CANDIDATES FOR SAINTHOOD: FEBRUARY 2014 FR. PAUL LANDOLFI This month we focus on Blessed Fr. Chaminade, Founder of our Marianist Family. When we look at his life and work we are reminded of the Scriptural watchmen who patrolled the city walls. He had a unique way of doing this. I believe his method is also quite applicable to our own Marianist lay or religious communities and the various works that develop from their ministries. These notes are based on a presentation given to the Catholic League of Chaminade HS, Kellenberg HS, and Sacred Heart HS on Long Island, NY. What was his method? Blessed Fr. Chaminade read the signs of his times, responded to them in the best way he could, and was guided by the inspirations he received in prayer. Let us examine these more closely. Two points stand out among his inspirations. The first is the role and protection of Mary, Mother of God, our Lady of the Pillar. Secondly, Blessed Fr. Chaminade knew that the laity in the Church had to be involved in working for the Kingdom of God. What was the spirit of the times and the culture in France? This was the period of the French Revolution and the age of the Philosophes. Liberty, Equality, Fraternity were the watchwords everywhere. The Philosophes were the learned men who tended to glorify the almightiness of human knowledge. Reason was everything. There was no room for faith. If something wasn t practical, then it was useless. There could be no such thing as a miracle. It just meant that science had not developed enough in order to explain it. Tradition and past knowledge were passé. Though many of the ideas of these philosophers had good aspects, what was largely behind their thinking was the desire to discredit the Church. Voltaire fought against traditional established Christianity (the Church as an institution). Yet he would proclaim the moral proof for the existence of God. Without God, morality is impossible; therefore God must exist. If He does not exist, then we would have to invent Him. Diderot and the Encyclopedists wanted to collect all human knowledge, but their real motivation was to discredit the Church s authority. They did not want any dogmas.
Rousseau, however, rejected the almightiness of human knowledge and preferred to promote a back to nature movement. By this he meant that there are no class distinctions; everyone is equal. As a side note, even the terrible guillotine, founded by Dr. Guillotin, was meant to be a merciful development. Before its invention criminals would be ripped apart by horses. Guillotin was against the death penalty, but developed his weapon so that all would get the same treatment, rich and poor. The nobles and clergy could not buy their way out of it. They would receive the same treatment that the poor would receive. Blessed Fr. Chaminade was able to read these signs well. We must learn this art also, because the same kinds of circumstances are present in our own day. The four foremost conditions of that era sound strangely familiar for us today. First there was an exorbitant national debt. We are approaching 16-17 trillion dollars in debt. Then there was the conspicuous consumption by the rich nobles and even clergy, while the poor really starved. Let them eat cake! Consider the great number of the poor in our cities today and the struggles going on just to survive. Our times seem very much like those of the French Revolution period. A third prevailing condition then that is similar to ours today was the high unemployment rate coupled with high prices. The number who are out of work, those whose jobs are no longer relevant, those whose hours have been cut in order to avoid paying benefits, those who are searching for another job because the first job does not pay enough for them to provide for their family these are conditions that foster revolution. A fourth reason was the ineptitude of the leaders. In France the King was very weak. We complain about our Congress and its inability to get anything done. Instead of working together, it is simply finding ways to stay in power. If one reads the signs of the times, it becomes evident that underlying all of these conditions was the culture of death. The real problem was the rejection of God s plan and His authority. It was tending towards becoming a God-less society. Blessed Fr. Chaminade saw this clearly. He recognized the importance of becoming men and women of faith. How did he respond to his reading of the signs of the times?
Blessed Fr. Chaminade was a naturally cautious and prudent man. He began to prepare for what he saw coming. He bought another residence in which he placed his mom and dad. This would be a hiding place. He chose a number of disguises, by which he would still be able to move easily around the city. He peddled pots and pans, sharpened scissors, and like things. He thought about his possible exit strategies. Fidelity to God for him was his first duty. He and his brothers refused to take the Civil Oath which would effectively separate them from the Roman Catholic Church and pledge their allegiance to a French Church. A person s character can be measured by how one deals with pressure. Blessed Fr. Chaminade, at a time in his life which was frightening, stood his ground for the truth. As a priest, he realized that he was ordained to serve the faithful. He remained on the scene, but undercover. During this time he also became aware of some of the faithful with whom later he would collaborate in the works that God and Mary would inspire in him. Therese de Lamourous became one of his most trusted helpers. She would have secret Masses in her home. Young adults and children collaborated by leading the peddler to homes where pastoral ministry was needed confession, a wedding, Mass, or someone dying. You may wonder, was Blessed Fr. Chaminade ever afraid? I think so. Would you not be when you realize that with one mistake you may become another statistic of the Revolutionary government! As Fr. Chaminade made his rounds each day he would see the tumbrels carrying those who would be guillotined that day. At the same time, however, he came to appreciate the significance of Divine Providence. Jesus and Mary were with him on this journey and he would often experience their special help. At times when he seemed to be caught red-handed, he marvelously escaped. Once a child present at the clandestine Mass he was celebrating, after the gendarmes had gone, asked, Did you see the beautiful Lady who was hiding him? Later in his life, when speaking to his religious, Blessed Chaminade would say we can expect miracles. He had developed such confidence in Mary. When the Revolution let up a bit, Blessed Fr. Chaminade began to exercise his ministry publicly. However, soon after, the turmoil resumed and he was trapped. This time he would have to go into exile. He joined many other French exiles in Saragossa, Spain, arriving there on the eve of the feast of Our Lady of the Pillar. Life in exile was
difficult. The French exiles were not allowed to have jobs, so it was very hard for them to eke out a living. They did help each other. This was a lesson that truly impressed Fr. Chaminade., He was able to see in miniature a picture of the Church. There were in exile Bishops, priests, religious men and women, married couples, single persons, young adults and children. This must have been part of the inspiration he received. It was the faithful working together under the leadership of Mary. This was like a snapshot of the Marianist Family. Under her guidance her family would do its part to help establish the Kingdom of Jesus her Son. What might Blessed Fr. Chaminade say to us today? I believe he would encourage us in four directions. First, we must remember that we are in a struggle between good and evil, between God and Satan. Put God s armor on so that you may be able to stand firm against the tactics of the devil (Eph. 6:11). We ask Fr. Chaminade to help us stay close to God in prayer and to grow in love for the Lord. Secondly, we must be good watchmen and women who patrol our city walls. We do this by developing an authentic critical sense, reading the signs of the times and even the unintended consequences of decisions that are being made each day. Thirdly we cannot work alone. We must remain united with our sisters and brothers in the Marianist Family. In union there is strength. Above all, we must go to our Mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary. She will lead us, counsel us, encourage us, teach us and help us. Blessed Fr. Chaminade reminds us: Without Mary, we cannot succeed; With Mary, we cannot fail. Addenda We are getting closer to printing 2 booklets that feature Faustino and his influence. Fifty times, I love you This booklet is about Venerable Faustino and his devotion to the Rosary. His reflections show a young boy discerning God s call in his life and his efforts to respond. He will certainly show us how to link our lives with our prayer. He has reflections that follow the 20 mysteries of the Rosary, i.e., the entire life and mission of Jesus and Mary.
Heloise In the wake of Faustino The Joy and the Cross Heloise is a young woman who attends the Marianist school in Bordeaux. She has the same illness as Faustino. What she hears about Faustino she tries to live out also. She will call him my coach. Through him she learns to live her life in joy despite her suffering. Both these booklets hopefully will find much resonance with young people today.