Eugene de Mazenod speaks to us

Since Eugene’s episcopal appointment was not to be as a bishop in charge of a diocese, he was given a titular diocese (that no longer existed) – Icosia. He explains to Father Tempier.

If you have an interest in Icosia, put this in your notebook; it is in Africa, as I told you; your friend’s mission is for Tripoli, with Tunis added on. The sensitivity of the French Government is no doubt the reason for not including Algiers.

Letter to Henri Tempier, 1 October 1832, EO VIII n 435

If you knew what Icosia is, your heart would beat a little faster. Its origins go back to the time of the fables; it is claimed that it was built by Hercules’ twelve companions who settled there at the time of the famous expedition to horizons “nec plus ultra”, in other words to Gibraltar. Its Greek name means: twenty. What is more certain is that it was the episcopal city in the heyday of the African Church and that Laurentius, its bishop, took part in the Council of Carthage held in 419, as legate of Mauretania Caesariensis, its province: “Laurentius Icositanus, Legatus Mauritaniae Caesariensis”, which serves to fix pretty well its location, and – pay careful attention, Father Hardouin claims that it is today’s Algiers. For my own part too I do not question it any more than he, and you will doubtless follow my opinion. I shall not fail to point it out to the Holy Father, on the day I go to receive his blessing.

Letter to Henri Tempier, 10 October 1832, EO VIII n 436

On Friday June 1 at 2pm, South African time, (7 am  US Central Daylight Time)  Father Ron Rolheiser will deliver the first Kusenberger Chair of Oblate Studies lecture at St. Joseph’s Theological Institute, Cedara, South Africa:

“The Oblate Charism Today: Its Essence, Modesty, Vitality, Struggles, and Urgency.”

You are invited to watch the program and to listen to him live at https://zoom.us/j/661961425 

“The KUSENBERGER CHAIR OF OBLATE STUDIES (at Oblate School of Theology) was established in January 2017 to conclude the celebration of the 200 years of existence of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate. 

The Chair is the first of its kind and is dedicated to the study and dissemination of the history, charism, spirituality and mission of the Missionary Oblates through teaching and research, academic and enrichment programs, an annual Kusenberger lecture, and cooperation with the other Institutes of higher learning –at the service of the Oblate General Administration and all connected with the charism of Saint Eugene de Mazenod throughout the world.”

Finally, the episcopal appointment was made by the Pope.

The day before yesterday in the evening the Pope made the nomination; yesterday the minute was placed before him and he signed it; this morning the two briefs were transcribed on parchment.

 Eugene spent much time in prayer. Writing in the third person to avoid the suspicions of the government, he wrote:

… However, I must tell you that patience and resignation have won the day and that our friend has found spiritual consolation and true interior joy in his solitude. He revels in the silence and peace that surround him. He fills in his time as piously as he can; he hardly ever goes out except when he must, finding everything he needs at home for the nourishment of his piety. He gladly makes use especially, quite frequently and for long periods of time, of a little gallery that opens out onto the altar of the Blessed Sacrament and, in fact, if God’s will were not that he should be otherwise engaged, he would abandon himself wholeheartedly to spending the days of his pilgrimage here below in this way.

Letter to Henri Tempier, 1 October 1832, EO VIII n 435

Eugene was facing a major change in his life and he prepared himself and coped with what was about to happen with spiritual consolation and true interior joy in his solitude in confident prayer. A good lesson for us all.

Eugene had been summoned to Rome to be ordained bishop and had arrived on 15 August. Now six weeks later, he was still waiting for the official appointment to be finalized by the Pope. He was frustrated by his inactivity in Rome, while there was so much work that he should be doing in France.

… Believe me, my obedience and resignation are undergoing a stiff test. How many times I have been tempted to go away; I could almost persuade myself that it is the right thing to do. But my respect for the person concerned, deference to the will of Him to whom we must all submit, the merit inherent in this sacrifice and the opportunity it affords of offering God each day the homage of one’s own will, soon prevail over these impulses which take their origin in the lower part of the soul as it rebels ….

Letter to Hippolyte Courtès, 27 September 1832, EO VIII n 433

Then he revealed how he coped each day. His room was close to the house chapel, and to the Blessed Sacrament where he was able to spend time in prayer.

You know I greatly appreciate the pleasure of dwelling under the same roof as Our Lord. I can find consolation with him for the tedious aspects of my position; as they get worse each day, I am always in need of fresh consolation and, in truth, I have only this good master to confide in. I find it hard to explain a delay at once so prolonged and so futile

Letter to M. Cailhol, 27 September 1832, EO XV n164

Blessed Joseph Gérard was born near Nancy, France, in the village of Bouxières-aux-Chénes on March l2, 1831. He spent his childhood on the family farm but, with the help of the parish priest, was able to commence studies for the priesthood.

