CHAPTER XIV
THE STRUGGLE TO CONSOLIDATE HIS APOSTOLIC WORKS
THE STRUGGLE TO CONSOLIDATE HIS APOSTOLIC WORKS
"Just as Our Lord won over and directed the apostles"
The de Gondi lands were waiting. As soon as the new community came into being it was launched into the work for which it had been founded. No fewer than 140 missions were preached during the first six years of its history when the missionaries had their first home at the Bons Enfants. [1] This figure is all the more remarkable since there were more than seven priest, until 1631. In that year the number rose to 14 [2] thanks to the ordination of some clerics who had been admitted to the Company some years previously and these were joined by two more priests. This meant that two missionary teams could be set up and they would work a total of 290 days in the year. Vincent worked just like the others. The office of Superior didn't demand much in the way of supervisory duties. Vincent was more than Superior; he was their leader. He was gradually laying the foundations of a religious Congregation that was destined to last.
Life at the Bons Enfants was well ordered. There were rules for all the community exercises which regulated the time to be given to prayer, to study and to "controversy", a term which signified debates with the Huguenots. These regulations were taken from a manual written by the Belgian Jesuit, Martin Becan, which was much in vogue at that time. Vincent made sure that the order of day was observed even when he was absent. [3]
There were some picturesque aspects to the missionary journeys. To honour the terms of the foundation and not place any burden at all on the places where missions were being given, the missionaries used to take with them the basic items of furniture they would need and these even included portable beds, [4] which would be put in a little horse drawn cart. They made the journey from one place to another on foot but when they grew weary they would take it in turn to ride the one horse [5] they had at their disposal. As Superior, Vincent was attentive to the smallest details. Life on the missions was to follow the Paris regime as much as possible. They kept to a fixed time for rising and for going to bed, for meditation, for reciting the Divine Office, for going to the church, for mission services and for returning. Vincent attached great importance to things being done at the same time and on a regular basis, not according to people's whims and passing moods. He wanted to inculcate habits of regularity and exactness. [6] He was even more anxious to teach his collaborators those virtues he deemed most necessary for living in community. He insisted on prudence, thinking ahead and on meekness. He urged them to struggl against sensuality, selfishness and any form of vanity in their preaching. [7]
But Vincent was no dreamer. He knew that communities are made up of men who all have their little faults, their different temperaments and moods which could sometimes cause friction. For that reason he had to smooth away rough edges and settle minor differences. On one occasion he exhorted Portail to forego his seniority and in charity give complete support ("I repeat, complete support") to the young and inexperienced Father Lucas. "This was the way Our Lord won over and taught his apostles" and the way Portail was to act since he was older in years and the second eldest in vocation. It was just like a father gently, very gently, correcting his son, "As you are the eldest..." [8]
At other times he had to offer encouragement and congratulation. Vincent did this discreetly and when he gave praise he mentioned at the same time the qualities that person still lacked. This same M. Portail was a shy man who even in 1630, after 20 years at Vincent's side, hadn't the courage to preach from a pulpit. When he at last managed to do this Vincent congratulated him, and begged for him the grace of being an example to the community when conversation showed any lack of modesty, meekness or mutual respect. [9]
He was not only concerned for their spiritual welfare. Health and happiness are equally important if a community is to function well. "Are you all well? Are you all happy?" he would ask when he was away from them. His letters would frequently end with this practical recommendation, "I beg you, take care of your health." [10]
"I thought the gates of Paris were going to fall on top of me"
But his greatest concern was to share his zeal; that burning spiritual desire for souls who were at risk, his indefatigable spirit of work, his hunger and thirst for God's glory all these things were an obsession he wanted to pass on to others.
"The poor people run the risk of losing their souls because they are ignorant of the truths necessary for salvation and they don't know how to go to confession. If His Holiness knew of their needs he wouldn't rest until he had put the matter to rights. It was our awareness of this problem that caused us to found the Company." [11]
Vincent, himself, was so consumed with this zeal that he believed he had no right to take any rest. The following disclosure on his part is absolutely invaluable for revealing to us the spiritual dispositions of the Founder during those early years that same M. Vincent who just ten years before had limited his aspirations to the procuring of a good benefice and leading the quiet, peaceful life of a worthy canon or respected abbot.
"Whenever I came back from a mission and drew near to Paris I had the feeling that the gates of the city were about to fall on me and crush me to pieces. That thought was in my mind nearly every time I returned from giving a mission. I used to think to myself. "Here are you coming back to Paris while there are many other villages expecting you to do for them what you've just done elsewhere. If you had not gone to that particular village then such and such a one would probably have been damned if they had died in the state you found them in. Having experienced this, and knowing that such sins are being committed in that parish, don't you think that the same sins and similar faults are being committed in the other parishes too? They are waiting for you to go and do forthem what you have just done for their neighbours. They are expecting a mission and you go off and leave them there! If people die in the meantime, and they die without repenting of their sins, you will be responsible in a way for their damnation and you should tremble lest God call you to account for it." Fathers and Brothers, these were the thoughts that went through my mind." [12]
Anxious to put the Company on a solid foundation, Vincent proposed a practice which was widespread in most communities; that of making vows. Most of his followers took the advice given by their father and master.
"From the very beginning God granted the Company the desire to live in the most perfect way possible outside of the religious state. These are the reasons why we made vows; to unite ourselves more closely to Our Lord and to his Church, for the Superior of the Company to be more united to its members and for the members to be in closer union with its head. This custom has been followed since the second or third year of the Company's existence. These vows of poverty etc. were simple vows and we renewed them after two or three years." [13]
Without rushing things, but avoiding procrastination too, he was tracing the main outlines of his Institute Vincent considered it most important to have the foundations solidly laid. At the same time he was creating a style, or as he would say, a spirit, (this was a popular word in that century), he was fashioning apostles and seeing in his mind's eye the benchmark of the Institute. The Congregation of the Mission is the first of his works and in a certain sense it will give support to all the rest. Without realising it Vincent was becoming a patriarch, a role he assumed without any trace of arrogance. He felt conscious of his unworthiness and this was a burden he would carry all through life. He was very far from considering himself a saint but paradoxically that is precisely what other people were beginning to think that he was.
"Depravity among the clergy is the ruin of the Church"
As the new Congregation developed, a new apostolate was, opening up, that of retreats for ordinands. Given Vincent's habit of denying that any work he undertook was done on his own initiative, and his attributing all of them to the unforeseen and mysterious designs of providence; [14] it is hard to judge how far this new work sprang from Vincent's concern and preoccupation about the question, or how much it was the result of fortuitous circunstances which obliged him to take on the work and thus comply with Providence.
The need to correct abuses among the clergy was a cause of deep concern to those members of the reform movement whose company Vincent had been frequenting since the early days of his conversion. [15] This rehabilitation was the underlying principle of the Tridentine reform project. So there were swarms of people trying to get the Tridentine directives and initiatives for the reform of the clergy introduced into France. This was a crying need as is proved by statements from contemporary witnesses attesting the relaxation of morals among the clergy. There were three main reasons for this; firstly, the system of allocating benefices which was largely in the hands of lay people (the Crown, Parlement or feudal lords); secondly, the practice of allowing lay people and even children to assume the title of abbot, prior or even bishop; and finally, the lack of centres for training priests.
