CHAPTER XVI
THE STRUGGLE TO PUT THE COMPANY ON A MORE SOLID FINANCIAL BASIS
THE STRUGGLE TO PUT THE COMPANY ON A MORE SOLID FINANCIAL BASIS
"We have no right to refuse what people give us out of love for God"
Vincent knew that establishing his Congregation's juridical structure was not enough to safeguard its status within the Church. It was also essential to to see that the Company's finances were secure, in order to provide for the needs of its members and also to ensure freedom of action in the apostolate. It was all the more necessary since all its members, and particulary those engaged in the work of preaching missions, had to give their services free.
The basic financial assets held by the Congregation between 1625 and 1632, came from income from the capital given at the foundation, the 45,000 livres donated by the de Gondis and invested, as the contract stipulated, in land investment. [1] This capital sum was meant to provide for the needs of 6 or 7 missionaries. Well, the Congregation was beginning to expand. In addition to the coadjutor brothers, whose vocation consisted in helping the priests' apostolic work by striving after personal sanctification and carrying out domestic taskses, there were 11 members of the Congregation in 1627, 18 in 1629, 23 in 1630 and 26 in 1631. This brief résumé of statistics gives us some idea of the little Company's satisfactory progress with regard to personnel. But it also reminds us of the corresponding increase in expense. Of course the Collège de Bons Enfants, which, as we mentioned earlier, Vincent donated to the Congregation, must have provided another modest source of income from the contributions paid by the priests who lived there, and as it was still a university college in the strict sense of the term, it drew income from some independent properties. But we have no records to help us evaluate these sources of income, which, in any case, would have been of no great value. On the other hand we do know that major repairs had to be carried out. [2] So it's not surprising that Vincent had to take out loans which were sometimes endorsed with money belonging to Louise de Marillac, [3] and that when the time came to buy an organ, he went to a second class tradesman and not to one of the exclusive firms that made musical instruments. It is moving to note that in the contract for constructing this organ, Vincent expressly stipulated three or four times, that it had to be solidly made this shows the mentality of someone who had to practise economy and wanted to make sure that his money would be well spent. The price of the said organ was 150 livres. [4]
The Congregation also received gifts occasionally and Vincent tried not to refuse these. One day Father de la Salle, keeping strictly to the rule that mission work should be gratuitous, refused to accept a gift from Father Gondi. Vincent wrote to him to rectify this;
"You have no need to worry about accepting charity from Rev. Father Gondi. If you have been refusing it up to now, make your apologies to M. Ferrat. He is our founder. We have no right to refuse anything that is given to us for the love of God, or that is donated by someone not living in the place where we are giving a mission. This was the way St. Paul used to act. He would never accept anything from the people among whom he was working but he would take offerings from other churches so as to be able to continue his labours in other places... "Spolians Ecclesias Macedoniae, ut non essem vobis oneri" he writes to the Corinthians, though he adds that he glories in preaching the gospel without payment." [5]
Here we have a picture of the real Vincent de Paul as portrayed in his own words. He was no Utopian dreaming about some unattainable Arcady, but the practical realist who was willing to bleed the rich to help the poor. It could be true, too, that the inacurate quotation from St. Paul revealed the subconscious workings of his mind. To take from the rich in order to aid the poor, this was the secret of very many of his enterprises.
If certain sources are to be believed, there came a time, round 1628, when the Company's finances were reaching a critical stage. An eighteenth century Oratorian, Fr. Joseph Bicaïs spread a rumour "You can read in a certain work", he said that at one time, Fr. Gondi was thinking of taking the gift he had made to Vincent de Paul for the establishment of his Congregation. He went to consult the abbot of Saint Cyran about this but the abbot dissuaded him and pointed out the benefits the foundation could bring to the Church." [6]
Most probably, the work from which Bicaïs alleged that he had taken this information, would be a small book by Martin de Barcos, a nephew of Saint Cyran, who wrote it to counteract Abelly's biography of Vincent. The learned Oratorian must have read the pages from Barcos's work in a great hurry because the text could be interpreted in different ways. He says of Father Gondi,
"He honoured with his friendship the now deceased abbot of Saint Cyran, whose piety and learning he held in high esteem. He told him that he had been advised to change his mind and transfer to others the foundation gift of the Collège de Bons Enfants that he had made to the Priests of the Mission. He had made this endowment during the lifetime of Madame General of the Galleys, and his wife had been in complete agreement. He asked the abbot what he should do. Saint Cyran dissuaded him from making the change and encouraged him to keep to his original plan. Father Gondi did this, and gave no more thought to the alternative which others had proposed. One could therefore say that the late Monsieur de Saint Cyran saved the Company of the Priests of the Mission from being smothered at birth." [7]
Barcos is not speaking here of any decision Father de Gondi, rather of "advice he was given", and this advice left the former General of the Galleys with only one doubt in his mind, and this was immediately dispelled by his consultation with Saint Cyran. There is no doubt at all that the existence of the Congregation of the Mission would have been seriously threatened if Father Gondi had taken any notice of those who gave him such bad advice. Barcos doesn't say who these people were, and maybe he didn't know, but it wouldn't be hard to guess. Think back to the way Bérulle and other Oratorians fiercely opposed the approbation of Vincent's Congregation. It would be easy to understand Father Gondi's dilemma, too, if the advice had come directly from the Founder and Superior General of the Oratory.
Understood in these terms, the information given by Barcos, and repeated by Bicaïs, is reasonable. This would not be so, however, if the statement were taken to imply that Gondi had made a definite decision. There are facts that prove the contrary was true. Throughout all the long, drawn out formalities for obtaining Rome's approval, Vincent never hesitated for a moment to say that his work was founded by de Gondi and he was always supported on this point by another Gondi, the Archbishop of Paris. In 1631 as we have already noted, Father Gondi spontaneously makes a gift to Vincent's missionaries [8] and this is hardly in keeping with his alleged plan to withdraw the foundation. We shall see later on, that in 1632, de Gondi stands guarantor for a large debt contracted by Vincent, and there is also the fact that Vincent did not want to mention the opposition he was experiencing from leading members of the Oratory, for fear of undermining his vocation. [9] This is yet another proof that Vincent was convinced of de Gondi's firm support for the foundation. Even if Barcos has used this incident to enhance his uncle's reputation, and this indeed was his object in writing the book, that is no reason why we should reject the information once it is understood in its right context.
Furthermore, there are statements in later reports given by Bicaïs, which, in the light of documentation available to us today, cannot be substantiated. He claims that when the de Gondis made their gift, it had not been their intention "to found a New Congregation but to establish a house of the Oratory." It was the abandonment of this original plan that caused Father Gondi's temporary displeasure. [10] All the information given in the preceding chapter will prove to the reader how mistaken were these ideas of Bicaïs.
However, quite apart from this threat to the company's initial capital, the finances of the Congregation of the Mission in 1630 must have been quite precarious. Then, completely out of the blue, came the answer to their problems.
