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THE BRIDGETTINE ORDER 
 
Nihil Obstat 
 
 c. schut, d,d. 
 Censor deputatus 
 
 Imprimatur 
 
 Edw. : Can ; Surmont 
 Vic. gen. 
 
 IVeshninasterii , die 3* Novembris 1921 
 
(Ull 
 
 /Vi.uA <; €%\ R ^ n i^ (il '' ^T 
 
 THE 
 
 BRIDGETTINE ORDER 
 
 ITS FOUNDRESS HISTORY 
 AND SPIRIT BY BENEDICT 
 WILLIAMSON WITH AN 
 INTRODUCTION BY THE 
 LORD BISHOP OF PLYMOUTH 
 
 LONDON : 
 
 KEGAN PAUL, TRENCH, TRUBNER & Co. 
 68-74 CARTER LANE, E.C. 4 
 
 MCMXXII 
 
PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN AT THE DEVONSHIRE PRESS, TORQUAY 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 CHAP. 
 
 
 page 
 
 
 Introduction . . 
 
 . 7 
 
 I 
 
 Early Days. 
 
 . II 
 
 II 
 
 St. Bridget Goes to Rome 
 
 • 17 
 
 III 
 
 Last Days .... 
 
 26 
 
 IV 
 
 The Passing of St. Catherine 
 
 • 31 
 
 V 
 
 Growth of the Order . 
 
 • 33 
 
 VI 
 
 The Story of Syon, 1420- 1920 
 
 36 
 
 VII 
 
 Life and Spirit of the Order 
 
 50 
 
 VIII 
 
 The Contemplative Life 
 
 58 
 
 IX 
 
 A Day at Syon . . . . 
 
 61 
 
 
 Appendix . . . . . 
 
 64 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 ** I ""HAT " Luck is a hetise " is one of the many 
 ■■- vigorous sayings attributed to Napoleon. 
 
 Whatever may have prompted the flying 
 word, it may just as well be remembered. Saul 
 is often found among the Prophets. 
 
 Indeed it is somewhat grating to Christian feeling 
 to hear people of the Faith sometimes speak of 
 Divine Providence. They do not seem aware of 
 what is behind our life though they have plenty 
 of teaching. The unabdicated right of the Creator 
 to let His Wisdom " Make sport in the world," 
 and the crowding invasion of ourselves and our 
 homes by " ministering spirits " should make us 
 understand that interweaving of events in 
 Heathenism known as the work of the Fates, but 
 to us as the sweet co-operation of a Father Who 
 does the will of them that fear Him. But it is 
 especially in Holy Religion, the rather exclusive 
 service of God, that this intimacy and intercourse 
 of two worlds are matters of daily praise and of an 
 adoration often speechless. The distractions of 
 life draw away from such things, but those whose 
 watch is by day and night can see ; for all leads up 
 to God. Vacate et videle. Hence in the spiritual 
 combat there is (at the worst moments especially), 
 a cheerful sense of victory. There is a vivid know- 
 ledge of a Divine Presence in the field. " And 
 Eliseus prayed and said : Lord open his eyes that 
 he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the 
 
THE BRIDGETTINE ORDER 
 
 servant and he saw. And behold the mountain 
 was full of horses and chariots of fire about Eli- 
 seus." (4 Kings, vi., 17.) And there is a very- 
 delightful fact connected with this Providence. 
 It is so much the Presence of God, so completely 
 about what we call the trivial (as with the lilies of 
 the field), as well as the seemingly important, that 
 each one carries its whole weight as the weight of 
 the atmosphere. There are great histories of 
 worldly events, and learned explorers of Docu- 
 ments and University Chairs for their exposition, 
 but there is in Religious Life a revelation so 
 personal, so immediate, so absolutely a leading by 
 the hand, that the Siege of Troy and the French 
 Revolution are very much set aside for the breath- 
 less contemplation of greater wonders. 
 
 Let anyone read this sketch and say if this is 
 untrue. All the Elizabethan Age was hammering 
 on its anvils and the noise still rings loudly ; but a 
 handful of women can show to the world and to the 
 Faithful something more than Shakesperean drama, 
 or Drake's world-adventures, or the stupid policies 
 of Charles V., or of the foolish Armada. Often 
 going through lost places, as in the New Forest, 
 one wonders at the silent growth and tenacity of 
 age-long trees which have known all storms, which 
 grew whilst the dervish-dance of world-events 
 drew off the attention of the crowd. 
 
 Syon Abbey has a story that should make all 
 stand at gaze. For five centuries indeed have 
 these Englishwomen — and they alone in religious 
 or worldly life — clung together. 
 
 All these centuries have gone to dust about 
 them : but that is far from all. Far less in our 
 eyes is their survival, wondrous as it is, than the 
 extraordinary protection given them by God. 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 There is something biblical in the divine inter- 
 ferences — enemies blinded, unexpected friends, 
 seeming ruin become their salvation, three hundred 
 years trudging ending in rest for weary limbs, and 
 above all wonders, never a sign until the mathe- 
 matical point of time, until the clock strikes for 
 their seeming destruction. 
 
 This is the Providence of Syon Abbey. All such 
 Houses have their story to tell of Divine protection. 
 With Syon, however, the most beautiful of all the 
 graces of God is to be found at the breaking point. 
 The story is a splendid one, and as was said of an 
 old poem, " it stirs the heart like the sound of a 
 trumpet." 
 
 ^ JOHN, Bp. of Plymouth. 
 
 July 9th, 192T. 
 
THE 
 
 BRIDGETTINE ORDER 
 
 ITS FOUNDRESS, HISTORY AND SPIRIT 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 EARLY DAYS 
 
 'T^HE Order of the Most Holy Saviour, better 
 -*- known as the Bridgettine Order, was founded 
 in the fourteenth century by the great Swed- 
 ish Mystic, St. Bridget. The name she received in 
 Baptism was Birgitta, but even as early as the date 
 of her Canonization, her name in popular speech 
 had changed from Birgitta to Bridget, by which 
 name she has ever since been known. 
 
 A brief account of the life of her whom Our Lord 
 chose to be His instrument in the foundation of 
 this Order, naturally precedes any account of the 
 Order itself. 
 
 She was born in the year 1302, and her life, even 
 in its first beginnings, was no ordinary one. She 
 remained dumb until four years of age, and when 
 she first broke silence it was not in stammering, 
 halting baby language, but in the clear, distinct 
 speech of maturity. Prayer became early the 
 child's delight, and she would spend long hours 
 kneeling in the corner of her room, speaking with 
 Jesus and His Mother. 
 
 She was barely eight years old when she beheld 
 the first vision of Our Lady, who appeared standing 
 at her bedside, holding a crown in her hand, and 
 saying : — " Come, Bridget, wilt thou have this 
 crown to wear ? " and as she bent her head she 
 distinctly felt the pressure of the crown, placed by 
 Our Lady's hands, upon her head. The next 
 vision was that of her Crucified Jesus, saying to her : 
 
 II 
 
12 THE BRIDGETTINE ORDER 
 
 — " See my child, how they have wounded Me." 
 She exclaimed : — " My Lord, who has dared to 
 treat You so ? " And Jesus made answer : — 
 " Those who reject and despise My Love." From 
 this time forth the Passion of Jesus became deeply 
 impressed on the child's heart, and stamped upon 
 her character a grave, serious sadness, like the 
 shades of the solemn pine woods of her native land. 
 She was little more than thirteen when her father 
 told her of his resolution to marry her to Wulf, 
 Prince of Nericia. She obeyed her father instantly, 
 although she had such a shrinking from marriage, 
 that she would gladly have died rather than enter 
 that state. 
 
 For two years the newly married pair lived as 
 brother and sister, given up to prayer and penance ; 
 both became enrolled in the Third Order of St. 
 Francis, and cast aside all rich clothing and worldly 
 delights. 
 
 Subsequently eight children were born to her, 
 of whom the fifth, St. Catherine, was destined to 
 be the first Abbess of the Monastery at Vadstena. 
 
 For a time, St. Bridget became Mistress of the 
 Robes at the Royal Court at Stockholm, where her 
 husband was in attendance upon the King ; there 
 her life of prayer and penance, of mysterious 
 visions and revelations, continued as in her own 
 home. 
 
 But affairs at Court went badly, the warnings 
 from God spoken through Bridget fell on deaf ears, 
 and each day in its passing proved more clearly 
 that Bridget's presence there was producing no 
 permanent effect ; so both she and her husband 
 obtained leave of the King and Queen to go on 
 pilgrimage to the tomb of St. Olaf in the Cathedral 
 of Drontheim, the ancient Capital of the Kings of 
 
EARLY DAYS 13 
 
 Norway. After a brief return to Stockholm they 
 obtained a second leave of absence which was des- 
 tined to be final. 
 
 The year following, 1343, they made a pilgrimage 
 to Compostella. On their way they visited the 
 Cistercian Monastery of Alvastra, and here St. 
 Bridget met the holy monk, Peter Olafson, who was 
 to be her Confessor, and close associate for the rest 
 of her life. With the permission of his Superiors 
 he joined the pilgrimage to Compostella. 
 
 They had resolved to visit several other holy 
 places in France and Germany, but at Arras Wulf 
 fell so dangerously ill that the last Sacraments were 
 administered. St. Bridget turned for aid to St. 
 Denys, who appeared to her and promised Wulf's 
 restoration to health. They then continued their 
 pilgrimage, and after their return to Sweden, Wulf, 
 having disposed of all his worldly aifairs, entered 
 the Cistercian Monastery of Alvastra, where he died 
 a holy death three years later, at the age of fifty- 
 seven. He saw St. Bridget a few days before his 
 death, and bade her an affectionate farewell. 
 Having arranged for the future of her children and 
 disposed of her property on the advise of Master 
 Mathias, Canon of the Cathedral of Linkoping, she 
 asked the Prior of Alvastra to give her a room in 
 the outer part of the Monastery, where she might 
 lead a life of prayer and penance till God's Will for 
 her should be more clearly manifested. 
 
