Friday 27 January 2012

Saint Thomas Aquinas' prayer before Study


28 January is the feast of St Thomas Aquinas. Today we inaugurate the Center of Institutional Studies in Macau, the last piece to complete of institutional structure of formation which shall usher a new dawn in the life and missionary expansion of the Our Lady of the Rosary Province.
We pray that the Good Lord will continue to shower upon us with good and generous vocations to ensure a future for our ministries threatened by aging, sickness and fear for change and challenges.
Let me share to you the prayer of St Thomas which the community had printed as a souvenir for the occasion.

Prayer of Saint Thomas Aquinas before Study
Creator of all things, true source of light and wisdom,
lofty origin of all being, graciously let a ray of your brilliance penetrate into the darkness of my understanding and take from me the double darkness in which I have been born,
an obscurity of both sin and ignorance.
Give me a sharp sense of understanding, a retentive memory, and the ability to grasp things
correctly and fundamentally.
Grant me the talent of being exact in my explanations, the ability to express myself with thoroughness and charm.
Point out the beginning, direct the progress, and help in completion;
Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Tuesday 17 January 2012

DISCIPLES OF SAINT DOMINIC: VENERABLE MATTHEW OF FRANCE

(2)MATTHEW OF FRANCE, DOMINICAN ABBOT

The names "Matthew of France" and "Matthew the Frenchman," which all
the early writers give to this disciple of Saint Dominic, leave no doubt as to
his native land. Of his parents, or the date of his birth, nothing positive is
known. Those who say he first saw the light of day in Paris simply conclude
this from the fact that he studied there. Others who give this honor to the
domain of the former house of the Montforts, between the French capital and
Chartres, merely draw their inference from his connection, as a priest, with
Simon de Montfort. Neither assertion, as may readily be seen, rests on any
solid basis. It is certain, however, that he was a student at the University of
Paris; that he attended the course given by the renowned professor of canon
law, Blessed Reginald of Orleans; and that he distinguished himself as a
scholar[1].

After his ordination, but just how long afterwards it is not known, Matthew became associated,
in an ecclesiastical capacity, with Count Simon de Montfort. This was in 1209,
when the army of the crusaders entered Languedoc to combat the Albigensians.
Through his exemplary life, ability, and good judgment, Matthew soon
ingratiated himself with de Montfort. Indeed, the count not only manifested his
esteem for the zealous priest, but also honored him with his confidence.

When Castres fell under the authority of de Montfort, he used his right of patronage to
establish a body of twelve canons in the Church of Saint Vincent Martyr. This
measure was adopted as a means to suppress Albigensianism and to restore the
practices of the Catholic religion. Matthew of France was placed at the head of
this ecclesiastical group as its dean, or prior; for Count de Monfort adjudged
him the man most capable of carrying out the purpose of its institution, as
well as the most apt to devote his energies thereto. In the designs of heaven
the arrangements seem to have been intended for the furtherance of the plans of
Saint Dominic.

The Collegiate Church at Castres was dedicated to Saint Vincent Martyr of Zaragoza,
whose relics had been brought there long after his death. Dominic had a deep
devotion to him, for he had died in defense of the faith, and was a popular
saint in Spain. Whenever in the vicinity of Castres, on his journeys to and fro
through Languedoc, the itinerant preacher among the Albigensians, would not
fail to visit Saint Vincent's Church. More than once he gave the entire night
to prayer in the hallowed ground.

Simon de Montfort and Saint Dominic were close friends; so were Dean Matthew and Count
de Montfort. This fact alone would naturally have brought the two distinguished
ecclesiastics together on quite amicable terms. But Dominic's visits to Saint
Vincent's gave Matthew an opportunity to learn at first-hand the holy man's
virtue and spirit of prayer. There can be no doubt but that Dominic often
received hospitality from the canons and their zealous superior. No less
certain is it that Matthew, for he was a true churchman athirst for the
salvation of souls, accompanied the saint on some of his apostolic jaunts. The
more he saw of the spiritual harvester, the stronger and tighter grew the bonds
of love and esteem by which he felt himself drawn towards the man of God, with
whose spirit he became enamored.

