Suchergebnisse

Issue 36.3 of the Review for Religious, 1977. ; REVIEW FOR RELIGIOUS IS edtted by faculty members of St Lores University, the editorial offices being located at 612 Humboldt Building, 539 North Grand Boule-vard; St. Louis, Missouri 63103. It is owned by the Missouri Province Educational Institute; St. Louis, Missouri. Published bimonthly and copyright © 1977 by REVIEW FOR RELIGIOUS. Composed, printed, and manufactured in U.S.A. Second class postage paid at St. Louis, Missouri. Single copies: $2.00. Subscription U.S.A. and Canada: $7.00 a year; $13.00 for two years; other countries, $8.00 a year, $15.00 for two years. Orders should indicate whether they are for new or renewal subscriptions and should be accompanied by check or money order payable to REVIEW FOR RELIGIOUS in U.S.A. currency only. Pay no money to persons claiming to represent REVIEW FOR RELIGIOUS. Change of address requests should include former address. Daniel F. X. Meenan, S.J. Robert Williams, S.J. Joseph F. Gallen, S.J. Jean Read Editor Associate Editor Questions and Answers Editor Assistant Editor May 1977 Volume 36 Number 3 Renewals, new subscriptions, and changes of address should be sent to REVIEW FOR RELIGZOUS; P.O. Box 6070~ Duluth, Minnesota 55802. Correspondence with the editor and the associate editor together with manuscripts and books for review should be sent to REVIEW I~OR RELIGIOUS; 612 Humboldt Building; 539 North Grand Boule-yard; St. Louis, Missouri 63103. Questions for answering should be sent to Joseph F. Gallen, S.J.; St. Joseph's College; City Avenue at 54th Street; Philadelphia, Pennsyl-vania 19131. Nomadic Love Rita Bernard Walton, S.S,J. Sister Rita Bernard resides at the Corpus Christi Convent; Sumneytown Pike and Supplee Rd.; Lansdale, PA 19446. :: Fpr centuries men have responded to a voice, a formless, faceless, nameless voice, a voice that pierced the inner depths like a fiery sword saying: "Come and see" (see Jn 1:35-51). To come and see is to come into Jesus, and to respond to the call is only to hear it repeated over, again and again, to _come deeper into Jesus. It means a lifetime of coming and a lifetime of seeing as one .surprise of.love follows another:in living in Jesus. The heart hears the silent language of Jesus' love that calls for acceptance. 'The acceptance of his love entails ac-cepting all the Lover is and~ all he gives. He gives himself in sacrament, in word,, in life. He reveals himself slowly with each love-touch and fills the soul with wonder at the awesome burden with which he impregnates it. ~In this prayer of love one is. urged to stand firm, to persevere in the gift of.,love in the sense that St. Paul urged the Thessalonians to stand firm: ,"Stand firm, then, brothers, and keep the traditions that we taught y0,u, whether by word of mouth or by letter" (2 Th 2: 15). "Standing firm" is a recognition of having been chosen, loved, formed and hollowed. It is a 'recognition of one's emptiness and fullness in Christ Jesus. To "stand firm" is to accept further the responsibility to love and be loved;~to be known and to,know the God who is. "Standing firm" is to be used, used as a reed on which he plays his tune. ~ Coming deep into this love with Jesus re~uires a lea.ring behind of all ~hat ,is self and, in some way, living within the heart the life of a nomad by abandoning oneself to the purpose~ of the Lord in an emptiness of spirit-- being a nomad without a desert other than the desert of life itself. This nomad 337 338 / Review ]or Religious, Volume 36, 1977/3 life whets the appetite for the fullness of the kingdom, a life fully embraced. The nomad life is a living in joy, a living wholly in the now. This great love renders one powerless and defenseless and 'one. feels the pain of the rendering. Such powerlessness allows God to be G6d, bring-ing to the lips a prayer for an increase of faith which enkindles hope and which builds further the great fire of love. In this love-prayer, the~desire to pray and prayer itself are planted in the heart of one's being by the God of ¯ love. As the desire is nurtured, the heart of one's being grows and ~.the cycle of life in prayer develops. It is recognized as the Lord's gift. This writer invites the reader at this point to place himself or herself in the sandals of the nomad and let the following speak directl3)' td you. Come and see, Nomad. The nomad carries little. The nomadic lover carries little, too, for this lover must pass through love's gate as through the eye of the needle, free of encumbrances and the excess baggage of self-love. As nomadic lover you go through the doorway of Jesus as yourself~ as a real person. You go with Jesus' to go through Jesus into Jesus more deeply,, realizing so de.eply that Jesus is in you filling you with so much love. Loving is what living is all about. Living the love of Jesus is allowing the fruit of hislove to be'~plucked while it is ripe and rich. Following Jesus in nomadic love leads you to a still point. A still .point is a further death to self. Freed of the baggage and clutter of ~elf-will, hands are emptied to embrace the Will of the Father, the Cross of-Jesus, the Gifts of the Spirit. This still point is an intense grace of being~known, and being filled with an unknown kind of knowing God in his Oneness and Trinity of Persons. Reaching, or being brought to this still point of love is like passing through the turmoil of a storm and no longer being in .the path of its destruction, but aware of it and aware of being held at the center of calm only by his grace. It is an experience of an overwhelming sense .of quiet joy where your being sings an endless, wordless song of silent praise. Nomadic love extends you and develops all the facets of yourself, and then it changes you. You become a new self with all the old facets"refined. 'You come to a point where you hardly know yourself, and yet you do, more deeply than you did before. If the Beloved allows you to see yours.df"vfith his eyes you see a sight of beauty, surprising beauty. What you see is so grace-laden and love-filled that your heart responds again in silen(, ioyful song to the love and the Lover who has made you this way. You know that all this grace and beauty are his gift to your creature-self. It is yours to 'rejoic( in, to use and to give away~ When you return to your owns, seeing, you find you are the same, but not the same. You have been held b~y Love unaware of space and time and you somehow know that you hold a inystery~ and are held by Mystery. The nomadic lover has thus rested in th~ sweet oasis of love. ' Soon, however, the nomad is stirred from the oasis-rest .by th~ silent Nomadic Love / 339 voice the heart has come to know. "Rise, cla~p my hand, and come!" ("The Hound of Heaven," by Francis Thompson). "Yes" becomes the word on your lips and the journey continues. Now the desert stretches dry ahead and its night settles in like a winter season. The fruit and the comfort and rest of an oasis are not in sight, but the memory of them warms your heart. All is silent within and without, and the nomad must stand firm in the silence as would a silent sentinal. The treasure of love must be guarded within the heart. As nomadic lover in the desert night you know, you be-lieve~ you trust in the touchless Lover who is with you, who encircles you with his love. A nomadic lover prays: I cannot walk, my Love, I cannot walk alone. I must be led, or carried. I cannot trust myself, my own sense of direction. I must let myself be lost as it were, with no map or seeable route on this journey in faith and trust and love with You. My Love, I depend solely on You and Your guidance with no desire other than the desire to be Yours. You p!ace in shadow all that has been familiar during this journey with You. The oasi~ of Your gifts and consolaiions is lost ¯ in the darkness of this desert night in order to test my love for You alone. My~ Love, I ask for the grace of receptivity. Open me to the greatness of desiring You . for Yourself alone. ".Rise, clasp my hand, and come!" ("The Hound of Heaven"). So, once again Nomad, you hear yourself asked to "come and see" mindful you are nomad by invitation; that the journey is a gift and that you do not "stir love until its appo~inted time" (Song of Songs 2:7). Grassroots Sisters Today: Calvary People? Anawim? Marie Emmanuel, S.C. Sister Marie Emmanuel, though retired otficially, icontinues to exercise an extensive apostolate through her writings. She resides at Mount St. Joseph, OH 4505.1. No writer can speak from her heart unless wha( she says is consciously directed to a well-defined group of readers. Even a g!ance at the topic sentences of the following paragraphs, for example, would indicate that this article would "turn off" religious caught up in the urgencies' of seeking self-fulfillment, of 'being recognized as a person, of securing independence, and of embracing a life-style which has much more in common with that of a career girl or married woman than with that of the traditional religious of ten or fifteen years ago. And these same pages would probably read like something from outer space to the few fortunate religious in whose com-munities wholesome, holy religious life has somehow managed to survive experimentation. The vast majority of American sisters, however, belong to neither of these groups. They are the typical religious of our decade the thoiasands who look with aching hearts on what mistaken attempts at renewal (a renewal too often not rooted in a primary interest in the things of God!) have done and are doing to their corrimunities, and to religious life itself as they can see it. Their cause is seldom taken up by the religious press or cham-pioned by speakers; yet they are the ones who are holding the line for Christ. They know what their Lord was asking of them when he called them to their community--and they know what they gave. him on their vow day. Integrity permits them to dilute neither his divine requests nor their giving. These are the religious who must be assured that their questioning is being heard, that their Calvary is understood, and that, if they have but faith, their fears for religious life itself will be quieted by the same dear 340 Grassroots Sisters Today:~ Calvary People? Anawim? / 341 Christ who answered the frightened apostles in the tempest-tossed boat on Galilee: "O ye of little faith, why do you doubt?" Not even the hardiest can deny, of course, that hurricanes have been buffeting religious life for a decade or more, and that unprecedented winds and waves have sadly battered the bark of those who follow the evangelical counsels. There is no question here of the exaggerated fears of timid souls. Too many facts corroborate 'the ~threats, too many experiences bolster appre-hension. All one need do to be convincedis read, watch and listen. " See whathas happened in our day to the observance of poverty and obedience! And often not even chastity survives at least not envisioned as an espousal relationship with Christ, a concept which, iust a short time ago, was. generally accepted as basic to the vow. Silence no more has a place in most Interim Directives; prayer has become largely a completely personal matter, with sometimes not even the offi~ze or rosary said in com-mon; and the whole concept of community living is under attack. One does not have to be a seer to be aware that in some congregations goals, aposto- ,lares, and life-style have been so revolutionized that even the most recent of founders would be hard put to recognize their own! Administrators of certain large American communities, for example, seeing membership plummeting and the median age rapidly rising, have °already experimented with the idea of extending membership to anyone who wishes to live with the sisters, "regardless of sex, religious affiliation or marital status." In some religious houses such~ extended membership is already an accepted fact. At a meeting of formation personnel late in 1975, one young director told her audience (and was immediately quoted in metro-politan and diocesan newspapers) that her community had "already opened its doors to such .applicants, among them a married woman, a divorcee, and a woman whose husband is in Europe." These people, she assured her hearers, "share the life and home of the sisters and are regarded as mem-bers, not as guests; employees or volunteers." In order to supplement recruitment, other congregations have accepted girls who came with the avowed intention of staying just for a year or two, although canon law has stipulated that candidates may not enter on a temporary basis, that they must have the iiatention of remaining or at least the hope of determining their permanent vocation by honest trial. We hear,. too, of young religious who, though they may have entered with the inten-tion of remaining, are now reluctant to maki~ any permanent commitment and are being permitted to stay on indefinitely, despite canonical strictures, merely making temporary "promises" over and over. Yet though membership is being supplemented in such unorthodox ways, genuine religious vocations in America have dwindled to almost nothing. Vineyards entrusted to us by the Church are abandoned for works of our own choosing; conx;ents stand empty in the midst of fields white for the harvest, and the tragic exodus of professed sisters "back to the world" con- 342 / Review ]or Religious, Volume 36, 1977/3 tinues, though God knows that some motherhouses have few, except the aged, left. A further tragedy lies in the fact that those who remain tend to fall into groups so diverse in their reactions to experimentation that the attainment of consensus in basic areas becomes impossible. There are the sisters of all persuasions, liberal and conservative, who are content with the status quo as they meet it; there are the crusader.s, dissatisfied with the ."inadequacy" of experimentation as they see ,it initiated, and dedicated to revamping re-ligious life now to conform to what they consider relevant to today's world. And then there is the army of ordinary sisters down at the grassroots who have suffered shock after shock as they were subjected to innovations (allegedly designed to make them more relevant, more self-fulfilled, and more libera.ted, but which have a~:tually proven incompatible with their ideals of religious life) who are now openly seeking answers to the disturb-ing questions which haunt them. "What is going to become of religious life?" they ask in desperation akin to that of the apostles, when their small boat was. storm-tossed that night on Galilee. "Will,it someday be impossible in my community to live the life I v6wed? What will be left of religious life when all this experimen-tation is officially ended?" Before sisters consider the future of their own communities in the light of such questi0.ns, it is logical that a prognosis for religious~ life itself be attempted. Is it dying? Is it still relevant? A number of current books study the topic from various points of view, but the Vatican II Fathers .have already settled all doubts in ~this regard bY the place in the modern Church which they assigned to religious. A dying group would scarcely be commissioned, as religious were in the Constitution on the Church, to ,"stren.gthen the kingdom in soul~, and extend it to every clime." And who is relevant to our confused, anguished world if not those to whom the council, in the same document, entrusted the needy of that world? "Religious should carefully consider that through them, to believers and unbelievers alike, (he Church wishes to give an increasingly clearer revelation of Christ," decreed the Council Fathers. "Through them, Christ should be seen contemplating on the mountain, announcing God's kingdom to the multitude, healing the sick and maimed,, turning sinners to wholesome fruit, blessing children, doing good to all, and always obeying the will of the Father who sent them." There is not one .sufferer among all those who throng our streets, or whose stories are blazoned in, the daily press or pictured on TV, who does not fit into one of the categories listed by the Council as being charges of today's religious. There is no human need, spiritual or temporal, which has not been confided to our charity in our own time by Holy Mother Church herself. Therein lies our blueprint of relevance. Father Thomas iDubay, contemporary writer on living the evangelical Grassroots Sisters Today." Calvary People? Anawim? / 343 counsels, states: "The religious life belongs inseparably to the Church's life and holiness . Periodically, in the history of the Church, someone is likely to prophesy the death of religious-life. Our day is no exception. Yet so closely bound up with evangelical perfection are consecrated virginity, voluntary poverty and ecclesial obedience, that to predict the disappearance of religious life is to assert the irrelevance of the gospel. The profession of the evangelical counsels may decline, through human weaknesses, but dis-appear it willnot.''~ Yet, notwithstanding such assurances, sisters confide that try as they will to tell themsel~,es that all will be right, they cannot shut their eyes~to what is happening in many communities. "Is it unreasonable," they ask, "to wonder how I can trust, when I know how convent walls have tumbled down since the '60's, destroyed not by enemies of the Church but by con-secrated women who are .apparently casting aside the very.essentials of religious life so as to grasp the best of two vocations without assuming the responsibilities of either? How can I"even hope that I will always be a nun, when I see congregations once flourishing and fervent actually falling apart or so revolutionized as to be unrecognizable?" Of course, there are no pat answers, as there are no pat answers for other questions'which vex us today. But Peter and his companions were expert sailors, and they had seen other vessels go down in squalls on Galilee like the one they were battling. Yet Christ rebuked them that night for their lack of faith when they were apprehensive. He did not tell them how to ride out the storm, he gave them no practical directives. But he did reassure them. "Fear not!" he said. And he did calm the winds and the buffeting waves, and bring his friends Safe to.shore. Suppbse their boat had sunk in the storm. Can we doubt that our Lord would have saved his 6wn; so that they still might, become the Spirit-driven anawim who were to establish his Church? That should tell us something! And there are many other gospel stories.~which'can set our troubled hearts at rest. This is a goodtime to remember~Bethany, for example; we who are frightened by what the future may hold have Christ's own word that our "best part"-~will never be taken away from us. In,another passage he gives us his solemn assurance that he will be with us always, and that whatever we ask in.prayer will be given us;, even to" feats like moving mountains! He reminds us that we did not choose him; it was he who called us. Dare we insinuate that-he was trifling with our hearts in making that invitation on our vow day? No, the circmfistances surrounding our aposto-lates may indeed be drastically altered, but our consecration to Christ no one no one--can take from us! Right now many mature religious stand onCalvary. We try to assure ourselves, perhaps, that faith and hope demi~nd that we look forward to a 1Ecclesial Women, by Thomas Dubay, 'S.M. (New York: Alba House, 1970). 344 / Review ]or Religious, Volume 36, 1977/3 glorious Easter, when resurrection joy and peace will fill our hearts again. That Easter will come. But ~hould we begin to face the possibility that we, personally, may never see its glad dawning? Maybe our little boat won't survive this. tempest! What if our community becomes so debilitated or so revolutionized that it no longer is our.community? Do we love Christ so much that we can offer ourselves, in that event, to become his anawim, the remnant beloved by God, who will somehow continue to carry on his work in and for a world which hungers for him while it rejects him? That may well be what he is asking of us now. If this should happen and we find our 'institutes rapidly losing all re-semblance to the dream of evangelical perfection which God gave our founders and to which he called us, we can find comfort, first of all, in knowing that religious life, itself will never die. That is where faith and hope lead us today. Isn't that, perhaps, where they leave many of.us, too? Let's admit it: we, at least we sisters in America, may well be Calvary-people all our lives. But .wasn't that what our Lord was? The shadow of the Cross touched everything he looked on, and Easter came only after the final agony of the crucifixion. "Fear not.t" Our Lord is saying to us. Even though this congregation or that is shaken, religious life will always flower somewhere in the Church, and no sister will ever be dispensed ]rom perpetual vows unles~ she herselI .has chosen, in some way, to cancel her commitment to the God who loves her with an everlasting love. 'We must remember that when things look black, when maybe even our own beloved community may seem'to be racing toward disaster.~, We must hang onto the fact, too, that "retreat masters and others in a position to see and judge are finding rainbows arcing over motherhouses here and there, where experimentation has not only. been lived through but is reaping a golden harvest of renewal. True, such blessed communities doubtless still have their respective cordons of dissidents unhappy because changes haven't been radical enough, but interested now in the ordination of women, in 'political jobs~ or~ in being, vocal on controversial theological questions. Their current involvement in topics beyond the jurisdiction of their communities leaves the body of the, membership free to yield. ;to the Spirit, and to concentrate on intensive, broadly-varying spiritual programs, which one priest-director tells me are proving "an astonishing purification, a genuine spiritual renewal, and a happy return to the ideals of the foun-ders" of several communities with whom he is in contact. How heartened many grassroots sisters should be by rumors of such rainbows, which indicate that for some religious at least, the storm is over for the time and the Paschal Sun is shining! There are communities, too, which have never lost their balance, but which, despite growing pressures, have managed to adhere t,o their self-definition and to maintain the life of the counsels as their founders would Grassroots Sisters Today: Calvary People? Anawim? / 345 have it lived at present. They are the ones (believe it or not!) who are be-ing sought out by young women who want just what these communities will give them. The same retreat master I quoted before confided that one such community with which he works "is swimming with postulants and novices, bright and lively young things who enter precisely because of the habit; who are genuinely (if youthfully) in earnest about learning the spirit of their congregation and (and through) the spirit of their founder." So even if, in our corner of the world, the eclipse still leaves us groping in dark and cold, we can rejoice that somewhere the sun is shining again on happy, holy novitiates and on burgeoning religious life. We can rejoice, too, that our way of-life is a good way; despite the odds against us, we do contribute to the holiness of the Church! And it is a relevant way. Millions of people contact God today because sisters still live and work among them. So if our particular corner of the vineyard is languishing, we must simply put our hand into the hand of Christ and trust him to use us as he will. Through an ordeal.like this, our consciences should reassureus that we are not disloyal because we can foresee local debacles resulting from ill-ad-vised changes in the very basics of~religious life. As mature religious we can-not help but be aware that congregations which cut themselves free from their moorings an the Church and dispose of authority, vows, silence, community prayer and the common life with fine, dispatch, are no longer offering their members the type of life the.y vowed to follow: There is no disloyalty here. No, it is love for the life to which Christ calls us that prompts us to challenge attemis°ts at renewal which have gotten out of hand. The pro~ing questions one hears now on all 'sides should alert the powers that be to the fact that definitely all is not well. Before it is too late, those influential in community affairs throughout the country should take inventory to see wfiether religious, life, as they are manipulating it, can flourish and bear the fruit God expects. Only a prayerful, serious evaluation by those supposedly in authority can dete~rmine for any congregation whether experimentation is sanctifying its members or secularizing them, meeting the needs of their assigned apostolates or merely working toward human goals or personal self-fulfillment. That some groups will not see the necessity for such reconsideration is a sad commentary on the problem. It is good, therefore, that individual sigters are not closing their eyes to what is being done, that we at last are asking serious qui~stions and seeking honest answers. We are not discountenancing faith and hope when we admit that we think it possible that our partiqular vineyards may someday lie in ruins. Rather, our faith and hope could never be fairer .than when we watch our dear garden-places transformed into alien desert and yet hold fast to Christ, confidefit of his love, ready to take up our interrupted apos-tolat~ wherever he wants us to be and to do whatever he may send us to do, even if that is just to suffer and pray for the harvest which we may no longer have an opportunity to plant or gather in. Symbols.'. Signs. and the Times Jane Marie Kerns, S.H.C.J. Sister Jane Marie is engaged in development work. curriculum planning and public relations at Cornelia Connelly High School; 2323 W. Broadway; A~aheim, CA 92804. _~er degree is in the field of sociology. Technically speaking,' says S. R. Wilson, signs are not symbols. Signs are perceptible m~inifes~ations which point to a condition present or to come because they flow from the ultihaate reality underlying the sign. In this sense signs are revelatory because the natural objects involved are ]as in-trinsic~ illy related to the ~:eality underneath as the smell of an onion is to the onion itself. For example, hot forehe'ad, weakness, perspiration and chills signify fever. Signs, in thig sense, cross cultural barriers of language and fl~ish essentially the identical message-content to all who can read the signs. At some point in history the acctimulated wisdom of a l~eople unravels the mystery behind the sign and passes on the same m.essage from generation to generation. Thus signs are stable in content because that which we~ per-ceive bears an unalterable and peculiar relationship to the reality wtii~zh is present or coming to be. Symbols are different. They are arbitrary things which are invested with 1Sociologists, in developing the implications of symbolic interaction, have made some distinctions between sign and symbol that differ markedly from the'more traditional scholastic terminology contrasting natural and conventional signs. For example, Berger and Luckmann in The Social Construction o! Reality speak.of "detachability" as a characteristic of all signs and sign systems while symbols are any significative themes achieving maximum detachability by reason of their being located in one sphere of reality but referring to ahother. A far simpler presentation by S R. Wilson has generated a line of thought that can be applied to the contemporary religious scene with some profit for us if we are willing to follow up his line of thought"with some applications made on our own. 346 Symbols. Signs . . . and the Times / 347 a tempbrary message by consensus of the group which employs the symbol. Symbols are the shorthand which capsulizes a larger"concept, perhaps an abstract one--the cryptography which presupposes that the users share the meaning so fully'that they can afford to reduce it to a kind of code word, that beStows brevity without sacrificing richness. There need not be any necessary connection between the choice of an object to act as symbol and the content of the message.Symbols are temporary: time-bound~ timely,, tied to. context so they lose their significance or are invested with new meanings in new times. How fickle symbols can be is well exemplified'by the quirk of fate that transmuted .Churchill's gallant V-for-victory hand salute into the peace symbol of the 1960's. Signs are natural, unequivocal, independent "of time and place an~l ¯ language, Symbols are culture;bound, subject to misinterpretation by the uninitiated and to re-interpretation by succeeding in-groups, long- or short, lived depending on the consistency of the ,sub-culture that employs them. Perhaps some reflection on this distinction, between sign and symbol can shed light, on:,one of the dilemmas facingreligious today. We religious have tried abruptly 'to change our symbol ~ystem and we find often enough that We have lost our sign value in the world., of today, We changed 9ur dress to relate more easily to the world of the ~twentieth century. Removing a barrier did not automatically create a sign 6f the Lord present among us. We chose the symbol system of modern womanhood .and sometimes found ourselves comfortably bunched .in with all the other .bananas. The public we served was not interpretifag our symbolic action as we meant it to be. And we are forced to recognize that the dress we donned and the veil we doffed were only symbol--not sign, not natural,.cross,cultural., unequivocaI expression of what .is or what is to come--:-only symbol, 9nly thingg subject tO misinterpretation, 'time-bbund even for us who made the gesture of changing the symbolmand ambivalent;~ even,~ to the ~degree. that not all religious~would agree on the what. and the why of the gesture. By and large our people are complimentary 'and comfortable with our new look, yet amid a growing congeniality we. have lost some of the eschatological sign value that should be ours. Why? I, Hazarding guesses is hazardous and it is;my guess that an understanding of signs and symbols can shed some light. If we understood how 'a society creates .a symbol, if we understood how a group learns toread a sign, .per-haps we could appreciate the impact of. context on communication. Accurate identification of the "things': we use to present ourselves depends on the context in which we use them. Think of ~ome "symbols" we have adopted in the last few years: There are religious who see denim as denoting fellow-ship with the poor, But with the escalation of the denim fashion' parade, to many people denim speaks of the radical chic, the young affluent who chooses to dress down, the professional would-be college kid revolting against .white shirts and starched,collars. To many, "fellowship" with a 348 / Review for Religious, Volume 36, 1977/3 "groovy" bunch in.~faded cut-offs has no religious connotations whats6ever. We want to say simplicity of life-style; they hear over-age college set gone "mod." Unwittingly, there is growing up a garbled version of the Fountain of Youth myth where what we wanted to hand on was the Good News about the Fountain of Living Waters which springs up in men of faith. Our~ sym-bols aren't bad; it's just that we exist in a cultural context which colors the interpretation of symbols "due to circumstances beyond our control . " We are talking about the fact that we can't control the whole configura-tion of life that put denim (or its equivalent) into a context in which it will be understood by those who see the same symbol system used to convey a different message. We human beings acting in concert unconsciously invest symbols with meaning 6nly in context. + can mean Christianity or + can mean add it all depends on what goes with it. It's the nature of symbol to be tied to other people's mentality. Let me" push the notion of symbols-in-context a bit further. In some ways symbols are .like bumper stickers~ That is, they are "one-liners", that punch out a limited message about one aspect of a question or point of view--concise, catchy, incontrovertible as far as they go. But when we are talking about the sign value of religious in their mission of revelation, we find that we aren't able to frame the essential message and crop off all the peripheral or block out all the other things we do and are. Hence, our symbols are never seen except in a broader context of the configuration of our whole lives. Let's think a little then about configuration. Have you ever pondered the variety of countenances .the Lord has fashioned out of the simple set of major elements such as two eyes, a nose, a mouth, some small degree of color in the eyes, some minor variations-- all within the magnitude of an inch or less--in the spacing of these ele-ments, the alignment of them, and so forth? Fantastic how .little he had to work with and yet how totally unique are the billions of faces that inhabit the universe! And all ~.because the particular configuration of similar ele-ments so alters the' finished product! How marvelous is the import of the configuration in which a single pair of blue eyes is set in defining the unique profile of a German lass as opposed to a California coed! Taken separately all the major elements of their countenances could be identical. Only the final configuration gives the identity to each as a unique person. Something like that is true of our symbol systems. When we changed our bleak habit woolens for blue denim or for fashionable fabrics and styles, we also re-arranged a thousand seemingly unrelated parts of the mosaic Called life-styles. Visits to hairdressers, pierced ears, cosmetics, jewelry, stereo sets in our rooms, guitars under our arms, weekends at the beach or skiing in the mountains, ten-speeds, dining out when pressures mount, happy hours and wine-and-cheese-get-togethers--all the places we went and the things we did in our new dress. And gradually we blended with the Every Woman in tune with the times--and lost any aura of the "otherness" of Symbols . . . Signs . . . and the Times / 349 the woman in touch with the Lord. It is frustrating and confusing since there is nothing wrorig with any of the items taken separately, nothing that could not serve as a ~,ehicle for inserting the message of the Lord into the modern context. Yet, unfortunately, the gap between intentions and outcome is real, if we'dare tell it as it is. So what can we do in such a dilemma? Retreat to our pre,Vatican II existence? . How dare we even consider such a move--we who have been called by. the Lord in his Church to seek ever new ways to bring his .same truth to our age? ~ . I believe that there are several lines of action open to us. First, and perhaps the easiest to admit, we must recognize.that a private symbol sys-tem whose true message is known only to ourselves is a useless tool for communication. Hence, in our recognition ~of the public nature of the sym-bols we choose to employ, we must be attentive to the feedback from those around us, the feedback that comes in the form of spoken criticism or spoken praise, and also the feedback that comes in the form of a vacuum-- the indication that we aren't, even noticed~ This isr not so easy since it implies that if we listen and respond'just to, those who catch the message, it might be we are only speaking to our in-group. Openness to criticism and willing-ness to. vary our approach is the on13~ way that will. make our knowledge of de facto social interpretation of symbols work for the good we yearn to. do. Apropo.s., algo, is the need for a discerning spirit that can ferret out the essence of a critical remark and that has no fear to dare to be different if the difference is where, it really: counts--difference, because our fundamental orientation even in choosing fashionable clothes, and so forth, is utterly other. For the sake of the kingdom, for the sake of those around me, for the sake of my apostolic effectiveness I choose to use the things I use; for ¯ their ability to extend my vital concerns outward, not just for their ability to enhance me. From .the apostolic point of view ~vhat my symbol system says to. those around rn"e is:more important than what it"says to me as long as"it is genuine. , A second direction in which to focus our attention is on the mutability (as w~ll as .f.allibility) of any~ symbol which derives from the other mean-ings conferred on the "things" we use or do by other people whose message differs from ours. '~We can always afford to bend and 'blend and experiment with our symbol system in order to keep it 'up-to-date. Indeed, we must be alert to those circumstances beyond our control which render any system obsolete or .misleading--changing customs, .changing values in some areas of life, changing vocabulary. Even semaiatics can' cause a loss of utility in a given form of expression. Knowing' the difference between what is essential and what is merely an arbitrary, ,though well-chosen, form of expression is an art capable of infusing life ,into the means we use to contact the world around us; The art of choosing wisely, rests largely on the nature of what we.try to signify. How can we speak to men of our God who is so utterly 350 / Review ]or Religious, Volume 36, 1977/3 other? What has holiness to say to a modern world? What can communicate spirit to flesh:and-blood men of today?. As men and nations,~scramble tO get, what words speak of giving.'? And what can emptying oneself to put:.on Christ say to empty men who have lost .their own identity? When thinking men unite to feed the world's hungry because 'the survival of all ultimately depends on the wise sharing of resources, how does one say that enlightened self'interest isn't enough? For a task of this magnitude, perhaps symbol .is the wrong tool. Maybe we can't rely~on a form of "shorthand" for all that the Christian message means to us. Perhaps we have to strive; to explicate our message--impress it more fullythrough expressions revelatory, :flo~ving from the essential reality of life in Christ. Earlier we spoke of the smell of an onion as peculiar to the. reality that is the onion. Substitute perfume to the rose if you prefer, but that is just how specific our expression should be to what 'it is we're trying to communicate! Perhaps sign is called for-- natural, unequivocal, universal harbinger of 'what is or what is to come. Sin~:e whatever we do can be so easily mis-read by a generation that rarely reflects deeply, our?language" (spoken, body, symbol) must be one that is unequivocal, timelessly true, inextricably bound up with the nature of what we communicate. Our "language" must be sign of what is or what is to come. We can only hope to sign the Lord to the world if we ourselves can be the living revelation of~God present among us, actuating what we are. When we so live in the presence of God that his thoughts have become ours, his con-cerns, outs, we can hope that the vitality of his life in us will speak to"men of Someone else, just as Jesus invariably led people beyond himself to ". the~Father who sent me; the Father himself loves you. ; if you knew me you would know the Father also . . . the words I speak are not mine but the Father's; . as my F~'ther sent me so I also . ; I do always what the Father command~ . . . ; I must be about my Father'S' business~. ; I will ask the Father and he will send you the Paraclete . . . ; whatever you ask for in my name that I will do so that the Father may be glorified in the Son . , . ; the world must: be brought to know .that I love the Father. ; I call you friends because I have made known to you everything I have learned from myFather." It was when Jesus said. to his own, "I came from the Father,and have come into the world and now I leave the world to go to the ,Father," that his men replied at long last, "Now you are: speaking clearly . because of this we believe that you came from God.,." (Jn 16:28-31.). Hardly can we expect to be heard by our world tif we are less specific! Hardly do we ~dare to be so specifi!! Yet. I doubt that there is one of us who has,not in prayer thrilled to the vocation that is ours and marveled that God should choose to use us as a means of revealing and witnessing to his presence in the world. We believe--and yet . We shall never be able to offer our people more than fickle symbols until it becomes "natural" for us to perceive and Symbols . . . Signs . . . and the Times / 351 to speak of ourselves as signs that God is present and coming~ Our work for the poor may appear to be just the fad of generous adolescence or neo-humanism in action unless we are in fact coming from God and drawing our people to God. Angry activists can demand' prison reform as effectively as we and still remain atheists'. To what am I signing on the picket lines or in the classroom? Many good men grow whole from their repulsion over human suffering. Ft. George Aschenbrenner, in his article, "Hidden in Jesus Before the Father" (REviEW FOR RELIGIOUS, Jan., i975), spoke of the healing ministry of Jesus as springing from his vision of the holiness of God. So, too, for us philanthropy is not enough, It is significant that a woman of~ our times renown for her ministry of healing has had her story told to the world under the title, Something Beauti[ul for God. Mother Theresa undoubtedly comes to her poor as one sent ~by God to lead them on to him. Her meaning is unequivocal, its con-tent crosses language barriers and surmounts limitations of time and place. She is indeed a signto all of.the presence of God in his creation. But how was she different? She adapted the dress and the practices of religious life to the customs of India; so have we striven to meet America in the twentieth century. What more is there to it? . ' Perhaps it isosomehow or other connected with her approach to the first major work that .she undertook: her concern for the dying, the terminally ill; the cases that most of the hospitals there would not accept today be-cause there is nothing-that can be gained from medical treatment, there is no hope of recovery: . . . There is an element in her preoccupation with the dying that shouts aloud that dying is not the end, that even a dying man is worthy of respect and love and concern. Hers was an attitude-in-action which pointed a reality present in he~r and pre~sent in her world of the dying that could only mean that death~was not what it seemed to be to the masses who passed by the dying beggar in the streets. The reality alive in the center of her being revealed itself in act and attitude peculiar to those who know the God and Father of Jesus Christ. She was indeed a sign of God present in his world. Mother Theresa shows~us that it is possibleto be a sign in the world. What she stands,.for speaks internationally of humanity's ability, to stand 'before the experience of the Holy. Even more exciting, what she is and has become for our age is the revelation~that a person~who is sign doesn't sim-ply point out statically something that has .happened to her or him but rather that such a sign enables the beholder to experience the Holy for him'- self. It not only'allows man to~'think about God, but it activates an en-counter between God ands.the beholder. Our interpretation of the sign be-comes experiential, not simply intuitional or cognitive. I believe that the authentic Christian witness offered by Mother Theresa and her co-workers demonstrates, by the grace of God, the essential ele-ments of signs in an eminent degree. The grace which incorporates one into 352 / Review ]or Religious, Volume 36, 1977/3 the very life of Jesus enables a human life to be a natural revelation of the supernatural reality that is present and coming: Man's. experience of the Holy as it radiates through, the person and personality of another chal-lenges with the unequivocal demand to "take off your shoes" in ~ome fashion. The call to respond is universal, that is, it °cries out to hearts of men of every tongue, time or religious .traditi0n---assuming their hearts have been initiated into the mystery of God. And there is nothing in the configura-tion of his life~style to confuse or to cloud or to bury the sign under a bushel basket. ': We know that the same grace of God confers p6tential sign value on us all, even beyond the extent.to which we surrender to its gentle usurpation of our natural self. We may need to study our lives to perceive the dynamic of their configuration. We can scrutinize what we do with our time,, what we talk about, what we expend our energies on, what delights us, what we do with our free time, what .people we interact With most often--~and why. What do people ,bring to us as topics of conversation and as cause for concern? Not just what are the ice-breakers, but what are~ the substantive issues? Or .are there any substantive issues?,, Is it just fashion~talk, hair styles, and where are the best sales, what restaurants do we like, what about the latest recording artists, what team will win the World Series, what shows are worth seeing, what books are topping the Best Sellers lists? As well.educated women and well-rounded persons, we ought to be capable and to be intrigued .by exploring all facets of the contemporary scene.Yet there is incumbent upon us always the urgency of the prophet: A voice commands: Cry! and 1 answered, "What shall I cry?. Shout with a loud voice, joyful messenger . Shout without fear, "Here is your God." (Is 40:6-9) If we spend a day without ever mentioning our God to our world; if we: converse wisely about everything else but not about the Cent6r of our lives; if for a day, and days and a day, we apply psychology and economics and political :science and medicine and pedagogy in the. healing of hearts and the enabling of those striving to break out of bondage of any sort, it well may be that we present ourselves as professional personswho can live without any practical application of our religious profession. Then it is un-derstandable that the totality of the configuration of our daily lives obscures the sign and justifies our world's propensity for reading us according to the symbol system in vogue where we are. Our anomaly gtems not from our doing anything wrong and not from our not doing anything .at all, but just from the fact that our peculiar blend of actions~and attitudes islso familiar to our people that we fail to communicate the otherness of God. ~Where Jesus is the song sung softly all day long in the hearts of his own who are called to witness to him in this day and age, the most appropriate Symbols . . . Signs .,°and the~ Times / 353 exhortation might be "Preach what you practice." In terms of this article that could be translated to mean, "Find the ways--the signs, the symbols, the. emphases in the particular blend of attitudes and activities that are our life--(to say we come) from an inner experience of the God who is present and who continuously is coming." In this sign surely we shall conquer! NoW Available, As: A Reprint,, Colloquy of God with a Soul That Truly Seeks Him ,Address: Price: ~;.30 per opy,~ 161us post~ige.' Review for Religious 612 Humboldt Building 539 North Grand '~ St. Louis, Missouri 63103 Reflections on Vowed Living1 Claire Brissette, S,S.Ch. Sister Claire. a graduate of the Center for the Study of Spirituality at the Institute of Man, Duquesne University, is engaged in ongoing formation work in her province, working with sisters primarily at the local community level. She resides at 297 Arnold St.; Wrentham. MA 02093. More than a decade ago, the Church, speaking officially through the Vatican Council, invited and challenged religious throughout the world to re-evaluate their institutional structures and to re-examine their~ lives in light of gospel values and the spirit of their founders. For most congregations and most religious men and women, the spiri~t of Vatican II soon became crystallized in the phrase "renew and°adapt." During the years immediately following the council, we opened the windows of our lives and hearts to let in the fresh air and warm sunshine of renewal chapters', of .'revised Acts of the Chapter, of experiments in life-style~ community living, apostolate and forms of prayer. We questioned the structures and values of religious liv-- ing all in a sincer~ effort to ~:espond to the dictates of Vatican II. Through- 1This article is an integration of personal reflections from various sources. In listing these sources, it is difficult to distinguish Where their thought ends and where mine-begins. I wish to acknowledge my gratitude to each of these authors and speakers for their insight which fias stimulated my own integrative reflection. Besides the publica-t'ions listed in the bibliography, the following workshops have also influenced the con-tents of this article: "The Life of the Counsels" given by Thomas Walsh, S.J. and ~Bernadette Casey, R.S.M. at the Diocesan Spiritual Life Center in Pawtucket, RI on Feb. 28-29, 1976; "Fashioning the Future,of Vowed Commitment" a ten day workshop given at Mt. Augustine, Staten Island, NY, during which nine nationally known speak-ers, m turn, provided input on a specific vow. Appreciation also goes to Susah Muto, Assistant Director of the Institute of Man,, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, for her helpful suggestions regarding the final draft, Of th~is a~rt!cle. 354 Reflections on 'Vowed Living / 355 Out this period of painful searching, we sought to discover the Spirit of the Lord guiding us through the confusion and turmoil of the~renewal. In more recent years, as~the initial turmoil has begun to subside, we have found ourselves facing and grappling with one of the deeper issues of the renewal, the meaning of our vows. Because of the :legalism that charac-terized our pre-Vatican II way of life, the meaning and living out of our. v6ws was often limited to external structures and rules. As many of these were put aside, and greater emphasis was placed on personal fulfillment and community living, poverty, celibacy and obedienc( seemed to fade into the background. We were no longer certain of (heir meaning_nor of their relevance forpost-Vatican religious life:' As we begin to take a new look at the meaning of our vowed consecration, the living of our vows is gradually emerging as the concrete expression of a personal love relationship with the Lord. In reflecting upon vowed living, 1 would like to elaborate upon the meaning of our love relationship with God, as well as on the meaning of each vow in light' of this love. Vowed Living: A Relationship of Love: A clue to the inner attitude of love which lies at the heart of our vowed living, may be found in the book of the Prophet Jeremiah:Experiencing an inner crisis, Jeremiah speaks of God rather boldly and directly, as he says, "You have seduced me, Yahweh, and I have let myself be seduced; you have overpowered me: you were the stronger" (Jr 20::7). Perhaps oi, too, living a way of life that seems absurd to our superficial world, .can address these same words to God. I can look back into my life, and perhaps remem-ber the moment I was seduced by God, the moment I felt the closeness of his presence and love in my' life, and with my whole being,, responded '~yes" to his invitation of loveTIt was a total "yes," one that would plunge me .deeply into ~n intimate sharing in the mystery of the death and resurrection of Jesus, pone that would demand a constantly renewed surrender Of my whole self to his hidden designs upon my life. T0,seduce and to be seduced implies a love so deep and,~so strong that it enables lovers,to move beyond the externals of looks and ways, to touch one another's hearts. In thecase of God and,myself, a human creature, I have been ocaugh~up in the' infinite love of a God for me, and.,of my total love for my God. For some mysterious reason beyond my .limited compre-hension, God has fallen in love with me; I, in turn, have responded to his love. Our love for one another is not passing or temporary. Nor is it a senti-mental love. Rather, it is a love that has been sealed in the total consecrar tion of my entire being to him. It is a love that has changed radically the ¢ '-'For a more complete and di~tailed reflection on the love-relationship aspect of the vows, see Ladislas M. Orsy, Open to the Spikit (Washington. DC: Corpus Publica-tions, 1968), pp. 71-163. 