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4705
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L626
LIFE OF THE
REV. F. COINTET
LIFE
OF'I'HR
REV. F. COINTET,
P R I E S T A N D M I S S ION .A R Y
OP THlt
CONGREGATION OF HOLY CROSS.
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CINCINN AT!:
JO·HN P. WALSH,
NO. 170 SYCAMORE STREET.
1855.
SKETOH
OF THE
LIFE OF REV. F. COINTET.
INTRODUCTION.
IN attempting to give the religious public a short sketch
of the life, and an imperfect delineation of the virtues of this
devoted, but humble missionary of Jesus Christ, we shall con­
fine ourselves to simple statements of facts, leaving inferences
to be drawn by others; and though any account, however
brief, of this life, must include some notice of his associates,
and of' the Soicety of whose history their lives and labors
form a part, we shall be far from intending to hold up this
good and worthy priest, holy as he may have been, as an
object of veneration to the faithful, much less to laud the
virtues or labors of those still living.
vVe are well aware, that however devoted he was to the
glory of God, and the salvation of Souls, he does not stand
alone. Had he, indeed, been aught else, he would have
formed an exception to those zealous and saintly missionaries
whose footsteps have for centuries hallowed this Western soil,
and in whose traces it was his highest ambition to walk.
That he did so, most faithfully-that he reproduced in his
person the humility, zeal, and unwearied charity of these holy
predecessors - shall be the endeavor of these few pages to
show.
4 SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF REV. F. COINTET.
The records of history, whether ci vil or ecclesiastical, can
point to few men, who, either as a class, or as individuals,
stand morally higher than the Catholic Missionaries of
America. Their names should be their adopted country's
proudest boast; for their memories hallow her sweetest
regions; their labors first civilized her western wilds; their
voices blessed her blue lakes and boundless prairies ; their
ardent prayers have merited for her the glorious destiny she
is so rapidly fulfilling; and their holy ashes draw down bene­
dictions upon the soil into which they have mouldered, and
with which, mingled.
No one, possessing the least title to a human heart, can
read, without profound emotion, a page of their thrilling
annals; no one can refuse the tear of warm and generous
sympathy to their sufferings, or the tribute of just praise to
their heroic fortitude, their ardent zeal, their burning charity,
which only the damps of death could extinguish; their self­
forgetfulness, and contempt of danger and even death, when
weighed against the glory of Goel, and the interests of souls.
Upon the very spot where this narrative is written, and
where the events recorded in it have principally taken place,
have lived and labored, since the beginning of this century,
some of the noblest types of the true priest, the devoted mis­
sionary of Jesus Christ. The limits of this little book will
not. allow the introduction of any passages from the beautiful
lives of these hidden saints, whose names, unknown to the
world, anel comparatively so to the Church, even in America,
arc yet known to God, and precious in his sight. They are
also loved and venerated here, and although their cherished
flock have long since crossed the distant Mississippi, exiles
from the graves of their fathers, yet the virtues and memory
of the good Fathers Badin, Dc Scille, and Pettit, yet live in
the hearts of their successors in the evangelical ministry, one
of whom, at least, the subject of the present memoir, was not
un worthy to walk in their footsteps.
SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF REV. F. COINTET. 5
Many of the letters and other records of these saintly Mis­
sionaries, are in the possession of the V. Rev. Superior of
Nôtre Dame, who has long contemplated their publication, but
fears to burden this little work with so many pages, which,
however edifying, have not an immediate reference to its par­
ticular subject. They would also greatly delay its publica­
tion, and haste is somewhat of a desideratum, as the numerous
friends of the late Father Cointet are impatiently anxious to
have some lasting record of his holy and useful life, the last
eleven years of which have been spent among them, here. It
is therefore to these pious and affectionate hearts, that this
little Memoir is dedicated, with the sincere hope that, while
it speaks to them of their departed Father and friend, it will
insensibly persuade them to the imitation of his virtues,
especially his zeal for the salvation of souls redeemed by the
blood of Jesus Christ. This zeal, indeed, was not only his
virtue, but his passion; it was this that supported him amid
his Iabors, and consoled him in affliction; this that made him
insensible to cold or heat, fatigue, sickness, contempt and
insult; this was his true life, and in hastening his premature
death it opened for him the gates of a life that is eternal.
CHAPTER 1.
BIRTH AND EARLY HISTORY.
FATHER FRANCOIS COINTET, was the son of very respectable
and wealthy parents, and was born on the 25th of March,
1817, at the little village of La Roc, in the diocese of Mans,
France. His cradle was overshadowed by the half-ruined
walls of the once celebrated Abbey of the same name; its
pious tenants have long since disappeared, but the examples
of fervor they gave are still remembered; and even yet no
visitor can wander amid those vast ruins, without feeling
6 SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF REV. F. COINTET.
a profound veneration stealing over him, both toward the
hallowed walls themselves, and for the saintly Spirits whose
memory seems yet a living presence. Consecrated, from his
very infancy, to Her, upon one of whose loveliest festivals he
had first opened his eyes to light, and naturally of a pious
and meditative turn of mind, we may imagine the lonely and
thoughtful boy wandering silently among these venerable
ruins, or kneeling unseen in a remote corner, to commune
with the glorified Spirits of the holy dead, or to invoke the
blessing and the prayers of his Heavenly Mother, that his
life might be like unto theirs.
He was still very young, about ten years of age, when his
parents sent him to the College of Chateau Gontier, which
was the nearest and best founded institution of the western
portion of his diocese; and under the care of the excellent
professors he found there, the young Cointet made such pro­
gress in Science and Virtue, that he had won, before half his
humanities were accomplished, the esteem of his teachers,
and the respect and love of all his companions of study. To
an extraordinary memory he joined a quiek and sound judg­
ment, both of which he took care to improve, by a most con­
scientious assiduity to study. His perseverance and constancy
were equally remarkable; whatever he undertook to learn, he
pursued until he was thoroughly master of it. In these
dispositions he went through the regular college course of
eight years, carrying off at each commencement an abundant
share of the bes t prizes.
He left the college to enter the Seminary of St. Vincent,
called the Great Seminary of Mans, in September, 1834. He
has left no record himself, nor havo we any means of judging
the motives which led him to choose the sacred, but arduous
calling of a priest; if, indeed, there were any especial or
unusual motives, beyond the holy aspirations of a deeply pious
soul, animated by a zeal to labor for the honor and glory
of God, in the most devoted and effectual manner possible.
We will not venture to sound the depths of that delicate and
SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF REV. F. COINTET. 7
truly interior soul, or to imagine what might have been the
secret communications and inspirations he received from God;
but we may easily suppose, that to such a being the world
had few attractions, and that it was not difficult for him to
turn from it, on its rosy threshold, though its future skies
seemed to promise so fair. The voice of God had spoken,
and penetrated that generous and devoted heart. Like his
Divine Master, he replied at once, "Ecce venis"! and to the
latest throb of that same heart, it never for an instant
retracted the entire oblation of that moment. Perfectly
appreciating the sacred dignity of the holy state he had
embraced, he loved and esteemed it far beyond any earthly
rank, any human destiny; and all the ambition, and all the
prayer of his life, can be expressed in the few words extracted
from his written resolutions on leaving the seminary: "if I
cam. only become a [Jood and worthy Priest! i i
.•.
CHAPTER II.
HIS LIFE AT THE SEMINARY, AND HIS ORDINATION.
THE fame of his talents, acq uiremen ts, and rare piety had
preceded him thither; but as high as expectation was raised
it was so far from being disappointed, that, on becoming
acquainted with him, all were ready to exclaim, " the half has
not been told us!" A daily and continued intercourse with
him only deepened this impression, and increased the uni­
versal admiration felt for his eminent ability and true piety.
The life of a seminary gave a new luster to both, and ren­
dered him the favorite and the model of all the two hundred
and seventy-five young Levites then residing at the Great
Seminary of Mans.
Without ostentation or desire of applause, but, on the con­
trary, by nature meek, modest, and reserved, and by grace
truly humble, he never knew how to prefer himself to anyone,
8 SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF REV. F. COINTET.
nor to indicate that he possessed any superior knowledge, on
any subject.
Here again� as at the College, he was honored among the
first in all his classes, and was pronounced and considered one
of the best Theologians of his course, and selected each year
for the public theses, or debates, with which the classes
are closed. It was also during this time, that he 'was per­
suaded by his Superiors to present himself for the examina­
tion of the Bacchalaureate, where he obtained a Diploma of
Master of Arts. Much applied, as he was, to Theology, he
made plenty of leisure for his exercises of piety, and while
he exerted himself, day and night, to obtain the knowledge
befitting a priest, it was evident that he desired still more to
be a pious and spiritual one. His ideas on this point were
very severe, his standard very high, and indeed so rigidly did
he judge himself by it, that he became by degrees scrupulous
in tho extreme. Under this painful visitation, which Divine
Providence sometimes sends on the purest souls to purify
thorn still moro, the young Abbé insensibly pined away, lost
his peace of mind, his health, and, at times, even his hope of
salvation. In vain did his intimate friends, and his Supe­
riors offer him consolations, encouragements, and assurances;
he received every word with a kind and grateful smile, but
nothing seemed to make any impression upon him, and to
tho profound grief of those who knew how to value him, he
seemed fast sinking into despair, while his delicate body:
sympathizing with his soul, appeared ready to fall into the
grave. Nearly two years of this suffering had the young Levite
experienced, at the end of which he had well nigh abandoned
all thoughts of entering into the sacred Orders. But fortu­
nately, he had fallen into the hands of one of the wisest Supe­
riors that ever governed the Seminary of Mans, the V. llevo H.
Heurtebigc, an accomplished divine, and experienced director
of souls. This holy mau had discovered in his pupil a sound
judgment, and this alone gave him confidence that he should
succeed, in the end, in overcoming his apprehensions.
SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF REV. F. COINTET. !)
This painful trial had its origin in two of the best features
of his character, for awhile allowed to run to extremes-his
solid judgment, and his extreme delicacy of conscience.
Having once entered tho Seminary, he gave himself up,
wholly, to the contemplation of the awful Ministry he was
preparing to assume, and a just appreciation of its sublimity,
and its great responsibilities, together with a low and humble
opinion of himself, made too deep an impression upon the
naturally timid and tender soul of the young Seminarian.
He looked up to the elevated dignity of tho priesthood with
amazement and mye, and could not conceive how he had ever
dared to imagine himself culled to i t, Often would he blush
at his past presumption in having entered St. Vincent's Semi­
nary, or dared to dream that one so unworthy as he, could
ever be permitted to consecrate the adorable body and blood
of Jesus Christ. Gradually that dear hope was entirely
resigned, and with a profound sorrow he prepared himself to
leave the Seminary, and return to the house of his parents.