As well as the three conditions just mentioned there was wide spread abuse of every kind. There were irregular ordinations (we remember Vincent's own ordination) and the appointment as bishops, abbots and canons of individuals who had no vocation for the task, or rather, whose only vocatioon was a hereditary right to certain ecclesiastical benefices. A great number of dioceses were either without a bishop or the prelate did not comply with the obligation to reside in that place. In addition there was the scandal given by numerous clergy through their gambling, concubinage and addiction to drink. There was widespread ignorance of liturgical rites and ceremonies and ignorance, too, of even the basic truths of the faith. [16]
As a remedy for such a sad state of affairs the Council of Trent proposed the setting up in every diocese of seminaries where aspirants to the priesthood would be educated from an early age and instructed in those subjects necessary for the exercise of the sacred ministry. [17] But as we know, the Tridentine decrees were not accepted in France until 1615. Before that date the assemblies of clergy and provincial councils issued numerous decrees in the last quarter of that century, urging the establishment of seminaries and general measures to reform the clergy. But none of these seminaries flourished and sooner or later they all closed. In 1624 the situation had improved only marginally. The conciliar documents continued to be a dead letter. [18]
At the beginning of the 17th century a solution began to emerge. It came from the nucleus of reformers grouped around Dom Beaucousin, Canfield, Duval, Mde. Acarie, Bérulle and Marillac. Vincent had become acquainted with this group. The basic thrust of Bérulle's action, and something that Cyran continued and reinforced, was to make people realise the dignity of the priestly calling. Bérulle's Orations put their best men and their biggest effort into the training of priests. [19]
The same objectives were pursued, although by different methods, by another friend of Bérulle and Vincent de Paul; Adrian Bourdoise (1583 1655) who, in the parish of Saint Nicholas du Chardonnet in Paris, had set up a community of priests where a small number of aspirants to the priesthood reccived some training in spirituality and ministry. Michel le Gras, the son of Louise de Marillac was one of these aspirants. So, too, was Claude Lancelot [20] who was to become the famous Jansenist leader:
From the very outset Vincent was well aware of the deplorable state of the clergy. The people were deprived of pastoral care because their priests were unworthy of their calling and lacked training. This situation was the crucial factor in the three decisive experiences that determined Vincent's vocation. When he was with the de Gondis there had been the confessor who didn't know the words of absolution. In Chatillon there were the six chaplains who scandalised the faithful by their irregular conduct. At Marchais there was the heretic's accusation that the Church had thousands of idle priests in the big cities while the poor people were served by unworthy clergy who were ignorant of even the basic truths of their religion.
During his apostolic journeys Vincent came across many proofs of his alarming state of affairs. The following diagnosis of the situation which we read in his writings could hardly be more pessimistic. He presents us with the sombre picture of many unlettered priests. [21] Their most common failings; and here their conduct was worse than that of lay folk, [22] were avarice, hard heartedness towards the poor, excessive drinking, [23] immoral behaviour [24] and negligence in ensuring that church property was kept in good order. "I was full of confusion at hearing what was being said about the dirt and the bad condition of churches in Frech." [25] What he has to say about liturgical abuses is particularly hard, and at the same time revealing, because he speaks from lived experience.
"If you had seen, I don't say the wrong actions, but the different ways they interpreted the rubrics for saying Mass forty years ago, (writes Vincent in 1659), you would have been ashamed. I think there is nothing more unbecoming than to see so many variations in the way Mass is celebrated. Some priests begin Mass with the Pater Noster; others have their chasuble over their arm while they say the Introibo and put it on afterwards. I was once in Saint Germain en Laye and I noticed seven or eight priests who each said Mass his own way. One would perform some of the ceremonies and the others would act differently. Such diversity was really pitiful."
[26]
Vincent, however, had no wish to generalise and he was happy to recognise that there were also priests who were very holy. In Paris itself there were many very good priests. [27] But, all in all, his deep conviction was that
"In many places the Church is falling into disrepute because of the bad lives of priests. It is these who are ruining and bringing down the Church, it is only too true that the depraved state of the clergy is the main reason for the downfall of God's Church." [28]
Reading this account of those deeply felt experiences, it is hard to believe Vincent altogether when he says he never thought of devoting himself to the reform of the clergy. Such statements should be understood to mean that he would never, on his own account, have dared to take on a work so bristling with difficulties. As always he awaited the manifestation of God's holy and adorable will without anticipating Providence." In the end God spoke to him one day through the words of a certain prelate and this gave him more reassurance "than if an angel had revealed it to him." [29]
"The ordinands are our richest and most precious asset"
It turned out like this. Among the bishops that Vincent had dealings with through giving missions in their dioceses, parts of which included the de Gondi estates, was one of the most austere and zealous prelates in France, Augustin Potier, bishop of Beauvais (+ 1650). On more than one occasion both men lamented the deplorable state of the diocesan clergy. Vincent had put forward very clearly his view of the problem; it was useless to try and reform the elderly priests who had lived irregular lives for many long years and had become used to that situation. A more radical remedy was needed. They would have to impart a truly priestly spirit to ordinands and not admit to holy orders those who lacked this spirit or who were incapable of fulfilling their priestly duties. Notice it was Vincent who put forward the "status quaestionis." The idea took root in the prelate's mind.
In the middle of July, 1628, Vincent and Monseigneur Potier were travelling together in the prelate's carriage. The bishop seemed to be dozing. His companions kept a respectful silence. But Potier wasn't dozing. After a whilehe half opened his eyes and murmured.
"I think I've found a quick and effective way of preparing candidates for the priesthood. Gather them together in my house for a few days, and see that they practise works of charity and receive instruction about their duties and their ministry."
Vincent took up the suggestion immediately. "That thought has come from God, my Lord. I, too, think that is the best way of setting the clergy of this diocese on the right path."
"Well, let's set to work", said the prelate. "Draw up a programme, prepare the list of subjects to be dealt with, and come back to Beauvais two or three weeks before the September ordinations to organise the retreat."
This was the divine signal Vincent had been waiting for. He arrived at Beauvais on 12th September. The three days from 14th 16th of September were devoted to examinations for the candidates. On Sundays, September 17th, the retreat began and the bishop himself gave the opening address. Then Vincent, helped by three members of the Bourdoise community, directed the retreat. He kept for himself the task of explaining the commandments. Duchesne and Messier, who were doctors of the Sorbonne, expleined the sacraments and the Creed. It was Duchesne who had accompanied Vincent on the mission at Marchais, and had helped with the conversion of the heretic. One of his brothers, assisted by a graduate, gave instructions on the liturgy. The retreat was a resounding success. All the ordinands made a general confession to Vincent. Duchesne was very moved and did likewise. [30]
So began the new work of the Congregation of the Mission which was still in its infancy; retreats for ordinands, "the richest and most precious deposit the Church could place in our hands", as Vincent used to say to his missionaries. [31]
Looked at from todays's perspective, Vincent's ways of tackling the terrible problem might seem to us inadequate. And some harsh critics of that period, like the Jansenists, were of the same opinion. [32] The retreats for ordinands were, in fact, a sort of professional sandwich course. In the space of ten or fifteen days, the aspirants to holy orders made the retreat proper, and also received basic instruction in morality and doctrine as well as practical experience in the rites of celebrating Mass and administering the sacraments. So it was a case of applying an urgent remedy to a state of affairs that had to be seen to at once. A complete programme for training priests would require the setting up and organising of seminaries. Vincent would come to that but the work would take many years and the Church, in the meantime, could not afford to wait. As long as the system of recruiting clergy remained unchanged, and each candidate was able to study any subjects he chose, the bishop could only see to it that ordinands received the short, sharp, shock of a retreat to make them reflect seriously on their vocation and to provide them with the basic theory and practice of the way they should perform their pastoral duties. In time to come, the retreats for ordinands would put the finishing touches to a long period of training in the seminary.