While in the local seminary of Nancy for two years, he was impressed by accounts of missionary work, and, in 1851, he joined the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate. He was ordained a deacon by the founder, Saint Eugene de Mazenod, who assigned Joseph Gérard, at the age of 22, to the mission of Natal in South Africa.

In May, 1853, Deacon Joseph Gérard set off for his mission field, never to see France again. On February l9, 1854, he was ordained priest in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, and started his ministry to the Zulu People. Despite all his good efforts, his ministry among the Zulus did not seem to bear immediate fruit, and, with a sense of great disappointment, he moved, in 1862, to the kingdom of Lesotho to bring the Gospel to the Basotho People. Fr. Gérard worked and prayed for more than two years before he won his first Basotho catechumen. Even after that, progress was slow. However, more and more people in these early years heard the message of Christ, and came to the church. Within five years of his coming there the first mission station was established at Roma. Today it is the site of many novitiates and of seminaries, a University founded by the Oblates, high schools, numerous religious houses, and a hospital – all the legacy of this remarkable man of God.

Throughout his years in Lesotho Fr. Gérard’s concern and care for the sick and the old was remarkable. Despite the distance, despite the weather, despite the inconvenience, he would set out, on foot or on horseback, carrying the Blessed Sacrament, to minister to those afflicted. His deep devotion to Mary was absorbed by his first converts, and since his day the nation has been dedicated to Mary Immaculate.

The last years of Fr. Gérard´s life were spent back at his first mission, Roma. Up to a month before his death he was on horseback, out on the mountain tracks caring for those in need. On May 29, 1914, Joseph Gérard died. He was 83.

In one of his retreat notes, Blessed Joseph Gérard gave the key to his constancy when he wrote about the people he served: “We must love them, love them in spite of everything, love them always”. He lived out his belief in the joy of spreading God’s Word, despite the hardships and opposition he encountered.

https://www.omiworld.org/our-charism/our-saints/oblate-causes/blessed-joseph-gerard-1831-1914/biography/

As we have seen, Bishop Fortuné’s tactic to save the pastoral life of the Marseille diocese – when the government’s threat to suppress the diocese would go into effect – was to have his nephew Eugene made a bishop so as to assure that confirmations and ordinations would continue. (Refer to the entry above https://www.eugenedemazenod.net/?p=3701and also to the “Oblate Historical Dictionary” https://www.omiworld.org/lemma/icosia-bishop-of/ for the background.)

Bishop Fortuné had sent Fr Tempier to Rome to arrange this with the Pope. The Pope agreed to the plan and summoned Eugene to Rome where he would be ordained as a bishop.

Eugene named Father Courtès to be Vicar General of the Oblates during his absence, and left for Rome, arriving in mid-August. In this letter he informs him of the latest developments (referring to himself in the third person so as to avoid the government censors)

My very dear friend, you ought to have received details of my news from Marseilles. I asked for that in all my letters. I delayed writing until I was ensconced in this capital and brought up to date concerning “certain matters” which touch the people you know.

Even before seeing the Holy Father. I was informed of his intentions: they correspond to what I told you. It is what he thinks, what he wants, he confirmed it personally in the audience he gave me yesterday that lasted nearly three-quarters of an hour…

The Holy Father spoke first and disclosed his intentions to me about the person in whom you take such interest, in the kindest way. He told me plainly that he was busy finding the best means to achieve the end proposed. He added some flattering words to what he had to say in which one can lawfully take some pleasure as coming from the mouth of the Head of the Church and when the recipient has the spirit of faith and sees Jesus Christ in his Vicar. You see that I did not have to open my mouth, although I understood that patience is going to be called for in the matter as in everything that goes on here.

Letter to Hippolyte Courtès, 29 August 1832, EO VIII n 428

It was customary in Marseilles to have a public procession in honor of the Sacred Heart. This year the local government had prohibited all public religious processions

I stood in need of your consolation in my distress over the arbitrary prohibition on processions after everything was set to pay honour to Our Lord in a fitting manner. When you read La Gazette you will see our notice; it will give you some idea of our anger. They simply forgot to underline the quotation from the Prefect’s letter and left out the last paragraph announcing what the Bishop would provide to make up for the forcible suppression of Friday’s procession, the Feast of the Sacred Heart. That day he will say a low Mass at the Cathedral and all the faithful are invited to come and to go to Communion.

To Henri Tempier, 25 June 1832, EO VIII n 426

Despite the government’s hostility, the religious fervor of the people of Marseilles could not be extinguished. Eugene gives a description:

You know how things went here but you could never get any idea from the papers of the beauty, emotion and divine quality of our celebration of the Feast of the Sacred Heart that took place on the day you celebrated the Feast of St. Peter at Rome. The Bishop was distributing communion for two and a quarter hours. Everyone in the Cathedral, and it was packed, went up for communion. It was a magnificent evening. Ah well, we did our best to make it up to Our Saviour for the insult offered him.