356 / Review for Religious, Volume 36, 1977/3 course of my life, a love so powerful that I, a human creature, have allowed myself to be seduced by a God who is Spirit. "You have overpowered me: you were the stronger." At the moment of my "yes" to God, I experienced the overwhelming reality rOf his love_for me. Caught up in the experience of such a love, I could respond only with love, accepting to follow him wherever he would lead me. In my enthusiasm, perhaps it seemed to me then that just about anything was possible:. For, in my weakness, he would be my strength. In moments of darkness, he would light 'the way. In the experience of my powerlessness, l~e,would sus-tain me with his~power. Iri moments of ,aloneness, he would be .present in the silent depths of my heart. Confident of his love for me, and relying on his strength and power, I could say "yes" to a way of life that seemed some-what out of the-ordinary. Many years, perhaps; have passed.since the d~y of my love-filled "yes" to my Lord. Since that day, I have tasted the joys of my yes, as wel! as its sorrows and disappointments. I have also felt the weight of the cross, as well as the new and deeper life that has emerged from its pain. At times, also, I have perhaps doubted my Lord, for he seemed absent when I needed him most. And my flame of faith and love seemed on the verge of being extinguished. Through the persons who have entered my life, as well as through the various situations and events that have constituted my sacred journey with my Lord, my love has been tried and tested.In his love for me, my God~ has attempted to deepen and mellow my Iove~ for him. Each day, he continues to .purify my love, to shape and mold me, making me ever more precious in his. sight. Have I let myself surrender to his mysteri-ous ways of love in my life? As I reflect upon my love-relationship with my Lord, I need to realiz6 that as a human person, I am flesh and blood, limited by time and space as well as by my very nature. I can live out this love relationship only in a way that is possible for me, given who I am as a person, and~the concrete situation in which my Lord h~is placed me. He has probed me and has known me even before I.was knit in my mother's womb (see Ps 139). He knows better than I do what are my limits and abilities.,His love demands no more than what is possible for the human person I am. He is well aware that I cannot deny my human nature or my human needs. I can only tran-scend my needs in and through the experience.of his love for me and of mine for him. I also need to keep in mind that my love relationship with God, sealed on the day of .my religious consecration, deepens and,mellows over a life-time; as does the love of a married couple. I need to respect the present level of my relationship with him; while remain, ing open each day to concrete possibilities for deepening that love. Within the context of this love relationship between my Lord and me, it becomes possible to reflect on the lived meaning of our vows. For, if we consider vowed living only on the human level, we risk becoming enmeshed Relqections. on Vowed Living / 357 in such thinking as "My human needs are repressed." Or, "Human fulfill-ment is impossible." Or again~ "This way: of life doesn't make sense?' No, it doesn't make any sense at all, if we limit our vowed living to the nar-rowness of human logic and understanding. For God's ways are not ours, and what seems wise in the eyes of men is foolishness to God. Consequently, I need to take the leap of faith into the horizon of my love relationship with my Lord in order to grasp something of the spiritual meaning of vowed living. Consecrated Celibacy:' During a recent hospitalization, I was, to some extent, an "object of curiosity" for my roommate. She questioned me at length about my~life-style and work. But what puzzled her most was my celibate commitment: She .seemed unable to grasp why any+ne would want to make stich a com-mitment. "Whatever made you do it? .How can you live that way?" she often asked; For her, a celibate way of, life seemed .almost unthinkable. And yet, before she left the hospital, she very spontaneously admitted that she had grown to feel comfortable with me, remarking that I was "OK." The attitude of my new-found friend regarding celibacy reflects the thinking of a culture which extols sexual pleasure andgratification. We need only.listen to TV commercials, look at paperback racks in the local book-stores, or glance through the newspaper movie listings to become aware of the sexual orientation of our culture, Or, we need only listdn to teenagers speak of sexuality to realize that sexual morality has changed drastically in recent years. Within this cultural context, celibacy is frowned upon and looked down upon as an impossible and repressive way of life because for many, sexual pleasure and gratification have, to some extent, taken on an absolute character. Sexuality and sexual pleasure in themselves are sacred values, willed .by God from the time of creation. Simply.sacrificing these values in. and for itself for no deeper value, does indeed lead to a repressive way of life. How-ever, viewed within the context of one's personal love-relationship with God, celibate living'takes on deeper meaning and dynamism. As my Lord becomes central in my life, he becomes the hidden trea-sure and the pearl of great price for whom I am willing to give. my whole life, all that I 'am and all that I have. As Paul tells us: aln The Vowed Li/e, va~ Kaam maintains that the attitudes of celibacy, poverty and obedience comprise the fundamental threefoldO path of human and spiritual unfolding. He sees these human attitudes already foreshadowed in the highest forms of animal life. All human persons, regardless of their life form, are called to live out these attitudes according to the specific demands of their concrete life situation. Vowed relig!ous, he says, are called to be living witnesses for the threefold path of self-unfolding. They profess to find the beginning and end of this threefold presence in Gdd. See Adrian van Kaam~ The Vowed Life (Denville, NJ: Dimension Books, 1968), pp: 11-74. 35'8 / Review Jor Religious, Volume 36, 1977/3 Those things I used to consider gain, I "liave now reappraised as loss in the light: of the surpassing knpwledge of my Lord Jesus Christ. For his sake, I have forfeited everything; I have accounted all els~ rubbish so that Christ may be'my wealth and 1 may bein him" (Ph 3:7-9). To us, who ifi recent years; have placed much emphasis on human develop-ment and on the person, these words sound strong and absolute, demand-ing and without compromise. They may even turn us off. Yet, the challenge of the gospel, of Christianiiy, of vowed living is that over a lifetime, Christ become so central in my life, so real for me, that my human life and human values take their rightful place in light of him. Thus, the human value of the pleasure of a needy self-centered love is transcended by my total love for my Lord. He becomes the.companion of.,.my life, him in whom I live and 'move and have my being. In the exp.erience of his love, I grow in love for the human person that I am, a person with human potential and short-comings; a person entrusted with talents that I am called to own as mine and use for his love; a per~son graced with the loving presence of Father, Son and Sl~irit through the'.:gift ef baptism; a person so much in love with my Lord, that I too can willingly boast of my weaknesses, for I know and believe that his power is living and active within me (see 2 Co 12:9). Within the experience 9f God's personal love for me, I grow in self-love and self-acceptance. At the same time, I grow in respect and accept-ance of other~, the sisters I live with, the. persons I work with, those who enter into my life each day-s-loving them as they are, and allowing them to be who they are, different from me. Gradually, over a life-time, his love for me and mine for him free.;me, to some extent, from the subtle manipula-tion of using 'others for my"self-interests, or of trying to make others into my own image, and likeness. My love relationship with my Lord opens me gradually to the beauty of the other lying beneath the surface of appear-ances and behavior. In his love, I learn to transcend my own needs,"and begin to let go of my narrow labeling tendencies so as to allow the other to unfold as the unique person he or she is. Thus my celibate love fosters life within myself as well as within others. My love relationship with Christ makes me aware of his love .for others also. I do not seek to cling in a needy way to others, for ultimately, they, too, belong to God. Rather, rooted in his loxie, my love for others calls forth what is best in them. Celibate love cannot beqived in a vacuum. The deep and real sacrifice of the human love of marr!age and of a family must not turn me in on myself in a sterile, self-centered way. Rather, my capacity for love and inti-macy must gradually blossom forth in a deepening of my love for God, in the warmth and intimacy of human friendship, in the tenderness,of a love that moves outward to those with whom I live, and reaches out daily to those persons the Eoi-d allows to enter into my life, my co-workers, my stu-dents, patients or clients. R~ither than repress my human capacity for love, then, celibate love, vowed fc~r the sake of the deeper love of my Lord, frees Reflections on Vowed Living / 359 me .to spread his love warmly, tenderly, and generously, simply by being who I am and living what I am--a celibate lover/ ~ Furthermore, because I am human flesh and blood with needs, desires and passions, I may experience, at various periods in my life, and'with varying intensity, the overwhelming need for sensual satisfaction and gratifi- ¯ cation. At other times, I may experience the deep suffering of human alone-ness and of loneliness. To deny or repress any of these feelings leads only to deeper pain and suffering. Rather, I need to face my feelings, own them as .mine, and 'realize that they too are part of my being human. During .these, painful mon~ents, a living faith in my Lord's love for me, often concretized' in the love and concern of a supportive community or of a friend, may be the only means of transcending my suffering. Each encounter with my hu-~ man poverty and vulnerability becomes a renewed opportunity for strength-ening my love for my Lord as well as for other persons he places on my path to comfort and support ~me. Gradually, over a life-time, I learn to turn to him, relying on his strength and his power, aware that "when I am powerless it is then that I am strong" (2 Co 12: 10). Poverty.~ A sister friend of mine~recently graduated from college. Shortly before graduation, as she and her classmates were busily writing r6sum6s and look-ing into various job opportunities, she was approached by Rome of her friends. "What happens to your salary? Do you get.to keep the money you make?" ~ They - seemed somewhat puzzled as Sister explained to them that she turned her salary in to the community. "You mean ,you can't keep what you earn?" they replied with a kind of disbelief. Their attitude is characteris-tic of another trend within our culture. For many Americans, material wealth and possessions h~ve become important status symbols. We need only listen to various individuals speak of wanting a higher salary, of moving into a larger, more impressive home, or of buying a more expensive car, to realize that personal identity and prestige are often dependent upon one's income bracket. Everyone, rich and poor alike, is engaged in the struggle for survival, for more money and more possessions~ Part of the American dream consists in the belief that if.'one, earns enough money and. eventually works his way to the top, he will be blessed with perfect h.apptness. For many contempor~try Ameri-cans, acquiring wealth and~ possessions has become an ultimate value. 4Hinnebusch describes love as f611ows: "To Io~,e is to go out of myself as the center of interest, and to make'.the loved one the focus of attention." Paul Hinnebusch, Corn- " munity in the Lord (Notre Dame, IN: Ave Maria Press, 1975), p. 23.~This is the kind of self-giving attitude fostered by g~nuine celibate love. ¯ ~For a more extensive development of poverty as total dependences on God, see Johannes B. Metz, Poverty o[ Spirit, trans. John Drury (Paramtis, NJ: Paulist Press, 1968). 360 / Review for Religious, Volume 36, 1977/3 Within this competitive materialistic culture, men and women religious vow to live poverty--not for its own sake, for poverty in and for itself is not a value to be encouraged. Rather, religious poverty becomes meaning-ful only in and through one's personal love relationship with the Lord. As I grow in the ispiritual attitude of vowed poverty, I become increasingly aware that God's love for me is so deep and so complete that he emptied himself totally'~of his equality with God, and took the form of a slave, be-coming one ofous, subjecting himself to the limitations of the human, condi-tion (see Ph 2:5-11). Once again, I find myself caught up in the mystery of my Lord's love, a love that has seduced and captured me. Only if I am truly in love with my God, rich in him, can I, in turn, gradually empty my-self of myself ~nd of material possessions. As my love relationship with him becomes central in my life, the human value of possession becomes subordi-nated to this: love, and takes its rightful place in my life. In the strength of his love, I am able .to let go, gradually, of my possessive attitude, no longer al-lowing myself to cling possessively to things such as clothing, money, food, the latest fad, machines, the community car, my own ideas, opinions, views, and.more. I recognize the need for possessions: for money, clothing, food, machines, as my friend recognized the need to earn a salary. Likewise, I recognize the need to have certain ideas, views, and opinions. But because I care so much for God, I care also for this world--for our world. Our love for one another frees me to use.things respectfully rather than possessively, with the detached attitude that allows things to be as they are, rather than with the grasping, and clinging attitude of hoarding, or of the' stubborn attitude that "my way is the right one.'''~ As my love for my Lord grows, I gradually learn to see myself in my rightful place as a.limited human creature. Through the eyes of a living~ faith, I begin to realize that my views, my opinions, my ways of doing things may be good and right for me, but remain relative for other members of the community as well as for those with whom I work. As iI become rich in the one thing necessary, the love of my Lord, the self-emptying of poverty helps me to transcend my need to totalize and absolutize. In light of my Lord's living and active presence in the cultural-historical situation of the world, I ~radually begin to distance myself from my views, values and ma-terial possessions. They are important to me at this time in my life, but they also are relative, even for myself. For if I remain flexibly open to the un, folding of my life situation, the values, principles and opinions that seem absolute for me today may be less important to me in a few years. For ex-ample, perhaps a few years ago, I was on the "band wagon~' for total, open-ness in community. At the time, openness seemed to be ~an ultimate value for community living, With time and experience, I may have come to see that openness is indeed important, but every member of the community is '~van Kaam, The Vowed Li]e, pp. 176-186. Reflections on Vowed Living / 361 not capable of the same level of openness. Consequently, the value of open-ness which at one time seemed ultimate for me, has become modified by the emergence-for-me of the deeper value of respect for the other. Through a continual self-emptying attitude, I gradually learn to let go of my opinions and views in order to become more open to the Spirit of my Lord as he expresses himself through the differing values and opinions of others, as well as through the unfolding of history. My love for my Lord enables me to learn to flow with life, expecting little, and accepting whatever comes, as it comes, rather than rigidly and possessively trying to control my" life. For, in love, I gradually come to realize that ultimately, I do not control my life; it i.s in the hands of a Father-God who loves me dearly and cares for me tenderly. Furthermore, the self-emptying of poverty viewed within the context of love, may prompt me to give myself' away through giving my time, through allowing persons and their needs'to take priority over things. In an individualistic culture .in which my life is often run by a time-clock, per-haps I have lost the art of sharing my time with others, of giving my time away for the sake of others. In silent reflection before my Lord, I gradu-ally discover how much of my time I can realistically give away, for the demands of my own life make it impossible for me to be totally available to others. While the self-emptying of poverty may at times demand that I give myself selflessly to others, this same self-emptying may at other times .require that I refuse a request, because of my personal obligations or simply because I need the time to restore myself both physically and mentally. The essence of the spirit of poverty is. that~I grow gradually into the lived realization that my life is in the hands of my Lord. In love, he .has created me. In love, he continues each day to sustain me. My love for him in turn, prompts me to empty myself of myself and slowly to detach myself from material possessions in order to create the inner space in which I may become ever more sensitive and responsive to the whispers of. his love in my daily life. The pain of self-denial and of daily dying to my self-centeredness is very real, and at times, may be overwhelming. At such moments, I need to remind myself that my Lord'~ love for me led him to the cross, the ulti-mate experience of detachment .and of self-emptying:Just as his love for his Father and for me enabled him to transcend his natural repugnance for suf-fering,? so too, my love forhim strengthens me to follow my Lord along the way of the cross, that through the pain of self-emptying, I may be glorified by an ever deeper share in his life (see Ph 2:5-11 ). Obedience A further reflection on our contemporary culture leads us to realize that the value of power, also, is highly esteemed. All of us, at some time or another, fantasize having some kind of power. Perhaps during my school years, I dreamed of being class president or president of the student council. 362 / Review ]or Religious, Volume 36, 1977/3 Or perhaps during my early years in religious life, 1 dreamed of one day being house assistant or local superior. Or;again, since ~those structures of-ten no .longer exist, perhaps my dreams are now directed toward being school principal, or head nurse, ot an influential member of tt]e parish team. What-ever my fantasy or my dream, chances are that some aspect of it is related to my drive for power. ,. Often implicit in this climb to the top of the social ladder is having power,over other human ~.persons, as well ashaving the power to make im-portant decisions. In fact, our world civilization seems to be based on a power struggle between the free world and communism. ., This power stru(:ture has .implications for ~the life of every human per-son: we often feel overpowered by technology, by the intricacies of big government and big business, by large ,agencies :that seem to control some facet of our lives, and before which we feel helpless. In turn, each of us to some degree seeks to react against, these overwhelming powers by asserting our own power within.:our small domain, be it in our limited ability to say "yes" or ,no" to issues pertaining to our personal life and work. Power in itself is to be valued, for without some degree of power, I ab-dicate the gift of my :human freedom, as well as human responsibility. How- ~everi power becomes detrimental when other human persons become ob-jects of my . personal project and desires. Then my power infringes upon their human freedom, and can become a destructive force. When this hap-pens, power, becofiaes an ultimate value for me, one by which I hope to gain some prestige and security, thereby repressing my own inner insecurity. '~ Religious men and women who vow obedience within our power-oriented world are reminders that human power, like the values of pleasure and possession, is not an ultimate value; that in light of my personal love relationship with my Lord, power is relative. For to be seduced by God means that ! allow him to have power over me. It implies that I grow in my ability to become attentive to his will, and become increasingly sensitive to his demands and desires. Our' love relationship assures me of his con-stant care and concern for me, In the security of his love, I discover the space to grow in the awareness that what he asks of me through the 'persons, events and situationg that enter into my life each day, is the concretization of his will for me at this time in my life,r Just as he speaks to me through~these realities that exist outsid ,myself, so too, he speaks through the reality that I myself am. His presence can be discovered in and through my possibilities and my limits, my desires and ¯ ambitions, my physical and emotional strengths and weaknesses. All that ¯ I am is my Lord's gift to me, a gift through which he speaks his word. Paul tells us that our deepest self is hidden in Christ, Part of our 10ve-re- ':For a further development of obedience as listening, refer to van Kaam, The VoCved LiIe; pp.'q57-169. '- Reflections on Vowed l,iving / 363 lationship then, demands that I be true to that deephst self, created in the image and likeness of .my Lord himself. To obey my deepest self, to submit myself to other persons, to events and situations demands a love so strong, that I am willing to empty myself of my desire, for total power over my own life, to accept in loving faith, that my Lord does indeed reveal himself through other creatures. In such a love, I can'.gradually loosen my grip on my own life, and slowly begin to listen more openly to persons, events, situations, both within my community and within the culture, as messengers of his divine will for me. In this loving openness, I am gradually freed from a slavish attachment to my feelings, my views, my opinions, my ideas, because I allow myself to be enriched by those of others. Recognizing the presence of my Lord in and through persons and events outside myself is difficult and challenging. For unconsciously, I tend to be-lieve that I know what is best for me. I tend to believe that what 1 know to be best for me is the concrete expression of the Lord's will in my life. How can otherpersons, each limited as I am, reveal to me anything of God's will? Such thoughts gradually close me in on my own thinking, my own ideas and opinions, somewhat like a snail closed-in in its shell. Uncon-sciously, I make myself like God, giving myself ultimate power over my life. Only in love can I gradually transcend my self-centered God-like atti-tude, and slowly begin to recognize my Lord's will for me as expressed in and through all of creation persons, events, situations.and things. In love, I discover the strehgth to die daily to my own will, in order to allbw my Lord's will to live and to be express~ed in and th.rough the limited human person that I am. Thus, every person who enters into my life, as well as everything that happens in my life becomes an integral part of my~ personal sacred history with my Lord. Conclusion ¯ A~' I reflect upon vowed living within the context of my personal love relationship with God, I can begin to see my vows as gifts which invite me to a continual deepening of this love relationship. For no longer is God a distant Spirit imposing upon me the obligations of the vows; rather, He be-comes Someone for me, someone real and personal inviting me to an ever ,deeper intimacy with °him through the sacred bond of my vows. As this intimacY deepens, I grow in the awareness of my need for him. I cannot live my vows on my own strength; I need to rely on his power. Paul tells us that "We possess this treasure in earthen vessels, to make it clear that its surpassing power comes from God and not from us" (2 Co 4:7). In hu-man terms, my vowed life makes no sensi~; it is foolishness in the eyes of men. Moreover, on the human levd alone, ].am unable to live such a way of life. It is delicate, fragile and vulnerable; ever exposed to the opposition of my own human nature and of controversial forces in our world. 364 / Review ]or Religious, I/olume 36, 1977/3 Living my vows becomes possible only through the centrality of my per: sonal love relationship with my Lord. In that love, I am graced with the strengtl~ and power, to re~spond to his constant invitation to enter into the self-emptying process. Our Lord is a jealous God who wants to possess me totally. He promises in return, to fill my emptiness with his loving presence. Each call to self-emptying is an invitation to die to some aspect of my old ~self; my needy self, constantly in search of the security of human power, pleasure and possession. However, this death is but a means of leading me to a life of deeper intimacy with him. It is a death c.alling me constantly to the new and deeper freedom of love. Each day of my life, he seduces me, calling me t6 a.morb personal" rela-tionship with him. Each day of my life, I must allow myself to be seduced-- to give him love for love, relying on his strength and his power. This call is a daily challenge, the challenge of living my "yes" to him. Am I willing to follow him all the way; ever open to i:laily situations as so many con-crete opportunities .for deepening my love through consecrated celibate .love, through self-emptying poverty and through freeing obedience? Now Available As A Reprint, ¯ Prayer of Personal Reminiscence: Sharing One's Memories with Christ by David J. Hassel, S.J. Address: Price: $.60 per copy, plus postage. Review for Religious 612 Humboldt Building 539 North Grand St. Louis, Missouri 63103 Toward Further Self-Definition William F, Hogan, C.S~C. Father Hogan is an Assistant General and General Procurator of his congregation'. His last article in these pages, "Communily Reconsidered," appeared in the September; 1976 issue. He resides Via Framura, 85; 00168 Roma, Italy. In' Per]ectae Caritatis the Fathers of Vatican II told us that it serves the best interests of the (~hur~h for religious institutes to have their own special character.and purpose. Thus, the spirit of founders and all the particular goals and traditions that constitute the patrimony of each religious institute should be recognized and safeguarded (See 'PC 2,,b). This statement oc-casioned a flurry of activity in some religious communities to start research-ing their traditions to ,.confirm again the self-definition of each community, and to stir up interest in the spirit of their founders. In many instances this activity has bo~ne fruit in that the religious have been put more'clearly in touch with their particular roots and have slowly effected,some changes of direction in their life and apostolic stance. In other institutes, the spurt of renewed interest subsided almost as fast as it. began, especially in those congregations in which nothing particularly unique seemed to stand out. The call to discover the uniqueness of one's heritage is being reasserte~i in the proposed new text of the law for instittitesof the consecrated,life; for those who have framed the proposed text have taken very seriously the mandate of Vatican II about' preserving,the patrimony of each religious in-stitute. Instead of drawing up legislation to cove'r all the points on religious life in a uniform way, as th( present law in. good part does, they are pro-posing general principles of Jaw within which each institute is to draw up its particular norms in accordance with its own traditions. By taking such a direction, the new law, if it be approved,, will be inviting and requiring of religious greater efforts at community self-understanding and self-definition. In order to meet this demand, it will be necessary for members of religious 365 366 / Review ]or Religious, Volume 36, 1977/3 institutes, and in particular members of general chapters, to develop a re-fined awareness of the founder's charism, the continuing charisms of the congregation as expressed into traditions and in its spiritual and apostolic heritage, a clear sense of where the institute has been in the past, where it is in the present and where the legacy of the founder and the traditions of the community are pointing for the future. That there is still a widespread need for further self-understanding and self-definition is becoming apparent from the various interim constitutions and position papers of religious institutes. Prior to the decree on renewal of religious life (Ecclesiae sanctae, August 6, 1966) and the directive to revise constitutions, the legislation of religious institutes had a remarkable sameness because constitutions had to conform to the ~Norms of 1901 and the subsequent rules of the Sacred Congregation, promulgated in 1921, which, had to be followed in seeking approbation for the texts of new constitutions. Today a new similarity is emerging, although it bears little resemblance to the primarily legal approach of the pre-sixties. The present-day "sameness of texts" appears to be rooted~in the fact that religious in-stitutes have followed the" lead of the council and gone back to the gospel roots of religious !ife, t0_us considering it as flowing out of the baptismal commitment. As -a result of this important emphasis on religious life in the context of the gospei and of bap~tism, underscoring, as it does, the.thorough-ly Christian nature of religious life, frequently the same scriptural and conciliar texts are cited. And in the process of situating the religious insti-tute in its proper ecclesial and Christian context,.little, or at least, insufficient stress,,~.is placed 6n those particular ways in which the founder wished to emphasize the gospel message and on those facets of. the Christ-life revealed through the Spirit's activity in his or her life and mission. Generally speak-ing, all religious have~'been very conscious of the need to express religious life in terms of a broad ecclesial vision and to avoid any instances of the exaggerated c~ngregationai emphasis~that may have closed them in on them-selves in the past. But in meeting, this issue, they may be.losing sight of that part of their contribution to the life of the Church which consists in positively developing their particular heritage. There is ~no reason why there cannot be harmony and balance between .the ecclesial and the peculiarly congregational elements, and thus a clearer understanding of the role of a particular .religious institute in the Church. For some religious institutes it may be rather difficult to grasp the unique-ness of their heritage, especially if they have been founded since the 1800's, when many congregations came to birth under the ~inspiration of. the Spirit ¯ to meet particular needs in some specific geographic area, and have pat-terned themselves on-other, already existi.ng congregations. But even in such instances, there.may well exist a uniqueness of insight and emphasis fr6m the founder, the early members and the riches that have accumulated~from the various religious over the years--spiritual, intellectual, apostolic riches that Toward Further Sel[-Definition / 367 constitute the legacy, of the congregation. It is these factors that will have to be borne in mind in delineating the norms of law for the congregation' today, and that will yiel'd the necessary self-understanding of the religious institute. Religiou,s today often have recalled in liturgies or at congregational gatherings concerned with community and plurality the celebrated text from the_ first epistle to the Corinthians: There are different gifts but the same Spirit: there are different °ministries but the same Lord; there are different works but the same God who accomplishes all of them in everyone. To each person the manifestation of the Spirit is given , ~ for the common good . . . (I Co 12:4ff,). And similarly from Ephesians: ~And his gifts were that some should be apogtles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers in roles of service for the faithful to build up, the body of Christ. till we become one in faith and in the knowl-edge of God's Son, and form that perfect man who is Christ come to lull stature (Ep 4:11-13). The't~exts in themselves obviously speak of individual gifts of the Spirit to the Church; but in the modern context they can well'remind us of the diversity of gifts and charisms within the categories of the traditional gifts in the Church. If religious life itself is a gift of the Spirit to the Church, as the Church teaches, then even more precisely is the religious life of a particular institute a special gift of the Spirit to the Church for the building up of the Church. And the religious of the institute should seek to fathom the gift in all its particular aspects. The° gifts of diverse religious institutes to the Church reflect the many-faceted splendor of the Father's love for his peo-ple. Our response to that love should reflect the facets of that love as these are particularized in our institutes and their heritage.- To continue to reflect on and search out the heritage'of a religious in-stitute demands the continued expenditure of psychological energy. Yet many religious are tired of devoting their energies~this way, especially in view of the crying needs of mankind ~hom they are called to serve. The self-definition and self-understanding being requested of them may no longer be seen as a value worth pursuing. It cannot be denied that there are many demands on religious today, and they must~become ~selective in which de-mands they will meet. But in developihg personal and ~ollective criteria for responding to demands, religious must not forget.that the time and effort spent in self-understanding and self-definition is~ultimatelyfor the sake of greater and more meaningful service to others and for the building up of the life of the Church. The deeper the unde.rstand!ng of the call of the Spirit .,to the founder and those who have come after him, the deeper and more intense could be the response. And the growth in appreciation of the gift Of the Spirit that is a particular religious institute contributes to growth in wonder and appreciation of the gift that is Church. 368 / Review Jor Religious, Volume "36, 1977/3 . If the proposed direction of the new law for institutes of the conse-crated life is adopted in the Church, religious could be the richer spiritually for what it will necessitate in terms of further self-definition. But if the easier, more .comfortable path is followed of just latching on to that which is familiar, without serious examination of roots and traditibns, then the opportunity for seizing onto the uniqueness of God's gift of the particular institute will be lost. Every religious group was called into being because of a unique need in 'the Church. The continuance and growth of'institutes is suppo~sed to be .in terms of their umque contributions to the life of the Church and the world. This uniqueness is born of the special love of God for the founder and those who have succeeded the founder with the passage of time, all unique persons, who, in sharing life and ministry together, should be creating a unique response to God, the Church and the world. We need to know exactly where our insl, itutes are "new" in terms of this uniqueness, how we have arrived at this point through our traditions and history, and the best steps to promote ot~r response within a thoroughly Christian and ec-clesial religious life for the future. The Church's renewed call to the dis-covery of uniqueness deserves a serious answer if we value the gifts of God that are our institutes. ~ The Pregnancy The cloistered life within her sends the fire that burns her cheek-- Nature's proud assertion; Life's excited'glow; The insuppressible, open declaration Of yesterday's.creation and tomorrow's warm embrace. A compliant constitution accommodates her child--~ Time's prodigy care~ering toward release From cell to self so he may show his face And state in gurgled language instinctive gratitude. Never more important or more vital to another; ~ Linked by blood and substance in protracted intimacy O~f singular and enviable duration-- A high point in the human testament of love. A legacy for embattled man to learn from-- Acceptance, peace, surrender of one's self, Belief'in time hnd patience that reveals The unfathomable restoration of life's fragments in a soul. Donald DeMarco St. Jerome's College Waterloo, Ontario N2L _3G3 Canada Chapter Delegate" Qualities and R esponsi bi I iti es Robert Morneau Father Morneau is an Instructor of Philosophy at Silver Lake College; Manitowoc, WI 54220~ The significance of general chapters of religious communities cannot be overstressed. The responsibility of providing and sustaining a vision, the challenge to be true to the gospel while preserving the uniqueness of the community's special charism, the mandate to read the signs of the times and yet have a universal sensitivity, all demand diligent work and competent deliberators. This article is an attempt to describe some of the qualifies in-herently crucial to the fulfillment of the above challenges and to specify areas of responsibility following upon election as a delegate to a general chapter. Essentially what is being offered is a job description, a delineation ot~ the functions of a trusted steward, The thesis of this article is that a chapter delegate is called to be a dialogical person, a prophetic person, and a wounded healer.' / Delegate: A Dialogical Person God our Father is a God of revelation. In the precious mystery of his grace, he has chosen to reveal himself and his gracious love to mankind. Throughout history God .has communicated with his people, calling all crea-tion to life and fidelity. As a diaiogical God, he longs to speak his love and forgiveness; he searches out those who will listen and respond to his word. ~The image of wounded healer is taken from Henri J. M. Nouwen's book by the same title. 369 370 / Review ]or Religious, Volume 36, 1977/3 God has spoken and told us where he is and who he is. We are called to imitate our Father: "Try, then, to imitate God, as children of his that he loves. " (Ep 5: ! ); we do this from one perspective by becoming dialogi-cal persons. Our model is the Father who shares himself with us in word and sacrament. The qualities of a dialogicai person are many; we will limit our con-sideration to three essential attitudes that must be present if authentic com-munication is to happen. The first and perhaps most difficult quality of a dialogical person is listening. Monologues are terribly common in life; empty, one-sided discourses in which no one is listening and probably no one is thinking. Dialogue demands attentive listening, feeling behind the words into the reality being expressed. This type of listening is concerned not with simple, audible comprehension but with a compassionate desire to enter into the world of the speaker to see what has been seen, to hear what has been given. An example of this sensitive listening can be found in Tolstoy's classic War and Peace: He told of these adventures as he had never yet recalled them. He now, as it were, saw a new meaning in all he had gone through. Now that he was tell-ing it all to Natasha he experienced that pleasure which a man has when women listen to him--not clever women who when listening either try to remember what they hear to enrich their minds and when opportunity offers to retell it, or who wish to adopt it to some thought of their own and promptly contribute their own clever comments prepared in their own little mental workshop--but the pleasure given by real women gifted with a capacity to select and absorb the very best a man shows of himself. Natasha without knowing it was all attention: she did not lose a word, not a single quiver in Pierre's voice, no look, no twitch of a muscle in his face, nor a single gesture. ~ She caught the unfinished word in its flight and took it straight into her open heart, divining the secret meaning of all Pierre's mental travail.'-' If a delegate is to truly listen, there must be some degree of interior silence.Turning off the inner engines is difficult and demands discipline, yet so necessary if the message is to be understood and the feelings are to o be appreciated. C. S. Lewis expressed well our dilemma: "Inner silence is for our race a difficult achievement.":' To obtain this silence we must deal with our own fears, insecurities and prejudices. These tendencies block lis-tening, put us into the land of defensiveness and create a sense of being threatened. Secure in our forts, with drawbridge raised and the moat filled with crocodiles, we protect ourselves from new ideas, visions and possibili-ties. Again C. S. Lewis drives home the point: "He could never empty, or silence, his own mind to make room for an alien thought.''