\CaiaJuiA.j Afa/y 7" I 2SP THESE PRIESTS J THE VINCENTIAN HOLY C H p S S J E S U I T P A S S I O I \ I S T I t H l t M I ' l H I H S r l DOMINICAN^) VIA I t I S I FATHERS A K r f u l P u b l i c a t i o n M E E T The Vincentian Fathers The Holy Cross Fathers The Jesuit Fathers The Passionist Fathers The Redemptorist Fathers The Dominican Fathers The Marist Fathers by MARY T. CALLAHAN G r a i l P u b l i c a t i o n St. Meinrad Indiana I Nihil obstat: Joseph G. Kempf, Ph. D. Censor librorum Imprimatur: >i< Paul C. Schulte, D. D. Archbishop of Indianapolis June 9, 1952 Each Chapter of this booklet was approved by the Superior of each Order and Congregation. Copyright 1952 by St. Meinrad's Abbey, Inc. The Grail TABLE OF CONTENTS Meet the Vincentian Fathers 1 Meet the Holy Cross Fathers . g 13 Meet the Jesuit Fathers 26 Meet the Passionist Fathers 39 Meet the Redemptorist Fathers 52 Meet the Dominican Fathers 66 Meet the Marist Fathers ...... 79 MEET THE VINCENTIAN FATHERS REMEMBER THE FIRST MISSION you ever made? And how incredible it seemed to you that the same Mission Father who spoke such sober, soul-searching words could, in the next breath, be so heartily human? Np doubt you found yourself wishing you knew more about this priest's, work, and the Community to which he belonged. There were so many questions you could have asked, had you the opportunity, for the Mission Orders are truly an in- spiring and enlightening part of our Catholic Church. It is to answer those unphrased questions that we present this series on the Mission Orders, in the belief that to know is. to love; to understand is to appreciate. And we, the Catholic laity, know f a r too little about our Mission Fathers. ;J In this series you will read of many of the Communities of Mission > Fathers whom you have seen, or will see, in your own parish churches. Although all Missions are basically the same, a series of sermons and devotions designed to strength- en and encourage the laity in the right way of life, they are nevertheless varied in presentation according to the Com- munity which is conducting them. When you learn of the ideals with which each Mission Father is imbued, of the particular methods his founder chose for the sanctification of souls, you will understand better the special appeal of its own which each order has. 1 To inaugurate this series we have chosen the Congregation of the Mission, or Vincentian Fathers as we know them. This was the first Congregation founded for the specific purpose of giving Missions to the poor country people. Other older Orders soon took up this work, but the Vincentians were, in our American vernacular, the Pioneer Mission Fathers. At this point, I should like to point out to you the title Congregation of the Mission. You have no doubt noticed that some Mission Fathers belong to Orders, and many oth- ers to Congregations. There is a distinct difference between the two, although one that is not apparent to the layman. Although each Religious priest takes the three vows which are peculiar to his calling (the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience), those in Religious Orders take solemn per- petual vows, while those in Religious Congregations take simple perpetual vows. Because of the solemnity of vows, the Church accords a preferential dignity to the Orders. This preference is comparable to that accorded an elderly priest: although he is no more a priest than one newly Or- dained, his seniority commands a certain additional respect. Congregations, as well as Orders, have all the essentials of Religious life, including, besides the three vows, the approba- tion of ecclesiastical authority and approval by the Holy See. There have been no new Orders in the Church since the 16th Century, for those Congregations instituted since that time have, in order to adapt their lives and work to the needs of the time, eliminated many of the practices, such as choir and severe penitential practices, common to older or true Orders. This enabled them, without giving up the re- quisites of the Religious state, to be more free to do the work to which they were dedicated. It is most unjust and im- proper to say that Religious Orders are better than Congre- gations, or that one Congregation is better than the other. 2 They all labour for the same purpose, but each in a slightly different manner. Many of us have, for our own personal reasons, a particular favorite among the Communities, but a knowledge of all should serve to help us appreciate and clarify in our minds those aspects which particularly endear our favorite to us. The origin of the Congregation of the Mission is well worth noting, for it has had a vast effect upon the whole formation of clergy in the Church. In 1617 a young priest, Fr. Vincent de Paul (b. Pouy, Gascony, France, 1580, some authorities say 1576; Ordained 1600; d. Paris, Sept. 27, 1660) was at Chateau de Folleville, Picardy, with the de Gondy family, to supervise the education of their young sons, one of whom later became Archbishop of Paris. It was there that St. Vincent observed the ignorance of religion among the peasants of the neighborhood. He first preached a sermon to these people in the church of Folleville on Janu- ary 25, 1617. Its beneficial effects prompted a request from Mme. de Gondy which resulted in St. Vincent's soliciting the help of a few zealous young priests and going forth to preach to and instruct the people of the neighboring villages on the de Gondy estates. Thus began the work which was to result, eight years later (1625) in the Congregation of (Priests of) the Mission. Realizing the great good that had been accomplished by the Missions of St. Vincent, Mme. de Gondy desired the formation of an institute which would ensure a Mission to the country people on her vast estates at least every five years. The older Societies of priests in the neighborhood, Jesuits and Oratorians, being unable to undertake this work, St. Vincent gathered his zealous co-worker priests and or- ganized Missions for the poor country people who were at that time so little in touch with the clergy. 