St. Wilfrid's - Solitude - 1851. Canonical Status - First Prov. Chapter.
In the beautiful valley of Churnet in Staffordshire, within two miles of Alton Towers and about the same distance from Oakamoor station, lies a picturesque spot on which may be seen a cluster of ecclesiastical buildings. Lord Shrewsbury made a noble present to two recently converted clergymen, Mr. Faber and Mr. Hutchinson of Cotton Hall and 14 acres of land surrounding it, in the beginning of the year 1846. Here were sown the seeds of the future Oratory by an Association called 'The Congregation of St. Wilfrid of the Will of God. It was to be neither regular nor secular, but a sort of via media between both. A new Church was built here and here Fr. Faber and some of his companions were ordained and began their ministry.
The population around was rather space and like most rural populations in the midland counties of England, very stolid and bucolic. Reasoning, preaching, controverting and celebrations sight dazzle their eyes; but nothing short of doles of bread and creature comforts could touch their hearts. Some few converts, of a very meagre description of Christianity were made in the course of time, but the Fathers of the Will of God saw that there was a vast waste of zeal and learning.
They made a retreat in 1847 under the direction of Fr. Dominic, the Passionist and when Fr. Faber asked him what he thought of the Association of the Will of God, he very naively answered: "I think it is the Congregation of your own Will."
Soon after the Wilfridians formed themselves into a body approved of by the Church and began their mission almost simultaneously in Birmingham and in London. The Oratory at King William St. (afterwards transferred to Brompton) was begun in 1848. The work of the Oratory suited the crowded city and the populous neighbourhoods - St. Wilfrid's was a place fit only for a college or a noviciate where solitude was the chief adjunct to holiness. A fine monastery lay there vacant and taxes and repairs could not be omitted. The place was offered to several communities and none would undertake the charge of it. When we were leaving Woodchester, Fr. Ignatius Spencer called upon Fr. Faber and after various negotiations, our Fathers agreed to take the place. One was sent to look after it in the middle of December 1850, but was not till the 21st January, 1851 that a sort of incipient community was formed.
In the preamble to our first Provincial Chapter St. Wilfrid's is thus alluded to. "The Fathers of the Oratory who were in posession of it made a gratuitous offer of it to our Religious, the Earl of Shrewsbury consenting. St. Wilfrid's is perhaps the best establishment which the Congregation possesses in England. The double advantage of the solitude and amenity of the place, together with the amplotude and commodiousness of the building, render St. Wilfrid's peculiarly adapted for study. Some of our young religious have already been called thither, and when, others shall have been added, St. Wilfrid's will become the seminary of the Province. " This rhapsody did not succeed in making St. Wilfrid's other to us than it had been to the Oratorians, a wasteful and unhealthy establishment. Per various casus et tot discrimina rerum, we abandoned it in 4 years time.
Our first settlers in this country seemed to have lacked a keenness of vision with regard to the places which ought to be selected for our residences. The Holy Rule speaks of solitude as one quality. This may be carried too far. The days are gone in which monasteries have to be founded in deep solitude, lest the prayers and confessions of the faithful, or the duties which a priest owes to the Church, might disturb the meditations or psalmody of the monks. The silence of the Thebaid began to be modified from the very beginning. The Western monks did the work of Apostles and retired now and again to their monasteries to commune with God. None were left in the monastery to the quiet routine of the rule, except those who were occupied in writing, copying and teaching, or those who were good for nothing else. Our Congregation, uniting as it does, the contemplative and active requires that the position of our houses should suit both, that we should be far enough away from the bustle of the town to disturb our spiritual exercises, but near enough to help the laity in theirs.
The shifting foundations of London, which we saw translated to the village on the Edgeware Road, called The Hyde, was now transferred into a deeper solitude, about a mile and a half away from any human habitation. It was a small house with a large reservoir stretching out at the South and any amount of fields between it and the horizon towards the other three points
of the compass. Our Fathers essayed to build ecclesiastical edifices here worthy of the golden days of Glendalough, Jarrow or Iona, but circumstances fortunately prevented the waste of time and material which was benignly contemplated. There at all events, a community was established, about the middle of February, 1851.
St. Anne's Retreat, Sutton, was colonised in this year also. The House and Church were built for us and handed over to us together with 10 or 12 acres of land, by the late John Smith. This house has grown apace since and still continues the abode of our Fathers. There are now five houses of the Order in England: Aston Hall, Broadway, St. Wilfrid's, Sutton, The Hyde - two of which are to continue in existence, one to be transplanted and the other two to perish or pass from our custody. This is a good deal for the few years of our existence and it was considered high time to give the brethren in these countries a canonical status. There existence was only provisional up to this - native subjects did not come as fast as was expected - those who did come went away again and the few who remained, after being reinforced by imported Fathers, were scarcely able for their work.