A Rich Priory
In Vincent de Paul's time there were some lands on the outskirts of Paris in the direction of St. Dionysius, and here was to be found the fine priory of Saint Lazare. It was an ancient foundation dating back at least to the twelfth century and it had originally been built as a leprosarian. Over the years, Kings and Popes had endowed it with riches and privileges, and at the beginning of the 17th century, it served as an ecclesiastical court which dealt out justice at all levels. We have evidence of this in the pillories and stone columns, both within the priory and at the adjacent crossroads. But there were hardly any lepers left. One of the favours granted by the monarchs was the privilege of welcoming the king on his solemn entrance into Paris at the beginning of his reign, to receive the capital's oath of fidelity. Similarly, when the monarch died, the funeral cortege halted at the Church of Saint Lazare, on its way toSaint Dionysius. It was at Saint Lazare that the body was handed over to the monks of Saint Dionysius, the final absolution was pronounced, and all the bishops of the realm went in turn to sprinkle the catafalque with holy water.
The Priory comprised a small 13th century gothic church which had been extensively restored in the 17th century, and the community dwellings that were built on to the north side of the church, with a cloister round a spacious interior courtyard. In addition to these were several buildings that were more or less separated from the others by courtyards or gardens; these were the leper houses, the prison, a mental asylum, the dovecot, the farm, the windmill, the cowsheds and stables and the abbatoir. The surrounding 32 hectares or so of property, today covers two districts of Paris. This land was used for sowing wheat, rye and alfalfa. Outside of the main precint, the abbey held lands in many of the neighbouring towns Argenteuil, Belleville, La Chapelle, Le Bourget, Cormeilles, Drancy, Gonesse, Lagny, Marly, Rougemont, Sevian and Paris itself. Also dependent on the abbey, was the cattle fair of Saint Laurent, whose lands were on the other side of the Saint Dionysius road, next to the parish from which it took its name.
For a long time the administration of the Priory had been confided to the Knights of Saint Lazare, a sort of confraternity of priests and laymen, who lived together in community. They followed the rule of St. Augustine but did not take vows. They lived under the authority of a Prior, who was designated by the bishop of Paris, from among the clergy of his diocese. At the beginning of the 16th century, bishop Etienne de Poncher suppressed the confraternity, and handed over the priory to the canons of Saint Victor, while retaining the right to change the administrators whenever he judged it necessary. [11]
In 1630, the community of canons at Saint Lazare was going through a bad time. There were clashes of temperament, and maybe clashes of interest, too, between the Prior and his religious. The Prior, Adrian Le Bon, began to sound out the possibilities of exchanging the Priory for some other benefice. There was no lack of tempting offers, including an abbacy. Mutual friends intervened in the conflict, and suggested they hold a meeting at which each party would state its grounds for complaint. They had the meeting and came to an agreement which satisfied everybody. This soon became a dead letter. The disagreements continued and the Prior thought of a more radical solution, he would withdraw from the priory. [12] But who was going to succeed him?
"What sort of a man are you?"
Some friends put forward to Adrian Le Bon the name of Vincent de Paul, who was someone the Prior didn't know. He asked for reports on Vincent and these reports were all excellent; that new Congregation had done so much good for souls; it well deserved to have its future assured by the gift of a priory. Adrian Le Bon thought the matter over carefully and one day came to a decision. He summoned the parish priest of Saint Laurent, Nicolas de Lestocq, and set off for the Collège de Bons Enfants.
When the introductions were over, the Prior revealed the reason for his visit. Vincent's reaction was most unexpected. He was stunned; it was as though he had just heard a cannon shot. He couldn't speak; he was stupefied. [13]
"What! Are you trembling?" exclaimed the Prior. When Vincent at last found his voice, he explained,
"Yes, indeed my lord. Your offer frightens me. We are not on that plane at all so I daren't even think about it. We are poor priests and our only desire is to serve the poor country people. Your kindness is much appreciated, and we are very grateful, but we cannot accept."
Adrian Le Bon insisted, but he met with the same determined refusal. It seemed as though the roles were being reversed so that the donor was pleading and the recipient was refusing the gift. After a useless tussle, Le Bon withdrew but he did not accept defeat. He took leave of Vincent, after giving him six months in which to reflect.
When the six months were up, he came back to the Bons Enfants, accompanied once again by Lestocq. He repeated his offer and this was warmly seconded by the parish priest of Saint Laurent. Vincent could not be moved; he urged that they were few in number, they had only just been established, he didn't want people to be talking about him; that all this would be noised abroad, that he hated the limelight; in short, that he was unworthy of such a great favour.
At this point the bell rang for the community meal. Le Bon begged to be admitted to Vincent's table. Vincent gladly agreed. The circumspection shown by this small group of missionaries, the orderliness of their refectory, the silence in which they listened attentively to the reading, all reinforced his esteem for these men. He was now absolutely determined; whether they wanted it or not, he would give them his priory.
He kept up his efforts for a further six months but Vincent still refused. Then one day the Prior had a bright idea.
"What sort of a man are you?" he said to Vincent. "If you, yourself, don't want to hear about this matter, at least tell me this; who is your director, the man whose judgment you can trust? Tell me who it is so that I can go to him. My religious have already agreed, all I need is your consent. Nobody who has your good at heart could ever advise you to refuse my offer."
Vincent gave him the name of his faithful friend and mentor, André Duval, and added
"We will do whatever he says." Duval believed he should take up the offer and since it was the voice of God speaking through his spiritual director. Vincent accepted.
All Vincent's biographers have been intrigued by his refusal to accept Saint Lazare. Always, or nearly always, they have suggested that the reason for this was the saint's humility. It is true that humility is an important factor in this question, but this is not the only factor, because humility has its own reasons. As with all true humility, that of Vincent was based on reality. When Adrian Le Bon made his first offer at the end of 1630, the total number of missionaries was no more than 23 nine priests, nine clerics and five brothers. Were they not really too few to live on the biggest estate in Paris? Saint Lazare seemed to be too big a suit for the tiny little body. Again, the future of the Congregation was not too clear in 1630. It was too soon after Propaganda had rejected their petition for approbation, and negotiations with the Sacred Congregation for Religious had not yet begun. In these circumstances how could they possibly embark on the adventure of moving to Saint Lazare? If his dream of winning juridical support for the new Congregation were suddendly to come to nothing, there would be all the scandal and talk that Vincent dreaded so much, and wouldn't all this be far worse if they were settled in Saint Lazare? Finally, was the priory really the most suitable place for a group of secular priests totally committed to apostolic work? Wouldn't it mean complications for their life style? This negotiations with the prior and the canons, to settle the terms of the contract, only served to increase Vincent's fears. The offer of Saint Laurent was a crucial dilemma for Vincent. "Expand or perish" could well have been his motto. Accepting Saint Lazare meant that the tiny barque of the Congregation was irrevocably launched on the high seas. It was natural that Vincent should hesitate; he always did hesitate at any important crossroad.
Here now is the handful of objective detatils which, to my mind, explain Vincent's thinking at this juncture. Obviously, underpinning all of them, must be the saint's humility.