Goel, however, who had permitted this heavy trial, to purify a
soul upon which he had such designs of graco, and to chasten
a heart which he wished entirely to possess, now interfered,
by the agency of the saintly Director of his young servant:
who, powerfully aided by the Holy Spirit, succeeded in dis­
pelling at once and forever, these gloomy clouds which had,
for so long a time, darkened the horizon of this afflicted
you th, the predestined priest anel missionary of Jesus Christ.
The young Abbé finished his ecclesiastical course with great
success, after which he was sent, in capacity of tutor, to a
private family of noble extraction. He remained here about.
a year, usefully occupied, and meanwhile endearing himself
to the entire circle that surrounded; not only to his pupils
and acquaintances, but even to strangers who saw him only
occasionally. "None knew him but to love him, none
named him but to praise." Ris manner had all the charms
conferred by good sense, amiability, innocence, piety and
talent.
10 SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF REV. F. COINTET.
As the epoch appointed for his ordination drew near, he
redoubled his pious exertions to make a worthy preparation
for that great step, the mere thought of which had so often
made him tremble.
In the year 1839, he was ordained priest, by Mgr. Bouvier,
Bishop of Mans. What were his sentiments and holy inspi­
rations at that most solemn period, may be gathered from
the" Rule of Ijife" he wrote during his preparatory retreat,
before ordination. Though too long to insert entire, some
extracts from it shall be here presented.
,- After having seriously reflected before God, I have deter­
mined ever to keep' myself closely united to the exercises and
spirit of the Seminary, upon the principle, that" the soldier
of Jesus Christ ought never to lay down his arms when on the
field of battle!" Accordingly, I will rise at the latest by
five o'clock, every morning, and my first thought shall be to
acquire and increase at all times, within my heart, that spirit
of sacrifice which was essentially the Spirit of Jesus Christ,
and which must be mine. Sacerdos alter Christus. ',.< '.< '.<
"Having performed my meditation, which I will never
allow myself to neglect, I will repair to the chureh, to fulfill,
with the sentiments of faith and love which it demands, the
most august of all priestly functions. For my thanksgiving,
I will imitate the Shepherds of Bethlehem, addressing my
Saviour with the simplicity and artless confidence of a child;
a spirit which shall pervade all my actions. Never will I
cele brate without due preparation, nor will I ever be remiss
in reciting the Divine Office, which I regard as one of my
greatest consolations, in which I shall be closely united to
Jesus Christ and the entire Church, and in it will I speak to
God of all that concerns myself, and the souls confided to my
care.
After having accomplished all the duties of the ministry
and of charity, I shall devote my time to the study of Dog­
matic and Moral Theology. ', .. ' '".' ',.,- , .. ' :;�
SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF REV. F. COINTET. 11
" Twice a week I shall devote a portion of my time to the
reading of the Holy Scriptures: a portion of the New Testa­
ment I will read every day, at my particular Examen. "O�
" My monthly Retreat, I shall carefully observe, devoting
the greater part of it to pious reading, and meditation on my
Rule of Life, being well convinced, that the tepid and cowardly
priest is infinitely unhappy for time as for eternity; and that
it requires a multiplicity of holy exercises to preserve the
soul in a state of fervor. There is no balancing point. "0"
" My Recreations shall be' devoted to visiting the sick, and
other works of charity. Whenever I find myself in the
vicinity of a church, I shall make a visit to the blessed Sacra-
ment. ' .. > '.,,' Alas, who 'will visit the God of Love, if he is
forgotten by those whom he calls his friends? To enkindle
devotion in my heart, I shall devote half an hour, each day,
to spiritual readings. It is in the writings of the Saints, and
not in my own understanding, that I shall find the generous
zeal and lively faith which so eminently characterized their
lives. For the same intention, I shall say the Rosary. Since
an early age I have been consecrated to the Blessed Virgin,
and to her care have I confided my chastity. I will study
attentively the virtues of this holy Mother, to whom I am
strictly bound to have many traits of resemblance, and toward
whom I ardently desire to feel all the tenderness of a true
child. "0> -'0' -'0' "00' "'0' "0' -.... 'oo' "O�
"All my actions must be directed toward prayer and medi­
tation. By the grace of God, I fully understand, that without
the spirit of prayer, the spirit of compunction, and of ardent
desire to be united to God, my ministry will be fruitless. I
will approach the sacrament of Penance every fortnight;
there, as in all other exercises, I must wage a continual war
against nature and spiritual blindness.
"Oh, what great need shall I have, every year, of my
Annual Retreat, to renew in me the spirit of my calling,
12 SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF REV. F. COINTET.
Upon no pretext will I dispense myself from it. Never, with
God's grace, shall I slight or neglect any principle of Chris­
tianity, whether it flatters my inclination or not. Jesus
Christ, at the day of judgment, will not ask an account of
my evil inclinations, but rather, if I have in all things con­
formed myself to his example, to those of his Saints, and
the ad vice of my Confessor.
"Provided that I can say to myself, in all my actions,
behold the manner in which a St. Francis Assissium, or a
St. Vincent de Paul would have acted, or have suffered, then
I will be satisfied to imitate them, for I too was created to be
a Saint. ..... ..... , .. ' ' .. ' '.' �:� '.,,' '.� ' .. '
"Behold what I solemnly promise to God, on leaving the
Retreat at the end of my Deaconship, and the subject of my
Meditations through life."
Had these resolutions been confined to the resolving of
them, and transcribing them to paper, we should have omit­
ted them entirely, for anybody can write a series of resolu­
tions, but very few can practice them with equal fervor.
" Nothing," says a certain adage," is so common as good
Regulations of Life, yet nothing is more rare than a life well
regulated." Rien de s·i commun que les bons réglemens de vie;
et rien de si rare que des vies bien 'réglées. But, as the fore­
going" Hule of Life" is the very mirror of the saintly life
of this worthy priest; indeed so perfectly so, that from read­
ing them alone you may know his character, and be able to
point out his distinguishing virtues, without ever having
known him personally, the omission of them would leave the
work incomplete.
SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF REV. F. COINTET. 13
CHAPTER III.
HIS LIFE AS A SECULAR PRIEST.
IMMEDIATELY after his ordination, the Abbé Cointct was
appointed Assistant Priest in Chatillon, one of tho largest
and most. exemplary parishes in the diocese. He spent hut.
four years among this people, which short time was, however,
long enough to render him universally beloved, and perfectly
appreciated, not only by his Bishop and Pastor, but among
his entire flock, by whom he was as tenderly cherished as he
was sincerely venerated. We can judge how happy he must
have been at Chatillon, when, knowing his ardent zeal, we
consider the immense amount of good he hac! opportunity to
do, and actually did do. Those who have known him in
America, and witnessed his singular fervor and zeal, at a
period of life when mature years may be supposed to have
somewhat moderated his fervor and calmed the impetuosity
of youthful zeal, can imagine what he must have been at the
commencement of his devoted career, and how indefatigable
must have been his exertions, how ardent his prayers, when
he found himself, for the first time, eharged with the care
and direction of souls. He not only exhausted, but may be
said to have actually consumed himself, in preaching, cate­
chising, hearing confessions, visiting the sick, and exhorting
sinners and tepid Christians to penance. Before twelve
months had elapsed, he not only knew every family and indi­
vidual of this large Parish by name, but he knew their seve­
ral circumstances, he knew all their afflictions, and all their
necessities both spiritual and temporal. To supply the former
he was most devoted, and to relieve the latter his purse,
though not always adequate, was ever open. More than eight
hundred yearly communicants had chosen him as their Con­
fessor, for whose salvation he was most anxious. Nothing
can be imagined more ingenious and persevering than his
efforts and expedients to remove them from the occasions of
14 SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF REV. F. COINTET.
sin; nothing more amiable than his endeavors to instruct, to
edify, and to win them, and by making them better to render
them also happier. His solicitude was as devoted and unwea­
ried as that of a mother for her children; and so genuine was
his affection that, long years after he had left them, he would
often be heard to speak in terms of the warmest and most
tender love of his dear Catholics of Chatillon, who, on their
side, cherished his memory so faithfully, that the mere men­
tion of his name would at any time draw tears from the
whole congregation.
Naturally endowed with a rare spirit of order, and com­
pletely master of whatever he had to teach and to do, he
became daily more and more the Priest of the Parish; and
as he was perfectly modest and humble in his deportment,
the good Pastor of the Parish daily relinquished to him,
more fully, and intrusted to him more entirely, the govern­
ment of his pious flock. Nothing was lost by it; for, in
making the pious and fervent Abbé the soul of his large,
spiritual family, he breathed into all its members a new life
of faith and devotion. Thus trusted, thus beloved, thus con­
stantly occupied for others, he went about, literally, like his
Divine Master, benefaciendo. It would be no easy task to
express the mingled sen timents of respect, love, and venera­
tion, which the good people of Chatillon entertained toward
him; but it would be yet more difficult to depict the profound
regrets, and sorrow they felt, when the news was circulated,
that their dear Abbé Cointet was soon to leave them for the
Foreign Missions. For some time he had deemed it prudent
to keep this design secret, to mature it in prayer before God,
and to arrange everything for its execution without unne­
cessary trouble, which would quite certainly arise from with­
out as soon as the affair should become public. Nor was he
deceived in his apprehensions. In the first place, his Director
objected; then Dr. Bouvier, his Bishop, warmly opposed the
design, and would have every idea of the kind entirely aban­
doned. But the inspiration that prompted this design had
SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF REV. F. COINTET. 15
come from God, and no obstacle could prevent its final fulfill­
ment. He urged his plea at the Altar, and in his daily
visits to the Blessed Sacrament; and after nearly a whole
year of anxious suspense, he was equally surprised and
delighted to find, that both his Pastor and his Bishop, were
impressed with the fear of opposing the will of God, in with­
holding any longer their consent to a design which they, by
this time, saw and felt to be inspired by the Holy Ghost.
They therefore retracted their refusal, though it was undoubt­
edly most painful for them to see him depart from a sphere
which he so admirably filled, and in which they deemed it
almost impossible to replace him without sad detriment to the
Parish. He by no means shared these apprehensions. On
the contrary, one of his greatest encouragements in his
design was the thought, that as soon as he should be removed
his place would be occupied by some one who would do much
more good than he himself could do; while, however little he
might do in the Foreign Mission, it would be a clear gain to
the Church, as there might be found no other to do it if he
did not.
