Eugene de Mazenod speaks to us

When Eugene had become Vicar General of his uncle in Marseilles, life had not been easy for him. Bishop Fortuné was elderly, and so it was his nephew who had to be the hatchet-man to correct and discipline a diocese that had been without a bishop for 22 years. It made him very unpopular among most of the priests and others in authority.

In July 1831 he was on his way to Notre Dame du Laus to do the canonical visitation of the community. In Marseilles disturbances and rioting had broken out on the occasion of elections, and Eugene had been obliged to cut short his trip and return immediately to the city. He was welcomed with open expressions of joy.

… It is on these occasions that one can see if the clergy is behind me.

The fact is that they understand my dedication; they feel stronger when I am with them.

But it is not only the clergy, all the faithful have displayed a satisfaction that is quite remarkable, and I am thankful to them for it.

Letter to Hippolyte Courtès, 17 July 1831, EO VIII n 395

Eugene’s persevering dedication in the midst of difficulties and rejection was beginning to bear fruit!

Fr. Courtès, the superior of the Aix community, was a frugal sickly person, seemingly with a small appetite. He judged the appetite and needs of his community of hard-working and robust young men by his own measures. Eugene intervened in the name of good sense:

Complaints are made in your community that you do not give them enough to eat. In God’s name, don’t measure their stomachs by your own; they have good appetites, give them the wherewithal to satisfy them.

Letter to Hippolyte Courtès, 17 July 1831, EO VIII n 395

Eugene’s advice regarding the formation of future Oblate missionaries in times of religious antagonism and persecution:

In a word, at all costs candidates, be they who they may, must be ready to do everything required for the completion of their studies and so prepare themselves for the service of the Church whose teachings are under attack from able opponents.

My concern is not to drag out the period of formation.

The essential is that nothing remain buried, that each one make the most of the measure of talents the Lord has given him; in a word, that a man is in a state of readiness to defend the truth and the sacred deposit of faith, not only with prayer, but by word and the pen if need be.

Letter to Jean Baptiste Mille, 6 June 1831, EO VIII n 393

Writing to the young superior of the formation house in Switzerland, Eugene reminds him of the purpose of the stage of formation for the students: let them imbibe our spirit and learn to love the  Oblate family:

… What I want is that you should give these young men all your attention. It is a question of giving them a formation, of passing on to them our spirit, of inspiring in them that love of the family without which they will not achieve anything of value. They are new to all that.

You must apply yourself to that task as your first priority and not rely on anyone else to perform it.

Letter to Jean Baptiste Mille, 6 June 1831, EO VIII n 393

Eugene continues his description of the public honoring of the Cross in Marseilles, despite the opposition of the civil authorities.

The only ones put out were the mayor and some members of a sect opposed to religion. Letter followed letter on the subject, visits and warnings from the police, threats and dreadful ire.

Luckily, in the interval that has elapsed since the glorious days (of the revolution), we have taken to heart its message of freedom which we as much as everyone else must be entitled to.

In line with that our replies were firm and our determination to exploit our rights steadfast. Although the mayor wrote that if the Bishop would not renounce his project to hold the precession, he would hold him responsible for every eventuality, the procession took place. His threat would perhaps have intimidated other men, as on the vigil and the day preceding the vigil he had let a band of thugs roam the town singing the Marseillaise and end up by breaking windows in the St. John district.

But we placed our trust in the Lord and in our people’s good sense. The Bishop wanted to take part in the procession. Nothing like it has been seen since the mission. Good order, piety and joy overflowing amongst the faithful. The presence of the crowd around the cross went on throughout the day and it was quite a job to move them out from the Calvaire – from the outer boundary I mean. Needless to say, that the church was full too – when we wanted to lock up at nightfall.

There were no incidents, whether in the course of the procession or later, that could have given the least cause for alarm; on the contrary, tears flowed from all eyes as countless throats cried out with full voice: Long live Jesus, long live his cross! etc. Given the situation, it was very moving.

