CHAPTER XXIII
THE COMPANY IN ACTION; ORDINANDS, SEMINARIES, CONFERENCES.
THE COMPANY IN ACTION; ORDINANDS, SEMINARIES, CONFERENCES.
"Our Institute has just two main objectives"
Vincent's personal vocation, which he sensed from the very beginning of his spiritual quest, was not restricted to giving missions. No less important an element in this vocation was the reform of the clergy, so this was incorporated into the aims and activities of the Congregation of the Mission.
"Our Institute", said Vincent, even before the definitive form of the Rules was settled, "has just two main objectives; instructing poor country people and working in seminaries." [1]
Both these aims were explicity stated in the foundation contracts for most houses, and Vincent was most anxious that both should be seen as equally important, although at times, one of these works might seem unnecessary. The Superior at Saintes who had very few vocations in his seminary, was reminded of this by Vincent who wrote:
"I hope this good work won't come to an end but that the situation will improve. You should not neglect this work in order to concentrate just on the missions; both are equally important and you have the same obligations with regard to both. I address these words to the whole family which was founded to undertake both works." [2]
When some missionary expressed disappointment at being sent just to train priests and not being able to give missions, Vincent, with some severity, pointed to the decision as a matter of principle.
"Don't you know, Father, that we are just as much committed to the work of training good ecclesiastics as we are to instructing the country people, and that a Priest of the Mission who would wish to do one of these works and not the other, would be only half a Missionary. I would go further and say that he stopped being a Missionary the moment he refused to obey in one matter so as to devote himself to a work that was not judged necessary for him to do. [3]
"There is nothing better than being a priest."
As we have seen, the first concrete way of fulfilling this vocation to help the clergy, was to give retreats to ordinands. This was tried out in Beauvais in 1628, and had become a time honoured institution in Paris by 1631. The episcopal letters that authorised the amalgamation of the Priory and the Congregation of the Mission, [4] made the work a permanent and obligatory duty for the missionaries at Saint Lazare after 1632.
This proved to be a serious financial burden on the house. Every year there were six ordination ceremonies in the diocese of Paris, although after 1643 this number was reduced to five when the mid Lent ordinations were discontinued. This didn't afford the missionaries much relief, especially since after 1638 the Paris ordinands were joined for their retreat, by clerics from other dioceses who wished to be ordained in the capital, and after 1646 candidates for minor orders added to the total. The number of participants in each group varied between 70 and 90. The Retreats lasted for 11 days so that the end of year total worked out as 55 days of retreats and some 4,000 participants. [5]
Even though the house at Saint Lazare had considerable resources, it began to feel the pressure of such a heavy burden. Some Ladies of Charity rushed to Vincent's aid. One of the first to do so was another of Vincent's good angels, Charlotte de Ligny, Madame Président de Herse. Her father and her husband both belonged to the aristocracy. Her husband, Michel Vialart, who had been a member of the Paris Parlement and President of the Royal Tribunal of Petitions, died in 1634 and the widow devoted a large part of her fortune to works of charity. [6] She promised to subsidise the work for ordinands for a period of five years and she kept her word. Between 1638 and 1643 she gave Vincent 1,000 livres for each ordination group. She also joined with some other ladies in paying out of their own purse, the expenses incurred in furnishing the retreatants' rooms. When her contract came to an end it was taken over by the Queen who was just beginning her regency but she only gave alms "for two or three years." "Monarchs", commented Abelly with some irony, "are not always able to do the good they would like to." [7]
Most of the burden fell on Saint Lazare. In 1650, Marguerite de Gondi, Marquise de Maignelay and the saint of that family, bequeathed a legacy of 18,000 livres for the work and so completed the pious foundations started by her brothers. [8]
Even if economic assets were not very reliable Vincent worked hard to see that spiritual resources were as sound as possible. Vincent developed this message in his repetitions of prayer and in his conferences and letters to the community, with the object of making them all aware of the great dignity of the priesthood and the importance of working for priests.
Ever since his premature ordination at the age of twenty, Vincent had often reflected on the great dignity of the priesthood. His contact with the people of Bérulle's circle had introduced him to a school of thought which regarded the priesthood as a call to perfection which was more demanding than a vocation to the religious life. Personal experience had shown him all too clearly, that the dignity, of the priesthood had to be reinstated; that priests themselves should be convinced of this dignity and that it should be equally appreciated by the faithful. This world of ideas which he had meditated in depth, finds expression in short, impressive, sentences that would be carved on the hearts and memories of his listeners:
"Is there anything in the world greater than the priestly state? Kingdoms and principalities are nothing in comparison. [9] The character conferred by ordination is a participation in the priesthood of the Son of God." [10] "There is nothing greater than a priest to whom God has given all power over his natural and his mystical body." [11] "The office of priesthood is more exalted than any earthly dignity." [12]
"To make the Gospel fully effective"
Vincent's esteem for the clergy led him to cherish works connected with the training, development, and perfection of priests; and, in his eyes, such works were an essential part of a missionary's vocation. He worked hard to have every member of the community share this conviction. He was afraid that if they didn't, God would take away the grace he had given them to work for the improvement of the clergy. He felt this all the more since he considered both himself and his community to be unworthy of the task, and it seemed to him that God had chosen them because of their insignifance, in accordance with the divine rule of choosing the most unworthy instruments for the most important enterprises. Not to respond to that grace would be a betrayal of the missionary's vocation. There would be something lacking in this vocation if it did not include the training of priests. The call to this work represented the coming of the fulness of time for the Congregation. The evangelisation of the poor would only be completely effective when these were given good pastors. When some members of the community raised objections to the works of seminaries, ecclesiastical conferences and retreats for ordinands, Vincent made this reply:
"Let us now look at the difficulties we could come up against. First of all, the Son of God might have been asked, 'Why did you come on earth'? To evangelise the poor; that is what the Father commanded you to do. Then why do you have priests? Why do you give them the power to consecrate, to bind and to loose, etc.? It might be said that coming to evangelise the poor didn't just mean teaching them the great truths neccesary for salvation but doing everything that was foretold and prefigured by the prophets, to make the gospel effective. You know that in former times God rejected those unworthy priests that had profaned holy things; he held their sacrifices in abomination and declared that he would raise up others whose voices and words would resound from the rising of the sun to its setting. "In omnem terram exivit sonus eorum". Through whom was he going to fulfil these promises? Through his Son, Our Lord, who raised up priests, instructed and trained them, and gave them the power to ordain others. "Sicut misit me Pater et ego mitto vos." He would do this through the men he had made priests during his own lifetime to bring salvation to the nations by instructing them and administering the sacraments. [13] Training priests was the way to make the gospel effective."
Vincent wanted every member of the community to join in the work of giving retreats to ordinands, not just those who directed the retreats. Eveyone, including the lay brothers, could collaborate through humility, prayer, good example and careful celebration of the liturgy. Vincent would often say a word on this subject to the community at Saint Lazare just as a retreat was about to start. So he was gradually creating a collective consciousness of the importance and excellence of this work, and this was the best guarantee that it would survive. [14]
The Retreat Manual
As well as giving spiritual advice, Vincent would add practical recommendations on the way retreatants were to be welcomed to the house, how they should be directed and the way missionaries were to relate to them. He immediately drew up, as he did for all his works, a relevant series of regulations. For those working with retreatants he devised something extra, a manual containing a summary of everything that an aspirant to the priesthood needed to know in order to attain and worthily perform his exalted ministry. The compilation of this manual was a collective effort. Working on it with Vincent were Nicholas Pavillon (1597 1677) Françoise Perrochel (1602 1673) and Jean Jacques Olier (1608 1657). [15] These three belonged to the first group that attended the Tuesday Conferences and they had been part of Vincent's circle for a long time though each kept his own spiritual profile.
Pavillon soon became bishop of Alet and he accepted this position in 1637 on Vincent's advice. As a mark of esteem for his great friend, he was consecrated bishop in the church of Saint Lazare. [16] He was noted for his firm discipline and the rigour of his doctrine which eventually led him to sympathise with the Jansenists. Six years after Pavillon, [17] Perrochel was consecrated bishop of Boulogne and this ceremony, also, took place at Saint Lazare. This man had such a reputation that Anne of Austria used to go to his talks for ordinands and she was so edified by them that she decided to give financial support to the work. [18] Olier was the youngest of them all and therefore the most submissive to Vincent who was his confessor. Vincent had helped him to overcome the hesitations he felt when the time came for him to be ordained. However, not long after this, he left Vincent's spiritual direction for that of Fr. Condren, Superior of the Oratory. It has been suggested, though there is no solid basis for this theory, that Olier made the change because Vincent was encouraging him to accept the bishopric of Langres whereas Condren advised the opposite. Events proved Vincent was wrong, because Olier would do much more important work as a simple priest and founder of Saint Sulpice than he would have done in any diocese. Whatever the reason may have been for their difference of opinion, it did not affect their friendship and the cordial relationship between master and disciple. Vincent regarded Olier as a man who would be blessed by God wherever he went, and Olier looked on Vincent as the father of his community. [19] We will find them working together on other occasions.