Accordingly, when Dominic made known to him his design of establishing an apostolic Order,
Matthew offered his services for the project at once. In his conviction that
God now beckoned him to just such an august ministry, the prior of the canons
at Castres did not hesitate to relinquish his benefice in exchange for this new
way of laboring, for the defense of the faith, the conversion of sinners, and
the recall of those who had apostatized. For him a life of poverty, privation,
and hardship had no horrors, if only it enabled him to win souls to Christ.
From this time, Dominic became his model ambassador of heaven still more
emphatically than he had been before. He placed himself under the guidance of
the saint, and his subsequent life was in perfect accord with these noble
sentiments.

When Dominic went to Rome with Bishop Foulques of Toulouse, to secure the confirmation of
his proposed Order, he left Brother Matthew at Toulouse as one of his
disciples, This was in the late summer or early fall of 1215. While the saint
was absent, the former canon yielded to none in his zeal and labors in behalf
of religion. On the return of Dominic, in the first days of April, 1216,
Matthew was among those who received him with open arms.[2]

Innocent III, it will be recalled, accepted the Order in principle, but did not formally
confirm it. He told the saint to go back to Toulouse, gather his disciples
around him, together with them choose the rule of some pre-existing order, and
return to Rome. Then he would give the religious institute his final
approbation. For deliberation on a choice of so much importance Dominic then
convoked his companions together and by an unanimous voice they selected the
Rule of Saint Augustine. Matthew continued to dedicate himself to prayer and
apostolic ministry.

Meanwhile, Innocent died, and was succeeded in the papal chair by Cardinal Cencio Savelli,
who took the name of Honorius III.[3] This Pontiff formally confirmed the new Order on December 22, 1216. Dominic, who was in Rome for the occasion, reached Toulouse on his return journey in May, 1217. The next two months or more must have been given largely to serious
deliberation about the new Order, its aims and purpose, and the means to insure
its success.

One of the questions discussed was the dispersion of the little band of preachers to the
four corners of Europe, that they might begin the work of establishing the
Order and spreading its apostolate in various countries at once. In this, it
would seem, all the rest objected to Dominic's resolve. Even Bishop Foulques
and others not of the Order opposed it. Yet, as the saint could not be changed
on this point, they graciously acceded to his wish. Another matter that came up
for consideration was Dominic's all-consuming desire to devote himself to the
conversion of the infidels in the near east. Evidently, though it must have
been hard for them to do it, they acquiesced in this also. Some writers tell us
that, in anticipation of such missionary labors, the holy man now began to let
his beard grow.

Beloved Prouilhe, where he had started the Dominican Nuns nearly eleven years before
(in December, 1206), and which had been the center of his apostolate for ten
years, was chosen by Dominic as the place where the stamp of final approbation
should be put on all that had been decided. It was here therefore, he led the
community of Toulouse. Doubtless, at Prouilhe, a short time of retreat and
prayer preceded the consummation of this courageous action. On August 15, 1217,
the little band of preachers renewed their vows, possibly to insure their
validity in virtue of the Order's formal confirmation by Honorius. At the same
time, they received assignments to their respective spheres of activity.

Before the dispersion of the brethren, in order to forestall the possibility of the Order
being left without a head, in case he should die or become a martyr among the
infidels, Dominic held an election for the choice of one to be what we would
today call vicar of the institute. When the votes were counted, Matthew of
France seems to have been the preference of everyone. He was given the title of
“Abbot”. As will be seen later, this title was suppressed shortly afterwards,
probably at his own instigation. Thus Brother Matthew is the only person in the
history of the Order who ever held it. The fact of the universal choice of him
to rank next to Saint Dominic in the religious organization shows clearly the
high esteem in which he was held by his confrères, as well as by the Order's patriarch
and founder.

In the dispersion of the brethren Dominic chose Brother Matthew of France as head of
the band to found a house in Paris. With him were associated Brothers Mannes de
Guzmán, Bertrand of Garrigue, Juan of Navarra, Miguel de Fabra, and Lawrence of
England, and Oderic of Normandy. Brother Matthew was most likely detained in
southern France for further consultation on the Order with Saint Dominic, for
we are told that he and those who travelled with him did not reach the city
until about three weeks after Blessed Mannes, who arrived there September 12,
1217. For nearly a year the Brethren lived in a rented house, for they had no
means with which to secure one of their own.[4]

But finallyBrother Matthew obtained, through a gift, the Hospice of Saint Jacques from
Master Jean de Barastre[5]. By August 6, 1218, Matthew installed his community in this hospice, which later became the Saint Jacques Priory.

