The Priest of The Miraculous Medal, Father Aladel by M. J. Egan. Part 2.

IV. OTHER HEAVENLY MISSIONS

The work accomplished by Father Aladel in connection with the introduction and propagation of the. Miraculous Medal was so immense and so far-reaching in its results, that his labours in other directions are apt to be overlooked. He was in fact entrusted with two other Missions

(1) To restore the Rule to its original rigour;

(2) To found an Association to be known as “the Association of the Children of Mary Immaculate.” On the occasion of the first apparition, Our Blessed Lady said to Sister Catherine:

“Tell him who directs you that, though he will not be Superior, he will one day be charged, in a particular manner with the Community, and he is to do his utmost to restore the Rule in all its rigour. When the Rule has been restored, another Community will wish to be united to yours. This is against the ordinary custom, but that Community is dear to me, so tell them to receive it. God will bless the union and all will enjoy a great peace and the Community will increase.”
Sister Catherine duly informed Father Aladel that Our” Lady wished to entrust the mission to him and enumerated the reforms that Our Lady desired. It may be asked what was the cause of the non-observance of the Rule? It must be remembered that we are dealing with the year 1830. The Community had passed through all the horrors of the French Revolution. One would have thought that the Sisters would have been spared, but, in the eyes of the Revolutionaries they were guilty of one great crime: they stood for religion, and therefore they could not be tolerated. Hence they were driven from their convents and hospitals, but their love for the poor was such that they had assumed lay attire and thus disguised, they carried on their blessed work. In these circumstances community life was rendered practically impossible and therefore the Rule could not be observed. By 1830, however, conditions had become normal and the time seemed to be ripe for a return to the primitive spirit of the Community.

The strict observance of the Rule was, indeed, in harmony with Father Aladel’s own wishes, and he lost no time in placing the matter before his Superior, Father Etienne who warmly approved of the reforms suggested. Sometime afterwards Father Etienne was appointed Superior-General, and during his term of office, he introduced the reforms, and in that task he received the co-operation and whole-hearted support of Father Aladel. We can see the loyal spirit in which the reforms were accepted by the Community by the following extract from a letter written by a Sister at that time:
“It seemed as if we had returned to the time when our Saintly Mother, Louise de Marillac, under our holy Founder, laid the foundation of the Community. The direction of our Superiors, inspired by the tender love of the Divine Master, was gladly followed by the Sisters of Charity, who without question, submitted to all their desires. In the Mother-House, the fervour, recollection, and harmony which reigned shone in all the happy faces.”
It will thus be seen that the introduction of the reforms was accompanied by a renewal of the spirit of the Founders. It was a second Spring. There abides in the Church the Divine gift of perpetual youth. With her it is always Spring, and her vitality is such that she continually puts forth fresh shoots of devotion and charity, age after age. The Spring belongs as of right not only to the Church at large, but to the life of every individual Catholic. It is the life of grace, and if we could only see it, there is a perpetual burgeoning of new life which is not restricted to a particular time, as, for instance, Retreats, but is present with every worthy reception of the Sacraments. There is a perpetual renovation of our nature, if we could only catch the hour of grace, utilize it, and make it our very own. What fair flowers bloomed in the Community during this second Spring. Let Father Etienne himself tell us:

“The Congregation of the Mission increased and developed. On their part the Sisters of Charity were still more remarkably favoured by a wonderful prosperity, for, in the greatest shrines of Christendom no greater privileges were bestowed than in their humble Chapel, consecrated by the august Presence of the Queen of Heaven. There, a great number of girls, irresistibly attracted, went to be clothed under the eyes of Mary Immaculate, in, the habit of the Servants of the poor, and then, as valiant soldiers, they went forth to far-distant lands, their heroism and devotedness causing great exultation to the Church and wonder to the world.

A Community of Sisters of Charity, founded in the United States by Mother Elizabeth Seton, who was beatified in 1941, was anxious to unite with the French Sisters of St. Vincent de Paul, and as far back as 1810, arrangements had been made to bring about the union. Difficulties, however, were placed in the way by the French Government of the day, and the negotiations were in consequence abandoned. However, in 1849, the matter was again taken up, and, early, in 1850, the union was happily effected. On the 25th March of that year, the Feast of the Annunciation, the American Sisters renewed their vows, for the first time, with the formula used by the French Sisters, and on the 8th December, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, the American Sisters assumed the habit and white Cornette of The French Sisters, thus completing the union. The prophetic words of Our Lady were thus fully verified. The part played by Father Aladel in bringing about the reforms so earnestly desired by Our Lady has been gracefully acknowledged by Father Etienne, Superior-General. In a letter to the heads of the Community, announcing the death of that devoted priest, he stated, “He has been to me what Father Portail was to Saint Vincent. If the former took a large part in the work of the foundation of your Community by Our Blessed Father, Father Aladel did not render me less cooperation in the great work of its restoration, and of its return to the primitive spirit. I cannot refrain from saying this to you.”

In one of the written accounts of the Apparitions, Sister Catherine stated:

“One day I remember saying “Father Aladel, the Blessed Virgin has another Mission for you. She wishes you to begin an Order. You are to be its Founder and Director. It is to be an Association of Children of Mary Immaculate. The Blessed Virgin will bestow many graces on it, and Indulgences will be granted to it, It will be a great joy to her.”

It will be observed that no indication was given respecting the persons who were to be enrolled in this Association, nor how it was to be constituted. One thing only was known- the members were to be called “Children of Mary Immaculate.” Everything else was left to the holy Founder; he was to exercise his own judgment and discretion to try to discover by prayer God’s Will in the matter. For a long time he had been anxious to find some means of protecting the innocence of the young girls, who, on leaving the schools of the Sisters, took up positions in offices, workshops, factories, etc. Here, in the big city of Paris, their faith -and morals were exposed to great danger. Many of them had lost contact with the Sisters, and there was no one to take any interest in their spiritual welfare. Father Aladel was well aware that many fell away, and this grieved his heart. Here then was a means inspired by heaven, to remedy the evil -an Association which would bind the girls together in one large family, under the protection of Mary Immaculate. This wise and prudent Director would arrive at no hasty decision, but having carefully thought out the matter, he placed his views before his Superior and friend, Father Etienne, who warmly approved of them, and encouraged him to proceed with the good work. Of course, he had difficulties to contend with, but he faced them with quiet confidence and ultimately overcame all obstacles.

His first care was to draw up Statutes and Rules for the government of the Association, which he placed under the special protection of Mary Immaculate, in whose honour it was founded. He explained that exterior honour is not sufficient: that the truest honour consists in imitating her virtues, especially her angelic purity, her profound humility, her perfect obedience, and her incomparable charity. He decided that he would begin with the girls attending the schools conducted by the Sisters. The task he set himself was, not to prepare them for the Cloister, but to safeguard them against the snares and pit-falls of the world. They would be no longer like the proverbial bundle of sticks, easily broken, when separated, but they would be bound together in sweet bonds by Mary Immaculate, and in that unity they would be unbreakable. They were to meet every Sunday for the recitation of the Little Office of the Immaculate Conception, and perform the other spiritual exercises, as required by the Rules. Not every girl would be enrolled, but only those who were deemed worthy. At the Reception, which would he a solemn religious function, they would be invested with the Miraculous Medal attached to a Blue Ribbon which would be worn round the neck. In due course they would leave school and go out into the world to take up positions, or to return to their homes. This would be the testing time. Would they be faithful to their promises and good resolutions? Would they continue amid the distractions of the world the spiritual exercises to which they were accustomed in the school? In short, would they remain faithful Children of Mary? Happily, the success of the new Association exceeded all expectations, and gave great joy and consolation to the heart of its founder and director. By their exemplary conduct, their robust Catholic Faith, their Christian virtues, their charity, and their good works, they exercised a profound influence on all with whom they came in contact. They were in the world, but not of it. They were as a light shining in the midst of the darkness of materialism, irreligious and unbelief. Quietly, firmly, without ostentation, they held aloft the torch of Faith, and amid an appalling spiritual desolation, they were living witnesses to the joy, and peace, and beauty, of the full Catholic life. Their aim was personal holiness, but it was never interpreted in a narrow, self-centred piety, but was animated by an all embracing charity which sought every opportunity to win souls for God, and thus to extend His Kingdom on earth. In this way they exercised a veritable Apostolate, and may be regarded as pioneers of Catholic Action.

The years passed: the Association grew and prospered.

There was only one thing now needed to ensure its permanence and future success, the approval of the Holy Father, and Canonical sanction. This was sought in 1847 by Father Etienne, then Superior-General. On 20th. June of that year in a private audience granted to him by the Holy Father(Pope Pius IX) he requested “the power to establish in the schools conducted by the Sisters of Charity, an Association of the Most Holy and Immaculate Virgin, with the same Indulgence as had been granted to the Children of Mary established in Rome, for boys in the colleges under the Society of Jesus.” His Holiness readily granted the faculties and indulgence requested, and he himself signed the Brief, as a special mark of favour.
A few years later (19th July, 1850) Father Etienne again approached the Holy Father to solicit power to enroll in the Association the boys in the Vincentian Colleges, and also those attending the schools of the Sisters. His Holiness graciously granted this favour also. A further step in its development took place in 1876, when the Association was extended by Papal Authority to include young girls, not attending the schools, who were members of clubs established by the Sisters. Nor was this all, for, on 25th March, 1931, the Holy Father gave permission for the establishment of the Association in every parish and Institution, when requested by the Parish Priest or Chaplain. It is, therefore, world wide now.