In 1634, or the following year, the four men were working together on the retreat manual. This came out as a small book entitled, "Entretiens des Ordinands" which was never printed and the only copies preserved are handwritten. [20] When Vincent received a copy he had it studied by several theologians from the Sorbonne. These assured him that anyone who had mastered its contents would know everything necessary for the worthy exercise of the priestly ministry. [21]
Vincent made sure that the ordinands only preached on subjects prescribed in the manual and that their style of preaching should reflect the little method's characteristic simplicity of thought and speech. Often preachers would come from outside the community and some of these were as famous as Bossuet. [22] However, as time went on, preference was given to the Priests of the Mission, [23] especilly to the younger ones who gave witness to the excellent training they had received and who were very proficient. [24]
A missionary known as "The Director of Ordinands" [25] had over all responsibility for the running of each retreat group but, as we have said, the whole community took part in the entreprise. When the ordinands arrived they were welcomed by the residents of Saint Lazare who took charge of their luggage, showed them to their rooms, explained the order of day and encouraged them to begin the retreat with an earnest desire to profit from it. After the talks and meditations, the retreatants were divided into small groups or "academies" which were led by a priest, for dialogue and sharing of ideas about what had been discussed. Priests from the house were responsible for rehearsing the liturgy and also for reading in the refectory. This reading was usually taken from a classic spiritual work on the priesthood, "Instructions for Priests" [26] by the Spanish Carthusian, Antonio Molina. Throughout the day, the ordinands were immersed in an atmosphere of recollection and fervour that very few were able to resist.
But there were some exceptions. One of these was young Gondi, the future Cardinal de Retz who had been pressurised by his family into embracing the religious state. The meagre fruit of his retreat at Saint Lazare was a resolution to be as zealous for the salvation of others as he was careless about his own. He was prepared to do wrong deliberately, so as to avoid the absurd mixture of sin and devotion which he observed in other ecclesiastics. [27]
Antoine Arnauld's case was different. He, too, refused to be influenced by the enviromment but he had different reasons for his opposition. He had been trained by Saint Cyran and had but scant regard for Vincent. He considered the spiritual nourishment offered at the Bons Enfants, where he made his retreat, to be very lacking compared with the solid teaching he had received from his master. The serious confrontation between Vincent and the famous Arnauld, undisputed leader of the Jansenists, was not far off. [28]
"Our company has contributed not a little"
These isolated cases have to be set against the great majority of successes. Among the great men of the Church in France who prepared for ordination at Saint Lazare or at the Bons Enfants, were Olier himself; Armande de Rancé, the future reformer of the Trappists, Commander Brûlart de Sillery whom we mentioned earlier, Bossuet, Heury and all the men who at diocescan level, or in abbeys, benefices or parishes in many different parts of France, would complete the work of ecclesiastical reform that was started by men of Vincent's generation. Vincent, himself, rejoiced in the good results that came from the retreats.
"At the present time, the secular clergy are receiving many blessings from God. It is said that our poor Company has contributed not a little to this, by reason of its work for the ordinands and through the meetings of ecclesiastics that take place in Paris. These days, many distinguished people are embracing this state of life." [29]
Perhaps the greatest commendation of Vincent's work comes in the words of the Founder, himself, "Our poor company has contributed not a little..." More important, maybe, than immediate results was the general retreat movement launched at Saint Lazare. Other communities; the Oratorians, Saint Nicolas du Chardonnet, the Company of Authier de Sisgau, were also committed to the work. Vincent couldn't meet all the requests that came from bishops wanting missionaries to set up a house in their dioceses. Practically every foundation of the Congregation; Crécy, Notre Dame de la Rose, Agen, Le Mans, Cahors, Saintes, Troyes, Luçon and Richelieu combined the work of retreats for ordinands with that of giving missions to the ordinary people. In dioceses where these was no house of the Congregation, as at Rheims, Noyon, Angoulême or Chartres, the missionaries were occasionally called upon to preach at some retreats for ordinands and so initiate the work. [30] Outside of France, the houses at Genoa and Rome were used, from the earliest days of their foundation, for the work of preaching retreats to ordinands. We shall see the successful results of their labours in later chapters.
"The Council's directives come from the Holy Spirit"
Retreats for ordinands led to another work which was to prove the perfect solution to the problem of training the clergy, viz, the setting up of seminaries. In preceding chapters we have referred to the ordinances of the Council of Trent regarding the establishment of diocescan centres for the training of future priests. The type of seminary envisaged by the Council was meant for youngsters of 12 years of age and upwards who would receive religious education and be trained in the ecclesiastical disciplines, thus ensuring an on going seedbed for God's ministers. [31] The Council's decree was practically a dead letter in France though there were some unsuccessful attempts to implement it.
The first Vincentian attempt at founding a seminary was carried out along Tridentine lines. Unlike other Vincentian enterprises, we know nothing about who thought of the idea or what steps were taken to get the work started. Projects of this sort would doubtless have been bandied about in the reforming circles that Vincent frequented. Was there any particular incident or proposal that induced him to establish the first seminary? We don't know. The fact remains that in 1636 he decided to use the Collège des Bons Enfants as a junior seminary. [32] Eight years later, in 1644, there were 22 students and the numbers never exceeded 30 during this period. [33] It was a disappointing experience. In 1641 Vincent declared that not a single one of these seminaries had been of any use to the Church. [34] As time passed, these negative results were confirmed.
"We must respect the directives of the Council as coming from the Holy Spirit", he wrote in 1644, "but experience teaches us that fulfilling their requirements with regard to the age of seminarists has not been successful either in Italy or in France. Some leave the seminary early, others have no vocation to the priesthood, some go to religious communities and others move away from the region where they were born or where they are under some obligation, preferring to seek their fortune elsewhere. There are four seminaries in this country; at Bordeaux, Rheims and Rouen, and there used to be one at Agen. None of these dioceses has had much benefit from the seminaries and I'm afraid that, with the exception of Rome and Milan, it's the same story in Italy... We have 22 in our junior seminary at the Bons Enfants; of these only three or four are passable, and there's little hope that these will persevere. This is in spite of all the effort we might put into the work so I have my doubts, if not about the likely outcome, at least about whether things will work out in the way proposed." [35]
Vincent began to look for other solutions. However, and it is worth emphasising this point, he did not abandon the original project. As we shall see later on, in 1642 he started another type of seminary at the Bons Enfants but he had it functioning alongside the original work. In 1645, when the house became too small for both enterprises, he still refused to close down the junior seminary but had it transferred to a building at the extreme north easterly end of the Saint Lazare precinct. It came to be known as "little Saint Lazare" but Vincent soon changed its name to St. Charles. [36] This seems to have functioned fairly well. There were quite a lot of students; in 1646 there were about 40 [37] but the numbers dropped considerably during the Fronde [38] before gradually picking up agaain till the place was full. [39] However, it still did not measure up to Vincent's expectations because these young vocations lacked stability, and as he knew from experience, there was little guarantee that they would persevere. [40]
What, then, were his reasons for persisting in keeping it open? Perhaps it was because he didn't want in any way to go against the orders of the Council of Trent, no matter how negative his experiences might prove to be. "We have to respect the directives of the Council as coming from the Holy Spirit." [41] This is the explanation given by Abelly and he adds that Vincent did not want to leave unexplored any avenue that might produce good priests for the Church. [42]
"It's very different taking them between the ages of twenty and twenty five."
About the year 1642 (and let us not forget that this year is a watershed in the life of Vincent) a new idea seems to have taken shape in the minds of people working to reform the clergy in France; they planned to open seminaries for young clerics over the age of twenty.
"It is very different taking them between the ages of twenty and twenty five or at thirty", wrote Vincent in the letter quoted above. [43]
In 1642 Olier founded the seminary at Vaugirard which was later transferred to Saint Sulpice; the Oratorians set up their seminaries at Saint Magloire in Paris and at Rouen and Toulouse; St. John Eudes began to develop the project which led him to leave the Oratorians in face of the instransigence shown by Condren's successor, Bourgoing. He founded a new Congregation dedicated to the work of seminaries and missions, and began the transformation of Saint Nicolas du Chardonnet. About this time, too, some new projects were being tried out by the most zealous of the bishops; Juste Guérin in Annecy, Nicolas Pavillon at Alet, Alain de Solminihac at Cahors, Jacques Raoul at Saintes, etc. [44]
No one man can be given the credit for having the idea of establishing seminaries. The idea was in the air and each Founder took it up and implemented it in his own way. It is significant that all the initiatives that were started around 1642, received financial backing from Cardinal Richelieu or his niece, the Duchess d'Aiguillon. Vincent received 1,000 crowns (3,000 livres) to start up his project at the Bons Enfants [45] with twelve clerics. Olier, St. John Eudes, Bourgoing, Authier de Sisgau and Bourdoise were to receive similar sums but in some cases the money didn't materialise. We mustn't conclude from this, that the motives for giving this aid were purely political. It is just that reforming the clergy played an important and necessary part in Richelieu's vision of a new France. Political and religious change went hand in hand. Vincent was to make an original and important contribution to this change. [46]
The Vincentian idea of a major seminary, if we can use this term to describe the foundation in 1642, was merely a development and extension of the retreats for ordinands. So it might be more appropiate to refer to seminaries in the 17th century as "seminaries for ordinands." This was what generally happened; although the retreats had proved very successful it was soon realised that 10 or 11 days was too short a time to give the candidates the training they needed. Some bishops who shared Vincent's views on this matter, began to extend the period of training for ordinands to two, and to six months. Later on they doubled the training time by making it obligatory for clerics to be trained before the diaconate and again after ordination. They finally decided on a total period of two or three years' preparation. Training programmes developed along different lines but the general pattern is summed up by a contemporary witness, the Oratorian, Father Cloyseault.
"In the beginning it was a great favour for us to obtain the bishop's consent to oblige all ecclesiastics to attend, for eight or ten days prior to ordination, a morning and an evening conference given in the churches or houses of the Oratorians. Later on, when the houses were suitably furnished, aspirants were obliged to stay there for 10 days; some prelates required them to stay for a month; others required two months, and finally, the more zealous among the prelates obliged them to stay for three months before each stage of ordination. In this way, almost imperceptibly, the first seminaries were established. [47]
"There are four seminaries in Paris."
