I BELIEVE IN YOUR PIETY, REGULARITY, ZEAL, BUT I FEAR YOUR SEVERITY, YOUR DEMANDS.

Father Dassy was a talented missionary and also an intellectual scholar who liked to do research and and write – but had a difficult character. He had offered to take on the role of director of the formation of the novices in Nancy. Eugene, who had a great esteem for him, responded in an outright and honest way.

You may perhaps tell me that if I gave you a good assistant you could take on this task. I believe in your piety, regularity, zeal, but I fear your severity, your demands. Though gentle in appearance, you lack suppleness in your character, you hold on too much to your ideas, you do not know how to give way in certain small things that it is best often to ignore in order to obtain major matters more easily. I fear that your authority in your usual contacts with the novices might be difficult to endure. You might perhaps not be sufficiently on guard against certain prejudices. In a word, you would have much and perhaps too much of introspection to win the confidence of young men; the latter is of primary necessity in the functions of a Master of Novices who must be considered a saint in his own novitiate, but also a good father.

Letter to Fr. Toussaint Dassy at Nancy, 23 June 1848, EO X n 980

REFLECTION

“The constructive criticism that I take very seriously is from people I know and respect.” (C. Thile)

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I AM CONVINCED THAT WHAT HAS CAUSED YOU THE MOST HARM IS THE ANXIETY WHICH YOU ALLOWED YOURSELF TO FALL PREY TO

A month later, Eugene wrote again to Fr. Viala to support and encourage him in his important and delicate mission in Limoges.

There can be no question, my dear Father Viala, that the good you have accomplished since you have been at Limoges has gained you the confidence of the Bishop, the clergy and the faithful. They have seen you at work and they know what you can do. How could I excuse myself in their eyes were I to withdraw you from the community which serves the diocese and where the members were not supposed to have come there for the sake of appearance…

I beg you then, dear Father, take courage; a man’s temperament follows him anywhere. no one can say that you cannot recover your health as well at Limoges as elsewhere. I am convinced that what has caused you the most harm is the anxiety which you allowed yourself to fall prey to. Act according to the Lord’s view and all will go well. Father Ricard who was at death’s door when he was chosen to go and establish the mission of Oregon, placed all his confidence in the Lord, and now he writes that he has never been in better health, and bald though he is, he has not had a cold for a single day, even though throughout the long journey he never slept but on the ground and often in the mud.

… Ponder it well in the secret of your conscience with the help of the supernatural light of the Holy Spirit and your own natural common sense; however, I repeat, write to me and do not worry…

Goodbye. my dear Father Viala. I greet you affectionately.

Letter to Fr. Jean Viala at Limoges, 29 July 1848, EO X n 982

REFLECTION

“God has created me to do Him some definite service.  He has committed some work to me which He has not committed to another.  I have my mission.  I may never know it in this life, but I shall be told it in the next… I will trust Him, whatever I am, I can never be thrown away.  If I am in sickness, my sickness may serve Him, in perplexity, my perplexity may serve Him. If I am in sorrow, my sorrow may serve Him. He does nothing in vain. He knows what He is about. He may take away my friends. He may throw me among strangers. He may make me feel desolate, make my spirits sink, hide my future from me. Still, He knows what He is about.” (St. John Henry Newman)

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LET’S JOIN THE MAZENODIAN FAMILY IN PRAYER ON SUNDAY MARCH 17

Go to: https://sites.google.com/view/mazenodianfamily/monthly-oraison/what-is-oraison/march-2024?authuser=0 

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HAVE CONFIDENCE IN OUR GOOD FATHER FOR WHOSE SAKE WE HAVE SACRIFICED EVERYTHING ON THIS EARTH, EVEN OUR LIFE

Father Viala, who was complaining about his assignment, was reminded of his action of total self-giving to God through his oblation.

So, my dear Father, be patient, do not ask for the impossible, have confidence in our good Father for whose sake we have sacrificed everything on this earth, even our life. Do not doubt that he will come to your aid, that he will give you back your health and your peace of soul, on condition that you live in holy indifference, a quality which assures the happiness of a good religious… For now, attend to regaining your health and continue doing the good work you have begun to do so well. Try to overcome the little dislikes and vexations that all of us meet in our lives; be worthy of yourself and your vocation and believe me, it costs me very much to contradict you, but I appeal to your heart and to your piety.

Farewell. I greet you very affectionately.