9 The Archbishop of Paris gave his official approval to the foundation on April 24, 1626, and on Sept. 4th of that year, St. Vincent and his original companions, before two notaries of Chatelet in Paris, declared that they had joined together to live in a community or confraternity, and to devote them-? selves to the salvation of the poor country people. Soon afterward four more priests joined the congregation, which was then residing at the College des Bons Enfants, a gift to St. Vincent from the Archbishop of Paris. In 1632 St. Vincent took possession of the house of St r Lazare, then on the outskirts of Paris, and Bons Enfants became the seminary of the Congregation. From their es- tablishment at St. Lazare came their title of "Lazarists," by which they are still known in most of the world. It was the Irish province which gave them the appellation "Vin- centians," by which they are now known in this country. This name was, of course, derived from that of their founder; Thus it is that the initials "C.M." which follow the names of the Fathers are so misleading to us, many of whom have never stopped to realize that "Vincentians" is only a friendly name given them by the people, while their proper title is Congregation of the Mission, from which the initials are derived. Together with the giving of Missions, the great St. Vin- cent and his companions undertook to serve the ecclesiastics of their country by conducting seminaries for the secular or diocesan clergy. At that time it was exceedingly difficult, if not impossible, for the clergy in the country to receive the educational training available to those in the cities. And so, St. Vincent undertook to train those preparing for the priesthood, and to conduct retreats and courses of instruct tion for those already Ordained. Since its very inception, the Vincentian Community has been concerned with the con- ducting of seminaries for the secular clergy as well as for 4 their own members. Today they still carry on this great work in every province of their Congregation. Since St. Vincent himself first laboured among the con- victs in the galleys of France, and sent his priests to convert the infidels of Madagascar and Barbary, the apostolate of foreign missions has been zealously followed by his spiritual sons. St. Vincent had, in 1605, journeyed to Marseilles, and was returning by sea when, tradition says, he was captured by Turkish pirates and taken to Tunis. There, the tradition continues, he was sold as a slave, but in 1607 he managed to escape with his master, a renegade whom he converted. It was perhaps this close contact with the unfortunates which fostered his great interest in the slaves and convicts, among whom he laboured so zealously. They were, as was the custom of the day, as much mistreated as possible, and forsaken by all their countrymen. To these went St. Vincent, ever seeing in man the good that is sometimes so f a r removed from human eye. He served them in every way imaginable, until they came to trust him and revere him without reserva- tion. He succeeded in interesting others in their behalf, and finally was appointed by Louis XIII a royal almoner of the galleys. Profitting by this title, he visited the galleys at Marseilles, where the victims were as badly off as at Paris. To these: unfortunates he afforded the same lavish care and solicitude, and ten years later he was able to ful- fill his promise to build a hospital for them. In the meantime, he had given on the galleys of Bordeaux, as on those of Marseilles, a Mission which was crowned with success. The foreign missions among the infidels was always a work of St. _ Vincent and his spiritual sons, although it was not possible to carry on this work on such a large scale until the 19th century. As early as 1645, however, Vincen- tian Missionaries set out for Barbary and worked among the Christians who had been captured by Turkish pirates. 5 Many priests were killed or imprisoned, yet their successors continued to labour there until, almost two hundred years later, France succeeded in wiping out this den of pirates. The 17th century saw the Vincentians labouring on the Is- land of Madagascar, and in the 18th century they estab- lished themselves on Bourbon Island and the Isle de France. China saw the Vincentians come first one by one, then later in small but ever increasing numbers. The Vincentian Fathers came to this country in 1816 at the invitation of the Bishop of New Orleans, and were thus the first to come here for the specific purpose of giving parochial or popular Missions. Four Fathers arrived here first, three of whom died soon afterward. Later in the year, three additional Fathers and one Brother arrived to head a band of twelve apostolic workers who set out for St. Louis and all the surrounding territory. The territory assigned to these pioneer priests comprised what are now the states of Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, and all points West. At that time the West was just beginning to feel the influx of pioneers who left the coastal regions, uneasy in the period of readjustment which followed the War of 1812, and sought the more complete freedom of the wilderness that was the West. • It was in this period of pioneering, so much drama- tized by books and motion pictures, that the Vincentian Father became a part of the Catholic American's life. Although it was not possible to conduct systematic popu- lar Missions in this country until 1860, we are not to sup- pose that prior to this time the Vincentians were here merely on an extended sightseeeing tour. They gave Mis- sions whenever possible, and as was always their custom, aided in the training of the diocesan clergy. They also matched wits with many an Indian, sometimes for the necessities of life, more often for the salvation of the sav- age's soul. 6 The journeys of these pioneer Vincentians took them through the lands of Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas, Michigan, Indiana, and Texas, where they established churches at scattered points. Many of these churches, which were re- linquished as soon as secular clergy were available to take charge of them, are now the sites of flourishing parishes. The Fathers travelled much, as they spent their lives in an effort to give the greatest help to the largest numbers of people. It is for this reason that so many of their great undertakings are now forgotten or not known even to the people whom they have benefited. Countless times, here as in every other country in which they labour, they have started the projects, set them up, and then relinquished them to diocesan or other clergy, moving on themselves to new missions and more urgent needs. At the present time there are, as divided in 1888, two provinces of the Congregation in the United States: the Eastern and Western Provinces. In the West, the Mother- house, located at Perryville, Mo., had its beginning as a picturesque but primitive log