Reports to Rome: Their excellence.
Nothing will strike the reader of our Chronicles and domestic history, so forcibly as the great interest Rome seemed to take in this little province of ours and the great amount of charity in our neighbours who kept continually writing to Rome about us. If all other provinces of Regulars give Rome as much trouble as we seem to have done, it would require the time and leisure of all the Sacred College to attend to a tithe of the business.
If the reports were all true it would be easy enough to settle them, but when they were generally false, grossly exaggerated or maliciously cooked for Roman palates, we can well imagine the trouble. Three classes of people send reports to Rome - discontented brethren - patronising friends - and unconscious enemies.
The discontented brethren are chiefly those who come from one province into another. They find things different from what they were accustomed to and then denounce these as innovations. It is no breach of charity to say that the French and Italians have a horror of water, almost approaching
to hydrophobia, if it be meant to wash them. To see English indulging in a bath and other adjuncts of cleanliness creates a horror in their minds. Other little matters of that description. It used to be no ordinary thing to see an intelligent foreigner turning up his eyes at the sight of a news-paper and wondering if any priest could read 'The Times' since Cardinal Wiseman did not give it his 'imprimatur'.
Our patronising friends consist mostly of friendly bishops and ecclesiastical dignitaries who make retreats, sometimes in one house and sometimes in another of the Congregation. They find this rule better kept here than that and the brethren show more recollection in the Noviciate than when we have a parish attached. For the good of the whole body they gently buttonhole the General and tell him how, to their own knowledge, the spirit of the Order is dying in such a place and if not looked into in time will become completely extinct. Some letters pass to and fro, troubles arecreated and annoyances 'ad infinitum'
The unconscious enemies are those who are always prone to fault-finding. They form a very high idea of the religious life, come to see the brethren at their ordinary duties and are permitted to take part in some of them. Oh ! they are quite disappointed. It was a feast and they saw some good cheer going. They had a nice room given them, a better dinner than they could get at home, one or two of the more jovial of the brethren helped them to pass the time pleasantly. They are delighted at finding the reputed mortification of the monks to be all a sham. They dilate upon it and tell it at all the crossroads and minor clubs of the metropolis. Such are the returns which the monks receive, in many cases, for their hospitality. There may be other sources; but they come to their knowledge much in the same way. There is an appearance of something which by various processes unconscious to the agents themselves becomes three black crows in a very short space of time.
On July 25th of this year, Mgr. Talbot came with Lord and Lady Campden and some other distinguished personages to pay a visit to Broadway. He left his companions in the parlour, asked FF. Bernard and Salvian to come with him and show him over the house. The Prelate went through, examined every room, the beds, the ticks, the wardrobes, even the utensils in the kitchen.
It eked out that it was reported in Rome that the Passionists had carpets in their rooms, curtains on beds of down and had taken to patent-leather boots instead of sandals, had also improved on the quality of food allowed by the Rule. Supposing the Passionists did all that, how in the name of common sense could it concern the bishop who wrote the lie or Cardinal Barnabo who appointed the spy! All our houses were visited in this manner, in consequence of reports which were sent to Rome by those entertained. It was found out that one bed - that in Broadway for the bishop - had curtains. That two secular rooms had bits of carpets and that our food was neither half so plentiful nor half so excellent as what was used in Rome. We have undergone several inquisitions and will have to undergo them until charity inspire our reporters or until our Roman friends begin to mind their own business. It is humiliating however to think that Roman notabilities, in purple and fine linen, cannot sleep comfortably on their embroidered pillows until they have made sure that no carpet is under a poor Passionist's feet and that he has not mixed the straw of his bed with even a handful of shavings! Such is life. Time was when such small things were not heeded and when Roman ecclesiastics, by not lowering themselves, gained the respect and esteem of secular and regular.
Whilst Roman dignitaries were sorely exercised lest we might have any secret contraband comforts or purloin an ornament from their phylacteries, we were doing something else. A beautiful temporary chapel was made in Highgate out of what once was a bar room and afterwards a reception hall. On the 21st October, as good a parade as was possible was made for the opening. The Superiors of different houses were present, Cardinal Wiseman preached on the occasion. It looked rather discouraging, when a census was made from our new parish and it was found that we could count upon 25 catholics. They are counted by thousands now and Kentish Town and Hampstead have increased also; so that the objection to the new place injuring other missions did not hold good.
