CHAPTER XVII
FOUNDATION WORKS. THE TABLEAU IS NOW COMPLETE
FOUNDATION WORKS. THE TABLEAU IS NOW COMPLETE
The "Tuesday Conferences"
The year 1633 is Vincent de Paul's year of successes. With the publication of the bull, "Salvatoris Nostri", his Congregation was accorded papal approbation and the juridical status it was never to lose. Their move to Saint Lazare had the King's unqualified support and so they now had a permanent operational base. However, some parts of his works mechanism still needed to be pieced together.
Retreats for ordinands were just the beginning of Vincent's efforts to reform the clergy. This was the aspect of his missionary work that had been delayed the longest. The year 1633 was to put into his hands yet another tool for the development of this work; the "Tuesday Conferences". As usual, Vincent assures us that this was not his idea, but that the suggestion came from one of the more fervent priests who had made his retreat for ordinands. We know that very early on, Vincent and his companions had taken advantage of the missions they preached, to bring together the local priests and give some talks to them, too. They instructed them in their pastoral duties, [1] and later welcomed them, first to the Bons Enfants, and later to Saint Lazare, for a retreat. The bull, "Salvatori Nostri", mentions this and other works that the missionaries undertook for the clergy; the monthly meetings for curés and rectors to study together cases of conscience and ways of administering the sacraments. [2] All this proves that Vincent had, for years, been thinking about, and trying out, new ways of working for the clergy, in addition to the retreats for ordinands.
At the beginning of the 17th century a devout prelate, Cardinal François Escoubleau de Sourdis, had introduced into his diocese the practice of assembling the rectors and other priests, to discuss questions of moral theology. [3] A similar programme had been started by Father Bourdoise, founder of the community of Saint Nicolas du Chardonnet, both in his seminary in Paris, and in various dioceses in the North of France. [4] But meetings of the clergy to discuss the virtues proper to their state, and to give mutual support in practising these and so advance in virtue, were something completely new. At least Vincent de Paul had never come across anything like them. [5]
The young clerics who had made a pre ordination retreat in Vincent's house, were beginning to be conspicuous among the priests in Paris. They lived a more orderly life, occupied their time in exercises of piety, visited hospitals and prisons and genuinely desired to live a truly priestly life. [6] Sadly, this first fervour was, of its nature, something ephemeral and easily dissipated when it came into contact with others who were tepid or more relaxed in life style. Vincent was aware of this and he wondered how he could make the fruits of the retreat more lasting. [7]
One day Vincent received a visit from one of these priests who shared his concern.
"Monsieur Vincent, why don't you start an association to help us keep alive our first fervour?"
Once again, Vincent believed it was the voice of God speaking. His own special way of listening to God was not through visions or apparitions, but through concrete situations brought to his notice either by the entreaties of somebody in need, or somebody speaking on their behalf. This is what happened at Chatillon, at Folléville and in the carriage of the bishop of Beauvais. Even when Vincent was aware of a need, he would always wait for Providence to reveal its plans to him. So sometimes the accusation has been made, even by contemporaries, that he was slow to make a decision. [8] Anyone who thinks that, doesn't know Vincent. Vincent was slow, desperately slow, when he couldn't see clearly what was God's will. This was the case with Saint Lazare, when he took over a year to make up his mind But once the divine will was manifest through some event, an order from someone in authority, or through the advice of some spiritual person, Vincent made up his mind with astonishing speed. The idea of forming an association of priests is a case in point. Only a few days after receiving the confidences of this good priest, Vincent had drawn up his plan and put it into action. He was inspired by the memory of the Early Fathers who used to meet in the desert from time to time for spiritual discussions. [9]
"We have every reason to expect that much good will come from this Company!"
At that time, Vincent had on hand the priests who had just been ordained. Under his instructions, they were preaching a mission to the stonemasons and carpenters who were working on Visitation's nuns convent chapel in the faubourg Saint Antoine, a chapel paid for by Brûlart de Sillery, [10] whom Vincent had once directed. After explaining his idea to the archbishop, and getting his approval, Vincent went to see them. It was the feast of St. Barnabas, 11th June, 1633. [11] He interviewed each one of them and told them his plan. They all agreed enthusiastically. This was Saturday and he arranged for them to meet at 2 o'clock the following Monday, in his house at St. Lazare. [12]
This was just an introductory meeting where Vincent explained in more detail the aims and nature of the association he had in mind. Unfortunalety, we don't have the text of his address, but the résumé given by Abelly lets us hear an echo of Vincent's eloquence, and his style, as he addressed an audience which included some priests he would greatly esteem all his life; the then very young Jean Jacques Olier future founder of Saint Sulpice, Nicolas Pavillon, later bishop of Alet, Antoine Godeau who would become bishop of Grasse, François Perrochel, who was destined to become bishop of Boulogne, and Michel Alix, abbot of Colenge. [13]
Vincent talked to them about the dignity of the priesthood, a truly holy state for those who consecrated themselves entirely to the Lord. Then he pondered on the unfortunate condition of priests who lose their first fervour and become contaminated with the spirit of the world. He exhorted them to seek the means of remaining faithful to the spirit of their vocation as they went about their daily duties or mixed with their families. He backed up each statement with quotations from scripture the ploughman who looks back, the lustreless gold mentioned by Isaiah, the temple stones scattered in the streets, Baruch's stars that each shine from its appointed space and joyfully answers the call of its maker. [14]
Vincent's preaching had a great impact, too, on the learned members of the audience. By this time he was already a saint, and every phrase he uttered was the fruit of long meditation and personal experience. He was very concerned for these inexperienced young men. He wanted this select group, which only admitted priests who were known for their piety and innocence of life, to be the leaven among the clergy of France, and to form a brotherhood where they would be closely united in and with Christ, for their mutual help towards progress in virtue. He wanted them to try and mirror Christ in everything; more than anything he wanted them (and here we have Vincent's own personal vocation persuasively winning over disciples) to imitate the Saviour's love for the poor, and for each to follow his own particular inspiration, labouring for God's glory, not just among the poor people in the cities, but with those in country areas, too.
He suggested they make it a definite rule to keep at least to this basic daily programme; always to rise at a fixed time, to have mental prayer, Mass, meditative reading of the New Testament, particular and general self examen spiritual reading and there would also be their annual retreat and the weekly conferences on spiritual matters and on the duties, virtues, and pastoral work of a good priest. [15]
He gave them a month to think it over. They would meet again on Saturday, 9th July, to set up the association. There was nobody missing from this meeting; in fact a few more came after seeing the zeal of the first members. The only one to be absent was the priest who had first thought of the project for he was out of Paris, giving a mission. Vincent wrote to tell him about it.
"The idea you recently paid me the honour of sharing with me has been so well received by the ecclesiastics. They all came together a fortnight ago and decided to implement your proposals. There was such unanimity in this, that it seems the plan must come from God. There are having another meeting today. O Lord, what reasons we have for expecting much good to come from this company. You are its inspiration, and will see that everything works well for God's glory." [16]
At the second meeting, they drew up a provisional rule based on Vincent's guidelines, elected the organising committee, and decided that Tuesday was the most convenient day to meet. This is how the association came to be known as the "Tuesday Conference". However, the first conference, properly so called, took place on the following Saturday, July 16th. [17]
"Vincent was the soul of that pious assembly"
The only thing we know about that first conference is its theme. The subject under discussion was the ecclesiastical state, motives for attaining it, its nature, and the means of achieving, preserving, and making progress in it. But the conference would have developed along the same lines as others that we know about. Vincent had a horror of the empty oratory in vogue at that time. So there were to be no discourses, just the simple and clear presentation, by one of the priests, of the thoughts he had at prayer and meditation. Then the others would join in and there would be a common sharing of reflections and sentiments. Vincent spoke little. Usually he was content just to listen. Only at the end would he speak, to emphasize some of the ideas expressed, to add his own feelings on the matter, put forward his ownreflections, amplify, exhort and correct.