"I would rather we stayed in our poverty"
Working out the terms of the contract proved to be a difficult task. Adrian Le Bon had a very different mentality from that of Vincent so they both regarded the proposed merger from a very different standpoint. Adrian Le Bon had in mind that missionaries would continue the work previously undertaken by his religious. Although Vincent was prepared to take on the resposibility of looking after the lepers, which was the principal work of the foundation, his Congregation's move to Saint Lazare signalled the beginning of a new era in the history of the priory, and he would not want it to entail any changes for the missionaries or for the Company's life style. So there were times when it seemed the negotiations would break down. Vincent could not agree to his missionaries chanting the Divine Office in choir, dressed in mozetta andhooded robe, or that they should live together with the
fo mer religious. Acceptance of the first proposal would give their impression that the missionaries were canons, and that they had renounced their fundamental option for serving the poor people in country areas. To accept the second proposal would pose a threat for the new Community's habits of regular observance and of silence, and tempt the missionaries to follow the more liberal life style of the canons. The best thing would be for the canons to have private rooms and the missionaries to keep to their community quarters. Unless these conditions were changed, Vincent was prepared to refuse the foundation.
"Since this is fundamentally a question of God's glory and the salvation of souls, and having in mind, also, the inconveniences that could arise if matters turned out the way he (Prior Le Bon) plans; I have the utmost confidence that he will graciously accept this humble representation I am making to him, that I would rather we stayed in our poverty for ever than that we deviate from the designs God has in our regard." [14]
There were differences of opinion, too, about money matters, and in particular about the contribution to be paid by those canons who decided to go on living at the priory. This problem was easily solved. Vincent was satisfied with the annual sum of 200 livres offered by the Prior, who was well aware that a canon's keep cost considerably more. An ordinary student at the Bons Enfants paid 90 crowns or 270 livres. [16] At lasr, the difficulties were all resolved, and on 7th January, 1632, the contract was signed.
Contract and Decree of Union
The three following considerations helped to settle the agreement. Firstly, by this time there were hardly any lepers to be looked after. When Adrian Le Bon said this, he was only stating an obvious, historical fact. Leprosy, one of the spectres that terrified Europe in the Middle Ages, and had occasioned the establishment of a network of leprosaria or pest houses, was now extinct. These leprosaria had been under used since the 16th century, as patients became fewer. In France first of all, and then throughout Europe. There was a widespread movement in favour of returning these leprosaria to public ownership, a sort of early disentailment. Saint Lazare in Paris was only one of many such cases. So this gesture of Adrian Le Bon shows his awareness of the needs of his time. [16] His second motive for relinquishing the priory was that the Congregation of Saint Victor, who used to own the priory, had now been disbanded, following a decision taken by the Chapter of that same Community on 25th December, 1625. The third reason was that the income from the priory was meant to benefit lepers, and, in default of this, the most natural thing to do, and something which was most in keeping with the intentions of the founders, was to use these funds to help those working for the salvation of poor peasants "infected with the leprosy of sin" and donating this money to the Priests of the Mission, thus co operating in the work of consolidating and expanding this Congregation.
The clauses dealing with rights and obligations were very precisely worded. The Prior was to enjoy an annual pension of 2,000 livres and would retain his title; he was to have free use of the places where he chose to reside, and the abbey lands in Rougemont, and the Benedictine benefice of Sainte Marie Madeleine de Limouron, in the diocese of Chartres. Each canon would receive an annual pension of 500 livres whether he stayed at Saint Lazare or moved elsewhere. If he had his meals with the new community, then his pension would be 200 livres. In addition to this, the canons retained the right to live in their own rooms and apartments so they were very comfortably housed. The Prior and religious also enjoyed various spiritual privileges such as funeral rites, burials, and anniversary Masses.
The man who stood guarantor for the financial commitments taken on by the Congregation of the Mission, was Fr. Gondi. Doing so he was rendering a worthy, and a new form of service, to his former chaplain. It was as though this action was giving the lie, in advance, to the rumour that some historians would spread in their own self interest; the rumour that de Gondi had changed his mind.
In the name of his Congregation, Vincent accepted all responsibilities connected with the Priory, and, in particular, the hospitalisation and care of lepers, as well as the orderly celebration of the Divine Office, which was to be said aloud but not chanted.
Once the union had been approved by the Archbishop of Paris, the Holy See, and the appropriate civil authorities, the Congregation of the Mission would, in return, take full and lasting possession of the Priory with all its goods, movable and immovable, and all its assets, incomes, and emoluments. Since negotiations for this could be protracted, the Missionaries were authorised to take up residence immediately. [17]
The expenses Vincent incurred must have been fairly heavy. He had to pay out 7,000 livres a year in pensions for the religious alone. Added to this, the Archbishop of Paris, in his letter confirming the union which he signed the dayafter the contract, imposed two burdens which were no less onerous, but at the same time most pleasing to Vincent's apostolic heart the Priory income was to cover the expenses of at least 8 of the 12 priests who would devote themselves to giving missions, all through the year, in all the villages of his diocese, and the same Priory funds would provide free board and lodging for as many Paris clergy as the archbisop wished to send there for a fortnight's retreat prior to their ordination. [18] The episcopal decree of union was followed by Letters Patent from the King, in that same month, January, 1632. The Municipal authorities of Paris gave their approval on 24th March. As was customary the royal letters needed to be ratified by the Parlement. It was then that the problems started. [19]
"The Religious of Saint Victor are in dispute with us over Saint Lazare"
The ownership of Saint Lazare was such an important issue that there were rival claimants for it. During the years just mentioned, Father Charles Faure, a canon regular from Sainte Geneviève, Paris, was trying to reform the Augustinian Canons and bring them together in a congregation called "The Congregation of France". He received support and encouragement for this undertaking from the titular abbot of Sainte Geneviève, Cardinal de la Rochefoucauld. Both men felt that Saint Lazare was slipping through their fingers. Before the contract was signed, they approached Charles de Beaumannoir de Lavardin, bishop of Le Mans, who was a great friend of Adrian Le Bon, to persuade him that it would be much better to give the Priory to his brothers in religion. Le Bon and his canons had no wish to submit to Father Faure's reforms, and said as much to the officious mediator. For his part, Vincent made a personal visit to the Cardinal, and to the religious, begging them not to put any obstacle in the way of the Prior's plans. The opposition from the Canons of Ste. Geneviève was overcome without too much difficulty, and the Cardinal, too, semed convinced by Vincent's words. But Father Faure would not give up the fight, and wrote a report to the Archbishop of Paris who replied, somewhat curtly, that the nomination of Saint Lazare's Prior had always been the prerogative of the bishop of Paris and he had no intention of relinquishing this. [20]
Other forms of opposition were less easy to overcome. The Canons of Sainte Geneviève were followed by the Canons of Saint Victor, who also pressed their claim to the Priory. St. Lazare had, in fact, belonged to their community. But the Congregation of Saint Victor had been disbanded in 1625. This was one of the factors that had led Vincent de Paul to sign the contract with the religious of Saint Lazare.
In spite of this, the religious of St. Victor thought they were in the right. On two occasions once, on 17th December, 1631, before the contract was signed, and again on 13th May, 1632, after the agreement was concluded, they went to the Parlement to try and have the Royal Letters disallowed. This led to a lawsuit which was heard by the highest court in the land. Vincent felt tempted to give up the project. The ever devoted Duval and some other friends, including tha abbot of Saint Cyran, dissuaded him, and assured him that he was in the right. Saint Cyran won for him the support of the two leading figures in the court hearing; the president, Le Jay, and Bignon, the advocate general. These had both been inclined, earlier, to favour the Saint Victor claim. [21] Vincent could also count on the unqualified support of the abbot of Quincy and the parish priests of Paris. So Vincent went to court.