The new institution was an immediate and outstanding success. Within three years the practice was adopted in the diocese of Paris. The archbishop confided the work to Vincent de Paul. Many other dioceses followed suit, as we shall see later on, and even in Rome itself the retreats became obligatory and were always directed by priests of the Mission.
"A special confraternity called a charity."
The "charities", or confraternities of charity, which were the first works established by Vincent, continued to accupy a good deal of his time during these creative years. Everything points to the fact that Vincent had hit on just the right formula from the very moment they were first founded at Chatillon les Dombes. The initial foundation proved very successful but there was still need for modification and development.
Following established guidelines, every mission closed with the founding of a confraternity. Vincent and his companions were always faithful to this practice. Very soon there were charities on all the de Gondi estates and from there they spread to neighbouring districts. Paris itself, began to see charities set up in 1629. The first ones were established at Saint Sauveur and Saint Nicolas du Chardonnet. By 1631 they numbered six; the two just mentioned plus those of Saint Eustache, Saint Benoit, Saint Sulpice and Saint Méderic. Soon afterwards there followed those of Saint Paul, Saint Germain l'Auxerrois and Saint André. They increased gradually until there wasn't a single parish in the capital which did not have its confraternity. [33]
The second episcopal city to have the charities was Beauvais. Monseigneur Potier, that same bishop who had inspired Vincent to give retreats to ordinands, summoned him to establish charities in the main city of his diocese. [34] At Beauvais Vincent repeated, though perhaps more cautiously, his experiment at Mâcon to turn a whole city into a confraternity of charity. His precautions proved to be well founded. The royal lieutenant became alarmed at Vincent's activity and sent a strong note of protest to the authorities in Paris. He also asked them to investigate what was going on and present the facts to the Procurator General.
According to the note
"for the past fortnight there has been in this city a priest called Vincent who, disregarding the King's authority, and without informing either the court officials or any other appropiate authority, is holding meetings for a great number of women whom he has persuaded to join a confraternity which goes by the particular name of a Charity. By means of this society, he proposes to help the sick people of the said city of Beauvais, by giving them food and other necessities. Money
is collected every week for this purpose. It has been organised by the said Vincent who, having founded the said confraternity, has admitted to it some 300 women who meet frequently to undertake the above named functions a matter which cannot be tolerated." [35]
We have no documents to tell us what effect the royal deputy's bureaucratic prose had. It must have been nil because the charities continued to function in the town's 18 parishes.
A woman's hand is needed
As the charities began to spread, Vincent had to considered the problem of finding some central organisation which would co ordinate the charities and see that a good spirit was maintained in each. Some abuses had crept in; some charities were finding it hard to function; here and there the first fervour had waned, and many charities felt the need for instructions on how to proceed in face of unforeseen difficulties. Vincent thought there should be periodic visitations to reanimate the members' enthusiasm and correct any little failings. The best person for this would be a woman. A small group of ladies who had caught something of Vincent's charitable zeal, had gathered round him. Vincent had recourse to this group and addressed himself in a special way to the most fervent and devoted woman among them, Louise de Marillac. But first of all he had to train her. Vincent set about the task.
Louise had been a widow since 21st December, 1625. Her husband, Antoine le Gras, had died after a long and painful illness. He suffered a lot and the night before he died he vomited blood seven times. Nevertheless he had great peace of soul. Some days earlier he had taken the resolution to devote the rest of his life to God. His last words were, "Pray for me since I cannot pray any more." When morning came, Louise, who had been completely on her own that terrible night, hurried to church to go to confession and communion and then consecrate herself to Our Lord as the only spouse of her soul. [36]
Shortly after her husband's death, Louise's young son Michel, who was thirteen years old, entered the parish seminary of Saint Nicolas du Chardonnet. This wasn't to be the final solution because the poor lad was idle and unstable. He was to prove a constant source of worry for Louise but for the moment he seemed to want to be a priest. His entrance into Saint Nicolas du Chardonnet set him on this path and relieved his mother of not a few worries.
During the three years that followed, Vincent kept Louise in a state of something like holy idleness. She devoted this time to innumerable acts of piety. We still have the rule of life she imposed on herself at this time. Not even the most austere conventual rule could have been more demanding. Every day she had two hours of mental prayer, recitation of the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin, Mass, visit to the Blessed Sacrament, spiritual reading, rosary, examination of conscience and all these at the appointed time. Every hour she would make at least four acts of the presence of God accompanied by ejaculatory prayer. Every week she would re read what she had written in 1623; the account of her great temptation in order to remind herself of her obligation to serve God all her life. On the first Saturday of every month she would renew the vows and review the other resolutions she had taken. She received Holy Communion four days a week, and on these days she would practise special penance. As well as observing the fasts of Advent and Lent, she fasted every Friday of the year. She took the discipline three times a week and wore a hair shirt all day Friday and on the mornings she went to Communion. Every year she made two eights day retreats, one during the octave of the Ascension and the other in Advent. [37]
"I will think for both of us"
In the beginning Vincent let her continue like this. Then, little by little, he took over the reins to direct this ascetic novice. The correspondence between them which is still preserved, introduces us to another of Vincent's talents, the art of spiritual direction. His letters are full of affectionate concern and are written in affectionate and even tender terms; something we would not have expected from one who so harshly criticised the failings of the clergy. But it was just the tone that the afflicted widow Le Gras needed.
Vincent's spiritual direction led her to overcome her fears and place herself in the state of perfect indifference and of confidence in the merciful love of God.
"Continue to be happy and remain in the dispositions of wanting whatever it is God wants of you. [38] Try to find contentment in circunstances that bring you unhappiness and always honour the inactivity and the hidden life of the Son of God. This is the basic reason why God created you and it is what he asks of you at present, in the future and for ever. If his divine Majesty does not let you know, beyond any shadow of doubt, that he is asking something else of you, don't think about that matter, keep your mind off it. Leave me to be responsible for it. I will do the thinking for both of us." [39] "Read the book on the love of God, ('Treatise on the Love of God' by St. Francis de Sales) especially tha part where he writes about the love of God and the virtue of indifference." [40] "Why should your soul not be full of confidence since, through his mercy, you are the beloved daughter of Our Lord." [41]
Young Michel did not find the seminary at St. Nicolas to his liking and Louise was very anxious about him. There is scarcely a letter written by Vincent at this time in which he doesn't refer to the problem. He holds to the same principle, motherly love must also give way to confidence in God's love.