 For two years Bridget lived her life of penance at 
 Alvastra. She fasted four days of the week ; spent 
 much of the night in prayer and contemplation. 
 Her bed was a rough carpet spread on the floor of 
 her cell ; her clothing, a dress of poor material, 
 worn over a hair shirt. Every Friday she fasted 
 on bread and water. During this time God sent 
 
14 THE BRIDGETTINE ORDER 
 
 her on a mission to the Court of Sweden, putting 
 into her mouth the words she was to speak when 
 she appeared before the King. It was towards the 
 end of these two years in her cell at Alvastra that 
 the great crisis in her spiritual life came. A strange 
 mental disturbance, a wonder as to her future mis- 
 sion, came over her, as she prayed. Suddenly the 
 Spirit of God overshadowed her and she was sur- 
 rounded by a luminous cloud, out of which a Voice 
 spake to her : — " I am thy God and I will speak 
 to thee." The Voice continued : — " Fear not, I 
 am the Maker of all things. Not for thy sake 
 alone do I speak to thee, but for that of all Chris- 
 tians. Thou shalt be My Bride ; thou shalt see 
 and hear spiritual things, know My Divine secrets, 
 and My Spirit shall be with thee to the end. . . I 
 have chosen thee for My Bride, to whom I shall 
 reveal mysteries, because such is My Will. Thou 
 hast a right to be Mine, because when thy husband 
 died thou gavest thy will into My Hands, and thy 
 desire was to make thyself poor for My Sake. Thou 
 has left all for My Sake, so by right art thou Mine. 
 Greatly hast thou loved Me, therefore do I take 
 thee for My Bride, in whom I delight. I give thee 
 neither gold nor silver but Myself." As these 
 wonderful words were spoken, her soul was terrified. 
 " Am I really led by God or by the spirit of evil ? " 
 she asked. But the answer came : — " Why art 
 thou fearful at My words ? I have taught thee 
 three things by which thou mayest know the Good 
 Spirit — to honour God, thy Maker ; to hold the right 
 Faith ; to believe nothing exists or can exist but by 
 God ; to practice a prudent abstinence in all 
 created things." By these words was she re- 
 assured, and Master Mathias, who directed her soul 
 during these days, having tested her revelations 
 
EARLY DAYS 15 
 
 strictly and carefully, received the conviction that 
 they were from God. When later she marvelled 
 that Jesus should stoop so low as to make His abode 
 with her, He answered : — *' I do what I will with 
 what is Mine ; because thou art Mine wonder not at 
 what befalls thee by My Will." The severe fasts 
 and penances of St. Bridget and her conflict with the 
 powers of darkness reduced her to a state of great 
 weakness and she became seriously ill ; it was on 
 her recovery from this illness that Jesus made 
 known to her the great work of her life, the founda- 
 tion of a new Religious Order, the Rule of which 
 He Himself would dictate to her. She endeavoured 
 to describe the wonderful way in which Our Lord's 
 words were impressed on her soul, and said : — " It 
 was as if a great number of precious jewels were 
 poured out of a vessel containing them, and that 
 one was able to perceive at a glance and take in all 
 the detailed beauty of each as they lay spread 
 before one." As soon as Jesus opened His Lips 
 each article of the Rule lay before her, " in words 
 He used, not as though written down, but, in a way 
 only to be understood of one who has heard them 
 in this marvellous manner." 
 
 Jesus revealed to her that He had chosen Vad- 
 stena for the site of the first Monastery of the Order. 
 She set out to visit the place and it was while riding 
 along the road beside Lake Vetter, rapt in ecstacy, 
 that she had the wonderful vision which fills the 
 whole of the fifth book of her Revelations. At 
 Vadstena Jesus shewed her the way in which the 
 Monastery was to be arranged in minute detail. 
 As soon as the Rule had been written down and 
 Peter Olafson had composed the Additions com- 
 manded by Our Lord, St. Bridget was ordered by 
 Jesus to go to Rome and there remain until she 
 
i6 THE BRIDGETTINE ORDER 
 
 had spoken to both Pope and Emperor the words 
 He should inspire her to say. 
 
 But the Pope was still in France and she won- 
 dered what she should do in Rome while she was 
 waiting there, but Jesus spoke to her : — " I am the 
 Son of the Living God. The Rule thou hast 
 received must be confirmed by My Vicar who stands 
 in My place, with power to bind and to loose. . .He 
 will give permission for the building of the Mon- 
 astery where I have shewn thee and for the Sisters 
 daily to sing the Office of My Mother." St. 
 Bridget regarding her own nothingness said to 
 Jesus : — " I, most worthless of creatures amongst 
 Thy faithful servants, am as a little ant amongst 
 camels. How will it be possible for the Pope to 
 believe that Thou, the Lord God of the universe, 
 hast stooped down to do such great things to such 
 a miserable ant ? " He answered : — " I order all 
 things according to My Will. If any ask why I 
 did not make the heavens and the earth sooner, 
 there is one answer, because such was not My Will. 
 If any ask why I did not give this Rule and choose 
 it to be confirmed earlier, there is the same 
 answer." 
 
 St. Bridget, thus commanded, set about the pre- 
 parations for her long journey to the Eternal City. 
 Jesus encouraged her and said : — " The Spirit 
 breatheth where He Will. When He does, the 
 heart is filled with joy and consolation such as no 
 worldly things can give. If, then, the Pope ex- 
 periences this in his heart when he reads this Rule, 
 he will know from Whom it comes. . . There shall 
 come three witnesses, all of them thy countrymen, 
 who know and understand My dealings with thee ; 
 a Bishop, a Priest, a Monk. These thou knowest." 
 
CHAPTER II 
 
 ST. BRIDGET GOES TO ROME 
 
 A FTER this clear call from her Lord, St. Bridget 
 -*- *■ hastened her departure. Peter Olafson and 
 another Religious of the same Monastery 
 obtained leave of their Superiors to accompany 
 her to Rome. Before she set out, Our Lord charged 
 her to dictate to her spiritual father all her reve- 
 lations, that he might give them to the Bishop and 
 Archbishop. She herself was to deliver them to the 
 Pope. She left Alvastra towards the close of the 
 year 1349. A Priest, Magnus Peterson, and some 
 devout Swedish women were of the party. They 
 went through Germany up the Rhine and over the 
 Swiss Mountains into Italy. At Milan they visited 
 the Shrine of St. Ambrose. In the Spring of 1350 
 they reached Rome. Her joy at entering the Holy 
 City, sanctified by the blood of so many martyrs, 
 was tempered with sorrow, for the Holy Father was 
 absent. The Churches were neglected ; in St. 
 Peter's and St. John Lateran grass grew up to the 
 very altars. Nigh forty years had passed since 
 Clement V. entered Avignon. 
 
 Clement VI. was reigning at Avignon when St. 
 Bridget arrived in Rome. She and her com- 
 panions found lodging near San Lorenzo in Damaso. 
 Her daily round was much as it had been in her cell 
 at Alvastra. But her mission was to recall the 
 Pope to Rome. God spoke through her and she 
 wrote her first letter to Clement in the name of the 
 
 17 B 
 
THE BRIDGETTINE ORDER 
 
 Lord. " I have raised thee to the highest dignity 
 above all others. Come to Italy, preach the word 
 of God, proclaim the year of salvation and Divine 
 Love, let thy feet tread the streets where the blood 
 of My martyrs has been shed and I will give thee 
 an everlasting reward. Remember past days when 
 thou didst dare to arouse My anger, and yet I kept 
 silence. . . Arise now, before thy last hour comes 
 and let the zeal of latter days blot out the remem- 
 brance of former negligence." 
 
 But Clement temporized. Again and again did 
 St. Bridget urge him. " Leave Avignon — come to 
 Rome, back to the Holy City." But in vain. St. 
 Peter appeared to her and consoled her. " I tell 
 thee thou shalt yet hear with thine ears, ' Long live 
 the Successor of St. Peter.' Thou shalt see with 
 thine eyes that I shall throw down the mountain 
 on which the lovers of pleasure are seated, and they 
 shall come down from their high places." 
 
 Before the first year of her residence in Rome 
 was over, the revolution of Cola Rienzi changed 
 the state of the city as by magic. Law was re- 
 spected. Churches restored, and pilgrims flocked 
 again to the holy places. At the desire of her 
 Confessor, soon after her arrival in Rome, St. 
 Bridget began the study of Latin. 1348 and 1349 
 saw the " black death " ravage Europe. At 
 Avignon one hundred and twenty thousand persons 
 died. By the time Bridget arrived in Rome the 
 plague had spent itself. Then, as the plague 
 was abating, came the Jubilee, and despite bad 
 roads and robbers, the multitude streamed to the 
 Eternal City in extraordinary numbers. The 
 Northern pilgrims had Peter Olafson appointed 
 as their Penitentiary. One day he heard the 
 confession of a man stained with such horrible sin, 
 
ST. BRIDGET GOES TO ROME 19 
 
 that he hesitated to absolve. The poor sinner 
 turned to St. Bridget as his last hope. Jesus spoke 
 to her and said : — " Tell that good Confessor to 
 absolve every contrite sinner that comes to him, 
 until one comes whom I forbid him to absolve." 
 
 Miracles were obtained by St. Bridget's inter- 
 cession, the most hardened sinners converted. Her 
 humility, austerity of life, tenderness to the sick 
 and suffering, made her the centre of the spiritual 
 life of Rome. But an incident during the Jubilee 
 turned all the hate of the enemy upon her. The 
 Papal Legate had openly rebuked the Romans for 
 their sins and violence, and an attack was made 
 upon his Palace, and his life attempted. St. 
 Bridget fearlessly raised her voice in warning and 
 reproof. A tempest of anger raged against her, 
 abuse and insult greeted her in the streets, but she 
 remained calm and unmoved amidst it all. Then, 
 the tide turned, and loving veneration took the 
 place of hate. It was during this anxious time 
 that Our Lady appeared and consoled her, and 
 bade her and her companions sing the " Ave Maris 
 Stella " every day in her honour, a custom faith- 
 fully observed in the Houses of the Order until the 
 present time. God sent Bridget on a mission of 
 warning to the Abbot of Farfa, and although she 
 spoke to the Abbot in vain, her visit resulted in 
 the reform of the Abbey. Scarce had she returned 
 to Rome ere she was sent to Bologna to reform the 
 great Dominican Convent there. Here her mission 
 was successful. She delivered God's message, 
 the Prior fell on his knees and declared he was 
 ready to do whatever God commanded him. The 
 whole Convent responded to the call, the reform 
 was thorough and complete. Suddenly Peter Olaf- 
 son felt impelled to return immediately to Rome. 
 
20 THE BRIDGETTINE ORDER 
 
 Leaving St. Bridget at Bologna to continue the 
 work of reform, Peter returned to Rome, going 
 straight to the tomb of the Apostles to pray. As 
 he knelt, his attention was drawn to a maiden, 
 praying and weeping ; he went to the young pilgrim 
 and to his great astonishment, when she lifted her 
 tear-stained face to answer him, he beheld the 
 features of St. Bridget's daughter Catherine. With 
 her husband's permission she had come on pilgrim- 
 age to Rome, and for a week had sought her mother 
 in vain. The next day Catherine and Peter set 
 out for Bologna. Mother and daughter met there, 
 and in the coming of Catherine, St. Bridget saw 
 the fulfilment of the promise Jesus had given her 
 that He would send a companion to share her 
 labours. Catherine had been married to Edgar, 
 a soul as eager for perfection as herself. They 
 led a life of extraordinary penance, kept unsullied 
 their virginity, and absorbed in prayer, existed 
 for God alone. Their parting was final ; Edgar 
 died while Catherine was in Rome, and she saw 
 him no more. Henceforth the life of St. Bridget 
 and St. Catherine became one. Jesus revealed to 
 St. Bridget the death of Edgar as He did also that 
 of her old Director, Mathias ; as she was in prayer 
 she heard a Voice say : " O Mathias, blessed in 
 having a crown awaiting thee in heaven, come to 
 the Eternal Wisdom " ; that day and hour Mathias 
 went to his everlasting reward. 
 
 The life of St. Bridget and her companions in 
 Rome was that of a Religious Community. Jesus 
 Himself gave the Rule. Eight hours were given 
 to sleep, four to prayer and spiritual exercises, 
 two to meals and recreation, six to works they 
 had to perform, two to Vespers, Compline, etc., 
 two hours for meals and recreation in the evening. 
 