Because of this training process, the Vincentian seminary was to differ quite considerably from seminaries that openend at a later date. At least in the early days at the Bons Enfants, they admitted not just clerical aspirants to holy orders, but also ordained priests who wanted to make up, a posteriori, the training they had missed. As the number of seminaries increased and as all clerics were required to pass through them, this latter type of seminarist naturally died out. [48]
Missionaries who were in charge of seminaries had to do other work as well. In the intervals between one ordination ceremony and the next, they would close up the house and go off to preach missions in the country areas. They would often take the seminarists with them so that these could put into practice what they had learned. Vincent's reason for not accepting seminaries unless they were linked to the work of giving missions, is deeply rooted in his conviction that the chief aim of the Company was to evangelise poor country people, but it also springs from his concern to have the missionaries constantly occupied with one or other of these activities. [49]
People did not regard the first seminaries as schools of theology, and even less as schools of philosophy. Their main concern was "the spiritual formation of seminarists in the virtues proper to the priesthood; training them in liturgical functions (saying Mass and administering the sacraments); preparing them for their work as confessors and teaching them the moral theology, for the most part casuistic, that this work required. Training of a purely intellectual character
continued to be the work of university faculties or colleges when these were near at hand. This explains why two or three priests were usualy sufficient to direct a seminary Vincent's ideal approximated more to what we might call today "an ecclesiastical technical school" which did not aim at producing learned men (this was the province of the universities) but good parish priests, devout and spiritual men who were competent, zealous and well trained in pastoral work. [50]
In some cases the university centres were too far away and so chairs of theology and philosophy were set up in the seminaries. This became the general rule and all the seminaries gradually ended up as teaching centres in the strict sense of the word. Vincent bowed to these trends but not without some opposition. [51]
Ten days before he did, Vincent compared the four seminaries of Paris and came to this conclusion:
"In Paris there are four houses that specialise in this work; the Oratory, Saint Sulpice, Saint Nicolas du Chardonnet and the wretched little one at the Bons Enfants. The aim at Saint Sulpice is to subordinate everything to the spirit and then to purify this; to free the person from earthly desires and lead them on to higher inspirations and feelings. We notice that all who have been there show these characteristics; some more then others. I don't know whether they teach scholastic theology there.
Those at Saint Nicolas aren't quite so lofty minded and tend to work in the Lord's vineyard by training men to labour at their priestly functions. With this intention they keep first of all to the practical application of their priestly training and, secondly, they take on lowly tasks like sweeping, washing up, scrubbing etc. They can do this because most of the students don't pay anything and the arrangement works well.
We'll leave the Oratorians out of it and not talk about them.
There is no doubt at all, that out of these four houses the best results come from Saint Nicolas where the students are all like little suns. I've never known anybody complain about them; they are always very edifying.
So this is the most useful training programme. We should be aiming in the same direction or at least trying to imitate them. You are well aware that scholastic theology has never been taught there; only moral philosophy, and that they give practical conferences. It is for this reason that I am inclined to think that God wishes to give us the grace of following their example.
I understand that the scholastic theology taught at the Bons Enfants is of little or no use, and I have thought of discontinuing it, especially as the college students go to Navarre or the Sorbonne for scholastic lectures. They need to be instructed in moral theology and have plenty of practice in their priestly duties. I know that Fr. Watebled will be upset to hear his but what can we do? Our aim must be to provide what is most useful." [52]
"It is better to explain an author's works than to dictate notes"
Vincent died before he could order this type of teaching to be discontinued. What he had succeeded in doing was to impart a very different education from the purely speculative teaching given in the universities. It is moving to note his insistence that notes should not be dictated in class. Only the works of approved authors were to be taught; these writings were to be explained thoroughly, the seminarists were to learn them by heart and be able to repeat them, and the teachers should clear up any difficulties. On more than one occasion this decision by Vincent made for conflict between the Founder and some of the professors who, from within the teaching situation, and sometimes acting not a little out of vanity, would question, "What will they think of us if we just repeat what is in the text book?" They were turning the seminary classrooms into university lecture halls. The most obstinate among them, Bernard Codoing, received a long letter from Vincent who was supported in this matter by the Council of the Community which comprised seven of the most learned men in the Company.
Vincent put forward all the reasons why he was against dictating notes. The main reason was that the seminary's principal objective was not to produce learned men but men of piety who had practical training for their ministry. He also had recourse to the argument ad hominem and this reveals some less well known aspects of Vincent's character; he was well informed and he could be ironic, though this irony was not hurtful, and was only intended to curb the vanity of wayward subjects. Vincent says the method of explaining an author is better
"even for those who teach; it is more useful for them to explain an author's works than to make up notes on the subject, unless they take these notes from Bonacina or some other writer, like you did, and when the students discover who this author is they will ridicule their teacher."
Spanish people who have a devotion to St. Vincent will be gratified to know that another of his arguments against dictating notes is based on the example of Spanish colleges and universities where, he said;
"They don't know what it is to dictate notes in class and they are quite happy simply to explain the texts, and yet everyone agrees that their theologians are more profound than any others."
This conviction, which was repeated several times by Vincent, must have come from his youthful experiences in the university lecture halls at Zaragoza. It also explains Vincent's admiration for Spanish theology and Spanish universities though, unfortunately, it has to be said, that at the time Vincent was speaking, the teaching there had begun to degenerate into barroque verbosity. [53]
"We gave ourselves to God to serve him in seminaries"
In keeping with Vincentian traditions, the seminaries, too, were soon to have their particular regulations. The copies we now have were printed at the later date of 1722. This leads us to suppose that the early regulations were influenced by Jansenism and all the more so, since the Rector of the Bons Enfants at this time was Fr. Honoré Philopald de la Haye (1674 1762), who was a convinced Jansenist and was later expelled from the Congregation for this reason. [54] Coste showed that the rules were drawn up before 1680 [55] and in more recent times, Maurice Roche has given his support to the theory that Vincent wrote them in 1645. [56] To our eyes, these rules might appear, as they did to Daniel Rops, "somewhat draconian". [57] Ecclesiastical customs have changed so much over three and a half centuries that what we would consider today to be harsh discipline, would have seemed a benevolent régime in 1645. At least there were no physical penances and the only fasting and abstinence was that imposed by the Church on all the faithful. Most of the religious practices and the order of day had their origin in the Common Rules for missionaries. Daily meditation, recitation of the Divine Office in common for those who had this obligation, two examinations of conscience one general and one particular Mass, reading of the New Testament, choir practice and rehearsing liturgical ceremonies, four hours study, domestic work, an hour's recreation after each meal; all this made up a long working day that started at four o'clock in the morning and finished at nine o'clock at night. Future priests were thus introduced to an austere and demanding life style which was meant to inculcate the practice of piety and the habit of hard work which would save them from future temptations towards a relaxed way of life and from seeking their own ease. [58]
The Bons Enfants was not the first seminary to be set up by Vincent. Earlier he had founded one at Annecy in Savoy. The missionaries had been in St. Francis de Sales' city since January, 1640. [59] The text quoted by Coste which would lead us to think that the enterprising superior, Fr. Codoing, had gathered some seminarists together in the house, is suspect to say the least. This text would seem to refer rather to a renewal or second probation seminary that Codoing wanted to set up on his own initiative. [60]
In February, 1641, the seminary at Annecy was still only at the planning stage and Vincent objected when they wanted to admit children. [61] The situation remained unchanged by 15th September of that year even though the bishop had officially inaugurated the seminary on the 8th of that month. [62] The first definite date we have is 31st January, 1642, when Vincent understood the seminary to be functioning [63] and this is confirmed by a further letter of February 9th which clearly established Annecy as the earlier foundation.
"As the holy Council of Trent highly recommends this work of seminaries, we have given ourselves to God to serve him in this way wherever we can. You have already begun... and we are going to start in this city; we will try it out with twelve students and for this purpose His Eminence (Cardinal Richelieu) is helping us with the sum of 1,000 crowns." [64]
The seminaries at Annecy, the Bons Enfants and St. Charles were followed by a dozen more in different dioceses as well as three or four (Alet, Marseilles, Périgueux and Montpellier) which didn't last long. We can say that all the houses founded after 1642 fulfil the double rôle of mission station and diocesan seminary; Cahors in 1643, Saintes in 1644, Le Mans and Saint Méen in 1645; Tréguier and Agen in 1648, Montauban in 1652, Agde and Troyes in 1654, Meaux in 1658 and Narbonne in 1659.