Such, in brief, is the story of the origin, growth and present position of the “Association of Children of Mary Immaculate.” From its humble beginnings in the school of the Sisters in Paris, it had grown by 1933 to an active membership of 200,000. Did not Our Lady say that she would bestow many graces on it? In that promise and its fulfilment, we find the secret of the success of the Association which characterized it, from its very inception.

Father Aladel addressed the Children of Mary shortly before his death, in the Chapel of the Apparitions, Rue du Bac. He little thought that he was speaking to them for the last time, as he then appeared to be in his usual good health. Nevertheless, the address reads like a valedictory one, as if he had some premonition of his approaching end. It was fitting that his last meeting of the Children of Mary should be held in this privileged Chapel, for it was here that Our Lady commissioned Sister Catherine to convey to Father Aladel her wish to found this Association. So, in this hallowed sanctuary, they were to hear his striking address, which in part, has been preserved for us. It is as follows:

“My good children, I speak to you in the name of Our Lord, and to the glory of Mary, and it is not only to you I speak, but to all existing Associations, and I say to all:

You are objects of admiration, not only to God and His Angels, but to the whole world, which has a right to expect in you piety, modesty and every good example. In the midst of scandals and corruption of the world, in the midst of temptations and dangers, guard and save your souls; maintain purity of sentiment, treasure your innocence and keep up a tender devotion to Mary. Under the mantle of the Immaculate Virgin, exercise your spirit by the study of her virtues, and your heart by a love for them, with a holy ambition to acquire and imitate them. Ask her particularly for the virtue which each one of you knows is most necessary for you. Thus only will you be Children of Mary in time and eternity.”

The words we have quoted bear testimony to the marvellous success of the Association, of which he was the founder the law-maker and the Director. That testimony has been confirmed by the highest authority on earth- the Vicar of Christ. Children of Mary to the number of 7,000 flocked to Rome from all parts of the world for the Beatification of Sister Catherine, and on the following day (29th May, 1933) the Holy Father (Pius XI) addressed them. He reminded them of their high and holy vocation and its true meaning and said:
“You are in our eyes, dear Children of Mary, a sight of great joy, a vision in white-a vision of snow-a spectacle of innocence and purity, blessed from on high by Blessed Catherine Labouré.

“You are wearing this Miraculous Medal which has worked so many miracles, which works the very miracle we see at this moment, and makes a reality of this vision of which one would not have thought the world capable.

“You remind us that the Blessed Virgin said that she wished for an Association on which she would shower her graces. Her wish has been magnificently granted since numerous though you be, you are here but the representatives of 200,000 Children of Mary Immaculate.
“You are the elite of the Blessed Virgin.”

The three-fold mission of. Father Aladel has now been accomplished with complete success. As he passed before us, in the different scenes we have described, we have learned to revere and admire and love him, yet his beautiful character has been revealed only in part.

V. THE DEATH OF FATHER ALADEL

On the morning of Monday, 24th April, 1865, Father Aladel celebrated Mass as usual in the Chapel of the Apparitions, and appeared to be in his usual good health. Although only 65 years, the long white hair, falling in great profusion on to his neck and over the ears, gave him the venerable appearance of a much older man. During the day he attended to his customary duties; hearing Confessions, giving instructions, etc. Towards evening he received a message from Dax that Father Etienne had been taken suddenly ill, and was in imminent danger of death. Father Etienne had gone to Dax to attend the religious ceremonies in connection with the anniversary of the opening of the Vincentian College and Church, which had been erected there in memory of St., Vincent de Paul, whose birthplace it was; The receipt of this news caused Father Aladel the deepest distress. On recovering from the shock, he at once took steps to obtain the prayers of his own community, and of the Sisters for their beloved Superior. In a conversation which took place that evening, between himself and the Mother-General some words escaped him, which, taken into account with other circumstances, gave the impression that he offered to God, from the altar of his heart, the sacrifice of his life for his friend. Such a sacrifice was in keeping with the character of one, whose whole life was one grand act of self-sacrifice. It was, too, only following in the footsteps of Him Who said:
“Greater love than this no man hath than that he lay down his life for his friend.”

He retired to rest that night as usual. It is surmised that he was taken ill during the night, and that he made a supreme effort to get up at the hour for rising-4 a.m. His fellow-priests, assembled as usual for morning prayers and meditation, were astonished to find that Father Aladel (who was never known to be absent) was not present. There was, however, no undue alarm as it was assumed that he had gone on direct to the Rue du Bac for his early morning Mass. The Sister Sacristan awaited his arrival there; but as Father Aladel, who was noted for his punctuality, did not arrive she became alarmed and went in haste to St. Lazare to inquire as to the cause, feeling some premonition of evil. When she had explained the object of her early morning visit, one of the priests went to his room, knocked at the door, and, receiving no answer, entered. He was horrified to see Father Aladel lying unconscious on the floor, face downward. How like His Divine Master in His Agony in the Garden! He summoned assistance and the stricken priest was tenderly lifted off the ground and placed on the bed. The doctor, who was sent for, quickly arrived, and expressing his opinion that it was a case of apoplexy he, according to the treatment at that time, bled him; but there was no hope, so Father Aladel was anointed as soon as possible. The sad news of his serious illness soon spread quickly, and people came from all parts of the city to inquire for him. The priests and the Sisters assembled in the sick room offered up prayers for him, without ceasing. The sweet and holy names that he loved during life: “Jesus, Mary, Joseph,” were now invoked on his behalf. He lingered on, without regaining consciousness, until 3 o‘clock in the afternoon, when he breathed forth his soul to God.

It was observed that his soutane was only partially buttoned, and that his breviary was open at the Litany of the Saints. It was the feast of St. Mark, the Evangelist, when, according to the Rubrics, the Litany had to be recited, and Father Aladel was evidently preparing to do so, when struck down. May we not believe that he gave his life for his friend, Father Etienne, who recovered from his serious illness, and lived many years more to continue as Superior-General, his great work for the two Communities.

In the letter to the Mother-General, announcing his death, from which we have already quoted, Father Etienne pays him this noble tribute:

“Our Congregation has lost one of its most worthy members, one of the most vigilant guardians of its spirit and traditions, and one of the most perfect models of the virtues of St. Vincent. Your Community loses a Director as enlightened as he was filled with devotion. During the years that he occupied this important position, he has constantly shown himself as worthy of your respect as of your confidence. Endowed as he was with a robust constitution, and having never been attacked by any illness, I was persuaded that. he would have a long career, and preserve for us for a long time his precious services; but he was a martyr to duty and devotion, and he refused to take any rest. So a life, that gave every promise to attaining to extreme old age, was brought suddenly to a close at the comparatively early age of 65. Our consolation is that he was ripe for Heaven. He has gone to receive the recompense which must crown his virtues and labours. I have no doubt that he will be for me before God a powerful friend, and the support of my weakness; and for you, a protector who will obtain for you new graces and abundant blessings.”

There is a Spanish proverb which says that “the soul of a people is the soul that blossoms from the soil.” So we can say that Father Aladel- a farmer’s son—more truly represented the soul of France than the false prophets whose spirit is alien to the soil. His character reflected those specifically French virtues, to which the Church has owed so much. The Catholic tradition was his heritage, and the Faith of the Saints and Martyrs of France was in his blood. It was obvious that, even in his tender years, he was destined to labour as a priest in the Vineyard of the Lord. There he worked unceasingly, with a zeal that never flagged. He had one object in view, and one only, to be always about his Master’s business. Neither in the noonday heats, nor when the burdens of the day pressed heavily on him, did he seek any rest. As the shadows lengthened and evening came, one would expect him to take a little relaxation, but no, the weary body might crave for rest, but the indomitable spirit which ruled it, would allow no respite. It had to bear the burden while strength remained, even if he should fall in the furrow. And so he fell as the ripe fruit falls from the tree, for the work that he was sent into the world to do was accomplished and he was ripe for Heaven. The Good Master, therefore, His heart filled with a great Love for such a faithful servant, took pity on the weary toiler and translated him to the Heavenly Vineyard to rest for ever in the Eternal Peace of God. Of this great and holy Priest it can be said:

“He was beloved of God and man, and his memory is in Benediction.”
********
O Mary conceived without sin, Pray for us who have recourse to thee

PROTESTATION.
In obedience to the Decree of Pope Urban VIII, the author protests that, unless it is expressly stated that the Church or the Holy See has recognised the truth of miracles, or other supernatural manifestations referred to in the following pages, no credence is claimed for them beyond what the available historical evidence may warrant.

Nihil Obstat
RECCAREDUS FLEMING, Censor Theol. Deput.
Imprimi Potest
 IOANNES CAROLUS, Archiep. Dublinen.,
Hiberniae Primas.
Duhlini, die i6 Nov., anno 1945.

The Priest of The Miraculous Medal, Father Aladel by M. J. Egan. Part 1.