~ A chapter dele- "Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace, tr. by Louise and Aylmer Maude. (New York, 1942), p. 1241. By permission of the Oxford University Press. :'C. S. Lewis, Perelandra (New York, 1944), p. 140. 4C. S. Lewis, Surprised by Joy (New York, 1955), p. 184. Chapter Delegate: Qualities and Responsibilities / 371 gate must listen and discern. Electing a nondialogical person to a chapter is like inviting a deaf person to a concert or taking someone who is blind to an art museum. Neither experience nor growth is possible if essential capaci-ties are lacking~ Listening is essential to dialogue. A second quality of a dialogical person is trust. In an essay written in 1952, Martin Buber stated: "But here is an essential presupposition for all this dialogue: it is necessary to overcome the massive distrust in others and also that in ourselves.''~ If Buber's observation is correct, and there seems to be sufficient evidence to,verify his reflection, we have a lot of growing to do. We must reestablish trust in others and in ourselves. H~opefully, we will gr~aund our trust on the theological fact that God has faith and trust in us. He has given us freedom and intelligence, blessed us with insight and grace. We are his stewards entrusted to do his work in our times. Sensing this, a delegate must come to a radical trust in his own personal insight and conviction. This trust must then be extended to others who are also on the journey searching for truth and goodness. Nothing breaks down communica-tion so quickly as distrust; it hardly pays to initiate a discussion unless there is a solid degree of self-confidence and a climate of confidence in others. Buber, quoting Robert Hutchins, writes: "The essence of the Civiliza-tion of the Dialogue is communication. This presupposes mutual respect and understanding, it does not presuppose agreement.'"; Our trust in self and others must be supplemented with respect and the ability to understand. It would be profitable for delegates to spend some time critically reading Emerson's essay "Self-Reliance" and Howe's The Miracle o[ Dialogue. Desire ]or truth is a third quality of the dialogical person. A longing for insight and perspective characterizes the mind and heart of a truth-seeker. Like an ink blotter, this type of person quickly and completely absorbs truth wherever it presents 'itself. Desire for truth means being in contact with facts (hard data). There is no excuse for ignorance; the homework must be done. Besides researching and interpreting facts, truth demands contact with basic principles, those patterns of meanings which explain and eluci-date reality. Experience and reflection are prerequisites here. Besides dealing with facts and principles, desire for truth calls for the basic disposition mani-festing a willingness to change and grow. Regardless of who speaks a "pagan" philosopher, a formed provincial, a member in one's local commur nity, a poet--the searcher for truth listens and evaluates. So often God is speaking through these and other historical channels. If the search is honest, change will be demanded; certain, pet ~:ategories will be dropped and new ones added (e.g., collegiality) ; treasured prejudices must be let go and open-ness of mind fostered; static, rigid formulations must be reexamined in the :'Martin Buber, "Hope for This Hour;" quoted in Maurice S. Friedman, ed., Pointing the Way (New York, 1974), p. 222. ~;ibid., p. 222. 372 / Review ]or Religious, Volume 36, 1977/3 light of new research and insight. The process is painful and not without its victims but this is the price of honest discipleship. If a chapter delegate is called to imitate God by being a dialogical per-son characterized by attentive listeniiag, deep trust and a desire for truth, several responsibilities automatically arise. (1) A chapter delegate must be available to the people he represents. The thinking, feeling and life-style of his ~onstituency must be familiar material to the delegate. The duty of being available is not without its price: time and energy, precious and limited commodities, must be sacrificed in fulfilling this obligation. (2) A chapter delegate must be able to make distinctions. Meriol Trevor, in her biography of Cardinal Newman, wrote concerning Ft. Faber: "He would never dis-tinguish between disapproval and dislike; he himself always spoke of hating people who disagreed with him and he could not believe others were differ-ent.'' r This type of person should not be allow~id to be in the arena of policy making. One must be able to know and experience the difference between understanding and agreeing, between a person and an issue, between an idea and its emotive force. Chapters in which such distinctions are consistently made result in community growth and peace. (3) A chapter delegate must be willing to speak during the chapter proceedings. Some eloquent (and not so eloquent) discourses on stairways and in other private areas would be more profitably shared with the. entire group. There 'is no excuse for devastating criticisms made outside the halls of the chapter room and silence reigning within. As a general principle no one should say outside of chapter what he is not willing to say to the whole group. A delegate is mandated to speak out, to take a stance, to express points of view. If this is done with respect and in the spirit of truth, there should be tittle to fear. Merton's insight is helpful: "Ignorance is the parent of fear.''~ Our talk should flow from our study and reflection on life. Delegate: A Prophetic Person Jesus was a prophet. The study of Scripture verifies this fact and. further points out that throughout the Old Testament the Father sent prophets on special missions. Jesus' mission was unique and yet contained the basic in-gredients of those who preceded him: to reveal who the Father was and also to provide the means whereby people might return to the Father. Like Christ, the chapter delegate is missioned. This "being sent" comes through the community and the task flowing from this mission resembles that of all the prophets. The booklet Spiritual Renewal o[ the American Priesthood describes the prophet in these terms: The prophet's function was to perceive the presence or absence of God in situations and to point out the consequences of that presence or absence. A 7Meriol Trevor, Newman: Light in Winter (New York, 1963), p. 86. ,'Sotlrce unknown. Chapter Delegate: Qualities and Responsibilities / 373 prophet had to know contemporary issues, but even more, he had to be sensi-tive to the mind and will of God.:' In the context of this prophetic role, certain traits clearly emerge that would characterize a chapter delegate. The first of these is sensitivity. This sensitivity must embrace the three sectors of time: the past with its treasures and cultural limitations, the present with its high ideals and ambiguous facts, the future with its plans and realistic hopes. It is possible and often happens in life that we eat but do not taste, read but do not comprehend, listen but do not hear. Historical insensitivity cannot be excused; we must be in touch with our roots and our traditions. Unless carefully nurtured, this sensitivity can be lost. Sensitivity demands that we perceive what is happen- .ing here and now; that we enter in or are caught up by the present moment. This is not just a cognitive apprehension, since it necessarily includes an affective involvement~ The future will be basically meaningless if we do not avoid the tragedy of lost sensitivity written of by Hopkins: Generations have trod, have trod, have trod; And all is seared with trade; bleared, smeared with toil; And wear man's smudge and shares man's smell; the soul ls bare now, nor can foot feel, being shod.~° It is time once again to take off our shoes/' to be sensitive to our world, to our people, to our deepest self. A sense of reverence, awe and wonder is much needed in our merry-go-round world. Prophets are, of necessity, courageous people. If Emerson is correct in saying that "God will not make himself manifest to cowards,''r-' then the V~rtue of fortitude takes on added importance in fostering the kingdom. Among the courageous people in history, St. Paul has been honored in a special way: ¯ . . But the big courage is the cold-blooded kind, the kind that never lets go even when you're feeling empty inside, and your blood's thin, and there's no kind of fun or profit to be had, and the trouble's not over in an hour or two but lasts for months and years. One of the men here was speaking about that kind, and he called it 'Fortitude.' I reckon fortitude's the biggest thing a man can have--just to go on enduring when there's no guts or heart left in you. Billy h~id' it when he trekked solitary from. Garungoze to the Limpogo with ~This booklet, edited by Gerard Broccolo and Ernest E. Larkin, O. Carm., was pub-lished in 1973 by the Publications Office of the United States Catholic Conference ( 1312 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W., WashingtoniDC 20005). ~'~Gerard Manley Hopkins, "God's Grandeur." ~V'Earth's crammed with heaven And every common bush afire with God; And only he who sees takes off his shoes-- The rest sit around it and pluck blackberries." Elizabeth Barrett Browning, "Aurora Leigh." I~Ra!ph Waldo Emerson, "The Over-Soul." 374 / Review lot Religious, ~'olume 36, 1977/3 fever and a broken arm just to show the Portugooses that he wouldn't be downed by them.,But the head man at the job was the Apostle Paul . 1:~ Courage helps us to deal,with two tendencies that permeate human existence: the tendency to fear the unknown and the drive to flee spontaneously from any object of danger. "Fright and flight"14 can block us from experiencing reality to its fullest. Courage enables us ~to stand firm and fight when the situation calls for this type of response; courage enables us to die to our-s~ lves for the sake of life. A delegate, knowing well what happens to most prophets in history, will have to face many dangers and crosses. At times his courage will manifest itself in patient endurance (the most difficult type of courage), while at other times he will be called upon to pounce on evil.1'~ Whatever is not compatible with the gospel must be courageously ques-tioned; whatever is antihuman or subhuman must be diligently removed. Living courage is a great boon to the entire community, not just to the in-dividual exercising that gift. A third trait of the prophetic person, exemplified so clearly in the life of Jesus, is that of vision. A delegate is called upon to have a perspective of what religious life is, to be able to situate in their context contemporary. issues, to sense the interrelationship among such things as prayer, asceticism and the apostolate. The blind cannot lead; only a person with vision can point the way. If a guide has not been to a given territory or if he loses the map which would get him there by carefully reading, he is no longer an asset to the group which relies on him. The delegate without vision con-tributes little in the attempt to provide meaning and direction for the com-munity. Two dangers have always plagued a healthy perspective: myopia and ignorance. The first danger allows one to see, but only to the end of one's nose--not a terribly helpful overview. Ignorance, th~ second danger, can only result in a valley experience even though the voice of the ignorant leader be forceful, and filled with an apparent self-confidence. A number of responsibilities become obligatory for the prophetic dele-gate. (1) A chapter delegate must be informed. Study and researizh will be as necessary and as natural as breathing for such a person. There is no excuse for not being aware of contemporary issues, the movements of our present culture, the meaning and influence of history. The presence or absence of information is relatively easy to detect. (2) If a person is to.be attuned to the mind and heart of God, prayer is necessary. Special emphasis should be placed on scriptural prayer since it is God's word which illuminates our understanding of contemporary issues. If the porters at the chapter doors should bar the uninformed, they should be twice as diligent in barring l:~John Buchan, Mr. Stead[ast; quoted in C. H. Dodd, The Meaning o[ Paul/or Today (London, 1920), p. 7. ~4Rev. Kevin O'Shea, "Enigma and Tenderness," Spiritual Li]e, Spring, 1975. ~sSee the. excellent Thomistic treatment of the virtue of fortitude in Josef Pieper, The Four Cardinal Virtues (Notre Dame, 1966), pp. 117-141. ,Chapter Delegate: Qualities and Responsibilities / 375 a person who does not pray faithfully. (3) A chapter delegate should be a person of decision. Newman in his Apologia Pro Vita Sua states: "Certitude is a reflex action; it is to,know that one knows.""; Study and prayer should lead us to this type of certitude which in turn enables us to make serious decisions, even though there will always be some element of risk if not doubt. Another facet in this process of decision making is the,willingness to assume responsibility for the decisions made. Indecisive and irresponsible persons should not be elected to chapters. The duties of being informed, prayerful and decisive are not acquired in a day not even a week. Yet the delegat~ should be growing in each of these areas if the community is to be served well. Delegate: A Wounded Healer Jesus promised that when he had returned to the Father he would send their Spirit. That promise has been realized in all who have come to believe in the Lord. This Spirit is leading all back to the Father through Christ; this Spirit is a Spirit of love, joy and peace. Through the Holy Spirit, heal-ing and reconciliation happens in our world today. A great vision of unity found in Pauline theology becomes a reality to the extent that people are living the life of the Spirit. Yet this vision of unity is premised on the tragic fact and acute awareness that fragmentation permeates creation. Man is divided within himself and separated from his fellow man, his God, and his world. We are a wounded pe~ople, scarred and battered by our own sins and the sins of others. "Everything God has made has a crack in it.'''r Our voca-tion is to make all one in Christ, to reconcile all creation to the Father. The gift of the Spirit dwelling in the Church and in our personal lives enables us to begin this glorious and painful task. The delegate as wounded healer is distinguishable by a sense of deep compassion. Graced with the ability to perceive things from the inside, the compassionate person has a knowledge of the heart and not just of external activity. The secret of the fox18 is undoubtedly correct: "And now here is my secret, a very simple secret. It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye." Compassion promotes our seeing what is truly significant;.it goes far beyond the inhuman limitations of our sensate culture. So often in Scripture, reference is made to the neces-sity of a new heart.':' God's word urges us to .grow in compassion and empathy. Insensitivity to the hurts and pains of others, even though these may be self-imposed, prevents the building of community. Compassion heals! Hopefully, every deli~gate has had the experience of being healed a6Early in his book Newmah writes, "In the first chapter of this narrative I spoke of certitude as the consequence, divinely intended and enjoined upon us, of the accumula-tive force of certain given reasons which, taken one by one, were only probabilities." lrRalph Waldo Emerson, "Compensation." lSAntoine de Saint Exupery, The Little Prince (New York, 1943). 1:'E.g., Jeremiah 31 : 31-34; Ezechiel 36:24-28. 376 / Review ]or Religious, Volume 36, 1977/3 through the heartfelt concern of others. Perhaps the task of the doctor applies to all of us: "sometimes to cure, often to alleviate, always to care.''z'' Compassion is care incarnated. The destructive force of nuclear warfare is so obvious that no on.e can deny its effects; less obvious but extremely powerful in the psychological realm is the prevalent killer called judgmentalism. A delegate must be a non~ judgmental person. This does not mean that one ceases making judgments, judgments which at times are sharp and painful. God has blessed us with reason and insight and we must ferret out the truth and the falsity of our lives and the life of the community. We cannot renege on our responsibility to find the truth and to speak it boldly. Judgmentalism, on the other hand, uses the faculty of reason but in an abusive way. Judgments are made, not on dis-cernible consequences, but on motives which cannot be verified. Evidence is wanting, yet persons are judged and insinuations are made. This type of iudgmentalism is characterized by intolerance (a demand that everyone live by my interpretation of religious life), a defensiveness and air of hostility, a lack of warmth and affability. A delegate, therefore, should have a delicate balance between tolerance of persons and intolerance of falsity; between respect for the individual and firmness in sticking to principles; between understanding the human condition and calling each other to growth. We come to realize that without the gift of the Spirit we cannot but fail in this stupendous task. Again we are helped in this area by realizing that we have been blessed in our personal histories with people who have refused to judge and condemn us, who have manifested an infinite patience in allowing us to grow through the stages of personal development. If we have been ~he object of judgmentalism, our experience should forever prevent us from venturing down that road of psychological and spiritual destructiveness. The word of God provides light for our pilgrimage. In the prophet Micah, we are challenged by the Father's woi~d: this is what Yahweh asks of you: only this, to act justly, to love tenderly and to walk humbly with your God.21 The call to justice, charity and faith is clear. Interestingly, spiritual love has the quality of tenderness, a-term which forcefully describes the manner in which we are to reach out to others in concern. It is possible to serve un-willingly, to meet needs because of duty, to heal out of necessity. This is neither sufficient nor healthy in an ultimate sense. God calls us to enter fully and generously into the lives of others. A tender love, a gentle con-cern, a warm respect characterize total love. Underlying this kind of love is the keen realization that human beings are terribly fragile. Indeed, "avalances gather force and crash, unheard, in men as in the mountains." "-'°America, May 1, 1976, p. 377. Paul Ramsey was quoted by the authors. '-'1Micah 6:8. Chapter Delegate: Qualities and Responsibilities / 377 People with whom we live can be breaking apart inside without our aware-ness; a tender word and radical love can heal so many lives that are on the edge.of despair. A chapter delegate would benefit from reading Fr. Kevin O'Shea, especially his article "Enigma and Tenderness.''~ The chapter delegate, a wounded healer, is challenged to fulfill certain responsibilities in this area. (1) He must ]ace the negative in self, others and the world. A recent Cartoon showed a street cleaner lifting up the edge of a sidewalk under which he swept the city's debris. No healing can take place unless we honestly and courageously face that which is destructive within life. Exploitation and manipulation are too common to be ignored; these must be searched out and dealt with in a reasonable way. (2) He should ]ace the positive in self, community and the world. Just as dangerous as the rug syndrome is the denial of or unwillingness to recognize the vast potential waiting to be actualized in creation. Leadership qualities lie fallow because of fear; intellectual skills remain untapped because of a lack of .challenge; talents stay on shelves for want of affective nutrients. "Our in-tellectual and active powers increase with our affection.'"-':' The truly great person has the vision to perceive the gifts of others~ the truly great person has disciplined productivity and shares his love and life with others. The delegate must perceive and promote the gifts and talents given by the Lord. (3) He should rejoice in life. Nothing heals so quickly as genuine humor and authentic play. Joy is one of the signs of the Spirit's presence. It flows from an awareness of God's personal love and the gift of his life. Consoling Conclusion It is eminently unfair.to demand of a single individual the. multiple qualifications listed in the foregoing pag.es. Who could possibly fulfill the following want-ad posted on the community .bulletin board? WANTED!!! 25 people who are: !) dialogicai persons --who have deep capacity to listen, trust, learn --who are available, discerning, vocal 2) prophetic persons who are --sensitive, courageous, visionary --informed, prayerful, decisive 3) wounded healers who are --compassionate, non-judgmental, tender --realistic, joyful ~20'Shea, op. cit. ~:~Ralph Waldo Emerson, "Friendship." 378 / Review ]or Religious, Volume 36, 1977/3 Although applications might be filled out, no one person could qualify in every area. The first spiritual Olympics are yet to be held. Consolation comes from the fact that chapters are not made up of only one individual. Rather, they a~:e community affairs and the principle of complementarity comes inio play. What one lacks, 6thers have. The above job description is not so much one for individuals as it is for a community. Because of the blessing of pluralism, many communities could easily qualify. Tragic is the election in a community that allows a strong predominance of a single personality type. Once again, it is diversity ttiat leads to life; a di-versity grounded in concern for the kingdom. Beginnings Somewhe.re, in the night I hear you gathering pebbles for tomorrow's task.' Take care to slip a stir amidst the stones you gather; temples hold fast with dreams. Only a locust lurks in the wrinkled meadows, keeping company with the wheat that waits to be reaped by our tears. Together we will meet you at the altar when only the sound of bees will be heard preparing waxen sacrifices for your vacant vigil. Until then, I will be chanting antiphons in tune with your canticles. Sister Carole MacKenthun St. Mary Academy 250 Forest Ave., Lakewood, NI 08701 The "System" Side of Stewardship Gerald R. Amelse Mr. Amelse has been a church finance manager and consultant for sixteen years. He studied Accounting, Business Administration and Economics at The Catholic Univer-sity, the University Of Notre Dame, George Washington University and the University of Maryland. Culrently he is a partner of Calkins-Amelse Associates, which offers management services for non-profit organizations. His office is located at 4531 Pine-crest Heights Drive; Annandale, VA 22003. The widely publicized financial mishaps of several Catholic Church organi-zations in recent years have brought into question the quality of church financial management in general and of financial management in religious congregations in particular. Public attention has tended to focus on the caliber of the financial administrators and advisors involved in these cases rather than on the adequacy of the underlying systems of financial organi-zation, policies .and procedures in each instance. Responsible stewardship can result only when qualified administrators function within an appropriate financial management system. An unsound financial management system; in whole or in part, can be as inimical to responsible stewardship as unquali-fied administrators or advisors. A sound financial management system is equally important for religious congregations because of their changed environment. For several genera-tions, ~religious congregations in the United States enjoyed almost steady growth in membership, resources, activities .and facilities. Now, however, total memberships are static, if not in actual decline; new needs, such as retirem6nt, are making additional claims on already limited resources, and the maintenance of much needed apostolic acti~,itie's and institutions is be-coming increasingly more difficult. Financial management systems developed and used during previous generations may have been adequate in an era 379 380 / Review ]or Religious, Volume 36, 1977/3 of growth. The present environment, however, requires a system that will improve the ability of a congregation to meet~ increasing internal and apostolic needs with limited and declining resource potential. The exercise of responsible stewardship today calls for clear financial organization, appropriate financial policies, and sound budgeting, account-ing and reporting procedures. Church leaders should be concerned about the adequacy of' their organization's financial management system and anxious to improve it in each of the following areas: Financial Organ&ation A congregation's financial organization is the structure of its formal decision-making positions, the relationships between those positions, and the lines of their accountability. Besides the standard positions (treasurer, controller, and so forth) a congregation's financial organization should also identify the individuals responsible for specific programs, projects, activities and departments, and clearly define their respective roles, relationships and lines of accountability. Lack of clarity in a congregation's financial organi-zation can easily lead to flawed communications, loss of direction, duplica-tion of effort, and wastefulness in the exercise of responsible stewardship. Financial Policies A policy is a definite course or method of action, selected from .among alternatives and in light of given conditions, to guide and determine present and future decisions. Without a comprehensive set of clear financial policies, officials and administrators ~i'e, in effect, more or less free to make financial decisions according to their individual discretion rather than according to previously approved courses of action. The four major sources of financial policies for a religious congregation are: Church law, norms and guidelines; the congregation's own rule and constitution; formal enactments of the congregation,s governing body; and day-to-day operating decisions. It is the responsibility of the congregation's governing body, however, to have a summary of financial policies prepared and periodically to review and approve it. Budgeting The budget is a congregation's principal financial planning tool. The long-range planning aspect of a budget (i.e., two or more years') should identify the congregation's future sources" and uses of funds, project the amounts of revenue anticipated from each identified source and project the amounts of expenditures required for each identified use. The short-range aspect (i.e., month, quarter, year) should detail the estimated ex-penditures for each proposed program, project, activity and department, and itemize the specific means of financing the expenditures. Since the objective of a budget is the development of a financial plan, it The "System" Side o[ Stewardship / 381 is necessary to begin the budgeting process with information about the programs, projects, activities and departments which the congregation is planning for the coming year(s). Information on past performance is an importarit input to the budgeting process, but relying too heavily on ac-counting data and financial reports (which are historical in character) can create the danger that.a congregation's budget will reflect more what has happened in the past rather than what the congregation wants to happen in the future. Clear financial organization is essential for sound budgeting. A budget can not be completely useful as a planning tool until the individuals re-sponsible for each program, project, activity and department have been identified and their responsibility for performance against the plan and budget has been accepted by them. Furthermore, budgets that are prepared without the participation of the persons responsible for directing specific programs, projects, activities and departments are generally weak as plan-ning tools. Program, project, activity and d~epartments heads can not be expected to comprehend fully, agree with or conform to a financial plan in which they did not participate in developing. Accounting ~nd Reporting The financial statements of religious congregations are meant to provide superiors, administrators, members and other interested parties with a mean-ingful summarization of the congregation's overall financial condition as well as the operating results of its programs, projects, activities and ~depart-merits. In order to achieve this purpose more effectively, congregations should introduce both "fund" and "functional" accounting procedures into their basic accounting systems. A fund is a sum of money or other resource, set aside for a specific pur-pose acc~ording to restrictions imposed either by the intent of the donor or" by regulation of the congregation's officials~ Grants, annuities and endow-ments are examples of funds whose uses are restricted by the intent of the donor. A retirement fund is an example of money set aside for a specific purpose by regulation of the congregation's officials. The significant char-acteristic of fund accounting is that it classifies and records the financial transactions within each fund--assets, liabilities, receipts, disbursements and fund balances--according to the specified restrictions. Functional accounting records expenses according to specific programs, projects, activities and departments, and reports this information to the administrators directly responsible for these functions. This procedure im-proves expense control and also provides a practical basis for realistically evaluating the allocation and use of the congregation's limited resources. A congregation could be led' tO revamp its finanEial plans of action when confronted with financial information that enables a comparison of pro-gram, project, activity and department ~osts with their intended results. 3a2 / Review jot Religious, lZolume 36, 1977/3. oaelusion Financial organization, policies and procedures are not the only aspects of responsible stewardship. They are, nonetheless, essential elements of-sound financial management and control. Any congregation that finds its present management system to be somewhat inadequate should obtain qualified assistance to help review and strengthen it wherever necessary. REPRINTS FROM THE REVIEW Profile of the Spirit: A Theology of Discernment of Spirits by J. R. Sheets, S.J. .50 Retirement or Vigil by B. Ashley, O.P. .30 The Confessions of Religious Women by St. M. Denis, S.O.S. 30 The Four Moments of Prayer by J. R. Sheets, S.J. .50 The Healing of Memories by F. Martin .35 The Nature and Value of a Directed Retreat by H. F. Smith, S.J . 35 The Teaching Sister in the Church by E. Gambari, S,M.M. .30 The Thepiogy of the Eucharistic Presence by J. Galot, S~J. .30 The Vows and Christian Life by G. Greif, S.J. .30 New Reprints Centering Prayer--Prayer of Quiet by M. B. Pennington, O.C.S.O . 50 Colloquy of God With a Soul That Truly Seeks Him .30 Prayer of Personal Reminiscence by D. J. Hassel, S.J. 60 Orders for the above should be sent to: Review for Religious 612 Humboldt Building 539 No. Gra

Issue 14.4 of the Review for Religious, 1955. ; Review Religi.ous JULY 1~,5, 1955 To Religious Men . Pope Plus XII Mother St. Bernard . Sister M. Cassilda Grace of Example . John Maffhews Sister Formation ¯ ¯ " Joseph F. Gallen Our Jubilarian Questions and Answers Notes for Contributors Book Reviews VOLUME XIV NUMBER 4 RI::VII:W FOR R LIGIOUS VOLUME XIV JULY, 1955 NUMBER 4 CONTENTS FATHER ELLIS' GOLDEN JUBILEE .1.6.9. TO RELIGIOUS MEN--Pope Plus XII .1.7.0. MOTHER" ST. BERNARD, HELPER OF THE HOLY SOULS-- Sister Mary Cassilda .181 NOTES FOR CONTRII~UTORS .1.9.4. OUR CONTRIBUTORS . 196 THE GRACE OF EXAMPLE--John Matthews, S.J .1.9.7 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS-- 16. Period to be Covered by Quinquennial Report .2"00 17. Rank of Religious after Re-entrance .2.0. 1 18. Illness and Computation of Years of Novitiate .201 19. Indulgences and Eastern Rite .¯. . 202 20. Typed Ballots for Voting . 203 21. Combining Benediction or Holy Hour with Meditation . 204 RELIGIOUS CLERICAL FORMATION AND SISTER FORMATION-- Joseph F. Gallen, S.J .2.0.5 BOOK REVIEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS-- Editor: Bernard A. Hausmann, S.J. West Baden College West Baden Springs, Indiana .2.16 REVIEW FOR RELIGIOUS, July, 1955. Vol. XIV, No. 4. Published bi-monthly: January, March. May, July, September. and November at the College Press, 606 Harrison Street, Topeka, Kansas, by St. Mary's College, St. Marys, Kansas, with ecclesiastical approbation. Entered as second class matter January 15, 1942, at the Post O~ce, Topeka, Kansas, under the act of March.3, 1879. Editorial Board: Augustine G. Ellard, S.J., Adam C. Ellis, S.,L, Gerald Kelly, S.J., Francis N. Korth, S.J. Literary Editor: Edwin F. Falteisek, S.J. Copyright, 1955, by Adam C. Ellis, S.J. Permission is hereby granted for quota-tions of reasonable length, provided due credit be given this review and the author. Subscription price: 3 dollars a year: 50 cents a copy Printed in U. S. A. Before wr;tincj +o us, please consult notlce on ;nslde back cover. ~ATHER ADAM C. ELLIS, the senior editor of thi} REVIEW, will celebrate his Golden dubilee as a Jesuit on August 31, 1955, at St. Mary's College, St. Marys, Kansas. Father Ellis was born in Buffalo, New York, where he attended St. Michael's Parochial School and Canisius High School. On August 31, 1905, he entered the Society of Jesus at St. Stanislaus Novitiate, Cleveland, Ohio. In August, 1908, he was transferred to St. Stanislaus Seminary, Florissant, Missouri, for his second year of juniorate. His years of teaching as a scholastic were spent at Mar- , quette Academy, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and at Rockhurst Acad4my, Kansas City, Missouri. He made his philosophical studies at St. Louis University and began his course of theology af the same place. After the second year of theology, he was sent to Spain. There, at Off'a, near Burgos, he was ordained to the priesthood on March 10, 1921. He returned to the United States in the summer of 1921 and spent the following school year teaching at St. Ignatius College, Cleveland, and in the juniorate at Florissant. Then followed his ter-tiansh, ip at St. Stanislaus, Cleveland, September, 1922, to June, 1923. After his tertianship Father Ellis was assigned to special studies in civil and canon law at" St. Louis University. The course in canon law was later completed at. the Gregorian University, Rome, where he received the doctorate in 1926. He has just completed thirty years of teaching canon law: one year at Mundelein, Illinois; three years at the Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome; and the remaining time at St. Louis University and St. Mary's. As a canonist, Father Ellis has used his time, energy, and talent largely in favor of religious. He is a Consultor to the Sacred Con-gregation of Religious, editor of the English edition of Father Creusen's Religious Men and Women in the Code, and co-author with Father T. L. Bouscaren, S.J., of Canon Lau;: A Text and Commentary. Co-founder of this REVIEW, he has not only contrib-uted numerous articles'but has also ans~vered most of the questions. Father Ellis is spending the summer at Canisius College,'°Buffalo; but he will return to St. Mary's to celebrate his Jubilee with a class-mate, Father Michael J. Gruenthaner, S.J. His fellow editors wish him God's choicest blessings; and we are sure our readers join us in this. 169 To Religious Men Pope Pius XII [EDITORS' NOTE: This address was given to the Delegates of the General Con-gress of Religious Orders, Congregations, 8ocieties, and Secular Institutes, in Rome, December 8, 1950. We publish it now because we have had many requests about it and because we think it should be available to the REVIEW. The English trans- "lation was made by Father S. F. McNamee, S.J., and other members of the Mary-land Province of the Society of Jesus.] TO the Delegates of the General Congress of Religious Orders, Congregations, Societies, and Secular Institutes, Rome, 8 De-cember, 1950. 1. The Holy Year, through no merit of Ours, but through the favor of God's mercy, has proved more bountiful in blessings than the fbresight of men had anticipated. In the eventful cycle of its notable achievements, it has manifested the strong faith and richly abundant life of the Church of Christ, our Mother. Your Congress rightly takes its place among the more sigriificantly important events, and Over them your fraternal gathering reflects its own characteristic lustre. To you now We wish to address Our words of affectionate greeting. 2. The annals of church history record no meeting similar to this. Here, for the first time, religious organizations, whose mem-bers have selected as the goal of their lives the attainment of con-summate evangelical perfection, have assembled in large numbers over a period of several days to discuss and weigh the problems of their common interest. 3. It was Our judgment that the circumstances of the times made it altogether necessary to do so. For the changed conditions of the world which the Church must encounter, certain points of doc-trine touching upon the status and condition of moral perfection, not to mention the pressing needs of the apostolic work which you have so widely and so generously undertaken, all these have called you to devote yourselves to" this systematic study and discussion. 4. Your work is at its close. It was energized by careful dis-cussions; it has been prolific in proposals; and it will be no less fruit-ful, We hope, in perfecting the virtues which .will realize your pro-jects. With the resolute cooperation of your wills, the grace of God will enkindle those virtues, the grace, that is, which your prayers and religious acts of self-denial, more especially, because of their burning devotion, those of your sisters in Christ, have already in-voked upon this present undertaking. 5. You have requested the fatherly blessing of the Vicar of 170 July, 1955 TO RELIGIOUS MEN Christ as a pledge of divine guidance and assistance so that your Congress might be fittingly completed and terminated. But before imparting that blessing to you, We think it proper to present to you orally certain thoughts on the religious life which call for an explanation and which, once explained, may serve hereafter as a norm to direct your thoughts and actions. I 6. First of all, it will be useful for Us to indicate briefly the place held in the Church by the religious orders, and congregations. You are, of course, aware that our Redeemer founded a Church en-dowed with an hirarchical organization. For between the apostlds and their successors, with whom must also be grouped their assistants in the ministry, and the ordinary faithful He drew a definite line of demarcation; and by the union of these two elements the structure of the kingdom of God on earth stands firm. Consequently, the distinction between the clergy and the laity is fixed by divine law (cf. can. 107). Interposed between these two grades is the religious state which deriving its origin from the Church has its existence and strength from its intimate connection with the end of the Church herself, which is to lead men ,to the attainment of holiness. Though every Christian should scale these sacred heights under the guidance of the Church, nevertheless the religious moves towards them along a path that is peculiarly his own and by means that are of a more exalted nature. 7. Moreover, the religious state is not restricted to either of the two groups which exist in the Church by divine right, since both clerics and lay persons alike can become religious; and, on the other hand, the clerical dignity lies open to religious and those who are not religious. One would therefore be mistaken in appraising the value of the foundations which Christ laid in building His Church if he should judge that the peculiar form of the secular clerical life as such was established and sanctioned by our divine Redeemer, and that the peculiar form of the regular clerical life, though it is to be considered good and worthy of approbation in itself~ is still secon-dary and auxiliary in nature, since it is not derived from Christ. Wherefore, if we keep before our eyes the order established by Christ, neither of the two special forms of clerical life holds a prerogative of divine right, since that law singles out neither form, nor gives to either precedence over the other. What then the difference is between these two forms, what their mutual relations are, what spcial task 171 POPE PIUS XlI Review for Religious in working out the salvation ~f mankind has been assigned to each, all these details Christ left to be decided according to the needs and conditions of succeeding ages; or, rather, to express Our mind more exactly, He left them to the definitive decisions of the Church herself. 8. Undoubtedly it is according to the divine law that every priest, be he secular or regular, should fulfill his ministry in such a way as to be a subordinate assistant to his bishop. This has always been the customary practice in the Church, and the prescriptions in the Code of Canon Law whic.h deal with the members of religious societies as pastors and local ordinaries make this clear (can. 626-31 ; 454, ~]. 5). And it often happens in missionary territories that all the ci~rgy, even including the bishop, belong to the regular militia of the Church. Let no one think this is an extraordinary or ab-normal state of affairs to be regarded as only a temporary arrange-ment, and that the administration should be handed over to the secular clergy as soon as possible. 9. Again, the exemption of religious orders is not contrary to the principles of the constitu_tion given to the Church by God, nor does it in any way contradict the law that a priest owes obedi-ence to his bishop. Fo~, according to canon law, exempt religious are subject to the authority of the local bishop so far as the admin-istration of the episcopal office and the well-regulated care of souls require. But, even putting aside this consideration, in the discus-sions of the past few decades concerning the question of exemp-tion, perhaps too little attention has been paid to the fact that exempt religious even by the prescriptions of canon law are al'ways and everywhere subject to the authority of the Roman Pontiff as their supreme moderator, and tbat they owe obedien,ce to him pre-cisely in virtue of their religious vow of obedience (can. 499, ~1 1). Indeed the Supreme Pontiff possesses ordinary and immediate juris-diction over each and every diocese and over the individual faithful just as he does over the universal Church. It is therefore clear that the primary law of God whereby the clergy and the laity are sub-ject to the rule of the Bishop is more than sufficiently observed as regards exempt religious, as it is no less clear that both branches of the clergy by reason of their parallel services conform to the will and precept of Christ. II 10. There is another question connected with what has so far been said which We wish to explain and clarify. It concerns the way in which the cleric and the religious should strive for their due 172 Jul~j, 1955 To RELIGIOUS MEN moral perfection. 1 1. It is a distortion of the truth to say that the clerical state as such and as divinely established demands either by its very nature or by some postulate of that nature that the evangelical counsels be observed by its members, and that for this very reason it must be called a state of achieving evangelical perfection. A cleric therefore is not bound by the divine law to observe the evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity, and obedience; above all he is not bound in the same way or fdr the same reason as the one for whom such ob-ligation arises from vows publicly pronounced upon entering the religious life. This does not however prevent the cleric from assum-ing these bonds privately and of his own accord. So, too, the fact that the priests of the Latin rite are bound to observe holy celibacy does not remove or lessen the distinction between the clerical and the religious states. Moreover, a member.of the regular clergy professes the state and condition of evangelical perfection not inasmuch as he is a cleric, but inasmuch as he is a religious. 12. And though we have declared in Our Apostolic Consti-tution Prooida Mater Ecclesia that the form of life followed by the secular institutes is to be considered as a state of evangelical per-fection and recognized as such by the common law of the Church, since their members are in some way bohnd to the observance of the evangelical counsels, still this in no way contradicts wh~it have just affirmed. Assuredly ther~ is no reason preventing clerics from joining together in secular institutes so that by their choice of this manner of life. they may strive for the attainment of religious perfection; but in that case they are in a state of acquiring perfection not inasmuch as they are clerics, but inasmuch as they are members of a secular institute. After all, such an institute adopts, in the way of life it proposes to follow, the evangelical.c6unsels which are proper to the religious state and are ther~ realized-in their highest perfection; but the institute so achieves that end that it is nSt' de-l~ endent on the traditional pattern of the religious state but stands by itself in an external form of life which bears no necessary relation to the perfection just mentioned. III 13. We think it timely now to touch upon some of the rea-sons which the religious state hol~s out to men'as motives for em-bracing it. 14. There are.some.who,assert that the religious state by i~s POPE P~us XII Review for Religious nature and purpose, even though m~riting approval, is nothing but a safe refuge offered to the fearful and timid who have not the strength, to stand u.p to the dangers of life's storms, and, lacking the knowledge, 0r perhaps the will, to face difficulties, are led by their indolence, to bid farewell to the world and fly to the haven of cloistered peace. XVherefore we must inspire self-confidence and reliance on God's grace in those who see.k such idle tranquility, so ¯ that they may overcome these traits of character and attain the courage to face the struggles of common life. Is this indeed true? 15. It is not Our purpose here to evaluate the various motives inducing individuals to betake themselves to the religious life. XY~Te do wish however to indicate the principal and indeed the valid rea-son that should induce one to enter the protected enclosure of the cloister. And it is certainly different from that distorted opinion. stated above, which,-if taken as a whole, is both untrue and unjust. For not otherwise than the resolution to ente~ the priesthood, the resolve to embrace the. religious state, together with a firm constancy in executing it, demands greatness of. soul and an ardent zeal for self-consecration. The history of the Church in its record of the glorious.ochievements of the saints in heaven and of the religiQus institutes on earth, in its account of ~uccessful" missionary enter-prises, in its sketchi.ng of. the Church's ascetical teaching, no less than experience itself, indicates more clearly than the light of day that men and women of indomitable and whole-souled courag~ have flourished in the religious state as well as in the world. Again, do those religious men aiad women who so strenuously exert them-selves to spread the kingdom of the gospel,., who tend the sick, train the young, and toil in the classrooms, shun the society of their fellow men and shut them out from their love? Are not very many of them, no less than the secular priesthood .and their lay helpers, fighting in the very front rinks of the battl,e.for the Church's cause? 