How our good Abbé happened to turn his eyes toward the
Society, of which he was destined to form so illustrious and
useful a member, deserves a special notice. The first letter
written from Nôtre Dame to his Superiors in France, by
Father Borin, the first missionary of the Society, in this,
country, was accidentally seen by the Abbé Cointet, who had
been, at the Seminary, his most intimate friend. If the pious
young priest had not since, frequently, and most positively
declared, that it was to the reading of this letter he owed his
vocation, that is to say, tho knowledge of his vocation, we
would not make mention of it here. But it appears, that
from this time the thought of Nôtre Dame du Lac was ever
present to him, and haunted his mind so much, as to give
him no rest until he had fully resolved to consecrate himself
to this Mission.
16 SKETCH OF THE LIFE. OF REV. F. COINTET.
He left Chatillon, in body, soon after; but in spirit and
in affection, he dwelt there to his latest breath. Holy Charity,
how long thou endurest in a pure and guileless heart ! Nor
could it be said, that" out of sight" he was" out of mind"
with his former cherished flock. There, his memory has been
kept alive, even until the present; and profoundly afflicted
they have undoubtedly been, to receive the mournful tidings
of his death.
A touching proof of this affectionate remembrance was
given a few years since, to one of his Associates, who, on
passing through the village of Chatillon, had been urged,
even compelled, by the Pastor, to preach. Upon a very short
notice, an immense congregation assembled; not only the
church, but the street before it, was full of eager listeners,
esteeming themselves most happy to behold one who could
speak to them of their dear Abbé Coin tet; and for more than
an hour they were held in breathless attention by the simply
recounted narrative of his labors and success, in his distant
Mission.
As the future history of Father Cointet will be identified
with that of his Society, it will be well to give a short his­
tory, or rather n sketch of thé foundation and ends of this
Institution, which will be done in a separate chapter.
CHAPTER IV.
TIm ASSOCIATION OF HOLY CROSS.
THE wisdom of God's economy in the government of his
Church, is nowhere more admirably displayed, than in the
establishment and perpetuity of Religious Orders. He,
though almighty and omnipresent, does Ilot disdain to make
use of human instrumentality for the accomplishment of his
SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF REV. F. COINTET. 17
eternal designs; but, on the contrary, generally selects as his
especial agents, those who appear, at first sight, almost
ridiculous, by their insignificance when contrasted with the
magnitude of the tasks intrusted to them. But God does
not always judge as man judges; and He has almost inva­
riably chosen" the weak things to confound the strong, and
the things that are not to confound those that are." So true
is this, and so universally acknowledged by all holy and inte­
rior souls, that when any project, however apparently good, is
attended at the beginning by great éclat, and encounters no
opposition from any quarter, they always feel doubts as to
whether it is from God, or from the devil; while on the con­
trary, an equally pious, but much more humble undertaking,
is recognized at once as inspired by God; indeed, the more
obscure its beginning, the more unknown its projectors, the
more opposition it meets with, and poverty and contempt it
struggles against, the more satisfied they become of the
genuineness of its claim to a Divine origin.
Which of the great Religious Orders, which in successive
ages have been raised up, as bulwarks to his Church, by Him
who promised, that" the gates of Hell should never prevail
against her," but affords us an illustration of this great
truth. Let us take, for example, the Society of Jesus, the
glory of the Church, and its right arm against heresy and
idolatry; what could be more humble and obscure than its
origin? Wisely did the great St. Ignatius found all the
security of his confidence in this very fact. The wonderful,
and more than human wisdom of its policy might have been
of the devil-this alone was no proof; its extraordinary suc­
cess, taken by itself, would have been no sure token of the
authenticity of its claims; but its obscurity, its poverty,
its trials, the violent opposition, and even persecutions it
encountered, ah! these were marks that it rightfully bore
the name of Him whose gospel was preached, and whose
Church planted in the same manner, and under the same
auspices.
2
18 SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF REV. F. COINTET.
These reflections are extremely consoling to the Religious
of the Holy Cross, for reasons which will be appreciated by
the reader of the few following pages.
In the year 1834, there lived in the city of MANS, France,
a holy and devoted priest, Professor of Divinity in the Great
Seminary, and Canon of the Cathedral of that city. The
Abbé Monasn added to profound learning, a singular elo­
quence, and boundless zeal. For a number of years he had
been in the habit of preaching Retreats, in different places,
from time to time; and so powerful and efficacious were these
exhortations, that the most astonishing success followed him
everywhere, and soon gave him the reput�ion, now solidly
, established, . of being one of the first preachers of France.'
, Perceiving the immense good he was already accomplishing;'
though laboring single-handed, his Bishop, Mgr. Bouvier, hav­
ing in view the greater glory of God, and good of the Church,
authorized him to form a society of auxiliary priests to
co-operate with him in preaching Retreats through the Dio­
cese. He accordingly associated with himself, four pious and
devoted clergymen, with whom he lived a regular community
life in the Seminary, for over a year.
About this time, or a few years previously, a community
of a different kind had been founded in the same Diocese, by
the Very Rev. 1\1r. Dujarier, one of the venerable survivors of
the Revolution. It consisted of a band of devoted men,
mostly young, who, without aspiring to the ecclesiastical
state, yet, animated by a true zeal to labor for God's glory
and the salvation of souls, had formed themselves into a Reli­
gious Community, under the title of the Brothers of St .
. Joseph, consecrating themselves to the Christian education of
youth, and having no higher aim, than to imitate the humble
and hidden life of their holy patron. The trials of this little
band, during the first years of its existence, would, if related,
edify the reader, and inspire him with a lively faith and con­
fidence in the hand of Providence; but the limits of this little
Memoir will not admit them. Our object is only to give a
SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF REV. F. COINTET. 19
synopsis of the Association of Holy Cross, of which the
Brothers, ultimately, formed a part.
Worn with years and increasing infirmities, the venerable
founder feIt himself unable to form for his young Society, a
written code of discipline; nor did he conceal from them, that
he would be able to govern them but a short time longer;
and that it was his most ardent desire to see, while he yet
lived, a worthy successor chosen to fill his place. He stated
the same to his Bishop, and offered to resign his charge into
his Lordship's hands, that he might in turn confide it to the
priest whom he might deem called, by God, to that under­
taking. The choice both of l\Igr. Bouvier and of the Brothers
of St. Joseph, fell upon the Abbé Moreau, and the venerable
Mr. Dnjarier warmly approved of it. Recognizing the finger
of Goel in this matter, and feeling�rongly attracted toward
this devoted little Comrnunity.jwhose admirable vocation his
pious and zealous heart coulèl-ÍÎot fail to appreciate, the Abbé
Moreau hesitated not to accept of this new charge, im��ed ou­
hi�ali� by ob�ience and <;h.arity.
On the 31st of August, 1835, Mgr. Bouvier, assisted by
his Vicar-General, Mr. Dujarier, and the Abbé Moreau,
repaired solemnly to the Chapel of the Novitiate, where all
the Community were assembled. Then the venerable founder,
resting one hand upon the altar, and the other upon the staff
which supported ,his feeble frame, resigned his precious
charge in to the hands of his Bishop, beseeching him, in the
most dignified and touching manner, to free him from a
responsibility too heavy for his declining years, and to confide
it to the saintly priest, whom God had pointed out as the
future Director and Superior of the Brotherhood. Amid
the irrepressible sighs and sobs of the assembly, the Bishop
replied in the following terms. "Ueverend and worthy sir,
I remember well, that at the time, when you first proposed to
establish this Brotherhood, you consulted me, and I was the
first to encourage you to this enterprise, in which I foresaw
great advantages for the cause of religion. I consent, to-day,
20 SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF REV. F. COINTET.
to the request you have made, but only from the considera­
tion of your declining health and increasing years, which
demand this sacrifice; for I could never consent, if you were
full of vigor as I have seen you in olden times. For the rest.
I cannot but approve of the choice you have made, in the
Abbé Moreau, who merits entirely your confidence."
J\ir. Dujarier, having quite recovered his composure during
the answer of the Bishop, replied immediately, with as much
presence of mind as deep feeling, " Rev. Mr. Moreau, I beseech '
you to accept the conduct of my little Congregation, the care
of which I have just resigned into the hands of my Bishop,
on account of my many infirmities. I confide them entirely
to your paternal care, fully persuaded that you will be to
them, henceforth, a true guide and Father. Yes, most wil­
lingly do I intrust to you, my dear Children! Accept them
as the greatest treasure I possess, and as a deposit of which
you will render an account to Jesus Christ. I desire that
lhey should henceforth regard you as their Father, and that.
they manifest toward you all. othe respect, .. .submissionvand
attachment they owe you, itt that character." Such were the
last words of authority addressed by the venerable founder to
his beloved sons; and their subsequent obedience, and tender
attachment to their second Father, has proved how deep an
impression was then made on their hearts.
Several years after, this holy and venerable priest, after di­
vesting himself of his pastoral functions, retired to Holy Cross,
where the community were by that time established, and
died in the arms of his former children.
Mr. Moreau entered upon this new duty with all the ardor
of his zealous and devoted soul. He wrote rules for his pious
charge, gave them Retreats, and created a spirit of order and
strict discipline, until then unknown, because it had been
simply impossible.
The idea arose naturally in Mr. Moreau's mind, of uniting in
one association the two little communities which Providence had
thus placed under his direction. This idea was carried into
SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF REV. F. COINTET. 21
executio�and shortly they formed but one society, composed,
like many other religious orders, of priests and lay-brothers;
which society took the name of "The Association of the Holy
Cross," a name of bright omen, and peculiar appropriateness,
since to impress the Cross deeper upon men's hearts in lands
where it is already recognized as an external symbol, and to
plant it in the foreign soil of countries whose inhabitants had
never before been sheltered by its saving shadow, was to be
the great object of their lives, though as yet the extent of the
mission intrusted to them by God was not even suspected by
the most zealous of their number. Until this time they had
each continued their original functions; the priests in preach­
ing Retreats through the Diocese; and the Brothers the care
of their humble schools. Their success in this employment,
suggested to the mind of Mr. Moreau the plan of establishing
a College, or School for the higher classes; to be directed by
the priests of Holy Cross, assisted by the Brothers. The task
of educating the young to piety, virtue, and politeness, as well
as in science and art, is one very evidently appropriate to Relig­
ious. Like preaching the Gospel, it is a work so clearly and
manifestly to the glory of God, that no argument is neces­
sary to prove it so. These considerations induced the Abbé
Moreau to found the College of Holy Cross, in the city of
Mans, in the year 1836.