I. FATHER ALADEL was born at Les Termes, in the department of Cantal, Southern France, the 4th May 1800. It was fitting that he should be born in the month of Mary as he was one day to become one of her most devoted servants. He received at his baptism the names John Mary; the former after the “the beloved disciple,” the latter in honour of Our Lady.
His father was a small farmer who had to work hard to support his family. As the children grew up they assisted him in the farm work. The same field was sometimes used partly for tillage and partly for grazing, so someone had. always to be present when the cattle were turned in to graze on the pasture, to prevent them from trespassing on the tillage. This was John’s duty, and as he was engaged on the work for hours at a stretch, his father gave him religious books to read, among which were the lives of the saints of his own country. His days were spent in ideal surroundings. He had only to lift his eyes from his books to see the beauty of Nature everywhere- a reflex of the uncreated beauty of Nature’s God. In the month of May for which he had a special love, the orchards were white with blossoms, “the fragrant snow of spring,” and the, cream and rose blossoms of the horse-chestnut, crowded close together, reminded him of the array of candles on the High Altar for Benediction. All around him a great silence reigned, broken only by the occasional bleating of sheep, the lowing of cattle, or the song of birds. He loved the silence and the peace of the great open spaces where the zephyrs blew; causing the growing corn to bend gracefully as if bowing in lowly reverence and homage to its Creator.

The Aladel family lived in frugal comfort. In the home, which was furnished with artistic French taste, there was order and cleanliness. Outside, the roses clambered over trellised arbours, and the lilac and laburnum perfumed the neatly kept garden.

John’s parents were good, pious Catholics, whose great aim was to encourage their children by word and example in the practice of their holy faith. During-the long winter evenings the father taught them their prayers and instructed them in Christian doctrine, and the work of the day was brought to a close by the recitation of the Family Rosary. It was in this ideal Catholic home and in this religious atmosphere that John Aladel was brought up. Here was laid the foundation of those eminent virtues and qualities for which in after-life he was distinguished. The leading characteristics of his boyhood days were his great devotion to Our Lady (he was often seen saying the Rosary on his way to and from the fields), his love of reading spiritual books, his studious habits, and his love of solitude.

He received his elementary education at Saint-Flëur, a few miles from his own home. Here he made his First Communion for which he had prepared with great diligence, earnestness and piety. He always looked back on the day of his First Communion as the happiest day of his life. He then consecrated himself to Mary Immaculate. It must be remembered that the dogma of the Immaculate Conception had not then been defined. During this period his vocation for the priesthood was clearly shown, and his whole aim was to acquire the knowledge that would be necessary and useful to him as a priest. He attained brilliant success as a student, and his talents were acknowledged by all, yet he was never known to boast. He was thoughtful and serious, but not dour and was a general favourite. The habit of concentration, which he cultivated, contributed much to his success.

Having graduated with distinction in the preparatory school, he was admitted to the Diocesan Seminary, which was also situated in Saint-Fleur, in the month of November, 1817. Four years later, when he was in the second year of the theology course, an event occurred which changed the whole course of his life. Having read the life of St. Vincent de Paul, he began to evince an interest in the Congregation of the Mission.

Gradually, young Aladel’s interest in the Congregation increased, and rightly regarding a vocation to the religious life as a favour that must be merited, he prayed every day to the Blessed Virgin to obtain for him the grace of admission to the Congregation of the Mission. In return for such a great favour, he promised to serve her more faithfully all his life. His desire to enter the Congregation was greatly increased, when he learned that the Children of St. Vincent de Paul had from the beginning a particular and special devotion to the Immaculate Conception. After a period of prolonged and anxious consideration, he decided to ask for admission, and had now to face the practical difficulties following on that decision. In order to obtain the permission of his Bishop it was necessary to advance weighty reasons for his action, but to the credit of the Bishop, it must be stated that he placed no obstacles in the way of this young man, who was obviously actuated by the highest motives. So, Our Lady, to whom he committed his cause, enabled him to surmount all difficulties.

There was, however, a further and more painful trial in store for him. He had come to this decision without consulting his parents. He knew that his departure from Saint Fleur to Paris, would be a cause of great disappointment to them. It was their dearest wish to have him a priest in his own diocese, and to accomplish this, they were prepared to make great sacrifices. It grieved him to disappoint his parents whom he dearly loved, but he felt bound to respond to the call of God, so clear and unmistakable. “Follow Me sounded in his ears, and it was a matter of duty for him to obey that call. Distressed at disappointing his parents he confided his troubles to a fellow-student and friend. To his surprise, he found that his friend had also decided to ask for admission {o the Congregation of the Mission, and was experiencing the same difficulties as he himself. They made no hasty decision, but prayed to God for light and guidance. They also consulted their superiors, and, finally, with their approval, it was decided that the two students should write to their respective families, and inform them of” their resolution. This was accordingly done and, without seeing their parents again, they set out for the Mother-House of the Congregation, St. Lazare, Paris, where they were received on the 12th November, 1821.

II. A SON OF ST. VINCENT

Aladel’s first impressions of the Mother-House were not favourable. There was no chapel, and the studies were badly organised. This condition of things can be accounted for by the fact that France was only then recovering from the disastrous effects of the French Revolution and the Napoleonic wars. In 1790 the Congregation of the Mission was, like all other religious communities, suppressed and the priests expelled. Some were put to death, others donned lay attire and went into hiding, and some escaped to foreign countries. It was only in 1804 that the survivors, few in number and old, crept back timidly from their hiding places to resume the work which had been so rudely interrupted. They did not return to the old Mother-House knownas” St. Lazare,” but to new premises in the Rue de Sevres which lacked the facilities of the old establishment. This explains the disorganisation which existed when John Aladel arrived at the new Mother-House, which was also dedicated to St. Lazare.
Some of the students, disheartened, returned home. Not so young Aladel, whose strong, resolute character would not allow the first breath of adversity to divert him from his purpose. He faced all difficulties and overcame them. Bringing to his studies the same sustained effort that distinguished him at Saint-Fluer he met with the same success. After two years study he was allowed to take the four Community Vows—Poverty, Chastity, Obedience and Stability—and his joy was complete when, in 1824, he was ordained priest. Henceforth, we shall know him as Father Aladel.

Had his own personal wishes been consulted, he would have expressed a preference for Missionary work, but he was appointed, instead, Professor of Philosophy in the Seminary at Amiens. At the end of a year however, he was recalled to the Mother-House and the opportunity, for which he longed, was given to him-he was sent on the Missions. For the Apostolic work now entrusted to him, he had long prepared, with his customary thoroughness and efficiency. He who would sanctify others must himself be sanctified, and Father Aladel had sanctified himself by prayer and mortification. . The beauty of his interior life and his deep spirituality are revealed in the following extract taken from notes which he had written for his own guidance.

“I will practise humility, re pressing promptly all thoughts of pride and vanity, opposing them by sentiments of self contempt. To God alone be the glory of my works, and of my sufferings, I will devote myself to the humble submission of my will in perfect obedience to my superiors, and to an exact observance of the Rule. I want to find my happiness in being forgotten by creatures; to study my defects, in order to correct them; and to know my innumerable weaknesses, so as to feel humble. I will do all for the love of Jesus and Mary.”
His success as a missioner was phenomenal; nevertheless at the end of a year he was recalled to the Mother-House and at the early age of twenty-eight he was appointed Spiritual Director to the Sisters of Charity in the Rue du Bac. As Director, he had certain fixed principles to which he faithfully adhered. His method was to guide his penitent, not by extraordinary means, but by making her reach perfection along the ordinary road of service of the poor, for there is but” one royal road to Heaven, the way of the cross. He was distrustful of anything that was out of the ordinary. It is well to bear these facts in mind in view of subsequent events.

He celebrated Mass at an early hour each morning, in the chapel of—the Rue du Bac, and then walked back to St. Lazare, where he heard confessions until 11.30 am. It was usually mid-day before he broke his fast. He conducted spiritual exercises in the various houses of the Sisters in Paris, and attended Conferences at St. Lazare. He regarded time as so precious that he did not wish to avail even of the recreation hour, and it was only under obedience that he joined his confreres during, the short period of relaxation. His love of solitude and silence was such that, when not engaged on his priestly duties he retired to his own room for study and prayer. He seemed to have constantly before his mind the maxims laid down. By St. John of the Cross:

“Wisdom enters through love, silence and mortification.”
“Keep silence and have continual converse with God.”
“Walk in silence with God.”

Leading such an active, busy life, how could he observe silence? He did so by setting apart a sanctuary in his heart, which he consecrated to silence. The door of that sanctuary was closely curtained, so as to exclude the least possible sound from the outside world, and within it he conversed continually with God, without fear of distraction or interruption. Freed from things of earth, his soul soared to heavenly heights and traveled far on the path of Christian perfection.

It was no wonder then that this young chaplain, so recollected and grave, so earnest and zealous, so austere and holy, gained the respect and confidence of his spiritual subjects. It seemed indeed as if he were specially raised up by God to accomplish some great mission in the world. And so it was.