ST. BRIDGET GOES TO ROME 21 
 
 From her coming to Rome till 135 1 Bridget had 
 occupied the house belonging to Cardinal Hugo 
 Roger, when she received notice to give up pos- 
 session. Another house was sought in vain. Just 
 as she was about to leave, a message from the 
 Cardinal saying she was to stay as long as she had 
 need. Clement VI. died in 1352 and was succeeded 
 by Innocent VI. All these years St. Bridget's 
 unwearied apostolate went on, warning both 
 Bishops and Princes, ever calling to penance and 
 prayer as the only way back to God. One re- 
 markable miracle must be related. On the first 
 Saturday of 1353, Catherine went out to the Church 
 of St. Sebastian beyond the walls. She went up 
 the Altar steps and prayed : " O Sweetest Saviour, 
 Who didst take Thy Adorable Body from an Im- 
 maculate Virgin, that Body Which was nailed 
 to the Cross, I, a miserable sinner, beg Thee of 
 Thy great pity's sake, to keep me from sin. Of 
 Thy grace Thou dist give me a mxost dear husband 
 as guardian of my chastity ; he is dead, I need a 
 protector in his stead, and I choose for my noble 
 knight and champion St. Sebastian." A little 
 later St. Bridget with St. Catherine set out to San. 
 Lorenzo on the eve of the holy martyr's feast. 
 They set out alone, save for their Guardian Angels. 
 A Roman noble, who had sought the hand of 
 Catherine in vain, lay hidden, with his followers, 
 in a wood beside the road where the pilgrims must 
 pass, intending to carry off St. Catherine by vio- 
 lence. The sun rose and still the Count and his 
 followers remained in hiding. At length one of 
 them asked his master why they waited. " We arc 
 waiting for the Swedish Princess." " But she 
 passed long since ! Why did you not give us 
 word, my Lord ? She had no companion save a 
 
22 THE BRIDGETTINE ORDER 
 
 pale, grave woman by her side." The Count 
 replied : " How can you be sure ? It is not yet 
 day." " Not day ? Why the sun has been shining 
 for hours ! " The unhappy man had been struck 
 with blindness. He bade his servants lead him to 
 the Basilica and seek St. Bridget and her daughter. 
 Falling on his knees before them he told all and 
 implored forgiveness. St. Bridget and her daugh- 
 ter prayed, his sight was restored, and henceforth 
 he was their devoted friend. 
 
 In 1 371 God sent her a support in her labours 
 in Alfonso, Bishop of Jaen, a Spaniard distinguished 
 alike by birth, piety and intellectual attainments. 
 
 St. Catherine of Siena was born three years before 
 St. Bridget first came to Rome, and was destined 
 to be the friend of her daughter after her mother's 
 death, when St. Catherine of Sweden was living 
 with the Poor Clares in Panisperna. Two months 
 before the Swedish Saint left Italy St. Catherine 
 of Siena died ; within a year of her return to 
 Sweden the other St. Catherine followed her to 
 Heaven. 
 
 Innocent VI. died in the autumn of 1362 and 
 Urban V. was elected in his stead. St. Bridget 
 waited and prayed. In 1364 Jesus sent her on 
 a mission to Naples. If her efforts with Queen 
 Joanna proved vain, she met with a great response 
 among the people, both high and low. After visit- 
 ing Bari and Amalfi she returned to Naples to 
 give a last warning to the worldly Queen, and then 
 in the Lent of 1366, she went back to Rome. The 
 days of waiting were almost over. The Rule was 
 ready, awaiting the promised confirmation. The 
 Office was completed save for the Lessons. These 
 were revealed to her as she looked through a little 
 window in the wall of her house on to the Altar 
 
ST. BRIDGET GOES TO ROME 23 
 
 of S. Lorenzo in Damaso. Day by day an Angel 
 dictated the words of the " Sermo Angelicus," by 
 which name the Lessons at Matins in the Bridget- 
 tine Breviary are known. When the work was 
 done the Angel said : " I have planned a robe 
 for the Queen of xA.ngels, it is for you to complete 
 it, you, the happy Religious of the Order of the 
 Saviour of the world, who have received your Rule 
 from His own Lips." 
 
 The Rule and Breviary of the new Order were 
 to be kept in the Monastery of Alvastra by com- 
 mand of Our Lady, who said : " Though the Latin 
 be not classical, it is dearer to me than if it bore 
 marks of worldly learning." 
 
 " All things were now ready." The building at 
 Vadstena nearly finished ; she only waited the 
 sanction of Christ's Vicar. Her daughter whom 
 she knew to be chosen by God as first Abbess, had 
 been trained by her in the spirit of the Order. 
 Only one thing remained, the return of Christ's 
 Vicar to Rome. 1367 saw the return. On October 
 1 6th Urban made his entry into the Holy City. It 
 was a triumph. The great procession streamed 
 into the City and on to the great piazza of St. 
 Peter's, and entering the Basilica the Pope sat down 
 on his throne amidst the joyful acclamation of the 
 multitude. 
 
 Bridget obtained audience with him and urged 
 him to complete the work without delay, and then 
 she wrote to the Emperor Charles IV. The next 
 year the Emperor arrived in Rome ; thus after 
 twenty years St. Bridget saw the fulfilment of the 
 promise that she should see both Pope and Em- 
 peror in Rome. 
 
 Urban left Rome in 1370; from Montefiascone 
 he issued the Bull which granted St. Bridget's 
 
24 THE BRIDGETTINE ORDER 
 
 heart's desire. It was addressed to the Arch- 
 bishop of Upsala. By it the Pope authorised her 
 to found Monasteries for men and women, accord- 
 ing to the Rule revealed to her and confirmed the 
 foundation at Vadstena. Meanwhile Urban re- 
 turned to Avignon, where he died. 
 
 Jesus appeared to St. Bridget on May 25th, 1371, 
 and commanded her to go on pilgrimage to Jeru- 
 salem. Nigh seventy years of age, worn out by 
 penance and apostolic labours, she made ready 
 for the journey. Three of her children, Karl, 
 Birger and Catherine, Alfonso the Bishop, and 
 the two Peters went with her. The journey through 
 the kingdom of Naples was the occasion of an 
 extraordinary manifestation of devotion to St. 
 Bridget. 
 
 In April the pilgrims reached Famagosta, the 
 capital of Cyprus. There she was met by 
 Queen Eleanor, to whom she gave much wise 
 counsel. The party reached Jaffa at last, but the 
 vessel was wrecked at the very entrance to the 
 harbour but St. Bridget, like St. Paul, was assured 
 by God not only of her own safety but of that of 
 all on board. On the eve of the Ascension, 1372, 
 St. Bridget and her companions entered Jerusalem. 
 It was towards evening and she went to the Pil- 
 grims' Hospice, which was to be their home for 
 five months. The Holy Places then, as now, were 
 in charge of the Franciscans and all were freely 
 opened by them to St. Bridget's devotion. Won- 
 derful revelations were made to St. Bridget of 
 the life and death of the Saviour, and concern- 
 ing nations and peoples, as she prayed in the 
 places hallowed by the footsteps of the Lord. 
 There was the judgment of Cyprus. " O people 
 of Cyprus, if you turn not tp Me with your whole 
 
ST. BRIDGET GOES TO ROME 25 
 
 heart, I will destroy your race." The Roman 
 Empire in the East should perish. " Let the 
 Greeks know that their Empire shall never know 
 peace or security, but be in continued subjection 
 to their enemies, till such time as, in sincere humil- 
 ity, they submit themselves to the charity of the 
 Church and Pope of Rome." 
 
CHAPTER III 
 
 LAST DAYS 
 
 CT. BRIDGET spent her last days in the Holy 
 ^ Land at Nazareth, then a final visit to Jeru- 
 salem and the pilgrims began their homeward 
 journey, reaching Famagosta, October 8th, 1372. 
 The warnings to the people of Cyprus had not 
 been made known to them by the Queen, so stand- 
 ing in the great square of the city, St. Bridget 
 declared them herself. Before the century closed 
 the threatened judgment was accomplished. 
 Thence she came to Naples, warning, exhorting, 
 entreating Queen and people to turn to God. The 
 return of Christ's Vicar to Rome was ever in her 
 mind. As she prayed for the Holy Father, Jesus 
 spoke to her : " Know most surely this Pope shall 
 return to Rome." This was on January 26th. A 
 month later Jesus appeared again and dictated 
 the most solemn warning to Gregory to return to 
 Rome, threatening him for his failure to respond 
 to the call of grace, concluding : " Gregory, My 
 son, once more I adjure thee, come back to Me in 
 humility and follow the counsel of thy Father and 
 Creator." 
 
 To Robert Count of Nola, who doubted the 
 Pope's return, Bridget said : *' Not only will you 
 see Pope Gregory in Rome, but you yourself will 
 escort him thither," words fulfilled four years later 
 when the young Count rode beside the Pope at 
 his solemn entry into the City. 
 
 26 
 
LAST DAYS 27 
 
 In March, Bridget arrived in Rome. She did 
 not return to the house near S. Lorenzo, but took 
 the house that yet stands in Piazza Farnese. Here 
 is preserved the table on which she wrote many of 
 her revelations. Fierce storms of temptation swept 
 over the soul of Bridget during these last days 
 upon earth. In the beginning of July she received 
 the last revelation concerning Pope Gregory. By 
 the middle of the same month her weakness had so 
 increased that she had to abandon her visits to 
 the Churches. The best physicians were sum- 
 moned to her aid ; they declared her illness was 
 not dangerous and spoke of a speedy recovery. 
 While her children were yet rejoicing, St. Bridget 
 lay in darkness and agony of soul when the voice 
 of Mary spoke to her : " \^^at say these physi- 
 cians, daughter — thou shalt not die ? In truth 
 they know not what it is to die . . . He Who is 
 the God of Nature bids thee know there is no virtue 
 nor saving of thy life in any medicine. Thou 
 hast no need of it, for a short time needs little 
 nourishment." 
 
 Her bodily pains increased but her soul was 
 filled with joy. On July i8th Jesus appeared to 
 her, standing before the altar in her room. " Now 
 thou hast been proved, come, be ready for the 
 completion of the work begun, for it is time for the 
 fulfilment of My promise that thou shalt be clothed 
 and consecrated a Nun before My Altar, so that 
 henceforth not only shalt thou be acknowledged 
 for My Bride, but also a Religious and Mother 
 of the Monastery of Vadstena. Know that thy 
 body shall be left here in Rome till it shall go to 
 the place prepared for it . . . On the morning of 
 the fifth day from this send for those persons I 
 have spoken of, and charge them what they are 
 
28 THE BRIDGETTINE ORDER 
 
 to do, then assisted by them and accompanied by 
 their prayers thou shalt enter thy Cloister, which 
 is My heavenly joy, and thy body shall be buried 
 at Vadstena." Death was very near, but before 
 the end, came the supernatural favour of " St. 
 Bridget's Clothing." Bridget never wore in life 
 the habit of either the Franciscan Order or that of 
 the Order she founded. She wore the usual dress 
 of widows of that time, a dress of grey material 
 with a white veil. It was only after her death 
 that St. Catherine clothed her in the habit of the 
 new Order. The day of this Mystical Clothing 
 came, and St. Bridget was rapt in ecstacy in which 
 she continued till the last. Angels sang the " Veni 
 Sponsa Christi," Mary was Abbess, God Himself 
 the Bishop. When Jesus clothed her with the 
 fadeless robe of salvation, her lips whispered : " I 
 have despised the kingdom of this world and all 
 earthly pomp for the sake of Jesus Christ My Lord, 
 Whom I have seen. Whom I have loved, in Whom 
 I have believed, to Whom I have clung with all 
 my strength." Then taking from her hand the 
 ring. He blessed it and put it on her finger again 
 as a sign of His mystical union with her. The 
 angelic singers ceased, the vision faded from the 
 eyes of the dying saint and she murmured the 
 words : " Now I am wedded to Him Whom Angels 
 serve, at Whose beauty sun and moon marvel." 
 
 Another day and night, then in the morning 
 Jesus came again to His own. She blessed her 
 children and said farewell to all, sending a last 
 loving message to Alfonso, absent at Avignon. 
 
