PS 053 Letter of Champagnat to Br. Antoine

1. PS 053 Letter of Champagnat to Br. Antoine

2. My very dear Brother Antoine, I was very touched by your New Year's wishes. I know they are very sincere and I can assure you that those I made for everyone, and for you in particular, are also very genuine.

3. I was very sorry to learn of Brother Moïse's illness. Take good care of him so that he will recover quickly. I do not think I will replace him unless he asks me to. Let him place his trust in God, who will help him to do his duty. Mary, our common Mother, will lend him a hand. Tell him that I empathize with all his difficulties and that I am grateful to him for everything he is doing. God is setting aside a good reward for him.

4. Everything is going along normally at the motherhouse and elsewhere. No one is sick, thank God. The two new establishments have many children. We have sent a fourth brother to Sury.

5. We are still getting many novices. We gave the holy habit to a score of them on the feast of the Epiphany; there are still fifteen who do not have it yet; all of them seem very devoted. We have received another request for three brothers to open a sort of foster-home in the city of Lyons; we are really concerned, since we don't know where we are going to find subjects for it.

6. Pray for us that we may not do anything against God's will. I leave you in the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, where I found you, Champagnat

7. Situations revealed by the letter • The letter was written in the new year of 1835 (Jan. 09) • Four schools had been opened in 1834. The first two had definitely opened before November, therefore during the 1833-34 school year. So the ones the Founder mentions here must be Saint-Genest and Sury.

8. This letter is addressed to Br. Antoine and the rest of the members of his community (Marcellin would prefer that the letter be transmitted to the brothers in the community since he had no time to write to each one). and given after the Habit taking of the Novices on the feast of the Epiphany.

9. The letter told us about Br. Moise who was ill during that time. In this Letter Marcellin informed them that things had been running smoothly both in the motherhouse and other establishments that they had. He mentioned about the increase of numbers of students in the two new establishments namely, Saint-Genest and Sury, which were opened before November of the school year 1833-34.

10. Marcellin did not fail to mention to them in this letter the increasing numbers of novices and “another request for three brothers to open a sort of foster-home in the city of Lyons”. This concerned Marcellin well since these involved financial connotations and during that time they had not enough financial resources for the expansion of any projects.

11. Supplementary Data about the people involved B.1. Br. Antoine B.2. Br. Moise

12. Antoine Couturier • Born on 9th Prairial, Year VIII (18th June 1800) in La Valla-en-Gier, Loire, to Damien Courturier and Marguerite Bois. • - He joined the Novitiate in La Valla on Jan. 1, 1818 and received the habit on August 15, 1818 under the name of Br. Antoine. • - He made his private perpetual vows on October 11, 1826, which he renewed publicly ten years later, on October 10, 1836 (RVP, 1,28).

13. Assignments: 1818- 1822: He went with Br. Louis to open the school in Marlhes and remained there until its temporary closing in 1822. (Cf. Life,pp.81-84;87-88). 1822-1824: We do not know exactly where Br. Antoine was stationed during these years. (In the document, he was suspected as the other brother who was with Br. Jean-Marie (Granjon) to open the school in St. Symphorien-sur-Coise in 1823)

14. 1824- 1829: He replaced Br. Jean –Marie as director of that School and stayed there until 1829. Note: A conflicting idea (coming from the annalist) tells us that Br. Antoine was in St. Antoine in 1826, together with Br. Dominique. They followed Fr. Courveille who planned to found farming brothers there. They did not stay longer with him. Instead, they left him and returned to the Hermitage. (AFA, 214.71.8) To reconcile the two inconsistent ideas, they said that he had left during his stay in St-Symphorien and went back there after his return.

15. 1829 (November): He went to open the • school in Millery in • November with • Br. Gonzague. • He stayed there until 1840 with just one brief interruption: for at least few months he was replaced by Br. Jean Baptiste. • In Millery, Br. Antoine “took very well” and was very much loved by everyone. The Bishop of Soissons in the year 1883 who happened to be his student in Millery had fond memories of him.

