Concluding a letter to Henri Tempier, Eugene expresses who Tempier was for him:<\/p>\n
\nAdieu, my faithful and dear companion, son, brother and cherished father ….<\/strong><\/h5>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Letter to Henri Tempier, 21 October 1828, EO VII n 313<\/em><\/p>\n
\u00a0Tempier, throughout 45 years, was to be Eugene\u2019s \u201cfaithful and dear companion.\u201d<\/p>\n
When he was 26 and entered the seminary, Eugene had written:<\/p>\n
\n\u00a0I have always longed for a friend, but I have never found one, at least one such as I am seeking; it is true that I am hard to please for as it is my nature to give generously I expect the same in return.\u00a0<\/strong><\/h5>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Self-evaluation written for his spiritual director in 1808, O.W. XIV n. 30<\/em><\/p>\n
\u00a0As a young priest, he was to find this friend in the person of Henri Tempier \u2013 but more than a friend, he had found a faithful companion with whom, he could share his ideals. Yvon Beaudoin tells us: \u201cHis encounter with Father Tempier in 1815-1816 brought him what he was looking for and even more. Besides sharing plans and giving comfort in troubles, Father Tempier, a man who was calm, pondered and much less emotional than the Founder, tempered the outbursts of the Founder\u2019s character and helped him \u2011 at times also replacing him \u2011 perseveringly to accomplish all his plans and undertakings.<\/p>\n
Bishop de Mazenod had a real affection for and always esteemed this collaborator and friend from whom he kept no secrets. He wrote to him often, entrusted all positions of trust to him, openly admitted to him that he considered him as one identical to his own self.\u201d Yvon Beaudoin, \u201cHenri Tempier\u201d in the\u00a0Oblate Historical Dictionary http:\/\/www.omiworld.org\/dictionary.asp?v=5&vol=1&let=T&ID=998<\/a><\/p>\n
Tempier had understood the God-given spirit of the Missionaries from the very beginning.<\/p>\n
\nFirst companion of mine, you have from the first day we came together grasped the spirit which must animate us and which we must communicate to others; you have not deviated in the slightest from the path we resolved to follow; everyone knows this in the Society and they count on you as they count on myself.<\/strong><\/h5>\n<\/blockquote>\n
\u00a0Letter to Henri Tempier, 15 August 1822, EO VI n 86<\/em><\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cA blessed thing it is for any man or woman to have a friend, one human soul whom we can trust utterly, who knows the best and worst of us, and who loves us in spite of all our faults.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 Charles Kingsley<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Concluding a letter to Henri Tempier, Eugene expresses who Tempier was for him: Adieu, my faithful and dear companion, son, brother and cherished father …. Letter to Henri Tempier, 21 October 1828, EO VII n 313 \u00a0Tempier, throughout 45 years, … Continue reading