State of the Province: Father Anthony (Testa): Incidents.
For the first time in our English annals, we had three classes pursuing their studies together, and this so soon after the late ordination. We had 21 students. Four in Dublin were reading Theology, with Fr. Joseph Carroll, 10 in Sutton were doing same with Fr. Joseph Casparri and seven in Highgate were reading Philosophy with Fr. Pius Devine. The four houses of the Province were thus enabled to keep the Rule quite strictly. There were members sufficient in each house to attend thoroughly to the choir duties and to the works of charity for the faithful both in the vicinity of the retreats and further off. The works of the Congregation went on well and there were members enough to discharge them. It is always painful to have to refuse missions or retreats for want of Fathers, and still more so to take priests from their usual steady work which must be left undone or done by inexperienced men, and sent to work on the distant missions.
Our Rule, having so much of the monastic element in it, becomes difficult of observance when the members of a community are few; because by the law of charity we must not let souls perish if we can save them, by indulging too much in the spiritual luxury of private devotions. Indeed, by many wise thinkers, the decadence of religion among the Latin races is attributed to the want of this charity. The plentiful supply of monasteries in Italy and Spain, where the people were left in ignorance whilst monks chanted psalms, has produced a spirit of revolt - not indeed directly or intentionally - but for want of showing the people that they lived rather for them than for themselves. To combine the monastic with the missionary life was the great aim of our Holy Founder and his most faithful children have striven according to their strength to follow in his footsteps. The Director may be an old Father who has been Master of Novices or Rector, an exhausted missioner, one to whom the young students will look up with reverence, and who can draw upon his long experience examples to illustrate his precepts. When this arrangement can be come to it is very desirable, but, alas! other things have to be attended to. We never can afford Mass-priests in this province. A priest who can barely say Mass and go through routine work in generally relegated to Italy. In fact, he does not pay, in our mercenary way of looking at things. This being the case, nearly all our possible Directors and such like, are called out to give retreats, preach sermons, attend the confessional. Their home and extern duties conflict - 'hoc oportet facere ut illus not amittere' and there comes the difficulty.
It was found that the dual system did not work very well, and in the course of a few months we reverted to the original and traditional mode of education. The life of a religious Order has a good deal of the individual in it. When a man seems to prosper in every way then heaven sends its visitations and when a religious Order has everything smiling in its career, trials come to test its excellence.
The second infancy of our Congregation was blessed with the guidance of a man whom we can never forget. He was General for well nigh 24 years. Confessor to the Conclave when Pius IX was elected, he might have rejoiced in any ecclesiastical dignity, but he chose to remain with his brethren, every Chapter unanimously re-elected him and the Pope gave dispensations. This was Anthony of St. James Testa. He was born in the Isle of Elba on the 18th October, 1787, and before he was 16 years of age, on the 12th July, 1803, he put on the habit of a Passionist. In 1809, when only a Deacon, he was appointed to teach Philosophy. When the religious orders were scattered, he retired to Naples, became tutor to the family of Prince St. Gallo, and remained there until the Religious were allowed to congregate again. He flew back at once to his habit and his cloister. He was appointed Lector of Theology in 1821, Rector of Sts. John & Paul's, in 1824 Provincial. He was six years Provincial, three years Consultor, six years more Provincial, and elected General in 1839. He remained in that office until the 3rd August of this year, 1862 when the Lord took him to Himself.
Father Anthony was a man who must be a ruler anywhere. He had great talents, of which he himself seemed to be unconscious. He was extremely exact in the fulfillment of our rules, very severe towards himself, charitable to all, tender to the weak, kind to everyone, but most determined and unswerving in the carrying out of his instructions. He was respected highly in Rome and outside it.
He extended the range of our work considerably, more by encouraging the zealous than by cramping them with impracticable rules. During his time, 8 additional houses of our Congregation were founded in Italy, besides the Scala Santa, two in France, one in Belgium, one in Holland, four in England, one in Ireland and three in America.
Since his death, Italy has not put forth many signs of fecundity. Indeed the changes of government may be said to have stunted the growth of religious orders in that country. The French Province was in a consumptive state even before the Ferry laws. The Anglo- Hibernian and the American Provinces are carrying out the order of Genesis - increase and multiply.
He was remarkable especially as the foe of idleness. The 'dolce far niente' of the majority of his countrymen was to him little short of a heresy. He was never idle and he so far did the immense work of a General that he
rarely required the services of his Secretary. He was much after Clement XIV's way of thinking and acting. When many offered their claims for the position of secretary to His holiness, just after his election, he told them that he had already engaged three secretaries, and when asked who they were, held up his thumb and two fingers.
Anthony of St. James is affectionately remembered by those who had the happiness of living with him and for many years, if not even now, the absence of his wise counsels, fatherly advice, encouragements for the weak and deep interest for all is much felt. Whilst he lived the Provinces outside Italy were treated perhaps with more indulgence and consideration than those which were near. His letters breathed excuses even for abuses he rebuked, and made ample allowances for the differences of climate and habits. Though acknowledged as Superior by all, he took care that no one felt his authority and that he ruled like an elder brother.
On the 28th August of this year the beautiful organ, which still fills the Highgate Church with sacred melody, was opened with great splendour and a meeting of all the Superiors.
A curious incident is recorded in the Chronicles of Broadway for this year. The Rector, Master, Vicemaster and all the novices set out on a walk for Hales Abbey. They assembled in the ruins, said the Office and sang some litanies, psalms and canticles. A number of the villagers assembled to see if the old monks had returned and were rather awed by the presence of so many black coats. At length, finding by the debris of some luncheon, which lay about, that the monks were corporeal and not the shadows of the ancient inhabitants of those walls, they made bold to come near their visitors. One of the Fathers gave them an account of the rites which were carried on there of yore, and of the benefits of monasticism generally. No impression seemed to be made. At length, the orator, with the true instincts which belong to orators and which are so beautifully laid down in handbooks of Rhetoric, addressed himself to the sympathies of his audience. He told them of how the monks fed the poor, educated their children, gave hospitality, were gentle in their landlord rights. A new light then beamed upon the rustic countenances and the spokesman of the party exclaimed: "great pity, zur, they beant here now".
The missions and Retreats given this year are as follows:
In recording the missions there is but one object before us - to show how far beyond the precincts of our houses the scene of our labours extended. The extraordinary incidents, the wonderful conversions, the tragic examples, and the splendid evidences of revived piety belong to the local historiographer of each village. There is not a village but could have a history if somebody only took the trouble to write it and then - some people had the patience to read it.