Letter to Fr. Jean Viala at Limoges, 21 June 1848, EO X n 979

REFLECTION

Father, I abandon myself into your hands; do with me what you will.
Whatever you may do, I thank you: I am ready for all, I accept all.
Let only your will be done in me, and in all your creatures – I wish no more than this, O Lord.
Into your hands I commend my soul: I offer it to you with all the love of my heart,
for I love you, Lord, and so need to give myself, to surrender myself into your hands without reserve,
and with boundless confidence, for you are my Father. (Charles de Foucald)

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THEY ENTRUST THEIR HEALTH – AS ALL OF US HAVE DONE AND ALL OF US SHOULD DO – TO THE PROVIDENCE OF GOD WHO GOVERNS US

Father Viala was unhappy in Limoges and blamed it on the climate affecting his health. His presence, however, was necessary for the success of the new mission and thus Eugene encouraged him by telling him why it was important to remain there.

In God’s name, my dear Father, calm your state of mind with the help of supernatural thoughts. What should we seek on this earth? to do God’s will. The secret of our happiness lies in conforming our will with his; if our will is grudging, we risk losing the merit of our obedience; at least we deprive ourselves of the consolations that always accompany our submission.

Reflect that several of our brothers have given up everything and crossed the seas to obey this divine will which was expressed to them through the very superiors who are keeping you in your present placement. Those among them who sleep on snow, who drag themselves over ice, who have nothing but a little bread for their food, and on lucky days, a piece of fat to rub on it, do not complain about their lot, and they entrust their health – as all of us have done and all of us should do – to the Providence of God who governs us.

Letter to Fr. Jean Viala at Limoges, 21 June 1848, EO X n 979

REFLECTION

“Take, O Lord, and receive my entire liberty, my memory, my understanding and my whole will.  All that I am and all that I possess You have given me: I surrender it all to You to be disposed of according to Your will.  Give me only Your love and Your grace; with these I will be rich enough, and will desire nothing more.” (St Ignatius of Loyola)

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IN GOD’S NAME, CALM YOUR STATE OF MIND WITH THE HELP OF SUPERNATURAL THOUGHTS

We have seen how the Oblates had established a community of missionaries in Limoges. Fr Hippolyte Courtès, who knew the spirit of the Founder, had been sent temporarily to launch the project. A member of that community, Fr Jean Viala, had written to Eugene to express that he was unhappy in Limoges and that the climate did not agree with him. Eugene responded:

I was very consoled, my dear Father Viala, to learn from your letter all the good you have accomplished in the diocese of Limoges. How is it, then, that you are asking me to withdraw you from there? Is it because you are suffering, but where is that not the case?

… You’ve allowed yourself to get too preoccupied, and, by not reminding yourself that we ought to be where Providence has placed us, you have given in to feeling worn out, and that’s the problem. But, my dear friend, think about our position with the Bishop of  Limoges. He writes me letter after letter urging me not to delay a moment in fulfilling the obligations we have contracted, he needs at least six capable missionaries, and it’s just when Father Courtès has withdrawn…

In God’s name, my dear Father, calm your state of mind with the help of supernatural thoughts.

Letter to Fr. Jean Viala at Limoges, 21 June 1848, EO X n 979

REFLECTION

Serenity comes from being in a loving relationship with God’s providence and allowing this to fill our thoughts.

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” (Philippians 4:8)

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THIS SHIP NEEDS A GOOD COOL-HEADED PILOT

The situation in Limoges was tricky. As Eugene tried to find the right Oblates to respond to these challenges he was faced by the reality of human weakness.

If the Bishop had been less urgent, less threatening, let us say, in his demands, I would not have abandoned adopting the project that you proposed as feasible to me, that is, to give this mission to the care of Father Viala. The Father does indeed lack some things to do the task well; but since we can get used to him, and he does succeed rather well, it could have been achieved by persuading him that he must be more faithful to the Rules which govern the family and that he himself is to observe well that which he is obliged to have others observe.

Our Constitutions and Rules are intended to guide us in living our mission in accordance with the God-given spirit given to our Founder. Genuine fidelity to them covers our human weaknesses and foibles and ensures that we be God’s instruments to the people entrusted to our care. This was also to apply to Fr. Burfin with his impetuous personality

But everything was settled, and unless Father Burfin was to be left where he was, it was no longer possible to come back on what had been said. He did not prove very courageous in the proposal he made to you, together with Father Nicolas, to leave the situation and go back. That is a bad beginning. How is he going to pilot this ship which needs a good cool-headed pilot, who does not at the first commotion take an extreme position that compromises the very existence of a newly established foundation, that has been so well directed up to now. Of course, we have no choice.