Abou t this time several pious and devoted females of the
humbler class of society, offered themselves, from a motive of
holy charity and zeal, to conduct the work of the establish­
ment, and to serve these good priests and Brothers, as the
holy women of the Gospel did our Saviour and his disciples;
thereby lessening the expenses of the establishment, and also
securíng to themselves the privilege of being under the spirit­
ual guidance of Father Moreau, who was universally venerated
for his wisdom and sanctity. God willed it that this event
should inspire our worthy founder with the idea of establish­
ing as a third branch of the association, a Sisterhood, to co­
operate with the two former branches, in all their pious labors,
22 SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF REV. F. COINTET.
and to labor themselves in a particular manner for the bene­
fit of the youth of their own sex; the whole association thus
forming a united and most efficient body, able to act in con­
cert upon all classes of society. As soon as this intention
became known, subjects soon presented themselves, and were
sent by Mr. Moreau to make their novitiate at the monastery
of the Good Shepherd in Mans, founded by himself a few years
before, and now numberingßôû inmates, still under his direc­
tion and administration. There, under the training of the
saintly Superioress, Mother Mary of St. Dorithei, J uet, they
made a fervent and regular novitiate, and were, one year
af��r���ª? ���itt,ed, to .the religious profession under the name
of " Sisters of the Holy €r�' and the patronage of Our Lady
of the Seven Sorrows. Soon after, separate buildings were
erected for them at the establishment of Holy Cross; taking
possession of which they commenced their novitiate, and as­
sumed the charge of the linen, etc. etc. of the whole Institution.
The elegant grounds in the eastern suburbs of the city of
Mans, where the Mother House now stands, were happily ob­
tained by Mr. Moreau soon after he began to entertain the
design of forming the Society on its present basis. Since that
period God has showered down blessings upon him and his
devoted associates. The Mother House has grown to be a
magnificent establishment, containing about four hundred
Religious, under the ordinary vows of poverty, chastity, and
obedience; and the College connected with it is rapidly rising
to a high degree of importance.
We cannot better make known the intentions of the pious
founder of the Association of the Holy Cross; nor the admira­
ble spirit of union which he wished should reign among the
three branches, mutually dependent on each other, than by
presenting to the public the following extract from a Circular,
addressed by V. Rev. Father Moreau to the whole Association,
but particularly to the Brothers.
" On the eve of attaining the end which I proposed to my­
self in changing your novitiate to Holy Cross, and on the
SIŒTCII OF THE LIFE OF REV. F. COINTET. 23
creation of the magnificent establishment which has sprung
from it, I feel the necessity of exposing to you, by writing, the
plan of government definitely adopted; also an abridgment
of your duties. and to inform you at the same time; of what]
have done in return for the confidence you have reposed in
me.
"Far the thought of attributing to me the merit of this work.
truly providential, which has been placed under my direction.
After God, sole author of all good, it is to the devotedness of
the zealous priests who labor with me, and to you, is due the
work which, to the great astonishment of all, is to day seen
at Holy Cross. I have only been a simple instrument, which,
the Lord will soon break, in order to substitute others more
worthy whom he has destined to develop, or at least consoli­
date all that I have commenced; therefore, in the midst of
the most painful trials I have not despaired, either in Provi­
dence or in your fidelity, in following the divine vocation with
which it has inspired you. I rely on the apostolic spirit of\
the virtuous priests who have so generously shared my labors.
On the concurrence of all the members of your Institute, and \
on the charity of the faithful, and the five years of experiencet
just passed, sufficiently demonstrate that I will not be deceived
in my hopes.
"The important work confided to me is not at its term; it
yet demands many sacrifices and many labors-for I am
not ignorant of all that has to be done to form subjects to the
religous life-to give the instructions such as the wants of the
age exact, notwithstanding, I have a firm confidence that the
same God who commenced the work will conduct it to its per­
fection, provided you hold constantly to a perfect life, namely, a
life of abnegation, regular, exact, social, interior, edifying and
laborious-a life perfect in its intentions, seeking God in all
things-aiming only at heaven-aspiring to the happiness of
possessing Jesus-of belonging only to him and his blessed
Mother, making use of all interests, goods or rights for the
sole honor of our Divine Master, and the salvation of souls; a
24 SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF REV. F. COINTET.
life of abnegation in all employments and exercises, never
acting save by the will of a Superior-life regular and exact, by
a constant and universal fidelity to the rules and constitutions
of the Society-observing them in the spirit of love and not of
fear-by the light of faith and not through human motives­
a life social by humility, in meekly bearing or charitably sup­
porting others-accomplishing to the letter the maxim of the
pious author of the Imitatíon of mutually supporting, consoling,
aiding, instructing and admonishing one another-life edifying
by modesty, the forgetfulness of self, religious gravity-avoid­
ing in conversation aU criticisms, raillery, and above all, lev­
ity-life of labor, a life interior and elevated to God by the
habitual practice of the acts of faith, hope and charity-by
the example of Jesus Christ, whom we are particularly bound to
imitate in our conduct-for we must above aU lead a life hid­
den in our Lord, if we would not ruin the work of the Holy
Cross. Now this perfect Iife, which cannot be too strongly
recommended, will retrace the entire life of the Saviour-the
way of the Cross, this life of abnegation-his life subject to the
miseries of our humanity, even to infamy, sufferings and death;
this regular life-his life conformable to the will of his Father;
this social life-his life common with the blessed Virgin, Saint
Joseph and his Apostles; this life edifying and laborious, his
exemplary life in the midst of the world, his labors and his
cross; in short, this interior life, his hidden life at Nazareth, so
full of instruction, so calculated to excite a just dread of all
exterior ministry. Oh, what prodigies of grace will be pro­
duced in your community if you thus succeed in retracing the
life of J csus Christ!
" Associated to the apostleship of the Priests of the Holy
Cross by the services you render them in the divers employ­
ments which you fill near them in the Colleges, or by the
instruction of the children in your proper schools. sent in
quality of primary instructors not only through France but
in Africa and America, united to the zeal and prayers of the
sisters, sustained in the extension of your Institute by the
SKETCH OF TIlE LIFE OF REV. F. COINTET. 25
association which bears its name and which the Sovereign
Pontiff has encouraged and enriched by lllany indulgences,
what source of benedictions, of success and of merit for you, my
dear sons in ,T esus Christ, and what a beautiful, what a glori­
ous mission is yours if you but render yourselves worthy of
it by a faithful imitation of the hielden, and public life of our
Lord.
" Assuredly, so many different works, to which your Con­
gregation is, more or less, devoted, contain many elements of
dissolution; and to consider them only with the eyes of human
reason, it would be difficult to explain how they could com­
mence, organize, develop, and sympathize, until the present;
having so few pecuniary resources, in the midst of political
circumstances so unfavorable, with characters so different,
and in spite of the opposition of many who vainly endeavored
to destroy that which was apparently undertaken in so impru­
den t a manner.
" But the same spirit which guided the mysterious chariot,
seen by Ezekiel, that spirit which moved the symbolic ani­
mals of forms so varied, without ever stopping in their path,
or retracing their steps, tending always to the same end,
although by ways which seemed most opposite, this same
spirit seems also to have breathed on the divers instruments
of the work of Holy Cross, since, notwithstanding the differ­
ence of talents and characters, the disparity of means, the
diversity of vocations and. employments, a same spirit ani-
-���
mates almost all"namely: zeal for the glory of God and
the salvation of souls, by a community of efforts, tending
more and more to a union of hearts, which makes the bond
of strength; for in a great work of charity, as in a palace
of which the foundations had been laid for a magnificent
building, whose dome will crown the whole, it is not one man
who builds, nor one stone, nor a single piece of wood, which
composes it; but each workman constitutes his part, each
stone is fashioned according to the place for which it is des­
tined, and each piece of wood arranged and disposed in a
26 SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF REV. F. COINTET.
manner to contribute to the beauty and strength of the edifice.
Union, then, is the powerful lever with which we can move,
direct, and sanctify the entire world.
"Why, in effect, have the political powers, which agitate
society, so much power in their revolutions? Is it not because
they know how to unite, and to hold but one end in view?
Now, would it not be shameful, for you and me, not to do
the good for God and eternity, that the children of the age
do of evil for the world, and the short day of this life? Ah,
weknow not, we disciples of a God who died for the salvation
of souls, all that we would be able to do to save them, in
uniting ourselves to Jesus Christ by the spirit of our rules
and constitutions. It is this touching mystery of religious
union which the Saviour has revealed to us in the Gospel, when,
in order to explain the incorporation of all the faithful in his
divine person, by which he is our head, and we his members,
making with him but one body, animated by the same spirit,
and living but one life, he said, that we must remain united
in him, in a manner to mako but one, as the branches attached
to the trunk, supported by the same root, and nourished by
the same sap, make with it but one tree.
"Read that beautiful parable, in the fifteenth chapter of
St. John, and you will there see united, all the motives capable
of engaging you to tighten the cords which bind together the
works of Holy Cross- that of honor; since it is your care to
avoid the opprobrium of sterility, and to procure for us the
glory of a happy fecundity: for as the branch, of itself, cannot
bear fruit unless it be united to the vine, so also toe are barren
unless we are united uiith. Jesus Christ, who is the vine of which.
we are the branches-that of fear; since, if we detach ourselves
from this mystic vine, and create divisions among ourselves,
we expose to ruin the work of God, and merit the chastise­
ments of his eternal justice.
" Here then, to Priest, Brother, or Sister, who by words or
actions, would effect the separation of establishments which
God has pleased to unite under the same general authority,
SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF REV. F. COINTET. 27
as a striking representation of the hierarchy of blessed spirits.
where, from all the choir of Angels, there results three Orders,
subordinate one to the other, and as a sensible imitation of
the Holy Family, where Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, although
of conditions so different, made but one by the union of
thoughts and uniformity of conduct.
" In order to cement this union, and this imitation of the
Holy Family, I have consecrated, and consecrate again as
much as in me, the Priests to the sacred heart of Jesus, Pas­
tor of souls; the Brothers to the heart of St. Joseph, their
Patron; and the Sisters to the heart of Mary, pierced with
the sword of' grief.
"Behold, my dear children in Jesus Christ, the plan of
government which it 'is the will of God should be followed in
the administration of Our Lady of Holy Cross. I bless Provi­
dence for having associated me to the beautiful devotedness
which animates you for the Christian education of youth. To
second, more successfully, the designs of heaven in this impor­
tant enterprise, we have opened the College of the Holy Cross.
Become Fathers of families, we have vowed to these children,
confided to our care, our lives and affections, and we have a
recompense for our labors in seeing their happiness, in wit­
nessing their progress."
Such is a brief sketch of an important Religious Society of
the nineteenth century: embodying, by the grace of God, the
spirit of the ancient Holy Order, so regulated as to suit the
exigencies of the age. It has commanded the approbation
and admiration of men of the most exalted piety and learning
in France and in Italy.