house, just 25' x 18', which happily was replaced in a few years by a large brick build- ing, and finally by a splendid group of buildings. This is still the Motherhouse of the Western Province, although the residence of the Provincial is a t St. Louis. The Mother- house for the East and residence of the Provincial of the Eastern Province is located in the group of buildings, erected in 1868, at Chelten Avenue, Germantown, Phila- delphia. Those Fathers who are concerned wholly with the giving of Missions reside in one of the Mission Houses, located at : Germantown and Bangor, Pa.; Groveport, Ohio; Toronto, Canada; Opelike, Alabama; and Springfield, Mass. These are the permanent addresses of the Mission Fathers. Many other priests in the Congregation are affiliated with one ¡ of the institutions conducted by these versatile Vincentians. The Vincentian Fathers are located in many of our states, distributed as follows: In Pennsylvania at German- town, where they have a Mission House and novitiate; a Mission House and parish at Bangor ; a major seminary at Northampton; and three parishes, one f o r ' t h e Colored, at Philadelphia. Ohio and Michigan claim the Vincentians at one city each: a Mission House at Groveport, and a parish at Jackson, respectively. Maryland claims, them in two of her cities, at Baltimore where they have two par- ishes, and at one parish in Emmitsburg. Opelika, Alabama .has a Vincentian Mission parish and there is a Vincentian parish for the Colored at Greensboro, North Carolina. New Jersey has an Apostolic school at Princeton, while her' New England neighbor, Massachusetts, has a Mission House at Springfield. In the West, Missouri claims the sons of St. Vincent in four of her cities: in St. Louis they have a parish, seminary, and are in charge of the diocesan seminary; Cape Giradeau is the site of a parish and an Apostolic school; Perryville, one of the oldest Vincentian locations in the West, contains a parish and novitiate; and at Kansas City there is a parish and seminary. In Illinois, Chicago is the home of a Vin- centian University and parish, while another parish is, located at La Salle. Texas, "largest of the forty-eight//! claims the Vincentians in four of her communities;: Dallas, Pampa, and Cotulla each having one parish conducted by the Congregation, with a Vincentian seminary at San An- tonio. There is an Apostolic school in Oklahoma. Colo- rado's mile-high city of Denver is the site of a diocesan seminary conducted by the Vincentians. California shares her perpetual sunshine with the Vincentian Fathers at Camarillo, where they have a seminary, and at Los Angeles 8 whre they have both a parish and a seminary. Louisiana's beautiful city of New Orleans contains three Vincentian parishes. In Mississippi there is one parish, at Long Beach, conducted by this Community. At Washington, D. C. is located the Vincentian House of Studies. And so it would seem that there can be few parishes in the country whose members have not at one time attended a Mission conducted by this illustrious Congregation. The Vincentians have always been in great demand for the conducting of seminaries and colleges, and that has proven the rule in this country also. Three well-known universities are conducted here by large staffs of Vincentian Fathers. In New York there are St. John's University, Brooklyn, which is one of the largest in the country, and Niagara University at Niagara Falls. De Paul University, Chicago, is one of the great universities of the West. All three have a high scholastic standing, and have been en- gaged in the education of Catholic youth for many years. As each Community usually has one devotion peculiar to it, so too has the Vincentian. The Devotion to the Mir- aculous Medal is a special feature of the Community's work, for it was to one of the Vincentian Sisters, Saint Catherine LaboUre, that Our Lady appeared in 1830 and gave the Miraculous Medal. Under the direction of the Vincentian •Fathers in each Province are the Association of the Mir- aculous Medal and Novena Band devoted exclusively to the conducting of Novenas in honour of Our Blessed Lady of the Miraculous Medal. Through these the' devotion has been made nation-wide, and millions of Miraculous Medals have been distributed by these groups. In connection with the devotion to the Miraculous Medal, the Vincentian Fathers at Germantown publish the quarter- ly "Miraculous Medal" magazine, and from St. Louis comes 9 the monthly "Vincentian." These two publications, reflect- ing the spirit and universality of the Congregation, are interesting and worthwhile reading for all Catholics, and non-Catholics as well. The Vincentian Fathers dress as the regular - secular priest, at the express command of their founder. It was St. Vincent's wish that they remain a congregation of secular priests, although with the vows of the Religious state, to be distinguished only by their organized effort to save souls. While the older orders usually have each a , distinctive clerical dress, the Vincentians, from the very beginning, found it more practical, in the work to which they were devoted, to dress as the regular priest. In the present time, to each Community is assigned a foreign mission, or missions, which are its complete re- sponsibility. To our American Vincentians have been en- trusted extensive Mission territories in China and the Canal Zone. The Missioners to Kiangsi, China, and Bocas del Toro, Republic of Panama, as well as Balboa and Cristobal, Canal Zone, are all supplied by the Eastern Province of the Con- gregation. The Western Province supplies the Missioners to Yukiang, China. Many of the Fathers we see conducting our parish Missions are veterans of many years on the foreign mission fields. The seemingly inexhaustable sup- ply of patience possessed by these priests may well have been learned on the Mission Fields of China or Panama, compared to which the problems and difficulties of our parochial Missions must seem trifling. The story of the years spent on the mission fields would, if told, make a more thrilling story than even Hollywood could dream up, but these are stories that never do get into print. For it is not to glorify themselves to the world, but to bring to the world the Glory of God that these great men of God have dedicated their lives. 