They would drink in whatever he had to say. As the years passed, Vincent was becoming more and more and more the prophetic voice of the Church in France. The most distinguished member of the Conferences, the incomparable Bossuet would recall with emotion.
"I, too, belonged to that association which he founded and directed. Its aim was to bring together some priests every week to talk about spiritual matters. Vincent was the soul of the pious assembly. We listened eagerly to what he had to say. We felt that as he spoke he was fulfilling the Apostle's maxim, "If anyone speaks, let his speech be as coming from God." [18]
Right from the outset, Vincent had high hopes for this new work. Shortly after the association started, he wrote to his faithful friend and companion in the works, François de Coudray, who was still in Rome working on the Congregation's business;
"The object of these meetings is for the members to commit themselves to aiming at perfection. They will strive to discover ways of avoiding offending God and, on the contrary, of making him known and served by all communities. Through the association, both ecclesiastics and the poor will give glory to God. Somebody from here will be the Director, and they will meet here every week. Since God has blessed the retreats that so many parish priests from this diocese have made here, these gentlemen would like to make a similar retreat, and, in fact, they have already started. If Our Lord is pleased to bless the work we have reason to hope that great good will come of it, so I recommend it specially to your prayers." [19]
In keeping with his method of directing souls, Vincent was not content to give just a theoretical lead to the members of the association. He immediately did with them what he had done with Marguerite de Silly and Louise de Marillac; he set them to work. During that same year, 1633, they preached in the Hospital of the Three Hundred, a refuge for blind people, which had been founded in the capital by Louis XIII. This mission was not confined to the blind and their families, but was open to anyone living near the hospital who wished to attend. That mission was followed by others, to soldiers of the royal guard, to labourers in Paris workshops, to stonemasons and hired hands, to the poor people of the Hôpital de la Miséricorde, to the women in the house of correction, [20] and many other missions which we will study later on. Vincent's energetic charity, which relied on the Congregation of the Mission to evangelise the poor peasants, could now, through the Tuesday Conferences, reach out to the poor people of the cities, a work that the Congregation could not undertake.
"Every good ecclesiastic wanted to belong to it"
It became fashionable to attend the conferences. A very realiable witness, the Jansenist, Lancelot, was to say, "There wasn't any good ecclesiastic in Paris who did not want to belong to it". [21] Even the young son of the Gondi family, a tearaway, who at that time was only abbot of Buzais but who would later become the famous Cardinal de Retz, was admitted to the Conference even though his conduct was far from edifying. No doubt this inclusion was due to Vincent's influence, and his affection for the young man whom he regarded as an erring son that he always hoped to bring back to the right path. "He isn't very pious, but all the same, he's not far from the kingdom of heaven", is what de Retz claimed that Vincent had said about him. [22] This was the weakness of a father, perhaps the only perceptible weakness in Vincent de Paul, and an understandable one, as it concerned the son of his benefactor, a boy he had known almost from the cradle and someone, who, as Archbishop of Paris, would become Vincent's prelate.
The conference's reputation spread rapidly. Richelieu, who had his finger on every tiny movement within the kingdom, wanted to have first hand information. He arranged a meeting with Vincent, that was not without some political purpose. As far as we know, this was the first meeting between the humble priest and the mighty Prime Minister who was also a churchman, and in his own way, a reformer. Richelieu wanted to know the reasons for these meetings, the matters discussed there, who went to them, and the works they took on. Perhaps he was just a little suspicious of the activities of someone who had earlier been the friend of Bérulle, the de Gondis, the Fargis and the Marillacs. He was completely reassured. This was no political cabal, but a genuine religious association. He ended up by asking Vincent which of those priests would make a good bishop, and he wrote the list in his own hand. Vincent maintained strict secrecy about the interview. He had no wish to see the conferences turn into a springboard for climbers and plotters. [23] Rather, it was to become a seedbed of zealous reformers, and from its ranks would come 23 bishops and archbishops, as well as numerous vicars general, archdeacons, canons, parish priests, directors of seminaries, religious superiors and provincials, and confessors for religious. [24] Vincent de Paul's reform movement was penetrating the highest echelons of the Church. But we are anticipating events. In 1633, the Tuesday Conferences were just one more tool forged by Vincent for his work of reforming the clergy and serving the poor.
The Charities finally take shape
If Vincent had collaborators on hand to give spiritual help to the poor, and to assist the clergy, the same could not be said about the material help he wanted to give. This was the other side of his vocation as he discerned it at Chatillon les Dombes, or in dungeons for galley slaves. Vincent had conceived the idea of Confraternities of Charity at Chatillon, but when these moved to Paris a certain insensitivity crept in among the members. We have already seen that periodic visitations were necessary, to put right any failings in these small, isolated associations. In Paris the situation got worse. The ladies of the capital had been enthusiastic at first, but then they found going in person to serve the poor a burden. [25] So they sent their servants instead. Vincent could not tolerate this mercenary way of practising charity. For one thing, it clashed with his conviction that charity, for a Christian, is a matter of personal commitment. Secondly, it meant that the poor were being left unattended because what they needed was continuous help from people who would be utterly dedicated to the work. Without dispensing with the charities altogether, he began to plan a new association whose members would make up for any deficiences in the charity confraternities, and would dedicate all their time to the service of the poor. The search for such an association lasted for some years. We know that when Vincent was unsure of God's will, he was slow to make up his mind. He was no Utopian political thinker,anxious to find a solution to specific evils in society. He was a man of God who strove to distinguish the voice of God, amid the clamours of the world.
"The First Daughter of Charity"
One day, early in 1630, [26] Vincent was giving a mission when he met a young village girl whose soul was obviously touched by the invisible finger of grace. Her name was Marguerite Naseau and she came from Suresnes, a small town not far from Paris. It was she who would prove to be the answer to what Vincent was looking for. But let Vincent himself tell us about it.
"She was just a poor, unlettered girl, who minded cows. A powerful inspiration from heaven gave her the idea of instructing young people. She bought an alphabet, and since she couldn't go to school to learn to read, she used to ask the parish priest or the curate to tell her the first four letters; later on she would ask about the next four, and so on with the others. She studied her lessons as she minded the cows. If she saw somebody passing by who looked as if he could read, she would ask, "How do you pronounce this word, sir?" And so, little by little, she learnt how to read, and then she taught other girls in her village. Then she made up her mind to go from village to village, with two or three girls she had trained, so that they could teach others. What a marvellous work! She undertook all this, even though she had no money, and no other support but divine Providence. Often she would fast for days on end, and she lived in dwellings that only had the walls standing. However, she devoted herself, sometimes by night as well as by day, to teaching not just girls, but older people as well, and she did this without any vanity or self interest, but purely for the love of God who saw to her needs without her thinking about them. She, herself, told Mlle. Le Gras, that on one occasion when she had been several days without bread, and had not told anybody about the poverty she was living in, she came back from Mass to find enough provisions to feed her for quite a long time. The more she laboured at teaching young people, the more she was calumniated and jeered at by the peasants. She was so detached from things, that she gave away everything she had, even though that meant going without necessities. She helped some poor students to pursue their studies, provided them with food for a time, and encouraged them in the service of God. These young men are now good priests.