Although he met with a cordial reception from many of the university people, Matthew's
first days in Paris were far from easy. Fearful of the spirit of the new Order, the local clergy as a rule used it quite rudely. Indeed, it took all the authority of Honorius III to win fair treatment for the Brothers at first.[6] Blessed Reginald of Orleans was sent from Bologna to Paris that he might aid in the establishment of confidence by his unparalleled eloquence. In spite of the
opposition, however, Matthew had meanwhile received a number of splendid
candidates. Thus, when Saint Dominic arrived at Saint Jacques, before the
middle of 1219, he found it filled with some thirty Brothers. In accordance
with his principle of quick action, he forthwith sent confrères to establish
houses at Limoges, Rheims, Metz, Poitiers, and Orleans. Despite the unfriendly
feeling, Matthew's work bore these fruits in less than two years.

It will not be amiss to mention some of the earliest recruits whom Matthew clothed with the
habit and admitted to profession. They show the kind of men whom he won to the
Order.[7]

Many others of perhaps not less fame might be named among those whom the holy man admitted to the Order during his priorship in Paris. Indeed, Touron says his eulogy
might be written by the mere mention of them. Blessed Jordan of Saxony, a
veritable marvel of executive ability and personal magnetism -- Gerard de
Frachet, to whose Vitae Fratrum the Order owe the preservation of much
of their history -- and Henry of Utrecht, a model of eloquence and a mirror of
purity, might suffice to satisfy the spiritual pride of anyone. Matthew
obtained many recruits from among the students of the University of Paris, of
which he himself had been a pupil. His disciples toiled in various countries,
as well as in every sphere of intellectual, religious, and spiritual activity.
They won renown for themselves; they magnified the outward glory of God; they
advanced the cause of the Church; they made easier the way to heaven for
countless numbers of souls.[8]

By a happy combination of strength and determination with justice, good judgment, prudence,
kindness, and wise diplomacy, the venerable prior not only gradually bridged
over the difficulties that came from the clerical element who represented the
parishes of Paris, but even won their hearty friendship. All the early writers
praise his demeanor in this matter. Blessed Reginald, sent from Bologna to aid
him, did not live long enough to be of any great assistance in the affair[9].
By the time of the first general chapter, which opened in Bologna, Pentecost
Sunday, May 17, 1220, the opposition was in a fair course of settlement.

From the fact that his presence is not mentioned in the records some writers conclude that
Matthew did not attend this chapter. Yet his rank and position in the Order
overcome this argument of silence, for it is certain that the early annals are
far from complete, and convince us that he must have taken part in the
important assemblage[10]. Be this as it may, it is the general opinion that the title of abbot was
suppressed at this time. That of provincial for the head of a province, and
that of prior for the head of a Priory were adopted in its stead at the next
assembly, of which we have now to speak.

The same kind of incomplete and unsatisfactory records confront us in regard to the second
general chapter, which assembled in Bologna on May 30, 1221. Matthew's
attendance at it is not noted. Still we have the same reasons for believing he
was there as in the case of the previous chapter. The Order was then divided
into provinces. Possibly because led by Jacques Echard, who is at times
somewhat hypercritical, Touron says nothing of Matthew's appointment as the
first provincial of that of France. Yet the very positive statement of the
careful Bernard Gui to that effect seems to leave little or no room for doubt
that this honor was then conferred on the venerable superior of Saint Jacques
of Paris. Dominic would hardly have overlooked a man of his ability, character,
and standing. Most of the earlier writers follow the statement of Gui, and one
can but feel that they are right.[11]

Saint Dominic died two months after the close of this chapter -- August 6, 1221. Thus the
question arises Who, governed the Order from that time until May 22, 1222, when
the next general chapter met at Paris? Mortier discusses this matter; and, in
the absence of any record, he feels that some unrecorded provision must have
been made (in 1220 or 1221) for such a contingency. If any law of the kind did
exist, and it was in accord with that which was enacted somewhat later, by
virtue of it the chief authority in the Order devolved on Matthew of France for
these ten months and more as head of the province in which the next general
chapter was to be held. It may be, too, that the authority and rank (without
the title) given him at Prouilhe had not yet been revoked[12].