III. FATHER ALADEL’S MISSION

Father Aladel, as chaplain, took an active part in the processions and religious ceremonies connected with the transfer of the holy relics of St. Vincent on the 25th April, 1830, from the Community Chapel in the Rue du Bac to the new Vincentian Church in the Rue de Sèvres. One of the religious exercises was a Novena conducted in the latter church.
The Novena had only just ended when a young novice came to Father Aladel and related to him a very wonderful story. The name of the novice was Catherine Labouré, who had arrived at the Mother-House on the 21st April. She said that she had seen the heart of St. Vincent in the Community Chapel on three consecutive days during the Novena above the place where the relics had rested. On the last day of the Novena she again saw the heart, and she understood that great misfortunes would overwhelm France; that the King would be deposed but that the two Vincentian communities would be preserved from harm. Her Director, who was noted for his prudence, told the novice that this was a delusion and advised her to banish all such thoughts from her mind.

But Divine favours to Catherine did not cease. On Trinity Sunday Our Saviour appeared to her during Mass as a King with a cross on His breast. At the reading of the Gospel the cross slipped to His feet and all His kingly jewels fell from Him. She understood from this that the King of France would be dethroned. She again went to her Director and informed him of this revelation, but he only repeated his previous advice that it was a delusion. He began to have fear for the sanity of this young visionary.

Father Aladel heard nothing more from Catherine until she came to tell him of further revelations made to her on the night of the 18th July. She told him that the Blessed Virgin had appeared to her in the chapel and conversed with her for two hours, during which Our Lady said that a mission would be entrusted to her; that she should tell her Director everything; that she would see certain things, and that she should give an account of them to him. Our Lady also revealed to her that misfortunes were about to overwhelm France, that the throne would be destroyed, and that the whole world would be convulsed by manifold calamities. Father Aladel listened to her story with coldness and indifference; again told her that it was a delusion or dream, and sternly advised her to think no more about it. The fact that the King was dethroned on the 30th July did not shake Father Aladel’s unbelief.

Months passed and the Director thought that the incident of the revelations had closed. To his surprise, however, Catherine came to him again with an account of another vision which took place on the evening of the 27th November. She told him that she was in the chapel for the evening meditation when she again saw the Blessed Virgin in the Sanctuary. There appeared about Our Lady an oval on which was written in letters of gold: “O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.” On the reverse side was the monogram of the Blessed Virgin composed of the letter “M” surmounted by a cross with a bar at its base, and under the “M” were the two hearts of Jesus and Mary: one was encircled by a crown of thorns and the other pierced by a sword.

A voice said to Catherine: “Have a medal struck after this model. All who wear it will receive great graces, especially if they wear it suspended round the neck. Graces will be showered on all who wear it with confidence.”

But Father Aladel did not believe this story either, and repeated the same advice as before. After a time, however, there were signs of weakening in his opposition, for one day he asked his young penitent was there any writing on the reverse side of the medal. She replied that she had not seen any writing. “Then,” said he, “ask the Blessed Virgin what she wishes to be inscribed on it.” Catherine promised that she would do so, and after some days she heard during the meditation an interior voice saying:

“The ‘M’and the two Hearts say enough.” She duly informed her Director, but he still took no action.

At the end of her year’s novitiate, Catherine was transferred to the Enghien Hospice for old men; but Father Aladel still remained her Director as he was chaplain to that institution also. Seven months passed and nothing was done. Then one day Our Lady informed Catherine that she was displeased because her commands were not carried out. “But dear Mother,” said the Sister, “you see he (the Director) does not believe me.” “Do not fear,” was the reply, the day will come when he will do what I desire, for he is my servant and he would not wish to displease me.”

When the Director heard this be was very much troubled and said to himself : “if Mary is displeased, it cannot be with the young Sister, who in her position is powerless to do anything, so it must be with me.”

In these circumstances he could no longer take on himself the responsibility of rejecting the communications made to him by his penitent. So he consulted his Superior, Father Etienne, without however disclosing the name of the Sister, who desired to remain unknown. It was then decided that such an important matter should be submitted to the Archbishop. Accordingly the two priests called on Monsignor De Quelen, Archbishop of Paris, to whom a detailed account of the visions was given. Having listened with great interest to the wonderful story, His Grace said that he could see no objection to having the medal struck, as it was in no way opposed to the Catholic Faith. On the contrary it was conformable to the devotion of the faithful to Our Lady that he felt it would contribute to her honour, and he requested to have some of the medals sent to him.

Ecclesiastical authority having now been obtained, Father Aladel took steps to have the medal struck. The was however, considerable delay, and it was not until the end of June, 1832, that the first lot of 2,000 medals was received. The Director gave one of the medals with his own hand to Catherine as if to make an amend honorable to her of his prolonged opposition. Her only remark was: “It must now be propagated.”

As requested, some of the medals were sent to Monsignor De Quelen, who was then much troubled about the spiritual condition of Monsignör De Pradt, an Archbishop who had fallen into serious error and had incurred the penalty of excommunication. His Grace had done all in his power by prayer and personal appeal to secure Mgr. De Pradt’s conversion, but without avail. So when he received the medals he determined to make a final attempt to reconcile the wanderer to the Church. Taking, one of the medals he went to visit him, but was refused admission and returned home. Soon afterwards he received a message requesting him to return, and the Archbishop again went to De Pradt’s house where he was received with courtesy and respect. The unhappy man retracted all his errors, expressed deep sorrow for the scandal he had caused, and was there and then reconciled to the Church. Later the same evening he received the Last Sacraments and died that very night in the arms of the Archbishop. This, a death-bed repentance, is the first miracle attributed to the medal. His Grace informed Father Aladel at once.

There was now no longer any room for doubt or hesitation. The medal must be made known to the public, so Father Aladel wrote a pamphlet in which he gave a detailed account of its origin without in any way indicating the Sister to whom Our Lady had appeared. The book was eagerly read and in the first year alone six editions were published. A tree picture of the rapid spread of the medal may be obtained from the following extract from his book: “The medals of the Immaculate Conception were propagated in a truly marvellous manner, among all classes and in all provinces. We received the most consoling accounts from every side. “They are reviving fervour in both town and country, we are assured by priests, themselves filled with the spirit of God; while distinguished prelates testified to their sure confidence in these medals which they looked on as a means designed by Providence to revive the enfeebled faith of our country. And truly they are reawakening it day by day in many hearts in which it seemed extinct. They are restoring peace and unity in families rent with discord; in fact, none of those who wear them fails to feel their salutary effect. In all parts of France there appears a growing eagerness among the faithful of all ages and conditions to procure the miraculous medal. Indifferent Christians, hardened sinners, Protestants, unbelievers, the Jews themselves, beg for it, receive it with delight, and wear it with devotion. Nor is it propagated in France alone; it has spread rapidly over Switzerland, Italy, Spain, Belgium, England; America, the East, reaching as far even as China. In Naples, no sooner was it known than the Cathedral chapter made application for it at one of our houses; the King had a number struck in silver for himself and his court and family, and ordered a million for distribution during the outbreak of cholera, with the result that it is held in honour in nearly every house and many of the churches. In Rome the Generals of the Religious Orders took an active part in the propaganda, while the Holy Father himself placed the medal at the foot of the crucifix and gave it to people as a special token of his blessing.”

It is, perhaps, desirable” at this stage to be clear as to the precise meaning of the word “miracle.” A miracle may be defined as a wonderful thing performed by supernatural power as a sign of some special mission or gift and explicitly ascribed to God. St. Thomas Aquinas teaches that “those effects are rightly to be termed miracles which are wrought by Divine power apart from the order usually observed in nature, and they are apart from the natural order because they are beyond the order or laws of the whole created nature.”

In the Christian view of the world miracles have a place and a meaning. They arise out of the personal relation between God and man, and are so interwoven with our religion, so connected with its origin, its promulgation, its progress, and its whole history that it is impossible to separate them from it. Beyond the sphere of nature there is another realm of existence peopled by spiritual beings and departed souls. Both realms are under the over-ruling Providence of God. A miracle is a factor in the Providence of God over men. Hence, the Glory of God and the good of men are the primary and supreme ends of every miracle.
In the Scriptures and Church history we learn that inanimate objects are instruments of Divine power, not because they have any excellence in themselves, but through a special relation to God. Thus we see that the medal, an inanimate object having no excellence in itself, is made an instrument of Divine power. The miracle is due to the intervention of God, and its nature is revealed by the utter lack of proportion between the effect and what are called means or instruments.

The Blessed Virgin in the nineteenth century. Pellevoisin part 4.

Estelle announces the abbot she will be cured on Saturday, he does not want to believe it.

WE have been looking at Pellevoisin as it stands in the matter of physical cures in relation to other great shrines and sites of pilgrimage. We will now look at it in a domain which seems to be more especially its own, namely, that of dealing with persons considered to be suffering from demoniacal possession. The bare idea of such possession may bring a smile to the lips of the present-day reader, Catholic though he be. Yet theologians now, as in the past, are by no means inclined to deny the existence of devil-possessed persons. There are curious maladies abroad for which medical science can find no name, but which it classes with more or less fitness under the heads of hysteria and neurosis. When, on those who are the victims of such diseases, the Church allows exorcism to be applied, we may be sure of the nature of the evil that is more than suspected. Victims of maladies of this kind are not so rare as might be at first supposed.

At the present time the dioceses of Blois, Tours, and Angers can each point to what is considered a devil-possessed person in its midst, on whom the Church's exorcisms are being vigorously applied. More than this, were M. de Haza, S.J., an official exorcist for the diocese of Paris, to be consulted, and were he to answer confidentially, he might tell us that now, in the spring of the year 1903, he has sixteen persons on hand whom it is his task to exorcise.