The late Bishop of Vincennes, having several times applied
for Brothers of St. Joseph, for his western diocese, his request
was finally granted, and on the 5th of August, ��_2) Father
Sorin, first coadjutor in establishing the society in France, /�'.
sailed for America, with six Brothers. '
The zeal and devotion of this pious ,i I.e caused him to
regard, as a signal favor from heaven, their landing on the
28 SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF REV. F. COINTET.
13th of September, the Eve of the Exaltation of the Holy
Cross. A simple event, apparently; but the eye of faith often
sees a glorious perspective in events trifling and seemingly
without meaning; they are as the first sounds in a perfect
chord attuned to melody. What more simple to an untutored
ear, than the sound of the key-note in C? yet to the ama­
teur of music it recalls one of the most delightful of Beetho­
ven's symphonies; and to the ear of a Mozart what a gush of
melody does it bring from the unseen, unheard world?
"The Eve of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross! " Was
it not, then, the eve, above all others, for the little Commu­
nity of the Holy Cross to land on the shores of that continent
of which possession was taken under the shadow of the Cross '?
The old world had much to unlearn, ere she could understand
the wisdom of this sign; with her it had been the mark of
ignominy, but it came to the New World with no such asso­
ciations. Mysterious and sublime were the lessons it taught
the children of the forest-time passed, and the red-men dis­
appeared. And now, in the midst of the wealth, refinement,
and prosperity of our day, came the little Colony of the Holy
Cross, to plant the standard in the West; to assist those who
already labored in the vineyard, so large and so neglected.
The Eve of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross! The lover
of nature looked abroad on the harmonious arrangement of
land, water and sky , which from Greenwood Cemetery forms
so charming a picture, and, as the last rays of the setting sun
threw their finishing touches over the whole landscape,
thought that earth could give no more beautiful picture: and
the members of the Holy Cross, standing on the deck of the
little vessel entering New York bay, thought- but let Father
Sorin, in his first letter to France, say what they thought.
"NEW YORK, September 14th, 1842.
"BELOVED F ATHER,-Let us bless God -let us bless his holy
Mother: we have arrived in New York full of life, health,
and joy. Our good Brothers have not yet entered the city;
SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF REV. F. COINTET. 29
they were obliged to pass last night in quarantine. But our
good God permitted me to land yesterday evening, 13th of
September, the Eve of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.
With what happiness, my Father, did I salute and embrace
this dear land of America, after which we have so ardently
sighed. And what an increase of consolation to land on the
eve of so beautiful a day! It is, then, in the name of the
Holy Cross, of the Blessed Virgin, and St. Joseph, that we
have taken possession of it. 1\1y God, what a happy coin­
cidence ! What joy for a poor priest of the Holy Cross, who
must love nothing more in the world than the Cross, to be
able to say his first Mass in America on the Feast of the
Exaltation of that sacred symbol! What a delicious day it
is here - how beautiful is the American sky! Ah, yes, my
Father, here is the portion of my inheritance; here will I
dwell all the days of my life."
The little colony reached Vincennes about the middle of
October: here, two of the Brothers took charge of a school,
and Father Sorin, accompanied by the others, repaired to St.
Peters, about thirty miles from Vincennes, where his intention
was to open a school, a novitiate, and attend the spiritual
wants of the Catholics, widely scattered through that portion
of the country. Writing to France in December of the same
year, Father Sorin says, "I would like to have a little more
time to give you fuller details than I am able to do to-day;
but you will at least have in this sign of life a proof' of my
tender recollection of you. Oh, if you knew how sweet it is,
in the bosom of these vast forests, to meditate on the memory
of friends in France! I have, notwithstanding, many ways
of diverting my attention, in my present position.
"Charged with three congregations, of which the families
are so dispersed that one alone would be sufficient to occupy
a Missionary; at the same time I must form a regular N ovi­
tiate, with elements who do not understand each other, and
30 SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF REV. F. COINTET.
frequently I do not understand them myself; for we have now
three German Postulants, two of whom do not speak a word
of English - it has been almost necessary to make the exer­
cises in three languages at the same time; or have the Holy
Spirit renew for us the miracle of Pentecost. Happily, the
pious dispositions with which they are animated, evince that
He, in effect, speaks to their hearts, when I can only speak to
their ears. Last Sunday we had the ceremony of taking the
Habit. Our little chapel was crowded to excess-never was
such a ceremony witnessed in this part of the country. Yes­
terday I baptized a little .girl- my first American; to-morrow
shall baptize another, and in a few weeks two adults. You
see, that if the Mission has its fatigues, it has also its conso­
lations and joys- but joys which have scarcely a name in the
language of the world.
"Shall I tell you that we have here the most sanguine
hopes for our establishment; but we have not as yet a dollar.
Yet God will come to our aid; it is impossible for us to remain
much longer in our present situation. We hope to have Sis­
ters of the Holy Cross, so anxiously expected, that, notwith­
standing we are well beloved, they would willingly exchange
six Brothers for two Sisters. Ah, if we had Priests, four
would find enough to do on reaching us!"
In another letter he writes-" We reached the 12th of
Fe bruary without experiencing a severe American winter; for
this we have to thank God. Had the season been rigorous I
do not know how we would have passed it ; our houses are far
from being comfortable; for my part I haye a little room with
three doors and two windows, without counting the other
openings. But for ten days past wc have felt that it is indeed
winter, even when near the fire; sometimes we have scarcely
been able to remain at table, and at noon-day the water has
been frozen in our glasses- but this is nothing; on leaving
the refectory everyone appears gay and cheerful; next year,
perhaps, we will be better lodged. If Providence sends us a
SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF REV. F. COINTET. 31
resource of some sort or another, we hope to build ourselves a
brick house. We love to confide to God the care of all that
is necessary for us.
" Now, my Father, permit me to recall to your memory
the promise of sending an assistant Priest. The day of his
arrival will be an epoch in the country, as well as in our
annals.
" Two more Brothers would be extremely useful to us ; one
a good Shoemaker. After this I shall demand nothing more,
although I feel that a few Sisters, were they but two, would
be exceedingly advantageous to us; provided one of them
learned the language of the country, I could find them sub­
jects here, and in a short time we would have two flourishing
schools.
" Behold, in a few words, our wants and our hopes ! Now,
my Father, I submit myself, in advance, with entire resigna­
tion, to all which you will determine. I believe, I am able
to say, before God, that I desire nothing save the accomplish­
ment of his holy will; the more I reflect, the more am I con­
vinced that Heaven has particular designs of mercy on our
work. What can I say to those who may be called to concur
in the same? That probably they will have much to suffer;
but let them not be frightened at crosses; they have their
charms that render them very precious: they will not be as
unhappy as they might fear. For my part, I have not yet
thought of complaining. I am happy, happier than ever;
here I find more pleasure than anywhere else, notwithstand­
ing I have always lived happily. Our good Brothers are
equally joyful. From this moment, then, I consent to live
here alone, all my life, if such be the will of Heaven. Yield­
ing, cheerfully, all the consolations I might experience in
having a Brother-Priest from our Community.
"Until this time we have been able to live without much
expense, having from France almost every thing necessary;
and on this subject I cannot sufficiently express my gratitude
to our many kind benefactors. We have subsisted until the
32 SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF REV. F. COINTET.
present time on the fruits of their generous charity. Here
every-thing is enormously high, with the exception of bread
and meat. But in a house like ours, where all things are to
be pu rchased, food forms not the sixth part of the expenses."
Providence did not design Father Sorin to remain alone,
neither had it designed St. Peter's as the site for the estab­
lishment of the new Community. We have already learned
from the preceding extracts, the great poverty they enjoyed,
and their firm hopes of success,
At this period the Bishop of Vincennes offered Father SOI'in
a more desirable location, in the northern part of Indiana,
about thirty miles south of Lake Michigan. 'l'his section had
been secured years before, by the proto-priest of the United
States, Rev. Father Badin; his efforts, however, had only been
crowned by the erection of a little log church, and a poorer
log house. But the situation is one of extreme beauty-not
grandeur - for northern Indiana can claim nothing of the
sublime, or grand in her scenery. Yet the monotony of her
low land and prairies is frequently diversified, and the char­
acter of the beautiful given it by clear, placid, little lakes,
surrounded by gently undulating plains. The farm in q ues­
tion contained two of these pleasant lakes, to which Indian
tradition had attached many a tale of enchantment.
Dedicating this spot to "Nôtre-Dame-du-Lac," Father
Sorin selected a charming little island, in the largest lake,
as the site for two Novitiates - one for the Priests he hoped
to train for his new Mission, and the other for the Brothers.
A beautiful situation was also chosen, on the banks of the
lake, for the future college; then, with firm confidence in
Divine Providence, he spent the winter in collecting the scat­
tered Catholics of the neighborhood into a regular congrega­
tion, in forming his Novitiate of the Brothers, and attending
the temporal wants of his little colony.
At this period, the aid so long and earnestly desired by
this devoted Missionary, was furnished in the person of his
former beloved friend, the young Abbé Cointet, who, having
SKJ.<.:TCII OP THE LIFE OF REV. F. COINTET. 33
offered himself to tho V. Iiev, Father Moreau, Rector of the
Association, for tho express purpose of the American Mission,
had sailed from Frunce in the spring of 1843, accompanied
by two other Clergymen, several Brothers, and four Sisters.
They arrived at Nôtre Dame du Lac in the month of July.
but not without undergoing many trials, and escaping many
dangers, as may be seen by the letter of Father Cointet.
given in the next chapter.
CHAPTER V.
EXTRACT FRO.\1 A LETTER Fl{Ü)I FATHER COINTET, ON HIS ARRI­
v AI. IN Al\ŒRICA - HIS DEVOTION ON THE MISSION - HIS
WVE OF POVEHTY, AND HIS ZEAIJ FOR THE HOUSE OF GOD.
" NEW YORK, July 16th, 1843.
" l\IY REV .. FATHER-On the 6th of June we sailed from
France, full of joy, and dreaming only of the beautiful Mis­
sion before us. The day after Pentecost, the weather became
very bad ; about midnight we were aroused from our slumbers
by the noise of a violent tempest, which continued with una­
bated fury during the night, and the succeeding forty-eight
hours. All contributed to our alarm and terror; the piercing
cries of our sailors, who regarded us as the harbingers of
shipwreck; tho violence of winds and waves, and the incessant
creaking of our little vessel. Oh, how often during those
critical moments, did we think of Holy Cross! I recalled
the history of St. Liguori's l\Iissionaries, saying to myself,
, Ah, if our Father knew the state to which we are reduced,
how would he hasten, as did St. Liguori, to implore, with
earnest supplication, aid from Heaven for his dear family;'
could it be, that this little Colony, so anxiously desired; that
these virtuous Sisters; that our beautiful statue of Mary,
3
34 SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF REV. F. COINTET.
should all be engulfed in the waves, at the moment of leav­
ing port? N otwithstanding these reflections; notwithstanding
the motives of hope which the good Brother, Eloi, gave us,
we regarded ourselves as victims, devoted to death. Often
did it appear, that the weather-beaten vessel, leaking in all
parts, was on the point of sinking forever. One time, among
many others, after having given Mr. M--, the kiss of peace,
and asked the aid of his prayers, if he should reach Heaven
before me, I bowed my head to await the watery grave that
seemed our portion. But in spite of the mingled feelings,
inseparable to so awful a situation, I was entirely resigned to
the will of God. One thing, only, troubled the peace of my
soul; this was, the view of so many heretics and sinners, pur­
chased with the blood of Jesus Christ, the greater part of
whom would appear without preparation, before the judgment
seat of God."