 Birger and Catherine could not speak for tears. 
 It was nine o'clock. Bridget ordered the altar 
 to be prepared for Mass. Peter Olafson was cele- 
 brant. At the Elevation the saint adored her 
 
LAST DAYS 29 
 
 Lord with deepest devotion, and saying in a clear 
 voice : " Lord, into Thy Hands I commend my 
 spirit," with eyes upHfted and a radiant smile 
 on her lips, went forth to meet the Bridegroom. 
 
 The news of her passing spread through the City 
 with amazing speed, and the Piazza Farnese was 
 soon thronged with those who came to pay their 
 last honour to the saint. On the afternoon of the 
 same day a great procession of nobles and clergy 
 followed her body to the Church of San Lorenzo 
 in Panisperna. Miracles were wrought while her 
 body lay in the Church. On the 26th July the 
 burial took place, and the coffin, sealed by Birger 
 and the Count of Nola, was placed in a marble 
 tomb. Numerous miracles were wrought there by 
 her intercession. In September the Swedish pil- 
 grims left Rome, taking with them the body of 
 St. Bridget. They embarked at Ancona for Trieste 
 and travelled through Carinthia, Austria, Poland 
 and Prussia. In every town and village people 
 poured forth to meet them. They rested awhile 
 at Dantzic. When they were crossing the Baltic 
 a wonderful thing happened : " As we were on the 
 sea which divides Sweden from Germany, and 
 uncertain, on account of the war, at what port in 
 Sweden we had better land, suddenly about mid- 
 day a bright star appeared in the sky, first seen 
 by an innocent sick child on board, who pointed it 
 out to us all. We wondered greatly to see such a 
 star at noon with the sun shining. This star went 
 before the ship. In the night it was said to one 
 of our number : * The star which appeared yes- 
 terday and which will guide you into port is Bridget, 
 the Bride beloved of Christ, whose fame for sanctity 
 now rises like a star, and one day will shine like a 
 sun over all the world.' " The star guided them 
 
30 THE BRIDGETTINE ORDER 
 
 into the harbour of Soderkoping in East Gotland 
 and then vanished. Crowds thronged to welcome 
 them. When they came to Linkoping, amid the 
 ringing of bells and the joyful shouts of the people 
 Bishop Nicholas and his clergy met them. Long 
 before St. Bridget had told him he would bring 
 the first Religious to Vadstena, which words were 
 fulfilled when he consecrated the house and gave 
 the habit to a great number of Sisters and Brothers, 
 no less than forty-six nuns, nine choir monks and 
 seven lay brothers. A halt was made in each town 
 they passed and Peter Olafson preached to the 
 people on the life and mission of S. Bridget. 
 
 VVednesday, July 4th, 1374, ^^^ ^^^ ^^7 ^^ S^- 
 Bridget's home-coming to Vadstena. The Mon- 
 astery doors were thrown open, the bells clashed 
 out. Monks and Nuns assembled to receive the 
 relics of their holy foundress. For eight days the 
 relics were exposed for veneration in the Monastic 
 Church. Not only at Vadstena but throughout 
 Sweden miracles attested her sanctity. St. Cather- 
 ine wished to enter the Monastery as a simple Nun, 
 but the whole Community chose her as their Abbess, 
 and Bishop Nicholas overcame her humility and 
 persuaded her to accept the Office. 
 
CHAPTER IV 
 
 THE PASSING OF ST. CATHERINE 
 
 ST. CATHERINE had scarcely passed a year at 
 Vadstena when she had to undertake another 
 journey to Rome to petition the Holy See 
 for the Canonization of her Mother. Easter week 
 in the year 1375 saw her departure. Early in 1376 
 she arrived in Rome. Peter of Alvastra and Peter 
 Olafson accompanied her. St. Catherine went to the 
 Poor Clares at Panisperna. Still Gregory had not re- 
 turned to Rome. St. Catherine of Siena urged him : 
 " Sweet Father you desire to know my mind about 
 your return to Rome. I advise on the part of 
 my Crucified Lord that you should come to Rome 
 as soon as possible." Gregory XL left Avignon 
 on September 13th and entered the Holy City 
 amidst the enthusiastic applause of the people. 
 
 St. Catherine had audience of the Holy Father 
 soon after his return and was graciously received 
 by him. She presented the liher attestationum in 
 which were recorded the miracles wrought by the 
 intercession of St. Bridget. The Pope appointed a 
 commission of which Cardinal John Turrecre- 
 mata was head, to introduce the Cause of Canoni- 
 zation, and promised his formal approbation of 
 the Bridgettine Rule. Before two years were 
 passed he died. Urban VI. succeeded him and 
 soon after his election appointed Cardinal de 
 Sabran to re-examine the Rule of the new Order, 
 which he confirmed by a Bull which appeared on 
 
 31 
 
32 THE BRIDGETTINE ORDER 
 
 December 3rd, 1378. In the same year Peter 
 Olafson died, and was laid to rest in the Eternal 
 City. In 1380 St. Catherine left Rome. She 
 reached Vadstena suffering and exhausted and 
 was received with great joy by the Community, 
 overshadowed, however, by grief when they per- 
 ceived the state in which their loved Abbess had 
 returned to them. She knew her end was near. 
 Like her mother, during her sickness she confessed 
 daily but was unable to receive her Lord on account 
 of the continual vomiting. Father Peter of Al- 
 vastra anointed her and she asked him to bring 
 the Blessed Sacrament that she might look on her 
 Saviour, then raising her eyes to Heaven she fell 
 asleep in the Lord on March 25th, 1381 in the forty- 
 ninth year of her age. A shining star appeared 
 over the Monastery where she lay and it remained 
 there until her burial. Archbishops and Bishops 
 assisted at her funeral. Princes carried her to the 
 grave. Nicholas, the holy Bishop and friend of 
 St. Bridget, performed, with many tears, the last 
 rites. 
 
CHAPTER V 
 
 GROWTH OF THE ORDER 
 
 VADSTENA grew and flourished ; soon the 
 number of Nuns and Monks allowed by the 
 Rule was complete. The Order spread 
 rapidly to other lands ; Nuns and Monks went 
 forth from the Mother House to begin the new 
 foundations. Before many years the Order num- 
 bered nigh seventy houses, the majority of which 
 were in Scandinavia. Only twelve now remain, 
 and of these only three go back to early days. The 
 Monks have disappeared, the Nuns remain, verify- 
 ing those words of the Saviour, when in the opening 
 chapter of the Rule He declared : *' I shall establish 
 this Religion in honour of My Mother, first and 
 principally through women." The men failed ; 
 the women proved constant. 
 
 The first foundation from Vadstena was made by 
 Father Magnus at Porta Paradiso near Florence 
 in 1394; ^^ ^49*^ another Monastery was founded 
 on the site of the house St. Bridget occupied on 
 her passage through Genoa. Much later, in 1667, 
 a second foundation was made in Genoa. Many 
 houses were rising in Norway and Sweden. Then 
 came the foundation at Reval in Russia in 141 2, 
 and Mariboo in Denmark in 1416. Houses began 
 to rise in Poland. That at Lublin was founded by 
 King Ladislas H., 1429, Grodno was established 
 in 1624, and the last Polish Nun died there in 1908. 
 Foundations at Lutz, Lemberg and Dubno followed, 
 from which last place the Nuns were driven forth 
 
 33 c 
 
34 THE BRIDGETTINE ORDER 
 
 in 1 89 1 by the tyrannical Government of the Czar. 
 The House of Dantzic was founded in 1397, that 
 at Liibeck in 141 6, at Dermonde in Belgium in 
 1464, where the Nuns of Syon found a shelter 
 when driven from England by Henry VHI. Much 
 later, in 1623, came the Royal Monastery at Brussels, 
 exclusively for Nuns. The Monastery founded 
 about 1430 at Rosmalen, moved later, owing to 
 persecution, to Uden where, after many vicissi- 
 tudes they still remain. In Bavaria the Monastery 
 of Gnadenberg was founded in 1435, from which 
 came Maria Mayingen in 1472, whence Alto- 
 munster in 1497, one of the three ancient founda- 
 tions that have survived the storms of war and 
 reformation. When the tide of the new learning 
 in the sixteenth century was sweeping so many 
 off their feet into heresy, Oecoeampadius, a brilliant 
 Preacher and Professor of Augsburg, who became 
 a monk at Altomunster in 1520, was carried away 
 by the tide and left the Monastery. As he passed 
 out, he said to the Porter, a humble lay brother : 
 " We can call you happy ; you in your simplicity 
 go to Heaven, while we Doctors, with our learning, 
 go to Hell." 
 
 How exactly he expressed the truth ; how utterly 
 vain all human learning when we come face to face 
 with eternal reality I 
 
 Two Monasteries of the Order were founded at 
 Cologne, the first, Maria Forst, in 1450, and Syon, 
 in 161 3. It was not until the beginning of the 
 seventeenth century that the Order was introduced 
 into France. The first foundation was at Lille in 
 1604, that at Arras followed, in 1608, that at 
 Valenciennes in 1610, which had the glory of giving 
 two martvrs to the Church in the revolution in 
 1794 ; the foundation at Armentieres was made 
 
GROWTH OF THE ORDER 35 
 
 in 1626, and that at Douai in 1627. The Revo- 
 lution swept them all away. 
 
 The Monks only gradually disappeared. There 
 were Monks at Altomunster in 1808, and in the 
 Polish Monasteries till about 1842 when the fan- 
 atical Russian Government closed all the Monas- 
 teries in the country. 
 
 Soon the storm of the Reformation beat down 
 with pitiless force on the religious life of Europe, 
 sweeping all away in its relentless course. 
 
 Vadstena, the first House of the Order, stands 
 empty and desolate, the Church in the hands of 
 strangers. After long and heroic resistance, the 
 last survivors of St. Bridget's first foundation left 
 their own land to find a shelter in the Monastery 
 at Dantzic. 
 
o 
 
 CHAPTER VI 
 
 THE STORY OF SYON I42O I92O 
 
 NE of the earliest foundations made from 
 Vadstena was Syon House, Isleworth. The 
 first steps in this foundation began as a 
 result of the marriage of the Princess Phillipa, 
 daughter of King Henry IV of England, with 
 Eric XIII of Sweden. Amongst the retinue of 
 knights and barons who accompanied her across 
 the seas was Sir Henry Fitzhugh. After the 
 marriage he accompanied the Queen on her state 
 visit to Vadstena, and was so impressed by what 
 he saw that he declared his intention of making 
 a foundation in England. That was in 1406. 
 Two Monks left Vadstena for England in 1408. 
 Meanwhile Queen Phillipa's brother had succeeded 
 her father as King of England, and he determined 
 to establish a Monastery of the Bridgettine Order 
 at Isleworth. He laid the foundation stone him- 
 self on February 22nd, 1415, in the presence of a 
 distinguished assembly, the Bishop of London being 
 the presiding prelate. On May 13th, at the request 
 of the King of England and the King and Queen of 
 Sweden, four Nuns with three postulants and 
 two Monks left the enclosure of Vadstena to go 
 to England. 
 
 Pope Martin V. confirmed the foundation of 
 Syon by two Bulls issued at Genoa, August i8th, 
 141 8 ; one is addressed to the King, the other to 
 
 36 
 
THE STORY OF SYON 37 
 
 the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Bishop of 
 London and the Abbot of St. Albans. 
 