Finally, when she learnt that there was a Confraternity of Charity in Paris for poor sick people, she went there. She had a great desire to do this work, and although she still wanted very much to continue instructing young people, she nevertheless abandoned this charitable work, to take on the other service which she judged to be more perfect and more necessary. And God wanted her to act in this way so that she would be the first Daughter of Charity, servant of the sick poor, in the city of Paris. Her example attracted other young girls, whom she had helped to give up all sorts of frivolities in order to embrace the devout life." [27]
To Vincent's way of thinking, the story of Marguerite Naseau, together with the Charity Confraternity at Chatillon les Dombes, was, for the Daughters of Charity, what the peasant's confession at Gannes, and the sermon at Folléville had been for the missionaries. So he told the story over and over again, each time adding new and interesting details. He nearly always attributes to Marguerite, herself, the iniative in going to Paris to work in the charities. But just on one occasion, he slips into the first person, and says, "I suggested to her that she should serve the sick. She agreed to the suggestion at once and with great pleasure, and I sent her to Saint Sauveur." [28] This is for us a precious slip of the tongue which helps us realise, once again, Vincent's understanding of the gentle ways of Providence.
"They began to join, almost without realising it"
Other young girls followed Marguerite Naseau, some of them recruited by her. Mlle. le Gras took charge of them in Paris. Soon a large number of girls joined them and the group seemed to go on increasing. St. Vincent was to say, [29] "They began to meet and almost without realising it they would join." After a few weeks' elementary instruction, which often had to begin with teaching them the alphabet, and a religious formation which consisted basically of some spiritual exercises, the practice of Buseo's method of mental prayer, and spiritual reading from Father Granada's "Guide for Sinners", they were launched into the works. [30] They were nothing more than some extended version of the charity confraternities in each parish. For this reason they received their orders from the ladies of the confraternity, and at this time were not united by any bonds of community. From now on they came to be known as "les filles de la Charité", i.e. the charity girls or lasses. [31]
Soon the project surpassed all expectations. The number of girls increased rapidly, and gradually the idea took shape of forming them into a separate body which would be organised on a more permanent basis. This plan would entail many difficulties. No matter what their title might be, they would always be regarded as some new religious congregation. This was a big risk, because the term "religious" meant cloistered; they would be enclosed behind grilles and that would mean goodbye to caring for the sick, and goodbye to the service of the poor. Vincent remembered the frustrations experienced by St. Francis de Sales when he started the Visitation nuns. He would have to tread very carefully, and make it absolutely clear that these were not nuns, but a group of secular women living in community, but keeping the same freedom to come and go through the streets of the city, the wards of hospitals or the cells of a prison. Modesty was to serve them as religious garb, and they would wear the grey serge robe and white coiffe of the village girls in country areas near Paris. They were not to live in "convents", but in houses. They would not have a "novitiate", but their months of formation would be known as the "seminary".
A capable, intelligent, and pious lady would have to be found to train and direct these girls, and she would need to give wholehearted commitment to the work. Louise de Marillacappeared to be the obvious choice. For years now, she had been training these girls to work in the parish charities, but Mlle. le Gras was still a long way from solving her own personal problems. We must pause here and trace in some detail, her spiritual journey between 1630 and 1633, though precise dates are unavailable. There are many gaps in the correspondence between Vincent and herself, so it is difficult to be sure about dates. She continued to be very anxious about her son who, at the age of 18 or 19, had still not decided what to do in life. He was often ill, he changed schools, and he decided not to be ordained, a decision that Vincent supported. [32] From time to time, Louise herself still thought of entering a contemplative order. In 1630, Vincent praised "your generous resolution to honour the hidden life our adorable saviour practised from his early years." [33]
"Your angel has spoken to mine"
The following year, if Coste's dating of the letters is correct, it is Vincent who is hesitant. This would seem to be the obvious sense of one of the letters that Abelly interprets, and I think rightly so, as the director putting the brakes on the impatient woman he was guiding.
"As for the other matter; unless Our Lord lets you see with absolute certainty that he desires something different of you, I beg you once and for all, not to give it any more thought, since at the moment he is letting you feel quite the opposite sentiments. We often desire good things, and this desire seems to come from God, but it is not always so; God allows it so that the soul may be prepared to be as he wills. Saul went in search of an ass, and found a kingdom, St. Louis went to conquer the Holy Land, and he conquered himself, thus winning a heavenly crown. You are trying to become the servant of these poor girls, and God wants you to be his servant, and perhaps the servant of many others, whom you could not help if you continued like this. And if you were to be just the servant of God, would not God be satisfed that your heart is honouring the tranquility of Our Lord?" [34]
Vincent seems to want Louise to have the same experience that he had during his retreat at Soissons; to put aside all haste and wait patiently for God's will to be made known. Even as late as Pentecost, 1633, he was still undecided, but Vincent was so sparing with words that we don't know the reason for this hesitation.
"With regard to the matter you have in hand, I still haven't had sufficient enlightenment from God, and I find it difficult to see whether this is His Divine Majesty's will. I beg you, Mlle., to pray to him for this intention during these days when he bestows the graces of the Holy Spirit more abundantly, and gives the Holy Spirit himself. Let us keep up our prayers, then, and I beg you to remain joyful." [35]
The retreat he made in August or September 1633 proved decisive. As at Soissons, ten years earlier, Vincent's hesitation, and Louise's doubts, vanished and the way was now open for a new community to be established. At the end of this retreat, Vincent writes a letter to Louise which is tantamount to giving her the green light:
"In the name of Our Lord I beg you, Mlle., to look after yourself as much as possible, not now as a private individual, but as someone whose health concerns many other people.
This is the eighth day of the retreat and with the help of God I hope to continue till the tenth.
I think your good angel must have done what you wrote to me about. Four or five days ago, your angel spoke to mine about the Charity of your daughters. He has often brought this to my mind, and I have given serious thought to this good work. God willing, we shall talk about it on Friday or Saturday, unless you advise me to the contrary before then."
[36]
29th November, 1633
The following months were spent looking for, and selecting, the young girls who were to form the first nucleus of the new community. They all had experience of working for the poor in the parish charities. [37] On 29th November, 1633, on the eve of the feast of St. Andrew, a small group of girls whose names are unfortunately not known to us, moved into the house of Mlle. le Gras, to begin their training in "solid virtue". Thus was born the Company of the Daughters of Charity. [38] Marguerite Naseau was not to be one of them. A few months earlier she had died, the victim of heroic charity, in sharing her bed with a woman who had the plague. [39]
The Charity association of the Hôtel Dieu
Yet nother institution was to be added to the list of those destined by Vincent to bring about the reforms he felt called to make; reforms in, and for, charity. This happened early in 1634, though it had begun to develop much earlier. The final piece of Vincent's charity apparatus was the Association of Ladies of the Hôtel Dieu, or Central Hospital in Paris, and although at first sight it seemed less important than his other works, in fact it was to prove indispensable for their functioning.