10 Very few of us have ever stopped to question the number of priests of each Community in this country. To us they just appear at the opening of the Mission, and return, to where we often do not even know, at the Mission's close. It seems, when we see them in many churches, and read of them in so many places in the country, that there must be a multitude of priests in each Community. The truth is, however, that there are f a r too few priests engaged in this most important work. In both the Vincentian provinces in this country, that is, to labour in the entire United States, there are six hundred Fathers. If that number seems large to you, just stop to consider the diversified works in which they are engaged: They staff their own schools and seminaries, conduct diocesan seminaries, the three Universi- ties mentioned, and many parishes, all of which is in addi- tion to the giving of Missions. The number of priests engaged solely in conducting the Vincentian establishments must necessarily be large, and the conducting of Missions must be an almost overwhelming task for those assigned exclusively to this work. The individual responsibility and work which must inevitably fall on each priest when there are so few to do so much, is a factor too often overlooked by the laity. Theirs is a task which requires all their strength for all of their lives. There is no rest; . they seek no rest. They indulge in no self-satisfaction in a job well done, for although one Mission may be an outstanding success, there is always another to be given. So long as man remains the frail human that he is, there will be un- ending work for the Mission Fathers. In connection with the Vincentians we must mention the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul, who are of the same family. This Community of Sisters was founded in France, 1633, to aid St. Vincent's great works of mercy, especially in caring for the sick in hospitals. Today in this, the largest community of Sisters, more than 45,000 work 11 throughout the world. Whenever possible, they have only Vincentian Fathers as directors, and they are truly a part of the great family of St. Vincent. In this article it seems fitting to mention a new service instituted by this enterprising Vincentian Congregation. That is the Kenrick Remailing Service, Kenrick Seminary, 7800 Kenrick Road, St. Louis 19, Mo. The seminarians here have set up a service whereby anyone who so desires may obtain from them the name and address of a foreign Mis- sionary to wjiom Catholic literature of all kinds may be sent. The priests in the foreign missions, so cut off from the world, are desperately in need of all kinds of Catholic reading matter. By sending our magazines as we finish reading them, we shall be doing a great amount of good at such a small effort to ourselves. This project means a great deal of additional work for the seminarians, whose time is always limited. If they can find the time to carry on the project, surely we can do our part by forwarding our litera- ture to some f a r away priest. The life of the Mission Fathers, of whom the Vincentians are idealistically representative, is one of continually doing for others. Their effort to implant in others an undying desire to do good is most successful, yet Often they must move on without seeing the visible results of their efforts. Truly, the Mission Fathers especially are dedicated non sibi soli vivere sed et aliis proficere—not to live for oneself alone, but to live for others. To these, the Mission Fa- thers, for their unceasing help and encouragement, do we acknowledge our indebtedness. May their influence be ever more strongly felt, in a world which needs them so urgently now more than ever before. 12 MEET THE HOLY CROSS FATHERS W I T H EACH PASSING CENTURY the world has felt more keenly the need of new Communities within the Church. Little more than a century ago, one such Community, the Congregation of Holy Cross, was founded in Catholic France, and brought in its infancy to this country, where it has grown until it has become an outstanding missionary-teach- ing organization. The Holy Cross Fathers, through their Home Mission Bands and their educational institutions, notably Notre Dame, are well known to the people of many sections of our land. They have brought the benefits of their preaching and teaching to prominent cities, and to villages tucked in ob- scurity along the byways. These Fathers are members of a Congregation still relatively young, whose founding has been an important milestone in the history of the Church, and whose founder's great personal characteristics of holiness still are reflected strikingly in his spiritual sons. The brief history of this Congregation, and the story of its venerable founder, Fr. Basil Moreau, C.S.C., are noteworthy chapters in the modern history of the Church. To all who have at- tended a Holy Cross Mission, this brief sketch of the found- ing and founder of Holy Cross will perhaps give a better understanding of the ideals with which these Fathers are imbued, and of the particular inspiration and example set foi- them by their founder. 13 The village of Laigne-en-Belin, near Le Mans, France, was the birthplace, in 1799, of Basil Anthony Moreau, ninth of the fourteen children of this singularly blessed family. Bas- il's childhood was marked by his brilliant mind and reverent love of God and His Church. One of the boy's greatest pleas- ures was teaching his companions to serve Mass, using for this purpose the tiny altar he had erected in his home. Here in his childhood we may see instances prophetic of the years to come, when Basil Moreau would indeed teach others to love and serve God. The gentle kindness and aversion to harshness even in reproof which were to characterize his years in the priesthood were apparent even in childhood, when Basil chastised his playmates, of whom he was the acknowledged leader, with the tenderness foreign to youth. The years passed, and the boy's vocation grew more ap- parent with each passing year, until in the Fall of 1814 the shepherd boy of Laigne-en-Belin left his family and flock to begin his studies for the priesthood at Chateau-Gontier. Four more years saw Basil entering the Grand Seminary of St. Vincent at Le Mans, where the brilliant mind of the young seminarian, long since dedicated to the service of Our Lord, distinguished him as a scholar of merit. On July 30, 1819, Minor Orders were conferred upon him, and the Subdiaconate and Diaconate followed on successive years. Thus Basil Moreau completed the course of studies re- quisite to the priesthood at the age of twenty-two, a full two years under the canonical age required for ordination. Impressed by the young seminarian's exemplary