Happily, the death to which the young Priest resigned
himself, was not to be found on the ocean-wave; but ere he
reached his Western Mission, his life was again in danger.
On arriving in Detroit, he met with an accident which threat­
ened most serious consequences. The Episcopal residence in
that city is adorned with a lower and an upper verandah; in
walking across the latter, Father Cointet, believing himself
on the lower, made a false step, which precipitated him with
violence, on the pavement below. His life was considered in
danger for a few days, but after a tedious confinement of sev­
eral weeks, he recovered, and proceeded to N âtre Dame. In
giving him his blessing, and bidding him adieu, the Bishop
said, "Go, Mr. Cointet, it certainly seems, from what has
passed, that you have a vocation for Indiana."
One may readily imagine the holy joy experienced in the
meeting of the two devoted Missionaries, on the shores of Our
Lady's Lake. The Rev. Father Sorin received his youthful
confrère with all the warmth that the recollection of their
.early friendship in France could inspire, and with all the ten-
SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF REV. F. COINTET. 35
derness of a Father-for the vicissitudes of his life in Amer­
ica, more than difference in age, had made him many years
the senior; and Father Cointet, joyfully remitted to his
authority the care of the little Colony he had brought from
France, feeling, as only a Religious can, how much greater is
the happiness of obeying than commanding.
After a fervent Novitiate of one year, he made his solemn
religious profession as Member of the Holy Cross.
From that time he may be said to have had no other affair
in life, no thought or desire, save the conversion of sinners,
the planting of churches ; in a word, the salvation of souls.
His zeal never failed; his charity was inexhaustible; and
nothing could be more touching than the patience and mild­
noss he displayed in instructing and persuading some ignorant
or prejudiced mind; nothing more admirable than the clear­
ness and simplicity with which he addressed them in his
sermons; nothing more heavenly and consoling than his
words of encouragement to the dying, or of consolation to the
suffering.
Self seemed to be, in him, forgotten, annihilated; no fatigue
was too great, no labor too severe for him. God's interests
were his only consideration, and to secure these, by the sal va­
tion of a single soul, he would, at any time, have willingly
offered up his life.
A little incident will illustrate this. On one of his Mis­
sionary tours, he arrived, early in the day, at one of our
western villages, where he intended remaining a day or two.
It was early in the spring, the weather was stormy and
inclement, and the roads almost impassable. The good Priest,
in walking from the cars to the house, where he usually
lodged, was informed that about three miles from the village
a young child was dying, who, although the son of Catholic
parents, had never received Baptism. " A child dying with­
out Baptism! Where! Show me the road!" In vain was
it represented to him that the storm was terrible, that the
roads were so bad as to be almost untraveled; in vain was he
36 SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF REV. F. COINTET.
entreated to at least take some nourishment-e- but he heeded
nothing. From the moment he heard that alFsoul, created to
love and enjoy God, was in danger of losing, forever, his
blissful vision, the worthy Priest seemed insensible to any­
thing else.
On being shown the direction he was to take, he proceeded
without pausing a moment, and had the consolation of finding
the child still living; he administered the Sacrament, and it
survived but a few hours. The parents, in their deep afflic­
tion, never thought to offer any dinner to the poor Missionary,
and after doing all in his power to console them, he returned
about night to the village, cold, weary, and hungry, but
almost unconscious of all these in the joy and consolation
which replenished his pious soul.
The activity of his mind was so great, that he frequently per­
formed the work of two or three persons. Although filling a
professor's chair in the college of Nôtre Dame, his labors in
the Mission were indefatigable. Inspired by the grace of God,
all obstacles seemed removed from his path. Soon after his
arrival at Nôtre Dame, while the English language was yet
strange to his ear, and still stranger to his tongue, he was
called upon to administer the last sacraments to a dying
woman in an adjoining village. On reaching the houso he
fonnd it crowded with Protestants. After administering the
holy consolations of religion to the poor sufferer, ho turned
toward the persons assembled, and without the slightest diffi­
culty gave the most social and touching explanation of these
rites of the Church. Many present, deeply penetrated with
the beauty and unction of the discourse, asked each other how
it was possible such an instruction could be givon by one who
scarcely spoke a word of English. Yet so it was-und even
at the present time some of those who heard him on that
. occasion cannot speak of it without emotion.
His delight was to hunt up tho Catholics, scattered on the
confines of civilization, as Indiana then was. All who are
familiar with life in the West" know with what rapidity the
SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF REV. F. COINTET. 37
scene changes, from the native solitude of the forest to the
busy, bustling noise of a grO\ving city - that ere tho smoke
of the Indinn 'rig;wam vanishes into the air, the smoke of
the locomotive takes its place. It was to the sons of the
forest, the remnant of the red race passing from the plains
of Indiana, and to tho advanced guard of civilization, the
poor Irish laborers of the railroad, that he delighted to
break the bread of life. Teaching them by word and ex­
ample that Heaven alone is the country for which all are
created.
He never permitted his duties or profession to interfere
with his missionary labors. Arranging his classes for an
absence of twenty-four or forty-eight hours, he would kneel
with the simplicity of a child to receive his Superior's bless-­
ing, then joyfully start on the l\1ission. Now riding at night­
fall over a wide extent of country to gain some Indian wig­
wam, or seated in a shanty, by the side of an unfinished
railroad, hearing the confessions of the poor Irish women,
explaining the Catechism to a crowd of the wild, ragged
little children who formed a circle round him, or collecting
the men at close of clay, as they returned from their hard
toil, tang'ht them their duties as citizens and Christians.
How often have shanties on the railroads of Michigan and
Indiana, by his presene'e, been converted into holy temples-­
where the poor laborers, strengthened by the blessed Sacra­
men t, and the consoling voice of the Priest, became new
beings. Ah, who can tell the value of one Mass! That
�, greatest of all actions that can be performed on earth. It
is not the invocation merely, but, dare I use the word, the
evocation of the Eternal. He becomes present on the altar
in flesh and blood, before whom angels bow and devils trem­
ble." ;:� And oh, how exceedingly great, was the joy of the
young missionary in offering up this sublime Eucharistic
sacrifice in the midst of an American forest.
è;' Loss and Gain.
38 SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF REV. F. COINTET.
If this good Priest thus eagerly sought the honor and
glory of God, by enriching others with spiritual wealth, he
was no less eager to contribute to the glory of his Divine
Master, by the strictest practice of evangelical poverty.
Voluntary poverty he cherished as a most precious jewel
from Heaven, and when, owing to the scanty resources of
their new establishment, wants and the privation of the most
common necessaries of life had to be borne, he regarded them
as signal blessings from God.
For some years the wardrobe of Father Cointet and his
Superior was considered very full when they possessed a pair of
boots and a hat, as property in common. The boots he adroitly
managed not to wear until they had passed through the
stages of good and indifferent, but the hat could not be so
easily managed, there being no alternative except to replace
the ecclesiastical square cap by the beaver, when on the
Mission. Accordingly, if Father Cointet was recognized
riding or walking off with a hat on his head, it was known
to the members of the little community that the Superior
was at home.
It would be too long here to recount all the little artifices
he used to deprive himself, without attracting notice, of
everything not absolutely necessary. And, oh, how worthy
of admiration and imitation is such a state! Having noth­
ing, yet possessing all. How great in abnegation, how rich
in poverty!
His mortifications and austerities are known to God, for
whom alone they are performed, and who alone can reward
them. On the earth but not of it, he enjoys a foretaste of
the joys of Heaven by the privation of all things ter­
restrial.
And here his zeal for the house of God must not be for­
gotten. Perfectly conversant with Theology, and intimately
acquainted with the minutest point of the Church ritual, it
grieved his tender piety to see the slightest rubric omitted
or carelessly observed, and the strict spirit of poverty he so
SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF REV. F. COINTET. 39
rigidly observed toward himself, found no place in his heart
when the honor of the house of God was concerned.
Truly it might be said, that zeal for its honor had
consumed him. Kot a festival of the ecclesiastical year
approached but his heart felt deeply the influence of the
mystery or event commemorated. His Superior possessed in
him a worthy co-laborer, with whose assistance the imposing
feasts of the Church were celebrated in the church of N otre
Dame in a style that would carry the beholder back to the
Catholic portion of Europe. Every benediction of the Church,
all her sacramental forms, all the rubrics of her ceremonies,
were to his lively faith so many gleams of that Heaven
toward which all his desires tended; and with earnest zeal
he sought to inspire the young Seminarians of the Novitiate
of St. Aloysius wi th the same sen timen ts.
CHAPTER VI.
l!'ATHER COINTET IS SEN'r TO NEW ORLEAN8 - RETURNS TO
NOTRE DAME - HIS DEATH.
IN the spring of 1849, Father Cointet was sent to New
Orleans, as local Superior of an establishment of the Order,
which had lately been founded in that city; there he soon
had the consolation of seeing a most flourishing Orphan
Asylum, and Manual Labor Schools for boys and girls. His
efforts were highly prosperous, and his field for doing good
very great; there also he was spared the difficulty of speak­
ing a foreign language. The Catholics of the city came
forward most generously to aid the new establishments, and
as far as pecuniary matters were concerned, the Rev. Father
met with but little trouble in his new office.
Under his judicious and careful government the schools
flourished finely, and everything wore the most flattering
40 SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF REV. F. COINTE'I.
aspect. Yet, when the voice of his Superior recalled him,
after an absence of two .years, to Notre Dame, he left New
Orleans with a joy that could not be concealed; nothing
being more congenial to his heart than the thought of resum­
ing his missionary labors in the North.
On his return to Indiana he was intrusted with the care
of five congregations - Goshen and Laporte in Indiana, and
Milan, Berrien, and Bertrand, in the southern part of Michi­
gan. In the last-named village he also acted in the capacity
of Chaplain and Confessor for the Sisters of the Order who
are there established. N othwithstanding all his life in
America was but a chapter of zealous labors, yet the last
year of his life, particularly, fills with astonishment and
admiration all who reflect upon it. Charged with the con­
gregations already mentioned, and the Chaplainship of a
community of twenty-eight Religious, he left not a single
portion of his duty unaccomplished at anyone of the
places.