"How blessed it is to be a child of God, since He loves those who have the happiness of being his sons even more than you love your son; though you show more tenderness than any other mother shows her children. Have complete confidence that since Our Lord has given you such charity towards other people's children, you can expect Him to take special care of your son. Rest in this hope, and live with the joyful heart of one who is conformed to Our Lord's will in everything." [42]
Louise also needed to detach herself from her devotion to certain pious practices which, to someone of her meticulous and scrupulous temperament, were more of a hindrance than a help, on the road to perfection. She had to learn to distinguish between the essential thing, which was to love God, and her devotions, which were of lesser importance. Vincent's counsels led her gently on towards this goal.
"As for the thirty three acts of devotion in honour of Our Lord's sacred humanity and those other devotions, don't be worried when you omit them. God is love and he wants us to go to Him through love. So don't feel that you are obliged to perform all these good practices." I am very pleased that you should practise devotion to Our Lady provided you go gently." [43]
"Go in God's name"
The main problem was whether God wanted her in the cloister, as she had thought when she was young. Neither she, nor Vincent, had a clear answer to this question. So there was a delay of three years while they waited for some unequivocal sign from Providence. In the meantime, Vincent used the same tactics as he had done with Mde. de Gondi; he got louise interested in works of charity. In the early stages he did this indirectly and kept her in the background, more in the role of administrator. Together with the other ladies from Vincent's circle, Louise would send material, chemises, money and food from Paris to help the charities in country districts. [44] Finally, he judged her sufficiently mature to undertake visitations. The journeys began. To prepare her for the first one, Vincent sent her a letter which is both an itinerary and a spiritual guide.
"I am sending you letters and the report you will need for your journey. Go then, Mlle, in the name of Our Lord."
[45]
It meant a lot of work right from the outset. In 1629 Louise visited, as far as we know, the charities at Montmirail and Asnières. In 1630 she went to Saint Cloud, Villepreux, Villiers le Bal and back again to Montmirail and Beauvais. The following year she visited the charities of Monrueil sous Bois, Montmirail for the third time, Le Mesnil, Bergères, Loisy, Soulières, Sannois, Franconville and Herblay. In 1633 she went to Verneuil, Pont Sainte Maxence, Gournay, Neufville le Roy, Bulles...
Their journeys by ramshackle coach were most uncomfortable and they had to find lodgings wherever they could. They stopped at abandoned, wretched villages, where the accommodation was often not very respectable. The serious faces of Louise and her companions soon took on some of St. Teresa's joyfulness. Louise always travelled with an attendant, and often this would be one of the ladies she was friendly with, especially her cousin Isabelle du Fay.
The visitations weren't easy either. In some places they met opposition from the priest or even from the bishop of the diocese. [46] Vincent tried to smooth out difficulties beforehand by sending letters of introduction to the priest or providing her with a reference from Father Gondi if the charities were on his estates. [47] Each charity had its own particular problems. In Villepreux they had given up visiting the sick. In Sannois they didn't keep the accounts. In Franconville the procurator had taken charge of the funds and used them as he liked. The treasurer at Verneuil was tight fisted; she refused to take in any more sick people and sent home too soon those sick people already admitted. There was such division among the members at Bulles that one group refused to visit the poor with ladies from the other group. [48]
During these visitations Louise would remedy any faults, check abuses, remind them about points of rule, praise good actions, encourage, exhort and renew fervour. Moreover, she did not go to these charities purely as an administrator. Louise took an active part in the charitable works; she visited the poor, looked after the sick and distributed alms. Her special care was to teach young girls their catechism. Louise would gather them together and explain the doctrines of faith and a christian's duties and obligations. She used a catechism which she herself had drawn up and which is still preserved. Like all the catechisms of that time, it was based on question and answer, and contained a clear and simple summary of the articles of faith together with instructions on the sacraments and the christian's rule of life. Before leaving the town Louise would show the schoolmistress, if there was one, how to continue the work she had started. If there was no schoolmistress, she tried to train one of the
youngsters to do the work. [49]
Humility in triumph
The most remarkable visitation was the one she made at Beauvais in 1630. Vincent sent her there to put the finishing touches to the 18 charities which, as we have seen, he founded in that town. Her visit won applause from the outset, so much so that Vincent had to give her this warning:
"When you find yourself honoured and esteemed be united in spirit with the mockery, scorn and ill treatment that the Son of God suffered. It is quite true, Mademoiselle, that a truly humble soul can find humiliation as much in acclaim as in abuse, and, like the bee, can make honey from the dew that falls on wormwood equally well as from that which falls on the rose." [50]
Louise solved a lot of practical problems but not without first consulting Vincent by letter. Vincent acted in the same way with Louise. Thanks to details in this interchange of correspondence we learn to what extent Vincent was prepared to use his talents as organiser. The treasurer could delegate to another person the provision of wine and so devote herself to her special duties of admitting and discharging the sick, but they were not to pay wages to this assistant or she would, says Vincent, with a deliberate play on words, prove "the costliest thing the community had." It is all right for members of the confraternity at Basse Oeuvre to attend the funeral of poor people from their own charity as well as that of Saint Gil, but this should not become a regular practice since each parish had enough to do to look after its own poor. A collection should be taken up on as many days as was necessary; nobody should sell medicines if they didn't know what they cost; it would be as well to inform the bishop about their principal works etc. [51]
During the visitation Louise would summon the ladies to a general meeting. No men were allowed to attend, but the interest roused by that kindly and intelligent lady from Paris was so great that some men hid in the building where the meetings were being held, to listen to what she said. We are not told whether the king's suspicious deputy was among the listeners!
At last the day came for them to leave. It was a noisy farewell. The whole town gathered round the coach that Louise was to travel in, and they followed it to the outskirts of the town, shouting blessings and thanks. A dangerous accident might have spoilt their jubilation but in fact it added to their happiness. A little boy was jostled by the crowd and he fell to the ground in front of the coach. One of the wheels went right over his body. Louise saw the accident and immediately started to pray. As she looked back she could see the boy get up, completely unscathed, and go happily on his way. Whether it was a miracle or not the golden legend began to weave its web round Louise, too. [52]
"What a beautiful tree"
Vincent's tactics had the outcome he had been hoping for. One day, while she was at prayer, Louise was divinely inspired to devote her whole life to the service of the poor. [53] Vincent was overjoyed at the news.
"Yes, at long last, my dear Mlle. I think it is a good idea. How could it not be, since it was Our Lord who put this good thought into your mind? So go to Communion tomorrow and prepare that useful general confesion you planned to make. After that you can begin the Retreat you had in mind. I can't tell you how earnestly I want to see you, to find out how all this has come about, but I will mortify myself in this for the love of God which is the one preoccupation I desire you to have.