character, his superiors sought a dispensation from Rome from this impediment. Upon receipt of the dispensation, Basil An- thony Moreau received the Sacrament of Holy Orders in the chapel of the old Visitation Convent, Le Mans, on Aug. 12, 1821. By this sacrament Basil Moreau became Alter Chris- tus, Another Christ, whose life, very much like that of its 14 Divine Model, would one day find its consummation and its eternal triumph in his Holy Cross. After his ordination, Fr. Moreau desired ardently to labor on the Foreign Missions, but his Superiors wished his re- markable mind and strongly spiritual character to be em- ployed in the training of future priests. Having bound him- self by a private vow of Obedience, he could only acquiesce to their wishes without reservation. Thus, instead of leaving for the heroic life of a Missionary on some f a r distant land, Basil found himself spending the next two years at the Sul- pician Institute in preparation for the coming years when he would become in succession Instructor of Philosophy at the preparatory seminary* at Tesse, Professor of Dogmatic Theology at St. Vincent's, and (1830) Professor of Sacred Scripture at the same Grand Seminary. In the years Fr. Moreau spent as a teacher, he was also given ever more frequent assignments as a preacher through- out the Diocese. The young priest's discourses were to be long remembered by those who heard them, and in later years there would be those who would recall with pleasure these first sermons of a Mission Father now old in the ser- vice of Christ. For during these years the young seminary professor was inspired by a dream, which he dedicated to Our Lord, and which he gave his life to fulfilling for His sake. This dream was of a group of Auxiliary Priests, who would assist the secular clergy, especially by the Christian educa- tion of youth and the revitalizing of the Faith among the people by the giving of Missions and Retreats. Fr. Moreau was to see the fulfillment of his dream in the summerof 1835. Then it was that the youthful founder went, with the six young ecclesiastics who shared his desires, into the solitude of the Trappe de Port-du-Salut, near Laval, and there, on an August day, fashioned of himself and these young priests the Auxiliary Priests of Le Mans. The new 15 Community was consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Our Lord, and the Sorrowful Heart of His Mother, a fitting, perhaps even prophetic, consecration. While still concerned with the primitive formation of his new Community, Fr. Moreau was called upon to undertake the position of Superior of the Brothers of St. Joseph. Ill health and advanced age forced the retirement of their ven- erable Founder and Superior, Fr. James Francis Dujarie, and to the earnest young Priest he entrusted his Community and its future. The Brothers of St. Joseph, founded at Ruille just fifteen years before (1820) were dedicated to the teach- ing of youth, especially in small communities where other Orders were not available for 'this much needed service. Fr. Moreau's own Community, the Auxiliary Priests, was at that time residing at St. Vincent's, with the study of their Founder as headquarters of the Community. From this headquarters the Auxiliary Priests would begin their active apostolate as Mission Fathers in the Spring of 1836. Their Founder had been given a large estate in a suburb of Le Mans, which he hoped would soon become the first perma- nent home of his Community. The needs of his new responsi- bility seemed more pressing, however, and so, as he would do throughout the remainder of his life, F r . Moreau sub- ordinated his own personal wishes in all his consuming de- sire for the glorification of God, and brought the Brothers of St. Joseph to his beautiful estate. Situated in a suburb called Holy Cross, and dedicated to Our Lady, the home of the Community subsequently became known as Our Lady of Holy Cross. The following year, Fr. Moreau uexpectedly acquired the property adjoining the Brother's institutions. While final preparations were being made for their occupation of the estate, their Founder took his Auxiliary Priests on Retreat, Oct. 15; 1836, and at its close brought them to their new home at Holy Cross. 16 The formation of the Congregation of Holy Cross is in many ways unique. Its Founder had already instituted a Community of Priests, and become superior of a Community of Brothers. These he had united in his plans, and most certainly in his loving heart. Each Community could surely benefit the other: the Priests (often called Salvatorists) by acting as Spiritual Directors and instructors to the Brothers of St. Joseph (Josephites), who in turn could valuably assist the Auxiliary Priests in the temporal administration of their schools and houses. In order to strengthen this mutually beneficial union, a Fundamental Act was entered into by both Communities on March 1, 1837. Thereafter the Auxili- ary Priests and the Brothers of St. Joseph were referred to as the Association, or Congregation, of Holy Cross. Thus we may see the distinctive formation of this Con- gregation, which is actually the uniting of two separate Com- munities who had at that time a mutual Founder and Su- perior. The initials "C.S.C." which follow the names of the individual Fathers and Brothers refer of course to the of- ficial title of their Community. In its native French this is Congregation a Sancte Croix, and in Latin, the language of the Church, it is Congregatio a Sancta Cruee. Although this is often erroneously translated as the Congregation of the Holy Cross, its title actually refers to the origin of the Con- gregation in the village of Holy Cross, and not that the Holy Cross is the symbol of the Community. Therefore, it is sim- ply "Congregation of Holy Cross," whose-members have become known as Priests and Brothers of Holy Cross. We in America have had the members of this Congregation here since 1841, when the Priest and six Brothers whom Fr. Moreau had taken from his small band arrived in the very heart of our verdant wilderness, near Vincennes, Ind. On a November day in 1842 this small band of Holy Cross Mis- sionaries came into a clearing in the Indiana forest, a tract 17 of land originally purchased by the proto-Priest of America, Fr. Stephen Badin, and given to this Community by Mon- seigneur de la Hailandiere, renowned Bishop of Vincennes. Oh this spot the land itself, the members of Holy Cross who were to labor there, and the college they even then en- visioned, were dedicated to