Letter to Jean Baptiste Mille, 7 May 1831, EO VIII n 390

… It’s one long endless paper war against the powers of this world, big and small, far and near. It is a correspondence that centres repetitiously on the most minute details with all who must needs consult us so as to leave the responsibility for our decisions on our shoulders; add to this council meetings that last for four hours, etc.

Eugene was back in Marseilles as Vicar General of the diocese of his aged uncle Fortuné – embroiled in the all the difficulties caused by an anti-religious government. As difficult as it was to maintain the values of the Church, perseverance in the face of opposition did bring blessings.

But I must say that in all this turmoil there is some consolation to be had. To give you an example for your edification, May 3 was a real triumph for the cross and it is thanks to the resolution we took always to honour our ministry and not to back down in the face of any danger when it is a question of duty.

It was only right, after we had saved the cross from the latest outrage, when twice before the arrival of the Bishop the mayor had sent a town councillor to beseech us to remove it and shown us the bomb ready to explode and the town on the point of running with blood if we should pay no heed to such a just request, it was only right I say not to let the feast of the Finding of the Cross pass by without paying a signal act of homage to the crucified Saviour.

It was consoling to think that, while in most French towns Christ had been profaned and his cross torn from the people’s midst, our cross in the heart of an immense population soared above every head and was displayed as in the greatest days of its triumph. As a help to our people’s piety and to make reparation as far as it lay in our power for the outrages that Jesus our God had suffered elsewhere, we decided to give to this beautiful feast all the pomp that the people had the right to expect. In line with this, the full octave was announced at Calvaire, a triumphal arch was erected above the cross, the holy place was adorned with garlands of greenery, banners and tapestries and drew the attention of the passers-by, ravished with joy on learning of a ceremony so much in tune with their sentiments.

Letter to Jean Baptiste Mille, 7 May 1831, EO VIII n 390

In the climate of anti-religious thought and persecution, it was essential for the missionaries to be well-prepared.

I would like some at least to prepare themselves for the polemics for which the enemies of the faith have such a facility and for which they show such talent.

See that they both speak and write well. Think up some exercises that will give them the facility for this.

Develop each one’s natural aptitudes.

Letter to Jean Baptiste Mille, 15 April 1831, EO VIII n 389

The scholasticate superior is encouraged to recognize the natural talents of the students and to help them to develop their gifts.

It seems to me that the parish of Billens keeps you very busy, but also what a lot of good you are doing there!

All I ask is that studies do not suffer because of it. We live in an age when it is absolutely vital to be able to confront evil doctrines with more than only good example.

Letter to Jean Baptiste Mille, 15 April 1831, EO VIII n 389

Father Mille, superior of the student house, needed to make sure that the studies of the future missionaries made them competent to identify and stand up to what was false and evil.

Jean Baptiste Mille was 22 years old when he was made superior of the young Oblates in formation in the scholasticate of Billens. Eugene had had no choice but to appoint him because of the crisis in France that had caused them to move to Switzerland. Because of his youth and inexperience, Eugene kept in regular contact with him to guide him.

He had just recently been ordained a priest, and was bursting to express his pastoral zeal in preaching and celebrating the sacraments whenever he could in the surrounding parishes. The problem was that he also had the responsibility of caring for the students and needed to be at home more.

I see that you are being rather generous to the town of Romont. But you must learn to pace yourself, not too much, not too little.

On the question of receiving stipends for his preaching:

… I understand you have always refused any payment for sermons you have been able to preach to them. That is how it should always be when you have the happiness of proclaiming the Word of God to them.

Letter to Jean Baptiste Mille, 15 April 1831, EO VIII n 389

“Freely you received, freely give” (Matthew 10:8)

I do not agree with Good Friday sermons that last two and a half hours. You went on for a good hour too long. Make no mistake, whatever flatterers may say, long discourses like that are hard for both listener and preacher.

Three quarters of an hour for an ordinary sermon, one hour and a half for a Good Friday sermon: that is the norm, do not trespass outside it.

Letter to Jean Baptiste Mille, 15 April 1831, EO VIII n 389

Obviously listeners in church had more endurance in those days!