The news of the possible appointment of Bruno Guigues as the first Bishop of Bytown (today the city of Ottawa) caused a quandary for Eugene.

At first this news plunged me into great perplexity. If I saw on the one hand the advantage of the Church in Canada, I could not on the other overlook the grave disadvantages that could thereby result for our Congregation and evidently this second consideration should prevail over the first because our first duty is to maintain our Congregation in a state of capability for the accomplishment of the mission the Church has given to her and it would be easy to find amongst the clergy in Canada another person to fulfil worthily the episcopal functions at Bytown and it was impossible for me to replace you in America.

Wrestle with it as I might I could not find a way out of the dilemma. I thought of it constantly before God…

I am always happy that I had chosen you to represent me in the midst of this portion of the family and in a country where our first Fathers had perhaps caused some of the prejudices which had arisen on all sides. I have often blessed God for the change which was brought about by your facilitation.

Letter to Fr. Bruno Guigues in Canada, December 1846, EO I n 71

When Bishop Bourget arrived to speak with Eugene, he gave the assurance that as Bishop, Fr Guigues would still be able to continue his responsibilities as the one responsible for the expanding North American Oblate missions. Eugene thus gave his consent, as Superior General, for the good of the Church and the advantage of the Congregation.

REFLECTION

Corrie ten Boom’s words come to mind: “Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.”

I have dealt at length with the adventures of Father Leonard on his recruitment campaign because it makes an interesting page of our Family history. The campaign concluded in March 1848 when Fr Tempier ran out of money to take care of around 100 new entries to the novitiates. Father Leonard was also anxious to return to Canada where Fr. Guigues has been appointed bishop of Bytown (Ottawa today). So, let’s look at the story of this appointment.

Firstly, let us recap on who Bruno Eugene Guigues was. (See https://www.omiworld.org/lemma/guigues-bishop-bruno-eugene/)

Born in 1805, he was the 15th Oblate to make vows. He was a man of many talents as can be seen in that while still a deacon, he was appointed professor of philosophy (1827-1828) and bursar (1827-1829) in the major seminary of Marseille. He was ordained a priest in 1828 and then had various positions of responsibility in Notre-Dame du Laus, Aix and in the shrine of Notre-Dame de l’Osier, while regularly preaching missions and retreats.

In 1844, when things in Canada did not work out exactly as Eugene had envisaged them, especially regarding interpersonal relationships among the first group of Oblates there, he sent Guigues out as Visitor (his representative), and then superior. Eugene had personally formed and moulded Guigues according to his spirit and he had been given positions of trust in France in which he had proved himself. Now Eugene was confidently able to say of Guigues that he was an alter ego, and to announce this to the Oblates in Canada:

“I have named Father Guigues as Visitor extraordinary with very wide powers… in a word, to do all that I would do myself were I on the scene.”

Letter to Fr Jean Baptiste Honorat in Canada, 8 June 1844, EO I n 39

In the years that followed he was successful in his task of organizing the Canadian missionaries and of opening up new missions in the center and west of Canada and the USA. The following letter to him from Eugene thus comes as no surprise:

The Bishop of Montreal had informed me, the moment he arrived in France, that he had a matter to discuss with me of the greatest interest to the Church in Canada. He told me that the bishops of this province had decided to solicit from the Holy See the erection of a new diocese at Bytown and that they were of the opinion that it was suitable to choose you to be the first Bishop of this church; that he would come to me soon and submit the reasons for their preference and obtain my consent.

Letter to Fr. Bruno Guigues in Canada, December 1846, EO I n 71

REFLECTION

‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ (Matthew 25:23)

An invitation to think of some of the hidden figures in our lives who have inspired us by sharing their many gifts in humble and quiet ways.

Father Yvon Beaudoin takes up the narration on Father Leonard’s recruiting successes:

“From 1841 to 1847 there were 115 men began the novitiate at Notre-Dame de l’Osier and a similar number in 1847 and 1848. Father Léonard’s preaching tour was a success. More than 100 seminarians entered the novitiate and about fifty made vows. Before 1847, the majority of the vocations came from dioceses in the South of France. After this date, vocations began to arrive from all of France and Belgium.

The Founder then began to speak of the “nightmare” and the “despair” of Father Tempier who is now out of money to supply the needs of the novices and the scholastic brothers. In October of 1847, at the insistence of Fathers Tempier and Vincens, the Founder asked Father Léonard to suspend his tour.”  (https://www.omiworld.org/lemma/baveux-jean-claude-leonard/)

Less than 10 days later, however, Eugene reversed his decision! As a compromise he recommended that from now on only seminarians who had already completed their theological studies be accepted.