Our Lady, as had been their Community itself in France only a few short years before. Here in the heart of our Country, of the Divinely inspired zeal of this infant Congregation, was lit a spark that one day would be a glow which of its very name.would warm the hearts of all America. For this was the brave and noble founding of our renowned Notre Dame University! So closely has the history of Holy Cross in our country been associated with this University that we often hear these Fathers referred to as the Priests of Notre Dame. From Notre Dame, the first home of the Congregation in this country, the Holy Cross Fathers have gone forth in ever increasing numbers to follow in the footsteps of their holy Founder. In their work as Mission Fathers, these Priests have a particular inspiration in the life of Fr. Moreau, but the Holy Cross Fathers have also taken up the education of the young, the care of parishes, and home and foreign Mis- sionary work, in each instance devoting themselves to a work which was by no means alien to the interests of their Foun- der. Today, one hundred and six years after coming to our country, the American Provinces of the Congregation of Holy Cross have two Bishops, Most Rev. John F. O'Hara, C.S.C., D.D., Bishop of Buffalo, and the Most Rev. Lawrence L. Graner, C.S.C., D.D., Bishop of Dacca, Bengal, Pakistan, and over four hundred Priests. Only a surprisingly small number of these Fathers are devoted to the work of giving Missions, yet the figure of the Holy Cross Mission Father has helped to make this Congregation known and revered in 18 countless communities. These Mission Fathers have a cleri- cal dress which is easily distinguished from that of the secu- lar clergy, although, like most modern Congregations, they' do not have the distinguishing dress characteristic of older Orders. At a Holy Cross Mission you will see the Mission Father dressed in black cassock and cincture, the latter being in the form of a cord rather than the broad sash worn by members of many other Communities. Suspended by a cord slipped over the head of the Missionary is the Crucifix which is customarily associated with the Mission Fathers. Over their cassock these Priests wear a short, unadorned black cape, a distinguishing part of their ecclesiastical dress. For over a century the entire country was included in the Congregation's Province of the United States, with Provin- cial Headquarters at Notre Dame, Ind. The so-called laiciz- ing of schools, and the religious persecution that resulted in France from the notorious Law of Associations, passed in 1901, resulted in the residence of the Superior General be- ing transferred to America, and established at Notre Dame. The steady advancement of the Congregation has at last resulted in an action long anticipated, the formation of a Vice-Province in our country. This new Eastern Vice-Pro- vince was officially created on May 3,1948, and placed under the protection of Our Blessed Mother, as had been the origin- al foundation so many years before. Although called the Eastern Vice-Province, its official title is actually the Vice- Province of Our Lady of Holy Cross. The Eastern Vice-Province, with headquarters at King's College, Wilkes-Barre, Pa., is comprised of the six New England States, as well as the states of New York, New Jer- sey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Maryland. In Massachu- setts the Holy Cross Fathers have a Mission House, Semi- nary, and College at North Easton, and a Novitiate at North Dartmouth. In addition, these Priests serve as Chaplains for 19 the Holy Cross Brothers at their Postulate at Valatie, the Vincentian Institute at Albany, N.Y., at Coyle High School, Taunton, Mass., etc. Within the Eastern Vice-Province, at New York City, is located the Generalate of the Congregation, the residence of Very Rev. Albert F." Cousineau,. C.S.C., Superior General of the Congregation of Holy Cross, and his General Council. The Indiana Province maintains its headquarters at Notre Dame, Ind., where is also located the Community House, Community Infirmary, Holy Cross Preparatory Seminary, Moreau Seminary for Philosophy, and the Mission House. In nearby South Bend, the Fathers have a Novitiate, while at Rolling Prairie is located another Novitiate, this for candidates to the Brotherhood in this Community. In addi- tion, the Holy Cross Fathers of the Indiana Province have one parish at Notre Dame, ten at South Bend, seven in Texas, and one each at Watertown, Wis., Chicago, 111., Portland, Ore., and New Orleans, La. The Holy Cross Home Missions of the Indiana Province bring the gift of Faith and the benefits of this Community's work to thousands of persons in Texas who otherwise would have little if any opportunity to learn of Our Lord through His Church or receive His Sacraments. These Fathers serve extensive areas for the Mexican and Colored Missions. The Holy Cross Hospital in Austin, Texas, built and attended by priests of this Community from their Holy Cross parish, became, in 1939, the first hospital for the Colored people in Texas. Thus in more than twenty parishes and mission sta- tions, the Holy Cross Fathers are working zealously to seek out the people of the valleys and villages by-passed and for the most part forgotten by the world, and are giving to these people all the consoling and beneficial helps of the Faith which is rightfully theirs. 20 The three-fold purpose of the Congregation of Holy Cross is the self-sanctification of its members, the preaching of the Divine Word, and the Christian education of youth. In the apostolate of education, the Holy Cross Fathers have become one of the outstanding Communities active in this country. Today these Fathers conduct Notre Dame Universiy, the University of Portland in Portland, Ore., St. George's Col- lege in Santiago, Chile, and Holy Cross College, which is exclusively for seminarians of their Community, at Washing- ton, D.C. The Eastern Vice-Province contains the two youngest of the Community's institutions of higher learning, King's College at Wilkes-Barre, Pa., and at North Easton, Mass., the newly founded Stonehill College. St. Edward's University, Austin, Texas, and many high schools across our country are maintained by the Brothers of Holy Cross, while other Brothers are office-workers, cooks, maintenance men, etc. for their Community. All these schools conducted by this Community are dedicated to the great work of training and moulding young men in the ideals which have been the heritage of all those who