Posts

1297-1344 of 1833
"We must be faithful to our missionary tradition of learning lan-guages and taking root amongst a people. We should not feel guilty about limiting our work to a specific human…
Cf. Spiritual Letters, IV, 622, 1850.
Be convinced of this, that to fail in the line of God’s work you have only to decide on the following way of acting: “I will go straight to my… fr pt
The last writings of Sr. Eugénie Caps [25.02.1931] before her death in the hospital at Sierre in Switzerland
In all my struggles and temptations, I turn to prayer rather than reflection. At the most difficult moment, I stand and wait! Here I am, Jesus!. The future doesn't matter,… fr pt
Cf. Spiritual Letters, I, 115, 1835.
Pay attention to a maxim which I will give you, I believe it to be of greatest importance in the spiritual life. We must seek less to know what we… fr pt
Pierre Haas, Superior General, in his introduction to the Spiritan Rule of Life
The Church, by beatifying Jacques Laval and Daniel Brottier, recognises that the way pioneered by Claude Poullart des Places and Francis Libermann, and subsequently followed by generations of Spiritans, is… fr pt
Cf. Notes and Documents, II, 133, 1840.
Christian perfection does not consist in a certain more or less elevated state of prayer but in a perfect union of love with Our Lord, founded on a complete renunciation… fr pt
"In Africa, where light and shadow, joy and sorrow, hope and despondency, good health and bad will follow each other in such disconcerting and rapid succession, one needs an extra…
Cf. Notes and Documents, XII, 199, 1850.
We have kept along the way of Providence up to now, it alone leads me. I have never been able to realize a plan that I dreamt of. I have… fr pt
"I have not advanced to the sub-diaconate because my sickness has not altogether left me- in fact, I will probably have it for a long time to come. So it…
Cf. Notes and Documents, II, 443, 1841.
Our Lord wants our business to drag on. Every step take must have its hitches and delays, so that I learn to abandon everything into his hands and repose in… fr pt
"Once we had all been beaten, we were marched out of the cells in a line. We filed in front of the guard and at the door we were made…
Cf. Spiritual Letters, IV, 458, 1847.
When you happen not to be of the same opinion as your confreres, lose your judgement in the general opinion. Avoid inflexibility in your judgement, in your words, in your… fr pt
"The aim of M. des Places and his successors in establishing the Seminaire du Saint-Esprit is to train priests who are hardworking, capable and unselfish, ready to fill the most…
Cf. Notes and Documents, X, 151, 1848.
To wish to remain cramped up in the old days, and in the habits and spirit that ruled them, is to bring our efforts to nothing. So embrace the new… fr pt
"The Spirit goes ahead of us on the path of mission and signs of his presence accompany our work. Mission is therefore a pilgrimage, an adventure, contemplation and discovery of…
Cf. Notes and Documents, X, 151, 1848.
We must remember that we are presently no longer in the old scheme of things. The world has moved forward and the enemy man has drawn up his batteries according… fr pt
Jacques Laval to Ignace Schwindenhammer, 06.09.1859
I have had the joy of making my perpetual vows in the church of Sainte-Croix in the presence of the Reverend Father Visitor. I believe that I made them with… fr pt
Cf. Spiritual Letters, IV, 680, 1851.
What strikes me the most is that God has given us the responsibility for the mission of Guinea, and that he gives us all a burning desire to convert that… fr pt
"We experienced an ardent and continuous desire to help these un-fortunate people (the Blacks). We regarded this desire as an inspira-tion from God, strengthened by the encouragement we received from…
Cf. Spiritual Letters, II, 475, 1840.
We will only stop when we are at the foot of a wall, wait there with patience and confidence until there is an opening, then continue as if nothing had… fr pt
General Chapter Itaici, no. 9
Gradually, the faith-perspective of St. Paul and François Liber-mann began to take hold: 'For it is when I am weak that I am strong' (2Cor 12:10). The trust of our… fr pt
Cf. Spiritual Letters, II, 475, 1840.
If only easy things were to be undertaken in the Church, what would have become of the Church? Saint Peter and Saint John would have continued to fish on Lake… fr pt
"Going over the writings of Poullart de Places meditatively (a thing we seem to do seldom today) and abstracting from their dated style, there comes across a sense of great…
Cf. Notes and Documents, VI, 322, 1844.
If our poor prudence wishes to struggle against Providence, it would go wrong. Our work has been moving for two years that I only think about it, and I would… fr pt
Joseph Shanahan, quoted by Sr. M.Philomena Fox, p.50
"Every little detail is meant to mould our souls and draw them nearer to Himself. Then let us throw all - our sins, our faults and all besides into the… fr pt
Cf. Notes and Documents, VI, 322, 1844.