Meanwhile, in any case, the holy man had so enlarged the Priory in Paris that he was able to
accommodate the numerous brethren who attended this meeting from almost every
part of the Christian world. This must have been a source of no little joy to him.
Another cause for delight at the same time was doubtless the unanimous election
as Master of the Order of one whom he had admitted to the habit and religious
profession: Blessed Jordan of Saxony.

Everyone recognized in the venerable Brother Matthew of France the right man in the
right place. Thus he was left in his office of prior until death. From the
outset, the Brothers had the good will of the people; for zeal, virtue, and
eloquence are never slow in winning the hearts of the faithful. By this time,
too, those who had been opposed to the Order had learned to love the head of
the community. Vocations were numerous. A scholarly man himself, Brother
Matthew had his conventual school from the first. This he kept suited to the
ever increasing numbers of the candidates. Within the confines of the Priory,
and at least partly under his ever watchful eye, were trained men who must ever
occupy a conspicuous place in history[13].
The fame to which Saint Jacques Priory attained and the many outstanding men
who were educated there after Matthew's day were in no small measure due to the
way in which he started the institution.

Brother Matthew was universally admired, loved, and esteemed for his zeal, virtue,
kindness, judgment, and spirit of justice; and that he was a very popular
preacher. He preached with great facility and felicity. His sermons, abounded
in anecdotes and examples which the people long remembered. As a priest and
religious everyone looked up to him as a model. Nature gave him a splendid
judgment. He was strong under opposition, yet humble, conciliating, just, kindly, and ever anxious to do what was right. As a superior he ever avoided extremes, encouraged the diffident, corrected the careless (but without harshness), restrained those who sought to carry their mortifications beyond their strength, quickened his community with a love for study, and sought to bring out the best in everyone. In all things he set the example to be followed. With care did he eschew favoritism. His fine mind was replenished with a rich store of knowledge. In short, he was in every way fitted to be the founder of one of the world's great nurseries of orators, preachers, apostles, and scholars.[14]

Chapotin (op. cit., page 113), and the Année Dominicaine (II, page 128) place his death in December, 1227. He was buried in front of the prior's stall in the choir of Saint Jacques of Paris. Over his remains was placed a large slab, on which his likeness was chiselled. The idea in this was that, facing the superior, it might tell him: "Everyone who occupies this place should strive to imitate in all things the founder of our Priory and studium, Brother Matthew of France."[15]

He left a memory that will never fade.

[1] ALBERTI, fol. 79; Année Dominicaine, II (February), 67 ff; BALME-LELAIDIER, Cartulaire de Saint Doutinique, II, 15, and III, 58-59, 385, 387; CASTILLO, pp. 53-54, 56; CHAPOTIN, Dominic, O. P., Histoire de la Province de France; MALVENDA, pp. 170, 175, 221; MAMACHI, pp. 365-366, 410-411, 641; MORTIER, I, 27, 29, 90, 93, 104, and passim; PIO, Col. 12; QUETIF-ECHARD, I, 92; STEPHEN of Bourbon (mss.), De Septem Donis Spiritus Sancti, or De Diversis Materiis Praedicabilibus. We have added a great deal to this sketch from the Année Dominicaine and Chapotin. Matthew of France was rather neglected by the earlier writers; but these two works have made amends for this oversight. Some give lie de France, an old province of which Paris was the capital, as his birthplace. (Ed. note).
[2] GUI, Bernard, OP, Historia Fundationis Monasterii Pruliani, quoted in Acta Sanctorum, XXXV (first vol. for August), 439, No. 428.
[3] The great Innocent III was Cardinal Lotario di Segni.
[4] See also Année Dominicaine, II, 72-73, and MORTIER, I, 27, 29, 90.
[5] Some think that Master Jean de Barastre was of English birth, he had attained a high distinction in the ecclesiastical and learned circles of the French capital. His zeal and charity were proverbial.
[6] The Année Dominicaine and Chapotin give a number of documents on this subject.
[7] Among them were: Vincent of Beauvais, one of the most remarkable scholars of his age -- Peter of Rheims, who became bishop of Agen -- André de Longjumeau, who was Papal Legate to the Tartars and accompanied Saint Louis of France on his expedition to free the Holy Land from
the Turks -- Geoffrey de Blévex, one of the most noted professors in the University of Paris -- Philip, founder of the Priory at Rheims -- Laurence of Fougères, who was noted for his writings -- Henry of Marsberg, whose eloquence held Paris spellbound -- Guerric, founder of the Priory at Metz, and celebrated for his holiness and miracles -- Guillaume, a man of eminent sanctity and
founder of the Priory at Poitiers -- Etienne of Bourbon (or Belleville), a prolific writer and one of France's most apostolic men. Cfr Année Dominicaine, II, 75.
[8] Ibid., II, 84.
[9] Blessed Reginald lived only a few months after reaching Paris.
[10] BALME-LELAIDIER, as in note 1, II, 15, III, 58-59. One can hardly refuse to accept the conclusion of these authors.
[11] Ibid., III, 385, 387; CHAPOTIN, op. cit., p. 43; MAMACHI, p. 641. All the writers speak in terms of the highest praise of Bernard Gui, whose writings bear evident signs of his great research, care, and scrupulous exactness. It should also be noted, in this connection, that the
Province of Provence (now Toulouse) was established in France by the general chapter of 1221, with Blessed Bertrand of Garrigue as its provincial.
[12] MORTIER, op. cit., I, 137-138. See also CHAPOTIN, op. cit., pp. 43-44, 46.
[13] Such, for instance, were Hugues de Saint Cher, the great Scriptural scholar, and Humbert of Romans, the fifth Master of the Friars Preacher.
[14] Ibid., p. 96
[15] Ibid., and CHAPOTIN, op. cit., pp. 113-115.