Once again, the inspiration for this work came from an outside source and once again it was the initiative of a generous lady. The President, Madame Goussault, whose maiden name was Geneviève Fayet, was one of those pious ladies who gathered round Vincent during the years 1625 1633, attracted by the powerful appeal of his ardent charity. Her husband, Antoine Goussault, Lord of Souvigny, member of the Royal Council and President of the Chamber of Finance, had died in 1631, and his widow retained the name and title of her deceased husband. As Vincent had previously done with Louise de Marillas, he got Mde. Gousault to visit the charities. It is from her that we have the liveliest, and most colourful accounts of their journeys, real gems that reveal thelanguage, and the good taste, of the aristocracy of those days. She, too, had worked hard to recruit and train the first aspirants to the Daughters of Charity. It has sometimes been suggested that Vincent's final hesitation in authorising Louise to take charge of the work, might have come from his indecision about which of these two ladies should be Superioress of the Institute. The President was just as spiritual and fervent as Louise, and she was, moreover, a more lively and enterprising woman. Perhaps, though, she lacked that final touch of mysticism which was ultimately to make Louise de Marillac a saint. [40]
The President's innate generosity had moved her to start visiting the hospital of her own accord. What she found there filled her with dismay. The physical and spiritual needs of the sick people were neglected. The hospital was directed by the cathedral Chapter, but all these canons did was to designate two of their members to visit the hospital, and these, in their turn, delegated their responsabilities to a group of chaplains presided over by a "spiritual master". None of these people were particularly zealous. The hospital was run by a community of Augustinian nuns, whose observance of rule and regularity of life style also left much to be desired. It was the sick who suffered from this state of affairs. If we discount conditions that could be attributed to lack of medical knowledge at that time, conditions such as several people being crowed into the same bed, or practically non existent standards of hygiene, there were still other deficiencies that could easily have been put right. The foodwas poor and unappetising, and there was no such thing as personal hygiene. The sick were obliged to go to confession as soon as they were admitted, and they were not helped with this. Nobody bothered about confession again until the person was dying. [41]
Many pious people were concerned about conditions at the hospital. This was particularly true of the Company of the Blessed Sacrament, a semi secret association of clergy and laity, which had been established to attend to various needs within the Church, and which had tried to alleviate the worst evils. [42] President Goussault, who may have been inspired by some member of that Company, thought it could, and it should, be doing more. The idea came to her of setting up a Confraternity of Charity devoted exclusively to serving the hospital. She went to Vincent de Paul to ask him to start the work and be its director.
"On someone else's pitch?"
As always, and perhaps this time even more so than on previous occasions, Vincent asked himself if this really was God's will for him. There were so many people connected with that hospital; canons, chaplains, nuns, knights of the Blessed Sacrament. If he sent a new association of ladies there, wouldn't it be trespassing on someone else's pitch? Gently, but firmly, he refused. The President may have been expecting this, but she wasn't a lady to take no for an answer. She was only too well aware of the weak spot in Vincent's defences, and went off to see the Archbishop. He gave his blessing to the project, and told Mde. Goussault to inform Vincent that he wished him to undertake this work. Vincent had no option but to comply with the order from his bishop, even though this had been contrived bythe manoeuvres of an enterprising lady.
The introductory meeting of the association took place in Mde. Goussault's house, early in 1634. Present at this meeting were a good number of ladies who all came from distinguished families; the elegant and precise Isabelle Blandeau, chatelaine of Villesavin, and widow of Marie de Medici's secretary; Isabelle Marie Mallier, the wife of Nicolas Bailleul, Lord of Wattetot sur Mer and of Soisy sur Seine; the celebrated and accomplished Marie Dalibray, widow of the former Treasurer of France, an intimate friend of Pascal and member of his circle, and the young and beautiful Marie Lumague, chatelaine of Pollalion, who was also a widow and had for years devoted her time to visiting the charities. [43]
They decided to hold a second meeting in a few days time, and in the meantime they would look around for new recouits. This second meeting, which was already legally constituted, had even more ladies present. Among others, were Isabelle d'Aligre, the Chancellor's wife; Anne Petau, the widow of Traversay, and the famous Mde. Fouquet, Marie de Maupeon, who was the mother of two future bishops and of the famous and ill starred Superintendant of Finances under Louis XIV, as well as five daughters who entered the Visitation Order. [44] Of course Louise de Marillac was there, too. When the officers were elected, Mde. Goussault was voted president, or "Superior", the title laid down in the rules. Vincent was appointed Director for life.
"How long is it since you have been to confession?"
The rule was drawn up with the greatest care not to wound anyone's feelings. The first thing the ladies had to do when they went to the hospital, was to introduce themselves to the nuns in charge and offer their services. The association had for its principal aim, not the corporal care of the sick, but spiritual help and the ladies were to instruct them and prepare them, to make a good general confession of their past life. With this in view, Vincent drew up for the ladies' use, a manual of instructions which they were to have in their hands as they talked to the sick people, so that it wouldn't look as though they were preaching to them. Those high ranking ladies were not unlike those that Molière satirized in "Les Précieuses Ridicules" and Vincent de Paul, the peasant from the Landes, teaches them how to use direct and simple language which is both concise and clear.
"My dear sister, is it a long time since you have been to confession? Would you like to make a general confession if I told you how to do it? I've been told that it is very important for my salvation that I make one before I die, so that I can put right any ordinary confessions that I might have made badly, and also so that I'll have greater sorrow for my sins."
He obliged them, (and this is another thing that Molière ridiculed because he didn't understant it), to dress as simply as possible when they visited the poor, with no trappings of luxury, lest their obvious wealth distress those who lacked the barest necessities. This shows the depth of Vincent's psychological insight, and his acute awareness of the resentment and frustration which, as he knew so well, the poor can feel.
Above all, he recommends them to treat the sick with humility, sweetness and gentleness.
Vincent was putting at the disposal of these high and mighty ladies, his long experience in dealing with the needy; his loving and patient service of the poor. [45]
To ensure that this spiritual help would be more favourably received, the ladies were to add to their pious words some small material conforts, which would supplement the dull and unappetising meals provided by the hospital. Helped by the Daughters of Charity, they would distribute each morning, good big mugs of milk, and in the evening they would give out "white bread, biscuits, sweets, ice cream, grapes or cherries in season, and in winter, lemons or pears cooked in sugar". [46]
The association proved very successful. Within a few months the membership had risen to nearly 100, and all these ladies belonged to the aristocracy. [47] Results were encouraging. Apart from the number of Catholics who went to confession in the first year alone, there were more than 700 conversious from among Lutherans, Calvinists and Turks. [48]
The association of Ladies of the Hôtel Dieu differed from the other charity confraternities, in that it was not linked to any particular parish; it was an independent organisation whose members were drawn from every district in, Paris.
Another distinctive, and more important characteristic was that although it was founded primarily for the pious motives we have already mentioned, it became, in the end, a society for giving charitable relief, and Vincent would appeal to it on behalf of those most in need. The "Ladies of Charity of Paris", as they came to be called, provided the most solid financial support for the charitable enterprises that Vincent was to undertake in later years. Their foundation in 1634, was like establishing a Chancellor of the Exchequer for Vincentian charity. The inauguration of their association meant that the picture was now complete, and all the necessary institutions were in place for the new stage that was just beginning.
