Journal in France in 1845 and 1848 with Letters from Italy in 1847: Of Things and Persons Concerning the Church and EducationAllies, T. W. (Thomas William)
Religion
Journal in France in 1845 and 1848 with Letters from Italy in 1847: Of Things and Persons Concerning the Church and Education
Allies, T. W. (Thomas William)
France -- Church history -- 19th century; Italy -- Church history -- 19th century
Called on M. Gondon: we talked about the cure of the novice. I told
him I was engaged in collecting the proofs of it. M. Gondon thought
that the Benedictines and Dominicans were not destined to take root
afresh in France: he pointed to the position of the Père Lacordaire in
proof of this. With very great abilities, especially the power of
carrying away his auditors by his eloquence, he could with difficulty
maintain one very small house in France. In the middle ages such a man
might have founded an order. He heard his celebrated sermon on the
first Sunday after the revolution of February, in Notre Dame. From
beginning to end "c'était un délire." The father is just returned to
Paris. He observed that late events in England must have convinced
reflecting people how completely our Church was the puppet of the
ministers of the day. Louis Philippe had tried to play the same game
in France as had been played in England in the appointment of bishops,
but the grace of consecration had been too strong for him. I replied
that this was not quite fair, for we too had men of courage
among us; and I quoted Bishop Selwyn's energetic and successful
protest against the attempt of a secretary of state to sacrifice the
rights of the natives in New Zealand.
I then went to the Sœurs de la Charité, and soon found myself in
their secrétariat, engaged among a number of sisters in copying M.
Hervé's attestation. It was enclosed in a sort of pastoral letter of
M. l'Abbé Etienne to the sisters throughout the world, dated 31st May,
1848; expressing his confidence that the bark of S. Vincent would
weather the storm of this revolution as it had the last of 1830, if
they were faithful to their rules, and fulfilled their ministry with
zeal. I found likewise that, three days after this cure, there had
been another of a person afflicted with blindness for seven months,
and I determined to go into this case likewise. The sisters went to
the Benediction at five: soon after I followed them to their chapel.
It was a most touching sight to see so large a number of sisters and
novices in worship together before the Host. Here then, I thought,
were before me so many female hearts offering up to God daily the
sacrifice of themselves in works of charity; they have made the
voluntary surrender of the pleasures of home, of feelings dearest to
the natural man; there is no holding back in their offering: it is
complete, and penetrated with charity. Here are hundreds kneeling
in front of me who dedicate their labours to the hospital and
the sick bed, going forth into all lands, and making the healing of
the body a means to cure the soul. If ever there was any institution
on which the sunlight of God's countenance may be supposed to rest, it
is surely this.
It was settled that I should return on Monday to continue my extract.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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