16. Here XVe cannot refrain from directing Our attention to another matter which completely denies the false assertion mentioned previously. If the number of candidates wishing to enter the enclosed garden of the religious life is diminishirig, especia!ly among young women, the reason very frequently is that they find it too difficult to divest themselves of their own judgment .and surrender their freedom of action, as the very nature of the vow of obedience de-mands. Indeed some praise as the real peak of moral perfection, not the surrender of liberty for the love of Christ, but the curbingof such surrender. The"norm therefore to be prdfekred in the formation 174 dulv, 1955 TO RELIGIOUS MEN of a just and holy person would seem to be this: restrict liberty only where necessary; otherwise, give liberty free rein as far as possible. 17. We transmit the question whether this new foundation on which some are trying to erect the edifice of sanctity will be as ef-fective and as solid in supporting and augmenting the apostolic work of the Church as was the one which through fifteen hundred years has been provided by that ancient rule of obedience undertaken for the love of Christ. What is now of supreme importance is to ex-' amine this proposal thoroughly, to disclose what lies concealed be-neath the surface. This opinion, if carefully considered, not only fails to appreciate the nature of the evangelical counsel, but it some-how twists it to a meaning in accord with its theory. No one is obliged to choose for himself the counsel of perfect- obedience, which essentially is a rule of life whereby one surrenders the control of his own will; no one, We repeat, be it an individual or a group. They can if they wish conform their conduct to this new rule. But words must be understood and accepted according to their obvious mean-ing; and, if this norm is compared with the vow of obedience, it surely does not possess the same "supreme value; nor is it an adequate expression of the wonderful example recorded in Holy Scripture: "He humbledHimself becoming obedient unto death" (Phil. 1:8). 18. He therefore is deceived himself and deceives others who, forgetting the propensities of the soul and the inspiration of divine grace, offers as a guide to one .seeking advice about entering the re-ligious state only that new norm. Hence, if it is clear that the voice of God is calling someone to the heights of evangelical perfection, without any hesitation he should be invited for the attainment of this lofty purpose to offer freely the sacrifice of his liberty as the" vow of obedience demands, that vow, We proclaim, which the Church through so many centuries has weighed, has put to the test, has properly delineated, and has approved. Let no one against his will be compelled to this self-consecration; but, if he does will it, let no one counsel him against it; above all, let no one hold him back. IV 19. But enough on this point. At the moment, We wish to speak on external works and the interior life. Hardly any question of grave importance for the life of regulars, or for the religious life. in general, has been treated at greater length. Nevertheless We wish to present Our own judgment on this matter. ¯. 20.- It was not mere.chance that brought about in our day the 175 POPE PIUS XII Reuiew ~'or Religious rise and elaboration of the philosophy known as existentialism. The men of our time, when confronted by events which bring up diffi-cult metaphysical and religious problems to be solved, gladly, with-out a thought of higher principles, persuade themselves that it is enough to act. as the exigeficies of the moment demand. But the man who professes our holy faitb refuses to follow such principles and to makeeach passing moment of time his whole concern, hurling him-self head-long into the stream of life. He knows that the "things that appear not" (Heb. ll:l) are to be considered of supre.me worth, are pre-eminently true, and so enduring in the future as to last forever. Yet--be it said with sorrow--though warnings and exhortations have not been lacking, even some ecclesiastics,' not ex-cepting religious, have been deeply infected by this contagion; and, while not denying a reality that transcends the senses and the whole natural order, they esteem it of little.importance. 21. Has this grave and dangerous crisis been overcome? Thanks be to God, We may hope that it has. Certain things which We have Ourselves witnessed, and which events bare made known to Us, offer this assurance. 22. The most active zeal can be closely allied with the quest for the riches of 'the interior life. Two stars that shine in the firma-ment of the religious life, St. Francis Xavier and St. Teresa of Jesus, are brilliant proofs of this. 23. An ~eager external activity and the cultivation of the in-terior life demand more than a bond of fellowship; as far at least as evaluation and willed effort are concerned, they demand that they should march along together step by step. With the growth of de-votion to exterior works therefore, let there shine forth a corres-ponding increase in faith,.in the life of prayer, in zealous consecra-tion of self and talents to God, in spotless purity of conscidnce, in obedience, in patient endurance of hardship, and in active charity tirelessly expending for God and one's neighbor. 24. This is true not only of the individual religious, who really is such in heart as well as in habit, but it is also the reason why communities as a whole are~solidly founded in the sight of God and men, and are deserving of the most generous praise. The Church in-sistently demands of you that your external works correspond to your interior life, and that these two maintain a constant balance. Do you not, both clerical and lay religious, profess that you have~ embraced the state of evangelical.perfection? If so, bring.forth the 176 Jul~l, 1955 TO RELIGIOUS MEN frhits proper to your state, so that the Mystical Body Of Christ, which is the Church, may draw ever-increasing vitality from your strength and fervor. This is the very reason why religious orders totally dedicated to the contemplative life are in their own way necessary to the Church, since they are for her a perpetual ornament anda copious source of heavenly graces. 25. You know, of course, that it has often been remarked that charity to the neighbor is gradually losing its religious char-acter and is becoming secularized. But an honorable and kind treat-ment of others that has no foundation in faith, and springs from some other source, is not charity; nor may it be called Catholic. Charity possesses a. dignity, an inspiration, and a strength that is lacking in mere philanthropy however endowed with wealth and other resources. Thus, if We compare our Catholic sisters who nurse the sick with some others who perform this same task out of mere humanitarianism or for pay, We discover in them something en-tirely different and of higher value. They may at times be inferior to others in technical advantages, and We take this occasion to urge them not only to keep abreast of others in this matter but even to surpass them. But where our religious women, deeply imbued with the vital spirit of their institutes and daily prepared for the love of Christ to lay down their lives for the sick, perform their labors, a different atmosphere prevails, in which virtue works wonders which technical aids and medical skill, alone are powerless to ac-complish. 26. Therefore let those religious orders and congregations that devote themselves to the active life keep ever before their eyes and inwardly cherish all that stamps their souls with the lineaments of holiness and nourishes the fire of the Holy Spirit in the depth of their pure souls. V 27. Dearly Beloved, We wish also to refer briefly to the ef-forts of religious institutes to adapt themselves to our changed times, and to join the new and the. old in harmonious union. 28. When young people hear the statements: "We must keep up to date" and "Our efforts must be commensurate with the times," they are fired with an extraordinary ardor of soul;' and, if they are serving unde'r the standard of the religious militia, they keenly de-sire to direct the efforts of their future religious undertakings accord-ing to this principle. And,.to a certain extent, thisis proper. For it often has happened that th~ founding fathers of religious insti- 177 POPE PIUS XII R~oiew for Religious ,tutes conceived new projects in ordei to meet the challenge which newly emerging needs were urgently presenting to the Church and her works; and in this way they harmonized their enterprises with their age. Hence, if you wish to walk in the footsteps of your pre-decessors, act as they acted. Examine thoroughly the beliefs, con-victions, and conduct of your own contemporaries; and, if you discover in them elements that are good and proper, make these worthwhile features your own; otherwise you will never be able to enlighten, assist, sustain, and guide the men of your own time. 29. However, the Church possesses a patrimony preserved in- .tact from her earliest origin, which is unchanged in the course of 'ages, and which is in 'perfect accord with the needs and the aspira-tions of the human race. The Catholic faith is the most important part of this patrimony, and in the encyclical letter Humani Generis 'We recently defended it from new errors. Preserve most diligently this faith undefiled by any blemish: hold firmly to the conviction that it contains within itself exceedingly powerful forces that can mold any age. 30. A part of this patrimony is the good pursued in the state of perfection; and this you must seek with the utmost zeal, so that °by the use of its methods and resources you may become holy your-selves, and either directly or indirectly make your neighbors also :holy. In this manner they, sharing ever more richly in divine grace, may live a holy Iife and die a holy death. Another factor in this patrimony is the lofty and sublime truth that self-denial for the love of Christ must be considered the only path to perfection. This truth the changing times can never change. 31. There are, however, circumstances, and not a few, when you can and ought to accommodate yourselves to the temper and the needs of men and the age. Indeed to a great extent this has actu-ally been done, and now the task is being completely and perfectly accomplished by our combined counsel~ and plans. As may be seen from the variety of your undertakings both as individuhls and as institutes, you have already initiated many adjustments in schools, in the training of youth, in the alIeviation of human misery, and in the cultivation and promotion of learning. Hence it must be ad-mitted, and Our affirmation admits of no denial, that a vast amount of energy is even now being expended to meet the altered conditions of our era with new and effective resources. 32. Nevertheless, in striving to adapt yourselves to the ex-igencies of the present, it is, in Our judgment, of paramount con- 178 Julg, 1955 TO RELIGIOUS MEN cern that you shrewdly investigate what spiritual forces lie latent in your contemporaries, by what secret,desires they are motivated, and what the true picture .is of their souls. We do not of course mean the picture that manifests their detestable and censurable qual-ities and expresses the tumult of passion and the corruption of vice. But in men as men, and most of all as Christians, though entangled in error and sin, there is not a little good and even a desire for greater good. You must encourage these good impulses and foster these aspirations, being always careful however not to-accept from the world what keeps it wretched and evil, but rather to infuse into the world what is good and holy in yourselves, and in harmony with these salutary longings. Being solicitous therefore for that feeble good in the hearts of others, furbish and develop it, molding from its grains of gold precious vessels and gathering its rivulets into mighty streams. 33. Some think, and perhaps rightly, that three marks are characteristic of our age: amplitude in thought and discussion, uni-fication of plan, and organization and speed in execution. Are riot these three notes also distinctive marks of the Gospel? Are they not characteristic of those who profess the Catholic faith and live ac-cording to its principles? opened to our minds than "All things are yours and Cor. 3:25) ? What closer simplicity and the unity What greater amplitude of vision can be that offered in the words of the Apostle: you are Christ's and Christ is God's" (I unity in understanding and love than the declared to you in the Sacred Scripture: "God, all in all" (I Cor. 15:26) and "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart and with thy whole soul and wil~h thy whole mind and with thy whole strength . . . Thou shalt love 'thy neighbor as thyself" (Mk. 12:28-34)? 34. To enable us to be swift and spirited, and unhampered by the recollection of perishable things, we are admonished: "No man putting his hand to the plow and looking back is fit for the Kingdom of God" (Lk. 9:62). And if you wish to behold models of virtue in whom these thr~e laudable qualities shine forth, recall tO your minds the Apostle Paul and all those who have been en-gaged in wondrous exploits worthy of an immortal remembrance. 35. Moreover, the ideals which light your way to contempla-tion and action, as well as the goal of the Church's other children, both priests and laity, are the achievement of Christian perfection and the salvation of the human race. For your part, you have at hand the most effective aids, namely, the evangelical counsels through 179 ¯ POPE PlUS XII,. Reoiew for Religious the'profession of your vows of 'religion, and through these by un-remitting warfare you can overcome the concupiscence of the flesh,. ¯ the concupiscence of the ~yes, and the pride of life (cf.I 3o. 2:16), -~ind thus become ever holier and efficient servants of God for the .salvation of mankind. Direct your thoughts and your actions to [reach these lofty heights, "so that being rooted and grounded in 'love" (Epb. 3:17), steadfast in the power of faith and rich in hu- ¯ mility, you may lose no opportunity to lead men, your brothers, ¯ to their Creator and. Redeemer, as stray sheep returning to their Shepherd. 36. Faithful and true to your duty of good example, see to it that your conduct harmonizes with the name you bear, and that ¯ your whole manne~ 9f' life conforms to your profession. According 'to the words of the Apostle of the Gentiles: "Careful to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace" (Eph. 4:3), let peace reign within you and among you, among members of the same institute and among members of the same community, and with those of other institutes, between you and all who labor with you and with whom you labor to win men for Christ. Put far from you discords and disagreements which weaken and cripple undertakings begun with the highest hopes. The Church, as a field for apostolic en-deavor, is spread out all over the world; and an opportunity for toil and ~weat is open to all. 37. If the faith of religious is strengthened by the example of a life whose pattern is unyielding observance of the vows, if the priest regards nothing as hard or irksome in his quest for the salva-tion of souls, then the expression of the Apostle when referring to the word of God will also be true of them today, "living . . . and efficient and keener than any two-edged sword" (Heb. 4:13). We recently warned the faithful that in these calamitous days, when the misfortune and grievous want of many is in sharp contrast to the immoderate luxury of others, they should be willing to live tem-perately and to be generous to their neighbors oppressed by poverty. Come then, excel all others by your example in this insistent work of Christian perfection, justice, and charity; and thus lead them to imitate Christ. 38. Finally, with a great hope that the efficacious grace of our Lord Jesus Christ may bring forth from your Congress benefits of enduring value, and as a pledge of our abiding love, We affection-ately bestow upon all here present and upon religious communities everywhere in the world the Apostolic Benediction. 180 4 t Mot:her ern d, I--lelper o[ :he bloly Souls Sister Ma~y Cassilda TAKE the Blessed Sacrament, Mother! Keep Jesus with you!" / Startling words from a priesl~ to a humble religiou's woman! Yet, on the night of fire and consi~rnation following the San Francisco earthquake of 1906, the most unexpected ~became reality; and Mother St. Bernard could not doubt tba'~ this most redoubtable commission was for her. For to bet was held out the veiled ciborium Father Casey had just removed f~om the tabernacle. To her care was being confided in the terrors of that ni~ght the most precious of treasures, to be conveyed to'a place of safety. Our Lord clearl~z willed to accompany and 'protect the bewildered superior and her little community in their wearying flight. They were in sehrch of shelter from the adv~incing fl.ames, laden with what they could save from their abandol~ed convent. Mothe~ St. Bernard helps us to visualize the scene¯ "In the pres-ence of Jesus thus abased, entrusting Himself to me, tears filled my eyes," she writes; "I carried Him close to my heart, with a few of the commumty as escort, while the others saw to the transportation of our belongings. Walking alon'g the crowded streets, we prayed. I adored Christ hidden in my arms. When for a moment I lost sight of the others, my heart cried out in fear .t.o .my[ Lord, and there they were with us once ,more!" He assured them a safe ar-rival at the Church of St. John. Our Lord was theft replaced in the taberngcle and the HelpFrs spent the rest of the night in the base-ment of the church. This cross marking their, recent foundation was destined in the designs of God's providence to be the starting point of great development, for the San Francisco house. The Helpers devoted themselves amongst the homeless and destitute in the camps immediately organized; and, when, in the influenza epidemic of 1918, they showed themselves not only ready, but eager to nurse the plague-stricken, their place was forever fixed in the warm hedrts o]~ the West, from their archbishop down. But who was this religious selected by God fo.r so signal an honor, and how.had His providence T~onducted her thither from the quiet ancestral domain of her parents in sunny France? She was Marie Antoinette de Cherg~ and was born not. far from 181 SISTER MARY CASSILDA Review for Religioias Poitiers, France,. in 1850. There had been time since 1356 for the roar of battle tb die away; but the spirit of chivalrous France lived on in the line of Cherg~s, priding themselves on their loyalty to their traditions and their faith. Her father, Charles de Cherg~ eminent lawyer, archeologist, and writer of his time, was deeply Catholic and an admirable father. A prayer he composed for his sons has come down. to us written in fine French verse. "In Thy goodness, Lord; keep them ever faithful to their family motto; 'Straight on in the path of honor.' " The mother of Marie Antoinette was a pious, deeply affectionate woman, remarkable for distinguished gifts and devotedness in her home. The future Mother St. Bernard's character, ardent in the pursuit of holiness and dauntless in her zeal for the glory of God, can be easily discerned in her noble parents. She was a lovable, gentle child, fond of the games of her age, but already drawn by grace to the "greater things" of the saints. At the age of five, the farewell visit of a Jesuit leaving for the missions in China, and his blessing bestowed on her, left in her soul a grace which, she believed, de-veloped later into her immense desire to be a missionary herself. He had baptized her, child though she was, with the astonishing title of "Mother Abbess"; and it was spontaneously adopted. But her graces ran deeper than this. She found herself gradually drawn toward an absorbing love of God. As her own words tell us, "A mysterious recollection would steal over all my faculties, without my understanding what it was. I thought that everyone experi-enced the same, especially on First Communion day. I would with-draw to pray. I would have wished to be always alone to enjoy our Lord's presence. He seemed near to me in a way quite.different from anything faith or the imagination can produce; it was as if with my eyes closed I was sure someone was near me. Gradually I could think only. of Him." Marie Antoinette had need of a great interior strength, for natur-ally- and perhaps because of her interior favors--she was painf.ully timid, and frequently troubled with scrupulosity. N~ar her there was no one to help her. "I begged Our Lady," she wrote, "to send me someone to guide me in God's Name." Our Lady answered her child by-first enabling her to find in the family library the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. By these a clear and solid Christian phil-osophy of life laid in her soul a foundation and support for further graces. Then, in the person of an old. friend of the family, 'Father Rabeau, S.J., she found the "someone" she had asked, for as guide. 182 MOTHER ST. BERNARD. He directed her also in her works of charity, visiting tl~e poor and catechising the children of the neighborhood. Finally, seeing that her attractions were leading her toward the religious life, as lived by the Helpers of the Holy Souls, he put her in contact with the mother general. Marie Antoinette found in these religious the ful-fillment of all her desires of perfection and apostolate--even of the missi6ns in China. They lived the dee[i, interior life 0f Ignatian spirituality that she had learned to appreciate; they were zealous for souls, all souls, even those in purgatory, whom they assisted by their works of charity toward the living. Among them a warm family spirit sustained and cheered their apostolate. But it was only at the age of thirty that she was able to over-come a too-loving opposition and break away from her dearly loved family. She entered the novitiate in the old Premo.nstraten~ian Abbey of Blanchelande, where the souvenirs of the former holy monks spurred on the young to fervor. The Society of the Helpers of the Holy Souls had been founded only in 1856 by Eug~nie Smet, of Lille, France. She was born in 1825 of a fine family. The li~¢ely faith and enterprising spirit of the brave Normans was her inheritance. From early childhood she' had been drawn towards the suffering souls in purgatory; and un-accotintably so, for no death had marred the joy of her happy home surroundings. Her education at the Sacred Heart of Lille left its im-print on her; she determined to consecrate her life to God. Purga-tory was calling her, and the thought of it was stimulating her to constant sacrifice and devotedness. As a young girl, in her works of charity, she would leave gifts at the door of the poor or the sick with the written appeal, "Say a prayer for the Souls in Purgatory." Along with her solicitude for these Holy Souls, there was grow'ing in Eug~nie a childlike and ardent devotion to Divine Providence. "He gives me everything," she ended by saying, "I will give Him these souls He wants, and cannot have: I will be God's Providence!~'- This noble ideal awoke in her all her abilities for practical social work. Soon she was forming an Association of Prayer--others be-sides herself must be God's providence--and, thanks to good or-ganizing, she had thousands working for purgatory in many dio-ceses of France. For these Holy Souls she was even ready to tear herself away from her loved home and go to Paris, as she had been invited, to found an order for ~heir deliverance. The saintly Cur~ Of Ars, her counsellor at this difficult time, qualified~ her project as "a thought of love from the Heart of Jesus." When be'hearSt later SISTER MARY CASSILDA Review [or Religious that the rules of St. Ignatius had been granted to her struggling group; he exclslimed, "The poor littles ones, they are saved'!" "ires, throfigh the dire poverty of their beginnings, the disappointments, and anxious searchings inherent in such an enterprise, God was' re-vealing to Eug~nie (now Mother 'Mary 'of Providence) His plan for her work of aiding purgatory. Prayer there would be--and of the deepest !--with " expiation in the form of charity toward the living as the most effective means of helping the dead! The Helpers would give themselves to spiritual and corporal works of mercy, ac-cording to the needs of the country in which they would live, under the direction of the Church. A call to visit apoor woman sick in the neighborhood indicated their most precious means of expiation: care of the sick poor. Other works followed from this: instruction of converts, catechism in parishes, preparing belated bap.tisms, First Communions, confirmations, arranging for the validation of mar-riages, etc. Guilds were soon formed to meet at the Helpers' convent; and, as they became known, cases of all kinds were sent them by priests. The Helpers were launched to succor not on!y the Holy Souls, but all needy, helpless or hopeless ones, by personalized social service. Their works were to be gratuitous. Into the fervor of the early years of the order, Marie Antoinette de. Cherg~ plunged with her ardent desire for sacrifice, fruit of her special graces. There they xvere--all the sacrifices she wished for, and more besides! She had to learn during her novitiate to leave behind her, at the word of obedience, all fears or hesitations, as well as her frequent interior disturbances, and go straight forward, still, honoring the family motto. Her mistress Of novices discovered -%-e. ventually, shall we say ?--qualities of a great apostle glowing under her timid exterior. The occasion appeared in an .unexpected call on Sister St. Bernard to replace another novice for. a catechism lesson to the parish children. The novice companion, who assisted at the course, could not get home soon enough to relate to the mother mistress what she "had seen and heard"; a fire of. zeal had burst forth in Sister St. Bernard's clear exposition of doctrine, enflaming both children--and novice. At the following lesson to the same group, it was the mistress of novices--present to verify the marvel --who was herself enflamed. Soon after her: vows Mother St. Bernard was named superior of the Helpers' Convent at Montm~artre, Paris, built beside the site of the'chapel where-St. Ignatius and his compani6ns had pronou.nced their first vows. In this populous and ignorant quarter of the city, 1'84 MOTHER ST. BERNARD Mother St. Bernard's zeal found full scope for its activity: a transL formation in the neighborhoc~d was achieved. But the mother general trembled at the price being paid. In'a letter to Mother St. Bernard at this time, she wrote, "Dear d~ughter, it is the lack of care of your health and the ardor with which you undertake more than you can" do, that makes you ill. Yoi~ are to obey implicitly the mother in-firmarian; otherwise you will have roe dying of anxiety." Several years of very successful apostolate here and at Liege put the finish-ing touches to Mother St. Bernard's preparation for a more distan~ field of action. She was called, to head a group of Helpers for the first American foundation early in 1892. New. York bad been chosen. In her journal Mother St.Bernard wrote: "On learning the Divine Will I felt both joy and sorrow in my soul. This first step towards the missions rejoiced me, but I was broken by the thought of the sacrifices awaiting me. Lord Jesus, I give you all that I hold dearest!" On the pier at New York on a bright May morning, the new-comers were welcomed by two friends, chosen, it seems; by divine providence to further this latest enterprise of the Helpers. Miss Addle Le Brun and Miss Anne Cronise represented a group of Cath-olic ladies who were eager to have the Helpers extend their work to the United States. They had behind them Father John Pren-dergast, S.J., and Father Robert Pardow, S.J., who, on' visits to Europe, had learned to appreciate the practical character of this new congregation and had urged widely'among their friends that an in-vitation be sent to the mother general to found a house in New York. This appeal had been made, and fell in happily with the Helpers' rule which sends them to any part of the world where there is hope of God's greater service by procuring more efficaciously the relief and deliverance of the souls in purgatory. Archbishop Corrigan's blessing and hearty cooperation had been assured. And so.at last Miss Le Brun, as the chronicle tells us, "is receiving us as long-desired and much-loved sisters; even weeping "for. joy.", She conducted them to the small house prepared for them on Seventh Avenue near Twenty-third Street where other friends welcomed them no less warmly. A letter to the mother house remarks on the delicate it-tentions of their kind reception. ".'. even a lamp was burning bex fore a picture of Our Lady of Providence, Queen of Purgatory; there were flowers, arid holy water! and all. was provided, for the first meals of our little Community. I could never express to yoi~ fittingly the affectionate interest which dear Miss Le Brun and her 185 SISTER MARY CASSILDA Review [or Reli~iou~ family have shown us. Gratitude fills all hearts." ¯ For newcomers, surprises were to be expected. "Think: of it!" one wrote back to France, "the first to call on us after our arrival was a colored gentleman, a tbarming individual! He showed .us how to make the kitchen fire.". Through their refectory window catalogues, advertisements, etc., were flung at almost every meal. On their way across the East River, the ferryman would take no fare. Material help in varied fo~ms came at their prayer through the "visible Providence" of benefactors--it might be "bread," or "coal," or "a desk for Mother Superior's room." At Iast they ended by cry-ing out in return, "Good St. Joseph, you spoil your children!" On June 13, the first Mass was said by Father Wucher, provin-cial of the Fathers of Mercy. Devoted friends had surpassed them-selves in their zeal for the Lord's glory that the tiny chapel might be adequately fitted out in time. During Mass, it was with tears of emotion and gratitude that all present welcomed our Lord. The Helpers were ready now to do their humble part of constructive work in the service of the Church in the archdiocese of New York, discounting such handicaps as the unaccustomed heat, the language (a problem to some), and the :'caresses of holy poverty." To this day they feel how much they owe to the encouragement of the clergy and°the generous help of their friends. From these sources they drew, in great part, the confidence with which they began and the success they later achieved. Only two days did they wait for their first sick call. It was an old Alsatian woman confided to them by their chaplain. She was ~o receive Holy Communion on the Feast of the Sacred Heart, and they were asked to prepare her room. The home was in rehlity an bld shack set up in a small, damp yard. The sick woman was stretched on a low bed--in the midst of discomfort and disorder-- and welcomed as angels from heaven tl-ie "Sisters" who offered to "lend a hand" foi house cleaning and to be "sacristans" for the welcome of the adored Visitor of the morrow. Some sheets, here-tofore unknown in the home, brought a little material comfort; while a new bedspread, some clean towels, and a simple altar adorned with candles and flowers added a note of cheerfulness and hope. "You will come back again, Sisters, won't you?" asked .the sick wo-man; after the ceremony. A hearty "As long as you need us" was her reassurance. Cases of even greater poverty and need ~were soon discovered. .:. A.~Helper writing to he'r mother general makes light of the difti~ 186 dul~!, 1955 ., MOTHER ST. BERNARD culties ¯encountered. "What a pity .we can't make more often ex-. cursions such as we did lately on our rounds! Our visit to Mrs. X ended, we were preparing to climb down the stairs to go next door, but Mrs. X directs us, 'dust go by the roof, Sisters!' And so we did,: and continued down the block by the same route! I wonder how we shall fare this week--the roofs are deep in snow." Father Schleuter, S.d:, chaplain of Blackwe11's Island, sent the Helpers a call for help in his work there. In the Hospital and Home for Colored Incurables, they began their visits of cheering and in-structing, which they continue to this day. Other hospitals have since been added. Their first case among the colored was the subject of another letter of triumph to Paris. Love for the least of Christ's little ones ¯ drew the Helpers to these--so destitute of all in those days. And they realized they were loved by the "new Sisters." Hearts opened at their approach, and soon we read of the baptism of nine little Negro children under five years, along with a good woman whom human respect did not deter from "joining up." They all had been collected in the same street, one which resembled nothing so much as a camp of outcasts. In one home three children slept on fi heap of rags as a bed; no furniture at all was to be seen; the father, doubt-less as bead of the family, ' had the honor of a seat on the window sill. We may easily surmise what an amount of ingenuity and ac-tivity was needed to produce the ten neophytes washed and pro-perly dressed for baptism. These souls and others discovered in the Helpers' visiting needed further attention and spiritual development. Guilds at th~ convent were formed for different groups, and the prompt and" numerous attendance at meetings showed they were appreciated. The "colored ladies" of Friday evenings could hardly be persuaded to go home when the time came. "You tell us such beautiful things, Sister, that we would want to stay all night. No one ever before talked to us like that." Indeed, the impression of. the Helpers was something akin to astonishment as they found they Cguld speak everywhere of religion without fear of indiscretion. Souls seemed to expect the mention of the name of God and an invitation to draw nearer to Him; indeed, they seemed even to long for it. A glimpse of activities on their first Christmas day in New York might give an idea of what progress was being made: (1) several First Communions at the midnight Masses (friends who had,bein. invited to assist had hastdned to fill the chapel);.~(2)-~a.receptidn of. 1,87~ SISTER MARY .CASSIED~. sodalists of ourLady'scheduled' for'~t later hour in.'the morning; ~lnd (3)one fo'r tiny tots (boys and girls)" in the.afternoon--the last ended with a "party" for' all concerned. The bell for Offiice at last put" an end to the prolonged rejoicings, and also to the ceaseless smil-ing and entertaining of the hostesses. Instruction of converts was hnother' item of Helper apostolate. The first soul to be thus tended was a young girl who called and presented to.Mother St. Bernard.a note of introduction from Father Van Rensselaer, S.,J., of St. Francis Xavier's. Another case was that pointed out to us by a ~lesuit with the information; "Protestant woman ill: her "little granddaughter to be brought up Catholic:" A little later the priest asked news of his patient. "She is learning her catechism w'itb much fervor, Father," was the reply. "The child, you mean? . No, the grandmother." "You are .joking, Sister! That can't be! There is nothing to be done with that wo-man . she is a bigoted Protestant." "I can assure you, Father, she is well on the way to" conversion; and it wasn't diffi:ult, either." The 'Helpers' constructive efforts were tending not only to re-lieve misery but to promote development socially and spiritually. First of all, their guilds for young girls and women carried in their programs cultural help fitted to the abilities of their members; sew-ing, languages, singing Under able direction were attractions much appreciated:those displaying talent for music were assisted and en-couraged. A primitive lay apostolate was started among the most fervent members; they were to "bring others," "notify of cases," etc. Italian groups also (of both men and women) received par-ticular attention; soon their Lenten missions were bringing, the re- "treat master immense consolation by the great number of returns to God. As the chapel was filled to capacity, the Helper in charge would give as direction to bet more fervent members, "Don't come tonight; leave your place for that one who needs it more." The formation of the Lady Associates also was a work towards which Mother St.' Bernard's far-sighted zeal turned most .prayer-fully. Favored by God as she was, she seemed to have only to evolve a project in order to draw God's blessing down upon it. Her power was her trust in the "fluidity" of her apostolic 'vocation--its perfect adaptability to.the mentality and needs of America--and in this trust she went straig,ht 6n. The group.of Lady Associates, in the idea of the foundress, Mother Mary of Providence, was called to share closely'in .the Helpers' prayers and. apostolic labors, sharing thus in-their merits for purgatory. From these ~lite were to com~ 1':88~ July, 19~ MOTHER ST. BERNARD the indispensable contributions.towards the Helpers' upkeep an.d works, cooperation in organizing parties or outings, for other groups, companions for the sisters in their visits to .the sick, the poor, or the hospitals. Indeed, it was.no small consolation, for Mother St. Bernard to see certain ones arm themselves with sick-case kit and contribute humble personal service. They bad monthly conferences by the best-known speakers amon. g the clergy, and a three-day re-treat in Lent. By November, 1894, twenty-seven ladies bad already made their .promises of prayer and work for the Holy Souls and bad received their silver crucifix. Mother St. Bernard on this occa-sion stressed their "joy on being received as ou~; Associates, their happiness in the bond of closer union it established with the Helpers." For these souls Mother St. Bernard stood-out as an inspiration and a subject of veneration. One of the first group, who is still living and still a devoted Associate, loves to recall the thrilling im-pression of reverence they experienced when they.stood in her pres-ence. They could not but feel that in the depths of those gentle, smiling eyes was a Presence, whose radiance awed and won them. A ~roof of their esteem for her is found in a life-sized marble statue o(the Sacred Heart erected in memory of her in the convent garden at Eighty-sixth. Street. The uplifted eyes and arms of Christ ex-emplify well her spirit: "That they may know. Thee, the one true God, and Jesus Christ Whom Thou hast sent!" Mother St. Bernard, then, was the life of these varied projects: The generous response of New York Catholics to her zeal w~is the more and more numerous attendance at convent meetings. By 1894 the house could no Idnger contain them. The house itself, moreover, was becoming unsafe: c~uarters must be found elsewhere. This amidst general protestations; "our poor clients were for having the Arch-bishop oblige us to stay!" A' site on East Eighty-sixth Street, be-tween Park and Lexington Avenues, was "deemed suitable, since it placed the Helpers just between their dear poor and the friends not less dear on whom they relied for charitable help. Funds for the moving'were needed; the ladies, volunteered to sponsor a bazaar on the new premises. Let us hear an eye-witness tell of their fervor. "The Octave of the Holy Souls (November 2nd to 9th) :has closed as brilliantly as it began. The Archbishop had had his 'inevitable' absence ex-plained on the invitation cards. The chapel in its feast-day decora-tions gave sensible devotion, and our ladies.' kept it a bower of flowers for the full eight days. A bouquet for our Lord of still more ~189 SISTER MARY CASSILDA agreeable, perfume was the throng that crowded the chapel and drank in the words of Rev. Father Campbell, S.J., former provin-cial of the Jesuits. Father lent himself graciously to all the desires of our ladies for interviews, confessions, etc . " Father Campbell showed his appreciation of the organization by calling it "a great work destined to do much good, one in which good spirit and at-tachment to. their group is far above the ordinary." Nor was purgatory lost to view outside the convent by the Helpers. The Association of 'Prayer founded by Mother Mary of Providence was gathering in treasures for the deliverance of the Holy Souls. The Associates at present are numbered by thousands in each of the Helpers' convents (six now in the United States); they ap-preciate what is being done for their own dear deceased and are glad to obtain for them even more suffrages by participating actively in the "relief" work. For eleven years Mother St. Bernard had been praying, working, suffering, to give God to the souls whom providence directed to her in New York for purgatory's sake. She had loved God as St. John computes charity, for indeed she had "loved her neighbor." She had loved, too, her community; otherwise, how explain the un-failing response of its members to her unceasing calls on them "to relieve the misery of Purgatory by tending the needs of earth"? The fire of zeal that consumed her she knew how to communicate strongly and sweetly to her daughters; they ran gladly in the path she traced for them. But tbey were now to pay the price of further spiritual con-quests by sacrifice. Proposals for a foundation from various quarters :had been set aside by major superiors in favor of St. Louis. Arch-bishop Kane desired the Helpers for his flock, and Mother St. Ber-nard was charged to car'ry help. thither. Consternation reigned 'among her many friends; but Mother'St. Bernard, with ;i group of six Helpers, left in May, 1903, for her new field of activity. They 'found the little house that had been, rented for them on Delmar ¯ Avenue had been stripped by robbers the night.before their arrival. Of whatever furniture or provisions had been collected" for them, 'nothing .remained--and no 'wonder! Not fi door nor a window could, be closed securely; a state:of dilapidation.prevailed. But the exterior had the charm of St. Louis spaciousness' and verdure; the Helpers breathed gratefully an atmosphere of most cordial welcome; ~they,were delighted. Two beds were considered en6ugh .to start with; others'would come. Acarton would arrive correctly address~d.-~".'!.But 9'0 ~lulv, ¯ 1955 MOtHER. ST. BERNARD who sent us that?" would query the Helpers. "You bought it this mbtning," declared the grocery boy delivering it. "Not we, certainly!" "Well, someone just'as "certainly has v'aid for it." The ddnor was never discovered.; The large-l~eartedness of St. Louis Catholics assured the Helpers hearty support, frdm clergy and laity. Bishop Glennon, replacing Archbishop Kane taken sudde.nly ill, was delighted,~ when he heard no distinction of religion, race, or color was mad~ in their works. "You nurse the sick--colored?" he inquired. "Of course!" was the eager reply. The best families, with their deep spirit of faith, were glad show their appreciation of a work for their beloved deceased; g!fts of all kinds flowed in to lighten the rather severe poverty of the first weeks. It must have been great since the ~tory gores, that .the sister cook appeared one day in her superior's room to report a difficulty: she had just one dollar to get the commun!t~' thrbugb day. Mother St. Bernard, in her inimitable way. replie.d, we did not (ome here to eat; we came to save souts!" The incident ended happily, however, for the sister cook; she was called back to have an addition made to her capital. Sympathy was widely awakened. The "new Sisters' " arrival had got into the newspapers. Even bef6re the door bell had been repaired, friendly calls began. "You have come from so far, poor things !--have you been. expelled from France?" '.'The French hav~ such good taste., do you give instructions in millinery? or French?': or just, "Welcome to St. Louis . . . we will help you get started!" Work began at once; calls for nursing the sick around them--or even far from them--were answered. By June the Helpers already had sixty young girls forming a sodality. By October, thirteen ladies had gathered for serious apostolic work, and eight of their daughters and their friends in a group, apart. When the Octave of the Dead was solemnly celebrated with daily sermon and Benediction, one hundred of their friends fillefi chapel, ha.llways, veranda, etc. And their ardor .was no whir damp-ened if the preacher¯failed them unexpectedly; af~er'a wai~ o'f an h~ur and. a half,.they would have Benediction only, .anti depa;t-- l~ving the.work more than. ever! ~ " " ¯ . By. Januar.y .pf.'the next yea}r! sixty-two, colbred" w?.men we)~ attending a "weekly meeting. ¯ In thr~e years: time :(~is.soon as t.hei¯Helpers had settled in. their Review for Religions present home, 4012' Washington Boulevar.d) we read. of two. hun-dred and fifty poor who were~ served'ice cream .and cake at.a party,r How? W.e may 'wonder: All to the credit of.providence and St. 