They didn't all prove to be equally successful and neither did they all function in the same way. Children were admitted to the seminaries of St. Charles, Saint Méen, Le Mans and Agen. [65] At Saintes, which was a heretic stronghold, there were never more that just a few vocation. [66] We know the vicissitudes they suffered at St. Méen. Of all the seminaries, the most prosperous one was that at Cahors, so much so that Vincent's great friend, bishop Alain de Solminihac, wrote to Vincent with justifiable pride:
"I imagine you would be very happy if you could see our seminary and meet the 35 seminarists who would be a source of great satisfaction to you. The priests of your Company who have seen it say that it is the finest in the land and it is better ordered than any in Paris." [67]
All the seminaries would have had roughly the same number of seminarist. This is what Vincent would have us believe from a memorandum in 1647. [68] Thirty, forty or sixty seminarists may not seem very many to those who have known the great European seminaries of the nineteenth and early half of the twentieth century. This is quite a respectable number for the early stages of a work that was just starting up in the face of great opposition; it was only many years later that seminaries became the normal channel for the priesthood. Working alongside Vincent's missionaries were the priests of St. John Eudes' congregation, those of Saint Sulpice and the Oratory, and to a lesser extent, those of other communities, and their united efforts meant that eventually the whole ecclesiastical map of France was covered with seminaries. Whether or not it was historically true, Vincent regarded himself as the pioneer:
"We have the consolation of seeing that our small endeavours have seemed to others to be so good and useful that everyone has been inspired to emulate us and devote themselves to the works that we do, though with more graces; not only do they give missions but they also establish seminaries which are spreading all over France." [69]
The claim made by Daniel Rops that over 400 priests were trained in the Vincentian seminaries evey year, is an exaggeration [70] but it is certainly true that whatever their number may have been, they began to constitute a real priestly élite spread over the four compass points of the Church in France and that they were the effective leaven in its reform. Henry Kamen goes so far as to say that Vincent de Paul's main work, and his most effective contribution to the reform movement in France, was his work of training the clergy, "changing the christian people and starting by changing its pastors." [71]
The Tuesday Conferences spread
The Tuesday Conferences put the finishing touches to what had been achieved by the seminaries and by the retreats for ordinands. Vincent put the same effort into the conferences as he did into the other two works and he believed that the priests of the Congregation of the Mission had a duty to promote them:
"because God has turned to them to promote in the world, through ecclesiastics, this way of discussing particular virtues". "What would become of us, then, if we were the first to neglect it? What an account we would have to render to God if we ever despised such useful and efficacious methods." [72]
Soon the conferences began to expand, too. In Paris, conferences were held at Saint Lazare and also at the Bons Enfants where most of those who attended were ecclesiastics from the Sorbonne who came either as teachers or as students. Thursday was a free day at the university [73] and this was why they chose this day for their meetings. Beyond Paris, the Conferences started up at Puy (1636), Noyon (1637), Pontoise (1642), Angoulême (1647), Angers, Bordeaux and other places whose exact location is uncertain. [74] They were all united by bonds of affectionate collaboration but even more by the veneration they shared for the same founder. These lines taken from a report on the conference at Pontoise in May, 1642, are proof of this.
"After God, it is you, Father, that we have to thank for accepting us as members of your good and virtuous assembly in Paris. It was from you that we received our first instructions on how to set up this little company which for us has been a seed that produces all the good that comes to us each day and which God favours with his blessing and prosperity. We ask you one favour, that as we are mere infants in the practice of virtue and lack the strength to continue and direct our efforts, we beg you to send us from time to time, one of your Company's ecclesiastics from Paris to pay us a visit." [75]
The works of the Conferences
The conferences did other work besides helping their members towards spiritual perfection. From the very beginning of its foundation, the members committed themselves to apostolic work. Some of the tasks they undertook were of a permanent nature and among these was the spiritual assistance they offered at the Hôtel Dieu in Paris. In the early days the entire association used to go there every day but later on small groups would take it in turn to go and encourage the sick, prepare them to make a general confession, and on Fridays they would preach and give instructions to those who were convalescing. The General Hospital (a work we will discuss later on) was, from the very outset, directed by a priest from the association. Many other priests went there on Sundays and holydays to preach and to hear confessions, and as there was a continuous turn over of poor people in this centre, it was decided that missions would be given each year in every ward. [76]
The priests who attended the conferences also gave missions at the galley slaves' hospital and at the "little houses" as they called the hospice which took in 400 people including married couples and those with contagious diseases. Vincent had given a mission there before he founded the Company. [77] The mission preached by the conferences priests was particularly seccessful. It was attended, not just by the inmates, but by people from the surrounding districts as well. So they drew up a leaflet entitled, "The Christian Exercises" and had it printed. It was written in clear, simple, languague and proved such a success that millions of copies were distributed throughout France. [78] This was not the only time that Vincent used printed material in his apostolate.
Missions were also preached at other places besides Paris. Between 1634 and 1637, for example, Olier gave missions on the estates of his abbey at Pébrac, and was helped by priests from the conferences and sometimes, too, by members of the Congregation of the Mission. The work was a great success. Olier speaks of it in glowing terms to his companions in the capital and ends with a long speech reminiscent of the style of St. Francis Xavier.
"Paris, Paris. You hold back people who could convert several worlds. Alas, how many false conversions and how many pious discourses are wasted because the dispositions which God bestows on other places are not to be found there. Here, a single word is esteemed as much as a sermon and nothing is wasted. Here, they haven't killed a single prophet. By that I mean that preaching has not been scorned as happens in the cities, and therefore, gentlemen, all these poor, unlettered folk are filled with graces and blessings from God." [79]
The master's spirit had been passed on to his disciple who would soon be ready to undertake his own works.
"The little method at Court"
The two major works undertaken by the conferences priests were the mission at St. Germain en Laye, the Cour residence, and that given in the Paris suburb of St. Germain des Prés.
The first was preached in January or February, 1638, and on the King's orders, some priests of the Congregation of the Mission took part in it. [80] It was a mission that required delicate handling. The courtiers, the Queen's ladies in waiting, and even the King and Queen attended the mission services. Among the preachers was Nicolas Pavillon who was already the favourite candidate for the bishopric of Alet. A number of high ranking gentlemen came to listen to him, just to see if they could catch him out in any wrong or imprudent statement so that they could denounce him to the King. Neither Pavillon nor any of his companions was put off by such difficulties. With evangelical directness they denounced the vices and frivolity of court life. They launched an offensive against immodest dress and in particular against the excessively low necked dresses worn by the ladies. They were successful for a time but this didn't last. It is easier to change behaviour than it is to change fashion. When the mission ended they set up a Confraternity of Charity from among the court ladies, but this didn't last long either.
"The mission at Saint Germain is over and God blessed it even though at the beginning we had to practise holy patience. There remain just a few people of the royal household who haven't joined the townspeople in fulfilling their obligations; the rest did so and their devotion was very edifying. Our strong denunciation of low necked dresses meant we had to practise patience, too. The King told M. Pavillon that he was very pleased with all the mission services; he added that this was the best approach, and that he would vouch for this everywhere. The ladies who caused most problems at the outset are now so fervent that they have joined the Charity. They go to serve the poor when it is their day to do so and they have gone through the town in four groups to collect money. These are the Queen's ladies in waiting." [81]
We would be lacking a sense of history if we were to ask whether the missionaries brought before the ruling class the injustice of a society based on the privileges of rank and fortune. Vincent felt, and how deeply did he not feel, the misery of the poor; their hunger and their pain? But he was no revolutionary. His work was directed towards changing people's consciences, not changing structures. His objective was charity, not social change. He was a child of his time and accepted the social framework he happened to be living in, while endeavouring to make this society more just and charitable.
The missionaries remained faithful to the Vincentian style of preaching and to the simplicity of the little method. Vincent proudly recalled this in the last years of his life:
"The little method can be used at Court even at Court. This little method has been used at Court on two occasions and I make bold to say that it has been well received...
The little method was a great success; it brought marvellous results. The little method at Court! And then you say it is something for common folk and for country parts! In Paris, in Paris; and at Court, yes at Court, and everywhere, you can't find a better or more successful method than this." [82]
"The cesspit of France"
The most important work done by the priests of the Tuesday Conferences in Paris, 1641, was the mission they preached in the slums of Saint Germain des Prés. This district, according to Abelly, was at that time "the cesspit, not only of Paris, but of all France, and was a haven for all the libertines, atheists and other people who lived an impious and disordered life." [83]
A pious lady of noble birth, the Duchess d'Aiguillon, suggested to Vincent that it would be a good idea to preach a mission in that dangerous quarter. The Congregation of the Mission couldn't take on the work because it would mean giving a mission in the city, so Vincent offered it to all the Conference priests. Nobody would take it on. They were overcome by fear and a feeling of helplessness. Was it worth while starting a work which was so obviously doomed to failure because of the tremendous difficulties involved?
Vincent insisted so much that some of the priests became angry. He then went on his knees before the whole assembly and asked their pardon for being so tiresome in defending his point of view. His only excuse was that he felt a strong spiritual inspiration to promote this work as he believed that God was looking to their charity and zeal to have this service rendered. The victory was won. Those who had been most opposed to the work were the first to enroll. Straightaway they drew up a plan of campaign...
How were they going to preach to these people who were so very different from simple peasants? Vincent had no hesitation in answering this question. This slum area was steeped in the spirit of the world and they had to combat this with the spirit of Christ. They were to use the same simple and humble style of preaching that they used in other places the little method.
So the pious clergy, headed by Perrochel, went off to confront the host of actors, puppeteers, usurers, harlots, women of easy virtue, murderes, ex convicts, vagrants, men with no belief in God and inveterate sinners acquainted with every type of vice...
The miracle happened. That motley crowd came en masse to the confessionals, shedding bitter tears and loudly begging pardon for their sins. Then followed conversions, reconciliations, acts of restitution, atonement for scandal and remarkable changes of life style. Those taking part in this wonderful event declared, "The hand of God is in this". The hand of God is with the humble, trusting works of M. Vincent. [84]
The work of giving retreats
Efforts to reform the clergy by means of retreats for ordinands, the seminaries, and the Tuesday conferences, was complemented by retreats for priests. For the most part, these retreats were integrated into the programme followed by individual retreatants who came every day to Saint Lazare. Realising this, Vincent had the idea of organising group retreats for priests. These would be a means of renewing, each year, the spirit they had assimilated at one or other of Vincent's foundations. But he met with an insuperable obstacle, financial problems. This meant he couldn't develop the project on too wide a scale and had to limit the facility to the more fervent members of the Tuesday conferences. Nevertheless, the retreats took place fairly frequently and with considerable success, both in Paris and in other places. Many bishop wrote to Vincent expressing their satisfaction with the retreats the missionaries preached. [85]
In a letter dated 1641, Vincent summed up the works of the Congregation of the Mission when he wrote, one day, to Fr. Lebreton, his delegate in Rome, The text is partly history and partly prophecy:
"God will make use of this company to help the people by means of the missions that we give; to help those at the beginning of their priestly life through our work with ordinands; to help those who are already ordained because these will not be accepted for a benefice or a living unless they have made a retreat or been trained in a seminary, and to help people in general, by means of the spiritual exercises. May God, in his divine goodness, grant us his grace to perform these works." [86]
Vincent's personal vocation, which he sensed from the very beginning of his spiritual quest, was not restricted to giving missions. No less important an element in this vocation was the reform of the clergy, so this was incorporated into the aims and activities of the Congregation of the Mission.