THE FIRST DISCIPLES OF SAINT DOMINIC: BL MANNES DE GUZMAN


(1) BLESSED MANNES GUZMÁN
None of the early historical writers of the Order fail to mention Blessed Mannes
[1].
His stock was not the least noble among the grandees of Catholic Spain. His
parents were Felix de Guzmán and Juana de Aza, in whose veins also ran some of
the best blood of Old Castile. On both sides Mannes could count brave defenders
of his country; but what was of infinitely greater importance to him were the
holy lives of his own immediate family. His father was a splendid type of the
Christian gentleman. His mother has been raised to the honors of the altar
under the name of Blessed Juana. His eldest brother, Antonio, was a model
priest, who devoted his life to the care of souls, the welfare of the poor, and
the aid of the sick, and died with a great reputation for sanctity. Dominic,
the youngest and perhaps the only other child, became the founder of the Order
of Friars Preacher. Surely this is a record of which any one might well be
proud.
[2]

Mannes first saw the light of day in the ancestral castle, Caleruega, Old Castile. The date of his birth can only be estimated from that of Saint Dominic (1170), than
whom, we are told, he was a number of years older. Like Antonio, he chose the
ecclesiastical state at an early age. Of his ordination to the priesthood and
where he made his studies we know nothing. However, Spain was most likely the
theater of both. The earlier writers of the Order, while reticent about these
things, all tell us that he was of a retiring disposition, and much given to
prayer and contemplation.

Yet an apostolic zeal evidently burned in his breast. Almost immediately after the
return to Spain of Bishop Diego de Acebedo, whom Saint Dominic had accompanied
to Rome, Mannes set out for France. From the bishop he learned the need of
preachers in Languedoc, where Dominic had been left to combat the errors of the
Albigensians. Possibly Bishop Diego de Acebedo himself suggested that Mannes
should also take up this work. At any rate, we find him with his younger
brother before the close of 1207. From this time the two men, for they were
cast in the same spiritual mold, toiled hand in hand for nearly ten years that
they might free the Church of southern France from the poison and turmoil of
heresy, and restore it to its former peace and beauty.

Not once in all this time did Mannes take a vacation, or pay a visit to his native land,
which he loved none the less because he had dedicated himself to the service of
God. He felt that his place was where religion needed his attention so sadly.
His zeal was tireless; his efforts unceasing. Perhaps on no other did Dominic
depend so much. Doubtless, if the full truth were known, history would have to
associate Mannes more closely with the saint's success, as well as give him
more credit for the part he played in the conversion of the Albigensians. No
danger or hardship could cause him to falter in his labors. He was a splendid
preacher. Like Dominic, he intermingled prayer with his sermons and
instructions. By his shining virtues and mortified life he wielded a stronger
influence for good, whether among the faithful or those who had wandered from
the path of truth, than by his eloquence.