 On April 21st, 1420, the first English professions 
 were made into the hands of Archbishop Chichcley 
 of Canterbury, when twenty-seven Nuns, five 
 Priests, two Deacons and four Lay-Brothers made 
 their Solemn Profession, and from this date the 
 corporate existence of Syon begins. Henceforth 
 the quiet round of prayer and praise went up 
 unceasingly from Syon. The fame of the Monastery 
 for learning and holiness spread far and wide, and 
 it became one of the great centres of spiritual life 
 for the country. Then the day of trial came. 
 
 The rage of the Reformation fell upon Syon 
 House in all its fury ; Richard Reynolds was ar- 
 rested and required to take the Oath of the King's 
 Supremacy. He was tried together with the three 
 Carthusians and John Hale, Vicar of Isleworth. 
 He made a brave defence and when declared guilty, 
 exclaimed : " This is the judgment of this world." 
 They were removed to the Tower and on May 4th, 
 1535, taken to Tyburn, where they won the crown 
 martrydom, Blessed Richard Reynolds, who was 
 the last to suffer, encouraging the others and 
 promising them " a happy banquet in Heaven 
 for their sharp breakfast on earth." Thomas 
 Brownal, Lay-Brother, died in Newgate Prison 
 in defence of the Faith, October 21st, 1537. In 
 1539 ^^^ Religious were driven forth from their 
 Monastery. Catherine Palmer gathered together 
 the surviving members of the Community and led 
 them to Dermonde. Here Cardinal Pole saw them, 
 when he was on his way to reconcile England with 
 the Holy See. After the Catholic Restoration 
 under Philip and Mary, the Community returned 
 once more to their old home at Syon, and were 
 
38 THE BRIDGETTINE ORDER 
 
 solemnly enclosed by the Bishop of London on 
 August 1st, 1557. But the return was short-lived. 
 Mary died ; Elizabeth succeeded her, and the 
 Community had once more to tread the path of 
 exile. They left England on July 4th, 1559, and 
 once again found shelter in the Bridgettine Monas- 
 tery at Dermonde. There they remained till 1563, 
 when a small house was found for them at Zurich 
 Zee. But the place was unhealthy, so, after a stay 
 of five years, in 1568, through the help of Dr. 
 Nicholas Saunders, whose sister was a Nun of Syon, 
 the Community removed to Meshagen, not far 
 from Antwerp. But they were not long in peace. 
 The Lutherans were growing in strength ; their 
 Ministers daily preached in the woods around and 
 infuriated the populace against the Nuns. Their 
 enclosure was continually attacked and finally 
 they fled to Antwerp, only just in time, as the 
 Lutherans had on foot a plan to destroy the Monas- 
 tery and carry oflf the Nuns the next day. 
 
 At Antwerp Sir Francis Englelield came to their 
 aid and secured a house at Mechlin, where they 
 remained seven years, but once again the Lutherans 
 began to persecute them. One day they broke 
 open and robbed the Monastery, and the Com- 
 munity's beloved Abbess, Catherine Palmer, died 
 shortly after, from the shock of the outrage. 
 
 The city was betrayed to the Prince of Orange 
 and the danger to the Nuns increased. Several 
 times they were preserved from harm through the 
 charity of some English Protestant Officers. Moved 
 by compassion for their fellow-countrywomen, 
 these soldiers took the Nuns under their protection. 
 One of them, a Captain, would of a sudden quit 
 his games or even his meals to see if the Bridget- 
 tines were being molested in any way. Sometimes 
 
THE STORY OF SYON 39 
 
 he would call his companions together, saying : 
 " Let us go to these poor Religious, for I am sure 
 they are in some danger." Each time this hap- 
 pened and the men obeyed their noble impulse, 
 they proved to be the deliverers of the Nuns, 
 arriving just in time to protect them from harm 
 and insult. Finally, at the risk of their lives, 
 they escorted the Nuns to Antwerp. 
 
 Such was the distress of the Community shortly 
 before they left Belgium in 1580 that they were 
 obliged to send some of their number to England 
 to procure alms for their support. Amongst them 
 went Elizabeth Saunders. They were promptly 
 arrested and imprisoned. The following extract 
 from her letter will give an idea of the spirit of 
 these Nuns : " The pursuivants arrested me . . . 
 as if they had taken a great malefactor or thief 
 and brought me before more judges than Annas, 
 Caiaphas, Pilate and Herod ; they did not rest till 
 they had brought me before all the magistrates, 
 who are very numerous in that country. They 
 asked me many most impertinent questions, to 
 all of which I made one short answer, that I was a 
 woman and a Nun ; the first reason was proof 
 enough that I would not disturb the kingdom, 
 the second would let them know I was a Catholic, 
 as they have no Nuns in their sect. They wished 
 me to tell them what Catholics I knew in England, 
 what Priests and other like things, but in this 
 and all else that I thought dangerous, I kept silence 
 till they were tired and sent me to Winchester gaol, 
 where they dealt so hardly with me, especially as 
 to food, that I expected to die of hunger ..." 
 Once she escaped from prison by the help of the 
 Governor's wife. " You may imagine what a night 
 that was for me, finding myself alone and hanging 
 
40 THE BRIDGETTINE ORDER 
 
 by that rope in the air, on which I reached the 
 ground, confused and not knowing which way to 
 turn, and being obhged to run across fields and 
 walk through the darkness of the night to gain a 
 place of safety, and had it not been for the great 
 desire I had to obey my Superiors and find myself 
 again with my Sisters, which gave me strength, I 
 would not, for a thousand worlds have put myself 
 in such a dangerous position. But a strong will 
 in all affairs goes for much, and the danger gave 
 me great confidence in God." But she was ar- 
 rested again, escaped once more, and disguised as 
 a poor woman under an assumed name finally 
 escaped to France. " So I came to Rouen in 
 France where our Convent is now, and was wel- 
 comed by our Reverend Mother and all my loving 
 Sisters with such joy and delight as you may 
 imagine . . . His FIolyName be blessed for ever, 
 and may He grant me to serve Him henceforth 
 with greater fervour. Almost at the same time 
 and by a singular providence of God several other 
 Nuns, who had been shut up in different prisons 
 in England, arrived, and their coming increased 
 our joy and happiness." 
 
 From Antwerp they set out for Rouen, and 
 although pursued by pirates, they arrived there 
 safely in 1580. Here they met Father Foster, 
 who was destined to play a great part in the life 
 of the Syon Community. One of the Students 
 sent to Rome by Cardinal Allen, for the founding 
 of the English College there, his one ambition was 
 to return to the English Mission to minister to the 
 suffering Catholics who yet remained steadfast 
 to the Church. He was going to Paris to make 
 his retreat before returning to England, when pass- 
 ing through Rouen he called on the Bridgettines. 
 
THE STORY OF SYON 41 
 
 Moved by the spiritual desolation of the Nuns — for 
 the last of the English Bridgettine Priests had died 
 shortly before — after much prayer, and acting 
 upon the advice of Cardinal Allen, he relinquished 
 his plan of returning to England and decided to 
 stay and minister to the Nuns in their great need. 
 Father Foster made his profession as Bridgettine 
 Monk on the feast of the Assumption, 1584, before 
 the Bishop of Ross, and was elected Confessor- 
 General of the Monastery. Later some exiled 
 Priests from Flanders joined him, and became 
 Monks of the Order. Help was forthcoming to 
 build a Church and Monastery. Their Church 
 became a centre of devotion ; even the Parlia- 
 ment frequently resorted there. As a set of? to 
 this, their enemies spread all sorts of malicious 
 reports about them ; this only confirmed the friend- 
 ship of all good men. France was rent by internal 
 conflict ; their resources began to fail and the Com- 
 munity to be in grievous need. Father Foster 
 sent Father John Marsh and Father John Vivian 
 to Spain, to beg help from the Spanish Throne. 
 They were received with great kindness by the 
 King, and sent away with abundant alms. They 
 got as far as La Rochelle on their homeward journey, 
 when they were waylaid and robbed by Huguenots. 
 With every indignity they were haled to prison, 
 and delivered, by the French, to some English 
 pirates, who carried them to England. They were 
 cruelly treated and almost starved on the voyage 
 and reached Barnstaple half dead. They were 
 driven on horseback, with their legs tied under the 
 horses' bellies, towards London, the pirate Nicholas 
 going before, and wherever they passed a village, 
 he gathered a mob and shouted : " See the Traitors ! 
 Monks ! Priests ! Why do you all not come out to 
 
42 THE BRIDGETTINE ORDER 
 
 see the Traitors ? " So when at last the Fathers 
 reached the Marshalsea Prison, they found a wel- 
 come haven of rest. It was four months ere 
 Father Foster knew of the fate that had befallen 
 them, and then he used every effort to save them. 
 
 Finally, by the intervention of a Catholic gentle- 
 man, Christopher Dugdale, and the Governor of 
 Rouen, they were set free together with another 
 Priest, Father Harrigan, who returned to Rouen 
 with them, and himself became a Bridgettine Monk 
 there. 
 
 The situation in France became steadily worse. 
 Twice the Nuns endured the horrors of siege, first 
 in 1589, when their privations were great, but not 
 to be compared with the second experience, two 
 years later. The Abbess, Bridget Rooke, died on 
 the Epiphany, 1593, not long after the second siege 
 had been raised by the Spaniards. 
 
 The anxieties of the Community increased. 
 The Catholic League was weakening ; Henry of 
 Navarre, the hope of the Huguenot party, was in 
 the ascendant. Father Foster laid two plans 
 before the Community, to return to Flanders or 
 to go to Spain. Long they discussed each plan, 
 then for two hours they prayed in the Chapel for 
 the guidance of the Holy Ghost. With one accord 
 they decided for Spain. 
 
 With great difficulty passports were secured and 
 all was made ready for the journey. The news of 
 their departure spread through the city, and their 
 friends came to them, saying : — " Alas ! what 
 change is this ? You have a fair House and Church, 
 and are well loved. Why will you go ? " Father 
 Foster made answer : — " We left a better House 
 and a better Church and friends in England, Old 
 Syon, a Royal foundation. We came to France 
 
THE STORY OF SYON 43 
 
 not to seek commodities but to serve God in the 
 Catholic Faith, to live and die in obedience to the 
 Church of Rome ; to conclude, we sought not 
 England, France, nor earth, but Heaven, which is 
 all we pretend to, and you yourselves and all good 
 Catholics are bound to do the same." 
 
 This noble utterance rings down the ages as a 
 trumpet call to every loyal heart that loves God, 
 His Church and the Holy See. With a short prayer 
 at the High Altar the Community departed with 
 heavy hearts, but strongly resolved purely for the 
 love of God and in obedience to the See and Church 
 of Rome, they took leave of Church, friends and the 
 well loved city of Rouen. 
 
 At four o'clock on Good Friday afternoon they 
 set sail for Havre. Easter Sunday came and found 
 them still on their journey. The Confessions of all 
 were heard and they were strengthened with the 
 Body of the Lord. Father Foster reminded them 
 of God's loving care that now they were to receive 
 Holy Communion, for, by God's Providence, in 
 the haste of departure on Good Friday, they were 
 obliged to carry Our Lord with them in the Pyx. 
 The exiles came to Havre on Easter Monday. 
 Every conceivable difficulty was put in their way, 
 disappointment followed disappointment, but at 
 last a Flemish vessel put into port, their friends 
 immediately secured it for them and on Friday, 
 May 5th, 1594, they began their voyage. 
 