My dear Father Leonard, with new facts comes new advice. Considerations about our difficulties had determined me to write you to suspend your recruitment tour; but I have just learned that another recruiter as able as you are, is about to cover all the dioceses of France to call all the clerics of good will who may wish to associate themselves with the work for which he is preaching. There is no room for hesitation: it would be useless to follow him, it is important then to precede him.

So grease your boots my dear Father Leonard; or rather, take your crucifix in hand and march off to the conquest of those persons whom Providence marks out for us.

Letter to Father Leonard Bavaux, 8 November 1847, EO X n 954

Father Léonard stopped his tour in March of 1848 because Father Tempier had no more money and because he wanted to be back in Canada to attend the consecration of Father Guigues who had been appointed bishop of Bytown.

REFLECTION

“When you discover your mission, you will feel its demand. It will fill you with enthusiasm and a burning desire to get to work on it.” (W. Clement Stone)

As a result of our baptism we are all missionaries – at home, at work, on the bus, at the store… – sometimes just a smile and a word of gratitude works miracles.

Two months later, some of the Oblates began to put pressure on Eugene to curb Father Leonard’s recruitment campaign They were practical older Oblates who realized the impossibility of feeding, housing and educating a never-ending supply of new recruits. This opposition was beginning to weigh heavily on Eugene, who was trying to placate them by all possible means. Writing to Father Vincens, the Novice Master at L’Osier, Eugene attempted to appease and persuade him:

Yes, my dear Father Vincens, the enormous responsibilities weighing upon you are certainly enough to scare you. But who can dare to decide the measure of the Lord’s merciful plans? His will is too clearly manifest for us not to be obliged to go forward with blind confidence.

It is at this moment that the Lord calls our Congregation to extend its zeal to a great many countries, and who at the same time inspires a great number of men to offer themselves to accomplish his desires, and how could we refuse to accept their devotedness which enables us to obey the will of our Master! I cannot give in to this, no matter what human prudence seems to say.

So receive all those that the good Lord sends us. 

Letter to Father Ambroise Vincens, 12 August 1847, EO X n 936

To Father Leonard, Eugene wrote:

I will tell you however that I have already written to Father Vincens that I do not share his opinion on the limit he wanted to put to your mission. No, I am not afraid of your miraculous catch of fish. Continue to cast out your nets. Let us remember the widow at the time of Elisha… and never to say: “That’s enough.” It is a moment of grace. We must take advantage of it. Who can say what may happen in three or four years!…

 A great mission has been confided to you; you must fulfill it.

Letter to Fr Leonard Baveux, 15 August 1847, EO X n 938

REFLECTION

“If you have passion, there is no need for excuses because your enthusiasm will trump any negative reasoning you might come up with. Enthusiasm makes excuses a non-issue.”

Wayne Dyer

Excuses? Are we controlled  by any in our lives?

Father Leonard’s vocational recruiting campaign was bringing in so many responses that a second novitiate eventually had to be opened in Nancy, with the possibility of a third in Belgium. As wonderful as all this was, it also led to discomfort among the more practical members of the Congregation who had to find the money and means to house, feed and educate this unexpected influx of men. Father Tempier, who was the General Treasurer, worried the most. Eugene thus wrote to Fr Leonard:

I have already told you that even if I had the mailing service at my disposal, it would be impossible to catch up with you. You go from conquest to conquest and we will have to enlarge on all sides the houses which are to receive your recruits.

I acknowledge that the discomfort caused by the success of your mission does not tempt me to shed tears. I am comforted by the anxiety of our good Father Tempier who continually tells me: “Please stop this braggart who places us in a desperate situation and will bring about our ruin.”

You know, I laugh in his face while he scratches his head and he himself ends up laughing, saying that you have taken him at his word.

… All joking aside, if the Lord sends them to us, we would be very foolish not to receive them.

Despite the practical opposition that Eugene was receiving, his missionary heart saw only the benefit of having so many generous persons ready to give their lives for the poor and most abandoned.

… I think, however, it would be turning away from the way of Providence if you were to stop halfway in a mission that is evidently inspired by God. Chosen by the Lord to accomplish what you are doing with so much success, with the Lord’s evident blessing, you will ever be the benemerente of the Congregation whose mouthpiece you have been to make it known and to spread it.

Letter to Fr Leonard Baveux, 10 June 1847, EO X n 930

REFLECTION

“Enthusiasm is everything. It must be taut and vibrating like a guitar string.” (Pele)

Once upon a time when we prayed for vocations it meant only for more priests, brothers and Sisters. Today our call is to work for and pray for vocations to all ministries in the Church – to “vibrate with enthusiasm” for the beauty of the Mazenodian charism, spirituality and mission.