We will see what Pellevoisin has to say on this subject. One of the remarkable cures it can point to in this direction is that of Francoise Millet, the daughter of peasant parents living at Carmagne, not far from Bourges.

In 1882, Francoise, a little girl of twelve, was suffering from a form of disease which the doctors of the locality were at a loss even to understand. The child was daily subject to attacks, which in no way resembled those of epilepsy, and which would sometimes last for hours together. At such times she would writhe in contortions.

At such times, too, she knew how to bark like a dog, to mew like a cat, and to crow like a cock. The sight of sacred objects had the effect of sending her into paroxysms of rage. She possessed the power of second sight to a remarkable degree. According to the testimony of persons concerned in her case, she often had knowledge of things that were going on at a distance, as well as intuition of events that were to happen.

The doctor's advice to the parents was to put the child in a madhouse, and the advice might have been acted upon but for the timely interference of the Rev. Father Jean-Joseph, of the Franciscan convent of Bourges.

This religious, having heard of the little Francoise, expressed a wish to see her. On seeing her, he at once believed himself to be in presence of a case of devil-possession. He said to the parents : "Take her to Pellevoisin, and, should it be that she is tormented by the devil, the Blessed Virgin will deliver her."

Accordingly, the parents took their child the following Thursday to Pellevosin. There, the next day, in the Chapel of the Apparitions, a Mass was celebrated for the little devil-possessed girl, as she was called. Fran9oise was present at it. Immediately afterwards she said to Abbe Salmon, the parish priest : " While you were saying Mass, the Blessed Virgin said to me : ' My child, you will be cured on Sunday next at eleven o'clock.' '

" Child," said the priest, "how did you hear these words? Was it with your ears? "

"No, sir, it was with my heart. Within me I heard a clear gentle voice say : ' My child, you will be cured on Sunday next at eleven o'clock." The priest was the more impressed by what he heard, since he knew that the child's words perfectly agreed with the teachings of mystical theology, which tell us that words can be conveyed to the inner sense otherwise than by the ears.

Francoise Millet returned home, and was worse than usual the following- day.

By the much-waited-for hour of eleven on Sun day morning there was no improvement in her condition.

The parents began to look upon the predicted cure as an illusion. It did not occur to them that before Sunday was at an end the clock had again to strike the hour of eleven. At nine o'clock the family went to bed as usual, Francoise going to her little room alone.

The child fell into a deep sleep. At eleven o'clock she awoke. To use her own words : "Just as the train was passing, and it passes at eleven, I was awakened by two little taps on my side. I was not at all afraid. I then heard in my heart, in the same way as at Pellevoisin, the words spoken very softly and distinctly : “ My child, you will have no more attacks ; but you will suffer from headaches and sickness until you come and see me again."

From that hour the terrible fits, of which she had had at least two daily for more than a year, ceased completely ; but she began to be troubled with headache and sickness. This continued until her second visit to Pellevoisin. Then every sign of ailment and suffering disappeared, and Francoise Millet returned home perfectly well. The cure is attested by a marble ex voto in the chapel of the Apparitions.

The following year, on September 9th, the little girl and her parents were at Pellevoisin on a pilgrimage of thanksgiving. Amid the number of persons assembled there for the annual pilgrimage was a young woman of twenty-five, suffering much in the same way as Fran9oise Millet had suffered. These two were brought together. The child delivered was made to kneel beside the woman still in torture and to pray for her deliverance. This took place in the Chapel of the Apparitions, which was at the time crowded.

The young woman, Marie Saboureau by name, was suffering from a malady for which doctors could find no name, but which priests did not hesitate to call possession by the devil. She was the daughter of peasant parents, and a native of Rivesaltes in the Pyrenees Orientales. At the time of which we write, she was at Pellevoisin under the care of a lady, Madame Gabaudan, of the town of Lunel, who was accompanied by her son. It is to this gentleman that we owe the interesting details on the subject that have been published in the form of a booklet at Montreal, under the title of Histoire d’une possedee guerie par Notre-Dame tie Pellevoisin.

M. Gabaudan was not only a witness of, but an actor in, some of the scenes he describes. More over, his testimony is corroborated by that of others who were witnesses at Pellevoisin of the different phases of this most curious case. Among these may be mentioned Abbe Salmon, cure of Pellevoisin, and the Rev. O. Leborgne, S.M., of the Institution Saint-Vincent at Senlis.

Marie Saboureau had from her youth been pious and strictly virtuous. Apart from those times when she seemed to lookers-on to be possessed by evil spirits and to be serving as their mouth-piece, she was in every respect an exemplary Catholic. At times she would say : " He may possess my body, but he shall never possess my soul." In her moments of reputed devil-possession, and these were many, she would sometimes roll in mad contortions, sometimes roar and bellow like wild animals, and almost always go into a state bordering on frenzy at the sight of sacred objects. At such times startling revelations would come from her lips, and though only an ignorant peasant girl, she would show an intimate acquaintance with the Latin tongue.

When we find her at Pellevoisin on September 9th, 1883, she had already been there three weeks. Among the scenes of Satanic significance enacted by her during that time, there is one that deserves mention. She was in the Chapel of the Apparitions with a few persons, including the cure of Pellevoisin. Rising suddenly, she exclaimed: " Give me water ! I thirst! I burn ! " Her eyes seemed ready to start from their sockets, while her wide-open mouth allowed full view of a swollen tongue and palate. Writhing in rage, she again cried out : “ Give me water ! I thirst! I burn ! "

Abbe Salmon moistened her lips with a few drops of holy water.

“ Give me water ! I thirst ! I burn ! " she continued. Then, turning towards M. Gabaudan, she said: “Give me to drink; I burn!" Here she fell her full length on the ground in contortions.

Another significant feature was Marie Saboureau's persistent refusal to perform the slightest act of homage in presence of the Blessed Sacrament. On one occasion, seven persons together could hardly succeed in making her bend the knee before the tabernacle. Once, when such an attempt was being made, she was heard to say: "For me, no hope, no throne, no glory." In presence of this scene, the words of the devil-possessed of the Gospel come instinctively to the mind: “ What have I to do with Thee, Jesus, Son of the Most High God ! "

In certain of her performances, the girl would move forward on her back with a zigzag movement without the slightest action on the part of hands or feet, and giving forth at the same time a hissing sound like that of a serpent. At such times, she would climb the altar rails and get to the other side as a real serpent might have done.

At the time of the annual pilgrimage, different priests applied the Church's Liturgical prayers to Marie Saboureau's case, but with no other result than that of eliciting still further proofs that they had to do not only with an undoubted, but with also a very remarkable instance of demoniacal possession. One of the priests who thus employed his efforts in contending with the unseen enemy, that was supposed to be acting and speaking in the young woman's body, was the Rev. Father Feuillet, of the Order of St. Dominick. The knowledge of the Latin tongue evinced by the, girl on these occasions was simply astounding. She was ready at once with a reply to each of the Liturgical adjurations. More than one night was spent in prayer at Pellevoisin by those trying to obtain her deliverance.

We now come to the last act of the drama. On the evening of September 15th, the tormented one was in the Chapel of the Apparitions with a certain number of persons, including the cure of Pellevoisin and others, who had been carefully watching her case. To those experienced in such matters, there were signs that the deliverance was at hand. In the meantime, prayer for her did not cease. For three consecutive hours she was a prey to violent convulsions. At eleven o'clock, these suddenly ceased, and she became calm. After this she seemed to see what the rest could not see. To lookers-on, it was as if her infernal enemy were near, though no longer possessing power over her body. After a little while, she fell on her knees before a statue of the Blessed Virgin and, in a voice broken by sobs, said: "O my good Mother, come to my help ; drive away this evil spirit; I am your child ! You know that I renounce the devil, and that I detest him. O my Mother, do not forsake me !" With this, she turned in the direction in which her enemy seemed to be, and said in a loud voice : “ In the name of Our Lord Jesus Christ, go ! " During this last scene she seemed to belong to another world. Coming back to herself, she spoke and smiled, and thanked those around.

All was over, the Salve Regina was sung in thanksgiving, and Marie Saboureau was once more the good pious girl she had been. She entered the service of Madame Gabaudan, to whom, after Heaven, she owed her deliverance. She remained with this lady twelve years, her mistress looking upon her, in the meantime, more as a daughter than as a servant.

At Pellevoisin, in the autumn of 1902, we were witness of facts and experiences similar to those just described.

A striking case belonging to this class of phenomena came before our notice in 1896. It was supported by the testimony of Canon Ferdinand Brette, of the Paris cathedral of Notre-Dame, who, by the way, is an acknowledged authority on psychical matters. Canon Brette preached that year at Pellevoisin on the occasion of the annual pilgrimage thither of September 9th. At his instance, a person was earnestly recommended to the prayers of the assembled pilgrims. This person was a certain Madame B , of Paris, whom he had been exorcising at intervals for four years, and who, in his opinion and that of others, gave unquestionable signs of demoniacal possession. She was completely cured—or delivered, if the reader prefers the term—on the morning of September 9th, the great day of the pilgrimage and the anniversary of the revelation of the scapular. In the meantime, Madame B , though wearing the scapular, but without knowing its origin, was ignorant of every thing concerning Pellevoisin, even to the name of the place. The details of her most curious case were given in full by Canon Brette in a letter to Abbe Salmon, cure of Pellevoisin, which appeared in the Bulletin de V Archiconfrerie de Notre-Dame de Pellevoisin of September i5th, 1896, a review having the imprimatur of the Archbishop of Bourges. In this letter the writer says : " Apart from the question of her visions, Madame B— -'s perfect cure during the Pellevoisin pilgrimage is as certain as was her previous state of what the Church regards as demoniacal possession."