I can imagine you must have been deeply moved by the words of today's gospel. How powerfully they must speak to a heart that loves with a perfect love. Oh what a tree you must have seemed in God's eyes, today, since you brought forth such fruits. May you always remain a beautiful tree of life producing fruits of love." [54]
Early in 1633, Vincent's co operation with God's work succeded in fashioning Louise, after seven years probation, into a fitting instrument for charitable works. With her support he was about to embark on the last, and in some ways the most important, of all his initiatives. This subject needs to be studied in depth. We shall come to it later on
The de Gondi lands were waiting. As soon as the new community came into being it was launched into the work for which it had been founded. No fewer than 140 missions were preached during the first six years of its history when the missionaries had their first home at the Bons Enfants. [1] This figure is all the more remarkable since there were more than seven priest, until 1631. In that year the number rose to 14 [2] thanks to the ordination of some clerics who had been admitted to the Company some years previously and these were joined by two more priests. This meant that two missionary teams could be set up and they would work a total of 290 days in the year. Vincent worked just like the others. The office of Superior didn't demand much in the way of supervisory duties. Vincent was more than Superior; he was their leader. He was gradually laying the foundations of a religious Congregation that was destined to last.
Life at the Bons Enfants was well ordered. There were rules for all the community exercises which regulated the time to be given to prayer, to study and to "controversy", a term which signified debates with the Huguenots. These regulations were taken from a manual written by the Belgian Jesuit, Martin Becan, which was much in vogue at that time. Vincent made sure that the order of day was observed even when he was absent. [3]
There were some picturesque aspects to the missionary journeys. To honour the terms of the foundation and not place any burden at all on the places where missions were being given, the missionaries used to take with them the basic items of furniture they would need and these even included portable beds, [4] which would be put in a little horse drawn cart. They made the journey from one place to another on foot but when they grew weary they would take it in turn to ride the one horse [5] they had at their disposal. As Superior, Vincent was attentive to the smallest details. Life on the missions was to follow the Paris regime as much as possible. They kept to a fixed time for rising and for going to bed, for meditation, for reciting the Divine Office, for going to the church, for mission services and for returning. Vincent attached great importance to things being done at the same time and on a regular basis, not according to people's whims and passing moods. He wanted to inculcate habits of regularity and exactness. [6] He was even more anxious to teach his collaborators those virtues he deemed most necessary for living in community. He insisted on prudence, thinking ahead and on meekness. He urged them to struggl against sensuality, selfishness and any form of vanity in their preaching. [7]
But Vincent was no dreamer. He knew that communities are made up of men who all have their little faults, their different temperaments and moods which could sometimes cause friction. For that reason he had to smooth away rough edges and settle minor differences. On one occasion he exhorted Portail to forego his seniority and in charity give complete support ("I repeat, complete support") to the young and inexperienced Father Lucas. "This was the way Our Lord won over and taught his apostles" and the way Portail was to act since he was older in years and the second eldest in vocation. It was just like a father gently, very gently, correcting his son, "As you are the eldest..." [8]
At other times he had to offer encouragement and congratulation. Vincent did this discreetly and when he gave praise he mentioned at the same time the qualities that person still lacked. This same M. Portail was a shy man who even in 1630, after 20 years at Vincent's side, hadn't the courage to preach from a pulpit. When he at last managed to do this Vincent congratulated him, and begged for him the grace of being an example to the community when conversation showed any lack of modesty, meekness or mutual respect. [9]
He was not only concerned for their spiritual welfare. Health and happiness are equally important if a community is to function well. "Are you all well? Are you all happy?" he would ask when he was away from them. His letters would frequently end with this practical recommendation, "I beg you, take care of your health." [10]
"I thought the gates of Paris were going to fall on top of me"
But his greatest concern was to share his zeal; that burning spiritual desire for souls who were at risk, his indefatigable spirit of work, his hunger and thirst for God's glory all these things were an obsession he wanted to pass on to others.
"The poor people run the risk of losing their souls because they are ignorant of the truths necessary for salvation and they don't know how to go to confession. If His Holiness knew of their needs he wouldn't rest until he had put the matter to rights. It was our awareness of this problem that caused us to found the Company." [11]
Vincent, himself, was so consumed with this zeal that he believed he had no right to take any rest. The following disclosure on his part is absolutely invaluable for revealing to us the spiritual dispositions of the Founder during those early years that same M. Vincent who just ten years before had limited his aspirations to the procuring of a good benefice and leading the quiet, peaceful life of a worthy canon or respected abbot.
"Whenever I came back from a mission and drew near to Paris I had the feeling that the gates of the city were about to fall on me and crush me to pieces. That thought was in my mind nearly every time I returned from giving a mission. I used to think to myself. "Here are you coming back to Paris while there are many other villages expecting you to do for them what you've just done elsewhere. If you had not gone to that particular village then such and such a one would probably have been damned if they had died in the state you found them in. Having experienced this, and knowing that such sins are being committed in that parish, don't you think that the same sins and similar faults are being committed in the other parishes too? They are waiting for you to go and do forthem what you have just done for their neighbours. They are expecting a mission and you go off and leave them there! If people die in the meantime, and they die without repenting of their sins, you will be responsible in a way for their damnation and you should tremble lest God call you to account for it." Fathers and Brothers, these were the thoughts that went through my mind." [12]
Anxious to put the Company on a solid foundation, Vincent proposed a practice which was widespread in most communities; that of making vows. Most of his followers took the advice given by their father and master.
"From the very beginning God granted the Company the desire to live in the most perfect way possible outside of the religious state. These are the reasons why we made vows; to unite ourselves more closely to Our Lord and to his Church, for the Superior of the Company to be more united to its members and for the members to be in closer union with its head. This custom has been followed since the second or third year of the Company's existence. These vows of poverty etc. were simple vows and we renewed them after two or three years." [13]
Without rushing things, but avoiding procrastination too, he was tracing the main outlines of his Institute Vincent considered it most important to have the foundations solidly laid. At the same time he was creating a style, or as he would say, a spirit, (this was a popular word in that century), he was fashioning apostles and seeing in his mind's eye the benchmark of the Institute. The Congregation of the Mission is the first of his works and in a certain sense it will give support to all the rest. Without realising it Vincent was becoming a patriarch, a role he assumed without any trace of arrogance. He felt conscious of his unworthiness and this was a burden he would carry all through life. He was very far from considering himself a saint but paradoxically that is precisely what other people were beginning to think that he was.
"Depravity among the clergy is the ruin of the Church"
As the new Congregation developed, a new apostolate was, opening up, that of retreats for ordinands. Given Vincent's habit of denying that any work he undertook was done on his own initiative, and his attributing all of them to the unforeseen and mysterious designs of providence; [14] it is hard to judge how far this new work sprang from Vincent's concern and preoccupation about the question, or how much it was the result of fortuitous circunstances which obliged him to take on the work and thus comply with Providence.
The need to correct abuses among the clergy was a cause of deep concern to those members of the reform movement whose company Vincent had been frequenting since the early days of his conversion. [15] This rehabilitation was the underlying principle of the Tridentine reform project. So there were swarms of people trying to get the Tridentine directives and initiatives for the reform of the clergy introduced into France. This was a crying need as is proved by statements from contemporary witnesses attesting the relaxation of morals among the clergy. There were three main reasons for this; firstly, the system of allocating benefices which was largely in the hands of lay people (the Crown, Parlement or feudal lords); secondly, the practice of allowing lay people and even children to assume the title of abbot, prior or even bishop; and finally, the lack of centres for training priests.