He carefully collected the statistics of each congregation,
recording wi th accuracy all births, marriages, deaths, the
number of regular communicants, etc., so that his successors
know not which most to admire, the carefully exact manner
with which the business affairs of the congregations had been
conducted, or the spirit of regularity infused into his parish­
ioners during so short a time. In all the congregations he
established the Confraternity of the Scapular, collected the
children, and at stated timos prepared all who were of a
proper age to receive Holy Communion.
N or at the same time did he neglect his duty as Chaplain
at St. Mary's Bertrand.
Ever)' Friday he de-voted to the Confessional at St. "Mary's.
One of his favorite devotions was the way of the Cross. And
this he always endeavored to perform in public on every
Friday afternoon for the community at Bertrund.
Never allowing himself moro than a night's repose, ho
would again start for one of his congregations.
SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF REV. F. COINTET. 41
These incessant labors wore too much for his delicate con­
stitution, already weakened by a chronic disease, of long
stanrlinr. Notwithstanding his feeble health, a sick call was
nev. '1' neglected; and often, wi th the fever coursing through
his veins, has he risen from his bed, mounted his horse, and
traveled man.'- miles through the winter's storm, or summer's
heat, to visit the sick, or the dying.
But such excessive labors could not last; he was finally a
martyr to them, for the sickness of which he died was brought
on by the fatigues endured on a new Mission.
On the cn�ning of the 13th of Septein ber, 1 R54, he returned
from one of his Congregations to Nôtre Dame, heated, weary
and sick. Tho following day his symptoms appeared serious,
and a physician was immediately called; but skillful treat­
ment, and careful nursing, were equally vain. After a week
of intense suffering he died, in the prime of life, anel in the
midst of his labors.
In sickness, as in health, he was a model to all; a true
type of a perfect Religious. Not a word of complaint escaped
his lips, although his sufferings were most excruciating. At
all times his greatest anxiety was the fear of giving pain or
trou ble to others. In life and death self was absorbed and
forrottcu in charity. He" taught us how to live - and oh,
too high the price of knowledge, taught us how to die."
Not until the eve of his death (September 19th), did he
ever suspect any real danger, and always spoke of recovering
for the sake of his Missions. When informed, by his Supe­
rior, of his situation, he appeared much surprised, but entirely
resigned. That evening he received the last Sacrament of
the Church, and the night was spent by him in the most
earnest and fervent preparation for death.
Oh, how beautiful are the last hours of a true Religious;
one whose life, under the mild yoke of holy obedience, has
been but a preparation for that last end. To him death has
no terrors, the grave no gloom: the announcement that life
42 SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF REV. F. COINTET.
is closing, is sweet to his ear- it is but the prelude of that
voice from the other world, gently whispering-
"Thy mansion is ready, prepared is thy dome­
My dove, my beautiful one, come home."
So passed Father Cointet from time to eternity, on the
morning of September 19th. How could the approach of the
hour of death be sad or terrifying to one who had, in the
spirit and letter, faithfully observed the Regulation of Life
proposed on leaving the Seminary at Le Mans; but it was
with a heart desolated by grief, that the venerable Superior
offered the Adorable Sacrifice of the Altar, on that morning,
for the soul so early taken, so venerated and beloved.
The mournful intelligence spread instantly, and when the
great bell of the church sent forth its mournful tones, in all
the Community not a tearless eye could be found, or a heart
that was not penetrated with grief.
His death occurred at a period when the hand of our loving
Lord pressed, in mercy, heavily upon the Community of the
Holy Cross. Already, one Priest, several of the Brothers of
St. Joseph, and four Sisters, had been carried off by the epi­
demic which raged so fatally in the western states, during the
fall of 1854. Many others were dangerously ill; it was con­
sequently deemed necessary to bury Father Cointet on the
evening of the day of his death; his grave was prepared in
the little Cemetery of the Society, and the setting sun shed
his golden beams on the young Seminarians and Priests of
the Holy Cross, as they solemnly chanted the burial service
for the dead, so early lost - so well beloved - their guide­
their friend -their brother-now silently resting in the
closed coffin.
The sun had disappeared, and the shades of evening had
fallen, dark and gloomy, as the procession left the Cemetery
with hearts filled with grief, yet strengthened by the faith
which whispered of the joy of the disembodied spirit. To it,
SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF REV. F. COINTET. 43
may we not conclude, was given the happiness of beholding,
from a higher sphere, the scenes of its early labors and suf­
ferings'? To mark the spot it found a wilderness, now adorned
with noble temples of science and religion? We cannot feel
it is presumption to say so. N ot only the death, but the life
also of Father Cointet, had been that of a Saint.
Holy writers tell us, that the saints are made up of six
things: obedience to the commands and precepts of the
Church; strong and loving instincts for the interest of Jesus,
the glory of God, anel the salvation of souls; the love of Mary;
an intense love of sufforings and voluntary austerities, accom­
panied by severe interior trials.
All these wore fully exemplified in the life of Father Coin­
teto Although but thirty-eight years of age, he had accom­
plished III uch for the honor and glory of God. He found
"Nôtre Damo" a wilderness, and eleven years after, when
death calleel him home, he left a Community of more than
one hundred Religious; and in forming these souls to know
and serve God, alone, he had ever been his Superior's most
faithful coadjutor.
We ha ve before spoken of his zeal for the house of God;
in his sight, the slightest Church ceremony was precious, as
in it his tender piety saw an act of love to the God he adored;
and this same feoling of love would have caused him, wil­
lingly, to forfeit his life for the salvation of anyone of the
poor laborers in his Congregations. Here was the secret of
his zeal for tho Mission. To him it was a daily, hourly, con­
stant thought, that the God of love had died to save all souls.
This was the meditation of his life, and naught cared he for
weather, or distance, or time, or health, when one of those
souls, redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ, was in danger
of perishing. It was this strong and loving instinct for the
glory of God, which caused him to devote every moment, he
could spare from other duties, to the instruction of children;
and it was this love for the interest of Jesus which taught
him the manner of loving our Immaculate Mother - how to
44 SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF REV. F. COINTET.
place at her feet all the gifts of the mind and body-to give
her a devotion far exceeding all that a child could bear its
natural mother. It was this deep interest in the affairs of
Jesus which gave to his whole appearance an air of joy�
remarked even by strangers.
A lady, a convert to our holy faith, speaking on one occa­
sion to the writer of these pages, of the great difficulty she
had, before her conversion, and even after, to believe that
Religious could really be happy, observed that her doubts Oll
this subject were always weakened at the sight of Father
Cointet; for his very step-his countenance more than his
words-evinced a joy and happiness that she could not
understand. It was evident, that the Rule of Life he so
carefully laid down, on leaving the Seminary, he strictly, and
to the letter, observed. To this Rule he never failed, at every
annual Retreat, to add something. The following are the
Resolutions of some of the past years of his life.
" 1845.-Nothing but the most pressing emergency shall
ever cause me to omit my morning Meditation. While trav­
eling on the Mission, I shall mentally review my sermons,
devoting the remainder of my time to prayer; being well
persuaded that more good can be effected by prayer than by
all exterior actions. In this manner I shall supply for all
the regular exercises of the Community that I shall have to
omit.
"Every morning I will propose to myself a certain
number of mortifications, and spiritual communions, ever
keeping a guard upon my ('Yes; and frcq ucntly saluting
my Angel guardian. All these little practices I esteem
most highly.
"I must at all times be well persuaded that I can nevar
suffer enough; and that I must speak but little of all I do.
"During the celebration of tho mysteries of the Mass, I
shall remember that J ('SUS Christ will be my j u<lge.
" September 5th, 184:6.-I must accustom myself to fulfill
with great perfection, all my ordinary exercises.
SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF REV. F. COINTET. 45
'�August 14th, 1847.-1 shall never dissent from the com­
mand of my Superior before having interiorly consulted God
(Consulto supplicitcr Domino).
"August 14:t11, 18J8.-Before reciting the Breviary I shall
repent an act of contrition.
_. July 10tIL 18-10.-1 shall be careful to make with holy
piety the sign of the cross, and to practice the resolution
of 1840.
,; August 1Mh, 18:m.-I must pay moro attention to my
exterior, and to that lesson of the Council of Trent (Nihil
nisi grace modernturn ac religione planere prre se forant).
�'Angust 14th, 18t>4.-1st. I shall, as far as health will
permit, riso at the hour appointed, whether at home or Oll
the Mission.
"2(1. I shall say morning prayers and make my meditation
uccordintr to rule.
" 3d. I shall go to Confession once a week at least.
,. 4th. I shall make an examination of conscience at noon
unrl at night; after which I shall reael and prepare my ex­
amination for the following day.
,; Dth. That I neither huy 1101' receive anything without
acquainting my Superior; and should he demand it, shall
givc up cheerfully.
"Gth. That I go whcrsocver I am commanded, and without
making remonstrances as to health or circumstances.
··7th. That I endeavor to keep myself uniteel to God by
ejaculatory prayers, whether on my roael or in the adminis­
tration of duties.
"8th. That I be more vigilant in the administration of
the Sacraments, anel never to run over the formula of any
one of them hastily.
" 9th. That I never put away any of my penitents without
absolution, except for the better good of the person .
•• 10th. To be regardless of friendship or high standing,
thereby proposing to myself the greater honor and glory of
God in all my actions."
46 SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF REV. F. COINTET.
Few of those devoted to the service of God escape the
shafts of slander and persecution. Yet during his short life,
Father Cointet was pre-eminently among those few. Where­
ever he went, the young and the old, Catholic and Protestant,
evinced their esteem and love for him. The first on the list
of those who generously came forward, after his death, to
offer the Rev. Superior a subscription for the erection of a
suitable monument for this worthy Priest, was a Protestant
physician of South Bend. His generosity has been imitated
by a few. It is to be hoped that by the liberality of the
faithful a small chapel may be built over the remains of the
pious Missionary, in which Mass will be said once a month
for all benefactors of the work. No one who knew him in
life could refuse to perpetuate his memory, and testify their
gratitude and affection by contributing to this chapel.
In the meantime his remains rest in the Cemetery of Nôtre
Dame. There a cross, placed on a little mound above his
grave, throws its shadow over the dead - true type of the
Redeemer's ever-shielding love.
AFTER the preceding pages had been prepared for the press,
another of the friends of Father Cointet, begged the privi­
lege of adding a leaf or two of his own recollection of that
devoted man, to what has been here so well and truly written
concerning him. And this not without a certain sense of the
apparent presumption which might be supposed to actuate
one whose path lies through the dusty and soiling scenes of
secular life, in attempting to estimate, though ever so roughly,
and at ever so remote a point of view, so elevated and un­
earthly a character. 'I'ho attempt might seem, indeed, like
the presumption of some plowman who should affect to
discourse learnedly on the integration of differential equa­
tions, or enter into a serious discussion of Kepler's Laws.