Will we ever really be able to fathom Vincent? Hagiographers and biographers who have interpreted some of the words spoken, or written, by Vincent, without giving due consideration to the far off times and influences that occasioned them, and judging the facts a priori rather than in context, have often presented us with a picture of Vincent who was always meek and kind, the sworn enemy of all lawsuits and unable to defend himself against anyone who wanted to rob him. This was not so Vincent was very keenly aware of his duties as head of a Congregation. He knew that in defending his rights, he was alse defending thousand of poor people who would receive from his companions, and himself, the spiritual and material assistance they would get from no other quarter. The Saint Lazare question threatened the whole future of his Congregation and he was convinced that it also posed a threat to the salvation of poor peasants. Vincent has reached the point where he believed it was God's will that he should accept Saint Lazare. For this reason, he was as tenacious in fighting for it, as he had previously been in refusing it. It was at this period of strenuous effort to secure Saint Lazare that Vincent was fighting, too, to have his Congregation approved by Rome.
"More disinterested than ever"
But he fought, and went to ligitation, in the spirit of the gospel, completely without self interest or worldly concerns, and totally indifferent to the outcome.
"You are well aware", he wrote at that time, "that the religious of Saint Victor are disputing our claim to Saint Lazare. You can't imagine how submissive I have been to them, in accordance with the maxims of the gospel, though these religious are, in fact, in the wrong. Monsieur Duval assures me, that everyone who knows anything about the case, agrees that this is so. Let what Our Lord wills be done, because he truly knows that on this occasion his goodness has rendered me more indifferent about this matter than any other business which I have had to deal with." [22]
According to Abelly, however, Vincent sought refuge in Sainte Chapelle on the day the Parlement debated the case, and remained in prayer throughout the hearing; praying not that his claim would be successful, but that whatever the outcome, his heart would always be submissive to the designs of Providence. [23]
Apparently there was just one exception to that willed indifference. Vincent spoke about it years later, without realising, perhaps, that his words might shed some light on his conduct and his character.
"When we came to this house the Prior had two or three poor insane people here, and when we replaced him, we had to take responsibility for looking after them. At that time we were involved in a lowsuit to decide whether we would remain at Saint Lazare or have to leave, and it was then that I remembered asking myself this question, "If you had to leave this house right now, what would you find hardest about leaving? And it seemed to me, then, that the worst thing would be to have to abandon these poor people and not be able to look after them and serve them." [24]
Vincent won the lawsuit, Parlement gave its verdict on 7th September, 1632, confirming an earlier decision of August 21st of the previous year, [25] but because of some irregularities in the wording, it ordered that the Archbishop of Paris be requested to issue another decree of union between the Priory and the Congregation of the Mission. [26]
Everything had to be done all over again. Vincent, and this is no cliché, had the patience of a saint. Moreover, it gave him the opportunity to reword certain clauses that were not to his liking. He got the Prior to concede, in the contract, that it was not necesary to have the transfer confirmed by the Holy See since this was entirely within the province of the Archbishop of Paris. [27] In the new decree of approval he wanted the Archbishop to waive his right to demand an examination of the priory's accounts. The Archbishop wasn't prepared to do this. Vincent threatened to withdraw completely from the deal if this wasn't granted, "And I would have had no hesitation in doing so if he had persisted in his demands" added Vincent. [28] The Archbishop had to agree. Had he already received the news from Rome that the Holy See had approved the Congregation of the Mission as an institute of pontifical right, exempt from the authority of the ordinary and that the bull "Salvatori Nostri" was about to be issued. The King granted further Letters Patent [29] and these were again ratified by Parlement [30] as well as by the "Chambre des Comptes" and the "Cour des Aides". [31]
When all these formalities were finally ended, Vincent and his companions took possession of the priory in peace. As a matter of fact, they had been living there since early in 1632, after the contract was signed, because, as we have already noted, this was expressly stipulated in the contract. [32]
In order to put the property beyond the reach of any future litigants, or the unforeseem whims of bishops, Vincent started the long, drawn out negotiations to have Saint Lazare annexed, once and for all, to the Congregation of the Mission. It could be said that this new negotiation would last till the end of the Founder's life time. [33] As late as 18th April, 1655, the papal bull to this effect had not yet been obtained, [34] and it was only six months before he died, that Vincent could have in his possession the letters of Louis XIV which gave full and legal effect to the papal bull. [35]
"They have put bread into our hands"
It had been a long battle. Was it really worth such a struggle? There is no doubt that Vincent thought it worthwhile. Why was this? Firstly, we have to bear in mind (as Vincent certainly did), something we haven't given much attention to up to now. The move to Saint Lazare was in the nature of a new foundation, and this time it was Adrian Le Bon and his canons, who with the Archbishop's consent,provided the capital. It was very much more important than the foundation at the Bons Enfants. The obligations laid down by the Archbishop were more far reaching than those of the first foundation, but they followed the same guidelines. Preaching missions to poor peasants was now complemented by the second aspect of the Vincentian vocation, the reform of the clergy through retreats for ordinands. This work had not got under way by the time the contract was signed in 1625. It represented the ultimate expression of the Vincentian mission, as confirmed later by the bull "Salvatori Nostri".
The second reason has to do with living quarters. The Bons Enfants was too small. St. Lazare, on the other hand, would allow for unlimited expansion of the Congregation. In actual fact, it was to remain the Mother House of the community for nearly two centuries, until the outbreak of the French Revolution. At some periods, even in Vincent's lifetime, it would shelter hundreds of people within its walls.
Finally, there were financial considerations. We haven't the information to help us calculate with certainty the expenses of Saint Lazare in 1633. But taking into account the level of commitments taken on, [36] perhaps it would'd be too bold to suggest that expenses would be at least 40 or 50,000 livres a year.
The vicissitudes of the times, and the increasing burdens that Vincent's charity made them undertake, meant that Saint Lazare passed through some difficult times financially. But taken as a whole, it could be said that thanks to Adrian Le Bon, the Congregation had emerged from its poverty. Vincent wanted them to look on Adrian Le Bon as a father.
"Many of us suffered want and it was he who provided the means to feed and maintain us". [37] "He put bread into our hands". [38]
At times Vincent was afraid that Saint Lazare
"Might prove too attractive on account of the good bread and meat one could eat there, the good air one could breathe, the open spaces for walking and all the amenities it provides." [39] "We have splendid courtyards and a walled garden. As for food, where would you find better bread and better wine? Where would you find better meat? better fruit? What do we lack? How many people in the world can enjoy all this?" [40]
Even if we disregard the large dose of rhetorical exaggeration, in the words used by the Founder to urge his
missionaries to preserve their spirit of poverty in the midst of what was relatively material comfort, there is no doubt that Saint Lazare assured the expansion of the infant Community's assets. We will soon see the use that Vincent, the apostle businessman, was to make of these resources from Saint Lazare. For the moment, suffice it to say that when Vincent simultaneously took on the struggle to institutionalise his community, confirm its work objectives, and put it on a sound financial basis, he was laying up for it very many years of security and fruitfulness in all kinds of apostolic endeavour. Saint Lazare would be the new stepping off point, so it is quite fitting that Vincentians in France should be known as Lazaristes.