The year 1633 is Vincent de Paul's year of successes. With the publication of the bull, "Salvatoris Nostri", his Congregation was accorded papal approbation and the juridical status it was never to lose. Their move to Saint Lazare had the King's unqualified support and so they now had a permanent operational base. However, some parts of his works mechanism still needed to be pieced together.
Retreats for ordinands were just the beginning of Vincent's efforts to reform the clergy. This was the aspect of his missionary work that had been delayed the longest. The year 1633 was to put into his hands yet another tool for the development of this work; the "Tuesday Conferences". As usual, Vincent assures us that this was not his idea, but that the suggestion came from one of the more fervent priests who had made his retreat for ordinands. We know that very early on, Vincent and his companions had taken advantage of the missions they preached, to bring together the local priests and give some talks to them, too. They instructed them in their pastoral duties, [1] and later welcomed them, first to the Bons Enfants, and later to Saint Lazare, for a retreat. The bull, "Salvatori Nostri", mentions this and other works that the missionaries undertook for the clergy; the monthly meetings for curés and rectors to study together cases of conscience and ways of administering the sacraments. [2] All this proves that Vincent had, for years, been thinking about, and trying out, new ways of working for the clergy, in addition to the retreats for ordinands.
At the beginning of the 17th century a devout prelate, Cardinal François Escoubleau de Sourdis, had introduced into his diocese the practice of assembling the rectors and other priests, to discuss questions of moral theology. [3] A similar programme had been started by Father Bourdoise, founder of the community of Saint Nicolas du Chardonnet, both in his seminary in Paris, and in various dioceses in the North of France. [4] But meetings of the clergy to discuss the virtues proper to their state, and to give mutual support in practising these and so advance in virtue, were something completely new. At least Vincent de Paul had never come across anything like them. [5]
The young clerics who had made a pre ordination retreat in Vincent's house, were beginning to be conspicuous among the priests in Paris. They lived a more orderly life, occupied their time in exercises of piety, visited hospitals and prisons and genuinely desired to live a truly priestly life. [6] Sadly, this first fervour was, of its nature, something ephemeral and easily dissipated when it came into contact with others who were tepid or more relaxed in life style. Vincent was aware of this and he wondered how he could make the fruits of the retreat more lasting. [7]
One day Vincent received a visit from one of these priests who shared his concern.
"Monsieur Vincent, why don't you start an association to help us keep alive our first fervour?"
Once again, Vincent believed it was the voice of God speaking. His own special way of listening to God was not through visions or apparitions, but through concrete situations brought to his notice either by the entreaties of somebody in need, or somebody speaking on their behalf. This is what happened at Chatillon, at Folléville and in the carriage of the bishop of Beauvais. Even when Vincent was aware of a need, he would always wait for Providence to reveal its plans to him. So sometimes the accusation has been made, even by contemporaries, that he was slow to make a decision. [8] Anyone who thinks that, doesn't know Vincent. Vincent was slow, desperately slow, when he couldn't see clearly what was God's will. This was the case with Saint Lazare, when he took over a year to make up his mind But once the divine will was manifest through some event, an order from someone in authority, or through the advice of some spiritual person, Vincent made up his mind with astonishing speed. The idea of forming an association of priests is a case in point. Only a few days after receiving the confidences of this good priest, Vincent had drawn up his plan and put it into action. He was inspired by the memory of the Early Fathers who used to meet in the desert from time to time for spiritual discussions. [9]
"We have every reason to expect that much good will come from this Company!"
At that time, Vincent had on hand the priests who had just been ordained. Under his instructions, they were preaching a mission to the stonemasons and carpenters who were working on Visitation's nuns convent chapel in the faubourg Saint Antoine, a chapel paid for by Brûlart de Sillery, [10] whom Vincent had once directed. After explaining his idea to the archbishop, and getting his approval, Vincent went to see them. It was the feast of St. Barnabas, 11th June, 1633. [11] He interviewed each one of them and told them his plan. They all agreed enthusiastically. This was Saturday and he arranged for them to meet at 2 o'clock the following Monday, in his house at St. Lazare. [12]
This was just an introductory meeting where Vincent explained in more detail the aims and nature of the association he had in mind. Unfortunalety, we don't have the text of his address, but the résumé given by Abelly lets us hear an echo of Vincent's eloquence, and his style, as he addressed an audience which included some priests he would greatly esteem all his life; the then very young Jean Jacques Olier future founder of Saint Sulpice, Nicolas Pavillon, later bishop of Alet, Antoine Godeau who would become bishop of Grasse, François Perrochel, who was destined to become bishop of Boulogne, and Michel Alix, abbot of Colenge. [13]
Vincent talked to them about the dignity of the priesthood, a truly holy state for those who consecrated themselves entirely to the Lord. Then he pondered on the unfortunate condition of priests who lose their first fervour and become contaminated with the spirit of the world. He exhorted them to seek the means of remaining faithful to the spirit of their vocation as they went about their daily duties or mixed with their families. He backed up each statement with quotations from scripture the ploughman who looks back, the lustreless gold mentioned by Isaiah, the temple stones scattered in the streets, Baruch's stars that each shine from its appointed space and joyfully answers the call of its maker. [14]
Vincent's preaching had a great impact, too, on the learned members of the audience. By this time he was already a saint, and every phrase he uttered was the fruit of long meditation and personal experience. He was very concerned for these inexperienced young men. He wanted this select group, which only admitted priests who were known for their piety and innocence of life, to be the leaven among the clergy of France, and to form a brotherhood where they would be closely united in and with Christ, for their mutual help towards progress in virtue. He wanted them to try and mirror Christ in everything; more than anything he wanted them (and here we have Vincent's own personal vocation persuasively winning over disciples) to imitate the Saviour's love for the poor, and for each to follow his own particular inspiration, labouring for God's glory, not just among the poor people in the cities, but with those in country areas, too.
He suggested they make it a definite rule to keep at least to this basic daily programme; always to rise at a fixed time, to have mental prayer, Mass, meditative reading of the New Testament, particular and general self examen spiritual reading and there would also be their annual retreat and the weekly conferences on spiritual matters and on the duties, virtues, and pastoral work of a good priest. [15]
He gave them a month to think it over. They would meet again on Saturday, 9th July, to set up the association. There was nobody missing from this meeting; in fact a few more came after seeing the zeal of the first members. The only one to be absent was the priest who had first thought of the project for he was out of Paris, giving a mission. Vincent wrote to tell him about it.
"The idea you recently paid me the honour of sharing with me has been so well received by the ecclesiastics. They all came together a fortnight ago and decided to implement your proposals. There was such unanimity in this, that it seems the plan must come from God. There are having another meeting today. O Lord, what reasons we have for expecting much good to come from this company. You are its inspiration, and will see that everything works well for God's glory." [16]
At the second meeting, they drew up a provisional rule based on Vincent's guidelines, elected the organising committee, and decided that Tuesday was the most convenient day to meet. This is how the association came to be known as the "Tuesday Conference". However, the first conference, properly so called, took place on the following Saturday, July 16th. [17]
"Vincent was the soul of that pious assembly"
The only thing we know about that first conference is its theme. The subject under discussion was the ecclesiastical state, motives for attaining it, its nature, and the means of achieving, preserving, and making progress in it. But the conference would have developed along the same lines as others that we know about. Vincent had a horror of the empty oratory in vogue at that time. So there were to be no discourses, just the simple and clear presentation, by one of the priests, of the thoughts he had at prayer and meditation. Then the others would join in and there would be a common sharing of reflections and sentiments. Vincent spoke little. Usually he was content just to listen. Only at the end would he speak, to emphasize some of the ideas expressed, to add his own feelings on the matter, put forward his ownreflections, amplify, exhort and correct.