Our Sisters in Lancashire were reported also and after a commission of three ecclesiastics had carefully examined as to whether a furbelow might improve their habits or a stomacher add grace to their mien, they were allowed to live in peace and look after themselves. Mr. Newdigate is not the only one who concerns himself about the way in which a few unmarried ladies choose to live together and save their souls after their own fashion.
In Broadway, the communions given during the year amounted to 3 thousand, the catholics have become a good congregation and when Dr. Ullathorn paid a fairly long visit to us he considered the little spot "the best jewel in his mitre".
The new place at Mount Argus in Dublin became a perpetual mission. From the city, from the county of Dublin, from the neighbouring counties, from the other provinces, crowds came there to make their peace with God and return home consoled. We were opening chapels, converting and saving souls, whilst their high lazinesses, our good Superiors in Rome were groaning in spirit over an extra wax candle or the dimensions and quality of a laybrother's top-coat.
There were evident signs of spiritual prosperity manifesting themselves everywhere. The scope of our ministrations were being enlarged, the supply of good novices was increasing, the spirit of the Provincial seemed to communicate itself to the others and a more generous and charitable mode of ruling took place of the former too straitlaced one which drove many into evil who were not so inclined and lost many good subjects to the Congregation. The martinet system never succeeded, except perhaps on the eve of battle in an army or on the danger of drowning on the oceans, or among slaves and convicts on whom kindness might be thrown away.
There was a freshness and a mutual confidence beautiful to behold and a spirit inherent in the religious which seemed to soften the ordinary severities and make the burdens which had to be imposed seem considerably lightened.
This good spirit of friendliness kept the religious together after a domestic manner. We felt like brothers towards each other and our Superiors seemed more like elder brothers than fathers even. We gave and we took, we helped each other as best we could and went on thriving until we actually managed to start a college for the education of our students. Thereupon, there was a consternation amongst the dunces and Paddy-go-aisles generally. The Congregation was coming to an end because the youths were being educated above the ancient standard and really did not see that splendour in a hard martial Superior which Rome might be dazzled with, or which might edify an abstemious bishop. Groans broke forth into complaints. Poor Paoli was banished into genteel exile in the course of a few years. It was fearedhe might make the Congregation a little more active, might scour the rest of the Roman stay-at-homes and bring a brisk lively energetic spirit amongst us.
He was decorated with a mitre, sent out amongst the Turks, ordered to wear a fine flowing beard, with which it were to be wished, he might sweep away some religious cobwebs.
Now that we have fairly unbosomed our gall-bag with regard to reporters, crusty inspectors and the rest, let us have our own modest say upon the matter.
It is after all, a great blessing to have certain people at headquarters, who are merely qualified for looking after buttons, birettas, sandals and 'solitudine profunda'. They are useful, very useful. People who aim at higher things may possibly forget the smaller and thus make shipwreck of their vocation, but the others keep matters straight. Soldiers and warriors may win battles, but they would not have the strength to fight if cooks did not make their soup, or tailors and tinkers see to their dress and accountrements.
The whole world is managed after the same fashion and happy is the nation whose tailors and tinkers are faithful to their respective and important charges.
There is another beautiful maxim verified in this sort of thing. "Take care of the pence and the pounds will take care of themselves." Yes, brethren, let us take care of the size of our sleeves, of the form of our birettas, of the main ceremonies of grace before and after meals, of the slight tokens of respect to be paid to authority. Let us be punctilious, if you will, in small observances, faithful and obedient, without being slavish, crouching or time serving, and these small strokes, much as may rail against them and feel their infliction as they strike, will polish us into good and perfect religious - teres atque rotundos - in the course of its progress.
Nothing injures a Religious so much as despising small things. It may seem noble 'agnila non captat muscas', but it generally ends in relaxation, reformation, extra regualtion and sometimes expatriation. It is one of the grand secrets of religious life to have some fine stern martinet to look after the little things. Some men are created for that and called for for that with a promise of promotion to greater things when the religious vexations they rejoice in have a merciful end and they pass into eternity to the comfort of their brethren and it is to be devoutly hoped, of themselves.
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Rev brothers consors,
I don't expect that your reverences will pass a single paragraph of this chapter. I have written just what I think, in the hope that when you have read it, you will put me down as a complete radical and take care that I never get the opportunity of corrupting the coming generation by daring to teach them that a religious may be obedient and observant without being either a slave or a sycophant; and that it is better to speak one's mind candidly upon subjects which concern our welfare than hide the truth beneath a sardonic grin of Macchiavellian plausability or pretend to be what you are not in order to impose upon the credulity of saints. Saints see through stone walls.
Your aff., Pius.