Vincent knew that establishing his Congregation's juridical structure was not enough to safeguard its status within the Church. It was also essential to to see that the Company's finances were secure, in order to provide for the needs of its members and also to ensure freedom of action in the apostolate. It was all the more necessary since all its members, and particulary those engaged in the work of preaching missions, had to give their services free.
The basic financial assets held by the Congregation between 1625 and 1632, came from income from the capital given at the foundation, the 45,000 livres donated by the de Gondis and invested, as the contract stipulated, in land investment. [1] This capital sum was meant to provide for the needs of 6 or 7 missionaries. Well, the Congregation was beginning to expand. In addition to the coadjutor brothers, whose vocation consisted in helping the priests' apostolic work by striving after personal sanctification and carrying out domestic taskses, there were 11 members of the Congregation in 1627, 18 in 1629, 23 in 1630 and 26 in 1631. This brief résumé of statistics gives us some idea of the little Company's satisfactory progress with regard to personnel. But it also reminds us of the corresponding increase in expense. Of course the Collège de Bons Enfants, which, as we mentioned earlier, Vincent donated to the Congregation, must have provided another modest source of income from the contributions paid by the priests who lived there, and as it was still a university college in the strict sense of the term, it drew income from some independent properties. But we have no records to help us evaluate these sources of income, which, in any case, would have been of no great value. On the other hand we do know that major repairs had to be carried out. [2] So it's not surprising that Vincent had to take out loans which were sometimes endorsed with money belonging to Louise de Marillac, [3] and that when the time came to buy an organ, he went to a second class tradesman and not to one of the exclusive firms that made musical instruments. It is moving to note that in the contract for constructing this organ, Vincent expressly stipulated three or four times, that it had to be solidly made this shows the mentality of someone who had to practise economy and wanted to make sure that his money would be well spent. The price of the said organ was 150 livres. [4]
The Congregation also received gifts occasionally and Vincent tried not to refuse these. One day Father de la Salle, keeping strictly to the rule that mission work should be gratuitous, refused to accept a gift from Father Gondi. Vincent wrote to him to rectify this;
"You have no need to worry about accepting charity from Rev. Father Gondi. If you have been refusing it up to now, make your apologies to M. Ferrat. He is our founder. We have no right to refuse anything that is given to us for the love of God, or that is donated by someone not living in the place where we are giving a mission. This was the way St. Paul used to act. He would never accept anything from the people among whom he was working but he would take offerings from other churches so as to be able to continue his labours in other places... "Spolians Ecclesias Macedoniae, ut non essem vobis oneri" he writes to the Corinthians, though he adds that he glories in preaching the gospel without payment." [5]
Here we have a picture of the real Vincent de Paul as portrayed in his own words. He was no Utopian dreaming about some unattainable Arcady, but the practical realist who was willing to bleed the rich to help the poor. It could be true, too, that the inacurate quotation from St. Paul revealed the subconscious workings of his mind. To take from the rich in order to aid the poor, this was the secret of very many of his enterprises.
If certain sources are to be believed, there came a time, round 1628, when the Company's finances were reaching a critical stage. An eighteenth century Oratorian, Fr. Joseph Bicaïs spread a rumour "You can read in a certain work", he said that at one time, Fr. Gondi was thinking of taking the gift he had made to Vincent de Paul for the establishment of his Congregation. He went to consult the abbot of Saint Cyran about this but the abbot dissuaded him and pointed out the benefits the foundation could bring to the Church." [6]
Most probably, the work from which Bicaïs alleged that he had taken this information, would be a small book by Martin de Barcos, a nephew of Saint Cyran, who wrote it to counteract Abelly's biography of Vincent. The learned Oratorian must have read the pages from Barcos's work in a great hurry because the text could be interpreted in different ways. He says of Father Gondi,
"He honoured with his friendship the now deceased abbot of Saint Cyran, whose piety and learning he held in high esteem. He told him that he had been advised to change his mind and transfer to others the foundation gift of the Collège de Bons Enfants that he had made to the Priests of the Mission. He had made this endowment during the lifetime of Madame General of the Galleys, and his wife had been in complete agreement. He asked the abbot what he should do. Saint Cyran dissuaded him from making the change and encouraged him to keep to his original plan. Father Gondi did this, and gave no more thought to the alternative which others had proposed. One could therefore say that the late Monsieur de Saint Cyran saved the Company of the Priests of the Mission from being smothered at birth." [7]
Barcos is not speaking here of any decision Father de Gondi, rather of "advice he was given", and this advice left the former General of the Galleys with only one doubt in his mind, and this was immediately dispelled by his consultation with Saint Cyran. There is no doubt at all that the existence of the Congregation of the Mission would have been seriously threatened if Father Gondi had taken any notice of those who gave him such bad advice. Barcos doesn't say who these people were, and maybe he didn't know, but it wouldn't be hard to guess. Think back to the way Bérulle and other Oratorians fiercely opposed the approbation of Vincent's Congregation. It would be easy to understand Father Gondi's dilemma, too, if the advice had come directly from the Founder and Superior General of the Oratory.
Understood in these terms, the information given by Barcos, and repeated by Bicaïs, is reasonable. This would not be so, however, if the statement were taken to imply that Gondi had made a definite decision. There are facts that prove the contrary was true. Throughout all the long, drawn out formalities for obtaining Rome's approval, Vincent never hesitated for a moment to say that his work was founded by de Gondi and he was always supported on this point by another Gondi, the Archbishop of Paris. In 1631 as we have already noted, Father Gondi spontaneously makes a gift to Vincent's missionaries [8] and this is hardly in keeping with his alleged plan to withdraw the foundation. We shall see later on, that in 1632, de Gondi stands guarantor for a large debt contracted by Vincent, and there is also the fact that Vincent did not want to mention the opposition he was experiencing from leading members of the Oratory, for fear of undermining his vocation. [9] This is yet another proof that Vincent was convinced of de Gondi's firm support for the foundation. Even if Barcos has used this incident to enhance his uncle's reputation, and this indeed was his object in writing the book, that is no reason why we should reject the information once it is understood in its right context.
Furthermore, there are statements in later reports given by Bicaïs, which, in the light of documentation available to us today, cannot be substantiated. He claims that when the de Gondis made their gift, it had not been their intention "to found a New Congregation but to establish a house of the Oratory." It was the abandonment of this original plan that caused Father Gondi's temporary displeasure. [10] All the information given in the preceding chapter will prove to the reader how mistaken were these ideas of Bicaïs.
However, quite apart from this threat to the company's initial capital, the finances of the Congregation of the Mission in 1630 must have been quite precarious. Then, completely out of the blue, came the answer to their problems.