As well as the three conditions just mentioned there was wide spread abuse of every kind. There were irregular ordinations (we remember Vincent's own ordination) and the appointment as bishops, abbots and canons of individuals who had no vocation for the task, or rather, whose only vocatioon was a hereditary right to certain ecclesiastical benefices. A great number of dioceses were either without a bishop or the prelate did not comply with the obligation to reside in that place. In addition there was the scandal given by numerous clergy through their gambling, concubinage and addiction to drink. There was widespread ignorance of liturgical rites and ceremonies and ignorance, too, of even the basic truths of the faith. [16]
As a remedy for such a sad state of affairs the Council of Trent proposed the setting up in every diocese of seminaries where aspirants to the priesthood would be educated from an early age and instructed in those subjects necessary for the exercise of the sacred ministry. [17] But as we know, the Tridentine decrees were not accepted in France until 1615. Before that date the assemblies of clergy and provincial councils issued numerous decrees in the last quarter of that century, urging the establishment of seminaries and general measures to reform the clergy. But none of these seminaries flourished and sooner or later they all closed. In 1624 the situation had improved only marginally. The conciliar documents continued to be a dead letter. [18]
At the beginning of the 17th century a solution began to emerge. It came from the nucleus of reformers grouped around Dom Beaucousin, Canfield, Duval, Mde. Acarie, Bérulle and Marillac. Vincent had become acquainted with this group. The basic thrust of Bérulle's action, and something that Cyran continued and reinforced, was to make people realise the dignity of the priestly calling. Bérulle's Orations put their best men and their biggest effort into the training of priests. [19]
The same objectives were pursued, although by different methods, by another friend of Bérulle and Vincent de Paul; Adrian Bourdoise (1583 1655) who, in the parish of Saint Nicholas du Chardonnet in Paris, had set up a community of priests where a small number of aspirants to the priesthood reccived some training in spirituality and ministry. Michel le Gras, the son of Louise de Marillac was one of these aspirants. So, too, was Claude Lancelot [20] who was to become the famous Jansenist leader:
From the very outset Vincent was well aware of the deplorable state of the clergy. The people were deprived of pastoral care because their priests were unworthy of their calling and lacked training. This situation was the crucial factor in the three decisive experiences that determined Vincent's vocation. When he was with the de Gondis there had been the confessor who didn't know the words of absolution. In Chatillon there were the six chaplains who scandalised the faithful by their irregular conduct. At Marchais there was the heretic's accusation that the Church had thousands of idle priests in the big cities while the poor people were served by unworthy clergy who were ignorant of even the basic truths of their religion.
During his apostolic journeys Vincent came across many proofs of his alarming state of affairs. The following diagnosis of the situation which we read in his writings could hardly be more pessimistic. He presents us with the sombre picture of many unlettered priests. [21] Their most common failings; and here their conduct was worse than that of lay folk, [22] were avarice, hard heartedness towards the poor, excessive drinking, [23] immoral behaviour [24] and negligence in ensuring that church property was kept in good order. "I was full of confusion at hearing what was being said about the dirt and the bad condition of churches in Frech." [25] What he has to say about liturgical abuses is particularly hard, and at the same time revealing, because he speaks from lived experience.
"If you had seen, I don't say the wrong actions, but the different ways they interpreted the rubrics for saying Mass forty years ago, (writes Vincent in 1659), you would have been ashamed. I think there is nothing more unbecoming than to see so many variations in the way Mass is celebrated. Some priests begin Mass with the Pater Noster; others have their chasuble over their arm while they say the Introibo and put it on afterwards. I was once in Saint Germain en Laye and I noticed seven or eight priests who each said Mass his own way. One would perform some of the ceremonies and the others would act differently. Such diversity was really pitiful."
[26]
Vincent, however, had no wish to generalise and he was happy to recognise that there were also priests who were very holy. In Paris itself there were many very good priests. [27] But, all in all, his deep conviction was that
"In many places the Church is falling into disrepute because of the bad lives of priests. It is these who are ruining and bringing down the Church, it is only too true that the depraved state of the clergy is the main reason for the downfall of God's Church." [28]
Reading this account of those deeply felt experiences, it is hard to believe Vincent altogether when he says he never thought of devoting himself to the reform of the clergy. Such statements should be understood to mean that he would never, on his own account, have dared to take on a work so bristling with difficulties. As always he awaited the manifestation of God's holy and adorable will without anticipating Providence." In the end God spoke to him one day through the words of a certain prelate and this gave him more reassurance "than if an angel had revealed it to him." [29]
"The ordinands are our richest and most precious asset"
It turned out like this. Among the bishops that Vincent had dealings with through giving missions in their dioceses, parts of which included the de Gondi estates, was one of the most austere and zealous prelates in France, Augustin Potier, bishop of Beauvais (+ 1650). On more than one occasion both men lamented the deplorable state of the diocesan clergy. Vincent had put forward very clearly his view of the problem; it was useless to try and reform the elderly priests who had lived irregular lives for many long years and had become used to that situation. A more radical remedy was needed. They would have to impart a truly priestly spirit to ordinands and not admit to holy orders those who lacked this spirit or who were incapable of fulfilling their priestly duties. Notice it was Vincent who put forward the "status quaestionis." The idea took root in the prelate's mind.
In the middle of July, 1628, Vincent and Monseigneur Potier were travelling together in the prelate's carriage. The bishop seemed to be dozing. His companions kept a respectful silence. But Potier wasn't dozing. After a whilehe half opened his eyes and murmured.
"I think I've found a quick and effective way of preparing candidates for the priesthood. Gather them together in my house for a few days, and see that they practise works of charity and receive instruction about their duties and their ministry."
Vincent took up the suggestion immediately. "That thought has come from God, my Lord. I, too, think that is the best way of setting the clergy of this diocese on the right path."
"Well, let's set to work", said the prelate. "Draw up a programme, prepare the list of subjects to be dealt with, and come back to Beauvais two or three weeks before the September ordinations to organise the retreat."
This was the divine signal Vincent had been waiting for. He arrived at Beauvais on 12th September. The three days from 14th 16th of September were devoted to examinations for the candidates. On Sundays, September 17th, the retreat began and the bishop himself gave the opening address. Then Vincent, helped by three members of the Bourdoise community, directed the retreat. He kept for himself the task of explaining the commandments. Duchesne and Messier, who were doctors of the Sorbonne, expleined the sacraments and the Creed. It was Duchesne who had accompanied Vincent on the mission at Marchais, and had helped with the conversion of the heretic. One of his brothers, assisted by a graduate, gave instructions on the liturgy. The retreat was a resounding success. All the ordinands made a general confession to Vincent. Duchesne was very moved and did likewise. [30]
So began the new work of the Congregation of the Mission which was still in its infancy; retreats for ordinands, "the richest and most precious deposit the Church could place in our hands", as Vincent used to say to his missionaries. [31]
Looked at from todays's perspective, Vincent's ways of tackling the terrible problem might seem to us inadequate. And some harsh critics of that period, like the Jansenists, were of the same opinion. [32] The retreats for ordinands were, in fact, a sort of professional sandwich course. In the space of ten or fifteen days, the aspirants to holy orders made the retreat proper, and also received basic instruction in morality and doctrine as well as practical experience in the rites of celebrating Mass and administering the sacraments. So it was a case of applying an urgent remedy to a state of affairs that had to be seen to at once. A complete programme for training priests would require the setting up and organising of seminaries. Vincent would come to that but the work would take many years and the Church, in the meantime, could not afford to wait. As long as the system of recruiting clergy remained unchanged, and each candidate was able to study any subjects he chose, the bishop could only see to it that ordinands received the short, sharp, shock of a retreat to make them reflect seriously on their vocation and to provide them with the basic theory and practice of the way they should perform their pastoral duties. In time to come, the retreats for ordinands would put the finishing touches to a long period of training in the seminary.