 A violent storm kept them in the Roads till the 
 following Sunday night, then a favourable wind 
 sent them on their way. On Tuesday the bree7.e 
 began to lower and five English ships came in 
 sight. The Captain unfurled his sails as if making 
 ready to fight, while the Lady Abbess and her 
 Nuns made the Way of the Cross. The Captain 
 
44 THE BRIDGETTINE ORDER 
 
 hailed the foremost vessel and demanded whence 
 they came and whither going, and received the 
 answer that they were English merchants bound 
 for London. To their question, the Captain of the 
 Flemish vessel made answer that he was from 
 Flushing and making for La Rochelle. With this 
 they were satisfied, and taking off their caps, 
 wished him a good voyage and so vanished from 
 sight. 
 
 This danger was no sooner past than the voyagers 
 were becalmed. On Wednesday a favourable 
 breeze set them on their way again. On Monday 
 night. May 15 th, when they were near the Berlings 
 rocks, a favourite hunting ground for English men- 
 of-war, they were alarmed by seeing a pinnace 
 before them. They kept a strict watch, expecting 
 to be attacked. At dawn a light gale sprang up 
 and they were enveloped in a thick mist which made 
 them invisible to their enemies. On Thursday they 
 saw some fishermen at their labours, who fled at 
 their approach, until the Religious shewed them- 
 selves in their habits, when the men returned and 
 offered them fish, asking at the same time how they 
 had escaped ! These men had seen the English 
 men-of-war waiting for their prey. The mist had 
 saved the fugitives. On Friday at noon they 
 entered the harbour and on Saturday, May 20th, 
 full of joy and thanksgiving, they entered the city 
 of Lisbon. Hardly had they entered the harbour 
 when two English men-of-war w'ere seen in the 
 very place where the Flemish vessel had lain at 
 anchor the previous day. 
 
 The Nuns of Esperanga sheltered the exiles ; 
 Izabel de Azevedo gave them the property of Sitio 
 de Mocambo, where they built a Church and Mon- 
 astery. Philip of Spain gave them a fixed annuity. 
 
THE STORY OF SYON 45 
 
 which was later ratified by the King of Portugal 
 when that kingdom became independent of Spain. 
 But another trial awaited the Community. The 
 Ecclesiastical Authorities were not satisfied ; the 
 Archbishop was unwilling to receive them into his 
 Diocese. In this crisis Fr. Persons carried their 
 cause to Rome. Pope Clement VIII. took them 
 under the immediate jurisdiction of the Holy See. 
 This privilege they possessed till their return to 
 England in 1861. 
 
 After this, things became more tranquil and 
 their numbers increased. English girls crossed 
 the seas, braving all the dangers of penal times, 
 and kept up the supply of subjects. Thirty-four 
 years after their coming to Lisbon Father Foster 
 died. He had devotedly and generously fulfilled 
 the trust committed to him. In 1651 the Church 
 and Monastery were burnt to the ground, and the 
 Nuns of Esperan^a once more sheltered the Bridget- 
 tines for the five years in which their Monastery was 
 rebuilding. They entered the new building in 
 1656. The Fathers became extinct about 1677, and 
 from that time the spiritual care ot the Sisters fell 
 first to Father Brown and Father Archer, two Irish 
 priests, then to the Benedictines and later to the 
 Enghsh College. In 1685 four Nuns went from 
 Lisbon to make a foundation at Marville in the same 
 city in which at one time there w^ere nearly sixty 
 Nuns. 
 
 Maria de Escobar, the foundress of the Spanish 
 Bridgettines, was a native of Valladolid. Our Lord 
 revealed to her that He wished her to found a 
 Monastery of the Order in her native city. As she 
 was an invalid it seemed impossible she could 
 accomplish such a work, but the attempt was 
 successful, and in spite of continual suffering, she 
 
46 THE BRIDGETTINE ORDER 
 
 saw the foundation of five Monasteries, Valladolid 
 in 1637, Vitoria in 1653, Lasarte and Paredes de 
 Nava in 1671, Azcotia in 1690. Valladolid is the 
 Mother House, and the Constitutions of the Spanish 
 Bridgettines were approved by Urban VIII. in 1628. 
 The year 1755 saw the great earthquake at 
 Lisbon. A great part of the city was destroyed and 
 more than 30,000 inhabitants killed. Sister Cath- 
 erine Witham, a member of the Syon Community, 
 describes this terrible event : — " We had been to 
 Communion, left the Choir, and then gone to our 
 breakfast. This finished, w^e were all in different 
 parts of the Convent. I was washing up the tea 
 things, when the dreadful thing happened. It 
 began like a rattling of coaches and the things 
 before me danced up and down the table. I looked 
 about me and saw the walls shaking and falling 
 down. Then I got up and took to my heels with 
 ' Jesus ' in my mouth and to the Choir I ran, think- 
 ing there to be safe, but there was no entrance, but 
 all falling around us lime and dust so thick that 
 there was no seeing. I met some of the good Nuns, 
 who cried : — ' Run to the low garden.' I asked 
 where the rest were ; they said : — ' There. ^ So 
 blessed be His Holy Name, W'e all met together and 
 ran no more. We were all so glad to see one 
 another alive and as well as could be expected. We 
 spent the day in prayer." 
 
 The Nuns sent out an appeal to " the nobility, 
 ladies and gentlemen of our dear country," telling 
 of their plight. It met with a generous response and 
 the Monastery was soon rebuilt. 
 
 The Abbess, Mary Teresa Halford and some of 
 the Choir Nuns, alarmed at the political situation 
 in Portugal, came to England in 1809, bringing 
 
THE STORY OF SYON 47 
 
 many precious relics with them. They settled first 
 near London. They then moved to Staffordshire. 
 Sister Monica Shimmel returned to Lisbon, and 
 the rest of the Community died one by one, and 
 their possessions were all dispersed. The Syon 
 Cope ultimately found its way to South Kensington 
 Museum. 
 
 The Sisters who remained behind in Lisbon had 
 much to suffer. The English troops arrived, allies 
 of Spain, under Lord Wellesley, and took possession 
 of the Convent. The Nuns begged to remain on 
 account of a Lay Sister who was dying, but the 
 Commander-in-Chief callously replied that " he 
 cared more for one of his troops than for all the 
 Nuns put together." So they departed and car- 
 ried the dying Sister with them and sheltered with 
 the Irish Dominican Nuns. With the coming of 
 peace they returned to their old home and in 1818 
 numbered thirteen Choir Nuns and four Lay Sisters. 
 
 Soon after the Nuns' return the English Fleet 
 was at Lisbon, and there was at that time a general 
 Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament in all the 
 Churches of the City. Some of the Sailors, in their 
 sight-seeing, made a round of the Churches. When 
 they came to the Bridgettine Chapel and noticed 
 that the Monstrance was not so imposing as those 
 in the other Churches, they exclaimed with an oath 
 that " the English Nuns should have as fine a house 
 for their God as the Portuguese." Wherefore they 
 made a collection for that purpose. The noble 
 Monstrance still used on great occasions at Syon 
 is the result of the offering. 
 
 The years passed and the political horizon grew 
 ever more threatening. Many Convents were sup- 
 pressed, so the Nuns determined to return to Eng- 
 land. On August 27th, 1 861, after Mass had been 
 
48 THE BRIDGETTINE ORDER 
 
 sung, and the Itinerarium said, the doors of the 
 enclosure were thrown open and they went forth 
 from the home that had sheltered them for nigh 
 two hundred and sixty-seven years. 
 
 A dense crowd filled the streets ; the King's own 
 barge carried them to the steamer which was to take 
 them home. On August 31st, they landed at 
 Southampton, and reached Spettisbury the same 
 day. There they remained till in 1887 they re- 
 moved to their present home at Chudleigh, built 
 on the site presented to them by Mr. Evan Baillie. 
 
 In 1920 they kept the five hundredth anniversary 
 of their corporate life, the only Monastic Community 
 to survive the ruin of the Reformation. Cardinal 
 Bourne, the Bishop of Plymouth, and numerous 
 Clergy, Regular and Secular, gathered for the 
 memorable day. 
 
 Here through the day, and sometimes through 
 the night, the Nuns carry on the work of Adoration 
 before Jesus exposed on His Altar Throne. Here is 
 lived the life of prayer and praise as it was lived in the 
 old days at Isleworth long ago. And there are prec- 
 ious links with the past. The great marble Statue of 
 St. Bridget that stood in the Church at Isleworth 
 of old, the portion of the ancient gateway of Syon 
 on which the quartered body of Blessed Richard 
 Reynolds once rested, and which has been jealously 
 guarded in all their wanderings, these are still in the 
 possession of the Nuns. The Holy Father, on the 
 occasion of their Fifth Centenary, restored to the 
 community the privileges of having a Perpetual 
 Abbess, Papal Enclosure and Solemn Vows. 
 
 Syon is the oldest existing House of the Order, 
 and the only one that traces its descent direct 
 from Vadstena. The next in age comes Alto- 
 munster, and thirdly Uden. The H ouse at Weert 
 
THE STORY OF SYON 49 
 
 was founded from Uden in comparatively recent 
 times. The five Spanish Houses have been already 
 mentioned ; from these were founded the two 
 Mexican Houses in the last century. 
 
 Last of all comes the foundation in Rome, made 
 by Mother M. Elizabeth, a Swedish convert, in the 
 present century, a growing Community, already 
 numbering about twenty members. 
 
 Such in brief is the story of the Order founded by 
 St. Bridget. The most astonishing fact in its 
 history is the wonderful preservation of the English 
 House of Syon, the only House, as it was, of the 
 Order in England. All the probabilities were in 
 favour of its early extinction, yet it has survived 
 all the tempests that have beaten upon it, and 
 stands to-day, the only corporate link with the 
 Catholic England of ancient days. All else has 
 passed away. 
 
CHAPTER VII 
 
 THE LIFE AND SPIRIT OF THE ORDER 
 
 "^JOW we turn to look at the spirit and Rule of 
 -^ ^ this Order, established by the Saviour in 
 honour of His Most Holy Mother, through 
 St. Bridget. 
 
 Dictated from His own Lips, the Rule is one for 
 those devoted to prayer and the contemplative 
 life. Both Nuns and Monks were strictly enclosed. 
 Of the Nuns' Cloister the Rule says : — " No secular 
 man or woman or any Religious or other Clerk shall 
 enter the Cloister of the Monastery of Nuns " ; 
 while of the Monks it says : — " After their Pro- 
 fession the Bishop shall set them in the Cloister of 
 the Monks, from which they shall never go out, 
 save to the Church." 
 
 Women were assigned the primary and principal 
 place in the Order, the Abbess was head of the 
 double Community. This was not without prece- 
 dent as many ancient double Communities had been 
 ruled by women, e.g., Whitby and Ely, but the 
 mystical reason for her position is new. " The 
 Abbess must be chosen of the Convent . . . who 
 for reverence of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary, My 
 Mother, to whom this Order is dedicated, must be 
 Head and Lady, for that Virgin, whose stead the 
 Abbess holdeth on earth, Christ ascending into 
 Heaven, was Head and Queen of the Apostles and 
 Disciples on earth. Wherefore as she is Head of 
 the Monastery, she shall be consulted concerning 
 the goods and business thereof." 
 