"This fact alone," he continues, " is a superb jewel to be added to the crown of the Mother-all-Merciful, who at Pellevoisin in such a marked manner crushes the head of the Infernal Serpent." We have since conferred with Canon Brette on this subject. Madame B— —'s cure, effected in such a conclusive manner in 1896, has proved lasting.

A signal case of reputed demoniacal obsession obtained a complete cure at Pellevoisin in the spring of 1900, the person afflicted being a young lady of the diocese of Autun. The affair, coming under the notice of Cardinal Perraud, drew from him the following affirmation, which appeared in the Voix de Marie, a weekly organ published with the imprimatur of the Bishop of Blois :

Autun, November 27, 1901.

"On the medical testimony of Dr. - —, called upon to examine the extraordinary phenomena presented in the person of Mademoiselle - -in the course of the years 1899 and 1900. I am inclined to sanction the conclusions contained in his report and to consider with him that these phenomena offered the characteristics of a state of diabolical obsession, from which Mademoiselle - - was delivered at the close of a pilgrimage made by her to the sanctuary of Notre-Dame de Pellevoisin.

ADOLPHE-Louis ALBERT,

Card. PERRAUD, Bishop of Autun.

Facts of Satanic significance in connection with the new shrine in the Berry, which we are considering, were brought into relief by the Rev. P. Schauffer, O.M.I., of the Montmartre basilica of the Sacred Heart, when preaching at Pellevoisin at the annual pilgrimage of 1895. Having shown that the antagonism between the enemy of mankind and the Virgin-Mother of Christ had been at work from the beginning, and even when that Virgin-Mother existed only in the mind of God, and, coming to present times, the preacher asked whether the Prince of darkness had abandoned his struggle with Heaven. For answer, he said ; " Look around you, my brethren, and listen. Do you not see that Lucifer is multiplying himself a hundred-fold in our time? His tactics have not changed : he has in vented nothing new. He contents himself with adapting himself to the temperament of our age. Our opponents treat us as fools, and ask us where Satan is. Alas ! terrible, but at the same time Providential, revelations tell us that at the present day he has his adorers, his ceremonies, and his cultus. For great evils, great remedies." Coming to the immediate subject of Pellevoisin, the orator exclaimed : " It is here that Christians should come in order to arm themselves for the battle with Satan. O Virgin of Pellevoisin ! O Mother-all-Merciful ! you are, indeed, the great sign that has appeared in the heaven of the Church of God ! "

In connection with Pellevoisin, more might be said on this subject of demoniacal possession, on which twentieth-century science can throw but little light, and which has still to look to theology for its most satisfactory explanation.

WHILE the history of Pellevoisin has been writing itself in facts over the world, Estelle Faguette has been living a quiet, exemplary life, and proving the truth of those words which she gives as having been delivered to her in one of the Apparitions : "I choose the weak and the lowly ones for my glory."

Integrity of life and purpose have characterized her from the beginning. Simplicity—intelligent simplicity—is stamped upon her humble person. While remaining in her sphere and in retirement, she has, during the last twenty-six years, come in contact with the public ; she has been questioned and cross-questioned by it ; she has been probed by ecclesiastics of note. In her replies, no discordant note has been detected ; in her attitude, no weak point.

In the January of 1900, we see Estelle in the eternal city, and at the feet of the Holy Father. She had been led thither by the Duchesse d'Estissac, representing a branch of the de la Rochefoucauld family, and by Mgr. Touchet, Bishop of Orleans. His Holiness had said just before : " Let Estelle come in." Estelle had entered, and all other persons had withdrawn. The Father of the Faithful and the voyante of Pellevoisin were alone. We have heard from Estelle's own lips the account of what followed. The fact that was to follow concerning the scapular will best tell the result of the interview.

Leo XIII. called the lowly woman at his feet, " Figlia Stella." He bent forward to listen to her communications. His attitude was one of the most paternal benevolence. The conversation turning- upon France, he said: "Now, tell me about France."

"Holy Father," replied Estelle, "the Blessed Virgin said that France would have to suffer."

" Yes," echoed the Pontiff, " France will have to suffer."

He then questioned Estelle on the subject of the Apparitions, and accepted a scapular of the Sacred Heart, which, kneeling, she offered him.

"And what, Figlia Stella, do you wish me to do concerning your scapular?" he asked, after a few moments.

"To approve it and give it your blessing, most Holy Father," was the reply. The petitioner then ventured to put forth a request, to the effect that His Holiness would deign to convey in a written form to the Rev. Jean-Baptiste Lemius, O.M.I., then Superior of the Church of the Sacred Heart of Montmartre, certain instructions and encouragement concerning this scapular, in order that the same might spread over the world from the national basilica as from a great radiating centre.

" Does this good religious often come to Rome?" asked His Holiness, in reference to the Rev. J. B. Lemius.

" Yes, most Holy Father, "was Estelle's reply.

After a few moments, Leo XIII. said : " Let him write, and I will sign." The Sovereign Pontiff continued : " Figlia Stella, speak to me of the Blessed Virgin." And afterwards: "You must pray to her for me, Figlia Stella ; you must pray that my life may be spared for the good of the Church."

The Rev. Joseph Lemius, O.M.I., Procurator General of the Oblate Congregation at Rome, informed of what had taken place between Estelle Faguette and Leo XIII., saw farther into the affair at once. The idea occurred to him of trying to obtain the canonical approbation of the scapular in question, and he lost no time in conferring on the subject with Cardinal Mazzella, Prefect of the Congregation of Rites.

The Cardinal, thus appealed to, at first held out little hope of a request to such an effect being acceded to. He promised, however, to lay the matter before the Pope.

A few days afterwards, Estelle Faguette had another and farewell audience with the Sovereign Pontiff, at which the Bishop of Orleans and the Duchesse d'Estissac were present. In the course of this interview, the Holy Father, looking at the voyante of Pellevoisin and smiling, said : " Figlia Stella, I have not forgotten your scapular. I will speak about it to-morrow."

When, according to Cardinal Mazzella's promise, the question of the canonical approbation of the scapular of the Sacred Heart, as presented to him by Estelle, was submitted to his Holiness, the Pope granted his approval. The Congregation of Rites examined the said scapular, and approved of it in a decree dated April 4th, 1900. Particulars respecting this decree may be best given by citing authorities.

The Civilta Catholica, of January, 1901, in its notice of it, begins by an allusion to the practice introduced by the Blessed Margaret Mary Alacoque of wearing on one's person an ensign of the Sacred Heart, It then goes on to say: "Although this ensign, painted or worked on stuff, went by the name of a scapular, in reality it was not one, being, as such, wanting as to form and parts. But, in 1876, a scapular, properly so-called, came into existence. It was of white woollen stuff and was composed of two parts, one descending on the breast and displaying the image of the Sacred Heart, and the other descending on the back and displaying an image of the Blessed Virgin." " It was this scapular," our Roman authority goes on to say, " that was recently presented to our Holy Father, Leo XIII., who approved of it and enriched it with many indulgences by a decree of the Sacred Congregation of Rites, dated April 4th, 1900. This decree also prescribed a special form for blessing and imposing it."

By a decree of the same Congregation, dated May 19th, 1900, the rights concerning the scapular were conferred on the Superior-General of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate, with the power of delegating these rights, not only to priests of his own Congregation, but to all others who might apply for them.

In this same Roman decree, the Superior of the Chaplains of Paray-le-Monial, the Superior of the basilica of the Sacred Heart of Montmartre, and the Rector of the Church of the Pace in Rome are made sharers with the Oblate Congregation in the privileges conferred.

We turn from the Civilta Catholica to an official notice published by the Oblate Congregation, in their Petitcs Annales, in 1900, and translated from their Libretto. This notice, after giving the history of the quasi scapular of the Blessed Margaret Mary Alacoque, mentions 1876 as the date of the scapular of the Sacred Heart, properly so-called, coming into existence. Then, in a footnote, we read : "Allusion is here made to the scapular of Our Lady of Pellevoisin, approved July 28th, 1877, by Mgr. de la Tour d'Auvergne, and at the present day in use among the faithful : it is the scapular which, in the present year (1900), has been presented to the Sovereign Pontiff, and which the Congregation of Kites has examined and approved, having made, however, concerning it, two slight modifications. One of these is that the Liturgical words Mater Misericordiae art substituted for Je suis toute misericordieuse, and J'aime ette devotion"

THE fact that the scapular has entered into a fresh phase of its history, and that it is now radiating from fresh centres, and notably from the basilica of the Sacred Heart of Montmartre, does not throw Pellevoisin into the shade. On the contrary, the spot that cradled the devotion is growing in importance every day. Thence its Archconfraternity continues to spread over the old and the new world. When we were in the Chapel of the Apparitions in the summer of 1900, we saw two priests enter and take their places at the shrine. We were told that they were from Montreal, and that they brought with them the names of 37,000 fresh associates to be inscribed on the register of the association. Fresh centres of devotion in connection with Pellevoisin are multiplying throughout France. The most important of these is that which has its seat at the church of St. Eucher at Lyons, where there is a chapel dedicated to Notre Dame de Pellevoisin and where a branch confraternity in honour of the Mother-all-Merciful is canonically established. The cure of the church, Abbe Paul Bauron, to whom we have had occasion to allude in these pages, has just been raised to the dignity of a Protonotary Apostolic in acknowledgment of his services as Secretary General of the Marian Congress at Freiburg.