'Louisan generosity ! ,:~. Work. among the colored was pursued with an almost heroic courage. Along the banks of the Mississippi were to be found the poorest and m0,st abandoned of these; some of~the hovels 'were even a menace td~the lives of the religious. One Helper was warned that an infuriated husband was preparing to knife the next Helper who entered his house to care for his wife and cbiidren! The great need of the f~am!ly made the religious discou,n,t the possible danger; she "~ent again. But prudence.would nbt allow her to return--for the present ! The little c61ored children were collected for catechising when 'and where they could be i%u'nd. If a basement that h~id been "their ~e6tre" was needed ~or some other purpose, Helper-and pupils moved off res!gnedly with chairs and benches to the nearest hospitable-- iand still temporary--quarters. From contact with the parents of th~s~ children, bapt!.sms followed, often of whole families. Mother St. Berriard left St. Louis in 1905 to serve her order as foundress of a new house in San Francisco. But l~e} shpernaturai thirst fo.r the" total immolation"of foreign-mission life was not yet slaked. In her corresponderice with the mother ~eneral, allusion was frequeiatly made to China as a much-desired future post. At last ~.h:e latter w~ote her d~ar daughter to be in peace for the present, ~.'for if God Wants you in Chinal He will upset the earth to get you there!" We shill see bow, literally, He was soon to do so. " From the beginning San Francisco was to show'itself a worthy successor of New York and St. Louis as the "Providence" of the He!pets. Archbishop Riordan declared himself ~'their father," and ~ven complained paternally that he v~as not invited to do more for them. Providence also furnished friends, who, for the' sake of pur-gatory and its Helpers, were. glad to help "the Sisters" find a house and begin their charitable works. These were soon in full swing. A p~a~eful apostolate seemed assured them when, at five-fifteen in the morning, April 18 brought i~pon the city the historic earth-quake. When calm began to reappear and Mother St. Bernard was able to write, she began the account of the great catastrophe with the words, "God be praised for ha~cing enabled us to pass through these sad days in peace and joy in Our L'ord! All are saved, and not too exhausted, considering recent fatigues and emotions:" The 192 July, 1955 MOTHER.ST. BERNARD tale of these latter the .Helpers like to forget, remembering only the marked instances of divine protection, the touching, charity they had experienced, and the good they had been allowed to do for "souls. As a matter of fact, once the time of actual danger passed, they found a temporary residence, which promptly become an ark of salvation for many. ,lust a little later, Bishop Montgomery, on a visit to see how they were faring, discovered that the Helpers were making hay while the sun shone. Starting to open a door to the right, be was stopped by "Not~there, Excellency, confessions are being heard!" To the left, a group was being instructed for baptism; upstairs, souls in sorrow and distress had discovered the Helpers and were being consoled and helped. That morning eighty persons had assisted at a Mass said on the stairway; the absent members of the community were on their intensive tours in the camps. His Ex-cellency could only express his satisfaction with his Helpers for their readiness to meet the emergency. The catastrophe, indeed, which had shaken the city, ,bad not less deeply stirred the hearts of the victims: many saw in it the chastening hand of a Father long 9eglected, and were ready to turn to Him, or recognized in the Charity they' witnessed the one true church, and.desired to enter it. It was the happy lot of the Helpers to bring these to the priest. Five camps, each'comprising thousands of souls, were confided to their care;, and," before the refugees were able to find homes, the apostles bad again and again filled their nets wi'th the almost mirac-ulous draughts provided by the Lord; months of labor and fatigue, lightened by accompanying joy. By October a conventual life could be resdmed once more in a house temporarily rented, and the ordinary ,works of their voca-tion be resumed. To these were to be eventually.added extensive work among the French and the Chinese. But it was not to be Mother St. Bernard who would cultivate the new field as she had done in St. Louis and New York. The present shattering experience had seriously" fiffected her health, and she was recalled to Paris by an anxious mother general to be moth~red in her turn. Looking back over the labor of the year, she could say, "Our efforts have certainly borne fruit in Purgatory; and even if We had come to San Francisco only to give to God the souls re-cently converted, and to prevent, as we hope, 'so many mortal sins, ou~ sacrifices would be Well rewarded!" 'On September 19 Mother St. Bernard and a companion arrived once more at the'Jr home-land and were welcomed w. ith the warm affection that character- 193 NOTES ,FOR CONTRIBUTORS Reuieu.~ "for ,Religious izes the Helpers' family life. The time spent there¯ shou!d'~h~v~ been for her an epoch of peace and repose by the°side of her ~beloved mother general; but the Lord's way for her was still alternately one of extraordinary graces of union, and of interior¯ unrest and torment. Temptations, scruples, a too-ankious striving for a per-fection ever eluding her were now a 's~nctifying.fire in which' a last. mystic purification was being accomplished: and graces were being bbught for her apostolate. Finally, the mother general, yielding to the entreaties of Mother St. Bernard, gave her as assignment the missions. 'And in December, 1908, her last journey--this time to China !--was begun. The Helpers had been in that country since 1867, assisting the Jesuits in Kiang-su by training Chinese maidens for their priests' mis-' sionary work, caring for abandoned babies and orphans, and even opening schools for Chinese and European girls. Mother St. Ber-nard was welcomed there as a gift of God to the mission. She was appointed superior of one of the Helpers' convents in Shanghai, to which several European schools and free dispensaries were attacbed. The ~ictive part of her li'fe, ~however, was over; for her health had failed her completely now; but from her room, or even her bed; she' governed her establishment and had the consolation of 'designing and constructing a new altar for the chapel. It was the last time she would arouse and guide the latent abilities of her daughters for the adornment of the I£ord's abode among them. The Jesus she had ever so faithfully served was surrounded to the end by the care of her adoring love. After a long decline, patiently accepted, she went at last to find rest in Him who .had been her "All" in her struggles here below. His sacred name was the last her dying lips were heard to utter. She rests now in the convent cemetery; her remains, a long silent prayer for the welfare of her beloved China. Not es t:or Con!: 'ibutors tin our March number (pp. 104-112) we,publish~d the main part of a new style sheet. The material given here completes the .project.] VII. PAREN 'HESES EN,U.MERAT[ONS 1. Pla~e between parentheses figures or letters used to mark divi, sions of. enumer~ations,run., into the. .text. . :,,~ The,reasons for his resignation were three: (1) advanced age, (2) failing health', and (3) a desire to travel. 2. Pa'refitbe.ses a}e ~sed in pairs except that, when enum~;~d "di@- sions are pa~agrapl~ed, a~single parenthesis is ordmardy"u~ed {6 r94 NOTES FOR CONTRIBUTORS follow ~l lower-case (italic) letter or a lower-case roman numeral; a period is used instead of the parenthesis with Arabic figures and capital (roman) letters. He gave three reasons for not coming: a) He was not sure of the appointed time. b) He had no available transportation. c) He was sick. He 'gave three reasons for not coming: i) He was not sure of the appointed time. ii) He had no available transportation. iii) He was sick." He visited briefly the cities of-- 1. St. Paul, Minnesota; 2. St. Louis. Missouri; 3. Kansas ,City, Missouri. He visited briefly the cities of-- I. St. Paul, Minnesota; II. St. Louis, Missouri; III. Kansas City, Missouri. 3. If one or more of the enumerated items is a complete sentence, a period is the proper end punctuation; if all the enumerated items are. incomplete sentences and do not contain internal pur~ctuation, a comma is the proper end punctuation;if all th'e enumerated items are incomplete sentences and one or more of the items contain in-ternal punctuation, a semicolon is the proper end punctuation (cL the examples above). 4. If a period, comma, semicolon, or dash is needed at the end of a parenthesis that interrupts a sentence, place the mark outside.the parentheses. " Karen did not kfi'ow (or so she said). Here he gave .big strange, thofigh accurate (and' handsomely delivered), ac-count of the disaster. ]['ilton was.b.orn thi~ year of the flood (1894.) ; he doesn't remembe_r, much 5.' If a co, lon,.':question mark, or exclamation pbin~ I~elonks only"to th.e .p.a~[.enth_.~esi~, place the mark inside the p~ir~nth~ses' and end th~ sentence with another mark. : , ,~ : (Helen:) There is something .you'.are forget'tizig! "' '~' :. ' :: ~." .' Karen did not know (or did she?). ¯ :'" ¯ :" "''¢ Yates absconded with:'my fishing tackl~ (the.Scoundrel!;). d a , 6. If a colon, question mark, or exclamation point bel~n~ to the rest of the sentence or to.both the parentheses and the rest of the sentence, .place the mark outside the parentheses. .-" Pe'r6n nientions three ladrones (robbers) : Gonzales, Trega, and the'nameless . butcher. . ": . ¯ ¯ ;.Would.you care to join .us (in othei" words,, will you fake.the.d/ire)~ Chesterton said the most startling thing" ~oh. page 7) ! . ., .:i ¯ 1. NOTES 'FOR CONTRIBUTORS 7. Independent parenthetical sentences are enclosed in parenthese~ and are .punctuated and capitalized just like other independent sen-tences; the end punctuation is placed it/side the parentheses. I had just met the. man. (Oldenburg insists I met him a year earlier. Olden-burg, however, remembers things more or less as he pleases.) We had been introduced by Clesi, a mutual friend. VIII. COLON 1. Use a colon to introduce formally any matter that follbws-- usually matter in apposition. (A dash, less formal, may be used also for this purpose.) : She felt as .you would expect: worried, frightened, perplexed. 2. Use a colon to introduce a clause, that summarizes what has gone before. (A dash, less formal, may be [~sed also for this purpose.) You are to appear at exactly two o'clock; you are to be wearing a green cap; you are to leave at precisely th'ree: o'clock:" these things you must do . exactly and without fail, 3. Use a colon to introduce items tha~ are indented like paragraphs, provided that the introductory statement could stand as a sentence by itself. If the introducto;~z statement., is incomplete, use a dash. He'gave three ~easons for not coming: j ¯" 1. He~was not sure of the appointed time. . 2. He had no available transportation. 3. He was sick. He visited briefly the cities a) St. Paul Minnesota; b) St. Louis; Missouri; ,. c) Kansas ~City, Missouri. 4. Capitalize the first ~vord after a colon whenever you want to introduce formally a complete. :sentence following the colon. ., , The. '.next. questipn ~hat came up.for discussion was: Are the requirements for membership strict enough? . ,. 5. 0 D6 not capitalize the first ,k, ord after a colon, when. y9u are (I) merely giving an example or amplifying a preceding clause or (2) adding'brief iiems that do not make 'a" complete sentence. " Everything ffas~perfect for our walk' to Corona: the day was sun'ny a~id clear; the air grew cooler and scented as we climbed the Divide; and we seemed to have the .whole mountain to ot~rselves. Peace is not an accident:, it is built of law and self-restraint. Be sure to bring,these things .with you: .,swim.ruing trunks, slacks, and tennis shorts. OUR CONTRIBUTORS SISTER MARY CASSILDA, Helper of the'Holy Souls, went to China ~'i~h Mother St. Bernard!add spent the first twenty-five years of her religious life there; the latter part of her life has been spent almost entirely as mistress of novices. 3OHN MATTHEWS and 3OSEPH ,F. GALLEN are members of the faculty, of Wood-stock College, Woodstock, Maryland.: . ?1~,96 "['he ot: l x rnple John Matthews, S.J. GOOD example r(quires at least two persons --.the one Who gives and the one who receives the example. A man gives holy example b~; doing holy deeds; when these virtuous works move another to .imitafe them, that other is said to receive good example. Of course, all fine actions stir men to applaud them; but our human approval may go no further. At times, however, God appoints a worthy deed to serve as a grace. We call it an external grace' because it is a divine gift outside our souls-- for instance, the Bible. Thus when God wills that another's holy action be an example to us, then --and only-then-- can that act of virtue help us to do a like deed in a way leading to heaven. Then'the virtuous deed teaches us. It arouses our admiration. It draws us to imitation. It encourages us. It moves us to good thoughts and resolutions. It can even open up new paths of holiness. In this way a virtuous work prepares our minds and wills to receive from God the actual grace with which we can do deeds of superfiatural worth. So does the grace of example play its part in the divine plan for our salvation. Jesus Christ is our greatest model of holiness, our finest example of virtue. He practiced all the virtues in their fullness -- without defect and without sin. He excelled in love of and obedience to His heavenly Father. Towards men He was patient and merciful. He offered His enemies, a Heart of love. While humble, He evei spoke the truth with,courage. The perfection and harmony of virtue iri-spired all His actions. Rightly do we call one of such perfect holi-ness our greatest grace of example. Moreover, ou~ Lord had a mission to be for mankind the exem-plar of virtue. From ~ternity God the Father in His loving providence had willed expressly that the actio'ns of His Son should be graces of example for men of future ages. H~nce our Lord cafne into the.~orld to model holy deeds for us and to draw us to imitate His example. Our Savior was aware ofthis mission; and He completed it by model-ing ~vety virtue in every circumstafic6 of life--iia the family, in dealing with others, in poverty an'd labor, in honor and tempation, in prayer and pain a'nd death. $6 foi'countlesss'children 6f God, the actions of Jesus have been and are an external grace; throu'~-cen-t- ,197 JOHN MATTHEWS Review for Religious uries to come our Model will offer men the grace of holy example. "For I have given you an example that, as I have done to you, So you do also'[ (3ohn 13:15). Note those last words: "so you do also." Therein the Savior stresses our duty to be graces of example for our fellow men. Jesus has the right to command us; He is our Lord and Master. Yet He did not merely impose on His faithful the duty of imitating Him; He also practiced the virtues Himself: "As I have done to you, so you do also." Christ commands only what He first did. "For unto this are you called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving you an example that you should follow His steps" (I Pet. 2:21). In the likeness of ,Jesus, we too must give holy example to our brethren. This means, first, that we may not give bad example. Our ac-tions must never be a scandal to others. Hence priests and religious can well challenge themselves. Have I through discouraging advice failed to draw my neighbor to God when I could have? Has my neglect of duty been a bad influence on my flock? Has my failure led others to act remissly? Have my faults disedified those whom God has placed in my charge? We see readily that poor example can be very damaging to our neighbors' faith and .holiness. But our Lord also calls us to be sterling examples to those about us. Thus we are bound in Christlike charity to give .holy example, especially when it is needed to save others from suffering serious scandal or from committing mortal sin. This duty is uni-versal; on all men of all time rests the task of inspiring each other by worthy conduct. Particularly obliged to give good example are those having authority--religious superiors, parents, teachers, civil officials, bishops, and priests. Like Christ, her Head, the Catholic Church has the mission of being the exemplar of sanctity in the world. She must be holy her-self and she must also model holiness for every walk of life. In-deed, ~so clearly was the Church a pattern of virtue in her early days that even the pagans remarked this. "The practice of such a special love brands us in the eyes of some. 'See,' they say, 'how they love one another . . . and how ready they are to die for each other.'-1 Today likewise the Church's children must in .charity offer Christ-like example to those in and out of the fold. As Catholic~, there-fore, it is emine.ntly our duty to live. so virtuously, that God," if Hd wills, may use our holy deeds as patterns for imitation by other 1Tertullian, Apolo~y,'Ch. 3 9. duly, 1955 TH'E GRACE OF F.XAMPLE me'n. Then will Our Catholic life carry on the wonders our Savior did. Our practice of virtue will draw souls to Christ and to His Church. The duty of givin~ example will be an apostolate to our neighbors in the Lord. We will be our brothers' keeper, a good shepherd to sheep outside the fold, a leaven in the mass of mankind, and a flame lighting for men the way to God. Truly is our good example a help to the holiness of others--in the convent, seminary, school, parish, hospital, everywhere. It com-bats evil .example; it challenges bad will; it supplants ignorance (cf. I Pet. 2:12-15); and it offsets that fear of men which keeps the timid from acting rightly. Frederic Ozanam,2 hoping to begin his work amongst the needy, .was so hindered by obstacles that he almost gave up the idea. In search of strength he stepped into a church. There he saw a man praying before the Blessed Sacrament. It was his friend, Ampere, a scientist of renown, a pioneer in the field of electricity; and, from this man's prayerful example, Ozanam drew the courage to work again and finally to found the St. Vincent de Paul Society. The example of Ampere was an external grace, prepared by God from all eternity fbr the disheartened Ozanam. Again, worthy example helps man spiritually because it spurs others to imitation.In 1646, St. Isaac 3ogues, 3esuit missionary, died under the blows of an Iroquois tomahawk. As a young priest 3ogues saw two of his fellow missionaries returning from their labors to Quebec. He wrote3 of them to his mother. "They were barefooted and exhausted, their underclothes worn out and their cassocks hanging in rags on their emaciated bodies.", Yet the sight of these missionaries was an external grace for 3ogues--and the oc-casion of actual graces that made his missionary vocation stronger. He continues in his letter: "Their faces . . . expressive of content and satisfaction . . . excited in me both by their looks and conver-sation a desire to go and share with them the crosses to which our Lord attached such unction." That desire St. Isaac satisfied thr.oug.h torture and martyrdom. A last word. ~oncerns oumelves. God places us where we. can best~gain heaven and lead ot.he~s there. In this vocation all should give and receive holy example. Through the centuries the family heroes of~the Catholi+ Church--Christ, Mary, saintly men and wo- 2James Bro~terick; S.J.,'. Fred&ic Ozanam and His" Society (London: Bu~:ns, Oates f3 Washbourne Ltd., 1933:). . . ¯ -. . 3Dean Harris, Pioneers of the.Cross.in Canada (Toronto: McClelland and Good-child). QU~S.~IONS AND ANSWER~ Reoiew for Religious men and children--have been patterns of virtue for mankind. Today Catholics have the task of carrying on the work of their heroes and of being themselves graces of example for all those God brings into. th'eir daily life. Indeed, the Christian apostle will stand out amongst men as another light of the world, drawing souls to his Savior and his Church. Such a crusade can well be fruitful unto life eternal both for ourselves and our neighbors in Christ. As Catholics, we will also see the holy actions of others. These may not impress us much; indeed, we may even smile at them. When, however, God wills that another's act challenge us, we find heart and mind drawn to praise and imitate the virtuous deed. In this favorable situation God pours into our soul the heavenly strength of His actual grace, wherewith we ourselves can imitate the fine ex-ample of our neighbor. I~ is God who puts .us in the way of inspiring example. In His special care for each soul, He planned that from all eter.nity. We must, then, take to heart the example others give us; for thereby God seeks to help us grow more holy. We should profit by the worthy example we notice, be alert for the actual grace which fol-lows example, and use God's graces, both external and actual, to do those virtuous deeds which delight God and open heaven for us. ( ues ions and Answers 16 In Review {or Religious, XIII (1954), 251, it is stated: "Major superior-esses . . . shall send in their report as follows: . . . In 1956 . . . the super-ioresses of America (North, Central, South)." A doubt occurs to our minds as to whether the year 1956 is to be included in the quinquennial report, which then will be sent to the Sacred Concjrecjation of Rellcjious early in 1957. Kindly let us know. In a decree dated March 8, 1922, the Sacred Congregation of Religious determined the dates for the years in which the quinquen-nial report is to be sent to the Holy See by all religious institutes according to the" prescriptions of canon 510, and it provided as follows: "The five-year periods are determined and common for all religious institutes and they begin with the first day of January, 1923." Hence (he first report to be sent during the year 1928 began with Jantlary I, i923, and ended with December 31, 1927. Simi- 200 4.ul~l7 1955 . . QUESTIONS AND ANS,.WERS lar.ly .the report to be sent to the Holy See during the.year 1956 (nQt 1957) by all religious institutes of women' from the Americas (North, Central, and South) will cover the .entire five-year period beginning with January 1, 1951, and ending December 31, 1955. ml7-- When a sister v~hether temporarily or perpetually professed, who has left the community, is permitted for a good reason to return, should she take her rank in religion fron~ her first profession? Or should she be.' ranked according to her profession after her re-entrance? Supposing that by "left the community" you mean. that sister asked for and obtained a dispensation from her vows, then the an-swer is to be found in canon 640, § 2, which reads as follows: "If, by.virtue of an apostolic indult, he i~ received again into the insti-tute, he must make a new novitiate and profession, and his place, amongst the professed members, must be reckoned from the day of his new profession." On the other hand, "left the community" may simply mean that the sister was granted, an indult of exclaustration, that is, per-mission to live in the world for a time without the religious habit and in subjection to the local ordinary in conformity with the pro-visions of canons 638 and 639. In this case sister remains bound by her vows and the other obligations of her religious profession compatible with her state. She is, for the time being, not subject to the superiors of her own institute, but to the local ordinary in whose diocese she resides, and this even by virtue of her vow of obedience. Consequently, upon .her return to her institute, since she has never been released from her vows, she resumes that rank which she already had when she went out into the world for a time. A novice in a pontifical institutewhich has two full years of novitiate received the habi÷ on August IS, 19S3. During the canonical year the novice spent.twenty-two days in a hospital. Now two questions arise: (I) When does the second year of novitiate begin in this case? (2) What is the earliest date upon which the novice may tak,e first vows? First of all, l~t us recall to mind that' canofi 555; §12, states the foil.owing: "If the 'constitutions prescrib m6re than 6ne ~'ear for the novitiate, the extra time is not required" for the ;¢alidlty of th~ profession, except the constitutions expressly 'd'&la}{ btherwise." Since.nothing was said about such a provision, we may presume 201 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS Review for Religious that the constitutions have no special provision for the validity of the second year of novitiate. What folloWs~ therefore, applies qnly to the licit profession of tb~ first vows after two years of novitiate. :.- On February 12, 1935, the Commission for the Interpretation of the Code "of Canon Law declared that an apostolic indult is re-quired in order that, the canonical year of novitiate mentioned in canon 555, § 1, n. 2, may be transferred to the second year of novitiate according to § 2 of the same canon. In other words, when there are two years of novitiate, the canonical year must be com-~ pleted dur]ng the first year. A canonical, year of novitiate which has been interrupted by a period of more than thirty days must be begun over again. On the other hand, if the novice has passed more than fifteen days but no~ more than thirty days even interruptedly outside the novitiate'house under the obedience of the superior, it is necessary and sufficient for the validity of the novitiate that he supply the number of days so passed outside. This is the statement of canon 556 regarding thi~ interruption of the canonical year. To complete this canonical year the novice .in question, must spend twenty-two complete days extra in the novitiate after August 15. Hence the second year of novitiate cannot be begun until midnight: of September 6-7. This answers our first question. If the second year of novitiate begins at midnight, September 6-7, thenit will be completed at midnight ~f September 6-7 a year later; and the novice may licitly take his vows on September 7, 1955. Superiors cannot shorten the second year of novitiate (Normae of 1901, art. 75), nor can they dispens~"from a'-certain number of days by reason~of power granted to ',them 'in the constitutions; and the reason is that there is no questio~ here o~ a simple disciplinary norm from which superiors may dispense. However, in the present case,.the superior would be justified in.requesting a dispensation from the Holy See so that the novice ~ay make his first profession of vows aftertwo years with his class on A~g(st 15~ 1955. Are indulgences 9ranted ~y the Holy See limited to Catholics of the Latin rite? How may a Cafh01i~ o~ ~he ,~e~'.rit~' share, ih ~hese indul-gences ff they a~e so I[mffed? Do Cafhofic~ off, he Greek r[fe,have the[r own book on in ences? . ": ,: Since indulgences, pertain directly to'the spk~tual good'of souls, 202 July!, 1955 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS they must be intended for all Catholics.¯ In this matter there is no distinction between the Eastern and the Latin churches. As far back as December 23, 16'16, Pope Paul V assured the clergy and people of the Ruthenian nation in communion with the Apostolic See that they share with the rest of the faithful all in-indulgences upon fulfillment of the prescribed conditions (cf. Col-lect. Lacensis, II, col. 600 d). Within recent times a certain bishop of an Eastern. rite proposed the following question: "May the faith-ful of the Eastern Rites gain the indulgences granted by the Supreme Pontiff by a universal decree?" And the Sacred Penitentiary re-sponded in the affirmative on duly 7, 1917 (AAS, IX [1917], 198). Since these concessions refer only to indulgences granted to all the faithful by a universal decree, Vermeersch asks a very practical question (Periodica, IX [1920], 67, 68): "May Orientals by the use of scapulars and blessed beads gain the indulgences of the Latins?" He is inclined to the affirmative opinion, even in the case when 'the erection of a confraternity is required. His opinion is based upon an answer of the Sacred. Congregation of Indulgences which d~- clared it was lawful, for the master general of the Order of Preachers without a special faculty of the Holy See to erect confraternities proper to the Order also in churches of a different rite with the previous consent of the ordinary as among the Latins (S. C. Cong. lndulg., dune 21, 1893). There is no special book of indulgences for the Eastern Church. For such indulgences as have been granted by the Supreme Pontiff to all the faithful by a universal decree they may use the official Latin text issued in 1942 by the Sacred Penitentiary.under the ~itle of Enchiridion Ir~dulgentiarum (2nd ed., 1952). This has been ' translated into English under the official title of the Raccolta or Prayers and Devotions Enriched with Indulgences. ~-20-~-" In the case of a small monag:l'i~: chaptei', is it permissible to use fyped slips of. paper for votlncj inlplace 6f hand v~'riffen ones? Some elderly nuns do not ~e~h well:enodcjh:to write, and i~" would 'be very helpful if;they could be cfive~n"the typed namds of all th~ nuns 'enjoylncj ~passlve vblce. 'Our consti÷ufions do not specify "thekind bf ballot to be 'tJs~d b'i,t"onl~, i'hat it is to b~ "~leposffed in :÷heurn.; . .'. To avoid all .confusign~ and any~:pgssible, invalidity of votes because o~ a "lack of secrecy, only blank slips of paper should be.used ,203: QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS Review ~oF Religious in elections, even in the case of a small monastic chapter. When an elderly nun who does not see well enough to write advances to de-posit her ballot in the urn, let her give her blank ballot'io one of the tellers and ask him to write in the name of N.N. Since the tellers are bound to secrecy by oath (Canon 171, § 1) thiff method is proposed by a number of reputable canonists 'such as Schaefer (De Religiosis. ed. 4, p. 242, n. 499, 15), 'Jone (Commentarium in Codicem, I sub c. 169, n. 2, pp. 173-'74), De Carlo (Ius Religi-osorum, n. 125IV, p. 114.), Vermeersch-Creusen (Epitome, I, n. 287) and others. . On account of a very tight schedule it would seem necessary to have Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament on prescribed days during our medi-tation period. Would such a practice I~e considered desirable?. Or would it be better to have Benediction less often and have it outside of medi-tation time?" May a holy hour during which there is exposition of the Bles-sed Sacrament interspersed with vocal prayers and sincjincj be considered as a valid substitute for meditation?' Finally, is it permissible to substitute a second.Mass for par~ of the morning meditation? Geiaerallyspeaking, there should be no conflict between medita-tion period and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. The consti-tutidns[ pres~rib'e th~ period of daily; meditation and no superior has the power to dispense in a "~enera! way from this obligation by shortening it. On the other hand, the sisters should not be de-p. rived of the blessing of 'their Eucharistic King on those days when Benediction fs permitted by the local ordinary. Schedules can and sfiould b~ arranged so as to avoid a frequent conflict. In single in-stanci~ s when, o'wing to iin unforseen difficulty, both cannot be had, superiors may dispense from a part of .the meditation period in order to make it possible to have Benediction ~f the Blessed Sac[a-ment. Provided that the holy hour has several periods free for silent prayer, it may be used. for the evening meditation. The chaplain may be ask.ed to provide such intervals for silent prayer. It is hardly c.orre.ct to talk about "substituting a second l~lass for meditation." What the writer has in mind un.doubtedly is the fact that occasional.l~r a "dsiting priest puts .in an. appearance and says Mass during the time allotted to the morning meditation. There is no objection to the religious finishing their meditation during this second.Mass (cf. t~EVlEW' FOR RELIGIOUS XI [1952]-, 3~:~3, q. " 30). , . 20.4 " Religious Clerical Forma!:ion and Sist:er Format:ion Joseph F. Gallen, S.J. [The following article is an address given by Father Gallen at the first Eastern regional meeting of the Sister Formation Conference, held at Fordham University, November 27, 1954. Ed.] thought WE can aptly begin our meeting by borrowing a of P!us XII. There is no doubt that progress has been made in the education and formation of sisters. Our spirit, there-fore, should not be one of discovery and reform but of greater progress. We are to direct our thoughts and efforts, not to the merely necessary or barely sufficient, but to the perfect. The state of perfection implies not only personal perfection but also perfec-tion in God's work. The topic a~signed to me may be entitled, "Religious Clerical Formation and Sister Formation." The comparison is not new. Father Larraona, the Secretary of the Sacred ~ongregation of Re-ligious, stated in 1951 that the teaching apostolate of sisters had a distinctive similarity to the priestly ministry. There is nothing in the Code of Canon Law on the studies or .professional formation of members of lay institutes, brothers, nuns, and sisters. The sarhe silence is verified with regard to non-clerical studies in clerical in-stitutes. The aim of this talk is to give the pertinent legislation, and especially the mind and spirit of the Church, on undergraduate clerical studies of religious men. This is to serve as a basis of con-jecture to the mind of the Church on the education and formation in lay institutes and as a partial foundation for your practical dis-cussions on this same point. My instructions were to emphasize the reasons for the legislation on clerical studies. Since these reasons are not found in the Code of Canon Law but in documents of the Holy See issued before and aftdr the Code, this talk will necessarily be, in great part, a documentation'. I. DURATION OF UND~ERGRADUATE CLERICAL STUDIES Presupposing the completion of high school, canon law com-mands two years of the humanities (first and second year of coi- , lege), at least two years of philosophy, and at least four years of theology for rehgtous dest~,ned for the priesthood. Exact 1y the same norm is .true of diocesan clerical studies. 205 JOSEPH F. GALLEN There is also an added .period of clerical formation immediately after the completion of the seminary course. This period is only of counsel, not of strict obliga.tion.; but it is a counsel strongly urged by Plus XII and the Sacred Congregation of Religious for both diocesan and religious priests. The words of Pius XII to the bishops of the world on this pont are: "We urge you, Venerable Brethren, as far as circumstances may permit, not to rush inexperienced priests into the life of full activity." On the time of this added formation, he states: "Accordingly, We heartily approve the plan. of assign-ing for several years the newly ordained priests, wherever possible, to special houses." "Several years" demand a minimum of two years. The S. C. of Religious had already urged the same practice for religious priests. The undergraduate preparation for the priesthood is thus at least eight years of obligatory study and traini.ng after high school and two years of counselled limited activity and further formation after the completion of the seminary course. The reason for the obligatory duration was expressed in the same words by Leo XIII and the S. C. of Seminaries and Univer-sities: "The preparation for the priestly duties must be long and arduous, since no one becomes familiar with things of such great moment easily or rapidly." The same Congregation also phrased this purpose as follows: "The work of the formation of a worthy ec-clesiastic is arduous and prolonged, but the fruits that are gained are no less useful to the Church and no less consoling to the heart of a bishop." Th~ reasons given by Plus XII and the Sacred Congregations of Religious and of Seminaries and Universities for the highly recom-mended added period of formation are: the dangers that exist at the beginning of the priestly life; the insufficiency of seminary training for the inc'reasing needs of the people; the necessity of training in doctrine, technique, and in the new forms of the apostolate; the need of competent and experienced individual guidance in the min-istry and also in the spiritual lives of young priests: and the need of learning the necessities, dangers, and difficulties of our times. The subjects I would suggest for your though~ and discussion under this betiding are the following: Isn't it in accord with the mind of the Church that the young sister should finish her under-graduate schooling, and training before, beginning to teach? Isn't teaching also a greht work and one that demands.a proportionately long and arduous preparation? 'Is the ill-prepared and unformed 206 July, 1955 SISTER FORMATION teacher in. accord with the 'norm of. excellence of Catholic education stated by Pius XI in his Encyclical on Christian Education and in a letter to his Cardinal Secretary of State: "Catholic establishments, no matter to what grade of teaching or learning they appertain, have no need of. defense. The universal favor they enjoy, the praise they receive, the.numerous scientific works they produce, and par-ticularly the outstanding men of' great learning and exquisite cul- , ture that they contribute to the service of government, to the arts, to teaching, to life finally in all its aspects are more than a sufficient testimonial of their renown." Are religious superioresses guilty of the imprudence that Plus XI censured in religious superiors who wish to abbreviate clerical studies thht they may apply their sub-jects more quickly to the sacred ministry? He declared that the de-fect of such a rapid and inverted preparation can scarcely ever be remedied in later life and that the utility is later proved illusory by the diminished aptitude of the subject for the sacred ministry. I almost sense the familiar rebuttal that springs to the lips of many: "But we need the sisters. What of the thousands of children who must be given a Catholic education?" Let the Holy See an-swer. In an Instruction of April 26, 1920, to the Ordinaries of Italy, the S. C. of Seminaries and Universities repeated a recom-mendation of the. S. Consistorial Congregation that newly ordained priests be assigned as prefects in minor seminaries. One reason for the recommendation was that it would give the young priests one or two years of added study, formation, and initiation in the sacred ministry. The S. Congregation proposed to itself and answered the one di~culty that existed against the recommendation, i.e, the immediate need of priests in the active ministry. The Congregation maintained that this difficulty was outweighed .by the good of giving later a perfectly and solidly formed priest, that the profit of the added formation of one or two years was immensely greater than the good of supplying the immediate necessity, and also that the delay in supplying the immediate needs would be only for one or two years. The system would be in full operation at the end of this time, and the same number of priests would then be assigned yearly to the life of full activity. We can add ,that it appears to be idle to oppose the necessity of teachers against the longer preparation of sisters. The Catholic population in the United States is not decreasing; the de-mand for teachers will no~ decrease in the future. If the longer preparation cannot be given now, when will it be possible to give this preparation ? 207 JOSEPH F. (]ALLEN Review [or Religious We may add here some pertinent and important details of cler-ical studies. Canon law forbids religious superiors to assign any duties to the students of philosophy or theology that would be' an obstacle or impediment in any way to either their study Or classes. Canonical authors are quick to explain that the usual violation of this law is the appointment of such students as 'teachers'or prefects in the schools .of the institute. Furthermore, the Code explicitly grants superiors the faculty of dispensing students from some com-munity exercises, including choir, if this is judged necessary for their advance in study. The length of the scholastic year in clerical studies is nine months, which gives a summer vacation of three months. In a letter of July 16, 1912, to the Ordinaries of Italy, the S. Con-sistorial Congregation decreed that there should be four hours of class daily in seminaries. Four and a half hours daily were permitted only if there was a full holiday each week. These hours were to be broken, not all consecutive. The S. Congregation opposed a greater number of hours as impossible and gave as the reasons: the religious exercises obligatory in seminaries and the interruption of labor and rest necessary to avoid harm to the physical health of the students. Care of the health of the students is to be exercised in all seminaries, and it is at least not unusual for one of the officials to have the spe-cial duty of prefect of health. ¯ Is the life of (he young and sometimes even of the older sister in dark and even frightening contrast to this sensible legislation, regulation, and reasoning of the Holy See? She'is confronted daily with the exhausting task of six or seven hours of teaching young children, of extracurriculaf activities, preparation for classes, several hours of religious exercises, domestic duties in the convent, and some-times of added parochial duties.' She may have to attend classes for her own education on some afternoons and on Saturdays. Her Christmas vacation is frequently¯taken up in great part by a second retreat, and her Easter vacation is sometimes devoted to the annual retreat. In the summer¯she is faced by summer school for her own education, her annual retreat, and sometimes by catechetical schools. In such a regime we can seriously doubt that she.is capable'of being sou,ndly educated' by the extra classes .during the year and the sum-mer school. We can affirm with certainty that sufficient care is not being taken of her physical and mental health and that she is not being given the maternal government demanded by Plus XII. With equal certainty we can hold that her spiritual life is endangered. She is faced by an impossible life. Something has to break; and 208 dulg, 1.o55. SISTER FORMATION experience proves, at least usually, that the first thing to weaker~ in such circhmstances is the spiritual life. II. Pu~post~ OF UNDERGRADUATE CLERICAL STUDIE~ The essential purpose of undergraduate clerical studies is to ed-ucate and train a competent and worthy priest for the sacred min-istry. This purpose was expressed by Urban VIII, in 1624, "that they may later be useful workmen for the Church"; by Benedict XIII, in 1725, "that they may be worthy, skilled, useful workmen"; by Plus X, in 1910, "the formation of a priest worthy of the name." In 1940 the S. Congregation for the Oriental Church made a comparison with regard to this purpose, which we can summa~'ize as follows: If lawyers, civil officials, doctors must study for years and obtain a prescribed degree, if even those engaged in the manual arts must serve a long apprenticeship, certainly the ministers of Christ need a much longer and much more careful formation both because of the sublime dignity of their office and the most important duty of directing souls. Isn't the office of the Catholic teacher also sublime, also most important? That office is to form the mind, the heart, the soul to this life and especially to eternal life. Is the~sister being given a for-mation that is commensurate with her purpose and that can stand unashamed before the preparation required for a lawyer, a doctor, before that demanded and enjoyed by her secular colleagues in the teaching profession? We religious live in the day of a great move-ment in the Church, the renovation and adaptation of the religi6us life, initiated and fostered constantly and intensely by .Pius XII. Doesn't this movement demand that we no "longer look to secular agencies and persons for leadership, that the principle of our life, our work, our advance, our progress be within, not without? If we go into this purpose in greater detail, we realize that cler-ical formation is a training in knowledge and in sanctity. Knowledge is of less import.ance, but it is of great importance. The purpose of the formation in knowledge is not to produce merely a skilled spir-itual mechanic, a man unlettered outside the sacristy and sanctuary. It is the intention of the Church, emphasized by Leo XIII, that the priest be a man of culture, of wide and varied learning. Pius XII stated: "Seminarians are to be formed in piety and virtue and are also to acquire a literary and scientific learning that will later en-able them to exercise an efficacious and fruitful ministry among all classes of citizens. A priest must be thoroughly familiar with 209 JOSEPH F. GALLEN Review for Religious sacred doctrine but he also cannot be. ignorant of the knowledge possessed generally by cultured men of his own nation." To teach is to transmit culture. This is especially necessary in our country and age when, to paraphrase Pius XII, so many men work at machines and a much greater number think and live as machines. Every Catholic teacher should be distinguished by a strong family resemblance to her mother, the Catholic Church, the mother of cul-ture and the devoted parent of the liberal arts. Is the extension, the summer school, the discontinuous type of education of sisters apt to produce a person of information and methods ~ather than one of culture? Is the attainment of culture generally possible except in a continuous, prolonged, properly directed and properly regulated course of studies? " Seminary training is a preparation in knowledge; but, in the language of Pius XI, it is infinitely more a preparation in sanctity. Canon law sufficiently emphasizes this purpose and demands that common life be observed perfectly in religious houses of study, and this under the most severe penalty of privation of the ordination of the students, that only edifying religious be assigned to such houses, that the superior exert constant and careful vigilance to secure the most perfect observance of the religious exercises, that the students be committed to the care of a spiritual director of outstanding pru-dence, charity, spirituality, and religious observance, and that the professors are not only to be competent but also of conspicuous pru-dence and spirituality. The law on diocesan seminaries is perfectly parallel. The pre-eminence of this purpose does not escape canonical authors, who follow Clement VIII in classify!ng the period of cler-ical studies of religious as another noviceship. However, it is espe-cially in the constant directives of the Roman Pontiffs that the preparation in sanctity receive its adequate expression. Leo XIII and Benedict XV aptly summarized the purpose of diocesan seminary training not as mere observance of regulations, not as a mere mor-ally upright life, but as the formation in the students of the living image of Jesus Christ. In the thought of St. Plus X, the purpose of the seminary is to form the student in priestly sanctity, and the distinction between the priest and the merely upright man should be as great as .that between heaven and .earth. This purpose must be intensified for clerical religious, since Pius XII has clearly re-moved any possible doubt from the proposition that it is the ob-ligation of the religious, not of the cleric, to strive for complete evangelical perfectiOn. 