To this may be added tho difficulty which doubtless ever)'
writer of similar biographical sketches has felt when he has
SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF REV. F. COINTET. 47
endeavored to clothe his conceptions in language. N ever do
words seem so miserably recreant to their office, such mock­
eries and vain shadows of the real and substantial. The
explanation of this probably is, that our knowledge of the
great and happy dead is not the sum of sharply defined
ideas residing in the cold intellect, but has rather come to
us in the shape of intuitions and feelings of the sublime,
like those which overpower the soul alive to the loftiest
inspirations of the physical world, when it is, for the first
time, confronted with the awful majesty anel beauty of Mont
Blanc, or the Heeming infinity of old Ocean. Or it is analo­
gous to that instinctive judgment whereby we pronounce at
first sight upon the presence or absence of good-breeding
and refinement in a stranger, when we would find it impos­
sible to assign any intelligible reason for the decision.
Not, then, to convey to tho reader any adequate impression
of what Father Cointet was in all relations, and particularly
in that highest and most sacred relation, to the proper ful­
fillment of which he devoted all his energies of mind, and
soul, and body, but rather as the offering of a simple flower
to deck the early tomb of a departed friend and father, does
the writer essay these few additional pages.
Of Father Cointet's superior gift of mind, and ripe scholar­
ship, the writer of the foregoing narrative has not spoken
too highly. His familiarity with Greek was remarkable.
One of the finest intellects of Great Britain has said - and
it is no flippant judgment thrown off to round a sentence­
that" none but a man of singular talent can attain the power
of reading Greek fluently at sight," while he adds, that" mod­
ern languages are learned inevitably by simple efforts of
memory." Farther on in his essay he remarks, that" very
few persons ever do arrive at an y tolera ble skill in the Greek
language." Father Cointet's knowledge of this difficult
language was precise and appreciative. He was fully at
home in the highest and rarest of the classic authors, but
neither his tastes nor his principles led him to linger around
48 SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF REV. F. COINTET.
the fane of heathen eloquence, poetry, and philosophy. While
recognizing the immense services which the great Stagyrite,
ages after his death, had rendered to Christian philosophy
anel theology, and admiring all that is sublime and worthy
of a Christian in Plato, his heart and his intellect turned
with far deeper pleasure and avidity to those nobler masters
of Christian eloquence and song, who thundered from the
pulpit of St. Sophia, who discoursed a sublime and heavenly
philosophy in the Schools of A thens, after Athens had been
won to Christ, and who on the distant shores of Asia drew
from the Grecian lyre what might indeed be called the music
of the spheres. Our lamented Father was strongly of opinion
that the classical course of our colleges should at least con­
tain an amoun t of selections from the Greek and Latin
fathers equal to those drawn from the pagan authors. He
regarded the golden-mouthed orator of Constantinople, even
as respects style, to be fully equal to Demosthones or Eschines.
He could see no reason why youthful taste could not be as
well formed by the exquisite poetry of St. Gregory, of Nazi­
ance, as by that of Homer or Pindar. He had, so to speak,
little patience with the mind which could not slake to the full
its thirst for philosophy at tho deep and clear fount of the
genius of St. Clement, of Alexandria. Whatever may be
though t of these views, it is certain that he shared them
with a goodly number of the flower of the French clergy,
who have taken decided ground against the prevalent method
of instruction in the classics, and who are laboring with a
lofty zeal and energy, to enthrone St. Augustine and St.
Cyprian, Pruden tins and Lactantius, Sto Basil and St. Chry­
sostom, in the academical chairs of the polytheistic. authors
of Greece and Home.
As a Latinist, Father Coiutet l ikcwis« excelled. Were it
consistent with the purpose of these brief mementos, to pre­
sent such productions to th« reader, doubtless some of his
poetical effusions, in the Latin language, written für delivery
at the little College festivals. held from time to timo in the
SRETeil OF TilE LIFE OF REV. F. rOINTET. 4fJ
University of Kûtre Dame, composed. as they probably were,
during' the intervals of severe and harassing missionary duty,
in some rude log'-hut, on the bleak, uncultivated prairie" or
amid the deep silence of primeval woods, would be perused
with no little surprise at the harmony of versification, tho
wealth of poetic diction, and the beauty of sentiment "which
they display.
In tho pulpit, our g:oocl Father was fervent and effective.
Some of his sermons, in vindication of Catholic dogma, which
it was the writer's good fortune to hear, were specimens of a
clear, co-rent, and masterly logic, and evinced a large and
nccurate acqunintancc with the "whole compass of sacred learn­
ing'. Never will the writer forget one of these, on the claims
of the Catholic Church to the veneration and obedience of
mankind. It was eloquent, profound, and fertile in its ori­
ginal anel most felicitons illustrations. Father Cointet had
an excellent knowledge of Eng-lish, which he wrote and spoke
with the least possible dash of foreign idiom. He had also a
very respectable acquaintance with the German language, in
which ho was able to preach and hear confessions.
But it was in perforrninrr, or assisting at the solemn func­
tions of religious service, in chanting the praises of the l\Iost
High, in the grand old ofiiccs of the Catholic Church, and in
celebrating, amid the imposing and splendid pomp prescribed
by the Ritual, the tremendous and infinitely meritorious
Sacrifice of the New Law, that his soul seemed to expand,
and break from its tabernacle of flesh, to meet its God in the
brightness of his coming. On such occasions, he appeared to
be lifted up into the heavenly world above, and to have lost
all consciousness of the existence of this "dim spot" of earth.
Ris citizenship and conversation were then more especial1y in
heaven. The inner eye of his soul saw only the white-robed
host that encompass the throne of that sacred Humanity taken
up into God, and exalted far above all powers and principali­
ties, and every name that is named. Perhaps those who
loved him well, who had come under the more than mesmeric
4
50 SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF REV. F. COINTET.
influence of his holy life and precepts, now that he is buried
out of their sight, though yet living, as they hope, to inter­
cede for them, whom on earth he so gently led in the way of
his Master's commandments, might be tempted to exaggerate
the extent of the reign in him of that divine life which seemed
to them to have, even here, overmastered and trampled upon
the old Adam. Something, however, must be pardoned to
the depth and strength of those affections - the most beau­
tiful and purest of earth - which bind the heart to a spiritual
Father, and a soldier of Christ, who having battled bravely
in the fight of faith, has now laid down to his longest night's
sleep, but in whose case not even the well-sustained belief in
his bright reward and joy ecstatic, can do more than assuage
the sense of sore bereavement, and the fond regrets that hover
around his new-made grave.
What shall be said of him, as the indefatigable, ardent
and heroic Missionary ? Emphatically, in this capacity, did
he express the significance of the Roman poet's phrase, " totus
in illis," or rather, fulfill the injunction of the Apostle: "Give
thyself WHOLLY to these things." To his great avocation of
saving souls, every other consideration was made to yield;
every other pursuit became secondary and insignificant; and
every power of body, or accomplishment of mind, was ren­
dered completely and exclusively subservient. To travel on
foot over large districts of country, carrying with him the
necessary materials for the celebration of the Divine Sacrifice;
to lie down at night on the floor of the squalid hut, or smoky
wigwam, exposed to inconveniences which those accustomed to
the orderly appointments of cultivated life little dream of;
to find in every time, and place, and circumstance, an oppor­
tunity for doing, or saying something, for the advancement
of the work he had in hand; to exert, so to speak, a holy
contrivance and ingenuity to attract the minds of the tepid,
and the sinful, to spiritual concerns; to be avaricious, in short,
of souls, and, as one greedy of gain, count over the coins
stamped with the image and superscription of his Master,
SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF REY. F. COINTET. 51
which he had won for Him � never satisfied with the results of
his Stewardship - these were his labor and joy all the clay
long. The book in which he kept a record of his" days and
works," hasty jottings down in Latin, presents a vivid and
affecting picture of his every-day life as a Missioner. Now.
it was some lone widow, who had breathed out her soul to
God, in a poor hovel, cheered and fortified with the Sacra­
ments from his hands, and a troop of desolate orphans, fell to
Father Cointet's lot to provide for as best he might: now, IlE'
is wandering along the wild banks of the Yellow river,
rejoicing in the simple', touching piety, and wondrous faith of
his dear artless Indians, who become, in his eyes, GOlFs
nobility, possessed of a genealogy and an escutcheon before
which the distinctions of wordly race and family, that cause
poor humanity to swell and boast, sink into infinitessimal
and abject littleness: now, he has baptized a dying infant.:
stolen, so to say, for God, and his heart fills 'with glee and
exultation, as if he had suddenly recovered a princely estate­
which had been wrongfully withheld from the Lord he loved
and scrvcd : anon, he is spending happy and sunny clays
among the shanties of an Irish hamlet, along the uncompleted
railroad, where grim and remorseless cholera is stalking
about, causing a11, but the Soldier-Missioner, to fiee in terror
before his approach.
It 'l'as in the midst of a similar epidemic, in w hich he was
gladly, and perhaps with an excess of zeal, exercising his
Ministry of Charity, that he contracted the germs of that
painful disease, which, after a few days of intense suffering,
brought him to his beautiful repose, in the sleep of peaee.
Who, that watched at his bedside during those weary days of
anguish, can forget that sweet smile of resignation and
patience which played continually, like mild October sunshine.
upon his gentle features"? Who, that was present when his
loving spirit took its flight, could fail to feel what eloquence
and PO'WCI' there is in a holy death '? And then, as his obse­
quies were celebrated in the church of the Sacred Heart of
ß2 SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF REV. F. COINTET.
Jesus, where he had so often offered tho Divine mysteries,
with deep and entranced devotion, and the solemn services for
the dead were interrupted by the sobs of the officiuting clergy,
and as they laid him in the Community Cemetery, on the
margin of one of those miniature lakes, whose tiny waves had
once before hushed to rest the saintly De Seille, who, among
the attendants, did not depart with impressions stored up in
his heart, which not all the waters of the Lethe can wash
away? And to which of his co-laborers, in the great work
to which he consecrated his every hour, does there not seem
to issue, from his lowly grave, a voice which says:
" On, champions blest, in Jesus' name,
Short be your strife, your triumph full,
Till every heart have caught your flame,
And, lightened of the world's misrule,
Yc soar, those elder saints to meet,
Gathered, long since, at Jesus' feet: .
No world of passions to destroy,
lour pains and struggles o'er,
Your task all praise awl joy."
THE END.
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