A Rich Priory
In Vincent de Paul's time there were some lands on the outskirts of Paris in the direction of St. Dionysius, and here was to be found the fine priory of Saint Lazare. It was an ancient foundation dating back at least to the twelfth century and it had originally been built as a leprosarian. Over the years, Kings and Popes had endowed it with riches and privileges, and at the beginning of the 17th century, it served as an ecclesiastical court which dealt out justice at all levels. We have evidence of this in the pillories and stone columns, both within the priory and at the adjacent crossroads. But there were hardly any lepers left. One of the favours granted by the monarchs was the privilege of welcoming the king on his solemn entrance into Paris at the beginning of his reign, to receive the capital's oath of fidelity. Similarly, when the monarch died, the funeral cortege halted at the Church of Saint Lazare, on its way toSaint Dionysius. It was at Saint Lazare that the body was handed over to the monks of Saint Dionysius, the final absolution was pronounced, and all the bishops of the realm went in turn to sprinkle the catafalque with holy water.
The Priory comprised a small 13th century gothic church which had been extensively restored in the 17th century, and the community dwellings that were built on to the north side of the church, with a cloister round a spacious interior courtyard. In addition to these were several buildings that were more or less separated from the others by courtyards or gardens; these were the leper houses, the prison, a mental asylum, the dovecot, the farm, the windmill, the cowsheds and stables and the abbatoir. The surrounding 32 hectares or so of property, today covers two districts of Paris. This land was used for sowing wheat, rye and alfalfa. Outside of the main precint, the abbey held lands in many of the neighbouring towns Argenteuil, Belleville, La Chapelle, Le Bourget, Cormeilles, Drancy, Gonesse, Lagny, Marly, Rougemont, Sevian and Paris itself. Also dependent on the abbey, was the cattle fair of Saint Laurent, whose lands were on the other side of the Saint Dionysius road, next to the parish from which it took its name.
For a long time the administration of the Priory had been confided to the Knights of Saint Lazare, a sort of confraternity of priests and laymen, who lived together in community. They followed the rule of St. Augustine but did not take vows. They lived under the authority of a Prior, who was designated by the bishop of Paris, from among the clergy of his diocese. At the beginning of the 16th century, bishop Etienne de Poncher suppressed the confraternity, and handed over the priory to the canons of Saint Victor, while retaining the right to change the administrators whenever he judged it necessary. [11]
In 1630, the community of canons at Saint Lazare was going through a bad time. There were clashes of temperament, and maybe clashes of interest, too, between the Prior and his religious. The Prior, Adrian Le Bon, began to sound out the possibilities of exchanging the Priory for some other benefice. There was no lack of tempting offers, including an abbacy. Mutual friends intervened in the conflict, and suggested they hold a meeting at which each party would state its grounds for complaint. They had the meeting and came to an agreement which satisfied everybody. This soon became a dead letter. The disagreements continued and the Prior thought of a more radical solution, he would withdraw from the priory. [12] But who was going to succeed him?
"What sort of a man are you?"
Some friends put forward to Adrian Le Bon the name of Vincent de Paul, who was someone the Prior didn't know. He asked for reports on Vincent and these reports were all excellent; that new Congregation had done so much good for souls; it well deserved to have its future assured by the gift of a priory. Adrian Le Bon thought the matter over carefully and one day came to a decision. He summoned the parish priest of Saint Laurent, Nicolas de Lestocq, and set off for the Collège de Bons Enfants.
When the introductions were over, the Prior revealed the reason for his visit. Vincent's reaction was most unexpected. He was stunned; it was as though he had just heard a cannon shot. He couldn't speak; he was stupefied. [13]
"What! Are you trembling?" exclaimed the Prior. When Vincent at last found his voice, he explained,
"Yes, indeed my lord. Your offer frightens me. We are not on that plane at all so I daren't even think about it. We are poor priests and our only desire is to serve the poor country people. Your kindness is much appreciated, and we are very grateful, but we cannot accept."
Adrian Le Bon insisted, but he met with the same determined refusal. It seemed as though the roles were being reversed so that the donor was pleading and the recipient was refusing the gift. After a useless tussle, Le Bon withdrew but he did not accept defeat. He took leave of Vincent, after giving him six months in which to reflect.
When the six months were up, he came back to the Bons Enfants, accompanied once again by Lestocq. He repeated his offer and this was warmly seconded by the parish priest of Saint Laurent. Vincent could not be moved; he urged that they were few in number, they had only just been established, he didn't want people to be talking about him; that all this would be noised abroad, that he hated the limelight; in short, that he was unworthy of such a great favour.
At this point the bell rang for the community meal. Le Bon begged to be admitted to Vincent's table. Vincent gladly agreed. The circumspection shown by this small group of missionaries, the orderliness of their refectory, the silence in which they listened attentively to the reading, all reinforced his esteem for these men. He was now absolutely determined; whether they wanted it or not, he would give them his priory.
He kept up his efforts for a further six months but Vincent still refused. Then one day the Prior had a bright idea.
"What sort of a man are you?" he said to Vincent. "If you, yourself, don't want to hear about this matter, at least tell me this; who is your director, the man whose judgment you can trust? Tell me who it is so that I can go to him. My religious have already agreed, all I need is your consent. Nobody who has your good at heart could ever advise you to refuse my offer."
Vincent gave him the name of his faithful friend and mentor, André Duval, and added
"We will do whatever he says." Duval believed he should take up the offer and since it was the voice of God speaking through his spiritual director. Vincent accepted.
All Vincent's biographers have been intrigued by his refusal to accept Saint Lazare. Always, or nearly always, they have suggested that the reason for this was the saint's humility. It is true that humility is an important factor in this question, but this is not the only factor, because humility has its own reasons. As with all true humility, that of Vincent was based on reality. When Adrian Le Bon made his first offer at the end of 1630, the total number of missionaries was no more than 23 nine priests, nine clerics and five brothers. Were they not really too few to live on the biggest estate in Paris? Saint Lazare seemed to be too big a suit for the tiny little body. Again, the future of the Congregation was not too clear in 1630. It was too soon after Propaganda had rejected their petition for approbation, and negotiations with the Sacred Congregation for Religious had not yet begun. In these circumstances how could they possibly embark on the adventure of moving to Saint Lazare? If his dream of winning juridical support for the new Congregation were suddendly to come to nothing, there would be all the scandal and talk that Vincent dreaded so much, and wouldn't all this be far worse if they were settled in Saint Lazare? Finally, was the priory really the most suitable place for a group of secular priests totally committed to apostolic work? Wouldn't it mean complications for their life style? This negotiations with the prior and the canons, to settle the terms of the contract, only served to increase Vincent's fears. The offer of Saint Laurent was a crucial dilemma for Vincent. "Expand or perish" could well have been his motto. Accepting Saint Lazare meant that the tiny barque of the Congregation was irrevocably launched on the high seas. It was natural that Vincent should hesitate; he always did hesitate at any important crossroad.
Here now is the handful of objective detatils which, to my mind, explain Vincent's thinking at this juncture. Obviously, underpinning all of them, must be the saint's humility.