They would drink in whatever he had to say. As the years passed, Vincent was becoming more and more and more the prophetic voice of the Church in France. The most distinguished member of the Conferences, the incomparable Bossuet would recall with emotion.
"I, too, belonged to that association which he founded and directed. Its aim was to bring together some priests every week to talk about spiritual matters. Vincent was the soul of the pious assembly. We listened eagerly to what he had to say. We felt that as he spoke he was fulfilling the Apostle's maxim, "If anyone speaks, let his speech be as coming from God." [18]
Right from the outset, Vincent had high hopes for this new work. Shortly after the association started, he wrote to his faithful friend and companion in the works, François de Coudray, who was still in Rome working on the Congregation's business;
"The object of these meetings is for the members to commit themselves to aiming at perfection. They will strive to discover ways of avoiding offending God and, on the contrary, of making him known and served by all communities. Through the association, both ecclesiastics and the poor will give glory to God. Somebody from here will be the Director, and they will meet here every week. Since God has blessed the retreats that so many parish priests from this diocese have made here, these gentlemen would like to make a similar retreat, and, in fact, they have already started. If Our Lord is pleased to bless the work we have reason to hope that great good will come of it, so I recommend it specially to your prayers." [19]
In keeping with his method of directing souls, Vincent was not content to give just a theoretical lead to the members of the association. He immediately did with them what he had done with Marguerite de Silly and Louise de Marillac; he set them to work. During that same year, 1633, they preached in the Hospital of the Three Hundred, a refuge for blind people, which had been founded in the capital by Louis XIII. This mission was not confined to the blind and their families, but was open to anyone living near the hospital who wished to attend. That mission was followed by others, to soldiers of the royal guard, to labourers in Paris workshops, to stonemasons and hired hands, to the poor people of the Hôpital de la Miséricorde, to the women in the house of correction, [20] and many other missions which we will study later on. Vincent's energetic charity, which relied on the Congregation of the Mission to evangelise the poor peasants, could now, through the Tuesday Conferences, reach out to the poor people of the cities, a work that the Congregation could not undertake.
"Every good ecclesiastic wanted to belong to it"
It became fashionable to attend the conferences. A very realiable witness, the Jansenist, Lancelot, was to say, "There wasn't any good ecclesiastic in Paris who did not want to belong to it". [21] Even the young son of the Gondi family, a tearaway, who at that time was only abbot of Buzais but who would later become the famous Cardinal de Retz, was admitted to the Conference even though his conduct was far from edifying. No doubt this inclusion was due to Vincent's influence, and his affection for the young man whom he regarded as an erring son that he always hoped to bring back to the right path. "He isn't very pious, but all the same, he's not far from the kingdom of heaven", is what de Retz claimed that Vincent had said about him. [22] This was the weakness of a father, perhaps the only perceptible weakness in Vincent de Paul, and an understandable one, as it concerned the son of his benefactor, a boy he had known almost from the cradle and someone, who, as Archbishop of Paris, would become Vincent's prelate.
The conference's reputation spread rapidly. Richelieu, who had his finger on every tiny movement within the kingdom, wanted to have first hand information. He arranged a meeting with Vincent, that was not without some political purpose. As far as we know, this was the first meeting between the humble priest and the mighty Prime Minister who was also a churchman, and in his own way, a reformer. Richelieu wanted to know the reasons for these meetings, the matters discussed there, who went to them, and the works they took on. Perhaps he was just a little suspicious of the activities of someone who had earlier been the friend of Bérulle, the de Gondis, the Fargis and the Marillacs. He was completely reassured. This was no political cabal, but a genuine religious association. He ended up by asking Vincent which of those priests would make a good bishop, and he wrote the list in his own hand. Vincent maintained strict secrecy about the interview. He had no wish to see the conferences turn into a springboard for climbers and plotters. [23] Rather, it was to become a seedbed of zealous reformers, and from its ranks would come 23 bishops and archbishops, as well as numerous vicars general, archdeacons, canons, parish priests, directors of seminaries, religious superiors and provincials, and confessors for religious. [24] Vincent de Paul's reform movement was penetrating the highest echelons of the Church. But we are anticipating events. In 1633, the Tuesday Conferences were just one more tool forged by Vincent for his work of reforming the clergy and serving the poor.
The Charities finally take shape
If Vincent had collaborators on hand to give spiritual help to the poor, and to assist the clergy, the same could not be said about the material help he wanted to give. This was the other side of his vocation as he discerned it at Chatillon les Dombes, or in dungeons for galley slaves. Vincent had conceived the idea of Confraternities of Charity at Chatillon, but when these moved to Paris a certain insensitivity crept in among the members. We have already seen that periodic visitations were necessary, to put right any failings in these small, isolated associations. In Paris the situation got worse. The ladies of the capital had been enthusiastic at first, but then they found going in person to serve the poor a burden. [25] So they sent their servants instead. Vincent could not tolerate this mercenary way of practising charity. For one thing, it clashed with his conviction that charity, for a Christian, is a matter of personal commitment. Secondly, it meant that the poor were being left unattended because what they needed was continuous help from people who would be utterly dedicated to the work. Without dispensing with the charities altogether, he began to plan a new association whose members would make up for any deficiences in the charity confraternities, and would dedicate all their time to the service of the poor. The search for such an association lasted for some years. We know that when Vincent was unsure of God's will, he was slow to make up his mind. He was no Utopian political thinker,anxious to find a solution to specific evils in society. He was a man of God who strove to distinguish the voice of God, amid the clamours of the world.
"The First Daughter of Charity"
One day, early in 1630, [26] Vincent was giving a mission when he met a young village girl whose soul was obviously touched by the invisible finger of grace. Her name was Marguerite Naseau and she came from Suresnes, a small town not far from Paris. It was she who would prove to be the answer to what Vincent was looking for. But let Vincent himself tell us about it.
"She was just a poor, unlettered girl, who minded cows. A powerful inspiration from heaven gave her the idea of instructing young people. She bought an alphabet, and since she couldn't go to school to learn to read, she used to ask the parish priest or the curate to tell her the first four letters; later on she would ask about the next four, and so on with the others. She studied her lessons as she minded the cows. If she saw somebody passing by who looked as if he could read, she would ask, "How do you pronounce this word, sir?" And so, little by little, she learnt how to read, and then she taught other girls in her village. Then she made up her mind to go from village to village, with two or three girls she had trained, so that they could teach others. What a marvellous work! She undertook all this, even though she had no money, and no other support but divine Providence. Often she would fast for days on end, and she lived in dwellings that only had the walls standing. However, she devoted herself, sometimes by night as well as by day, to teaching not just girls, but older people as well, and she did this without any vanity or self interest, but purely for the love of God who saw to her needs without her thinking about them. She, herself, told Mlle. Le Gras, that on one occasion when she had been several days without bread, and had not told anybody about the poverty she was living in, she came back from Mass to find enough provisions to feed her for quite a long time. The more she laboured at teaching young people, the more she was calumniated and jeered at by the peasants. She was so detached from things, that she gave away everything she had, even though that meant going without necessities. She helped some poor students to pursue their studies, provided them with food for a time, and encouraged them in the service of God. These young men are now good priests.