"Our Institute", said Vincent, even before the definitive form of the Rules was settled, "has just two main objectives; instructing poor country people and working in seminaries." [1]
Both these aims were explicity stated in the foundation contracts for most houses, and Vincent was most anxious that both should be seen as equally important, although at times, one of these works might seem unnecessary. The Superior at Saintes who had very few vocations in his seminary, was reminded of this by Vincent who wrote:
"I hope this good work won't come to an end but that the situation will improve. You should not neglect this work in order to concentrate just on the missions; both are equally important and you have the same obligations with regard to both. I address these words to the whole family which was founded to undertake both works." [2]
When some missionary expressed disappointment at being sent just to train priests and not being able to give missions, Vincent, with some severity, pointed to the decision as a matter of principle.
"Don't you know, Father, that we are just as much committed to the work of training good ecclesiastics as we are to instructing the country people, and that a Priest of the Mission who would wish to do one of these works and not the other, would be only half a Missionary. I would go further and say that he stopped being a Missionary the moment he refused to obey in one matter so as to devote himself to a work that was not judged necessary for him to do. [3]
"There is nothing better than being a priest."
As we have seen, the first concrete way of fulfilling this vocation to help the clergy, was to give retreats to ordinands. This was tried out in Beauvais in 1628, and had become a time honoured institution in Paris by 1631. The episcopal letters that authorised the amalgamation of the Priory and the Congregation of the Mission, [4] made the work a permanent and obligatory duty for the missionaries at Saint Lazare after 1632.
This proved to be a serious financial burden on the house. Every year there were six ordination ceremonies in the diocese of Paris, although after 1643 this number was reduced to five when the mid Lent ordinations were discontinued. This didn't afford the missionaries much relief, especially since after 1638 the Paris ordinands were joined for their retreat, by clerics from other dioceses who wished to be ordained in the capital, and after 1646 candidates for minor orders added to the total. The number of participants in each group varied between 70 and 90. The Retreats lasted for 11 days so that the end of year total worked out as 55 days of retreats and some 4,000 participants. [5]
Even though the house at Saint Lazare had considerable resources, it began to feel the pressure of such a heavy burden. Some Ladies of Charity rushed to Vincent's aid. One of the first to do so was another of Vincent's good angels, Charlotte de Ligny, Madame Président de Herse. Her father and her husband both belonged to the aristocracy. Her husband, Michel Vialart, who had been a member of the Paris Parlement and President of the Royal Tribunal of Petitions, died in 1634 and the widow devoted a large part of her fortune to works of charity. [6] She promised to subsidise the work for ordinands for a period of five years and she kept her word. Between 1638 and 1643 she gave Vincent 1,000 livres for each ordination group. She also joined with some other ladies in paying out of their own purse, the expenses incurred in furnishing the retreatants' rooms. When her contract came to an end it was taken over by the Queen who was just beginning her regency but she only gave alms "for two or three years." "Monarchs", commented Abelly with some irony, "are not always able to do the good they would like to." [7]
Most of the burden fell on Saint Lazare. In 1650, Marguerite de Gondi, Marquise de Maignelay and the saint of that family, bequeathed a legacy of 18,000 livres for the work and so completed the pious foundations started by her brothers. [8]
Even if economic assets were not very reliable Vincent worked hard to see that spiritual resources were as sound as possible. Vincent developed this message in his repetitions of prayer and in his conferences and letters to the community, with the object of making them all aware of the great dignity of the priesthood and the importance of working for priests.
Ever since his premature ordination at the age of twenty, Vincent had often reflected on the great dignity of the priesthood. His contact with the people of Bérulle's circle had introduced him to a school of thought which regarded the priesthood as a call to perfection which was more demanding than a vocation to the religious life. Personal experience had shown him all too clearly, that the dignity, of the priesthood had to be reinstated; that priests themselves should be convinced of this dignity and that it should be equally appreciated by the faithful. This world of ideas which he had meditated in depth, finds expression in short, impressive, sentences that would be carved on the hearts and memories of his listeners:
"Is there anything in the world greater than the priestly state? Kingdoms and principalities are nothing in comparison. [9] The character conferred by ordination is a participation in the priesthood of the Son of God." [10] "There is nothing greater than a priest to whom God has given all power over his natural and his mystical body." [11] "The office of priesthood is more exalted than any earthly dignity." [12]
"To make the Gospel fully effective"
Vincent's esteem for the clergy led him to cherish works connected with the training, development, and perfection of priests; and, in his eyes, such works were an essential part of a missionary's vocation. He worked hard to have every member of the community share this conviction. He was afraid that if they didn't, God would take away the grace he had given them to work for the improvement of the clergy. He felt this all the more since he considered both himself and his community to be unworthy of the task, and it seemed to him that God had chosen them because of their insignifance, in accordance with the divine rule of choosing the most unworthy instruments for the most important enterprises. Not to respond to that grace would be a betrayal of the missionary's vocation. There would be something lacking in this vocation if it did not include the training of priests. The call to this work represented the coming of the fulness of time for the Congregation. The evangelisation of the poor would only be completely effective when these were given good pastors. When some members of the community raised objections to the works of seminaries, ecclesiastical conferences and retreats for ordinands, Vincent made this reply:
"Let us now look at the difficulties we could come up against. First of all, the Son of God might have been asked, 'Why did you come on earth'? To evangelise the poor; that is what the Father commanded you to do. Then why do you have priests? Why do you give them the power to consecrate, to bind and to loose, etc.? It might be said that coming to evangelise the poor didn't just mean teaching them the great truths neccesary for salvation but doing everything that was foretold and prefigured by the prophets, to make the gospel effective. You know that in former times God rejected those unworthy priests that had profaned holy things; he held their sacrifices in abomination and declared that he would raise up others whose voices and words would resound from the rising of the sun to its setting. "In omnem terram exivit sonus eorum". Through whom was he going to fulfil these promises? Through his Son, Our Lord, who raised up priests, instructed and trained them, and gave them the power to ordain others. "Sicut misit me Pater et ego mitto vos." He would do this through the men he had made priests during his own lifetime to bring salvation to the nations by instructing them and administering the sacraments. [13] Training priests was the way to make the gospel effective."
Vincent wanted every member of the community to join in the work of giving retreats to ordinands, not just those who directed the retreats. Eveyone, including the lay brothers, could collaborate through humility, prayer, good example and careful celebration of the liturgy. Vincent would often say a word on this subject to the community at Saint Lazare just as a retreat was about to start. So he was gradually creating a collective consciousness of the importance and excellence of this work, and this was the best guarantee that it would survive. [14]
The Retreat Manual
As well as giving spiritual advice, Vincent would add practical recommendations on the way retreatants were to be welcomed to the house, how they should be directed and the way missionaries were to relate to them. He immediately drew up, as he did for all his works, a relevant series of regulations. For those working with retreatants he devised something extra, a manual containing a summary of everything that an aspirant to the priesthood needed to know in order to attain and worthily perform his exalted ministry. The compilation of this manual was a collective effort. Working on it with Vincent were Nicholas Pavillon (1597 1677) Françoise Perrochel (1602 1673) and Jean Jacques Olier (1608 1657). [15] These three belonged to the first group that attended the Tuesday Conferences and they had been part of Vincent's circle for a long time though each kept his own spiritual profile.
Pavillon soon became bishop of Alet and he accepted this position in 1637 on Vincent's advice. As a mark of esteem for his great friend, he was consecrated bishop in the church of Saint Lazare. [16] He was noted for his firm discipline and the rigour of his doctrine which eventually led him to sympathise with the Jansenists. Six years after Pavillon, [17] Perrochel was consecrated bishop of Boulogne and this ceremony, also, took place at Saint Lazare. This man had such a reputation that Anne of Austria used to go to his talks for ordinands and she was so edified by them that she decided to give financial support to the work. [18] Olier was the youngest of them all and therefore the most submissive to Vincent who was his confessor. Vincent had helped him to overcome the hesitations he felt when the time came for him to be ordained. However, not long after this, he left Vincent's spiritual direction for that of Fr. Condren, Superior of the Oratory. It has been suggested, though there is no solid basis for this theory, that Olier made the change because Vincent was encouraging him to accept the bishopric of Langres whereas Condren advised the opposite. Events proved Vincent was wrong, because Olier would do much more important work as a simple priest and founder of Saint Sulpice than he would have done in any diocese. Whatever the reason may have been for their difference of opinion, it did not affect their friendship and the cordial relationship between master and disciple. Vincent regarded Olier as a man who would be blessed by God wherever he went, and Olier looked on Vincent as the father of his community. [19] We will find them working together on other occasions.
In 1634, or the following year, the four men were working together on the retreat manual. This came out as a small book entitled, "Entretiens des Ordinands" which was never printed and the only copies preserved are handwritten. [20] When Vincent received a copy he had it studied by several theologians from the Sorbonne. These assured him that anyone who had mastered its contents would know everything necessary for the worthy exercise of the priestly ministry. [21]
Vincent made sure that the ordinands only preached on subjects prescribed in the manual and that their style of preaching should reflect the little method's characteristic simplicity of thought and speech. Often preachers would come from outside the community and some of these were as famous as Bossuet. [22] However, as time went on, preference was given to the Priests of the Mission, [23] especilly to the younger ones who gave witness to the excellent training they had received and who were very proficient. [24]
A missionary known as "The Director of Ordinands" [25] had over all responsibility for the running of each retreat group but, as we have said, the whole community took part in the entreprise. When the ordinands arrived they were welcomed by the residents of Saint Lazare who took charge of their luggage, showed them to their rooms, explained the order of day and encouraged them to begin the retreat with an earnest desire to profit from it. After the talks and meditations, the retreatants were divided into small groups or "academies" which were led by a priest, for dialogue and sharing of ideas about what had been discussed. Priests from the house were responsible for rehearsing the liturgy and also for reading in the refectory. This reading was usually taken from a classic spiritual work on the priesthood, "Instructions for Priests" [26] by the Spanish Carthusian, Antonio Molina. Throughout the day, the ordinands were immersed in an atmosphere of recollection and fervour that very few were able to resist.