Letter to Fr Hippolyte Courtès, 5 May 1848, EO X n 975

REFLECTION

 “Successful leaders see the opportunities in every difficulty rather than the difficulty in every opportunity.” (Reed Markham)

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I ADMIRE ALWAYS MORE YOUR ACTIVITY AND YOUR COURAGE

Dear Courtès, I admire always more (that does not mean that I am surprised) your activity and your courage. Your conduct since you have been entrusted with the difficult mission of Limoges is beyond all praise. You have shown what you can be, and I bless the Lord a thousand times that I gave you this trust, to show everybody what are your resources of mind and heart when you apply yourself to the task at hand.

Fr Courtès had been a member of the Founder’s Youth Congregation since 1817 and had been one of the first vocations to become a Missionary of Provence. He was Eugene’s confidant and friend throughout his life. Timid and prone to pessimism, he spent most of his life as the superior of the community in Aix en Provence. He had been chosen to start the first Oblate community in Limoges because it was a challenging foundation with much opposition from the local clergy. Courtès, who had imbibed the spirit of Eugene, was the right person to begin the new community on a sound footing according to our charism.

What a difference in comparison to that sedentary life that was so insufficient for a soul so full of energy like yours! And so I would regret to see you return to that quiet life which neutralizes a great part of the qualities you possess, and that I had wanted many times, but vainly until now, to have you in a situation to deploy them.

It makes me happy to be able to tell you that I approve in every way all that you have done since I gave you the direction of our establishment at Limoges. I only feared at times that you did not give enough care to your health, but the Lord has shown us that he comes to the help of those who have in view only his glory, and the success of the holy ministry entrusted to them. I do not gloss over the difficulties you will have to bring those who will succeed you to your ways of doing things.

May 6.

I am tired out. I do not remember what I wanted to add. Guess who turned me away from finishing my letter yesterday? Your father and your sister came to see me on purpose to tell me their fears for you. I reassured them by showing them your letter.

Letter to Fr Hippolyte Courtès, 5 May 1848, EO X n 975

REFLECTION

“Believe you can and you’re halfway there.” (Theodore Roosevelt)

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THIS FATHER IS EVER MORE ADMIRABLE FOR ACTION AND COURAGE

Within the context of the disorder and fear caused by the 1848 Revolution Eugene wrote in his diary:

Letter from Fr. Courtès. This Father is ever more admirable for action and courage. He returned to Limoges at the time of the rioting in order to reassure the newly arrived Fathers who arrived in the nick of time to help in all these disorders. Fr. Nicolas could not have asked better than to retrace his steps.

Eugene de Mazenod’s Diary, 4 May 1848, EO XXI

REFLECTION

Yvon Beaudoin provides the background to this Oblate foundation in Limoges:

“The year 1847 marked an important stage in the Congregation’s expansion in France. It took root in two dioceses far distant from Provence: Nancy in the northeast and Limoges in the centre. The second of these foundations “was as if directed by Providence Itself,” wrote Father Ortolan, “because no one had thought of them.” On October 3, Bishop de Mazenod received a letter from Bishop Bernard Buissas, Bishop of Limoges from 1844 to 1856, who suggested he establish a house of mission preachers in his episcopal city. Without success, he had already approached several religious congregations. Since he had heard “many good things about the Oblates,” he hastened to ask for a few priests. The very same day, the Founder wrote to Father Courtès to come as soon as possible to Marseilles because he needed him to “answer a letter of great interest. “Already October 7, he sent an answer to Bishop Buissas telling him that “there does, indeed, exist in the Church a small congregation whose main end is to evangelize the poor and to come to the aid of the most abandoned souls.” He told him that he was sending him some priests at the end of the annual retreat at the beginning of November. On October 19, he designated the personnel of the future community: Father Hippolyte Courtès, superior, Fathers Jean Viala and Scipion Chauliac and Brother Jean Bernard Ferrand. On November 17, accompanied by Father Tempier, they took possession of a huge house, recently constructed, surrounded by a garden that was adjacent to the park of the bishop’s house.

…Father Courtès was only sent to Limoges for the foundation and until Father Melchior Burfin would be free after the parish mission season.” (https://www.omiworld.org/lemma/limoges-1847-1904/)

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AVOID APPEARING TO ACT LIKE A BOSS

Advice to Father Dassy, Superior of a large Oblate community:

You must make it easy for everyone to carry out their duties, avoid appearing to act like a boss and therefore willingly consult those who have been chosen to be your advisers; you must not fail to do this, especially at the times laid down in the Rule, so that you can never be accused of doing things or letting them go according to your whim.

Letter to Fr Toussaint Dassy in Nancy, France, 7 March 1848, EO X n 970

REFLECTION

The task of a leader is to facilitate the achieving of whatever the group stands for. Consultation and listening form an essential part of the picture.

“People ask the difference between a leader and a boss. The leader leads, and the boss drives.” (Theodore Roosevelt)

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