Finally, when she learnt that there was a Confraternity of Charity in Paris for poor sick people, she went there. She had a great desire to do this work, and although she still wanted very much to continue instructing young people, she nevertheless abandoned this charitable work, to take on the other service which she judged to be more perfect and more necessary. And God wanted her to act in this way so that she would be the first Daughter of Charity, servant of the sick poor, in the city of Paris. Her example attracted other young girls, whom she had helped to give up all sorts of frivolities in order to embrace the devout life." [27]
To Vincent's way of thinking, the story of Marguerite Naseau, together with the Charity Confraternity at Chatillon les Dombes, was, for the Daughters of Charity, what the peasant's confession at Gannes, and the sermon at Folléville had been for the missionaries. So he told the story over and over again, each time adding new and interesting details. He nearly always attributes to Marguerite, herself, the iniative in going to Paris to work in the charities. But just on one occasion, he slips into the first person, and says, "I suggested to her that she should serve the sick. She agreed to the suggestion at once and with great pleasure, and I sent her to Saint Sauveur." [28] This is for us a precious slip of the tongue which helps us realise, once again, Vincent's understanding of the gentle ways of Providence.
"They began to join, almost without realising it"
Other young girls followed Marguerite Naseau, some of them recruited by her. Mlle. le Gras took charge of them in Paris. Soon a large number of girls joined them and the group seemed to go on increasing. St. Vincent was to say, [29] "They began to meet and almost without realising it they would join." After a few weeks' elementary instruction, which often had to begin with teaching them the alphabet, and a religious formation which consisted basically of some spiritual exercises, the practice of Buseo's method of mental prayer, and spiritual reading from Father Granada's "Guide for Sinners", they were launched into the works. [30] They were nothing more than some extended version of the charity confraternities in each parish. For this reason they received their orders from the ladies of the confraternity, and at this time were not united by any bonds of community. From now on they came to be known as "les filles de la Charité", i.e. the charity girls or lasses. [31]
Soon the project surpassed all expectations. The number of girls increased rapidly, and gradually the idea took shape of forming them into a separate body which would be organised on a more permanent basis. This plan would entail many difficulties. No matter what their title might be, they would always be regarded as some new religious congregation. This was a big risk, because the term "religious" meant cloistered; they would be enclosed behind grilles and that would mean goodbye to caring for the sick, and goodbye to the service of the poor. Vincent remembered the frustrations experienced by St. Francis de Sales when he started the Visitation nuns. He would have to tread very carefully, and make it absolutely clear that these were not nuns, but a group of secular women living in community, but keeping the same freedom to come and go through the streets of the city, the wards of hospitals or the cells of a prison. Modesty was to serve them as religious garb, and they would wear the grey serge robe and white coiffe of the village girls in country areas near Paris. They were not to live in "convents", but in houses. They would not have a "novitiate", but their months of formation would be known as the "seminary".
A capable, intelligent, and pious lady would have to be found to train and direct these girls, and she would need to give wholehearted commitment to the work. Louise de Marillacappeared to be the obvious choice. For years now, she had been training these girls to work in the parish charities, but Mlle. le Gras was still a long way from solving her own personal problems. We must pause here and trace in some detail, her spiritual journey between 1630 and 1633, though precise dates are unavailable. There are many gaps in the correspondence between Vincent and herself, so it is difficult to be sure about dates. She continued to be very anxious about her son who, at the age of 18 or 19, had still not decided what to do in life. He was often ill, he changed schools, and he decided not to be ordained, a decision that Vincent supported. [32] From time to time, Louise herself still thought of entering a contemplative order. In 1630, Vincent praised "your generous resolution to honour the hidden life our adorable saviour practised from his early years." [33]
"Your angel has spoken to mine"
The following year, if Coste's dating of the letters is correct, it is Vincent who is hesitant. This would seem to be the obvious sense of one of the letters that Abelly interprets, and I think rightly so, as the director putting the brakes on the impatient woman he was guiding.
"As for the other matter; unless Our Lord lets you see with absolute certainty that he desires something different of you, I beg you once and for all, not to give it any more thought, since at the moment he is letting you feel quite the opposite sentiments. We often desire good things, and this desire seems to come from God, but it is not always so; God allows it so that the soul may be prepared to be as he wills. Saul went in search of an ass, and found a kingdom, St. Louis went to conquer the Holy Land, and he conquered himself, thus winning a heavenly crown. You are trying to become the servant of these poor girls, and God wants you to be his servant, and perhaps the servant of many others, whom you could not help if you continued like this. And if you were to be just the servant of God, would not God be satisfed that your heart is honouring the tranquility of Our Lord?" [34]
Vincent seems to want Louise to have the same experience that he had during his retreat at Soissons; to put aside all haste and wait patiently for God's will to be made known. Even as late as Pentecost, 1633, he was still undecided, but Vincent was so sparing with words that we don't know the reason for this hesitation.
"With regard to the matter you have in hand, I still haven't had sufficient enlightenment from God, and I find it difficult to see whether this is His Divine Majesty's will. I beg you, Mlle., to pray to him for this intention during these days when he bestows the graces of the Holy Spirit more abundantly, and gives the Holy Spirit himself. Let us keep up our prayers, then, and I beg you to remain joyful." [35]
The retreat he made in August or September 1633 proved decisive. As at Soissons, ten years earlier, Vincent's hesitation, and Louise's doubts, vanished and the way was now open for a new community to be established. At the end of this retreat, Vincent writes a letter to Louise which is tantamount to giving her the green light:
"In the name of Our Lord I beg you, Mlle., to look after yourself as much as possible, not now as a private individual, but as someone whose health concerns many other people.
This is the eighth day of the retreat and with the help of God I hope to continue till the tenth.
I think your good angel must have done what you wrote to me about. Four or five days ago, your angel spoke to mine about the Charity of your daughters. He has often brought this to my mind, and I have given serious thought to this good work. God willing, we shall talk about it on Friday or Saturday, unless you advise me to the contrary before then."
[36]
29th November, 1633
The following months were spent looking for, and selecting, the young girls who were to form the first nucleus of the new community. They all had experience of working for the poor in the parish charities. [37] On 29th November, 1633, on the eve of the feast of St. Andrew, a small group of girls whose names are unfortunately not known to us, moved into the house of Mlle. le Gras, to begin their training in "solid virtue". Thus was born the Company of the Daughters of Charity. [38] Marguerite Naseau was not to be one of them. A few months earlier she had died, the victim of heroic charity, in sharing her bed with a woman who had the plague. [39]
The Charity association of the Hôtel Dieu
Yet nother institution was to be added to the list of those destined by Vincent to bring about the reforms he felt called to make; reforms in, and for, charity. This happened early in 1634, though it had begun to develop much earlier. The final piece of Vincent's charity apparatus was the Association of Ladies of the Hôtel Dieu, or Central Hospital in Paris, and although at first sight it seemed less important than his other works, in fact it was to prove indispensable for their functioning.