But there were some exceptions. One of these was young Gondi, the future Cardinal de Retz who had been pressurised by his family into embracing the religious state. The meagre fruit of his retreat at Saint Lazare was a resolution to be as zealous for the salvation of others as he was careless about his own. He was prepared to do wrong deliberately, so as to avoid the absurd mixture of sin and devotion which he observed in other ecclesiastics. [27]
Antoine Arnauld's case was different. He, too, refused to be influenced by the enviromment but he had different reasons for his opposition. He had been trained by Saint Cyran and had but scant regard for Vincent. He considered the spiritual nourishment offered at the Bons Enfants, where he made his retreat, to be very lacking compared with the solid teaching he had received from his master. The serious confrontation between Vincent and the famous Arnauld, undisputed leader of the Jansenists, was not far off. [28]
"Our company has contributed not a little"
These isolated cases have to be set against the great majority of successes. Among the great men of the Church in France who prepared for ordination at Saint Lazare or at the Bons Enfants, were Olier himself; Armande de Rancé, the future reformer of the Trappists, Commander Brûlart de Sillery whom we mentioned earlier, Bossuet, Heury and all the men who at diocescan level, or in abbeys, benefices or parishes in many different parts of France, would complete the work of ecclesiastical reform that was started by men of Vincent's generation. Vincent, himself, rejoiced in the good results that came from the retreats.
"At the present time, the secular clergy are receiving many blessings from God. It is said that our poor Company has contributed not a little to this, by reason of its work for the ordinands and through the meetings of ecclesiastics that take place in Paris. These days, many distinguished people are embracing this state of life." [29]
Perhaps the greatest commendation of Vincent's work comes in the words of the Founder, himself, "Our poor company has contributed not a little..." More important, maybe, than immediate results was the general retreat movement launched at Saint Lazare. Other communities; the Oratorians, Saint Nicolas du Chardonnet, the Company of Authier de Sisgau, were also committed to the work. Vincent couldn't meet all the requests that came from bishops wanting missionaries to set up a house in their dioceses. Practically every foundation of the Congregation; Crécy, Notre Dame de la Rose, Agen, Le Mans, Cahors, Saintes, Troyes, Luçon and Richelieu combined the work of retreats for ordinands with that of giving missions to the ordinary people. In dioceses where these was no house of the Congregation, as at Rheims, Noyon, Angoulême or Chartres, the missionaries were occasionally called upon to preach at some retreats for ordinands and so initiate the work. [30] Outside of France, the houses at Genoa and Rome were used, from the earliest days of their foundation, for the work of preaching retreats to ordinands. We shall see the successful results of their labours in later chapters.
"The Council's directives come from the Holy Spirit"
Retreats for ordinands led to another work which was to prove the perfect solution to the problem of training the clergy, viz, the setting up of seminaries. In preceding chapters we have referred to the ordinances of the Council of Trent regarding the establishment of diocescan centres for the training of future priests. The type of seminary envisaged by the Council was meant for youngsters of 12 years of age and upwards who would receive religious education and be trained in the ecclesiastical disciplines, thus ensuring an on going seedbed for God's ministers. [31] The Council's decree was practically a dead letter in France though there were some unsuccessful attempts to implement it.
The first Vincentian attempt at founding a seminary was carried out along Tridentine lines. Unlike other Vincentian enterprises, we know nothing about who thought of the idea or what steps were taken to get the work started. Projects of this sort would doubtless have been bandied about in the reforming circles that Vincent frequented. Was there any particular incident or proposal that induced him to establish the first seminary? We don't know. The fact remains that in 1636 he decided to use the Collège des Bons Enfants as a junior seminary. [32] Eight years later, in 1644, there were 22 students and the numbers never exceeded 30 during this period. [33] It was a disappointing experience. In 1641 Vincent declared that not a single one of these seminaries had been of any use to the Church. [34] As time passed, these negative results were confirmed.
"We must respect the directives of the Council as coming from the Holy Spirit", he wrote in 1644, "but experience teaches us that fulfilling their requirements with regard to the age of seminarists has not been successful either in Italy or in France. Some leave the seminary early, others have no vocation to the priesthood, some go to religious communities and others move away from the region where they were born or where they are under some obligation, preferring to seek their fortune elsewhere. There are four seminaries in this country; at Bordeaux, Rheims and Rouen, and there used to be one at Agen. None of these dioceses has had much benefit from the seminaries and I'm afraid that, with the exception of Rome and Milan, it's the same story in Italy... We have 22 in our junior seminary at the Bons Enfants; of these only three or four are passable, and there's little hope that these will persevere. This is in spite of all the effort we might put into the work so I have my doubts, if not about the likely outcome, at least about whether things will work out in the way proposed." [35]
Vincent began to look for other solutions. However, and it is worth emphasising this point, he did not abandon the original project. As we shall see later on, in 1642 he started another type of seminary at the Bons Enfants but he had it functioning alongside the original work. In 1645, when the house became too small for both enterprises, he still refused to close down the junior seminary but had it transferred to a building at the extreme north easterly end of the Saint Lazare precinct. It came to be known as "little Saint Lazare" but Vincent soon changed its name to St. Charles. [36] This seems to have functioned fairly well. There were quite a lot of students; in 1646 there were about 40 [37] but the numbers dropped considerably during the Fronde [38] before gradually picking up agaain till the place was full. [39] However, it still did not measure up to Vincent's expectations because these young vocations lacked stability, and as he knew from experience, there was little guarantee that they would persevere. [40]
What, then, were his reasons for persisting in keeping it open? Perhaps it was because he didn't want in any way to go against the orders of the Council of Trent, no matter how negative his experiences might prove to be. "We have to respect the directives of the Council as coming from the Holy Spirit." [41] This is the explanation given by Abelly and he adds that Vincent did not want to leave unexplored any avenue that might produce good priests for the Church. [42]
"It's very different taking them between the ages of twenty and twenty five."
About the year 1642 (and let us not forget that this year is a watershed in the life of Vincent) a new idea seems to have taken shape in the minds of people working to reform the clergy in France; they planned to open seminaries for young clerics over the age of twenty.
"It is very different taking them between the ages of twenty and twenty five or at thirty", wrote Vincent in the letter quoted above. [43]
In 1642 Olier founded the seminary at Vaugirard which was later transferred to Saint Sulpice; the Oratorians set up their seminaries at Saint Magloire in Paris and at Rouen and Toulouse; St. John Eudes began to develop the project which led him to leave the Oratorians in face of the instransigence shown by Condren's successor, Bourgoing. He founded a new Congregation dedicated to the work of seminaries and missions, and began the transformation of Saint Nicolas du Chardonnet. About this time, too, some new projects were being tried out by the most zealous of the bishops; Juste Guérin in Annecy, Nicolas Pavillon at Alet, Alain de Solminihac at Cahors, Jacques Raoul at Saintes, etc. [44]
No one man can be given the credit for having the idea of establishing seminaries. The idea was in the air and each Founder took it up and implemented it in his own way. It is significant that all the initiatives that were started around 1642, received financial backing from Cardinal Richelieu or his niece, the Duchess d'Aiguillon. Vincent received 1,000 crowns (3,000 livres) to start up his project at the Bons Enfants [45] with twelve clerics. Olier, St. John Eudes, Bourgoing, Authier de Sisgau and Bourdoise were to receive similar sums but in some cases the money didn't materialise. We mustn't conclude from this, that the motives for giving this aid were purely political. It is just that reforming the clergy played an important and necessary part in Richelieu's vision of a new France. Political and religious change went hand in hand. Vincent was to make an original and important contribution to this change. [46]
The Vincentian idea of a major seminary, if we can use this term to describe the foundation in 1642, was merely a development and extension of the retreats for ordinands. So it might be more appropiate to refer to seminaries in the 17th century as "seminaries for ordinands." This was what generally happened; although the retreats had proved very successful it was soon realised that 10 or 11 days was too short a time to give the candidates the training they needed. Some bishops who shared Vincent's views on this matter, began to extend the period of training for ordinands to two, and to six months. Later on they doubled the training time by making it obligatory for clerics to be trained before the diaconate and again after ordination. They finally decided on a total period of two or three years' preparation. Training programmes developed along different lines but the general pattern is summed up by a contemporary witness, the Oratorian, Father Cloyseault.
"In the beginning it was a great favour for us to obtain the bishop's consent to oblige all ecclesiastics to attend, for eight or ten days prior to ordination, a morning and an evening conference given in the churches or houses of the Oratorians. Later on, when the houses were suitably furnished, aspirants were obliged to stay there for 10 days; some prelates required them to stay for a month; others required two months, and finally, the more zealous among the prelates obliged them to stay for three months before each stage of ordination. In this way, almost imperceptibly, the first seminaries were established. [47]
"There are four seminaries in Paris."