16. 1840 (September) : Br. Antoine handed over the reins to Br. Denis, and went to take over the school in Ampus. It is said in the annals that people in this parish expressed their satisfaction with him. 1849 : Br. Antoine was replaced by Br. Hilarion 1851 (March 7): He died in Ampuis where he was buried.

17. Additional Information from the annals: Br. Antoine was described as “a perfect example of the excellent brothers formed by our venerated Founder. Simple, mortified, with unlimited devotedness, this good brother had not left the world only halfway. Like all the first brothers, he had little secular education, but laid great stress on religious instruction and had a great Love of poverty…”

18. Br. Moise • His name is Louis Fouet, from Sougraigne, district of Couiza, department of the Aude. • He is the legitimate son of Pierre and Marianne Baillat. • He possessed a certificate of good conduct and a third –class certificate of competence before entering the Novitiate of ND de l’Hermitage on May 18, 1834.

19. On July 13, 1834, he received the Religious habit of the congregation. • In 1834-1835, he was assigned to a school in Millery even as a novice, in view of is age and his diploma. • He stayed only for two years in the institute and left during the 1836 vacation at the latest. • This brother did not make his profession.

20. In the year 1838, in his letter to Fr. Mozelier, he asked him to accept him for his congregation. • This tells us that he was one of those men who go from one religious house to another hoping to discover their vocation. Therefore his request for admission to our congregation may not had been his first try.

21. B.3. Other Places mentioned : Millery : A rural town of 1275 inhabitants in 1880, belongs to the department of the Rhone, the arrondissement of Lyons, and the district of Givors. It is 8 km south of St. Genis –Laval. Lyon : The second largest city in France and capital of the department of the Rhone. It is the seat of an archdiocese which after the concordat of 1802 took in the three departments of the Rhone, the Loire and the Ain.

22. Attitudes of Marcellin

23. C.1. Sincere and Genuine “I can assure you that those I made for everyone, and for you in particular, are also very genuine.”; “Take good care of him so that he will recover quickly.”

24. C.2. Sensitive or Prudent “I do not think I will replace him unless he asks me to.”

25. C.3. Emphatic Person “Tell him that I empathize with all his difficulties and that I am grateful to him for everything he is doing.”

26. C.4. Trustful in God, in the sacred heart of Jesus and Mary “Pray for us…”; “I leave you in the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary.

27. Mentality of Marcellin over certain topics

28. D.1. Showing interest on others is vital for community life. D.2. It is important to “develop a finely-tuned awareness of others- a sensitivity of heart which is quick to see that a companion is troubled, and which finds a tactful way of helping him”.

29. D.3. Mary is our Ordinary resource D.4. God is the one who sends Vocations to us. D.5. God grants us the Grace that we need

30. Biblical Reminiscences E.1. Psalm 4: 4: “Know that the Lord works wonders for the faithful; the Lord hears when I call out.”

31. Phrases that impact you F.1. “I do not think I will replace him unless he asks me to.” F.2. “Mary, our common Mother, will lend him a hand.” F.3. “Pray for us that we may not do anything against God’s will.” F.4. “I leave you in the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, where I found you.”

32. Personal Reflections 1. Champagnat in this letter challenged me to be sensitive to the feelings of others and to refrain myself from expressing words that might hurt other (to be tactful).

33. 2. Marcellin was assured of Mary’s intervention. His love and trust for Mary was impressive. It was so natural for Him to call Mary with his whole heart and mind. As for myself, I really need to learn Marcellin’s way of relating with Mary, our Mother and Ordinary Resource and to journey with her in my religious life.

34. 3. I like his Humility before God and others. He knew his own limitations and so, he asked others to pray for him so that he may always have the strength to proclaim God’s goodness.

35. 4. I love his total trust in God: placing everything before Him. In his life, he knew that God would find a way no matter what and he was convinced that it was not his own plan but God’s. One of the best enlightenment given to me through this letter is to acknowledge that I am quite opposite to the founder’s attitude. In difficult situations, I have the desire to control and do things on my own. Consciously I knew of God’s presence but my attitude to (I) make things happen dominates.

36. Letter PS 053 Maraming Salamat/ Thank you!