Although in all this there is progress and the further spreading of a sublime message, it does not mean that, since what may be considered a crowning triumph for Pellevoisin in Rome's canonical approbation of its scapular, the bark of the new devotion has been sailing altogether in smooth waters. On the contrary, a strong blast of opposition has been brought to bear upon it, marking it with a sign which works of a Divine origin are seldom without.

Something of the war upon religion, which the first two years of the present century have seen in France, has breathed upon it, and a local organ of the Berry has attributed to one high in office at the Palais-Bourbon words to the effect that Pellevoisin was to be suppressed, if possible, as a second Lourdes was not needed in France.

Its cure, Abbe Salmon, who saw its Archconfraternity come into existence, and who, in the most capable manner possible, for twenty-six years performed the office of Director of that Archconfraternity, has lately been removed to another scene of activity, namely, the cure of Massay, in the department of the Indre. But in the things of God, props in the shape of human instruments are quickly replaced by others. Several French bishops are warm supporters of the cause of Pellevoisin.

The Pellevoisin pilgrimage has features of its own. In the afternoon a long procession, on which the sun generally shines, making of it a brilliant line of colour, starts from the parish church and winds along a certain tract of country. From distance to distance banner answers banner, and refrain, refrain. Various melodies melt into one, making a full-voiced anthem. From the volume of sound the words, "Laudate Mariam " and " Terre benie de Pellevoisin " linger on the ear.

After the line of colour come the pilgrims, assembled by thousands. The cortege moves on until it reaches the crest of the hill dividing the valley of the Indre from that of the Nohant. A scene of dazzling beauty lies around—one of the fairest sites in the French midlands. Coming back through the burnished greens and golds of meadow-land and cornfield, and then through the burgh of Pellevoisin, the procession draws up in front of the Chapel of the Apparitions. Every available inch of ground is covered by the mass of human life. A few heart-stirring words are then addressed to the throng by a preacher for the occasion.

On this favoured spot of earth, and on a commanding eminence, there is a colossal crucifixion scene in course of construction. It is the work of the Rev. O. Leborgne, S.M., of Senlis, one of the great promoters of the devotion radiating from Pellevoisin. From this Calvary, as also from a tumulus near, composed of the bones of dead Gauls and Romans, and said to be one of the most remark able in France, a magnificent sweep of country is to be seen. The expanse of landscape stretches for miles in every direction. The spectator gazing at it from either of the above-mentioned points, sees a splendid panorama, made up of gentle hill and dale, and of meadow land and cornfield, and dotted here and there with richly wooded patches, remnants of one or more of the ancient forests that once covered old Gaul. When the rays of the setting sun are upon this panorama, suffusing it with mellow tints and changing into roseate hues its distant browns and golds, the beauty of the scene defies description. History, as well as natural beauties, appeals to us on this spot. The British visitor to Pellevoisin sees in the green and smiling stretch of country before him, an historic battle ground where Philip-Augustus wrested from Henry II. of England a portion of the rich dower which Eleanor of Aquitaine had taken to the English crown. He sees points in the landscape which, in the still un changed French of seven centuries ago, tell where Frenchmen and Englishmen fell in deadly strife. In the wood immediately in front of him, there are no less than four spots telling by their names, to this day, that the blood of thousands of French and English once soaked their soil. There is the Petite Tuee (little slaughter) and the Grande Tuee (big slaughter) ; and the Francosius, which, in medieval French, meant defeat of the French. The Fosse aux Anglais, close by, marks the spot where the English, just afterwards, were defeated in numbers. Philip-Augustus brought the campaign to a close by a brilliant victory at Palhuau, and Henry II. of England died of a broken heart at Chin on two years afterwards.

But the picturesque and the historic form only as a background against which the religious interest of Pellevoisin shows in relief. The miniature chapel appeals to numbers, as no other shrine does. The Rev. Father Marie-Antoine, a Capuchin of Toulouse, reputed for his holiness throughout the south of France, when preaching at Pellevoisin in 1894, at the time of the annual pilgrimage, expressed himself as follows : " I am acquainted with the most famous sanctuaries of the Blessed Virgin in the world, and I have obtained signal graces at each ; I have been the leader of thousands of per sons to Lourdes ; yet, if I except my impressions at St. John in Montana in Palestine, I may say that nowhere have I been so impressed by a sense of Our Lady's maternal attributes as here at Pellevoisin ; nowhere as here have I so understood the meaning of the words of the Magnificat: ' He that is mighty hath done great things in me.''

In presence of pilgrims going in increasing numbers to Pellevoisin, and of buildings rising on the spot to meet the wants of these pilgrims, the idea may present itself as to what is likely to be the future of this, the most recent in date of the great shrines of France. An answer to such a question is given beforehand in the following words spoken by Abbe Paul Bauron, at the Marian Congress of Lyons of 1900: " People will go to Pellevoisin from all parts and in greater numbers than to Lourdes and to La Sallette. There, the promises made at Paray-le-Monial will become a tangible reality."

Epilogue.

IN viewing as a whole the phenomena, of which under the head of Apparitions and Revelations we have treated in the foregoing pages, we see them bound together as by immaterial links in the shape of certain leading ideas. In each Apparition, or group of Apparitions, the necessity of prayer is insisted on.

At Pellevoisin, the command to pray is reiterated with two-fold force, the burden each time being : “ Let them pray." At La Salette, after enumerating the enormities of a guilty people, the celestial figure says : " It is that which makes my Son's arm grow heavy; I can no longer hold it up." At Pellevoisin, she says : "I can no longer restrain my Son." The words at Pontmain, on the scroll in the night sky : tl My Son allows Himself to be moved " (Mon Fils se laisse toucher], find their echo at Pellevoisin in the words to Estelle : " If my Son allows. Himself to he moved, it is because of your great patience and resignation."

Between Pellevoisin and Lourdes the connecting link is strong. Bernadette Souberous is told to pray for the conversion of sinners. At Pellevoisin the words are : " I am come especially for the conversion of sinners."

As in the case of Melanie and Maximin before them, the woman, Estelle, and the child, Bernadette, are made the recipients of secrets which they are not to reveal. Each is given to understand that the extraordinary favours of which she is the object are not to exempt her from the sorrow which is the ordinary lot of mortals. To Bernadette the Blessed Virgin says : " I promise to make you happy ; not in this world, hut in the next."

To Estelle the words are: " Do not think you will be exempt from suffering ; no, you will have to suffer. It is in that that the merit of life consists."

Each is employed as a messenger. Bernadette is told to go and see the parish priest on the subject of the erection of a chapel at Lourdes in honour of the Immaculate. Estelle is told to go and see the pre late on the subject of the propagation of the scapular that had just been revealed.

Between the first group and the last group of the series of Apparitions which we are considering, and which extend over a period of forty-six years, there is a most subtle thread of similarity.

In the novice, Catherine Laboure, the servant, Estelle Faguette, seems to live again. The former sees rays of light emitted from the hands of the radiant figure, representing to her the Immaculate Conception, and is given to understand that these rays are symbolic of the graces which the Blessed Virgin obtains for those who ask them of her. Estelle sees, as it were, abundant raindrops falling from the hands of her heavenly visitant, and is told that these signify the graces showered on those who wear the scapular revealed at Pellevoisin.

Sister Catherine is told to give him who has charge of her soul an account of the mysterious things she sees and hears. Estelle, respecting the sublime secrets of which she is the recipient, is told to take the advice of her "confessor and director." Sister Catherine's mission is to be an unseen instrument in the striking and diffusion of the medal of the Immaculate Conception ; Estelle's is to further the propagation of the scapular of the Sacred Heart, and to be a living witness of its revelation. Both are told that they will have trials and contra dictions, that they will be treated as impostors and visionaries, but that, on the other hand, they will be interiorly sustained and strengthened.

At the close of the Apparitions in the Rue du Bac, when the novice Catherine is about to become a professed Sister of Charity, the last words of the celestial communications with which she has been favoured are : " I shall watch over you " (J'aurai mon osil sur toi). At Pellevoisin, when Estelle is given to understand that she will see the Blessed Virgin no more on earth, the last words are: "I shall be invisibly near you " (Je serai invisiblement pres de loi).

When we consider the great Apparitions of the nineteenth century, we see that each of these manifestations, either in the shape of a single Apparition or of a series, conveys a distinct message : we see, too, that these different messages form one, concordant in meaning, scriptural in sense, and full of sub lime harmony. This collective message is suffused with Gospel light ; it is theological ; it is dogmatic. Does it not proclaim, twice in an interval of twenty-eight years, the dogma of the Immaculate Conception? Does it not, by the ensanguined cross of Pontmain, and by the name above that cross, proclaim the mystery of our Redemption?

