communicate certain passages to me.

[65]

The father did not rush to ask for an audience with Pope Gregory XVI. He told me several times: Since it is not fitting that I come to Rome to deal with affairs and return without throwing myself at his feet to receive his blessing for the Society, I will have to go. Otherwise, I would easily exempt myself; for it is to go and receive compliments from the Holy Father for what the Society does in favor of foreign missions. I cannot treat my affairs with him; rightly, he would refer me to the ordinary examiners.

[66]

Finally, he decided towards the end of July. Archbishop Cadolini gave him a letter of recommendation, and the audience was not long in being granted. The father was inclined not to have an introducer or to choose Mr. Abbé Duclos; however, the master of the chamber imposed Father Vaures, who was very obliging. Nevertheless, this bothered the father, who did not want the Society's actions and his dealings in Rome to be known right and left. Therefore, he made the resolution to speak only vaguely about things and to hide the rest as much as possible.

[67]

Our audience, which was scheduled for August 3, only took place on the 6th. When we were at the feet of the Holy Father and the father wanted to kiss his feet, His Holiness withdrew them and presented his hands, which the Reverend Father Superior did not take. However, at Father Vaures' insistence, His Holiness presented the mule and then the hand, immediately gesturing for him to rise. Father Vaures said that he was the superior of the Marists. Oh, I know, said the Holy Father, I was informed. Then he spoke about the ongoing affairs; the conversation revolved around missions, Father Chanel, the Caffrerie, and the protection of the French government. Finally, the father asked for the apostolic blessing for the entire Society. Most willingly, said the Holy Father, wholeheartedly, so that it may always grow. Then, at the end, he still hesitated to present his foot but offered his hand.

[68]

The affairs of the mission having been concluded on August 8, the father hoped to leave on the evening of the Assumption, but delays at the office meant that the papers were not handed over to us until the 27th.

[69]

Since the Assumption, the father's health did not remain as good as it had been for the past month. The uncertainty of departure, postponed every two days, caused him annoyance; he resumed his usual infirmities. Nevertheless, he continued to make painful outings until Monday morning the 22nd. On the evening of the same day, he was seized with a violent fever attack, and yet he still wanted to say his vespers during this attack. I went to fetch a doctor who diagnosed a tertian fever; he prescribed a purgation for the next day and announced the attack for Wednesday, which was surprisingly violent: it lasted five hours. Then, afterwards, quinine was administered to break the fever. Indeed, it did not return.

[70]

It was then that the father made a vow to Saint Theodore, whose body he had in his room, asking him to obtain the grace for him to leave Rome on the evening of Sunday the 28th, which happened. But the father did not want to tell me what he had promised to this saint.

[71]

To reassure him, I went to see Cardinal Castracane, who forbade him from saying his breviary throughout the journey; he recommended a rosary if it did not bother him. He was very reluctant to decide to abstain from meat on Friday and Saturday. I believe he had confessed the day before his illness. One day, on Wednesday, I believe: I'm not telling you to go get my confessor because I don't think there is any danger, and I wouldn't want my illness to be known to the Jesuit fathers, for I fear visits; however, if I get worse, I charge you to go get Father Lacroix.

[72]

The next day, he told me: If such fever attacks were to recur, I don't know what will happen, although I still don't believe there is any danger. However, if God wanted to dispose of me now, I would soon have dictated my final intentions to you on several points, especially on the matters I dealt with in Rome. I have always worked for the Society, and I want to die working for it. If I were to die, in virtue of obedience, I charge you to give all my papers to Father Maîtrepierre alone and to speak only to him about what I have done and undertaken here.

[73]

But after being very annoyed, I had the consolation of seeing that the father had regained some strength.

[74]

In Rome, the father did not want to use the privilege we have of confessing to our fellow brothers. When I asked him to confess to him, he said: Go to Father de Villefort; I would confess you if there were a certain necessity; as if one could not easily find a French-speaking confessor. Moreover, no one has yet used this privilege, and I do not want to start.

[75]

During his stay in Rome, the father often spoke to me about his attraction to rural missions, his desire to end up there.

[76]

However, the subject that seems to be closest to his heart is zeal for the education of young people. He has been occupied with searching for works that could be useful to them. "I have great compassion for them; then, I love childhood; what is small, simple, straightforward." When he saw the multitude of young people who came to receive communion at the altar of Saint Louis de Gonzague on the day of his feast, venerate his relics, and visit his rooms, he was particularly moved. He wanted to say Mass in the room where the saint had died, specifically for the students of Belley College. Upon his return, he began writing a letter to them, addressed to Father Eymard, the director of that institution. Shortly after, perhaps the day after sending this letter, he received one from the young members of the Holy Virgin congregation from the small seminary of Belley, along with a two-faced image. On one side was a heart containing all their names with an inscription at the bottom from the Holy Scriptures, revealing that this heart belonged to him. On the other side was the monogram of Mary with the legend: "in hoc signo vinces." The letter was remarkably touching. The only thing that displeased him was that they had not placed the heart of the Blessed Virgin in place of his own. He carried this image to the holy altar several times, as desired by the devout congregants. He then wrote them another letter, saying: "My dear children, I am conquered," but he did not dare to send it, fearing it might not arrive on time and that the holidays had already begun. "How can one not love children like these?" he said to me. "I was happy on the day they accepted me among them as a congregant. You see, we must become small with them, without humility, however; we must show them respect to win them for Jesus and Mary."

[77]

Finally, we left Rome on August 28 at 8 p.m. The next morning, we arrived in Civita Vecchia, where the father felt quite unwell until noon. At noon, he boarded the Minos. The sea air did him good; at least, he could rest. He was not very tired from the storm we had for two nights and almost a day. Unfortunately, he could not spend a night in Marseille, from where we departed after a five-hour stay with uncomfortable seats in the stagecoach. He endured the journey quite well during the first night. But as we were traveling on a Friday and he wanted to observe abstinence, although it was known he was unwell and we were in a separate compartment, his dinner fatigued him a lot. He suffered considerably from Montélimar to Lyon; the night was truly cruel; he could not find any position that relieved him. When he arrived in Lyon, he exclaimed, "Ah! it is high time; I can't take it anymore."

Signed: Poupinel.