Generally the parish missions were welcomed by the majority of the people of the villages, who had been starved of genuine religious renewal. The description that Eugene gives of the greeting they received in Marignane shows the intensity of the southern emotions:<\/p>\n
\n\u00a0The remarkable thing about the reception was the eagerness, joy, rapture of the people who, despite the gusty wind, came in great numbers as far as St. Nicholas\u2019 and gave voice to their feelings in a most expressive way. People prostrated on every side as the missionaries passed by, uttering cries of joy and spontaneously singing, in a kind of explosion of emotion, the first verse of the canticle: O missien tan desiderado! People were to be seen lifting their arms aloft to heaven in a rapture, others opened them wide in welcome, shedding tears and showering blessings on the Lord\u2019s envoys.<\/strong><\/h5>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Diary of the Marignane Mission, 17 November 1816, O.W. XVI<\/em><\/p>\n
\u00a0To give an idea of what the Provencal language looked like, here is the first verse of the hymn referred to in the text:<\/p>\n
\n\u00a0O missien tan desirado!
\nSias arribado:
\nO missien tan desirado!
\nSias vengudo enfin;
\nQue Dieou que vous a mandado;
\nSiegue beni senso fin.<\/h5>\n\u00a0Collection of French and Provencal Hymns for the use of the Missionaries of Provence<\/h5>\n<\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Generally the parish missions were welcomed by the majority of the people of the villages, who had been starved of genuine religious renewal. The description that Eugene gives of the greeting they received in Marignane shows the intensity of the … Continue reading