In presence of such symmetry of plan and unity of meaning, we are of opinion that the very substance of this transcendent message, pieced together as it is by words coming to us from the mouths of lowly unlettered beings, mostly children, and separated from each other by time and space, is, in itself, a more convincing proof of the reality of the Divine communications with which these lowly and un lettered ones proclaim themselves to have been favoured, than are the most startling miracles associated with the names of La Salette, Lourdes, and other sanctuaries connected with the great chain of Apparitions we are considering.

In presence of the Gospel meaning of this collective message, one cannot but be struck by the reiterated force with which the necessity of prayer is insisted on. And, as if to add the value of material proof to the reality of the fulfilment of Gospel promises in this respect, we see thousands and thousands of ex-voto offerings covering the walls of the temples and sanctuaries that have arisen in France commemorative of the Apparitions of the Blessed Virgin in France in the nineteenth century.

THE END

From - The Blessed Virgin in the nineteenth century (1904) by Bernard St John

Sister Catherine Laboure and the Miraculous Medal part. 2 The conversion of Alphonse Ratisbonne from Judaism

WE now come to what is, perhaps, the most striking episode in connection with the medal called miraculous, namely, the conversion of the Jew, Alphonse Ratisbonne. This young man, whose conversion may be compared to that of St. Paul, before setting out for the East decided to visit Rome. But it was in spite of himself, so to speak, that he thus decided, for he was a fierce hater of Christianity, and this hatred on his part had been intensified by the conversion to the Catholic Faith of his brother, Theodore Ratisbonne, who was at that time a priest in Paris, and sub-director of the Arch-confraternity of Notre-Dame des Victoires. No sooner was Alphonse Ratisbonne in Rome than he wished to be out of it. In going through the ghetto his anti-Christian sentiments asserted themselves more fiercely than ever. An old school friend of his, Baron Gustave de Buissiere, who was a Protestant, happened to be in Rome at the time. These two had often tried to persuade each other, "Juif encroute" and "Protestant enrage" being the epithets mutually exchanged.

One day M. Ratisbonne, being resolved not to remain longer in Rome, set forth with the intention of wishing his friend good-bye. Through a servant's mistake he was shown into the presence of his friend's brother, Baron Theodore de Buissiere, a fervent Catholic. The conversation turned upon religion, and M. de Buissiere began at once to try and convert his visitor. The visitor, outwardly affable while inwardly irate, gave his interlocutor to understand that he was born a Jew and intended to remain one. Nothing daunted, the Baron then offered to give M. Ratisbonne a medal—no other than the " miraculous medal." The son of Israel could not conceal his astonishment, and but with difficulty, his indignation. Of course he refused the medal.

" I cannot understand your refusal," pursued M. de Buissiere, " since, from what you say, this medal must be a matter of perfect indifference to you, whereas to me it would afford the greatest consolation were you to accede to my wish and accept it."

" Since you seem so much in earnest," said the other, " I cannot refuse to comply with your request." This did not prevent him^ however, during the remainder of the interview, from laughing and indulging in jokes at the expense of Christianity. He went away with the medal in his pocket, though with difficulty able to conceal his ill humour. " I wonder what he would say," said the Jew to himself, " If I were to take it into my head to make him recite my Jewish prayers."

This was on January i6th, 1842. That night Alphonse Ratisbonne was prayed for by more than one. Among those whose prayers were enlisted in his favour was the Marquis de la Ferronnays, whom Mrs Augustus Craven in Rccit d'unc sceitr has introduced to us as her father.

The Marquis de la Ferronnays died the next day, after predicting that the man for whom so' many prayers were thus suddenly being offered would become a Catholic.

In the meantime M. Ratisbonne's views seemed in no way modified. He called the following day on Baron Theodore de Buissiere to tell him that he intended leaving Rome that night. The Baron with difficulty dissuaded him from his purpose and induced him to remain a few days longer. During these few days he acted as cicerone to his new friend, accompanying him to different places of interest in Rome. The Jew meanwhile made no effort to check his gibes and sarcasms at the expense of everything Christian.

We are on January 2Oth. It was a Thursday and about one o'clock, and M. de Buissiere, on his way to the church of St. Andrea delle Fratte, met M. Ratisbonne. He asked him to accompany him, and the two entered the church together. Leaving his companion, as he thought, intent on examining the building, the Baron passed through to the convent beyond in order to speak to the monks concerning- the funeral of the Marquis de la Ferronnays, which was to take place there the next day. On coming back, twelve minutes afterwards, he looked in vain for M. Ratisbonne. At last he perceived him in a side chapel, prostrate, with his face to the ground. He spoke to him and touched him, but could obtain no answer.

At length the prone man looked up ; and then, his face bathed in tears, his clasped hands, and his inability to speak, told that he had that to say which words were weak to express.

" Oh, how M. de la Ferronnays must have prayed for me ! " he said at last.

When M. de Buissiere, eager for information, had drawn his friend outside the church, he had to judge from signs, for M. Ratisbonne refused to tell in words what had happened to him. He could only say : " Lead me whither you will. After what I have seen I can but obey." Then, drawing forth the medal which he had reluctantly carried about with him for some days previously, he pressed it to his lips murmuring over it burning words of gratitude and love. Amid the broken utterances of this man shaken by strong emotion, the following sentences came forth :—"How good God is." "What joy until now unknown !" " How great is my happiness ! " and, " How those are to be pitied who do not believe ! "

M. Ratisbonne refused to be more explicit until at the feet of one of God's ministers. " Take me to a priest," he said. He was led to the Rev. Father Villefort, S.J., of the Church of the Gesit. Then, on his knees and still clasping the medal, which he kept pressing to his lips, he exclaimed : "I have seen her!—I have seen her!"

He then related as follows : " I had been but a minute or two in the church when I became a prey to an indescribable feeling of distress. When I looked up the whole building around seemed to have disappeared. I could only see one chapel, which had, as it were, gathered all light unto itself, and there, in the midst of the light, standing on an altar, beautiful and majestic, was the Blessed Virgin Mary as represented on this medal. I was drawn towards her as by an irresistible impulse. She made a sign to me to kneel down, and then seemed to say: 'That is well' (' C'est bien) She did not speak, but I understood everything."

It is worth while to mention that the chapel in which this vision took place was dedicated to St. Michael, and contained no picture or statue of the Blessed Virgin.

M. Ratisbonne found it difficult to enter into further details. Questioned afresh, he expressed himself at a loss to account for the, as it were, involuntary impulse which had led him to go from the right side of the church, where M. de Buissicre had left him, to the left, where the chapel dedicated to St. Michael was situated. He said that at first he had looked at the Blessed Virgin in the radiance of her glory and immaculate purity, but that after wards he had found it impossible to gaze fully upon her. Thrice he attempted to raise his eyes to her, and each time his glance failed to reach higher than her hands. "I could not give an idea in words," he said, "of the mercy and liberality I felt to be expressed in those hands. It was not only rays of light that I saw escaping thence. Words fail to give an idea of the ineffable gifts that flow from those hands of our Mother ! The mercy, the tenderness, and the wealth of Heaven escape thence in torrents on the souls of those whom Mary protects."

The baptism of Alphonse Ratisbonne took place in the Church of the Gesu in presence of the elite of Roman society. Abbe Dupanloup, afterwards the great Bishop of Orleans, preaching on the occasion, said: "O you, on whom all eyes are fixed at this moment, tell us by what secret ways the Lord has led you hither. It is for you to tell us how the sun of truth first rose in your soul and what was its brilliant dawn." In an eloquent apostrophe to the Blessed Virgin he exclaimed : " Qucc est ista?" "You are the Mother of our Saviour," he continued, "and Jesus, the fruit of your womb, is the God blessed of all ages. As child of Adam you are our sister. You are the masterpiece of the Power Divine and His mercy's sweetest smile. O God, give light to the blind that they may see Mary, and hearts to those without hearts, that they may love her."

Received in audience by the Sovereign Pontiff, M. Ratisbonne was admitted to His Holiness's bedchamber in order that he might see there on a wall near the bed a beautiful picture of the Immaculate Conception as represented by the "Miraculous Medal."

Gregory XVI. ordered a canonical examination to be made of the circumstances attending this remarkable conversion, the result of which was the declaration by Cardinal Patrizzi (June 3rd, 1842) "that the perfect and instantaneous conversion of Alphonse Marie Ratisbonne from Judaism to the Catholic faith was a true and signal miracle wrought by the all-good and all-great God through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary."

Alphonse Ratisbonne became a priest and fellow-worker with his brother, Abbe Theodore Ratis bonne, in the foundation of the work known as L'CEuvre de Notre-Dame de St'on, from which were to be born two religious congregations now spread over the world. Forty years after the vision at Rome he died at Jerusalem with the name, Mary, on his lips.

Coming to Paris after his conversion he felt a strong wish to see Sister Catherine Laboure. The Archbishop of Paris had expressed a similar wish. To no purpose in either case, for the privileged daughter of St. Vincent of Paul clung tenaciously to her anonymity, and, intent on the menial offices which she called the pearls of a Sister of Charity, remained concealed behind the humble Sister Catherine to the end of her days.