have received their training from the Priests and Brothers of Holy Cross. The oldest, and by f a r the most widely known, institution conducted by the Holy Cross Fathers in this country is Notre Dame University, founded in 1842 by Fr. Edward Sorin, C.S.C. The renowned football teams of Notre Dame have become a tradition in America, as the Fighting Irish have year after year gone on to the football field, and in a pre- game huddle said the Hail Mary before starting each con- test which would be to their credit as either victors or losers. Despite the well-earned glory of their football teams, sports is a secondary matter to these students. For, since the Uni- versity's inception, the Holy Cross Fathers have been giving the students of Notre Dame a superior training based on the soundest principle of education: "knowledge of God is the 21 beginning of all wisdom." That Notre Dame is hailed as on« of the nation's great Universities is to the honor of the Con- gregation of Holy Cross, for the growth and greatness of this University must be accredited to the valiant members of this Community, who have given their grace, their wisdom, and their very lives to make Notre Dame the great and noble influence she is today. The apostolate of the press has been a primary concern of this Congregation since its inception. Fr. Moreau, shortly after assuming leadership of the Brother's Community, as- signed several learned members of his Congregation to the task of providing suitable textbooks for the children en- trusted to their care. His spiritual children would later re- ceive a lasting reminder of his deep interest in their welfare, with the publication of his "Christian Meditations," intended originally for the exclusive use of his own Community, but later revised by Fr. Moreau himself to benefit the large num- ber of secular clergy and laity who also sought his counsel. In America, the Holy Cross Fathers carry on this great work by publications in all suitable fields of literature, but espe- cially by the publication at Notre Dame of the national weekly "Ave Maria," first published in 1865 and one of the oldest and most widely circulated Catholic periodicals. The foreign missions were very dear to the heart of Fr. Moreau, who had, as a seminarian and young Priest, longed to enter this field of Christ's service. His interests in the needs of the Missions brought him the coveted title of Apos- tolic Missionary on Aug. 7, 1844. The spiritual sons of Fr. Moreau have been doing outstanding work in this great apostolate since five years after their Community's inception. Today our American Priests of Holy Cross labor on the ex- tensive mission fields which now comprise the Diocese of Dacca in East Pakistan. 22 Each Community has, as a rule, one devotion which is peculiar to it, but in the history of Holy Cross we find three devotions which have been prominent in the interest of the Congregation. Devotion to the Sacred Heart, the Mother of Sorrows, and St. Joseph are especially fostered by the Holy Cross Fathers. The center of devotion to St. Joseph in the New World is the famous Oratory of St. Joseph at Montreal, the shrine of the venerated Brother Andre, humble Holy Cross Brother whose Cause for Beatification has been begun. Although the Rosary is not listed as a devotion peculiar to this Community, the Congregation of Holy Cross has given the world a modern Apostle of the Rosary. Fr. Patrick Peyton, C.S.C., his beautiful Family Rosary Crusade, and the national radio program "Family Theater," an out-growth of the Crusade, are known to virtually all the people of our land. This' young Holy Cross Father, a native of Catholic Ireland, was brought, it would seem by Divine Providence, to our country, and specifically to St. Peter's Cathedral in Scranton, Pa., where four Holy Cross Mission Fathers were to come during his stay as sexton of the Cathedral. It was through the interest and help of these Mission Fathers that Patrick Peyton answered God's invitation to the Holy Priest- hood, and entered Holy Cross Preparatory Seminary at Notre Dame. In this we have an outstanding example of the good which so often results from the work of the Mission Fathers, who many times have been the willing instruments used by God to give the world His greatest servants. In his lifetime Fr. Moreau was to found a complete Re- ligious family, fashioned after the first Holy Family of Nazareth. The Priests and Brothers formed one Community, and the Sisters, also founded and guided by the same Spiri- tual Father, formed a completely independent Community. Today the Sisters of Holy Cross, who arrived here shortly after the first of Fr. Moreau's spiritual sons, have their 23 headquarters at Holy Cross, Ind., near by the chief founda- tion of Holy Cross in America, Notre Dame; The Mission Fathers of Holy Cross are divided into an Eastern and Western Mission Band. Each band is comprised of less than a score of Priests especially gifted in and dedi- cated to the work of giving Missions and Retreats. The Mis- sion Fathers of the Indiana Province (Western Mission Band) reside at their Mission House at Notre Dame, while those of the Eastern Vice-Province reside at their Mission House at North Easton, Mass. The Missions given by these Holy Cross Fathers follow closely the general pattern of all parochial Missions, in that they consist of a series of sermons and devotions especially designed to strengthen the faithful in the Christ-like and Catholic way of life. It is primarily in the method of pre- sentation that the Missions given by one Community differ from those given by another. The personal holiness and char- acteristics of the Founder of each Community are often re- flected in his spiritual sons, who come before the people as Mission Fathers devoted to the salvation of souls and the strengthening of the Faith especially by the means pointed out to them by their holy Founder. Perhaps the greatest heritage left these Mission Fathers was the inspiration and example of their Founder, who was himself the living per- sonification of the holiness and humility he would have them practice in imitation of Christ. How well they have followed his example has been evidenced by the outstanding results of their labors. With so few Priests engaged in this great apos- tolate, the individual responsibility and work which falls up- on each is a factor too little appreciated by the majority of the people. To the thousands of people before whom he stands in his work, the Mission Father personifies his