 50 
 
LIFE AND SPIRIT OF THE ORDER 51 
 
 There is a mystical meaning, too, in the number 
 of Religious forming the complete Monastic Com- 
 munity. " The Sisters shall be sixty and no more ; 
 who shall have Clerks that each day shall sing Mass 
 of the time and Office which is had in the Cathedral 
 Church of those lands in which these Monasteries 
 exist. They are to be separated in all cases from 
 the Monastery of Sisters, having a Cloister to them- 
 selves in which they shall dwell, and from the 
 Cloister they shall have an entrance into the Church 
 and the lower Choir ; but the Choir of the Sisters 
 shall be set above, under the roof, so that they may 
 see the Sacrament and hear the Office. These Priests 
 shall be thirteen, after the number of the Apostles, 
 of whom Paul, the thirteenth, suffered not the least 
 labour. Four Deacons, who may be Priests if they 
 will, and they have the figure of the four principal 
 Doctors, Ambrose, Austin, Gregory and Jerome. 
 Eight Lay Brothers, who shall minister necessaries 
 to the Clerks. Accounted therefore, sixty Sisters, 
 thirteen Priests, four Deacons and eight Servitors, 
 the number of all persons shall be that of the thir- 
 teen Apostles and the seventy-two Disciples." 
 
 It will be seen from this and other passages of the 
 Rule that the place of the Monks in the Order was 
 that of Chaplains and Spiritual Directors to the 
 Nuns. This is evident from the relative numbers 
 of the two sections of the Community. In this the 
 Bridgettine Monastery differs from the double 
 Communities of former days, where there was an 
 equal number of Monks and Nuns under a common 
 head. 
 
 The Confessor General anticipated in himself the 
 Office of Extraordinary Confessor of later days, 
 while the other Monks filled the Office of Ordinary 
 Confessors to the Nuns, who were free to choose any 
 
52 THE BRIDGETTINE ORDER 
 
 Father they liked, but had to appear before the 
 Confessor General three times a year. 
 
 Really, the position of the Abbess as head in all 
 the temporal affairs of the Monastery was the same 
 as it is to day when the place of Chaplains is filled 
 by those independent of the Order, in almost 
 all Monasteries of Nuns. 
 
 The time of the Sisters is to be fully occupied. 
 " My Mother divided all her time into three parts, 
 one in which she praised God with her mouth, 
 another in which she served Him with her hands, 
 and the third, having compassion on the infirmity 
 of her body, gave to it rest by measure ; so the 
 Sisters, such time as they be not at Divine Office 
 and reading, shall labour with their hands, that as 
 they serve with the mouth by their Office, so also 
 with their other members. . . For neither was I 
 Myself, though Lord of all, in the world without 
 labour, for when did I not labour in going, preaching 
 and suffering ? Neither were My Apostles without 
 labour, to whom I might have given sufficient for all 
 things, yet they with their members served Me, 
 that by bodily labour they might be more able for 
 spiritual labour." The value of manual labour as 
 an aid to prayer is thus insisted on, as it was by 
 the Fathers of the Desert, 
 
 The habit of the Nuns consists of a tunic of grey 
 serge, a cowl " whose sleeves shall be no longer than 
 the end of the middle finger," one mantle of grey 
 serge like that of the habit and cowl, " which mantle 
 shall not be on the outside gathered nor pleated nor 
 curiously made, but straight and plain, all for use- 
 fulness and nothing for vanity, and the mantle shall 
 not touch the ground by a span, and it must be 
 bound together at the neck by a wooden button." 
 They were to have shoes in summer and boots in 
 
LIFE AND SPIRIT OF THE ORDER 53 
 
 winter. The arrangement of the head shall be a 
 wimple, with which the forehead and cheeks must be 
 enwrapped and part of the face covered, whose 
 extremities shall be bound together by a pin or tape 
 behind the head. Upon this wimple must be put 
 a veil of black cloth, which must be set together 
 that it fly not abroad, one pin on the forehead and 
 other two about the ears. Upon the veil must be 
 set a crown of white linen cloth, to which must be 
 sewed five small particles of red cloth, as five drops, 
 the first particle on the forehead, another behind, 
 the third and fourth about the ears, and the fifth 
 in the middle of the head, in the manner of a cross. 
 This crown shall be made fast in the middle of the 
 head with a pin, and this crown shall both widows 
 and virgins wear in token of continence and chas- 
 tity." 
 
 The habit of the Monks was the same as that of 
 the Nuns except that a hood replaced the veil, and 
 the Priests bore on their mantles " for remembrance 
 of My Passion, on the left side, a red cross of cloth 
 sewed thereto and in the middle of the cross a little 
 round of white cloth, for^the mystery of My Body 
 which they daily offer. The four Deacons shall 
 bear on their mantles a white circle for the incom- 
 prehensible wisdom of the four Doctors, in which 
 circle four little red particles in the manner of 
 tongues shall be sewed, for the Holy Ghost inflamed 
 them with the excellence of the Godhead, the 
 mystery of My Incarnation, the vanity and con- 
 tempt of the world. The Lay Brothers shall bear 
 on their mantles a white cross of innocence, in 
 which must be five red particles for the remem- 
 brance of My five wounds.'' 
 
 The ceremony of monastic profession originally 
 took place at the same time as the clothing, and was 
 
54 THE BRIDGETTINE ORDER 
 
 the same for both Nuns and Monks. Since the 
 Council of Trent the clothing has been separated 
 from the profession, and in consequence of the new 
 Canon Law a further division has been made 
 between the temporary and the solemn profession. 
 The Ritual for the Consecration of Virgins as con- 
 tained in the Roman Pontifical is used for the 
 Solemn Profession, with certain features that are 
 special to the Bridgettine ceremonial. 
 
 The Order is one of mortification and penance 
 and a considerable part of the year is fasted. The 
 whole of Advent, and from the Friday before 
 Quinquagesima Sunday until Easter day is observed 
 with both fast and abstinence. " From the Friday 
 after the Ascension until Pentecost they shall fast 
 with fish and white meats, and likewise from the 
 feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross until the 
 feast of St. Michael, also from the feast of All- 
 hallows till Advent. These days they shall fast on 
 bread and water, that is to say, before the Puri- 
 fication, Annunciation, Assumption and Nativity 
 of the Blessed Virgin Mary, My Mother ; on the 
 vigils of all Apostles, except when two are joined 
 in one solemnity, then one fast shall do for both. 
 Also the vigils of St. John before the Latin Gate, 
 St. John Baptist, St. Michael, Archangel, All 
 Saints, St. Augustine, St. Bridget, on Good Friday 
 and the Eve of Corpus Christi. Other times of the 
 year they may eat flesh meat four times in the week, 
 that is to say, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and 
 Thursday and at supper on these days they may eat 
 fish and white meats. On Wednesday they shall ab- 
 stain from flesh as well at dinner as at supper and 
 Saturday they shall fast on white meats and fish." 
 Fridays are days of both fasting and abstinence. 
 The austerity of the bread and water days was 
 
LIFE AND SPIRIT OF THE ORDER 55 
 
 mitigated by Chapter XIII. of the Rev. Extrava- 
 gantes, where it is stated that vegetables and fruits 
 cooked with water only are allowed on these days. 
 
 Aspirants to the Order have to spend one full 
 year inside the enclosure before they are admitted 
 to the Clothing ; after one year's Noviciate, Pro- 
 fession of simple Vows is made for the space of three 
 years, at the end of which time they are admitted 
 to Solemn Profession. There is a minimum of 
 ceremonial at the simple profession, all the solemni- 
 ties being reserved for the final profession when 
 the Solemn Vows are made. 
 
 During the year of the postulancy the aspirant 
 is instructed in the spirit of the Order, in the Choir 
 observances, and in the Latin tongue, if she does 
 not already know Latin before her entry. The 
 Sisters remain in the Noviciate until they make 
 their Solemn Vows, so counting the year spent as a 
 Postulant, they have five years' trial before they 
 make their final vows. 
 
 The spirit of poverty is exact and stringent. 
 " The beginning of this salutary Religion and this 
 Rule is true humility, pure chastity and voluntary 
 poverty. Therefore be it lawful to none to have 
 anything of their own, no manner of thing, be it 
 never so little, nor to have one halfpenny, nor 
 possess nor touch it with the hands, nor to have 
 any gold or silver. . . ." And the poverty of the 
 Community is as strict as that of the individual. 
 " The Abbess must know that if she make more 
 houses than the very need of them that dwell in the 
 Monastery asketh, or if she do make stately houses, 
 it shall be accounted to her as grievous a sin as if 
 she robbed by violence living and clothing from 
 the poor of Christ." Again " before the feast of 
 All Saints yearly, ought to be accounted and fore- 
 
56 THE BRIDGETTINE ORDER 
 
 known the livelihood and necessaries of the year 
 following after, and all things that remain of food 
 and money of the year then spent, on the morrow 
 of All Saints, that is, on the day of the Commemora- 
 tion of All Souls, must be given to the poor, and 
 for that, it behoveth the Monastery not to be 
 burdened with overmuch hospitality. If at any 
 time the provision of the year following seem not to 
 suffice, then so much of the money and provisions 
 of the year spent, must be added to the year follow- 
 ing, as there is need and no more, if the Abbess will 
 flee the peril of her soul. Afterwards if any remain 
 it shall be given to the needy." The warnings 
 against material wealth are straight and drastic, 
 for after the endowment is complete for the support 
 of the Religious, " after in no wise may be given 
 to the same Monastery any funds or rents of any 
 other persons entering the Monastery." 
 
 Even about the Church there is the note of 
 austerity. " The Altars shall be thirteen and every 
 Altar must be content with one Chalice. The High 
 Altar must have two Chalices, two pairs of cruets, 
 two pairs of candlesticks and one cross, three 
 thuribles, one for ferial and two for festival days, 
 and one pyx for My Body. No things of silver or 
 gold shall be in possession of the Monastery, they 
 shall keep to them neither silver, nor gold, nor 
 precious stones, but the Grace of God, with con- 
 tinual study, devout prayer and divine praises. 
 It shall be lawful to cover the relics of Saints with 
 silver or gold or precious stones, after due measure, 
 without superfluity. Books are to be had as may 
 be necessary to do Divine Service and no more in 
 any case." ** Of books they shall have as many as 
 they wish in which to learn and to study." In Chap- 
 ter XXVIII. of the Rev. Extrav. it is stated : — 
 " There shall be no elaborate sculpture in the door- 
 
LIFE AND SPIRIT OF THE ORDER 57 
 
 ways, windows, columns and walls, but all shall be 
 plain, humble and strong. They shall have only 
 white glass in the windows." In this Chapter is 
 described very exactly the plan of the Church, 
 and the two Cloisters of the Nuns and Monks. 
 
 The perpetual Exposition of the Blessed Sacra- 
 ment on the High Altar is one of the great privileges 
 bestowed by the Lord upon the Order, and in a Mon- 
 astic Rule the earliest recorded instanceof Exposition. 
 " Therefore because My Mother has willed to choose 
 daughters of whom I am Institutor and Ruler . . . 
 therefore I will be their Father and I will so to be 
 called, and as a sign to them I grant them two 
 privileges. The first is that the Sacrament of My 
 Body shall be exposed upon the Altar in a sapphire 
 or crystal vessel, that seeing Me beneath another 
 form, they may more fervently desire Me." 
 
 In our days, the devotion to Jesus exposed in the 
 Blessed Sacrament has increased. At least two 
 new Congregations have arisen, devoted to the 
 perpetual adoration of Jesus on His Altar Throne, 
 but the work was begun long ago when Jesus spoke 
 to St. Bridget, and the Order she established was 
 the first to have Jesus exposed for the adoration of 
 His children. Centuries have come and gone, and 
 all the world has changed, but step inside Syon, 
 and you seem to have entered a world unchanging 
 and unchanged. 
 
 " Will you have the charity to do this for me. 
 Sister ? " is the way in which a favour is asked ; 
 " God reward your charity, dear Sister," is the way 
 in which thanks are returned. The manners and 
 customs of the Cloister change not with the changing 
 manners and customs of the world outside. You 
 stand once more in an atmosphere where people 
 are not in such haste that they forget to be polite, 
 and where the courtesy of ancient days yet remains. 
 