Once again, the inspiration for this work came from an outside source and once again it was the initiative of a generous lady. The President, Madame Goussault, whose maiden name was Geneviève Fayet, was one of those pious ladies who gathered round Vincent during the years 1625 1633, attracted by the powerful appeal of his ardent charity. Her husband, Antoine Goussault, Lord of Souvigny, member of the Royal Council and President of the Chamber of Finance, had died in 1631, and his widow retained the name and title of her deceased husband. As Vincent had previously done with Louise de Marillas, he got Mde. Gousault to visit the charities. It is from her that we have the liveliest, and most colourful accounts of their journeys, real gems that reveal thelanguage, and the good taste, of the aristocracy of those days. She, too, had worked hard to recruit and train the first aspirants to the Daughters of Charity. It has sometimes been suggested that Vincent's final hesitation in authorising Louise to take charge of the work, might have come from his indecision about which of these two ladies should be Superioress of the Institute. The President was just as spiritual and fervent as Louise, and she was, moreover, a more lively and enterprising woman. Perhaps, though, she lacked that final touch of mysticism which was ultimately to make Louise de Marillac a saint. [40]
The President's innate generosity had moved her to start visiting the hospital of her own accord. What she found there filled her with dismay. The physical and spiritual needs of the sick people were neglected. The hospital was directed by the cathedral Chapter, but all these canons did was to designate two of their members to visit the hospital, and these, in their turn, delegated their responsabilities to a group of chaplains presided over by a "spiritual master". None of these people were particularly zealous. The hospital was run by a community of Augustinian nuns, whose observance of rule and regularity of life style also left much to be desired. It was the sick who suffered from this state of affairs. If we discount conditions that could be attributed to lack of medical knowledge at that time, conditions such as several people being crowed into the same bed, or practically non existent standards of hygiene, there were still other deficiencies that could easily have been put right. The foodwas poor and unappetising, and there was no such thing as personal hygiene. The sick were obliged to go to confession as soon as they were admitted, and they were not helped with this. Nobody bothered about confession again until the person was dying. [41]
Many pious people were concerned about conditions at the hospital. This was particularly true of the Company of the Blessed Sacrament, a semi secret association of clergy and laity, which had been established to attend to various needs within the Church, and which had tried to alleviate the worst evils. [42] President Goussault, who may have been inspired by some member of that Company, thought it could, and it should, be doing more. The idea came to her of setting up a Confraternity of Charity devoted exclusively to serving the hospital. She went to Vincent de Paul to ask him to start the work and be its director.
"On someone else's pitch?"
As always, and perhaps this time even more so than on previous occasions, Vincent asked himself if this really was God's will for him. There were so many people connected with that hospital; canons, chaplains, nuns, knights of the Blessed Sacrament. If he sent a new association of ladies there, wouldn't it be trespassing on someone else's pitch? Gently, but firmly, he refused. The President may have been expecting this, but she wasn't a lady to take no for an answer. She was only too well aware of the weak spot in Vincent's defences, and went off to see the Archbishop. He gave his blessing to the project, and told Mde. Goussault to inform Vincent that he wished him to undertake this work. Vincent had no option but to comply with the order from his bishop, even though this had been contrived bythe manoeuvres of an enterprising lady.
The introductory meeting of the association took place in Mde. Goussault's house, early in 1634. Present at this meeting were a good number of ladies who all came from distinguished families; the elegant and precise Isabelle Blandeau, chatelaine of Villesavin, and widow of Marie de Medici's secretary; Isabelle Marie Mallier, the wife of Nicolas Bailleul, Lord of Wattetot sur Mer and of Soisy sur Seine; the celebrated and accomplished Marie Dalibray, widow of the former Treasurer of France, an intimate friend of Pascal and member of his circle, and the young and beautiful Marie Lumague, chatelaine of Pollalion, who was also a widow and had for years devoted her time to visiting the charities. [43]
They decided to hold a second meeting in a few days time, and in the meantime they would look around for new recouits. This second meeting, which was already legally constituted, had even more ladies present. Among others, were Isabelle d'Aligre, the Chancellor's wife; Anne Petau, the widow of Traversay, and the famous Mde. Fouquet, Marie de Maupeon, who was the mother of two future bishops and of the famous and ill starred Superintendant of Finances under Louis XIV, as well as five daughters who entered the Visitation Order. [44] Of course Louise de Marillac was there, too. When the officers were elected, Mde. Goussault was voted president, or "Superior", the title laid down in the rules. Vincent was appointed Director for life.
"How long is it since you have been to confession?"
The rule was drawn up with the greatest care not to wound anyone's feelings. The first thing the ladies had to do when they went to the hospital, was to introduce themselves to the nuns in charge and offer their services. The association had for its principal aim, not the corporal care of the sick, but spiritual help and the ladies were to instruct them and prepare them, to make a good general confession of their past life. With this in view, Vincent drew up for the ladies' use, a manual of instructions which they were to have in their hands as they talked to the sick people, so that it wouldn't look as though they were preaching to them. Those high ranking ladies were not unlike those that Molière satirized in "Les Précieuses Ridicules" and Vincent de Paul, the peasant from the Landes, teaches them how to use direct and simple language which is both concise and clear.
"My dear sister, is it a long time since you have been to confession? Would you like to make a general confession if I told you how to do it? I've been told that it is very important for my salvation that I make one before I die, so that I can put right any ordinary confessions that I might have made badly, and also so that I'll have greater sorrow for my sins."
He obliged them, (and this is another thing that Molière ridiculed because he didn't understant it), to dress as simply as possible when they visited the poor, with no trappings of luxury, lest their obvious wealth distress those who lacked the barest necessities. This shows the depth of Vincent's psychological insight, and his acute awareness of the resentment and frustration which, as he knew so well, the poor can feel.
Above all, he recommends them to treat the sick with humility, sweetness and gentleness.
Vincent was putting at the disposal of these high and mighty ladies, his long experience in dealing with the needy; his loving and patient service of the poor. [45]
To ensure that this spiritual help would be more favourably received, the ladies were to add to their pious words some small material conforts, which would supplement the dull and unappetising meals provided by the hospital. Helped by the Daughters of Charity, they would distribute each morning, good big mugs of milk, and in the evening they would give out "white bread, biscuits, sweets, ice cream, grapes or cherries in season, and in winter, lemons or pears cooked in sugar". [46]
The association proved very successful. Within a few months the membership had risen to nearly 100, and all these ladies belonged to the aristocracy. [47] Results were encouraging. Apart from the number of Catholics who went to confession in the first year alone, there were more than 700 conversious from among Lutherans, Calvinists and Turks. [48]
The association of Ladies of the Hôtel Dieu differed from the other charity confraternities, in that it was not linked to any particular parish; it was an independent organisation whose members were drawn from every district in, Paris.
Another distinctive, and more important characteristic was that although it was founded primarily for the pious motives we have already mentioned, it became, in the end, a society for giving charitable relief, and Vincent would appeal to it on behalf of those most in need. The "Ladies of Charity of Paris", as they came to be called, provided the most solid financial support for the charitable enterprises that Vincent was to undertake in later years. Their foundation in 1634, was like establishing a Chancellor of the Exchequer for Vincentian charity. The inauguration of their association meant that the picture was now complete, and all the necessary institutions were in place for the new stage that was just beginning.