"I would rather we stayed in our poverty"
Working out the terms of the contract proved to be a difficult task. Adrian Le Bon had a very different mentality from that of Vincent so they both regarded the proposed merger from a very different standpoint. Adrian Le Bon had in mind that missionaries would continue the work previously undertaken by his religious. Although Vincent was prepared to take on the resposibility of looking after the lepers, which was the principal work of the foundation, his Congregation's move to Saint Lazare signalled the beginning of a new era in the history of the priory, and he would not want it to entail any changes for the missionaries or for the Company's life style. So there were times when it seemed the negotiations would break down. Vincent could not agree to his missionaries chanting the Divine Office in choir, dressed in mozetta andhooded robe, or that they should live together with the
fo mer religious. Acceptance of the first proposal would give their impression that the missionaries were canons, and that they had renounced their fundamental option for serving the poor people in country areas. To accept the second proposal would pose a threat for the new Community's habits of regular observance and of silence, and tempt the missionaries to follow the more liberal life style of the canons. The best thing would be for the canons to have private rooms and the missionaries to keep to their community quarters. Unless these conditions were changed, Vincent was prepared to refuse the foundation.
"Since this is fundamentally a question of God's glory and the salvation of souls, and having in mind, also, the inconveniences that could arise if matters turned out the way he (Prior Le Bon) plans; I have the utmost confidence that he will graciously accept this humble representation I am making to him, that I would rather we stayed in our poverty for ever than that we deviate from the designs God has in our regard." [14]
There were differences of opinion, too, about money matters, and in particular about the contribution to be paid by those canons who decided to go on living at the priory. This problem was easily solved. Vincent was satisfied with the annual sum of 200 livres offered by the Prior, who was well aware that a canon's keep cost considerably more. An ordinary student at the Bons Enfants paid 90 crowns or 270 livres. [16] At lasr, the difficulties were all resolved, and on 7th January, 1632, the contract was signed.
Contract and Decree of Union
The three following considerations helped to settle the agreement. Firstly, by this time there were hardly any lepers to be looked after. When Adrian Le Bon said this, he was only stating an obvious, historical fact. Leprosy, one of the spectres that terrified Europe in the Middle Ages, and had occasioned the establishment of a network of leprosaria or pest houses, was now extinct. These leprosaria had been under used since the 16th century, as patients became fewer. In France first of all, and then throughout Europe. There was a widespread movement in favour of returning these leprosaria to public ownership, a sort of early disentailment. Saint Lazare in Paris was only one of many such cases. So this gesture of Adrian Le Bon shows his awareness of the needs of his time. [16] His second motive for relinquishing the priory was that the Congregation of Saint Victor, who used to own the priory, had now been disbanded, following a decision taken by the Chapter of that same Community on 25th December, 1625. The third reason was that the income from the priory was meant to benefit lepers, and, in default of this, the most natural thing to do, and something which was most in keeping with the intentions of the founders, was to use these funds to help those working for the salvation of poor peasants "infected with the leprosy of sin" and donating this money to the Priests of the Mission, thus co operating in the work of consolidating and expanding this Congregation.
The clauses dealing with rights and obligations were very precisely worded. The Prior was to enjoy an annual pension of 2,000 livres and would retain his title; he was to have free use of the places where he chose to reside, and the abbey lands in Rougemont, and the Benedictine benefice of Sainte Marie Madeleine de Limouron, in the diocese of Chartres. Each canon would receive an annual pension of 500 livres whether he stayed at Saint Lazare or moved elsewhere. If he had his meals with the new community, then his pension would be 200 livres. In addition to this, the canons retained the right to live in their own rooms and apartments so they were very comfortably housed. The Prior and religious also enjoyed various spiritual privileges such as funeral rites, burials, and anniversary Masses.
The man who stood guarantor for the financial commitments taken on by the Congregation of the Mission, was Fr. Gondi. Doing so he was rendering a worthy, and a new form of service, to his former chaplain. It was as though this action was giving the lie, in advance, to the rumour that some historians would spread in their own self interest; the rumour that de Gondi had changed his mind.
In the name of his Congregation, Vincent accepted all responsibilities connected with the Priory, and, in particular, the hospitalisation and care of lepers, as well as the orderly celebration of the Divine Office, which was to be said aloud but not chanted.
Once the union had been approved by the Archbishop of Paris, the Holy See, and the appropriate civil authorities, the Congregation of the Mission would, in return, take full and lasting possession of the Priory with all its goods, movable and immovable, and all its assets, incomes, and emoluments. Since negotiations for this could be protracted, the Missionaries were authorised to take up residence immediately. [17]
The expenses Vincent incurred must have been fairly heavy. He had to pay out 7,000 livres a year in pensions for the religious alone. Added to this, the Archbishop of Paris, in his letter confirming the union which he signed the dayafter the contract, imposed two burdens which were no less onerous, but at the same time most pleasing to Vincent's apostolic heart the Priory income was to cover the expenses of at least 8 of the 12 priests who would devote themselves to giving missions, all through the year, in all the villages of his diocese, and the same Priory funds would provide free board and lodging for as many Paris clergy as the archbisop wished to send there for a fortnight's retreat prior to their ordination. [18] The episcopal decree of union was followed by Letters Patent from the King, in that same month, January, 1632. The Municipal authorities of Paris gave their approval on 24th March. As was customary the royal letters needed to be ratified by the Parlement. It was then that the problems started. [19]
"The Religious of Saint Victor are in dispute with us over Saint Lazare"
The ownership of Saint Lazare was such an important issue that there were rival claimants for it. During the years just mentioned, Father Charles Faure, a canon regular from Sainte Geneviève, Paris, was trying to reform the Augustinian Canons and bring them together in a congregation called "The Congregation of France". He received support and encouragement for this undertaking from the titular abbot of Sainte Geneviève, Cardinal de la Rochefoucauld. Both men felt that Saint Lazare was slipping through their fingers. Before the contract was signed, they approached Charles de Beaumannoir de Lavardin, bishop of Le Mans, who was a great friend of Adrian Le Bon, to persuade him that it would be much better to give the Priory to his brothers in religion. Le Bon and his canons had no wish to submit to Father Faure's reforms, and said as much to the officious mediator. For his part, Vincent made a personal visit to the Cardinal, and to the religious, begging them not to put any obstacle in the way of the Prior's plans. The opposition from the Canons of Ste. Geneviève was overcome without too much difficulty, and the Cardinal, too, semed convinced by Vincent's words. But Father Faure would not give up the fight, and wrote a report to the Archbishop of Paris who replied, somewhat curtly, that the nomination of Saint Lazare's Prior had always been the prerogative of the bishop of Paris and he had no intention of relinquishing this. [20]
Other forms of opposition were less easy to overcome. The Canons of Sainte Geneviève were followed by the Canons of Saint Victor, who also pressed their claim to the Priory. St. Lazare had, in fact, belonged to their community. But the Congregation of Saint Victor had been disbanded in 1625. This was one of the factors that had led Vincent de Paul to sign the contract with the religious of Saint Lazare.
In spite of this, the religious of St. Victor thought they were in the right. On two occasions once, on 17th December, 1631, before the contract was signed, and again on 13th May, 1632, after the agreement was concluded, they went to the Parlement to try and have the Royal Letters disallowed. This led to a lawsuit which was heard by the highest court in the land. Vincent felt tempted to give up the project. The ever devoted Duval and some other friends, including tha abbot of Saint Cyran, dissuaded him, and assured him that he was in the right. Saint Cyran won for him the support of the two leading figures in the court hearing; the president, Le Jay, and Bignon, the advocate general. These had both been inclined, earlier, to favour the Saint Victor claim. [21] Vincent could also count on the unqualified support of the abbot of Quincy and the parish priests of Paris. So Vincent went to court.