God will manifest his will, his plans. We must not be headstrong in our ideas, we must not be rigid. fr pt
Pierre Haas, Superior General: Christmas Letter, 1990
The poor person's money is extremely honest; our own money is honest, which comes more from widows' mites than from the crumbs that fall from the tables of the rich.… fr pt
Cf. Notes and Documents, VI, 322, 1844.
I assure you that if I had followed my own ideas, I would have been on my guard against undertaking so much at once. It frightens me, but what can… fr pt
Libermann: Commentary on St. John's Gospel, 4:8
"A Samaritan woman came at that time to draw water from the fountain. It was divine Providence which led here there at that exact moment for her own salvation. Our… fr pt
Cf. Notes and Documents, VI, 322, 1844.
Take courage and do not get upset if things do not go perfectly according to plan. You see that I do not do what I wish. Providence guides our work… fr pt
José Maria Felgueiras, a Portuguese confrere fatally wounded in an accident while trying to save a young boy in Spain. Spiritan Papers no. 19
I was aware of being dragged by the train and left in bits on the sleepers. I counted the wagons still to pass over me until the end of the… fr pt
Cf. Notes and Documents, XIII, 353, 1851.
If they are holy religious, they will save souls. If they are not, they will do no good, because God’s blessing is attached to their holiness and their holiness depend… fr pt
Jacques Laval to his sister and brother-in-law, 13.09.1853
Port-Louis, where I am working, is a large town; with its suburbs, there are around 30,000 people, all of whom have to be visited. We have to teach, catechize, console,… fr pt
Cf. Notes and Documents, XIII, 353, 1851.
These poor children, having left their countries to be missionaries, have always kept the notion “I am a missionary above all”. Consequently and without realizing it, they did not attach… fr pt
Daniel Brottier quoted in the process of beatification, p. 24
"The doctors are trying to decide what is wrong with me: if they only knew how many desperate people come knocking on my door and how powerless I am to… fr pt
Cf. Commentary of the Provisional Rule, 150, 1845.
Genuine zeal, peaceful, humble and constant, sanctifies the soul, it does not become annoyed, but tends to make us pray for the souls in sin, offering ourselves to God for… fr pt
Daniel Brottier, quoted by Père Pichon in his life of Brottier, 1938, p. 329
"Friendship is to forget oneself for the happiness of another person. It is a rare and divine gift- the most perfect of human virtues. By sharing joys, we increase their… fr pt
Cf. Commentary of the Provisional Rule, 150, 1845.
Imaginary zeal, on the other hand puts the soul into difficulties and inspires it with sentiments of haughtiness and vanity, it invites those who possess it to make great imaginary… fr pt
Ch. Besnard : Vie de Grignon de Montfort
"M. Claude-François Poullart des Places, to whom the Seminaire du Saint-Esprit owes its existence, came from a very ancient family of Brittany in the diocese of Saint-Brieuc. He was born… fr pt
Cf. Commentary of the Provisional Rule, 150, 1845.
True zeal consists in pure burning charity, and consequently, it is not to be sought in the imagination. What distinguishes true zeal, from the zeal which is only an effect… fr pt
Bishop François-Xavier Vogt C.S.Sp.
We must recognise and give high praise to the achievements of the Pallotine Fathers in Cameroon. We should never speak of them dis-paragingly. They experienced far more difficulties than we… fr pt
Cf. Notes and Documents, XIII, 170, 1851.
To preach the Good News to the poor, that is our general goal. Nevertheless, the missions are the principal object we aim at, and in the missions we have chosen… fr pt
Le Vavasseur: his witness regarding Libermann
Total abandonment to God as a part of his spiritual teaching grew from his own complete refusal to put any trust in himself or any other created thing. The situation… fr pt
Cf. Notes and Documents, XIII, 170, 1851.
Providence has given us our work for the Blacks, whether in Africa, or in the colonies. These are unquestionably the most miserable and abandoned of the populations up till today.… fr pt
Pierre Schouver, Christmas Letter, 1993
In the wake of Itaici, recent chapters of provinces, foundations, districts and groups have shown a surprising dynamism, not just in facing up to present difficulties but in renewal and… fr pt
Cf. Commentary of the Provisional Rule, 150, 1845.
A popular illusion about the nature of zeal is to picture the zealous person, as someone always in movement, always in a visible effervescence, always out of himself. This is… fr pt
Père Daniel Brottier, 1923
In me, as in the four directors who have preceded me at Auteuil, you will find a great desire to be of service to you at a time when things… fr pt
Cf. Notes and Documents, VIII, 352, 1846.
How much I would love to have a few hours among you, to build Jesus’ bond of charity more and more! Especially if you have been failing in that. But… fr pt
1297-1344 of 1833