Obituary Notice
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Fr. Placid Stevens (1879-1941) a en ete ean flécd Sveveas (1) JsXaP. Father Placid. } In the death of Fr. Placid, the Province of St.Joseph hag suffered a real and most grievous loss. In his cage, thie is no mere hack-— neyed phrase, but is literally true. For Fr.Placid was more than a good Religious: - though even that is great preise —- he was a scholar, end ea priest of holy life, far beyond the ordinary, and his passing has Left a real gap in our ranks. John Hubert Stevens - for that was his name in the world —- son of Alphonsus and Gertrude Stevens, was born at Baarlo, Holland, on May 19th., 1879. Unfortunately, of his childhood years, we have few deteils, and conjecture is not biography. But there are exceptions, and one is sure that @& boy who entered the Passionist Alumniate at the age of twelve years, and passed, later on, after the unanimous vote of his masters, to the Novitiate at Tournal, must have shewn early signs of a religious vocation and solid virtue. The words of Ecclesiasticus (Chap.25,5) had clearly no application to young Hubert Stevens: ‘The things that thou hast not gathered in thy youth, how shalt thou find them in thine old age?", Confrater Placid (as he now was) was professed on June 1Oth., 1895, 3ix years later, i.e. on Dec.selst., 1901, he was ordained priest, by special dispen— sation, for he was not yet twenty three. At this stage of his religious life, conjecture again becomes lawful, for he gave such proof of solid virtue and general capacity that he was made Rector when only twenty eight years old, and proceeded to build the fine church and Passionist Retreat at Mook. He had certainly "gathered" much in his youth to be capable of such an achievement before he was thirty. Details of this period of his life are annoyingly searce, but he seems to have spent several years in the Holy Land at our Bethany Retreat, where he put a crown on his already considerable degree of scholarship, and acquired that profound knowledge of the Eaat - its people, manners and customs — which bore such interesting fruit, years later, in a long series of articles in"fhe Cross", Fr.Placid who already knew @reek and Hebrew, addéd Arabic to his list of languages at this time. The result of all these studies was a profound Biblical knowledge, and it should be known that Fr.Placid, whilst in the Holy Land, earned the friendship and appreciation of Pere Lagrange, the greatest Catholic Scripture scholar of our time. Towards the conclusion of the War of 1914 - 1918, Fr.Placid, now a Consultor of the Congregation, came to St.Joseph's Retreat, Highgate Hill, to act as interpreter,,and be in general charge of the many Dutch and Belgian refugees who were in England at the time, and who were most appreciative of his presence among them. To the English folk, amongst whom he moved in those London years, he wus most endeared, end won their hearts by the loveableness and spiritual beauty of his character. He stood the supreme test of living with others in community, for he was loved and appreciated, even more, at home in the Retreat, than without, After the London period, he ‘teught our Students in Rome for some years, but once again returned to Highgate to resume his good work there, Subsequently we find him at St.Anne's Retreat, Sutton, where he was Director of the Children of Mary, and had charge of the choirs This was from 1928 to 1933, He then returned to Highgate for a time, from which he was next transferred to Broadway, Wores., and & year ago he returned to Sutton —"lasb scene of ell" - where he was engaged in teaching a newly-professed class of Students at the time of his death, which took piace on Feb.Sth,, as the sad result of an accident in the "black-out". “About ea week before his death he wes out one afternoon in the parish, and started, without an electric torch, to return to the Retreat in time for
supper, when night had already fallen. He seems, sad to relate, to have fallen over an embankment, near the Retreat, on to the pavement, ond his injuries were terrible. One of the Community happened, providentietly, to paus & few minutes later, and found him, He was removed to hospital by ¢anbtlance , and received Extreme Unction at the hands of the Father Rector, who stayed with him to a Late hour. From the first the case was hopeless , "and he passed peacefully away at 7.50 a.m. on Saturday, Peb. Sth. It has been said thet Fr.Placid was not merely a good Religiour, but aman of holy life. His day was not passed in mere external conforaity to the Rules end Regulations, out was informed and wade vital and weritorious by int-— erior union with his Divine Master. Specé forbids en extended ploture of that union in its outward manifestations, but we must note two pointe, which were orystal-clear to all. - his Iuuility "and great oharity. It was well-nigh impossible to make him talk about bimself, his atte Jinments, his doings. Hence the difficulty one experiences in writing the obituary notice of such a MAD and true Religious. You might have known him for years and not be aware, for enamnp le, that ‘he was an oriental echoler, and well. scquainted with the or ine oipal Langiages of Burope. He was selfless, und inconsiderate of nis orn confort to a Vegree and rare indeed were the occasions when anything Like co complaint came from his Lips. His spirit of Charity would deserve separate treatment, if wewere to do it anything like justice. Here it rast be enough to sey that he was never known to utter a single unkind word epout enyone, inside or outside the Retreat. About his accomplishuents in the order of nature, much might be eaid in addition to the above. He was an expert in the wmueic of the SOhurch in general, (Plain Chant in particular), and he was a skilled organist. In matters Literary, he had a marked pitt for versif ication, and could turn out very readable verses at a moment! 6 notice. Sometines these verses rere skilfully woven together, and became poetry. Perhaps his best effort of recent years was his hymn to St. Genma, and two of its verses may at once Dring this "Notice" fittingly to an end, and tell us aleo the secret of Father Placiats awn spiritual life and ohildiixe siuplioity of heart:- "Brief thy career, but rich in fruits Of everlasting life. How radlant is thy crown of bliss As ended is thy strife. Dear Gemma, may thy beauteous Light Blind us to things of earth, And draw our eyes and hearts to God And things of lasting worth." Fr. Placid lived for things of "lasting worth", so it is with no misgivings thet we pray, "May his dear soul rest in peace". ery
Source: Obituary Notices, Provincial Archive, St Joseph's Province. Passionist Congregation.