210 July, 1955 SISTER FORMATION Thus the training in priestly sanctity, in the religious sanctity of the religious priest, demands this long noviceship of at least eight years. Plus XII stated to a gathering of members of the Society of 3esus: "As a long space of time is required to establish the sturdy oak, so prolonged patience is always necessary for the formation of the man of God. Therefore, the generous daring of young men that impels them immaturely into action must be curbed. Too hasty activity destroys rather than builds up and is harmful both to the subject and to the apostolic works themselves." In law the sister is no less the woman of God. She shares equally with religious men the obligation and the glory of striving for complete evangelical perfection. Isn't she being rushed immaturely into action? Is it conducive to her purpose of personal.sanctification to hurry a young sister into the life of full activity after only a year and a half or two years and a half of postulancy and noviceship? You must be aware that at times even postulants and second-year novices are assigned to this life of full activity. In the case of the novices, this practice, as customarily carried out in fact, is clearly contrary to an important Instruction of the S. C. of Religious. Are these facts in accord with the principle of Pius XII quoted above? In his Encyclical on Sacred Virginity, the same Pontiff demands the long segregation of the seminary and scholasticate for diocesan and religious priests and then asks the question: "What gardener in planting trees exposes his choice but weak cuttings to violent storms that he may test the strength that they do not yet possess? The stu-dents of the sacred seminary and the scholastics are certainly to be considered like young and weak trees that .must first be planted in places of shelter and prepared gradually for resistance and conflict." Shouldn't our age of the equality of woman have proved to us that she is the equal of man also in weakness? That she too needs a long segregation in the shelter of eternal things before she is strong enough to live eternal things even satisfactorily in the attractions and al-lurements of the things of time? III. ONE HOUSE OF STUDIES IN EVERY CLERICAL INSTITUTE The law of the Code is that every clerical religious institute is obliged to have at least one house of studies for philgsophy and the-ology. It is even somewhat probable that each province should have such a house. The same law is true of every diocese for the diocesan clergy. The reason for this norm is that the popes have identified the necessity of a seminary in every diocese with the necessity oLsem- ,JOSEPH F. GALLEN R~oieua Ioi" Religious. inary training itsklf. We may add that a seminary in every diocese and a house of clerical, studies in every religious institute a~e, gener-ally speaking, more conducive at least to spiritual formation and evidently permit greater control, direction, and supervision. This canonical norm prompts the following subject for your thought: Should not every congregation of sisters have its own juniorate where, immediately after the novicesbip, the young professed com-plete their undergraduate intellectual formation and continue their spiritual formation? An observation must be added here. In com-manding a seminary in each diocese and a house of studies in every clerical religious institute, the Church manifests that she has no excessive fear of educational inbreeding: This .difficulty will be overcome by having the juniorate teachers make their graduate studies outside their own institute. IV. EXCEPTION TO THE PRECEDING NORM According to canon law, if a religious institute or province can-not have a suitable house of studies for philosophy or theology or it is difficult to send the students to their own house of studies, t.hey are to be sent to the house of studies of another province of the same institute, or of another religious institu.te, or to a diocesan seminary, or to a Catholic university. In the same circumstances, a diocese is to send its seminarians to the seminary of another diocese or, if they exist, to the common seminary of many dioceses (interdiocesan) or to the common seminary of one or several ecclesiastical provinces (regional). These canons suggest the following thoughts for your consideration: the sending of the junior professed to the juniorate of another province, or to the classes of the juniorate of another in-stitute, or to the classes of a Catholic college or university, or to those of a diocesan college for sisters, or final!y to a central house of studies for all the provinces of the same congregation. One very important caution may and should be added here. A seminary is not a day school. By a seminary or clerical house of studies, the Church means a house where the students reside day and night. Otherwise, their principal purpose, the continued spiritual formation of the students, would hax~e to be classed as a practical impossibility. If we apply this concept to congregations of sisters, the following conclusion seems to be evident: If congregations send their junior professed to classes outside their own institute, these young-professed should reside in the one house of their own institute, under the direction of a mistress of juniors, whose office is to be 212 ,lulg, 1955 SISTER FORMATION analogous to that of the spiritual director in diocesan seminaries and clerical houses of study. If this is not done, the prihcipal purpose of a juniorate, the continued spiritual formation of the young professed, will also be a practical impossibility. A well-known authority on the law of religious, the Dominican canonist Pruemmer, has a per-tinent thought on this matter: "Experience proves sufficiently and superabundantly that clerical studies suffer when the students are scattered in small houses that serve only secondarily for studies; therefore, they are to be assembled in larger formal houses whose principal purpose is the promotion of studies." We can well add that their spiritual formation suffers even greater damage. V. SHOULD THE JUNIORATE, AT LEAST ULTIMATELY, BE Ex- CLUSIVELY FOR SIS:FERS; OR SHOULD THE JUNIOR PROFESSED BE SENT TO CLASSES WITH COLLEGE GIRLS? It is the repeated and insistent teaching of the Roman Pontiffs and the Roman Congregations, also in our day, that there is no such thing as a mixed seminary, that is, an educational establishment for both seminarians and secular students. The words of Pius XI on this point are: ". sacred seminaries are to be used only for the pur-pose for which they were instituted, the proper formation of sacred ministers. Therefore, not only must there be no place in them for boys or young men who manifest no inclination for the priesthood, since such association does great harm to clerics, but the religious exercises, the plan of studies, the method of government must all tend to prepare the mind of the student in the proper manner for the performance of his divine office. This .must be the sacred law of all seminaries and it admits of no exception." There are eminent canonists who maintain that the seminary is not to be classed as mixed if seculars are co~fined to attendance at the classes. However, the S. C. for the Oriental Church declared in 1940: "The doctrinal, moral and ascetical formation of the students is to be imparted in seminaries, that is, in colleges or houses devoted exclusively to the preparation of students for the priesthood and properly established and directed to this purpose." Therefore, the doctrinal formation also is to be exclusively for seminarians. This principle w'as affirmed more clearly for Italy by the S. Consistorial Congregation in 1912 and the S. C. of Seminaries and Universities in 1920: "Care is to be taken also that the classes be reserved to seminarians or aspirants for the priesthood, since the seminary classes, also of minor sem2 inaries, should have the distinctive spirit and orientation demanded for aspirants to the priesthood." The latter Congregation also gave 213 JOSEPH F. GALLEN Reoiew for Religious the essential reason for the principle, w'hich we can sumlharize as follows: As the formatioh of a Catholic must animate every Cath-olic teacher and be the soul of every Catholic classroom, so the for-mation of the priest must animate every seminary professor and be the soul of every seminary classroom; education is formation, not the mere imparting of knowledge; and every class must be a training in both knowledge and virtue. This doctrine of the S. Congregation is certainly not new; it is the basic concept of Catholic education. The reasons for the separation given by popes and the sacred congrega-tions are also: Clerical education is something entirely different from that of the laity and the association of the two is a cause Of loss of vocations, fatal to clerical formation, and the cause of great harm to clerical students. The distinction and separation of ecclesiastical and lay education are to be carefully pondered in the following em-phatic words of Leo XIII: "For this reason the education, studies and manner of life, in brief all that appertains to priestly discipline, have always been considered by the Church as something complete in themselves, not only distinct but also separate from the ordinary norms of lay life. This distinction and separation must remain un-changed also in our times, and any tendency to unite or confuse ecclesiastical education and life with lay education and life must be judged as reprobated not only by the tradition of the Christian centuries but by the apostolic teaching itself and the dispositions of Jesus Christ." Thus the subject for your consideration here is: Should not the classroom for the.young sister also have a distinctively religious spirit and orientation? Should not the religious formation of the sister animate all her teachers and be the soul of every class she attends? Is the classroom of secular girls the suitable place for the education of the young sister just out of the noviceship? VI. FINANCIAL SUPPORT OF JUNIORATES In his Apostolic Exhortation on Priestly Sanctity, Pius XII stated: "What is more, Venerable Brethren, We heartily commend the plans that you will discuss to insure that priests be provided not only with means to meet their daily needs but also with assurances of assistance for the future--as We are happy to see done in civil society--particularly for cases in which they may fall ill, be afflicted with chronic ill health, or be weakened by old age. Thus you will relieve them of all anxiety for the future." If we apply again the principle of comparison, the salary of sisters should be sufficient to 214 July, 1955 SISTER FORMATION provide for their daily necessities, at least all ordinary medical care and old age. It should also provide, at least in good part, for their for-mation. It is inherent and essential in every centralized religious in-stitute that there should be an annual tax on every house for the general and provincial expenses, and a very great part of such ex-penses is the education and support of subjects in the states of for-mation. This tax is a necessary item of thelbudget of every convent, and the income of any convent of a school or institution that does not belong to the institute is to be derived at least principally from the salaries of its sisters. VII. EDUCATION AND FORMATION OF SU~'BJECTS APPERTAINS TO THE INTERNAL GOVERNMENT OF [ITHE INSTITUTE The canons on clerical houses of studyi apply to all clerical re-ligious institutes, even if diocesan. These danons nowhere prescribe. any intervention of the local ordinary; but, on the contrary, they place houses of study under theauthority If the superiors and the general chapter of the particular institute.~l The reason is evident. The education and formation of subjects ih any religious institute, pontifical or diocesan, clerical-or lay, is a!matter that by its very nature clearly appertains to internal government, that is, to the authority of the superiors of the institute. ~he admitted concept of internal government in canon law is that it incl.udes not only the general relation of subje:ts to superiors but also the admission of subjects into the congregation and to the Iprofessions, their educa-tion and formation, appointment to various!offices' and employments, and transfer from house to house. Externallauthority and other per-sons outside the institute may and have h~elped; but the right, the obligation, and the rest{6nsibility for the e~ducation of subjects fall on the superiors of the congregation. I belileve it is necessary to em-phasize this point. In this matter higher religious superioresses are too prone to wait for those outside the institute to take the initiative, whereas they themselves have the responsibility for action. As a brief conclusion, we Imay approp~nate a thought of Pius XI: "There is perhaps nothing that the Church has promoted through the course of the centuries more tactively, maternally and carefully than the suitable training of he~r priests." In our own country, where Catholic educa}ion is so Important a part of the Church and of Catholic life and where sisters are so essential a part of that Catholic education, there is perhaps nothing that we should promote more actively, generously, and prog, resmvely than the proper education and formation of the sisters. " 215 Reviews INTRODUCTION TO THEOLOGY. Theology Library, Vol. I." Edited by A. M. Henry, O.P. Translated from ÷he French by William Storey~ Pp. 306. Fides Publishers, Chicago, 1954. $5.95. This is the first of a six-volume Theology Library, presenting a complete theological synthesis based on the Summa of St. Thomas. The translation of the other five volumes will appear during the next two years. The complete work, the result of eight years of collaboration by forty-one Thomistic theologians under Dominican inspiration, envisages as its audience: priests wishing "to continue to grow in the subject of their specialty"; religious seeking to pene-trate still more the subjects they teach in religion class: the laity in search of a systematic theology fo~ apostolic or professional reasons. Father Putz, in the introduction to Vol. I, after noting a gap be-tween the Latin manuals used by seminarians and the simplified textbook of religion courses, expresses the ~bope that the Theology Library will fill this.gap. Father Henry, the General Editor, prom-ises us no mere rehash of St. Thomas when he announces: "Each contributor has tried to rethink the questions and to present them under a form and in terms, nay, even in categories which are ac-cessible to the modern reader." This is, indeed, a bold promise, one whose fulfillment, especially in what concerns "the categories of the modern mind," will require that rare combination of a thorough knowledge of St. Thomas and of modern thought. Readers, then, will be justified in insisting upon some visible efforts at bridge-building between Thomas' mind'and that of today. Until the other volumes have appeared, one cannot determine how far the Theology Library suits the level of the audience en-visioned. To judge by the first volume, those who have had no formal training in thedlogy will find it very difficult to get the de-s

Issue 11.1 of the Review for Religious, 1952. ; Review, f Religious Salesian Spirituality . Qui~qu'ennial Rdpbr÷ Directive " ,. Edward J. Car.n.ey Joseph F. Gallen Perfect Self-'Love ~ ¯ " Wlnfrld Herbsf What are Secular Institutes? . Francis N. Korfh ~ Open Letter to.Self . o. Evereff J. Mibach Rellcjio'us Vocation Today Father ~Paul of. Gra~ymoor . Jerome B~eunig o Questions and Answers o Book Reviews ~ VOLUZ~ XI . NU/vIBER 1 ~ RI VII:::W FOR RELIGIOUS VOLUME XI JANUARY, 1952 NUMBER I CONTENTS SALESIAN SPIRITUALITY-~Edward J. Carney, O.S.F.S . 3 THE QUINQUENNIAL REPORT: OBLIGATIONS AND DIREC-TIVES--- Joseph F. Gallen, S.J . 12 PERFECT SELF-LOVE--Winfrid Herbst, S.D.S . 18 SECULAR INSTITUTES : JURIDICAL NATURE:- Francis N. Korth, S.J . 24 OPEN LETTER TO SELF--Everett J. Mibach, S.J . 31 CONTEMPORARY DEPRECIATION OF THE RELIGIOUS LIFE-- P. De Letter, S.J. . . 34 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS~ 1. Supplying for Absent Counclilor . 42 2. Printing Greeting Cards; :. . 42 Community Press and Outside Contracts . 42 3. Delegate's Duty regarding Promulgation . 43 ¯~. Following Rubrics in Private Recitation . 4,t ¯ 5. Plastic Cover for Scapular . 45 6. May Religious Enlist in Armed Forces? . ". ¯ 45 OUR CONTRIBUTORS . ~ . ' . 45 FATHER PAUL OF GRAYMOOR--Jerome Breunig, S.J . 46 OFFICIAL PRAYERS FOR UNITY OCTAVE . 52 BOOK REVIEWS--Religious Obedience . 53 BOOK NOTICES . 53 BOOK ANNOUNCEMENTS . 54 TEN-YEAR INDEX--READY IN FEBRUARY . 56 NOTE FOR DEANS . , . 56 REVIEW FOR RELIGIOUS, January, 1952. Vol. XI, No. I. Published bi-monthly: January, March, May, July, September, and November at the College Press, 606 Harrison Street, Topeka, Kansas, by St. Mary's College, St. Marys, Kansas, with ecclesiastical approbation. Entered as second class matter January 15, 1942, at the Post Office. Topeka, Kansas, under the act of March 3, 1879. Editorial Board: Jerome Breunig, S.J.; Augustine G. Ellard, S.J.; Adam C. Ellis, S.J.; Gerald Kelly, S.J. Copyright, 1952, by Adam C. Ellis, S.J. Permission is hereby granted for quota-tions of reasonable length, provided due credit be given this review anal the author. Subscription price: 3 dolla~s a year; 50 cents a copy. Printed in U. S. A. Before wr;tincj to us, please consult notice on Inside back cover. Review t:or Religious Volume xi January--December, 1952 Published at THE COLLEGE PRESS Topeka, Kansas Edited by THE JESUIT FATHERS SAINT MARY'S COLLEGE St. Marys, Kansas REVIEW FOR RELIGIOUS is indexed in ~'l~e CATHOLIC PERIODICAL INDEX Salesian Spiril:uali y Edward 3. Carney, O.S.F.S. AS A DIRECTOR of souls St. Francis de Sales is equally at home among people in the world and those in religion. ever-popular lntr6ductlon to a Deoout Life attests to his abil-ity to form the laity. The continuing vitality of his own founda-tion, the Order of the Visitation of Holy Mary, .and his choice as patron by other religious congregations are ample.proo'f of his influ-ence on the religious life. These two forms of Salesiafi spirituality have a fundamental unity in that both rest on resignation or con-formity to the will of Goal. Their point of divergence lies in the fact that the circumstances and obligations of the religious and secu-lar life are different, and thus God's will is made known in keeping with the duties of each life~ In this paper the manifestation of God's will in the life of a religious, and specifically in the life of a Vis-itandine, will be considered. In numerous places throughbut the ~a, int's writ.ings the neceksity of conforming one's self to God's will appears. In a letter to St. ,Jane de Chantal, his collaborator in the founding of the Visitation, St. Francis writes: "When will it be that dead before God, we shall live again to this new life in which we shall no more will to do any-thing, but shall let God willall that we have to do, and shall let His will living act upon ours quite dead?" Elsewhere the saint reaffirms this teaching on the will of God. He calls it the orand tr,,th and his onl~ Sonq: "This is the grand truth; we must look at what God ¯ w~ints, and when we know it we must try to do it gaily, or at least co.urageously." "It is remarkable that this-always comes back to my mind, and. that I know only this song . My father, be it not as I will but.as thou wilt." Since. a person is constituted a religious through .the vows of tell, gion,. St.- Francis sees thd primary manifestation of God's will in the religious life as being embodied in the vow of.obedience" '~If religious do.not obey,-they cannot have any virtue at all; because it is obedi~ ence especially that makes them Religious." Such obedience is directed toward, the Rule of the Order, the superior, and .various' disciplinary commands, all of which represent in some way or other God's;:will for the religious., It is, perhaps, on the ~elationship between superior and subject that St. Francis especially excels. For ,the subiect the EDWARDJ. CARNEY superior holds the place of God, and provided the command of the superior does not involve any sinful violation of a divine or ecclesias-tical law, it is to be considered as coming from God. Thus in those countless occurrences in religio~s life where, strictly speaking, one way of doing a thing may be just as good as another, the mode of action counselled by the superior becomes preferable since it represents for the subject God's will. Even in the event where the superior's judgment may be less perfect than that of the subject, it still repre-sents God's will, and in following such a command the religious achieves union with God. St. Francis especially treats this matter of obedience in the Spiritual Conferences. Herein he gives its qualities as blind, prompt, and persevering, exhorts to a loving acceptance of it, warns against criticism of the superior or the command, and coun-sels confidence that God, who inspires the various forms of obedience, will give the graces necessary for their fulfillment. St. Francis does not restrict this teaching on conformity to the will of God merely to matters of obedience. It is all pervasive, touching every phase of the religious life. Outwardly the individual act may take on the character of charity towards one's neighbor, of resignation to sickness and death, or of some such other act, yet its inner motivation is loving consent to the will of God. The follow-ing are given as examples. Charity toumrds one's neighbor--"For example, if when I am going in one direction I meet a sister who tells me to go in another, the will of God for me is that I should do what she wishes rather than what I wish; but if I oppose my opinion to hers, the will of God for her is that she should give way to me, and thus it is in all indifferent matters." Acceptance of illness--"I understand, my dear daughter, that you have an illness more troublesome than dangerous, and I know that such illnesses are prone to spoil the obedience to doctors; where-fore I tell you not to deprive yourself of the rest, or the medicines, or the food, or the recreations appointed you; you can exercise a kind of obedience and resignation in this which will make you extremely agreeable to Our Lord.' In fine, behold a quantity of crosses and mortifications which you have fleither chosen nor wished. God has given you them with his holy hand: receive them, kiss them, love them. My God! they are all perfumed with the dignity of the place whence they come." Resignation to the death of a parents"Weep now, but rood- 4 January, 1952 SALESlAN SPIRITUALITY erate your tears and bless God; for this mother will be good to you, as you must hope, much more where she is, than she could have been where she was. Behold her then there with the eyes of your faith, and so calm your soul." This teaching on conforming one's self to the will of God leads to a cultivation of those two virtues which are fundamental to the Salesian system, namely, charity and humility. From these flow all the other virtues. "Humility and charity are the mainstays, all the other ropes are attached to them. It needs only to keep ourselves well in these virtues; one the lowest, the other the highest, as .the preservation of the whole edifice depends on the foundation and the roof. Keeping the heart closely to the exercise of these, there is no great difficulty in getting the others. These are the mothers of the virtues, which follow them as little chickens their mother hens." Here charity means love of God. It is, of course, a supernatural virtue, a gift of God. Yet St. Francis often accentuates the effect such a gift produces in its possessor. It incline~ the creature to love God and gives him the strength to do good. Thus under proper cbnditions it~,,t~ends to produce'in the individual a loving conformity to God's will. Now the greatest hindrance to performing God's will is the following of one's own will: "Everyone loves according to his taste; few according to their duty and the taste of Our Lord." As a counter-action to self-love the saint recommends the virtue of humility, which harmonizes love of self with love of God and of neighbor. Within the frame-work of the Rule this virtue brings the religious to union with God: "By humility we unite ourselves to God, submitting ourselves to the exact observance of His will as sig-nified to us in our Rules." In the Introduction to a Devout Life St. Francis also shows how this virtue leads to gentleness towards one's neighbor. Thus emerges the spirit of the Visitation: "And now to come to the particular end for which our Congregation of the Visitation was founded, and to understand more easily what the peculiar spirit of the Visitation is. I have always considered that it is a spirit .of profound humility towards God and of great gentleness with our neighbor." In any consideration of the virtue of humility one must not neglect the letters of St. Francis, whether to religious or to persons living in the world.I Herein the saint insinuates the neces-sity of this virtue by cleverly pointing out the faults of pride: "It is not good to walk on tip toe~ either in mind or body; for if we stumble the fall is all the wors~." "The love of ourself often dazzles EDWARDJ. CARNEY Revieu~ ]:or Religious us: eyes must be very true to avoid being-deceived when we look at ourself." Finally as a correlative" virtue confidence in God always accom-panies humility: "It is a very good thing to mistrust ourselves, but at the same time how will it avail us, unless we cast our whole confi-dence upon God, and wait for His mercy? . . . the virtues of humil-ity, abjection, and confusion are intermediate virtues by which the soul must ascend to union with her God." Thus charity and humil-ity are fundamental virtues in the Salesian system, and humility is always accompanied by confidence in God and gentleness toward the neighbor. In the acquisition of the other virtues of the religious life Sf. Francis again emphasizes the same idea of seeking God's will and not one's own. The following rules may serve as a gauge of choice. 1) "Among the virtues we should prefer, that which is most conformable to our duty, and not that which is most conformable to our inclination." Applied to the religious life this would lead a per-son to a careful observance of the vows and the constitutions: "I can-not sufficiently impress upon you the importance of this point-- namely, punctual attention to the .smallest matters ten'ding to the more perfect observance of the Rule, and at the same time an unwill-ingness to undertake anything more. That is the way to preserve a Religious Order undivided and in its first fervour, and to do other-wise is to do what destroys it and causes it to fall away from its orig-inal perfection." 2) "Among the virtues which do not concern our particular duty, we should prefer the most excellent and not the most showy ¯ . . the best x;irtues and not the most esteemed." This is St. Francis' famous doctrine'of the little virtues--virtues" best adapted to ordi-nary life antt based on the humble recognition of a person's littleness. The phrase "little peddler, little pack" delightfully expresses this teaching. A partial list of these virtues would include patience, bearing with one's neighbor, submission, sweetness of te.mper, affability, and toleration of one's own imperfection. Here it may be well to say somethinR of St. Francis de Sales' attitude toward bodily austerities. The saint's position is often mis-understood, as if countenancing neither fasting nor penitential prac-tices. This is, of course, erroneous. In writing to a superior of a Visitation Convent St. Francis advises: "I am quite willing that ~,ou should wear the hair-shirt once a week, unless you recognize that this danuar~t, 1952 SALESIAN SPIRITUALITY makes you:too slothful in c~ther more important exercises, as some-times happens." Yet~ at the same time it must be. admitted that there is no rigorous corporal mortification in the Visitation. This is excluded by the very purpose of the Order's foundation.: "to be abI~' to receive, delicate women, maidens and widows,, whose physical powers are not great enough, and who are not inspired and drawn to serve (~od.and, to .unite themselves to Him, .by means of such.austeri-t~ ies as are practiced by other Religious Orders." Still other reasons prompt St. Francis in the::assumption of this position. The Salesian system rests on a correspondence to the will of God. Thisis achieved piimarily by an internal subjection of the human judgment and will to ~he divine Wile Bodily :mortification, as something external, may contribute toward such.subjection. Yet it does not necessarily produce it and.at times may. be contrary to it, as in the case of a religious fa~ting against the advice of the superior or the ,prescriptions of the Rule: "She is right, undoubtedly, this good daughterl in thinking that her fasting humour ~s'a tempta-tion: it was, it is, and it will be, so long as she.continues to practice these abstinences. It is true that by them she weakens her body and its sensuality; but by a poor exchange she stren, gthens her self-love and her self-will; she starves her body, and she ,overcharges her heart with the poisonous growth of self-esteem and self-pleasing. Abstin-ence which is practiced against'obedience takes ,away the sin from the body to put it in the heart. Let her give attention to cutting off her own will, and she will soon quit these phantasms of sanctity in which she reposes so superstitiously." Moreover, the saint is not opposed to mortification as such, but to its extreme use and the consequence of such imprudence: "The " want of this moderation in fasting, taking the discipline, wearing the hair-shirt and other austerities, makes the best years of many useless in the service of charity, as it did even in St. Bernard who repented him of having practiced excessive austerities; and inasmuch as tlSey have maltreated it in.the beginning, they are forced to pamper it in the end. Would they not have done better to have treated it fairly and in a manner suitable to the duties and works to which their condition of life obliged them?" In addition to this formal treatment of the virtues there .dan be found in the writings of St. Francis a consideration of the emotions insofar as they affect the spiritual life of man. Not all of this material deals with the religious life, yet it is indeed,applicable. For EDWARD .J. CARNEY Review for Religious after all, whether a person is religiou~ or lay, he possesses human nature and is subject to its vagaries. The orientation of emotional control with the teaching on conformity to God's will lies in the fact that emotional difficulties with pride at their root, may prevent a person from fulfilling God's will. Thus the virtue of humility is at least a partial answer. The foliowiaag are given as examples of St. Francis' teaching on. emotional problems as they enter into the spiritual life. Impatience and eagerness--"Let us not be at all eager in our work, for in order to do it well, we must apply ourselves to it care-fully indeed, but calmly and peacefully, without trusting in our labour, but in God and His grace. These anxious searchings of heart about advancing in perfection, and those endeavours to see if we are advancing, are not at all pleasing to God, and only serve to satisfy our self-love, that subtle tormentor which grasps at so much but does almost nothing. One'single good work done with a tranquil spirit is worth far more than several done with eagerness." Recognizing what great difficulty impatience causes a person St. Francis recom-mends both patience with self and with the world outside self: "Know that the virtue of patience is the one which most assures us of perfection; and if we must have patience with others, so we must with ourselves. Those who aspire to pure love of God have not so much need of patience with others as with themselves." Thus the devout follower of St. Francis de Sales strives after a certain tran-quillity and calm: As a further manifestation of impatience there can be mentioned the desire of progressing too quickly in the spiritual life. St. Francis prefers a gradual progress, one that could be called "step by step." Anger--"It is better, then, to undertake to try to live without anger than to seek to make a moderate and wise use of anger, and when, through imperfection and weakness, we find ourselves sur-prised by it, it is better to repel it promptly than to seek to come to terms with it; for if we give it the slightest opportunity, it makes itself mistress of the place and acts like the serpent, which draws its body easily through any aperture into which it can insert its head." As a remedy against anger St. Francis recommends prayer to God, less sensitiveness on the part of the angry person, and acts of gentle-ness toward the person offended. Sadness--"Evil sadness troubles the sotil, leads it into disqui-etude, gives birth to inordinate fears, causes a distaste for prayer, dulls SALESIAN SPIRITUALITY and oppresses the brain, deprives the soul of counsel, of resolution, of judgment and of courage, and weakens her energy: briefly it is like a hard winter which takes away all sweetness from the soul, and makes her almost paralyzed and powerless in all her faculties." St. Francis assigns various causes of sadness, such as a melancholy temper or the rebuffs of fat~. Whatever the cause, it is evident that he considers this emotion as always unprofitable and opposed to the servic.e of God. Such expressions as: "If you have a sorrowful face at the conclusion of your prayers, it is a clear sign you have not prayed as you ought to have done," dearly show his mind. Perhaps the best expression of his attitude on this emotion is found in the tra-ditional saying ascribed to him: "If a saint were sorry, he would be a sorry saint." Jog, Courage, Optimism--There is, however, a very funda-mental reason why the holy prelate is opposed to sadness. When a person attempts to see the will of God in everything, he ordinarily faces life joyously. No matter what the circumstance--good, bad, or indifferent according to human judgment--in some way or other it represents God's will for the individual experiencing it. God's ul-timate purpose in this particular instance can never be evil; it must always be good. Properly attuned to God's will a religious is joyous, for in the emotional order joy results from the possession of good. Since every circumstance represents in some way God's will, life must be faced not fearfully but courageously: "Above all, keep from dis-couragement. Believe me, you must sow in labour, in perplexity, in anguish, to gather with joy, with consolation, with happiness: holy confidence in God sweetens all, obtains all, and establishes all." Thus a spirit of optimism pervades Salesian spirituality. "Live joyful, courageous, peaceful, united to our Saviour--Keep that holy gaiety of heart, whida nourishes the strength of the soul, and edifies our neighbor," are counsels frequently given to those under his direc-tion. The following excerpt from one of the saint's letters shows how this joyous spirit permeated his life: "I have just come from giving catechism where we have had a bit of merriment with our children, making the congregation laugh a little by mocking at balls and masks, for I was in my bhst humour, and a great audience encouraged me with its applause to play the child with the children. .They tell me it suits me well, and I believe it." Finally, St. Francis' teaching on prayer must be considered. He sees it as effecting a union of the human will with the divine: "As EbWARDJ. CARNEY' ¯ , ¯ Review for Religious prayer puts our understanding in the clearness of the divine light, and exposes our will to the heat of heavenly love, there is nothing which so purges our understanding of its ignorance or our will of its depraved inclinations. As children, by listening to their mothers and stammering with them, learn to speak, so we, by keeping near our Saviour and observing His words, His actions, and His affections, learn by His grace to speak, act, and will like He does." The fol-lowing are the principal types of prayer recommended by St.' Francis de Sales. Meditation--The meditations given in the first part of the Intro-duction to a Deoout Life show the form employed by the saint. Elsewhdre there are detailed instructions on how to meditate and on how to overcome the difficulties involved in this form of prayer. The advice on spiritual dryness, as a token of God's love, is especially consoling. Exercise of Preparation for the Da~j--This exercise is concerned with the daily actions of the religious. It forms part of-the morning prayer and is an attempt to avoid sin by prudently foreseeing the circumstances of the day and preparing one's self to meet them properly. It includes five parts--an invocation to God, foresight, disposition, resolution, and recommendation to God. Direction of Intention--For St. Francis de Sales the direction of intention is a very important means of adapting one's self to the will of God. The saint maintains that the habit of charity, whereby every virtuous human act is dedicated to God's divine goodness, is sufficient to destine all the just man's actions to God's glory. There-fore, he does not require an explicit direction of intention before each act but only before the principal actions of the day. This conditions a person to meet with peace and gentleness of mind the actions of daily life, whether pleasant dr unpleasant, as coming from the fatherly hand of God. Spiritizal Retreat--Since the mind has a tendency to be distracted by the purelyworldly affairs of every-day life, St. Francis .recalls it t~ recollection through the exercise of the spiritual retreat: "Remem-ber then, Philbthea, always to make many withdrawals into the solitude of your heart, whilst you are outwardly in the midst of intercourse and business . our hearts should take and choose some place every day either upon the mount of Calvary, or within the wounds'of our Lord, or in some other place near him, in order to retire thither on all sorts of occasions, and to be refreshed and recre- 10 ,January, 1952 SALESIAN SPIRITUALITY ated there in the midst of exterior occupations, and .to be there as in a stronghold, for a defense against temptations." Aspirations and EjacuIatory Prat.ters--Closely connected with the exercise of spiritual retreat, and also serving as a renewal of the direction of intention are aspirations and ejaculatory prayers. St. Francis de Sales recommends no, set form of words but simply in-dicates that these should be the out-pouring of love: "Aspire, then, very often to God, Philothea, by short but ardent movements of ¯ your heart; admire his beauty, invoke his help, cast yourse*If in spirit at the foot of the cross, adore his goodness, speak to him frequently about your salvation, give him your heart a thousand times-a day, fix your interior eyes upon his sweetness, give your hand to him as a little child to its father., plant him in your soul as a standard, and make a thousand different movements of your heart to give yourself the love of God, and to excite yourself to a .passionat,e and tender love of this divine Spouse." The importance of spiritual retreat and of ejaculatory prayers can only be understood in the words of St. Francis himself: "Now in this exercise of spiritual retirement and ejaculatory prayers lies the gr.eat work of devotion: it can supply the lack of all other prayers. but the failure of this can scarcely be made good by any other means. Without it the contemplative life cannot be properly followed, nor the active life lived otherwise than ill; without it repose is but idle-ness," and work but embhrrassment; and therefore I beseech you to embrace it with all your heart, and never to abandon it." In the course of the centuries many attacks have been made against the system of St. Francis de Sales. To enumerate and refute these singly is unnecessary. Answer enough ma3i be found in the fecundity of the saint's teaching. It has played its part in the pro-duction of three canonized saints--St. Francis de Sales, St. Jane de Chahtal, and St. Margaret Mary. How many other uncanonized saints it has produced and will produce oialy God knows. Finally, the saint's personal title as Doctor of the Church and the official approval of his teaching lead one to conclude that St. Francis de Sales has been one of the Church's brightes~ glories. 11 The Quinquennial Repor!:: Obligations and Directives Joseph F. Gallen, S.J. m~mHE manner of compiling the new quinquennial report to the | Holy See, now obligatory for all religious institutes, has been fully explained in this REVIEW (January,. 1951). A partial study of this report under another aspect will not be without profit. The ~'arious questions of the report implicitly manifest what is of obligation or at least directives of the Holy See. We can thus study some of these obligations and directives in themselves. They are not. confined to the superior general and his council but are wider in appli-cation and of common interest. I. Conforming Constitutions to the Code of Canon Law "In the first Report following the issuance of this formula, the following things are to be sent: '"l~wo well bound copies of the Constitutions or Statutes, revised to conform to the Code." Pontifical, B) 1. a) ; Diocesan, B) 7. a).; Independent Monasteries, B) 4. a). ¯ The numbers cited above command all pontifical and diocesan congregations, as also all independent monasteries and other indepen-dent religious houses, whether pontifical or diocesan, to send with their first report two copies of their, constitutions that have been con-formed to the Code of Canon Law. The Holy See therefore will know exactly what institutes have thus far failed to conform their constitutions to the Code. The Code of Canon Law became effective May 19, 1918. The primary meaning of a codification is not a change of law but a sys-tematizing of laws aIready in existence. However, the Roman Pontiff abrogated many past laws of the Church and added many new laws in the codification of canon law. These changes in the laws of the Church made it necessary for all religious institutes to correct their constitutions. This correction consists of omitting the laws contrary to the Code,and adding the pertinent new laws established by the Code. The obligation of making the correction falls on the religious institute itself. The corrections in a pontifical institute must be ap-proved by the Holy See and in a diocesan institute by alp the Ordi- 1Cf. can. 495, § 2; Schaefer, De Religiosis, n. 241; Maroto, Commentarium Pro Religiosis, I (1920), 196. 12 QUINQUENNIAL REPORT naries in whose dioceses the institute has houses. The Code has now been of obligation for more than thirty years, and it is somewhat startling to find institutes that have not as yet conformed their con-stitutions to the Code. This can have very serious consequences. The more limited scope of conforming the constitutions to the Code does not constitute a general revision of the constitutions. However, in adapting constitutions to the Code it will be found that the older the'constitutions are, the greater will be the necessity also of a general revision. The HolySee did not evolve a complete plan for the constitutions of lay congregations until 1901. Older constitu-tions can be deficient in ma~ter and number from the canonical and other legal articles now demanded by the Sacred Congregation of Re-ligious for both pontifical and diocesan institutes. II. A Diocesan Congregation Should Become Pontifical "Common law does not contemplate the division of a diocesan Congregation or Society into Provinces; moreover this division can scarcely be admitted, and the mind of the Holy See is that, if special reasons exist for a division into provinces, the matter be taken care of rather by the attainment of the status of a pontifical Congregation." Diocesan, B) 3. "If the necessary conditions are verified, has a petition been made or is.it the intention to.make a petition to the Holy See to obtain the status of a pontifical Congregation? Are any and what is the nature of the difficulties foreseen or actually verified with regard to this mat-ter?" Diocesan, 4. These numbers ate of great practical interest, since they consti-tute the first explicit statement of the Holy See that a diocesan con-gregation is not in a definitive but only in an'initial and temporary state that is to terminate in the attainment of pontifical approval. This doctrin~ was true in the past but it was contained implicitly in the laws and documents of the Holy See and also in the explicit teaching of canonlsts.2 The first number manifests clearly that diocesan congregations that are capable ot~ division into province.s should petition pontifical approval. The size of such congregations is indicated by the condi-tions now demanded by the Sacred Congregation of Religious for the division of a pontifical institute into provinces. These are: a) in every province there should be at least four larger houses, that is, houses consisting of at least twelve religious; b) the total number of 2Cf. Review for Religious, March, 1950, 57-68. 