Com- munity. Perhaps one of the most eloquent, if unspoken, trib- utes paid to these Mission Fathers is the reverence and affec- 24 tion in which their Community is held by those who have known it first, or only, through them. Fr. Moreau was one of the few Founders of a Religious Community to visit this country. In 1857 the Holy Cross Fathers, Brothers, and Sisters welcomed their Spiritual Fa- ther to Notre Dame, then a small and sorely tried Mission post. Other cities too saw this venerable French Priest, as he travelled from New York to Montreal, thence to Notre Dame, Chicago, and Philadelphia. During his visit here he infused into his Community those characteristics which he himself had so well employed: humility, piety, zeai, and profound sincerity, Christ-like attributes which have become increas- ingly associated with this Community. Returning to France, Fr; Moreau was to spend the remaining years of his life more and more in the duties of a Mission Father, until the slim, white haired figure of the veteran Missionary would become singularly loved and revered throughout the country- side. With the Papal Blessing of Pope Pius IX as a final benediction from his venerated Vicar, the loving, humble priest died, on Jan. 20, 1873, at the city of Le Mans. His Cause for Beatification has already been introduced. Very Rev. Basil Anthony Moreau spent his life in the service of Christ, following closely His own chosen method of sanctification. To the f u t u r e generations yet to come, he bequeathed his greatest living monument, his own beloved Congregation of Holy Cross. Today, the Priests, and Broth- ers and Sisters of this Community, very much like their Spiritual Father, are going out into the world to give the Faith, with all its peace and tranquil strength, to those who need it so much now more than ever before. Through the medium of this humble Religious Founder, God has given the world one more proof of His solicitude for it, in this In- stitute, the Congregation of Holy Cross. 25 MEET THE JESUIT FATHERS T HE JESUIT MISSION FATHER is so much a part of the history of Catholic America that he needs no special introduction. He came to the people of this land more than a hundred years before our Nation was conceived. His was the dearly-earned honour of celebrating Mass for the first time in sixteen of our present states. He saw the vision of a new nation in the eyes of his people, and he worked swiftly, zealously, that these men would surely have the gift of Faith to bestow upon their lovely land. Today other Jesuit Fathers continue to strengthen and increase this gift of Faith by many ways. Although we have all heard of and marvelled at the accomplishments of the Jesuits, many of us have met them first in their work as Mission Fathers. The Jesuit Mission Father is of an old and noble family of the Church. His Spiritual Father was reared in the atmosphere of the Spanish courts, but in early maturity turned his allegiance from the noblemen of the world to a f a r nobler King. St. Ignatius Loyola, the founder of the Jesuits, was born in 1491 at Loyola Castle, Guipuzcoa, Spain, and as a boy served as a page in the household of Don Valasquez de Cuellar, the Lord Treasurer to Ferdinand and Isabella. In 1517 he entered the Spanish Army, and after fighting brilliantly in several campaigns, was wounded 26 severely while taking part in the defense of Pamplona against the French. It was while recuperating from these wounds that Ignatius suddenly realized the frivolity of his life and desired to devote himself to a higher and nobler cause. Ignatius was inspired to direct his militant zeal for truth and justice as a member of Christ's intimate followers. He planned the conquest of the world for his Divine Leader, and as a true soldier began with the preparation of him- self for the task ahead. He retired to Montserrat, and then to the small town of Manresa. There he lived at a nearby Dominican foundation, and prayed in the solitude of a cave above the town. In this cave he spent many long hours of prayer and meditation, and it was there, with the assistance of Our Lord and His Blessed Mother, that St. Ignatius wrote in the book of the Spiritual Exercises the principles upon which he later founded his Society of Jesus. In 1528 Ignatius travelled to Paris, where he persevered through sickness and poverty until he received his degree of Arts, but was prevented by his poor health from finishing his course for the doctorate in Theology. While in Paris he persuaded St. Francis Xavier, then a professor of philoso- phy at the University of Paris, to join with five other men in taking vows of poverty and chastity, and of going on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. The Turkish war made this journey impossible, so Ignatius and his Society offered their services to the Pope, for labour in any part of the world His Holiness saw fit to send them. Thus began the actual work of the Society of Jesus. Although we write of the "Jesuit" Mission Father, this title was never used by St. Ignatius. Rather it was the enemies of the Society which so named them. The name was given in derision and contempt, with the intention of branding them to the world as hateful even in name. So 27 intent were the enemies of the Church to brand the new Society as something despicable that they used the name in the fiction of the time as a synonym for knave or plotter. "Jesuit," however, was soon to have a f a r different mean- ing. The early Jesuits were Latinists, it will be recalled, and quite naturally they used the Latin form of their imposed title. The name then became Jesuíta, a conjunc- tion of the Latin words Jesu and ita. This then was a beautiful name, for it meant simply "like to Jesus." These Jesuits were humble men, who would never have styled themselves thus, but since the title was forced upon them they could but accept it gratefully and live up to its true meaning. So well have they done this through the years that their enemies have been confounded by the nobility of their lives and the magnitude of their achievements. Many factors have contributed to the greatness of this Society, but perhaps the most outstanding of these were the personal characteristics of its founder. St. Ignatius Loyola is styled the Soldier-Saint of the Church. As a true soldier, he recognized the disastrous effect of disunity in Church as well as civil organization. His Society was to be ready to win the world for Christ, and to do this it must have solidarity and incorruptible unity. This