After just a few months of his whirlwind tour to some of the diocesan seminaries, Father Leonard was already convincing several young men to sign up for religious life and the Oblate missions. Eugene wrote enthusiastically:

Dear Father Leonard, what a man you are! You break open all doors and take each place by storm. Nothing can resist you and if you come across a bishop who wants to save his men, he must forbid you to talk, as did the Archbishop of Chambery, whom I considered to be more generous. On the other hand, the Bishop of Annecy has paid for two… What! even the Missionaries are bringing you candidates! I can hardly believe it.

Now the challenge was to find place to accommodate these recruits for their formation and studies

Meanwhile, we have to find room at L’Osier in view of the arrival of all of these young men of good will who have announced their coming… You see I am right in wanting you to cover every diocese.

Letter to Fr Leonard Baveux, during his recruitment campaign, 2 April 1847, EO X n 925

REFLECTION

“Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson

When we look at the gift and meaning of our faith today, we have so much to be enthusiastic about! This is the heart of our Mazenodian Family.

A few weeks after the arrival of Fr Leonard on his vocational recruitment drive in France, Eugene wrote to Fr Pierre Aubert in Oregon:

Father Leonard was sent to Europe simply to make recruits. Your America is expanding so much that there is no way of satisfying its needs, and yet we do not dare refuse to respond to the requests made to us from all sides. That is why Father Guigues has risked sending our Father Leonard across the seas so that he might use all his gift for speaking, accompanied by the grace of God, to persuade the young seminarians to embrace the religious state with the idea of devoting themselves to the missions to the unbelievers.

He has not yet let me know if he has obtained any results from his efforts. If he is successful, you must know, my dear friend, that we will reserve some for your mission, for you are constantly present in my mind and in my heart.

Letter to Fr. Pierre Aubert in Oregon, 3 February 1847, EO I n 81

The Oblate missionary successes in North America, the British Isles and France created new horizons and infinite possibilities, but progress was hampered by lack of personnel – hence the need for urgent vocational recruitment of young men.

REFLECTION

“The power of youth is the common wealth for the entire world. The faces of young people are the faces of our past, our present and our future. No segment in the society can match with the power, idealism, enthusiasm and courage of the young people.”

Kailash Satyarthi

May this continue to be true for all sectors of our Mazenodian Family today.

Jean-Claude Léonard Baveux was born in France in 1796, and joined the Sulpicians and was ordained to the priesthood in 1828. He was sent to Canada  where he did parish work in Montreal and in the Iroquois Indian reserve of Oka. When the Oblates arrived in Canada on December 2, 1841, Father Léonard got to know them and asked to join them in order to preach parish missions as he had enjoyed doing before. He was accepted and made his oblation on August 2, 1843 and immediately became a zealous and life-giving team member in many retreats and parish missions preached by the Oblates.

The Oblates in Canada were incessantly pestering Eugene de Mazenod to send them priests and brothers. He, however, was not in a position to send them the missionaries they requested because the needs were equally great in the communities and the works in France and England.

Father Léonard was aware of this situation and, it seems that he himself was the one who suggested that he go on a recruiting tour in France and Belgium. He was sent to Europe and began his energetic vocational drive in the diocesan seminaries from the end of December 1846 to March of 1848.

Eugene wrote to him some weeks after he had begun his energetic recruiting campaign:

I will not let this letter leave, my dear Father Leonard, without expressing a little word of friendship to you. You are too stingy with your letters, my dear friend, we cannot follow you on your energetic race. However, you cannot doubt the interest that your beautiful mission inspires in us. Please take care of your health even when you race as you do.

Letter to Fr. Léonard Baveux, in France, 23 January 1847. EO X n 921

REFLECTION

“Missionary zeal does not grow out of intellectual beliefs, nor out of theological arguments, but out of love.

If I do not love a person I am not moved to help him by proofs that he is in need; if I do love him, I wait for no proof of a special need to urge me to help him.”

Roland Allen

May our love for others be translated into zeal for their good.

Saint Eugene wrote to all the members of his missionary family:

The conclusion to be drawn from this, my dear friends and good brothers, is: we must work, with renewed ardour and still more total devotedness, to bring to God all the glory that stems from our efforts and, to the needy souls of our neighbours, salvation in all possible ways…  In the name of God, let us be saints.

18 February 1826, EO VII, n. 226

The words of Pope Francis apply to Saint Eugene:

“The Saints are not perfect models, but people through whom God has passed. We can compare them to the Church windows which allow light to enter in different shades of colour. The saints are our brothers and sisters who have welcomed the light of God in their heart and have passed it on to the world, each according to his or her own “hue”. But they were all transparent; they fought to remove the stains and the darkness of sin, so as to enable the gentle light of God to pass through. This is life’s purpose: to enable God’s light to pass through; it is the purpose of our life too.” 

Happy Feast day of Saint Eugene to all of us, called to be stained-glass windows as a Mazenodian Family!