13 JOSEPH F. GALLEN Review for Religious religious in each province must be at least one hundred; c) the insti-tute must be capable of division into at least three provinces. These conditions are to be carefully noted, since they are less strict than the former practice of the Sacred Congregation as contained in several authors) A~ is clearly indicated in the second number cited above, a dio-cesan congregation should not delay its petition for pontifical approval until it has the size that admits or demands a division into provinces. Unless special difficulties exist against this petition, and such difficulties must be explained to the Sacred Congregation, the diocesan institute should request papal approbation as soon as the necessary conditions are verified. Tb~se are: a) the congregation by a sufficient test of time should have given proof of stability, religious observance, piety, ~ind spiritual profit of its work; b) it is sufficient that the congregation number one hundred and fifty members. It is not required that the congregation have houses in more than one dio-cese. These conditions also are to be most sedulously noted. They constitute the present practice of the Holy See and are less strict than the former practice as explained in authors.4 III. Division into Provinces "Is the Institute legitimately divided into Provinces (c. 49.4 § 1) ; if not, does it seem that it should be.so divided?" Pontifical, 16. The usual reasons for a division into provinces are the great num-ber of subjects, or the wide territorial diffusion of the institute, or the diversity of language of its members. Congregations can and do exist whose number of subjects de-mands a division into provinces but whose concentration within a relatively small area appears to preclude the ordinary arrangement of provinces. Some of these congregations have a number of members far beyond the power of a superior general to govern alone. All such congregations should propose this difficulty completely to the Holy See, and the Sacred Congregation may give some method of solving the problem. IV. Erection and Suppression of Religious Houses "In the erection and suppression of houses, were the rules of law (cc. 497, 498) and the standards of prudence observed, among which must be numbered a written contract, clear, complete and 3Cf. Bastien, Direetoire Canonique, n. 379, 3; Coronata, Institutiones Iuris Canon-ici0 I, n. 519. 4Cf. Bastien, ibid., n. 71: Sartori, 3"urisprudentiae Ec¢lesiasticae Eleraenta, 74. 14 January, 1952 QUINQUENNIAL REPORT drawn up in accordance with canon law and the Constitutions, with due regard to the civil law?" Pontifical 21 ; Diocesan, 11. This question is found in identical language in the pontifical and diocesan lists of questions. The primary insistence of the question is on the observance of the norms of canon law in the erection and sup-pression of religious houses. These norms are frequently emphasized by diocesan law in the United States, and since the matter is essen-tially a relation between dioceses and religious institutes, it will not be without profit to give a summary of diocesan law in this respect. Diocesan statutes almost universally contain the declaration that a pastor may not introduce or dismiss a religious community from the parish school, high school, or works of mercy and charity with-out the written consent of the Bishop. This consent is demanded in most cases by canon law. The admission of a religious community usually implies the canonical erection of a religious house or the opening of a filial house, and for bbth of these canon 497, § I and § 3 demand the written permission of the local Ordinary. The dis-missal of a community" usually implies the suppression of a religious house. The local Ordinary alone is competent to suppress a canoni-cally erected house of a diocesan congregation, and the superior gen-eral of a ponrificaI congregation must have the consent of the local Ordinary before suppressing such a house. The suppression of a filial house in a pontifical congregation appertains to the superior general; in a diocesan congregation both the local Ordinary and the superior general possess this right. Diocesan law frequently extends beyond the Code in this matter and demands the permission of the local Or-dinary even when the opening or suppression of a religious house is not involved, for example, when sisters go out daily from the motherhouse to teach in a parish school. The admission and espe-cially the dismissal of a religious community.is a very serious matter, and prudence seems to demand that a pastor should not even take an initial step in such a matter without consulting the Bishop. This can also be the sense of the diocesan statutes that demand both the consent and the advice of the Bishop.5 Religious superiors should be equally diligent in observing ~he rights of the Ordinary and the parish. The Code forbids the superior general of a pontifical congregation to suppress a house without the consent of the local Ordinary. Before withdrawing from any work religious should inform the Ordinary in proper time, that he may make other provision for the work. One diocese demands that tell- SGreen Bay, n. 73; Pittsburgh, n. 63. 15 ,JOSEPH F: GAI~LEN Ret~iew t~or Religions gious superiors give a year's notice before withdrawing from a parish.6 The difficulties' that can occur in this and similar matters manifest the necessity of a written and detailed contract between the diocese and the religious institute. Such a contract is either inculcated or presumed in some diocesan statutes,7 and the present question makes it also a directive of the Holy See. V. Presidencg of the General Chapter "Who presided at the Chapter: a) In the election of the Superior General? b) in the other elections and in the business meetings." Pontifical, 29; Diocesan, 20. "Who presided at the Chapter of election?" Independent Monas-teries, I 1. Canon 506, § z~ reads: "In congregations of:women the Ordi-nary of the place in which the election is held shall preside, either in person or.by delegate at the election of the superioress general.". A religious congregation is an institute in which all the members should and do take only simple, not solemn, .vows. The canon cited above refers to all congregations of religious women, whether pontifical or-diocesan. The canon confers on the Ordinary of the diocese in which the election is held the right and the duty of presiding at the election of the superioress general. The Code of Canon Law gives the local Ordinary no right of .presiding at the election of the other general officials, who are ordi-narily the four general councillors, the secretary general, and the bur-sar general, or at the chapter of affairs. If there is no declaration of the constitutions, n6 custom or usage to the contrary, it is certain that this presidency applies solely to the newly elected mother gen-eral. Three authors, Vermeersch,8 Schaefer? and Berutti?° hold that the local Ordinary can have the right of presiding at the election of the general officials and at the chapter of affairs from a prescription of the particular constitutions, and Vermeersch and Schaefer admit also custom or usage as a foundation of the same right. It cannot be said that this opinion is certainly false, but the question is one that may 6Lincoln, 24. ~Nashville, n. 170; Port. Ore. Prov., n. 29; San Francisco, 125. 8Vermeersch-Creusen, Epitome Iuris Canonici, I, n. 626. 9Schaefer, ibid., n. 509. 10Berutti, De Religiosis, 60. 16 January, 195Z QUINQUENNIAL REPORT be authoritatively settled by the Holy See after receiving th~ answers to the new lists of questions. Bastien aptly remarks that such a presidency is in conformity neither with the Code nor with the prac-tice of the Sacred Congregation of Religious in approving the consti-tutions of pontifical congregations, aiad Vermeersch agrees with the latter observation.11 A general chapter is something.that by its na-ture appertains to internal government. Therefore, external author-ity should have only that part in the general chapter that is express~ly given to it by the positive law of the Code. There is no distinction. in this matter between pontifical and diocesan congregations. The Code makes no such distinction, and it is an admitted principle that" in legal articles diocesan constitutions should be the same as pon-tifical, except in those matters in which the Code or the practice of the Holy See demands a distinction. Canon 506, § 2 reads: "In the monasteries of nuns, the assem-blies for the election, of the su~erioress shall be presided over, with-out however entering the cloister, by the local Ordinary or his dele-gate, with two priests as tellers, if the nuns are subject to the Ordi-nary: if not, by the regular superior; but even in this case the Ordi-nary should be duly informed of. the day and hour of the election, at which he may assist, either in person or by a delegate, with the regu-lar superior, and, if he assists, he presides." The canon is thus con-cerned with the presidency and the tellers at the election of the supe-rioress in a monastery of nuns, whether the vows of the nuns are actually solemn or simple. If the nuns aie not s~bject to regulars, this presidency appertains to the Ordinary .of the diocese in which the monastery is situated; if the nuns are subject to regulars, the same Ordinary presides if he attends; otherwise the regular superior is the president. Whoever actually presides also chooses two priests as tellers, neither of whom may be the ordinary confessor of the mon-astery. 12 This canon also is concerned only with the election of the superioress and not with the president and the tellers at the election of other officials or at the chapter ofoaffairs of the monastery. The two priests as tellers is something distinctive of institutes of nuns. In congregations of religious women the Code itself (cc. 507, .§ 1; 171, § 1) prescribes that the tellers must be members of the chapter and thus sisters. Any priest who accompanies the presiding local Ordinary or his d~legate may be admitted only as an attendant llBastien, ibid., 172, note 1; Vermeersch-Creusen, loc. cit. 12Cf. Berutti, ibid., 59. 17 WINFRID HERBST Revietu [or Religious or mere spectator. He is no~ permitted to take any active part in the election; such as to collect, count, or examine the ballots, to compute or record the votes.1~ I believe a fairly serious reason should exist for the admission of such priests. Chapters of their very nature apper-tain to the internal government of the institute. The unofficial at-tendance of persons who are not members of an institute at a chapter is thus just as foreign as would be their presence at a meeting of a local, provincial,, or general council of the institute. Matters that constitute natural secrets occur of necessity at every election, for ex-ample, the number of ballots and the number of votes received by various candidates in a particular election.14 A justifying reason should exist for permitting unofficial persons to acquire this knowl-edge. Religious institutes are also justifiably sensitive of the protec-tion of the secrecy of their chapters, which is manifested by the fact that many constitutions explicitly oblige the capitulars to secrecy. In some orders of nuns of simple ~ows the Holy See has approved the prescription of the constitutions that two nuns are to be, the tellers, is Pert:ec!: elrr-love Winfrid Herbst, S.D.S. y~ou have been exhorted many times and in many different ways to heap up treasures for heaven, to use each moment of every day in order to gain an ever higher place in heaven, to keep adding to your store of sanctifying grace because your degree of glory in heaven will be determined by the amount of sanctifying grace you have when you die. And at times you have been puzzled, wondering whether all such striving isn't rather selfish. And the other day you were told by someone that this is good selfishness, that it is the self-love of hope. You were assured that it is perfectly all right to love God and do good in order to gain a high place in heaven. That indeed, so you were told, is Catholic doctrine. It is. 13Normae Secundum Quas S. Congr. Episcoporum et Regularium Procedere Solet in Approbandis Novis Institutis Votorum Simplicium, 28 iun. 1901, n. 224. 14Cf. Bastien, ibid., n. 253, 1, and note 5; Vermeetsch-Cteusen, ibid., n. 286. ~SUrsuline Nuns of the Congregation of Paris, Pittsburgh and Brown County, Ohio, aa, 215-217. 18 danuarq, 1952 PERFECT SELF-LOVE Protestants have denied the proposition that we are permitted to act in view of the rewards God promises us. But such a denial is contary to the express teachings of the Church. The Council of Trent solemnly states: "If any one says that the just ought not for their good works done in God to expect and hope for an eternal recompense from God.; let him be anathema." And again: "If any one says that the justified man sins when he performs good" works with a view to an eternal recompense; let him be anathema." (Sess. 6, can. 26 and 31.) Anathema is a solemn ban or curse pro-" nounced by ecclesiastical authority. It is a consoling thought that we can always add to our future glory in heaven while we are still on earth. And it is interesting to reflect wherein this increase of glory of one blessed soul above another consists. Of course, we know that as far as the substance of happi-ness is concerned, it is the same for all the elect. The essential hap-piness of heaven is the beatific vision, the happy-making sight of God. Still there is a difference of degree according to the difference of merit. This difference, however, does not cause jealousy, because each one knows that a higher degree of glory than he enjoys would not be becoming or suitable for him. The consoling truth is that here on earth, during the time of merit, each one can make his future glory always' greater and greater. Now, since the least degree of heavenly glory is an almost infinite good, what a great good must not be a still higher and higher degree of that glory! And now we can always add to our future glory if we but wish, though many neglect that, and most people do not even think of it. Would that they had more selfishness in this regard, more of the self-love of Christian hope. Would that they might be prevailed upon to excel in prayer and good works proptec retribu-tionern, because of the reward. You ask wherein this higher degree of glory in heaven consists. It consists in a clearer vision of God; in a greater likeness to God; in a higher rank among the saints; in greater joy. Wherefore, how grateful you must be to God, Who preserves you that you may earn more glory in heaven. What a good use you ought to make of time, taking care to be always in sanctifying grace and living in union with God through prayer and the good intention in whatsoever you do. Reflect a little more upon this good seIf-love, this increasing of your merits and consequently of heavenly glory. God does not re- 19 WINFR1D HERBST Reoiew /or Religious quire anything extraordinary of you in order to gain heaven. He ac-cepts your daily and even in themselves trivial acts as meritorious of glory, if you do them in the state of grace and for Him, that is, for God's sake, with a good intention, out of love for God. God is so generous that He has ordained that your supernaturally good works cannot merit anything but grace and heavenly glory. Moreover, you cannot give this merit away to others, as you can the satisfac-tory value of all your good works; indeed, the very giving away of the satisfactory value in favor of the poor souls, for example, is a good work that again gives you an increase of merit which you can-not give away. And here is another striking thought. It is a very probable view of theologians that your good works continually in-crease in merit mbre and more according to the measure of the increase and augmentation of sanctifying grace. The more sanctifying grace you possess when doing good, the greater is your power of meriting just then. How is'this to be explained, you ask. The answer is simp.le enough. The higher the degree of grace we have, the more we please God; and the more we please God, the nobler, the more agreeable our actions are to Him and, therefore, the more meritorious. Hence it is that living a more fully supernatural life, having a higher degree of grace, the quality of our' actions will be better and deserving of a greater reward. It is an article of faith that good works merit an increase in sanctifying grace and eternal life. Therefore, by multiplying your meritorious acts you daily increase your stock of grace. This increased stock Of grace enables you to put more love into your good works and these thereby have more efficacy to further the growth of your spiritual life and to obtain still more merit. According to the degree . of grace does merit increase; and the just man through his merits can increase his amount of grace. "He that is justified, let him be justified still," says Holy Writ. Every good work done in the state of grace can merit an increase of sanctifying grace. Even in the reception of the sacraments, which give grac~ automatically, of themselves, every second of devout preparation and thanksgivirig, being a good work, merits an increase of sanctifying grace, over and above that given by the sacraments of themselves. Every pious ejaculatory prayer, every devout aspiration, every rosary, every such ~bing done in the grace of God, can heap up treasures in heaven. What a goodkind of self-love it will be i~ you devote your whole 2O danuar~t, 1952 PERFECT SELF-LOVE attention to this business of gaining heaven--and that, right now, since this day may be your last. Yes, today at least-you will labor in earnest. All your thoughts, words, and daily" duties shall be directed to heaven by a good intention; heaven must spur you on to true devotion and to the frequent .practice of virtue; heaven must make you humble, patient in adversity, constant in temptation, until you possess at last for all eternity'as an exceedingly great reward for your labor that happiness which is now shown you afar off by the light of faith. Remember that the essential j6y of heaxieh is :t.he beatific vision, the happy-making sight of God. After this life,, if you die in sanc-tifying grace, you shall by a wonder of Go~t'~s ~omnipotence, directly and without intermediary see God, which means to know Him with your intelligence, to understand God according to your degree of glory. You shall see God, not merely in the sense of looking at Him, for one only looks at an outside object, but in the sense that God shall come into immediate contact Mth our mind, with nothing between us and Him. Only God Himself could ever make us eter-nally happy. When, therefore, you work for heaven you are striving to attain God, your first Beginning and your last End. Thus striving to attain to God is self-love. It is good love of self. It really is the keeping of the great commandment: "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself!" Here the Savior gives you the measure of the love of the neighbor, tells you how much to love him. That measure is the love of self. Remember that there is indeed a beautiful and highly virtuous self-love. Recall that it is the heresy of the Quieti~ts to hold, among other errors, "that no form or act of self-love, however spiritual and however fully referred to God, can at all befit a person eiatered upon the way of perfectlon. Remember that there is the love of Christian h6pe. But there is a higher self-love than that, a self-love that looks to our own interests, indeed, even to our own highest possible interests. But it looks to our interests out of the purest and most perfect love of God. We can loire ourselves for the sake of God Himself alone. Just suppose that you are a poor sinner. It seems that there are but. few mortals who have not offended God grievously at some time or other. Suppose you are such a one as has grievously offended Him. And suppose that you are a repentant sinner, t15at you are working hard for heaven. By prayer and good works you seek an ever higher degree of bliss and glory for yourself in the dearer vision and closer 21 WINFRID HERBST Review/or Religious union with your Creator and Father and Savior and Sanctifier for all eternity in heaven. You are constantly thinking ot: greater merit as you strive for higher virtue, and closer Chri~tlikeness. But in thus striving for your personal happiness in goodness here on earth and the highest.possible deli~ghts in heaven hereafter, your motive is not any good or happiness merely as your own, praiseworthy though that motive is. Your motive is really the greatest honor and glory of God your Father in heaven. How is this to be understood? You try to heap up treasures for heaven, to get an ever higher place in heaven, because of your loving conviction that your very presence there, and especially your greater bliss and glory, will be in the eyes of all the saints and angels throughout eternity an exceptionally marvelous manifestation of the infinite power and the incomprehensible mercy and goodness of the incarnate Son of God crucified for you, a poor sinner. "He loved me and delivered Himself for me," you will be proclaiming by your very bliss in heaven. Thus you will be loving and praising and glo-rifying Him in return for ever and ever. And the greater the degree of your glory, the greater will be your eternal praise of God. For all eternity your happiness will be a most evident proof and exhibition to all heaven of the absolutely pure and 'unselfish love of the infinite, eternal charity burning for you in the bosom of the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost. In still other words, you will be casting down your heavenly crown before the Triune God. As we read in the Apocalypse: "And they do not rest day and night, saying, 'Holy, holy, holy, the Lord God almighty, who was, and who is, and who is coming.' And when those living creatures give glory and honor and benediction to him who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders will fall down before him who sits upon the throne, and will worship him who lives forever and ever, and will cast their crowns before the throne, saying, 'Worthy art thou, O Lord our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for thou hast created all things, and because of thy will they existed, and were created.' " (Apoc. 4:8-11.) The above, of course, suggests the highest perfection of self-love. It may seem hard to understand and practice such perfect self-love. Then you can at least practice a less perfect, though good, self-love. Keep the divine law of self-love. Live a virtuous Christian life, seeking to become ever more and more conformable to the Savior. 22 PERFECT SELF-LOVE Be Christlike in your goodness. Look forward with joy to that reward which he has promised to those who serve Him faithfully and who die in His love and grace. To repeat, if you strive for the highest possible place in heaven within your reach merely because of your own bliss and joy iri:, the vision and possession of God, you do well; for the Church teaches that you are permitted to act with a view of the rewards God prom-ises us. That would be good, though rather narrow, self-love. But it is much better, self-19ve, the very perfection of it indeed, if you keep thinking that the higher your place and glory in heaven, the more will all the angels and saints wonder that you ever got to heaven at all, not to mention such heights of glory and bliss, and the more they will praise God for it. Keep thinking that for all eternity they, and you too, will be "admiring and praising the infinite power, mercy, and love of God, which raised you from your nothingness--to which you had added the sinfulness that is less and worse than nothingness--to the glory of he~ven and even to such a high degree and place of everlasting bliss. And you want your God to be eternally praised because of your glorious reward. That is why you strive for it. Behold the perfection of self-love! It is blended with the perfect love of God-- loving God for His own sake, because He is the highest, most perfect, and most amiable Good. If you understand this perfect self-love, you will be filled with an ardent desire to attain it. And if your desire were put into weak words it would be a prayer for the perfection of self-love, as follows: O my God, let me daily, even hourly, indeed at all times strive sensibly to grow in virtue, to increase in sanctifying grace, knowing that my place in heaven will be determined by the amount of sancti-fying grace I have when I die. Let me so live that I may merit a high place in heaven, in order that Thou, my Creator, Savior, and Sanctifier mayest receive from me and from all the.angels and s~ints of heaven for all eternity the greatest everlasting admiration and praise in return for the mercy and love which Thou hast expended upon me by creating me, redeeming me through Jesus Christ Thy Son, and sanctifying me through the Holy Spirit, the soul of the Church, which is the Mystical Body of Christ. Let them all look upon my place in heaven and cry out: "He that is mighty has done great things to this soul and holy is His name!" O Holy Spirit, Spirit of wisdom and understanding, help me to 23 FRANCIS N. KORTH realize that, to be perfect, my interest in my eternal happiness and glory in heaven, my interest in higher m.erits, higher degrees of glory, higher bliss in heaven must all grow out of and be directed to the greater honor and glory of God. This I can only do if I have a pro-foundly humble estimate of myself, if I realize that of myself I am nothing and that Thou art "my God and my all." O Mary, my Queen and my Mother, that perfection of self-love was thine, as we see from the Magnificat, in which thou didst refer all to God. May it be also mine. Help me to realize that to be truly Christlike my love of "self must be God-centered, that it must be' directly and intentionally perfect love of God. Help me, dearest Mother, to live so that both here on earth in time and in heaven for all eternity I may look up and see, no longer me, but only God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. oAmen. Secular Institutes: Juridical Nature Francis N. Korth, S.J. ~N A PREVIOUS ARTICLE some historical notes on secular in-stitutes were offered. Now let us glance at the juridical structure ¯ of these institutes. I shall follow the catechetical form of presen-tation because it might be better suited to our purposes. I. What are "'secular institutes"? "Secular institutes" are a new juridical institution, recently recognized officially as a component of the juridical state of perfec-tion to-be-acquired in the Church. In brief, secular institutes are a new juridical state of perfection. 2. Does a state of perfection implg that the individuals in that state are perfect? No, not necessarily so. There is a difference between ~i state of perfection and the moral perfection or holiness of a person in that state. Just as individuals in the world, in societies of common life, or in religious institutes are striving after personal holiness or moral perfection, so too do members of secular institutes. But a juridical slate of perfection does 'not necessarily imply that persons in that 24 Januarg, 1952 SECULAR INSTITUTES state have already acquired moral perfection; perhaps so, perhaps not. Of itself, a juridical state says nothing about the personal sanctity of individuals in that state. 3. Wh~/ then are secular institutes called a state of perfection? Secular institutes are now recognized by the Church as a state of perfection because their members must bind themselves in a stable manner to the practice of the three evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity, and obedience. 4. How do secular institutes differ from religious institutes? The essential difference lies in this point. Religious take public vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. Members of secular insti-tutes do not take those vows of the religious state but similar vows, oaths, promises, or consecrations. They likewise differ in the fact that religious live a common life in the sense of sharing the same board and roof under the direction of common superiors, while members of secular institutes for the most part do not lead such a common life. 5. Are societies of common life the same as secular institutes? Obviously not, since secular institutes do not have common life or at least not the canonical common life, while societies of common life imitate religious in that respect. Thus we arrive at a descriptive definition ~f a secular institute. A secular institute is the juridical state of perfection in which the members, for the purpose of acquiring Christian perfection a'nd of exercising the apostolate, bind themselves to the practice o~ the evan-gelical counsels in the world, that is, to the practice of evangelical poverty, chastity, and obedience by a vow, oath, promise, or special consecration accdrding to the provisions of their proper constitutions and under the direction of common superiors, but often for the most part without leading a common life. 6. Consequent upon the definition proposed; what are the main re-quirements of a secular institute? The main requirements of a secular institute can be grouped under three headings: (1) profession or full consecration to a life of perfection, (2) membership in the institute with its concomitant bond, (3) common house Or houses (even though common life for the most part is not required). 7. What is the nature of the profession or consecration to a life of perfection ? The profession or consecration is threefold. Besides the exercises 25 FRANCIS N. KORTH Review for Religiou~ of piety and self-denial common to all who aim at perfection, this profession embodies: (1) a vow or promise of poverty which regu-lates the use of temporal goods; (2) a vow, oath, or consecration of celibacy and perfect chastity; (3) a vow or promise of obedience by which the individual gives himself entirely to God and to the works proper to the institute under the guidance of superiors. Each of the above is made according to the constitutions of the particular insti-tute. 8. Does an~t obligation in conscience arise from these vows, oaths, promises, or consecrations? Yes, an obligation binding in conscience does result. The obli-gation would come from the virtue of religion, or from justice or. fidelity, as the case may be. (See the individual constitutions and the particular formulas of profession.) 9. ]n regard to the second requirement, how is incorporation into an institute effected ? An applicant is incorporated into a secular institute by profession. 10. What is the nature of the bond resulting from profession? By profession a stable, mutual and complete bond arises between the institute and the member making the profession. 11. Why is the bond stable? The bond is s~abte because the profession is either perpetual (taken once for all), or temporar~r (taken for a definite period but with the oMigation of renewal at the end of that period). It might be well to note, in passing, that even'if the profession is temporary, the member should have the intention of remaining per-manently in the institute if nothing calls him away, merely renewing his profession from time to time as required. If that were not the case, the bond would seem to lack stability. Stability of the bond also demands that the institute be not free to dismiss a member arbi-trarily but only for reasons permitted by law. 12. In what sense is the bond mutual and complete? The bond is mutual and complete in the sense that the individual gives himself entirely to the institute, and the institute in turn takes care of its member by providing for his spiritual needs and, if neces-sary, also for his temporal wants. There is some flexibility in the application of this point; the constitutions will determine the matter more fully. 13. As to the third requirement, why are common houses needed for secular institutes? 26 danuarg, 1952 SECULAR INSTITUTES At first glance it might seem strange to list "common houses" as a requirement of secular institutes which in general have as one of their distinguishing characteristics the lack of common life for their members. But the answer is rather simple. For proper functioning, an organization needs headquarters. In a secular institute a common or central house is to serve as the seat of th~ supreme or regional gov-ernment o1~ the institute and to be the dwelling-place of the superiors. Likewise some common house (or houses) is necessary for training prospective members, for conducting spiritual exercises for members, for meetings and gatherings, for taking care of sick and aged mem-bers, for providing for those who have lost their employment or have no means of taking care of themselves, or for assisting members in moral danger (such as removing them from an occasion of sin). 14. Is a common house necessar!t before a secular instituie could be established? Even though a common house is listed as one of the requirements of a secular institute, in practice it seems that permission can be ob-tained to establish a secular institute although at the time a common house is lacking, provided that sufficient assurance is had that such a development will take place. However, the force of this requirement is not too clear. 15. What is the procedure for establishing a secular institute? The preliminary pattern is as follows. A group of the devout faithful (lay people or clerics) function for some time as a loosely-knit organization with a common purpose (apostolic, charitable, pious). Gradually the organization develops into some form of canonical pious association of the faithful, such as a pious union, sodality, confraternity. During this time " . . . vigilant care must be exercised to see that nothing be permitted to these associations, either internally or externally, which is beyond their present condition and seems to belong specifically to secular institutes. Those things espe-cially should be avoided which, in case the permission to establish the association as a secular institute is later refused, could not easily be taken away or undone and would seem to exert a sort of pressure on superiors to make them grant approval outright or too easily" (Instruction of the Sacred Congregation for Religious, March 19, L948, n. 6). After the association has proved itself sustaining and capable of carrying out its purpose and of living up to the require-ments of a secular institute, application should be made to Rome for permission to be established juridically as a secular inst.itute. 27 FRANCIS N. KORTH Review for Religious 16. I~ an association [ull~lls all the requirements for a secular insti-tute, doesit have an option of remaining in its status quo, e.g. as a pio'us union of the faithful, or must it make application for establish-ment as a secular institute? When an association has all the nec.essary requisites, it must apply to Rome for permission to be set up as a secular institute. 17. Who is to make such application to Rome? The local Ordinary (and not. a mere titular BishOp nor a Vicar Capitular orVicar General) is the proper person to make such appli-cation. 18. To whom should the application be sent? ~ The application is to be sent to the Sacred Congregation for Reli-gious, since this Sacred Congregation moderates things pertaining to the juridical state of perfection to-be-acquired. 19. What information is to be forwarded with the application? The Sacred Congregation for Religious wishes to have informa-tion, with the proper adjustments, on all the points required by the Normae (nos. 3-8) issued by the same Sacred Congregation in 1921 in regard to the establishment of religious congregations. The infor-mation to be sent includes, therefore, the following: name and quall-ficati~ ns of the founder, reason for establishing the new secular insti-tute, proposed name of tb~ new institute, number and nature of works proposed as proper to the institute, means of support, list of similar~ institutes in the diocese (if any) with their proper work's. Six copies of the constitutions must also be sent, as well as coigies of the directory and of other documents which can be of service in showing the spirit of the association. The constitutions would give information 'about the nature of the proposed institute, its proper works, its government, common houses, classes of members, the fo~m of consecration, the bond resulting from incorporation in the insti-tute, training of the members, exercises of piety, and other relevant matter. Besides the above, any further information the Sacred Congrega-tion may require must also be sent. 20. After permission has been obtained from the Sacred Congrega-tion, what is the next step? After permission (the nihil obstat) has been obtained from the .Sacred Congregation, the local Ordinary may proceed to establish the secular institute as an ecclesiastical moral person. Official notice of 28 January, 1952 SECULAR INSTITUTES such establishment is then to be sent to the same Sacred Congrega-tion. 21. What is the juridical status of the new institute? The new secular institute is an ecclesiastical moral person of diocesan right, that is, a diocesan secular institute. 22. Could a diocesan secular institute later receive recognition as a pontifical institute? Yes, after a period of time such papal approval could be obtained. The procedure is similar to that followed for obtaining pontifical approval for a religious co.ngregation or a society of common life, with some necessary adjustments and additions. 23. Wh~t expansion is possible for a secular institute? A secular institute need not necessarily be confined to one dio- Cese; interdiocesan and even universal expansion might be possible. 24. By what laws are secular institutes governed? Secular institutes are governed by: (1) the provisions of the Provida Mater Ecclesia; (2). further provisions, interpretations, or applications of that Apbstolic Constitution made by the Sacred Con-gregation; (3) their own individual constituti6ns (which would embody the regulations of the Provida Mater Ecclesia and the further provisions of the Sacred Congregation, and make them more specific in conformity with the purpose of the institute) ; (4) the common law of the Code in matters pertaining to them or to their members and which are not provided for by their own special or proper law. 25. Do the members of secular institutes consequently have the obli-gations, or share in the privileges, of religious or clerics? As a general ru.le, they do not have the obligations nor share the privileges of religious. As fa~ as the obligations and privileges of clerics are concerned, again as a general thing, members of secular in-stitutes who are clerics share those obligations and privileges, while non-clerics do not. 26. What about the novitiate, training of candidates, transfer to another institute, dismissal, suppression of an institute, and the like? A secular institute, even if only diocesan, can be suppressed by the Holy See alone. The other points could be determined in the constitutions of each institute or in future communications from the Holy See. The three existing Roman documents on secular insti-tutes do not treat these points. 29 FRANCIS N. KORTH Review for Religious 27. Which are the three documents referred to in the preceding answer? They are: (1) the Apostolic Constitution of Pope Pius XII, Provida Mater Ecclesia, of February 2, 1947; (2) the Motu proprio Primo feliciter of March 12, 1948; and (3) the Instruction Cure Sanctissimus, issued by the Sacred Congregation for Religious on March 19, 1948. Up to the present, these are the main documents about secular institutes. (An English translation of these docu-ments can be found in Bouscaren's Canon Law Digest: Supplement 1948, pages 63-86). 28. If a secular institute bad been established with the approval ot~ the Holy See prior to the Prouida Mater Ecclesia, do the prou[sions of that Apostolic Constitution apply to such an institute? The Prouida Mater Ecclesia is not retroactive in regard to those secular institutes (any association which fulfills the substantial 're-quirements, no matter under what form it was approved) which had been previously approved by the Holy See or established after con-sultation with the Holy See, as far as their rights and obligations are concerned, but they now come under the classification of secular in-stitutes. In regard to all other associations the Provida Mater Eccle-sia does apply. 29. One [inal question. Why was the name "'secular institutes" chosen? In the 'deliberations preceding the official recognition of secular institutes as a new juridical state of perfectibn, various names were proposed for the new institution. Among these were: "religious sodalities," "religious unions," "societies without vows and without common life." However, in order to bring out the specific character of the new organizations, the present name, "secular institutes," was happily chosen. That 'name spotlights the fact that members of the new institutes do not live a cloistered life but live in the world and support themselves by the same occupations and employment as do other people. A concluding'remark. As the Holy Father in his Motu proprio (II) emphasized: ". in working out the general as well as the par-ticular organization of all these Institutes, this must always be kept in mind, that in all of them their special and peculiar character as secular Institutes, which is the whole reason for their existence, be clearly expressed. Nothing is to be subtracted from the full profes- 30 January, 19~2 OPEN LETTER TO SELF sion of Christian perfection, solidly based on the evangelical coun-sels, and in substance truly religious; but this perfection is to be exer-cised and professed in the world, and therefore in all things which are licit and which can be brought into conformity with the duties and works of that same perfection, it must be adapted to the secular life. ". [The] apostolate of Secular Institutes is to be faithfully practiced not only in the world, but as of the world, and therefore with avowed aims, practices, forms, and in places and circumstances corresponding t~o this secular condition" (Bouscaren, op. cir., pages 77-78). Open Letter to Sell: Everett J. Mibach, S.J. DEAR SELF: You have often asked me why it is that you make such little progress in the things of God. You complain, dear Self, that you often have clear lights and high aspirations after holiness only to have them vanish like a puff of smoke that never was or like the seed in the gospel withering away before it brings forth the promised fruit that lay pregnant in its husk. You resign yourself to a spiritual mediocrity. You leave, the "why" of it unanswered. I am afraid that you have forgotten, dear Self, a lesson that you were taught many years ago when you first set out in quest of God. -Then it was that you had explained to you the importance of t~delitg in little things. This means simply: fidelity to grace. As you grew older, but not wiser, you noticed the "great deeds" won the applause of the day. You concentrated your efforts on performing the big things" and have neglected the little ones. Because things seem little you should not account them of no value. A man's thumb can cover the button that will plunge a bril-liantly lighted city into aconfused darkness. A bronze door weighing several hundred tons can be easily opened because of a little pin in the hinge. Five cents worth of iodine in the thyroid gland keeps this world's genius from being an idiot. Little things? Yes. Unimportant? Hardly. If you insist, upon spurning the seemingly little things, 31 EVERETT3. MIBACH Review t:or Religious Self, you will never attain to sanctity. Fidelity to little things is the small button that will flood the soul with the light of God's grace. It is the small pin upon which swing the gates to our eternal glory. Self, think back to some of the little things you have neglected. What far reaching consequences that' neglect has had! Every time Christ whispers--and He does so constantly to the Christian soul-- He is offering you a greater share in His divine life. He is inviting you to a closer participation in Him. All of His invitations have written upon them R.S.V.P. R3loondez, s'il oous plait. Answer, if you please. You can throw the invitation aside unans~wered, thinking it too unimportant, too inconsequential to merit your serious atten-' tion. Nothing that Christ invites you to is unimportant. Nothing is inconsequential. Christ is God. His divine life of grace in us is the all-important thing in this life. When He offers you a greater .degree of this divine life, a closer union with Him, do you dare to say that it is unimportant, to say it is a little thing? I have told you, Self, that Christ is constantly whispering to your soul. Do you not hear Him? Do you not know what I mean by the "whisper of Christ"?Can it be that you have never, experienced it? Of course you have. Because you have told me of your aspira-tions that were still-born. He speaks daily to your intellect, to youi right judgment, to your conscience. Perhaps if we recall together a few of the neglected little ~hings you will better understand what I mean. Remember the day when everything wasgoing so well. You had been living in union with your Divine Guest, turning to Him in the quiet of your soul. And then you found yourself with some "other Christs." The conversation was of many things. Suddenly you thought about a little remark you could repeat about an "absent Christ." It was just a little thing, a word or two, nothing more. A little mocking inflection of innocent words, a little raising of the ey~- brows with a knowing nod--little things in themselves but just enough to start the ball rolling. Like a snow ball rolling downhill, it grew in size as it passed from one to another. How you blushed when you saw the consequences! Before you gave it your little push you had heard Christ's whisper, "Don't say that about Me. It is just a little defect and my 'other Christ' and I are sin-cerely trying to work it out. R.S.V.P." But the thing asked was too small, one or two words held back. Christ would not ask that of you, Self. So you said it because it was just a little thing. Then you went back to find again your Divine 32 Januarv, 1952 OPEN LETTER TO SELF Guest and resume your communing with Him. But He hid Himself from you. Perhaps He went to console His "absent Christ" who was wounded by your infidelity. Do you recall the night 9t supper when the potatoes were burnt? The thought occurred to you to eat them and not complain about it. That was Christ's invitation: "My other Christs are suffering. Won't you fill.up my sufferings in union with theirs? R.S.V.P." And you answered, "This is'nothing. What a foolish thought! That is for novices. I'll do some real penance tomorrow." But you had turned your back on the invitation of the moment. Christ offered you a greater share in His life and you refused it. That unguarded look, that littl~-~oh, so little--self indulgence in curiosity, that little un-pe~: ceived concession to ease that is known only to.you and your Divine Guest, that little slurring off of modesty, that little lack of silence--and all the time you knew what Christ asked of you. With the timelessness of thought you were able to weigh in the balance what was asked of you. You chose yourself. You could have chosen Christ but you did not. It was too little. Imagine Christ's life to be bought for a trifle and you refused to buy it! Do you still wonder at .your lack of progress? Self, I want you to stop and think of what a mistake you are making in neglecting these little things. You are stifling the growth of Christ in your soul. He is nourished by your willing acceptance of His graces. He is starved by your refusals. Nothing is too small to offer Christ when He asks for it. "When you hear His voice harden not your heart." You wonder, I know, why it is so very hard at times to give these little things, it should be easy because they are so small. Yet what a struggle it costs you. Don't look too far for the answer, Self. It is in your very name. You bear in your-self the seeds o'f death. Your very name betrays you. I can promise you, Self, that if you take a firm resolution to be faithful to~ the !ittle things of the present moment you will make progress. Keep saying, "Yes, yes, dear Christ, this little thing" for You, and an increase of Your divine life for me. In giving You this little thing I am giving part of myself to You, my body, my judg-ment, my will. There can be no vacuum in nature, so You must fill up the void with Your sweet presence." God Bless you, Self. " Your constant companion, ME ¯ 33 Cont:emporary Depreclat:ion ot: t:he Religious Lit:e P. De Letter, S.J. OF LATE in many a religious institute, particularly of nuns, scarcity of vocations has provoked a veritable crisis and raised a r~roblem. The ideal of the religious qife, apparently, no longer appeals to the young. They dream of something greater and more modern, more active and efIicient, offering them a better chance of developing their tMents and personality. This practical deprecia-tion of the religious life may be due to many causes, from a worldly spirit with its desire for comfort and of the sensational, up to the specious pretence of more fruitful apostolate and more widespread action. But it is a fact that together with it, and perhaps as its par-tial if not chief cause, echoes are heard of a plain theoretical deprecia-tion of the religious state. However well-intentioned may have been the praise and commendation of another ideal, that of the secular priesthood and of' the secular apostolate, which gave occasion to this slur on the religious life, the errors involved cannot but be harmful in the long run, even to the other cherished ideal. Religious writers have not failed to take up the challenge and to defend the Catholic idea of the religious state against its detractors. It must have been gratifying to them and to all religious that recently the Holy Father himself took up their defence when he addressed the members of the First Congress for Religious, held in Rome, Novem-ber 26-December 8, 1950) The congress had expressed the wish for a papal pronouncement which would condemn the errors rampant about the state of perfection, and give clear directives for the adapta-tion of the religious life to modern times. In answer to this desire the Holy Father stated in unmistakable language the erroneous opin-ions concerning the traditional idea of the religious life. It is not out-of-place for religious to reflect awhile on the Pope's teaching about the religious state. This reflection should increase our oivn appreciation of our vocation, and enable us t9 inspire others with the same ideal. The Holy Father deals with five main causes of the present-day 1The Latin text of this allocution is found in the Acta Apost?licae Sedis, 43 (1951), pp. 26-36. 