Poup0010

24 May 1840 — Letter from Victor Poupinel to two unidentified seminarians

Translated by ChatGPT, January 2024

According to the autograph minute APM 2277/11691, on the same sheet as doc. 9 pages 3 and 4. Edited in CS1 doc. 175.

[p. 3]

For the greater glory of God and the honor of the Mother of God

Lyon, May 24, 1840

Gentlemen,

[1]

Obedience makes it a sweet duty for me to respond to your letter dated May 11 and addressed to our superior. I have the sweet confidence that the Holy Spirit will enlighten you on your vocation because, when asking through Mary, it is impossible not to be heard. She will also obtain for you, gentlemen, the grace to respond to it, as she is your mother. Certainly, religious life is a great gift from heaven; virtue is easier, and dangers are fewer. I can affirm this from experience; it is good and pleasant to dwell with brothers. I also know that the name of Mary has something so attractive that one is happy to be able to call oneself her child; but let us be sure that by going into the religious life where God wants us, there we will have Mary as our mother. If the Lord still calls you to the Little Society of Mary, we would be delighted to greet both of you with the sweet name of brothers.

[3]

Our little Society aims to work for the perfection of its members and the salvation of souls. No one should forget their own advancement, but each must devote themselves to the salvation of their brothers. For this, we engage in the education of youth in colleges, retreats, missions in France and abroad, and everywhere we can say: a great door is open to us. No one is sent to foreign missions unless they earnestly request this grace. Since Mary is our patroness, you understand that our perfection consists in imitating her; thus, our spirit must be one of great obedience to the superior and dependence on our holy father the pope, bishops, and all ecclesiastical and civil authority. We are constantly recommended as essential to our Society, great simplicity in our way of life, in the exercise of our ministry, humility, a virtue so dear to the Holy Virgin, that modesty that affects nothing, so that it is not noticed, which seeks to do good with the least possible noise, in imitation of Mary who passed almost unnoticed on earth. It is desired to find among us [p. 4], a sweet cordiality, an amiable cheerfulness, and not a sad exterior that harms piety too much, brotherly charity, and truly, gentlemen, what would become of a body whose members did not love each other, did not apologize to each other reciprocally? The authority is entirely paternal.

[4]

You know that we take the three religious vows, vows that increase even the temporal happiness of the one whom God calls to this sacrifice. Our vows must be observed as in other religious orders, only for the vow of poverty, one can retain ownership of their possessions, but the essence of the vow falls on the use; thus, it is forbidden to make any use of one's property without the permission of the superior. Our way of life must be simple as befits religious; nevertheless, it is necessary to provide the body with its sustenance, maintain health so that we can engage in the works required for the salvation of souls. The rule, while recommending the use of mortifications, does not prescribe any specific ones.

[The following paragraph was written in a first version (A), which was crossed out and re-written between the lines to provide version B. Since each version has its own revisions, we present them separately.]

[Version A]

[5]

The novitiate should be 18 months, but the need for subjects necessitates not leaving them there for more than a year at present. Someone accustomed to the life of a seminarian has no difficulty in following the exercises. We rise at 4 o'clock and must be in bed by 9 o'clock; in addition to the acts of piety, which are now almost the same as in seminaries, there is a spiritual conference every day; we occupy ourselves in the free time with what the novice master determines, which necessarily varies according to the needs of different subjects. We go for a walk twice a week; in the novitiate, as everywhere else, we combat sadness, and we love a pious cheerfulness.

[Version B]

[6]

The novitiate would be three years for those who complete it. Subjects who, having completed their studies, enter the Society at around the age of 24 when vows are taken, do not go through the first novitiate. The third vow is made only a few years after the vows are professed. In the novitiate, we rise at 4 o'clock and can go to bed at 8:30. We spend an hour in prayer; the day is filled, and the exercises are varied. Outside the novitiate, the exercises are not as numerous so that one can more extensively engage in the exercise of the ministry. When someone joins us, they are given a summary of the rules so that they can have an even broader understanding of them.