Will we ever really be able to fathom Vincent? Hagiographers and biographers who have interpreted some of the words spoken, or written, by Vincent, without giving due consideration to the far off times and influences that occasioned them, and judging the facts a priori rather than in context, have often presented us with a picture of Vincent who was always meek and kind, the sworn enemy of all lawsuits and unable to defend himself against anyone who wanted to rob him. This was not so Vincent was very keenly aware of his duties as head of a Congregation. He knew that in defending his rights, he was alse defending thousand of poor people who would receive from his companions, and himself, the spiritual and material assistance they would get from no other quarter. The Saint Lazare question threatened the whole future of his Congregation and he was convinced that it also posed a threat to the salvation of poor peasants. Vincent has reached the point where he believed it was God's will that he should accept Saint Lazare. For this reason, he was as tenacious in fighting for it, as he had previously been in refusing it. It was at this period of strenuous effort to secure Saint Lazare that Vincent was fighting, too, to have his Congregation approved by Rome.
"More disinterested than ever"
But he fought, and went to ligitation, in the spirit of the gospel, completely without self interest or worldly concerns, and totally indifferent to the outcome.
"You are well aware", he wrote at that time, "that the religious of Saint Victor are disputing our claim to Saint Lazare. You can't imagine how submissive I have been to them, in accordance with the maxims of the gospel, though these religious are, in fact, in the wrong. Monsieur Duval assures me, that everyone who knows anything about the case, agrees that this is so. Let what Our Lord wills be done, because he truly knows that on this occasion his goodness has rendered me more indifferent about this matter than any other business which I have had to deal with." [22]
According to Abelly, however, Vincent sought refuge in Sainte Chapelle on the day the Parlement debated the case, and remained in prayer throughout the hearing; praying not that his claim would be successful, but that whatever the outcome, his heart would always be submissive to the designs of Providence. [23]
Apparently there was just one exception to that willed indifference. Vincent spoke about it years later, without realising, perhaps, that his words might shed some light on his conduct and his character.
"When we came to this house the Prior had two or three poor insane people here, and when we replaced him, we had to take responsibility for looking after them. At that time we were involved in a lowsuit to decide whether we would remain at Saint Lazare or have to leave, and it was then that I remembered asking myself this question, "If you had to leave this house right now, what would you find hardest about leaving? And it seemed to me, then, that the worst thing would be to have to abandon these poor people and not be able to look after them and serve them." [24]
Vincent won the lawsuit, Parlement gave its verdict on 7th September, 1632, confirming an earlier decision of August 21st of the previous year, [25] but because of some irregularities in the wording, it ordered that the Archbishop of Paris be requested to issue another decree of union between the Priory and the Congregation of the Mission. [26]
Everything had to be done all over again. Vincent, and this is no cliché, had the patience of a saint. Moreover, it gave him the opportunity to reword certain clauses that were not to his liking. He got the Prior to concede, in the contract, that it was not necesary to have the transfer confirmed by the Holy See since this was entirely within the province of the Archbishop of Paris. [27] In the new decree of approval he wanted the Archbishop to waive his right to demand an examination of the priory's accounts. The Archbishop wasn't prepared to do this. Vincent threatened to withdraw completely from the deal if this wasn't granted, "And I would have had no hesitation in doing so if he had persisted in his demands" added Vincent. [28] The Archbishop had to agree. Had he already received the news from Rome that the Holy See had approved the Congregation of the Mission as an institute of pontifical right, exempt from the authority of the ordinary and that the bull "Salvatori Nostri" was about to be issued. The King granted further Letters Patent [29] and these were again ratified by Parlement [30] as well as by the "Chambre des Comptes" and the "Cour des Aides". [31]
When all these formalities were finally ended, Vincent and his companions took possession of the priory in peace. As a matter of fact, they had been living there since early in 1632, after the contract was signed, because, as we have already noted, this was expressly stipulated in the contract. [32]
In order to put the property beyond the reach of any future litigants, or the unforeseem whims of bishops, Vincent started the long, drawn out negotiations to have Saint Lazare annexed, once and for all, to the Congregation of the Mission. It could be said that this new negotiation would last till the end of the Founder's life time. [33] As late as 18th April, 1655, the papal bull to this effect had not yet been obtained, [34] and it was only six months before he died, that Vincent could have in his possession the letters of Louis XIV which gave full and legal effect to the papal bull. [35]
"They have put bread into our hands"
It had been a long battle. Was it really worth such a struggle? There is no doubt that Vincent thought it worthwhile. Why was this? Firstly, we have to bear in mind (as Vincent certainly did), something we haven't given much attention to up to now. The move to Saint Lazare was in the nature of a new foundation, and this time it was Adrian Le Bon and his canons, who with the Archbishop's consent,provided the capital. It was very much more important than the foundation at the Bons Enfants. The obligations laid down by the Archbishop were more far reaching than those of the first foundation, but they followed the same guidelines. Preaching missions to poor peasants was now complemented by the second aspect of the Vincentian vocation, the reform of the clergy through retreats for ordinands. This work had not got under way by the time the contract was signed in 1625. It represented the ultimate expression of the Vincentian mission, as confirmed later by the bull "Salvatori Nostri".
The second reason has to do with living quarters. The Bons Enfants was too small. St. Lazare, on the other hand, would allow for unlimited expansion of the Congregation. In actual fact, it was to remain the Mother House of the community for nearly two centuries, until the outbreak of the French Revolution. At some periods, even in Vincent's lifetime, it would shelter hundreds of people within its walls.
Finally, there were financial considerations. We haven't the information to help us calculate with certainty the expenses of Saint Lazare in 1633. But taking into account the level of commitments taken on, [36] perhaps it would'd be too bold to suggest that expenses would be at least 40 or 50,000 livres a year.
The vicissitudes of the times, and the increasing burdens that Vincent's charity made them undertake, meant that Saint Lazare passed through some difficult times financially. But taken as a whole, it could be said that thanks to Adrian Le Bon, the Congregation had emerged from its poverty. Vincent wanted them to look on Adrian Le Bon as a father.
"Many of us suffered want and it was he who provided the means to feed and maintain us". [37] "He put bread into our hands". [38]
At times Vincent was afraid that Saint Lazare
"Might prove too attractive on account of the good bread and meat one could eat there, the good air one could breathe, the open spaces for walking and all the amenities it provides." [39] "We have splendid courtyards and a walled garden. As for food, where would you find better bread and better wine? Where would you find better meat? better fruit? What do we lack? How many people in the world can enjoy all this?" [40]
Even if we disregard the large dose of rhetorical exaggeration, in the words used by the Founder to urge his
missionaries to preserve their spirit of poverty in the midst of what was relatively material comfort, there is no doubt that Saint Lazare assured the expansion of the infant Community's assets. We will soon see the use that Vincent, the apostle businessman, was to make of these resources from Saint Lazare. For the moment, suffice it to say that when Vincent simultaneously took on the struggle to institutionalise his community, confirm its work objectives, and put it on a sound financial basis, he was laying up for it very many years of security and fruitfulness in all kinds of apostolic endeavour. Saint Lazare would be the new stepping off point, so it is quite fitting that Vincentians in France should be known as Lazaristes.