34 DEPRECIATION OF RELIGIOUS LIFE depreciation of the religious life; the first two concern the position of religious priests; the last three concern all religious. They comprise both theoretical and practical errors, to which he opposes the tradi-tional Catholic teaching. He thus indicates both the ill and its cure. The Place of the Religious Clergg within the Church The first cause of undervaluing the religious state, particularly that of the .religious clergy as distinct from the secular clergy, 'is a wrong idea of its place within the Catholic Church. This is mainly a theoretical error but it entails practical consequences. It has been said that the hierarchy instituted by Christ is that of pope, bishop, and parish clergy. The religious state is not of divine origin; it is only an ecclesiastical institution. The religious clergy derives from and is secondary to the secular or diocesan clergy. Religious priests do not exactly fit in the degrees of the normal hierarchical order; they are practically outside the hierarchy. Proof of it is their exemp-tion from the bishops. This theoretical view naturally inclines one to underrate the state of the religious clergy and to consider them as more or less irregular. Should we not rather abide by the normal hierarchical position of the secular or diocesan clergy? A.practical consequence, logically flowing from this pr~mise, would divert aspirants to the priesthood grom the cloister and direct them to the seminary. To this partly erroneous view the Pope opposes what may be called the first papal decision in the age-long rivalry between secular and regular clergy. The Church, he says, is hierarchical by divine institution, that is, composed of clerics and laity.' Both of these, clerics and "laity, can enter the religious state which is, it is true, of ecclesiastical origin. Both religious and non-religious can be clerics and priests. But neither of the two pechliar forms of life for the, clergy that exist today, secular or regular, was established by Christ. The divine law does not give the preference to one above the other, nor exclude one or the other. Christ left to His Church the task of ¯ settling their mutual differences and relations, and their respective labors. Accordingly, the religious clergy is not less within ~he hierarchy than the secular clergy. Both religious and secular priests are helpers of the bishop, as determined, for the religious too, by the Code of Canon Law (626-631; 454, § 5). At times, especially in the mis-sions, the whole diocesan clergy happens to be religious. This, the Pope says, is not an abnormal situation which should be ended as 35 P. DE LI~TTER Reoieu) t:or Religious soon as possible. Accordingly also, the exemption of religiou~ !s not against the divine institution of the Church nor against the general principle that priests are depqndent on the bishop. For two reasons: first, because even exempt religious depend on the local bishop to the extent determined by canon law; secondly, because they are subject, both by the ruling of the Church law and by virtue of their vow of obedience, to the pope who has immediate ordinary jurisdiction in every diocese and over all the faithful. The practical sequel of this papal teaching is self-evident: reli-gious priests are as much in place in the Church as the secular clergy. The specious pretext for depreciating the religious life of priests, as though it placed them outside the hierarchical order of the Church, vanishes into thin air. Which Is the State of Evangelical Perfection? A second cause of depreciating the religious life is a mistaken idea of the state of evangelical perfection. It is right and necessary to exalt the sanctity of the priesthood and to inculcate in all priests their need of personal holiness required by their saintly fur~ctions. But this well-meant endeavor has sprea.d the idea that the clerical state is a state of evangelical perfection. The clerical state, it has been said, of its nature and by virtue of its divine origin demands that its fol-lowers keep the evangelical counsels. If that were correct, then the clerical state would be preferable to the religious life. A state of perfection instituted by Christ Himself would be, in itself, more essential than the state of perfection which is only an ecclesiastical institution. But, the Holy Father says, it is not fully correct. Before hearing his criticism, it may be well to say that there is something true in the exalted idea of the priesthood and in its connection with the evangelical counsels. This was brought out clearly in two recent documents on the priesthod; one, the great pastoral of the late Cardinal Suhard, Priests among Men; the other, the exhortation of the Pope himself, Menti nostrae, on the sanctity of the priesthood. Both of these show that the spirit and, when pos-sible, the practice of the three evangelical counsels of poverty, chas-tity, and obedience are the ideal setting for the priestly task and for the apostolic ministry. But this does not mean that the priesth.ood itself entails the state of evangelical perfection such as is sanctioned by the three religious vows. A cleric, the Pope teaches, is not bound by divine law to the evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity, and obedience. Particularly, 36 January, 1952 DEPRECIATION OF RELIGIOUS LIFE a cleric is not bound to them in the" same manner as a'religious is bound by his public vows. A cleric may take these obligations upon himself privately and freely. Even the canonically established law of priestly celibacy for clerics of the Latin rite does not take away the essential difference between the religious and the clerical state. A cleric who is a religious professes evangelical perfection not because he is a cleric but because he is a religious. This important papal teaching means that the state of evangelical perfection is not found without the three vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience; that these three excellent means for perfection are not just casual and more or less replaceable bY other means or counsels. The many means of sanctification or apostolate which the priestly state includes, however excellent they may be, are not sufficient to establish priests in the state of evangelical perfection. This state sup-poses the three counsels opposed to the threefold concupiscence which St. John names (I John, 2:16) as the great obstacle to charity, the substance of Christian perfection. The Pope confirms this teaching by answering the objection one could draw from the approbation he himself g~ve to secular insti-tutes. His Apostolic Constitution Provida Mater canonically ap-proved these in I947, as one form of the state of perfection. Mem-bers of these institutes, he says, are in the state of perfection, not be-cause they happen to be clerics, but because they ~ire members of an approved institute. As such they follow the three evangelical cdun-sels, even though not being religious or regulars and whilst keeping externally to the secular life. This teaching involves a grave practical cotisequence. It .means that when young men feel drawn to the state of evangelical perfec-tion, and when this attraction, after due scrutiny and probation, proves to be a genuine, divine inspiration, then it would not do just to direct them to the seminary. The Holy Father himself states that the priesthood by itself does not place one in the state of perfection. Only the ~eligious vows do this, or the vows of a society or institute approved by the Church. This teaching cuts at its root any under-valuation of the religious life considered from the viewpoint of Christian or evangelical perfection. Motives/:or Joining or Not doining the Religious Life A third symptom of contemporary undervaluing of the religiotis life is shown in the way the motives for entering the religious state are interpreted. It has b'een said that the cloister is a haven of peace 37 P. DE LETTER Review/:or Religious for the timid who are afraid of'the battles of life in the world--who are what is called escapists. Better pray for grace to be courageous ¯ and stay on in the battle. That means, in plain language, that reli-gious life is not for the courageous but for the faint-hearted. To this imputa.tion the Holy Father takes exception in strong words. Generally speaking, this alleged reason for joining the religious life is false and unjust. The religious vocation demands gre~it courage and devotedness. Proof of it is the history of the religious orders. Another proof is the work done today by religious in the missions, the ministry, hospitals, and education. Most of the religious are fighting the battles of the Church not less than priests or laymen in the world. Why then, the Pope asks, are there few vocations today? Not because of the specious reason just set aside, but because many of the young find it too hard to strip themselves of their freedom by the vow of obedience. The reason vocations are fewer is the. lack of courage to face the real sacrifice involved in the religious vows. Yet some try to justify this refusal of giving up one's freedom on prin-ciple, a false principle which is a novel error concerning Christian perfection. A new ideal of perfection is being proposed to the young --no longer, as formerly, the sacrifice of one's freedom for love of Christ, but a controlled freedom: restrict freedom, they say, as far as is necessary, leave it full scope as far as possible. Again, if this novel asceticism is right, then religious life is no longer the better part. But the Pope condemns it in plain terms. Not only is it problematic, he says, whether the new basis of Christian sanctity will prove as firm and fruitful in the apostolate as the old rule of obedience for love of Christ, but that concept contains a serious ~rror regarding the nature of the evangelical counsels whose excellence it slights. The new form of perfection is not of the same spiritual value as the vow of obedi-ence by which one imitates Christ who became obedient unto death. In other words, to place the new ideal of perfection on a par with the religious vows, or even to place it above the ideal of the religious life, is erroneously to depreciate the. state of evangelical perfection. Accordingly, the Holy Father concludes, it is wrong to propose only the new ideal of perfection to one who asks for advice about a vocation. When signs of a vocation to the state of perfection are present in a young person, the ancient ideal of freely immolating one's freedom by the vow of obedience must be proposed to him. It is contrary to Catholic principles about Christian perfection to ad-vise against it. And so the depreciation of religious life, implied in 38 danuar[l, 195"2 DEPRECIATION OF RELIGIOUS LIFE the exaltation of this new ideal of freedom, rests on an erroneous understanding of evangelical perfection. Depreciation of the Contemplative ,Lille in Favor Action That Yields Results The preceding causes of undervaluing religious !ife are mainly found among non-rellgious. They are errors in the theory about the life and organization of the Church, about the perfection of Christian life, about the meaning of the evangelical counsels; the-oretical errors that dictate the practical advice to look for the better thing, not in the ranks of the world-fleers, but among the courageous warriors who stay in the thick of the world's battles. Religious themselves easily keep free from these errors but not from the next two causes of the depreciation. The.first oLthese,.consists in. .~y.e.r~[!.ng. external activity which aims at tangible results and in undervaluing interiob-life or the con-templation of the eternal truths. Even religious do not always keep clear of this danger. Stated bluntly, the implicit objection against the religious life, which is always contemplative to a great extent, and in some cases almost exclusively so, comes to this: that contem-plation is useless, or nearly so, for practical results in the work for Christ and His Church; it is mainly a waste of time. Evidently. this grievance is rarely put in this extreme form. But something of it is at the basis of many an "actionist's" depreciation of religious life. Not so rarely is something of it also in the mind or practice of reli-gious. Is it any wonder? Have we not been warned time and again against the modern heresy of action? Shall we be surprised that even religious who labor in the world without being of the world, imbibe something of the atmosphere in which they live, and that they too, in their active life, either in theory or in practice or in both, exalt action to the detriment of contemplation?' But on the assumption that action comes first and contemplation second it would logically follow that the state of life in which contemplation takes a large place is less excellent than a life which can be wholly given to the activity of the apostolate. This, again is wrong. The error originates, the Holy Father says, from a mentality of our day which is reflected in the latest phi-losophy, existentialism; this underrates eternal values and is all taken up with the action of the moment and its result. The right manner for the apostolate, after the example of St. Francis Xavier and St. Theresa of Lisieux, is to unite action and interior life. Religious 39 P. DE LETTER' . Review for Religious ought to grow in interior life in the measure that their action ex-pands. And pure contemplatives are not less necessary for the life of the Church, nor are they less apostolic than active religious. They are needed in the Church to ensure harmony between exterior work and the interior life. It is only when interior life penetrates into our action that reli-gious can counteract, more in deeds than in words, the modern tend-ency to laicize the works of charity. Christian charity is radically different from lay philanthropy. It is incomparably stronger be-cause it draws its spirit and inspiration from the love of Christ. This strength even non-Christians acknowledge and 'appreciate. And that is the direct answer to any depreciation of the religious life. It is up to us religious to take care of this interior inspiration of our exterior action. Unless we do this, we willy-nilly play into the hands of. those who in practice depreciate the religious state. Adaptation of the Religious Life to Modern Needs and Wags A last modern grievance against the religious life is its lack of adaptation to modern needs and ways. The Holy Father faces the objection and strikes .the right balance in answering. The objection, he says, is partly founded. It is true that adaptation is necessary, but it ought to be done in the right way and unite the old and the new. The zeal of young religious--for the objection does not only come from outside the cloister--"to be of their time" is good and legitimate to an extent. Why? Simply because religious foun~lers adapted their institutes to the needs of their own times. But the needs change with the changing times. Their present-day successors have to do as they did; they have to study and to know the aspirations and needs of their contemporaries if they wish to help them. After granting that much, the Pope insists on what must remain unchanged, on what never grows old and is ever new. Such is the patrimony of the Church. The Holy Father recalls his defence of it in his encyclical Humani generis. Another part of that inalienable patrimony is this: the purpose of .the state of perfection is to make saints. This too is ever modern. And it involves this capital truth of Christian asceticism: that the only way to perfection is self-abnegation for love of Christ: Of this eternal truth no adaptation is needed or allowed. Once these substantials are safe, other things regarding the exterior setting of religious life can and must be adapted to the circumstances of the times. Much of this, the Pope says, has been done already; and more was pla~ined in this congress. The 40 danuarg, 1952 DEPRECIATION OF RELIGIOUS LIFE adaptation concerns the works of education, schools, and care for the sick. In these avocati6ns religious may and must strive to'be as up-to- date as any of their contemporaries. That way, we may add, they will help to remove a pretext for depreciating religious life. The Pope himself formulates the guiding principle' of this adap-tation: we must detect the spiritual resources, the secret desires, the true frame of mind of our contemporaries, and their good aspira-tions in order to encourage and develop them. What are these good aspirations? Th, ey are the three main characteristics of the modern ¯ mind: broadness of views, unity of organization, and promptness in execution. These qualities are good; they ought to be taken up and favored. They are, moreover, not only modern; they are as old as the gospel, dust read the New Testament: for broadness of view, (I Cor. 3:23); for unity of organizat, ion, (I Cor., 15:28 and Mark, 12:28-34) ; for promptness in execution, (Luke 9:62). And look at St. Paul: he is a modern man, as modern in spirit as any today. we religious follow these teachings of the gospel and the example of the Apostle, then we shall be adapted to our modern times. We ~hall feel that we are of our time and thus expel from our minds a secret pretext for not valuing as we should the better part for which we were chosen. We shall also answer, in deeds better than words, the modern grievance against the religious life. Conclusion In conclusion the Holy Father points out what ought to be the religious's own contribution to the revaluation of the religious life. He tells them in substance: "Be what you are. Let your lives bear witness to the reality of the religious state." Then men, within and without the Church, will understand and esteem the state of perfec-tion. In the religious life both action and contemplation aim at Christian perfection and at the apostolate. For perfection, the most effective means will always be the three religious vows that aim at uprooting the threefold concupiscence; austerity of life will show that. For the apostolate, ever-active zeal, grounded in faith and charity, radiant in the union of charity among yourselves and with ¯ other laborers of the Lord's vineyard, practically shown in 'justice and charity towards 'the poor, will preach to the world the right esteem for evangelical perfection. We should take to heart this warning of the Holy Father and strive as hard as we can that our lives may answer our name and that in re~ility and truth we may come up to what we profess. 41 ( ues ions and Answers ~l[--- Our constitutions state~ "Elections shall never take.place except in full council. Therefore, if one of the Councillors cannot be present, and the election cannot be postponed, the superior of the house shall take her place, or the council shall choose one of the Sisters in perpetual vows who has an active and a passive voice." No mention is made in the constitutions of supplying the absence of a councillor in meetings when there is no question of an election. In that event, must the substitute be chosen in the same way, or may the superior general appoint a Sister of her own choice to take the place of the absent councillor? " The general principle is that absentees are not to be supplied for meetings in which no elections are had, when the constitutions are silent about the point. Ali councillors are to be called: subsequently, in order that the council might act, the presence of only one councillor would suffice (except for the case of dismissal of a religious with per-petual vows in an exempt clerical institute according to canon 655, § 1, which requi~es the presence of at least four councillors). Whether justice would always be satisfied when on.ly one or two councillors are present in discussions of more important matters is a different question. Therefore, according to general principles the superior gen-eral is not to appoint another Sister to take the place of the absentee councillor nor is a substitute to be chosen by the council itself.' However, since the particular constitutions mentioned in the ques-tion are following the precedent set by the Norrnae of 1901 for elec-tions, if those constitutions demand a full council for certain other matters, then it seems probable that absent councillors could be sup-plied in the following way. If one councillor is absent, call in the local superior as a substitute. If another councillor is absent, have the council choose some other Sister of the house who has perpetual vows. The superior gene~ral is not to make the choice. A religious of the community draws up the designs for a series of reli-gious greeting cards, while another religious composes the verses. The cards are printed by on outside press. To be perfectly frank, the main purpose of the project is profit for the community. Is this against canon 1427 The community owns and operates a small press. A lay brother does QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS the actual running of the press. Can ÷he community accept outside con-tracts in order to increase its profits? Again it must be admitted that profit is a major consideration. Canon 142 forbids clerics to engage in lucrative industrial or commercial trading, whether they do it personally or through others, whether for their own or someone else's advantage. The following four elements must be present simultaneously before a given actiofi would fall under the classification of forbidden trading. (1) Some-thing must be bought, (2) for resale. (3) unchanged or changed by hired help, (4) at a profit. Now for the cases presented. "A religious or cleric is always al-lowed to print (or have printed) and sell at a profit whatever he has written himself" (REVIEW FOR RELIGIOUS;, V [1946], 61). This applies also to designs and verses prepared for greeting cards. "If the religious run the press themselves and do all the work, they may print and sell not only books and writings of the members of their institute, but also books written by others who are not mem-bers. If the religious merely own and direct the press and the work " is done by hired help, they may print all works written "by members of their institute but nothing else unless they have a special indult from the Holy See; nor may they .engage in ordinary commercial printing" (Op. cir., p. 62). Hence, to answer the second question specifically, the community may accept outside contracts provided all the w6rk is done by m,embers of the community. If the work is done by hired help, permission must be obthined from the Holy See to ac-cept outside corltracts. 3 When the enactments of a general chapter fall to be promulgated within a reasonable period after the chapter, what obligation devolves upon the individual delegates in the matter of urging their promulcjatlon, and of mainta!n[ncj secrecy which shields such a failure? Enactments of a general chapter are to be promulgated according to the provisions of the constitutions of the particular institute (usually promulgated by the superior general). At times the consti-tutions require such enactments to be submitted to the Holy See (for pontifical institutes) or to the local Ordinary (for diocesan institutes) for confirmation prior to promulgation. This is always the case when there is question of any change in the constitutions themselves or in the interpretation of the constitutions. A general chapter has power as long as it remains in session; then 43 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS Reuiew for Religious its power ceases. If the superior geneFal fails in his duty of promul-gating the enactments of the general chapter, the constitutions might possibly make some provision for such failure. If the constitutions say nothing, it seems that the matter should be taken up by the suc-ceeding general chapter, convened in ordinary or extraordinary ses-sion. Meantime if some point covered by an enactment became urgent, that matter could be referred for settlement or action to superiors, either internal or external, as the case would warrant, but without any reference being made to the chapter's unpromulgated enactment. During the considerations that would follow, the negligence of the su'~erior general might become apparent; otherwise the succeeding general chapter could investigate the case and act. accordingly, in con-formity with the constitutions. In regard to secrecy, "the members of the chapter should remem- ¯ bet that they are bound by secrecy regarding the matters discussed in chapter until the promulgation of the results of the chapter are made by the superior general. Even after such promulgation they should observe secrecy as to details regarding names and matters discussed or voted upon in chapter:' (REVIEW FOR RELIGIOUS, I [1942], 258). Delegates to a succeeding general chapter could be made familiar with the details of the case as far as necessary. That would seem to be the extent of the obligation devolving upon individual delegates of the preceding chapter. When a Sister, with permission, reads the Divine Office, or the Little Office, in private, may it be read in Encjlish, or must if always be read, as well as chanted, in Latin? Also, we are told that when sayincj the Office in private, we should not follow the rubrics. Does that include the lowering of the sleeves, as well as the prostrations, and the like? A distinction must be made between the Divine Office and the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin. To take the latter first: unless the constitutions or custom require that the Little Office be recited in Latin when said privately,a Sister may recite it in the English. The Divine Office must always be said in Latin when it is of obligation. Should a religious who is not obliged to recite the Divine Office wish to do so out of devotion, it is obvious that this may be done in Eng- Following the rubrics, strictly speaking, refers to the directions originally given in red (rubrum) print in the liturgical books, such 44 danuaryo 1957. QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS as the Missal and Breviary. Lowering of the sleeves, prostrations, and the like, rhay be called rubrics in a very wide sense. Hence if the rubrics, strictly so-called, are not to be followed in the private recita-tion of the Little Office, then a fortiori, such observances as lowering the sleeves and the like are to be omitted. Is ff permissible ÷o use a protective plastic cover over a cloth scapular (single or flve-fold) without losing the indulgences one gains from wearing it next to the skin? Also, is the cloth scapular preferred to the medal or are both given equal value in the eyes of the (~hurch? A protective plastic cover may be used over cloth scapulars with-out the wearer losing the indulgences. The scapular need not be worn next to the skin. (Decree of the Sacred Congregation for In-dulgences, March 12, 1855). In the decree of the Holy Office, December 16, 1910, allowing the use of the scapular medal, it is stated that the then reigning Holy Father, Plus X, while makin~ the conc~ssion, strongly desired the faithful to keep on using the type of scapular to which they were ac-customed, namely, the cloth scapular. However, it should be noted that one who does wear the medal instead of the cloth scapular could gain all the indulgences attached to the wearing of the scapular. A member of a Congregation of Religious Brothers wishes o enlist in the armed forces, and asks his major superior to obtain an indult of ex-claustration for him. May his major superior ask for such an indult? Canon 592 of the Code of Canon Law tells us that religious are bound by the obligations of clerics. And canon 141 states that clerics shall not voluntarily enter upon military service except it be for the purpose of being released from the obligation more quickly, and then only with the permission of his major superior. Hence in countries in which clerics and religious are exempt from military service, a re-ligious Brother would not be allowed to volunteer for military service, nor would an indult of exclaustration be given him for this purpose. OUR CONTRIBUTORS EDWARD J. CARNEY teaches.theology and is superior of the House of Studies of the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales, Washington, D.C. JOSEPH F. GALLEN teaches Canon Law at Woodstock College, Woodstock, Maryland. P. DE LETTER is from St. Mary's Theological College, Kurseong, India. FRANCIS N. KORTHand dEROME BREUNIG are on the faculty and EVERETT .J. MIBACH, a former mission-ary to China, is studying theology at St. Mary's College, St. Marys, Kansas. 45 I a!:her Paul ot: Graymoor Jerome Breunig, S.J. 44~VfHY, you lazy monk: I wouldn't give you a red cent." was Wthe answer an Anglican in Franciscan garb received when he asked a man to pay his subway fare. This "lazy monk," as an 'Anglican,. founded a threefold counterpart of the Franciscan order, instituted a Church Unity Octave, won acclaim as an outstanding preacher and journalist, and prayed and worked and co-operated with the striking graces he received to bring himself and his works into the fold of Peter. Ordained a Catholic priest, "the lazy monk" through crushing disappointment carried on his aposto-late with ever-growing success until his death in 1940. But, most of all, this monk left in his life about as literal a transcript of Christ's Gospel as imperfect flesh-and-blood parchment could hold. His name in religion was Paul James Francis, S.A., and the story of'his seven-ty- eigbt, busy years is told by David Gannon, S.A., in a definitive biography entitled Father Paul of Gra~moor.1 In view of the coming octave, January 18-25, it might be well to review some highlights of Father Paul's life as well as the history and salient features of the Chair of Unity Octave he founded. Atonement A single word sums up Father Paul's life and work, At-One- Ment. This is the name he gave or rather was given for the.society he founded. In seeking a name he followed a practice be read about in an Anglican life of St. Francis of Assisi. After a prayer he opened the New Testament at random and read the text (King James ver-sion): "And not only so, we also joy in God, through Our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement" (Ro-mans 5:11). .In the word atonement he knew he bad the answer. Atonement, which the Catholic Encyclopedia notes as "almost the only theological term of English origin," well expressed the Society's aim, "the At-One-Ment with God of all the redeemed through Unity. For the theological definition of the term atonement is 'the satisfaction of Christ, whereby God and the world are reconciled or made to be one' " (p. 36). IThe book was published.by Macmillan in 1951 and sells for four dollars. It is recommended,for public and private reading, perhaps even re-reading. 46 PAUL OF GRAYMOOR Born in Eastern Maryland, 3anuary 16, 1863, the future Father Paul was christened Lewis Thomas Wattson. His father, the Rev. 3oseph Newton Wattson, who had been expelled f~om General Theological Seminary on the groundless suspicion of being "a 3esuit in disguise," led him to love all that was best in the High Church tradition. On one occasion the elder Wattson remarked with em-phasis, "What we need in the Episcopal Church is a preaching .order like the Paulists." The younger Wattson never forgot these words. Like his predecessor, 3obn Henry Newman, Lewis Wattson seemed a dedicated man from the start. After ordination as an Anglican presbyter he repeatedly turned aside the urging of his ves-trymen that he marry. He did not wish "'to degenerate" into a married priest and trundle a baby carriage." He was thirty years old before the never-dormant inspiration "to found an order" spurred him to seek actualization. .The answer seemed to be in Omaha where he was asked to be a superior for a group of unmarried clergymen. But it was not, as three years of "Mass, Matins, and Mush," and trying "to make monks out of mefi who did not want to be monks" proved. His three companions at this time later became Episcopal .bishops. A Franciscan Cast The answer came in a letter from Lurana Mary White, an Epis-copal Sister, who wished to be an Anglican Franciscan and had heard of the zealous presbyter's desire to found an order. Father Paul found Sister Lurana's devotedness to II Poverello contagious and a help to'crystallize the latent Franciscan' cast of the Society of the Atonement. His exaggerated love of poverty is illustrated by his vownot to touch money; this explains why he asked a stranger to pay his subway fare. In actual poverty that at least rivals that of Clare and Francis of Assisi, Mother Lurana began the foundation of the Sisters of the Atonement in 1898 in a century-old farm cottage that had never seen a paint brush, and Father Paul, after a novitiate with the' Order of the Holy Cross (Anglican), began a year later in an abandoned . paint shed which he weatherstripped with ra~s and old papers. A Third Order of the Atonement was also begun at this time. Their co-religionists welcomed the new Franciscan community in their midst at first and a number came to the "convent" and "mon'astery" that were being-built. Very few were hardy enough to remain. Besides, the talk about reunion with Rome began to dis- 47 ,JEROME BREUNIG Ret~iew [or Religious turb many. If others had any doubts about Father Paul's mind in this matter, the doubts were explosively dispelled by his memorable .sermon at the opening of an Archdeaconry meeting. Beginning with the account from Acts of St. Peter"s cure of the lame man at the temple gate, Father Paul pointed out that the Anglican Church was the lame man and would only get b~ick on its feet with Peter's help, that is, by corporate union with Rome. Open Pulpit Opens Eyes After this, though he was said to have had no equal as a preacher, he found pulpits closed to him. He took up the pen. "A born journalist,he knew the power of the printed word." "He lit The Lamp." The official High Church publication which dismissed the first issue as the effusion of an erratic priest soon found that "the sun never set on the readers," non-Catholic and Catholic, of The Lamp. The following magnificent words on Christian Unity appeared in the first edition of The Lamp, February, 1903: "Is then Christian Unity a visionary dream? Will the prayer of the Son of'God never be answered? Was He a lying Prophet when He foretold the time of its fulfilment, saying: 'Other Sheep I have which are not of this fold (the one Catholic and Apostolic Church), them also I must bring and there shall be. one fold and one Shep-herd.' Let who will deride or shake their heads in doubt saying: 'Heresy and schism have gone too far; the seamless robe of Christ is, too much torn to tatters ever to be mended; the reunion of Christen-dom is utterly out of the question; Rome is too proud and un-bending; England is too self-satisfied; the East too orthodox; Prot-estantism too much enamoured of letting everybody do and think just as they please. They never can and they never will come to-gether. Christian Unity is hopeless!' Our answer is, God's Will is Omnipotent; the Fiat Of the Most High .must prevail; the prayer of Jesus Christ has got to be answered; the. Almighty Father would never refuse the dying request of His Only begotten Son; sooner or later every petiti6n of Christ will inevitably be granted. Were moun-tains of difficulty to be surmounted a thousand times higher and vaster than they are, God is able to cast them into the sea. Faith serenely rests her case with Him. "Yet even Faith must 'Tarry the Lord's leisure' for with God 'a thousand years are but as one day.' Patience must be allowed plenty of time to do her work pdrfectly. She cannot and will not be bur- 48 PAUL OF: GRAYMOOR ried, the fabric is exceedingly delicate, the pattern most elaborate; the Robe of Unity she is weaving for the Son of God will be of match-less b+auty. And it is the work of many generations and Hope with smiling countenance kneels and prays, being quite happy and content to wait. And Love, standing between the two, looks over the shoulder of Patience and cheers her on, saying: 'Be of good courage, He, the desire of all nations, will come and will not tarry and b~hold His reward is with Him.' " These words were written more than six years before his recep-tion into the Church. In the meantime he adopted in good faith an untenable position. He recognized 'the authority of the Pope but held out for a corporate reunion of the Anglicans with Rome, When the Episcopal Church in 1907 officially opened their pulpits to any ap-proved minister of another sect, his eyes were opened. He took steps to enter and to'transplant the threefold Society of the Atonement in the Catholic Church. The New York Times of November 14, 1909 told of the conversion of Graymoor under the headline: "The Con-vent That Changed its Faith." The sub-title read: "Convent of the Society of the Atonement, Formerly an Anglican Institution, Joins the Church of Rome~Why this Conversion is Unprecedented in Church Annals." The following year Father Paul received an un-questionable priesthood. Chair of Ur~itg Octave The conversion of Graymoor was slow in coming. It was the result of much atoning sacrifice and prayer. In particuIar, it seemed to be the "first fruits" of the Church Unity Octave which Father Paul inaugurated two years before his conversion. In his devotion to Peter and his own patron, Father Paul noted that an octave sepa-rated the feast of the Chair of Peter and that of the Conversion of St. Paul and he underlined this part of the sanctoral cycle for prayers for the intention nearest his heart, the reunion of Christendom. Anglican clergymen and Catholic priests and prelates welcomed the octave whose first observance was announced in The Lamp for 1908. The scope of the reunion was extended to include all man-kind as the intentions show~ They are: January 18--The return of the "other sheep" to the One Fold of Christ. January 19--The return of Oriental Separatists to Communion with the Apostolic See. January 20--The submission of Anglicans to the Authority of the 49 JEROME BREUNIG Re~ieto [or Religious Vicar of Christ. January 21---That the Lutherans and other Protestants of Conti-nental Europe may find their way back to Holy Church. January 22--That Christians in America may become One in Union with the Chair of St. Peter. January 23--Return to the Sacraments of lapsed Catholics. January 24--The Conversion of the Jews. January 25--The Missionary conquest of the World for Christ. After the conversion of the Society of the Atonement Arch-bishop Farley of New York and the Apostolic Delegate, Monsignor Falconio, approved the observance of the Octave under Catholic aus-pices. Pope Plus X gave it his blessing. In 1916, in the midst of World War I, Pope Benedict XV extended the devotion to the Uni-versal Church. The hierarchy of the United States in 1921 unani-mously approved a resolution that the Unity Octave be held in all dioceses throughout the country. To keep the purpose of the Octave from being confused with other ecumenical movements the Sacred Congregation of Rites in 1927 gave it a sub-title--Chair of Unity Octave. "The octave is now known exclusively as The Chair of Uriity Octave. Pope Pius XII has confirmed and further enriched'the Oc-tave. The latest token of his approval was his designation of the Apostleship of Prayer intention for January, 1951, "that all be gathered into the true Church of Christ," making it coincide with the Octave intention. The observance of the Chair of Unity Octave continues to grow each year.[ Unitas.2 an international quarterly review promoting Church Unity, devoted twelve pages of its first 1951 issue to a description of the world-wide celebration of the Octa'~e last year. The most solemn celebration was in Rome where different Cardinals or eminent prelates presided on successive 'days of the Octave. The Vatican radio gave the daily announcement on all 26 different lan-guage broadcasts while L'Osseroatore Rornano gave a lengthy ac-count of each day's intention and emphasized the Octave with an editorial. In the United States the outstanding celebrations took place at the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., and in St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York. The Unitas article singled out special observances in Holland, France, Germany, as well ~Unitas is published in Rome by the Unitas Association. The English Language Edition, however, is published by the Graymoor Press, Peekskill, New York. Sub-scriptions are two dollars a year. 5O danuarg, 1957. PAUL OF GRAYMOOR as in Athens, Lebanon, Istanbul, Scandina~cia and .other cities and countries. It is safe to say that more things are wrought by the prayers of Chair of Unity Octave than this world dreams of. Some of the notable fruits are the following: the Society of the Atonement (1909) ; the village of Jesu Raja, Tuticorin diocese, Indih; the An-glican Benedictines of Caldey (1912) : the Benedictine nuns of Mil-ford Haven (1913): and Archbishop Mar Ivanios and 80,000 Jacobites (1930-1943). When Father Paul wished to make the observance of the Octave obligatory, an English prelate who favored the Octave pointed out th-~t making it obligatory would be too much like depending on the calendar to promote its observance. Neither the calendar nor any obligation seem necessary to urge all men today to join Christ in His prayer that there may be one fold and one Shepherd, that all may be one. As a Father of the Atonement remarked, in substance, after ex-plaining to a large religious community the nature and purpose of the society Father Paul founded, "Our own inadequacy to fulfill our purpose, co-terminus with that of the Church, 'that all may be one," is apparent, but our confidence rests on the grace of God asked for by the united prayers of all, and especially by the prayers of priests and religious." A Dioine .Largesse Besides founding the Chair of Unity Octave and the Society of the Atonement, which after many lean years is now a growing Ben-jamin among the religious orders in the United States, Father Paul shared in more than one extensive apostolate. The~, too, are usually linked to the At-One-Ment cause. He was aco-founder of The Catholic Near East Welfare Association, and before he had men of his own to send to the missions, he sent hundreds of thousands of dollars to missionaries on every continent. He never touched money himself, but by ineans of The Lamp several million dollars passed through his hands. In the banner year of 1924,'$280,000 was given away. Beneficiaries of his charity, which reflected the divin~ largesse somewhat in the Mr.Blue manner included diocesan priests and mis-sionaries from countless religious institutes (p. 233). Closer home, on the Graymoor property, Father Paul gave homeless' men whom he called Brothers Christopher, food and lodging. "He was an apostle of charity who could pierce through 51 JEROME BREUNIG dishonored humanity and see the human soul with the indelible charm of Divinity on it" (p. 5). He ~lso gave the initial permission and support, to the successful Aue Maria radio broadcast. He had just spoken on the program a few days before his death. Whenever he was told that he would have to submit his talk beforehand and then follow his text, he in-dignantly asked: "Who said so? Don't the radio people know yet that God owns the air waves too?" Of these and many other achieve-ments and events of Father Paul's life the author writes with a detail that is ample but never tedious. Some retreat masters when speaking of our attitude towards the faults of others contrast the caricaturist and the artist. The former exaggerates the idiosyncrasies out of all prdportion. The artist takes in the whole man, ~nd the faults become merely the chiaroscuro shading that brings out the good features in the finished portr