The new institution was an immediate and outstanding success. Within three years the practice was adopted in the diocese of Paris. The archbishop confided the work to Vincent de Paul. Many other dioceses followed suit, as we shall see later on, and even in Rome itself the retreats became obligatory and were always directed by priests of the Mission.
"A special confraternity called a charity."
The "charities", or confraternities of charity, which were the first works established by Vincent, continued to accupy a good deal of his time during these creative years. Everything points to the fact that Vincent had hit on just the right formula from the very moment they were first founded at Chatillon les Dombes. The initial foundation proved very successful but there was still need for modification and development.
Following established guidelines, every mission closed with the founding of a confraternity. Vincent and his companions were always faithful to this practice. Very soon there were charities on all the de Gondi estates and from there they spread to neighbouring districts. Paris itself, began to see charities set up in 1629. The first ones were established at Saint Sauveur and Saint Nicolas du Chardonnet. By 1631 they numbered six; the two just mentioned plus those of Saint Eustache, Saint Benoit, Saint Sulpice and Saint Méderic. Soon afterwards there followed those of Saint Paul, Saint Germain l'Auxerrois and Saint André. They increased gradually until there wasn't a single parish in the capital which did not have its confraternity. [33]
The second episcopal city to have the charities was Beauvais. Monseigneur Potier, that same bishop who had inspired Vincent to give retreats to ordinands, summoned him to establish charities in the main city of his diocese. [34] At Beauvais Vincent repeated, though perhaps more cautiously, his experiment at Mâcon to turn a whole city into a confraternity of charity. His precautions proved to be well founded. The royal lieutenant became alarmed at Vincent's activity and sent a strong note of protest to the authorities in Paris. He also asked them to investigate what was going on and present the facts to the Procurator General.
According to the note
"for the past fortnight there has been in this city a priest called Vincent who, disregarding the King's authority, and without informing either the court officials or any other appropiate authority, is holding meetings for a great number of women whom he has persuaded to join a confraternity which goes by the particular name of a Charity. By means of this society, he proposes to help the sick people of the said city of Beauvais, by giving them food and other necessities. Money
is collected every week for this purpose. It has been organised by the said Vincent who, having founded the said confraternity, has admitted to it some 300 women who meet frequently to undertake the above named functions a matter which cannot be tolerated." [35]
We have no documents to tell us what effect the royal deputy's bureaucratic prose had. It must have been nil because the charities continued to function in the town's 18 parishes.
A woman's hand is needed
As the charities began to spread, Vincent had to considered the problem of finding some central organisation which would co ordinate the charities and see that a good spirit was maintained in each. Some abuses had crept in; some charities were finding it hard to function; here and there the first fervour had waned, and many charities felt the need for instructions on how to proceed in face of unforeseen difficulties. Vincent thought there should be periodic visitations to reanimate the members' enthusiasm and correct any little failings. The best person for this would be a woman. A small group of ladies who had caught something of Vincent's charitable zeal, had gathered round him. Vincent had recourse to this group and addressed himself in a special way to the most fervent and devoted woman among them, Louise de Marillac. But first of all he had to train her. Vincent set about the task.
Louise had been a widow since 21st December, 1625. Her husband, Antoine le Gras, had died after a long and painful illness. He suffered a lot and the night before he died he vomited blood seven times. Nevertheless he had great peace of soul. Some days earlier he had taken the resolution to devote the rest of his life to God. His last words were, "Pray for me since I cannot pray any more." When morning came, Louise, who had been completely on her own that terrible night, hurried to church to go to confession and communion and then consecrate herself to Our Lord as the only spouse of her soul. [36]
Shortly after her husband's death, Louise's young son Michel, who was thirteen years old, entered the parish seminary of Saint Nicolas du Chardonnet. This wasn't to be the final solution because the poor lad was idle and unstable. He was to prove a constant source of worry for Louise but for the moment he seemed to want to be a priest. His entrance into Saint Nicolas du Chardonnet set him on this path and relieved his mother of not a few worries.
During the three years that followed, Vincent kept Louise in a state of something like holy idleness. She devoted this time to innumerable acts of piety. We still have the rule of life she imposed on herself at this time. Not even the most austere conventual rule could have been more demanding. Every day she had two hours of mental prayer, recitation of the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin, Mass, visit to the Blessed Sacrament, spiritual reading, rosary, examination of conscience and all these at the appointed time. Every hour she would make at least four acts of the presence of God accompanied by ejaculatory prayer. Every week she would re read what she had written in 1623; the account of her great temptation in order to remind herself of her obligation to serve God all her life. On the first Saturday of every month she would renew the vows and review the other resolutions she had taken. She received Holy Communion four days a week, and on these days she would practise special penance. As well as observing the fasts of Advent and Lent, she fasted every Friday of the year. She took the discipline three times a week and wore a hair shirt all day Friday and on the mornings she went to Communion. Every year she made two eights day retreats, one during the octave of the Ascension and the other in Advent. [37]
"I will think for both of us"
In the beginning Vincent let her continue like this. Then, little by little, he took over the reins to direct this ascetic novice. The correspondence between them which is still preserved, introduces us to another of Vincent's talents, the art of spiritual direction. His letters are full of affectionate concern and are written in affectionate and even tender terms; something we would not have expected from one who so harshly criticised the failings of the clergy. But it was just the tone that the afflicted widow Le Gras needed.
Vincent's spiritual direction led her to overcome her fears and place herself in the state of perfect indifference and of confidence in the merciful love of God.
"Continue to be happy and remain in the dispositions of wanting whatever it is God wants of you. [38] Try to find contentment in circunstances that bring you unhappiness and always honour the inactivity and the hidden life of the Son of God. This is the basic reason why God created you and it is what he asks of you at present, in the future and for ever. If his divine Majesty does not let you know, beyond any shadow of doubt, that he is asking something else of you, don't think about that matter, keep your mind off it. Leave me to be responsible for it. I will do the thinking for both of us." [39] "Read the book on the love of God, ('Treatise on the Love of God' by St. Francis de Sales) especially tha part where he writes about the love of God and the virtue of indifference." [40] "Why should your soul not be full of confidence since, through his mercy, you are the beloved daughter of Our Lord." [41]
Young Michel did not find the seminary at St. Nicolas to his liking and Louise was very anxious about him. There is scarcely a letter written by Vincent at this time in which he doesn't refer to the problem. He holds to the same principle, motherly love must also give way to confidence in God's love.