Because of this training process, the Vincentian seminary was to differ quite considerably from seminaries that openend at a later date. At least in the early days at the Bons Enfants, they admitted not just clerical aspirants to holy orders, but also ordained priests who wanted to make up, a posteriori, the training they had missed. As the number of seminaries increased and as all clerics were required to pass through them, this latter type of seminarist naturally died out. [48]
Missionaries who were in charge of seminaries had to do other work as well. In the intervals between one ordination ceremony and the next, they would close up the house and go off to preach missions in the country areas. They would often take the seminarists with them so that these could put into practice what they had learned. Vincent's reason for not accepting seminaries unless they were linked to the work of giving missions, is deeply rooted in his conviction that the chief aim of the Company was to evangelise poor country people, but it also springs from his concern to have the missionaries constantly occupied with one or other of these activities. [49]
People did not regard the first seminaries as schools of theology, and even less as schools of philosophy. Their main concern was "the spiritual formation of seminarists in the virtues proper to the priesthood; training them in liturgical functions (saying Mass and administering the sacraments); preparing them for their work as confessors and teaching them the moral theology, for the most part casuistic, that this work required. Training of a purely intellectual character
continued to be the work of university faculties or colleges when these were near at hand. This explains why two or three priests were usualy sufficient to direct a seminary Vincent's ideal approximated more to what we might call today "an ecclesiastical technical school" which did not aim at producing learned men (this was the province of the universities) but good parish priests, devout and spiritual men who were competent, zealous and well trained in pastoral work. [50]
In some cases the university centres were too far away and so chairs of theology and philosophy were set up in the seminaries. This became the general rule and all the seminaries gradually ended up as teaching centres in the strict sense of the word. Vincent bowed to these trends but not without some opposition. [51]
Ten days before he did, Vincent compared the four seminaries of Paris and came to this conclusion:
"In Paris there are four houses that specialise in this work; the Oratory, Saint Sulpice, Saint Nicolas du Chardonnet and the wretched little one at the Bons Enfants. The aim at Saint Sulpice is to subordinate everything to the spirit and then to purify this; to free the person from earthly desires and lead them on to higher inspirations and feelings. We notice that all who have been there show these characteristics; some more then others. I don't know whether they teach scholastic theology there.
Those at Saint Nicolas aren't quite so lofty minded and tend to work in the Lord's vineyard by training men to labour at their priestly functions. With this intention they keep first of all to the practical application of their priestly training and, secondly, they take on lowly tasks like sweeping, washing up, scrubbing etc. They can do this because most of the students don't pay anything and the arrangement works well.
We'll leave the Oratorians out of it and not talk about them.
There is no doubt at all, that out of these four houses the best results come from Saint Nicolas where the students are all like little suns. I've never known anybody complain about them; they are always very edifying.
So this is the most useful training programme. We should be aiming in the same direction or at least trying to imitate them. You are well aware that scholastic theology has never been taught there; only moral philosophy, and that they give practical conferences. It is for this reason that I am inclined to think that God wishes to give us the grace of following their example.
I understand that the scholastic theology taught at the Bons Enfants is of little or no use, and I have thought of discontinuing it, especially as the college students go to Navarre or the Sorbonne for scholastic lectures. They need to be instructed in moral theology and have plenty of practice in their priestly duties. I know that Fr. Watebled will be upset to hear his but what can we do? Our aim must be to provide what is most useful." [52]
"It is better to explain an author's works than to dictate notes"
Vincent died before he could order this type of teaching to be discontinued. What he had succeeded in doing was to impart a very different education from the purely speculative teaching given in the universities. It is moving to note his insistence that notes should not be dictated in class. Only the works of approved authors were to be taught; these writings were to be explained thoroughly, the seminarists were to learn them by heart and be able to repeat them, and the teachers should clear up any difficulties. On more than one occasion this decision by Vincent made for conflict between the Founder and some of the professors who, from within the teaching situation, and sometimes acting not a little out of vanity, would question, "What will they think of us if we just repeat what is in the text book?" They were turning the seminary classrooms into university lecture halls. The most obstinate among them, Bernard Codoing, received a long letter from Vincent who was supported in this matter by the Council of the Community which comprised seven of the most learned men in the Company.
Vincent put forward all the reasons why he was against dictating notes. The main reason was that the seminary's principal objective was not to produce learned men but men of piety who had practical training for their ministry. He also had recourse to the argument ad hominem and this reveals some less well known aspects of Vincent's character; he was well informed and he could be ironic, though this irony was not hurtful, and was only intended to curb the vanity of wayward subjects. Vincent says the method of explaining an author is better
"even for those who teach; it is more useful for them to explain an author's works than to make up notes on the subject, unless they take these notes from Bonacina or some other writer, like you did, and when the students discover who this author is they will ridicule their teacher."
Spanish people who have a devotion to St. Vincent will be gratified to know that another of his arguments against dictating notes is based on the example of Spanish colleges and universities where, he said;
"They don't know what it is to dictate notes in class and they are quite happy simply to explain the texts, and yet everyone agrees that their theologians are more profound than any others."
This conviction, which was repeated several times by Vincent, must have come from his youthful experiences in the university lecture halls at Zaragoza. It also explains Vincent's admiration for Spanish theology and Spanish universities though, unfortunately, it has to be said, that at the time Vincent was speaking, the teaching there had begun to degenerate into barroque verbosity. [53]
"We gave ourselves to God to serve him in seminaries"
In keeping with Vincentian traditions, the seminaries, too, were soon to have their particular regulations. The copies we now have were printed at the later date of 1722. This leads us to suppose that the early regulations were influenced by Jansenism and all the more so, since the Rector of the Bons Enfants at this time was Fr. Honoré Philopald de la Haye (1674 1762), who was a convinced Jansenist and was later expelled from the Congregation for this reason. [54] Coste showed that the rules were drawn up before 1680 [55] and in more recent times, Maurice Roche has given his support to the theory that Vincent wrote them in 1645. [56] To our eyes, these rules might appear, as they did to Daniel Rops, "somewhat draconian". [57] Ecclesiastical customs have changed so much over three and a half centuries that what we would consider today to be harsh discipline, would have seemed a benevolent régime in 1645. At least there were no physical penances and the only fasting and abstinence was that imposed by the Church on all the faithful. Most of the religious practices and the order of day had their origin in the Common Rules for missionaries. Daily meditation, recitation of the Divine Office in common for those who had this obligation, two examinations of conscience one general and one particular Mass, reading of the New Testament, choir practice and rehearsing liturgical ceremonies, four hours study, domestic work, an hour's recreation after each meal; all this made up a long working day that started at four o'clock in the morning and finished at nine o'clock at night. Future priests were thus introduced to an austere and demanding life style which was meant to inculcate the practice of piety and the habit of hard work which would save them from future temptations towards a relaxed way of life and from seeking their own ease. [58]
The Bons Enfants was not the first seminary to be set up by Vincent. Earlier he had founded one at Annecy in Savoy. The missionaries had been in St. Francis de Sales' city since January, 1640. [59] The text quoted by Coste which would lead us to think that the enterprising superior, Fr. Codoing, had gathered some seminarists together in the house, is suspect to say the least. This text would seem to refer rather to a renewal or second probation seminary that Codoing wanted to set up on his own initiative. [60]
In February, 1641, the seminary at Annecy was still only at the planning stage and Vincent objected when they wanted to admit children. [61] The situation remained unchanged by 15th September of that year even though the bishop had officially inaugurated the seminary on the 8th of that month. [62] The first definite date we have is 31st January, 1642, when Vincent understood the seminary to be functioning [63] and this is confirmed by a further letter of February 9th which clearly established Annecy as the earlier foundation.
"As the holy Council of Trent highly recommends this work of seminaries, we have given ourselves to God to serve him in this way wherever we can. You have already begun... and we are going to start in this city; we will try it out with twelve students and for this purpose His Eminence (Cardinal Richelieu) is helping us with the sum of 1,000 crowns." [64]
The seminaries at Annecy, the Bons Enfants and St. Charles were followed by a dozen more in different dioceses as well as three or four (Alet, Marseilles, Périgueux and Montpellier) which didn't last long. We can say that all the houses founded after 1642 fulfil the double rôle of mission station and diocesan seminary; Cahors in 1643, Saintes in 1644, Le Mans and Saint Méen in 1645; Tréguier and Agen in 1648, Montauban in 1652, Agde and Troyes in 1654, Meaux in 1658 and Narbonne in 1659.
They didn't all prove to be equally successful and neither did they all function in the same way. Children were admitted to the seminaries of St. Charles, Saint Méen, Le Mans and Agen. [65] At Saintes, which was a heretic stronghold, there were never more that just a few vocation. [66] We know the vicissitudes they suffered at St. Méen. Of all the seminaries, the most prosperous one was that at Cahors, so much so that Vincent's great friend, bishop Alain de Solminihac, wrote to Vincent with justifiable pride:
"I imagine you would be very happy if you could see our seminary and meet the 35 seminarists who would be a source of great satisfaction to you. The priests of your Company who have seen it say that it is the finest in the land and it is better ordered than any in Paris." [67]
All the seminaries would have had roughly the same number of seminarist. This is what Vincent would have us believe from a memorandum in 1647. [68] Thirty, forty or sixty seminarists may not seem very many to those who have known the great European seminaries of the nineteenth and early half of the twentieth century. This is quite a respectable number for the early stages of a work that was just starting up in the face of great opposition; it was only many years later that seminaries became the normal channel for the priesthood. Working alongside Vincent's missionaries were the priests of St. John Eudes' congregation, those of Saint Sulpice and the Oratory, and to a lesser extent, those of other communities, and their united efforts meant that eventually the whole ecclesiastical map of France was covered with seminaries. Whether or not it was historically true, Vincent regarded himself as the pioneer:
"We have the consolation of seeing that our small endeavours have seemed to others to be so good and useful that everyone has been inspired to emulate us and devote themselves to the works that we do, though with more graces; not only do they give missions but they also establish seminaries which are spreading all over France." [69]
The claim made by Daniel Rops that over 400 priests were trained in the Vincentian seminaries evey year, is an exaggeration [70] but it is certainly true that whatever their number may have been, they began to constitute a real priestly élite spread over the four compass points of the Church in France and that they were the effective leaven in its reform. Henry Kamen goes so far as to say that Vincent de Paul's main work, and his most effective contribution to the reform movement in France, was his work of training the clergy, "changing the christian people and starting by changing its pastors." [71]
The Tuesday Conferences spread
The Tuesday Conferences put the finishing touches to what had been achieved by the seminaries and by the retreats for ordinands. Vincent put the same effort into the conferences as he did into the other two works and he believed that the priests of the Congregation of the Mission had a duty to promote them:
"because God has turned to them to promote in the world, through ecclesiastics, this way of discussing particular virtues". "What would become of us, then, if we were the first to neglect it? What an account we would have to render to God if we ever despised such useful and efficacious methods." [72]
Soon the conferences began to expand, too. In Paris, conferences were held at Saint Lazare and also at the Bons Enfants where most of those who attended were ecclesiastics from the Sorbonne who came either as teachers or as students. Thursday was a free day at the university [73] and this was why they chose this day for their meetings. Beyond Paris, the Conferences started up at Puy (1636), Noyon (1637), Pontoise (1642), Angoulême (1647), Angers, Bordeaux and other places whose exact location is uncertain. [74] They were all united by bonds of affectionate collaboration but even more by the veneration they shared for the same founder. These lines taken from a report on the conference at Pontoise in May, 1642, are proof of this.