It is hardly necessary to mention that until Superiors are canonically elected or appointed, as the case may be, they have no jurisdiction and their acts have no validity beyond their natural value. A province must be formed in the General Chapter, Superiors for the province in Chapter, or out of it according to the tenor of the Rule and Regulations they are made and provided, and until these things are done satisfactorily the body of Religious thereby affected has no canonical existence.
In the General Chapter, holden in SS. John and Paul's, Rome, during the month of April 1857, a decree was made erecting the one house in Belgium and the 5 houses in England into one province called the Anglo-Belgian province of St. Joseph. Fr. Eugene, the then Visitor General, was empowered to convoke the Superiors and Vicars of the Province (who had received the active and passive voices by special rescript) in a meeting which was called the 1st Provincial Chapter. They met at St. Wilfrid's on the 26th Aug. of this year.
The first Chapter was composed of the following members:
V. Rev. F. Eugene of St. Anthony President
" Ignatius of St. Paul Pro. Provincial
" Seraphine Sup. Ere
" Louis of B.V.M. Aston Hall
" Vincent of St. Joseph Broadway
" Gaudentius of St. Stephen S. Wilfrid's
" Honorius of St. Aloysius Sutton
Fr. Valentine of St. Joseph Vicar, Ere
" Joseph, B.V.M. " London
" Anselm of St. Vincent " Aston
" Bernard of V.V.M. " Broadway
" Raphael of S. H. Jesus " St. Wilfrid's
" Augustine a Matre Dei " Sutton.
The Elections took place in the usual course and Fr. Eugene became our first Provincial, FF. Ignatius and Seraphim respectively first and second Consultors as well as local Superiors in London and Ere. The others remained very much as they were except that Fr. Raphael became Rector of St. Wilfrid's instead of Father Gaudentius.
At this Chapter the Fathers were ordered to take into consideration such small modifications as would allow our Rules to be the more perfectly observed without being altered materially to suit local circumstances.
We must consider that this was the first Chapter of our Congregation ever held out of Italy and that of the 13 Capitulars, 8 were Italian. The native Fathers were mere juniors and quite inexperienced, whilst the seniors had scarcely any practical knowledge of the ways and manners of the people amongst whom they were to spend the term of their apostolate. The orders from Rome were that the Rules should be kept cum toto rigore and this impeded as well as directed the deliberations of the Capitular Fathers. Notwithstanding all these drawbacks the decrees made at that Chapter and approved in Rome have since formed the basis of all the customs in which we differ from the Italians. The Rule is exactly the same still and the regulations for the guidance of our ministry, made at this Chapter, were so excellent as to have been adopted afterwards when our Fathers undertook kindred labours in the United States of America.
The Rule of St. Paul of the Cross was observed in all its entirety inside the portals of our various Retreats, but, in consequence of the laws and customs which prevailed in protestant countries where the religious habits had not been seen since the Reformation, some regulations had to be made with regard to our conduct when outside.
We were ordered to put on the dress of the secular priests, when outside the house and to travel always as they did. The dimensions given for the coats and hats made them appear a little more clerical, and indeed, the width of the brim and the length of the coat-tail provided for in our first Provincial Chapter are quite antiquated according to modern clerical fashions. The other regulations regarded minor matters, of an economical description chiefly and not of general interest. The Ecclesiastical Titles' Bill of this year compelled us to dress in broadcloth and shoes whilst our sackcloth and sandals were spared for clerical duties.
Two other matters had to be discussed and legislated for. By virtue of the Rule, we are supposed not to take charge parishes except under certain circumstances. These circumstances existed in England and in that country we had to take the charge of souls. How this could fit in with our missionary duties became an anxious question and scarcely a Chapter has been held either here or in America since our establishment, in which the point did not come up for discussions - Rules have been made and abolished - rules have been arranged and winked at - rules have been put on paper and left there and the matter is generally best settled by the good sense and religious virtue of the Fathers to whom the parish work is specially entrusted. To make rules for the management of a parish is like making rules for the blowing of the wind or the falling of the rain. Rules are good on paper, that is all.
Another point worthy of consideration was the manner in which we were to hold property. The older Fathers (notably FF. Dominic and Ignatius) were for investing our property in the Bishop of the diocese and two trustees. This was found to be inconvenient and the little that is necessary for our wants and works is invested in some of our own body in trust for all. This has been found to work more easily.