"How blessed it is to be a child of God, since He loves those who have the happiness of being his sons even more than you love your son; though you show more tenderness than any other mother shows her children. Have complete confidence that since Our Lord has given you such charity towards other people's children, you can expect Him to take special care of your son. Rest in this hope, and live with the joyful heart of one who is conformed to Our Lord's will in everything." [42]
Louise also needed to detach herself from her devotion to certain pious practices which, to someone of her meticulous and scrupulous temperament, were more of a hindrance than a help, on the road to perfection. She had to learn to distinguish between the essential thing, which was to love God, and her devotions, which were of lesser importance. Vincent's counsels led her gently on towards this goal.
"As for the thirty three acts of devotion in honour of Our Lord's sacred humanity and those other devotions, don't be worried when you omit them. God is love and he wants us to go to Him through love. So don't feel that you are obliged to perform all these good practices." I am very pleased that you should practise devotion to Our Lady provided you go gently." [43]
"Go in God's name"
The main problem was whether God wanted her in the cloister, as she had thought when she was young. Neither she, nor Vincent, had a clear answer to this question. So there was a delay of three years while they waited for some unequivocal sign from Providence. In the meantime, Vincent used the same tactics as he had done with Mde. de Gondi; he got louise interested in works of charity. In the early stages he did this indirectly and kept her in the background, more in the role of administrator. Together with the other ladies from Vincent's circle, Louise would send material, chemises, money and food from Paris to help the charities in country districts. [44] Finally, he judged her sufficiently mature to undertake visitations. The journeys began. To prepare her for the first one, Vincent sent her a letter which is both an itinerary and a spiritual guide.
"I am sending you letters and the report you will need for your journey. Go then, Mlle, in the name of Our Lord."
[45]
It meant a lot of work right from the outset. In 1629 Louise visited, as far as we know, the charities at Montmirail and Asnières. In 1630 she went to Saint Cloud, Villepreux, Villiers le Bal and back again to Montmirail and Beauvais. The following year she visited the charities of Monrueil sous Bois, Montmirail for the third time, Le Mesnil, Bergères, Loisy, Soulières, Sannois, Franconville and Herblay. In 1633 she went to Verneuil, Pont Sainte Maxence, Gournay, Neufville le Roy, Bulles...
Their journeys by ramshackle coach were most uncomfortable and they had to find lodgings wherever they could. They stopped at abandoned, wretched villages, where the accommodation was often not very respectable. The serious faces of Louise and her companions soon took on some of St. Teresa's joyfulness. Louise always travelled with an attendant, and often this would be one of the ladies she was friendly with, especially her cousin Isabelle du Fay.
The visitations weren't easy either. In some places they met opposition from the priest or even from the bishop of the diocese. [46] Vincent tried to smooth out difficulties beforehand by sending letters of introduction to the priest or providing her with a reference from Father Gondi if the charities were on his estates. [47] Each charity had its own particular problems. In Villepreux they had given up visiting the sick. In Sannois they didn't keep the accounts. In Franconville the procurator had taken charge of the funds and used them as he liked. The treasurer at Verneuil was tight fisted; she refused to take in any more sick people and sent home too soon those sick people already admitted. There was such division among the members at Bulles that one group refused to visit the poor with ladies from the other group. [48]
During these visitations Louise would remedy any faults, check abuses, remind them about points of rule, praise good actions, encourage, exhort and renew fervour. Moreover, she did not go to these charities purely as an administrator. Louise took an active part in the charitable works; she visited the poor, looked after the sick and distributed alms. Her special care was to teach young girls their catechism. Louise would gather them together and explain the doctrines of faith and a christian's duties and obligations. She used a catechism which she herself had drawn up and which is still preserved. Like all the catechisms of that time, it was based on question and answer, and contained a clear and simple summary of the articles of faith together with instructions on the sacraments and the christian's rule of life. Before leaving the town Louise would show the schoolmistress, if there was one, how to continue the work she had started. If there was no schoolmistress, she tried to train one of the
youngsters to do the work. [49]
Humility in triumph
The most remarkable visitation was the one she made at Beauvais in 1630. Vincent sent her there to put the finishing touches to the 18 charities which, as we have seen, he founded in that town. Her visit won applause from the outset, so much so that Vincent had to give her this warning:
"When you find yourself honoured and esteemed be united in spirit with the mockery, scorn and ill treatment that the Son of God suffered. It is quite true, Mademoiselle, that a truly humble soul can find humiliation as much in acclaim as in abuse, and, like the bee, can make honey from the dew that falls on wormwood equally well as from that which falls on the rose." [50]
Louise solved a lot of practical problems but not without first consulting Vincent by letter. Vincent acted in the same way with Louise. Thanks to details in this interchange of correspondence we learn to what extent Vincent was prepared to use his talents as organiser. The treasurer could delegate to another person the provision of wine and so devote herself to her special duties of admitting and discharging the sick, but they were not to pay wages to this assistant or she would, says Vincent, with a deliberate play on words, prove "the costliest thing the community had." It is all right for members of the confraternity at Basse Oeuvre to attend the funeral of poor people from their own charity as well as that of Saint Gil, but this should not become a regular practice since each parish had enough to do to look after its own poor. A collection should be taken up on as many days as was necessary; nobody should sell medicines if they didn't know what they cost; it would be as well to inform the bishop about their principal works etc. [51]
During the visitation Louise would summon the ladies to a general meeting. No men were allowed to attend, but the interest roused by that kindly and intelligent lady from Paris was so great that some men hid in the building where the meetings were being held, to listen to what she said. We are not told whether the king's suspicious deputy was among the listeners!
At last the day came for them to leave. It was a noisy farewell. The whole town gathered round the coach that Louise was to travel in, and they followed it to the outskirts of the town, shouting blessings and thanks. A dangerous accident might have spoilt their jubilation but in fact it added to their happiness. A little boy was jostled by the crowd and he fell to the ground in front of the coach. One of the wheels went right over his body. Louise saw the accident and immediately started to pray. As she looked back she could see the boy get up, completely unscathed, and go happily on his way. Whether it was a miracle or not the golden legend began to weave its web round Louise, too. [52]
"What a beautiful tree"
Vincent's tactics had the outcome he had been hoping for. One day, while she was at prayer, Louise was divinely inspired to devote her whole life to the service of the poor. [53] Vincent was overjoyed at the news.
"Yes, at long last, my dear Mlle. I think it is a good idea. How could it not be, since it was Our Lord who put this good thought into your mind? So go to Communion tomorrow and prepare that useful general confesion you planned to make. After that you can begin the Retreat you had in mind. I can't tell you how earnestly I want to see you, to find out how all this has come about, but I will mortify myself in this for the love of God which is the one preoccupation I desire you to have.
I can imagine you must have been deeply moved by the words of today's gospel. How powerfully they must speak to a heart that loves with a perfect love. Oh what a tree you must have seemed in God's eyes, today, since you brought forth such fruits. May you always remain a beautiful tree of life producing fruits of love." [54]
Early in 1633, Vincent's co operation with God's work succeded in fashioning Louise, after seven years probation, into a fitting instrument for charitable works. With her support he was about to embark on the last, and in some ways the most important, of all his initiatives. This subject needs to be studied in depth. We shall come to it later on