"After God, it is you, Father, that we have to thank for accepting us as members of your good and virtuous assembly in Paris. It was from you that we received our first instructions on how to set up this little company which for us has been a seed that produces all the good that comes to us each day and which God favours with his blessing and prosperity. We ask you one favour, that as we are mere infants in the practice of virtue and lack the strength to continue and direct our efforts, we beg you to send us from time to time, one of your Company's ecclesiastics from Paris to pay us a visit." [75]
The works of the Conferences
The conferences did other work besides helping their members towards spiritual perfection. From the very beginning of its foundation, the members committed themselves to apostolic work. Some of the tasks they undertook were of a permanent nature and among these was the spiritual assistance they offered at the Hôtel Dieu in Paris. In the early days the entire association used to go there every day but later on small groups would take it in turn to go and encourage the sick, prepare them to make a general confession, and on Fridays they would preach and give instructions to those who were convalescing. The General Hospital (a work we will discuss later on) was, from the very outset, directed by a priest from the association. Many other priests went there on Sundays and holydays to preach and to hear confessions, and as there was a continuous turn over of poor people in this centre, it was decided that missions would be given each year in every ward. [76]
The priests who attended the conferences also gave missions at the galley slaves' hospital and at the "little houses" as they called the hospice which took in 400 people including married couples and those with contagious diseases. Vincent had given a mission there before he founded the Company. [77] The mission preached by the conferences priests was particularly seccessful. It was attended, not just by the inmates, but by people from the surrounding districts as well. So they drew up a leaflet entitled, "The Christian Exercises" and had it printed. It was written in clear, simple, languague and proved such a success that millions of copies were distributed throughout France. [78] This was not the only time that Vincent used printed material in his apostolate.
Missions were also preached at other places besides Paris. Between 1634 and 1637, for example, Olier gave missions on the estates of his abbey at Pébrac, and was helped by priests from the conferences and sometimes, too, by members of the Congregation of the Mission. The work was a great success. Olier speaks of it in glowing terms to his companions in the capital and ends with a long speech reminiscent of the style of St. Francis Xavier.
"Paris, Paris. You hold back people who could convert several worlds. Alas, how many false conversions and how many pious discourses are wasted because the dispositions which God bestows on other places are not to be found there. Here, a single word is esteemed as much as a sermon and nothing is wasted. Here, they haven't killed a single prophet. By that I mean that preaching has not been scorned as happens in the cities, and therefore, gentlemen, all these poor, unlettered folk are filled with graces and blessings from God." [79]
The master's spirit had been passed on to his disciple who would soon be ready to undertake his own works.
"The little method at Court"
The two major works undertaken by the conferences priests were the mission at St. Germain en Laye, the Cour residence, and that given in the Paris suburb of St. Germain des Prés.
The first was preached in January or February, 1638, and on the King's orders, some priests of the Congregation of the Mission took part in it. [80] It was a mission that required delicate handling. The courtiers, the Queen's ladies in waiting, and even the King and Queen attended the mission services. Among the preachers was Nicolas Pavillon who was already the favourite candidate for the bishopric of Alet. A number of high ranking gentlemen came to listen to him, just to see if they could catch him out in any wrong or imprudent statement so that they could denounce him to the King. Neither Pavillon nor any of his companions was put off by such difficulties. With evangelical directness they denounced the vices and frivolity of court life. They launched an offensive against immodest dress and in particular against the excessively low necked dresses worn by the ladies. They were successful for a time but this didn't last. It is easier to change behaviour than it is to change fashion. When the mission ended they set up a Confraternity of Charity from among the court ladies, but this didn't last long either.
"The mission at Saint Germain is over and God blessed it even though at the beginning we had to practise holy patience. There remain just a few people of the royal household who haven't joined the townspeople in fulfilling their obligations; the rest did so and their devotion was very edifying. Our strong denunciation of low necked dresses meant we had to practise patience, too. The King told M. Pavillon that he was very pleased with all the mission services; he added that this was the best approach, and that he would vouch for this everywhere. The ladies who caused most problems at the outset are now so fervent that they have joined the Charity. They go to serve the poor when it is their day to do so and they have gone through the town in four groups to collect money. These are the Queen's ladies in waiting." [81]
We would be lacking a sense of history if we were to ask whether the missionaries brought before the ruling class the injustice of a society based on the privileges of rank and fortune. Vincent felt, and how deeply did he not feel, the misery of the poor; their hunger and their pain? But he was no revolutionary. His work was directed towards changing people's consciences, not changing structures. His objective was charity, not social change. He was a child of his time and accepted the social framework he happened to be living in, while endeavouring to make this society more just and charitable.
The missionaries remained faithful to the Vincentian style of preaching and to the simplicity of the little method. Vincent proudly recalled this in the last years of his life:
"The little method can be used at Court even at Court. This little method has been used at Court on two occasions and I make bold to say that it has been well received...
The little method was a great success; it brought marvellous results. The little method at Court! And then you say it is something for common folk and for country parts! In Paris, in Paris; and at Court, yes at Court, and everywhere, you can't find a better or more successful method than this." [82]
"The cesspit of France"
The most important work done by the priests of the Tuesday Conferences in Paris, 1641, was the mission they preached in the slums of Saint Germain des Prés. This district, according to Abelly, was at that time "the cesspit, not only of Paris, but of all France, and was a haven for all the libertines, atheists and other people who lived an impious and disordered life." [83]
A pious lady of noble birth, the Duchess d'Aiguillon, suggested to Vincent that it would be a good idea to preach a mission in that dangerous quarter. The Congregation of the Mission couldn't take on the work because it would mean giving a mission in the city, so Vincent offered it to all the Conference priests. Nobody would take it on. They were overcome by fear and a feeling of helplessness. Was it worth while starting a work which was so obviously doomed to failure because of the tremendous difficulties involved?
Vincent insisted so much that some of the priests became angry. He then went on his knees before the whole assembly and asked their pardon for being so tiresome in defending his point of view. His only excuse was that he felt a strong spiritual inspiration to promote this work as he believed that God was looking to their charity and zeal to have this service rendered. The victory was won. Those who had been most opposed to the work were the first to enroll. Straightaway they drew up a plan of campaign...
How were they going to preach to these people who were so very different from simple peasants? Vincent had no hesitation in answering this question. This slum area was steeped in the spirit of the world and they had to combat this with the spirit of Christ. They were to use the same simple and humble style of preaching that they used in other places the little method.
So the pious clergy, headed by Perrochel, went off to confront the host of actors, puppeteers, usurers, harlots, women of easy virtue, murderes, ex convicts, vagrants, men with no belief in God and inveterate sinners acquainted with every type of vice...
The miracle happened. That motley crowd came en masse to the confessionals, shedding bitter tears and loudly begging pardon for their sins. Then followed conversions, reconciliations, acts of restitution, atonement for scandal and remarkable changes of life style. Those taking part in this wonderful event declared, "The hand of God is in this". The hand of God is with the humble, trusting works of M. Vincent. [84]
The work of giving retreats
Efforts to reform the clergy by means of retreats for ordinands, the seminaries, and the Tuesday conferences, was complemented by retreats for priests. For the most part, these retreats were integrated into the programme followed by individual retreatants who came every day to Saint Lazare. Realising this, Vincent had the idea of organising group retreats for priests. These would be a means of renewing, each year, the spirit they had assimilated at one or other of Vincent's foundations. But he met with an insuperable obstacle, financial problems. This meant he couldn't develop the project on too wide a scale and had to limit the facility to the more fervent members of the Tuesday conferences. Nevertheless, the retreats took place fairly frequently and with considerable success, both in Paris and in other places. Many bishop wrote to Vincent expressing their satisfaction with the retreats the missionaries preached. [85]
In a letter dated 1641, Vincent summed up the works of the Congregation of the Mission when he wrote, one day, to Fr. Lebreton, his delegate in Rome, The text is partly history and partly prophecy:
"God will make use of this company to help the people by means of the missions that we give; to help those at the beginning of their priestly life through our work with ordinands; to help those who are already ordained because these will not be accepted for a benefice or a living unless they have made a retreat or been trained in a seminary, and to help people in general, by means of the spiritual exercises. May God, in his divine goodness, grant us his grace to perform these works." [86]