To Henri Tempier, 9 July 1832, EO VIII n 427

A letter to Henri Tempier, who was in Rome, in which Eugene gives an idea of the political turmoil in Marseilles – and the delicate position he found himself in as Vicar general of the diocese .

… Now everything is in a turmoil, mutual suspicions disrupt the peace. At every turn the troops make hostile demonstrations. The reason behind this state of affairs is a very bizarre call to arms.

In the 1830 Revolution, Louis Philippe had usurped the throne from the legitimate heir (something that the “legitimist” Eugene did not agree with). The wife of the one who should have been king was the Duchess de Berry (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie-Caroline_de_Bourbon-Sicile,_duchesse_de_Berry ).

She disembarked in Marseilles, and this caused political tension. Some hotheads decided to hoist the white flag of the legitimate monarchy on the steeple of a church – thus involving Eugene, who was trying to maintain some semblance of calm in the diocese on this incendiary issue.

Three men thought they could create a big impression by hoisting a white flag on the top of the steeple of Saint-Laurent. I am still asking myself if those responsible for such a ridiculous plot oughtn’t to be sent to the madhouse rather than to prison where they are now held in close custody.

To Henri Tempier, 6 May 1832, EO VIII n 421

I publish this extract because it gives an idea of the delicate and sensitive situation in which the Church found herself under the anti-religious attitude of Louis Philippe’s government. It helps us to appreciate what Eugene was living through.

Perhaps you are surprised to see how short the text of St Eugene is today. Yet, behind these words is a reality that was to make a life-changing difference for Eugene until his death 29 years later. The request was accepted by the Pope, and Eugene did become a bishop, initiating a stormy relationship with the French government, much personal suffering and, finally, a period of outstanding pastoral leadership and love for the most abandoned in Marseilles, then the second-largest city of France.

You are in Rome…

Letter to Henri Tempier, 14 May 1832 EO VIII n 422

Yvon Beaudoin explains:

“The municipal council of Marseilles, at the beginning of 1831, had passed a resolution voting for the suppression of the episcopal see on the death of the incumbent. Bishop Fortuné de Mazenod, already 84 years of age, wrote to the Pope on March 11. 1832:

“I am now exceedingly old, Holy Father, and I do not entertain the vain hope that God will keep me alive much longer …. It is not the closeness of death that causes me pain: my pilgrimage has lasted quite long enough…. But what will become of my poor diocese of Marseilles, so recently restored from its ruinous state by your predecessor Pius VII? … In the preoccupation that ensues from this thought.

God has given me an inspiration: that Your Holiness might give me, not a coadjutor bishop – that is impossible, and besides I do not want the Government to get involved in this matter in any way – but a bishop “in partibus”, someone who would enjoy my confidence and that of my clergy and people. For the little time that is left to me, such a bishop would be a solace in the exercise of my ministry, while on my death he would become the stay of my flock, the hope of my clergy, the mainstay of all my institutions.

I have in mind a man who is already my vicar general and who on my death will undoubtedly be named vicar capitular by my Chapter, all of whose members esteem and respect him highly. In this way he will govern the diocese with the powers of an ordinary. He will animate everyone by his zeal, his presence will sustain all the good that he has already achieved, he will administer the sacrament of holy orders and so ensure the unbroken continuity of the priesthood, in expectation of the moment when better times permit Your Holiness to provide my church with the successor of your choice…”

To ensure the success of this project. Bishop Fortuné sent Father Tempier to Rome.”

Following the lead of the King and his government, the municipality of Marseilles was also hostile to the Church.  In 1832 they removed the stipend and the premises of the Christian Brothers who ran a school for the poor. Eugene, as Vicar General of Marseilles, stepped in immediately to rescue the Brothers.

… I hope that the collection for our schools will be sufficient. I had ten thousand francs, nearly double that will be needed again. The rent of the house alone will cost more than four thousand.

Eugene had been collecting money to build a new church in an area where there was no place of worship. However, the needs of the pupils who had been ejected were more important than the bricks of a building (however meritorious the building a much-needed church was).

Providence will come to our help but what a body-blow for our church of St. Lazarus. When we were laying our plans, we had no thought of the Brothers’ misfortune. No matter, there is no shortage of courage, we gave them priority because the living members of Christ, which all these poor abandoned children are, ought to have preference over the temple even of Jesus Christ. This good Master, who inspires us and who judges our intention, will not abandon us. I am pledged for thirty thousand francs. He would send down a shower of gold from the skies sooner than see our trust betrayed.

To Bruno Guigues, 23 March 1832, EO VIII n 419

Which priorities are we bombarded with every day by our newspapers and television news? Structures, efficiency, smooth administration, political correctness – or responding to the human and spiritual needs of people in distress…?