CHAPTER VIII 
 
 THE CONTEMPLATIVE LIFE 
 
 nr^HE Nuns of Syon are contemplatives ; the 
 ■■■ Order of Our Saviour, to which they belong, 
 is contemplative. What does that mean ? 
 Well, it means that they are called to be, in a very 
 special way, the lovers of Jesus, and so their life 
 is one of solitude, the most essential characteristic 
 of the contemplative. Lovers want solitude above 
 all things, they want to be alone with their love, 
 and so the contemplative wants to be alone with 
 her Love, too. 
 
 Contemplation is the soul's beholding, with the 
 eyes of love, Jesus her Lover. So there are no out- 
 ward works in the contemplative life ; it is a life 
 of solitude and prayer. 
 
 Without solitude there is no contemplation. 
 
 Then there is the solemn worship of Jesus in the 
 Choir, and with the Bridgettines, the Adoration of 
 Jesus on His Altar Throne. 
 
 To the one who looks on the mere outside of things 
 and has no understanding of the reality of them, 
 this life seems useless, and they exclaim : — " To 
 what purpose is this waste ? " They cannot under- 
 stand how, when life is opening with all its promises 
 before them, souls can leave everything and " shut 
 themselves up " so completely from all that in 
 their eyes seems delightful and satisfying. 
 
 The Cloister is only for lovers in whose hearts has 
 come the answering response to the love of Jesus. 
 He has drawn them by the resistless power of His 
 
 58 
 
THE CONTEMPLATIVE LIFE 59 
 
 Divine Love, and they come to give Him every- 
 thing ; and they must give everything because they 
 love. Only the lover can give all. 
 
 The life of the Cloister is austere, self-renouncing ; 
 the more austere, the happier they who dwell there. 
 Love delights in sacrifice and immolation to the one 
 loved, so the more complete the renunciation, the 
 better. 
 
 The soul caught up in the love of Jesus has no 
 thought, no desire, no wish for anything save such 
 things as will please Him she loves. 
 
 Love is only understood by love. To those who 
 are not lovers, the words and actions of lovers seem 
 extravagant, foolish, incomprehensible ; but they 
 are not so to the lovers. It takes love to under- 
 stand love. So to the cold and calculating, the 
 words and acts of the lovers of Jesus are unintelli- 
 gible. They have never felt love's heat, and cannot 
 understand its drawing power. 
 
 Love unites ; lovers desire union so much, they 
 would pass into each other, if they could, but 
 natural love has limits beyond which it cannot pass. 
 Its union can only reach a certain point, beyond 
 which it may not go. What is denied to human 
 love is granted to Supernatural Love, for the end of 
 the contemplative life is the passing of the soul into 
 Jesus, so that she becomes one with Him and is 
 lifted up into the participation of His Divine 
 Nature Itself. The soul and Jesus are one ; they 
 have passed into each other ; the end which love 
 desires is attained ; two have become one. 
 
 When the soul has passed into Jesus she is a new 
 creation, she is acting with His power, she has all 
 His Nature to draw upon ; there is no limit to what 
 she can do because there is no limit to what He can 
 do. 
 
6o THE BRIDGETTINE ORDER 
 
 The Apostolate of the Cloister transcends that of 
 all mere external activities. The heart of the 
 contemplative is the heart of an apostle ; it thrills 
 with eager longing for every interest of the Heart of 
 Jesus. The soul has no interests other than those 
 of her lover. She sees everything with His seeing, 
 desires all that He desires, and has His compassion 
 for the multitude and His eager longing for their 
 salvation. Every interest of the Heart of her 
 Lover is hers. She is dead to all save Him alone. 
 Who has called her ; she is held fast in the embrace 
 of Everlasting Love. What can she say except : 
 " My Love, I want all You want, I have no will 
 save Yours." 
 
 That is the life of contemplation, the life lived in 
 the love of Jesus. The more perfect the oneing of 
 her soul with Jesus, the more prevailing her power. 
 She reaches out over all the world, no barrier can 
 resist the power of her prayer, for her prayer is the 
 prayer of Jesus, and nothing can resist Him. 
 
 It is the nature of love to increase love, so all the 
 days of her life the contemplative is growing in love, 
 her oneing with Jesus is becoming more complete, 
 and in consequence, her power over the world out- 
 side is increasing also. 
 
 External activity can, at most, only influence a 
 comparatively small circle, while the contemplative 
 embraces the world in her apostolate. 
 
 And all the while love grows. Jesus is coming, 
 and every coming seems new, for He is ever coming, 
 until at last love grows so strong that the slender 
 thread of life is broken, and love comes to Love's 
 perfect consummation in Heaven. 
 
CHAPTER IX 
 
 A DAY AT SYON 
 
 LET US follow through a day at Syon. At 5.30 
 a.m. the Sisters are awakened by " Ave 
 Maria," to which is responded, " gratia 
 plena " ; then the Caller says : — " May Jesus Christ 
 be praised," to which is answered, " For ever and 
 ever. Amen." At six o'clock comes the Angelus 
 and prayer, and then about 6.35 the Office of Prime 
 begins followed by Terce and the Community Mass. 
 Then the Great Silence ends, begun after Compline 
 the previous evening. This night silence, called 
 the " Great Silence," has always been observed in 
 cloistered Communities, with great strictness and 
 exactitude. It is so named to distinguish it from 
 the lesser silence of the day. At 8 o'clock break- 
 fast is taken in the Refectory, and thereafter, till 
 12.30 and again from 2 o'clock till 3, conversation 
 of necessary and spiritual subjects is allowed. At 
 9 o'clock the Nuns repair to the Choir for the Office 
 of Sext and None. At 10 o'clock the Novices go 
 to their work and studies in the Noviciate, and the 
 Professed Sisters to their various occupations. At 
 11.25 there is instruction for the Novices. Dinner 
 in the Refectory follows at 12 o'clock, then free 
 time till 1.30, when there is recreation in common 
 until 2 o'clock, when the Nuns go to their Spiritual 
 Reading. At 2.45 there is tea in the Refectory 
 for those who desire it. At 3 o'clock Vespers are 
 sung in Choir with the Hymn to St. Bridget and 
 prayer following. At four o'clock Exposition of 
 the Blessed Sacrament closes with Benediction, 
 except on those occasions when the Exposition con- 
 
 61 
 
62 THE BRIDGETTINE ORDER 
 
 tinues through the night. At present, Exposition 
 generally begins at the end of Mass and continues 
 until Benediction. The Novices repair to the Novici- 
 ate for Instruction at 4.30. The lesser silence 
 begins at Vespers and ends at 5.30 o'clock. At 
 6 o'clock there is recreation in common till 6.30, 
 when the Community go to the Choir for Compline, 
 at the close of which the Great Silence begins once 
 more. The Abbess sprinkles the Nuns with Holy 
 Water as they go forth from the Choir. Supper is 
 taken in the Refectory at 7 o'clock. Strict silence 
 is always kept in the Refectory, and there is always 
 reading while the Nuns take their refection. At 8 
 o'clock they repair once again to the Choir for 
 Matins, and at 9.30 retire to their Cells. At 
 10 o'clock all lights must be out. That is a sketch 
 of the monastic day. The Rule insists very strongly 
 on the importance of silence. " To keep the 
 gravity of silence, be it lawful to none to speak 
 anything from the beginning of the day until after 
 the Mass of the Blessed Virgin Mary, but in case of 
 necessity and by license of the Abbess. That 
 Mass ended, in due places, between the Hours until 
 blessing of table be read, license is given to speak 
 for spiritual conference, and of the observance of 
 the Order, and of such things as real need requires, 
 but frivolities, vain and idle words must in any 
 time and place be fled." 
 
 " In the Church, Choir, Refectory, Cloister, 
 Dormitory, silence is ever to be kept. . . When 
 anything is to be asked, spoken, notified, or charged 
 in time or place of strict silence, this shall be done 
 by signs and not words, unless it may not be 
 expressed by any usual sign." 
 
 Besides the Rule there are the Additions which 
 supply all that is lacking in the Rule, and in other 
 
A DAY AT SYON 63 
 
 Orders are called Constitutions. The original Addi- 
 tions made for Vadstena have been taken as the 
 model for all the other Communities, and the Syon 
 Additions, compiled very soon after its foundation, 
 are based on those of Vadstena. They are an 
 exceptionally fine example of the mediaeval English 
 of the fifteenth century. 
 
 From the earliest days, those living in the world 
 (both men and women) have been received into the 
 Order as Brothers and Sisters of Chapter, occupying 
 a position very much like that of the Oblates in the 
 Order of St. Benedict. Kings, Queens and Princes, 
 men and women of every class have been united to 
 the Order in this way, and granted a share in all 
 the good works, prayers and penances of the Order. 
 The manner of receiving them is set forth in a 
 chapter devoted to them in the Additions. In 
 1403 Queen Margaret was so received at Vadstena, 
 on which day she saw first the Nuns, and then the 
 Monks in the parlour, humbly kissing the hands of 
 all. A certain Lay-Brother, from humility, wrapped 
 his hands in his mantle, but the Queen insisted on 
 kissing his naked hand saying that now she had 
 joined the externs she was his sister. 
 
 Thus Syon lives its life as it has ever lived. 
 Prayer, Penance, Praise, Adoration, Labour — so 
 the days and years speed on. While the world 
 goes its thoughtless way, in the silence of the 
 Sanctuary the Nuns of Syon pray and plead for all 
 the world's needs, for the living and the dead. May 
 He Who has guarded Syon in such wondrous wise 
 through all its wanderings increase the number of 
 adorers and pleaders for the world whose need is so 
 great and so piteous. Benigne fac Domine in bona 
 voluntate tua Sion ; ut aedificentur muri Jerusalem. 
 
APPENDIX 
 
 LIST OF BRIDGETTINE MONASTERIES 
 EXISTING IN 1921 
 
 England : 
 Syon Abbey, Chudleigh, S. Devon. Founded 1420. 
 
 Germany : 
 
 Birgittiner Kloster, Altomiinster, Oberbayern. 
 Founded 1497. 
 
 Holland : 
 
 Birgittinessen Klooster, Uden, Brabant. Founded 
 
 Birgittinessen Klooster, Weert, Limburg. Founded 
 1843. 
 
 Italy : 
 
 MonasteroSta Birgitta, 34 Via delle Isole, Roma. 27. 
 Founded 191 1. 
 
 Mexico : 
 
 Monasterio de Brigidas Recoletas, Puebla. 
 Monasterio de Brigidas Recoletas, Jacubaya. 
 Founded last centurv. 
 Spain : 
 
 Monasterio de Brigidas, Valladolid. Founded 1637. 
 Monasterio de Brigidas, Paredes de Nava, Palencia. 
 
 Founded 1671. 
 Monasterio de Brigidas, Vitoria, Alava. Founded 
 
 Monasterio de Brigidas, Lasarte, Guipuzcoa. 
 Founded 1671. 
 
 Monasterio de Brigidas, Sta Cruz, Azocitia, Guipuz- 
 coa. Founded 169 1. 
 
 64 
 
CENTRAL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY 
 
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SUPEJv. 
 MYSTl 
 
 By FATHER BEKBDICI WIL. 
 
 With an introductioiKby his Eminej 
 Cardinal BotrRj^E, 
 Archbishop of Westmiiiater . 
 
 and a Foreward on the Call to Contemplation 
 by The Lord Bishop of Plymoutht __ 
 
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