One of Blessed Mannes' most striking traits seems to have been his humility. He knew not the meaning of the word pride or jealousy. The one thing he sought was the
glory of God and the salvation of souls. Although older in years, he obeyed his
brother as a dutiful son does the will of his Brother. When Saint Dominic
established his Order, Brother Mannes was among the first to place himself
under his standard, and to receive the habit. Thus we find him among the
"sixteen" zealous men whom God selected as the foundation stones on
which to build the Order of Friars Preacher. One would be perfectly safe in the
assertion that, when (August 15, 1217) the chosen little band took their
religious vows on bended knees before the patriarch, not one of them entered
into the ceremony with a better heart, or in more of a spirit of self-sacrifice,
than Blessed Mannes.

This event took place in the Conventual Church of Sainte Marie’s of Prouilhe, southern France. The annals of Prouilhe are very explicit in the matter. From their
statement and that of Brother Juan of Navarra about the time of his entrance
into the Order, which he made in his testimony to the holy life of Dominic to
the papal commission appointed to examine the saint's cause for canonization,
it would seem that the sixteen brethren had taken their vows at Saint Romain of
Toulouse, after Innocent III sanctioned the foundation of the Order. However,
after its confirmation by Honorius III, Dominic had them renew their
profession. Such was his love for Prouilhe, around which so much of his work
centered, that he chose this place for the ceremony, and as the point of their
departure for the various countries to which he sent them.
[3]

Blessed Mannes was chosen as one of those who were to start a house of the new Order in Paris. He had six companions – Brother Matthew of France, who was the superior; Brother Bertrand of Garrigue, Brother Lawrence of England; the two Spaniards, Brother Juan of Navarra and Brother Miguel de Fabra; and Brother Oderic of Normandy. They travelled in two parties. That composed of Brothers Mannes,
Miguel and Oderic reached their destination first, September 12, 1217, being
the day of their arrival in the great French capital.

For a while the Brethren were obliged to live in a house near Notre Dame Hospital, in the center of the city. But their zeal, eloquence, and model lives soon won them
many friends. Among these was Jean de Barastre, a celebrated master of the
University of Paris, dean of Saint Quentin, and a royal chaplain. The noted
ecclesiastic had established a hospice for strangers near the City Gate called
"Porte d'Orleans." The hospice bore the name of “Saint Jacques”. This
he now conferred on the homeless Friars Preacher, and they took possession of
it August 6, 1218
[4]. It became the famed Saint Jacques Priory and Studium, than which none is more celebrated in the Order.

Blessed Mannes was one of the founders of this well-known institution, which played a conspicuous part in the history of the University of Paris. His sermons are
said to have borne rich fruit in the French capital, for he had a splendid gift
of oratory. Besides, he was endowed with an extraordinary personal magnetism;
while his kindly, open, and friendly disposition exercised a strong influence
over souls. Few could resist his appeals for a better life.

Just when the subject of this sketch left Paris, where he was much beloved, the writers donot tell us. But it is known that Saint Dominic himself sent him from there to
Madrid, Spain; and from this we can form a most reasonable conjecture as to the
time when Blessed Mannes returned to his native land, which he does not appear
to have seen since 1207. While in Spain in connection with affairs of his
Order, Dominic found Brother Pedro de Madrid organizing some pious ladies for a
religious community in that city. The saint gave them the habit, admitted them
to their vows, and started the construction of a Priory for them. This was
early in 1219. From Spain he made his way to Paris. While in this city, which
he reached before the middle of the same year, he evidently appointed Blessed
Mannes to take charge of the Nuns in Madrid, and sent him to the Spanish
capital; for we find him there shortly afterwards
[5].

Several things, no doubt, conspired to bring about the choice of Mannes for this
position. He was growing old, and long years of hard missionary labor must have
begun to tell upon his strength. He was a most spiritual, devout, and prudent
man, which recommended him for such a charge. His disposition led him to prefer
a quiet, retired life, in which he could give himself more to prayer and contemplation,
to one of activity among the people. Besides, his practical turn of mind
rendered him a suitable person to supervise the temporal affairs of the Nuns,
whose cloistered state made this difficult for themselves. The holy man called
their Monastery “Saint Dominic of Silos”, which he doubtless did because his
own brother was named after the Benedictine Abbot.

From Madrid Blessed Mannes attended the second general chapter of the Order, which was held at Bologna in 1221. Through him, on his return, Saint Dominic sent a letter to the youthful community of Spanish Nuns, which is of no little interest because
it is the only authentic writing of the saint which has survived the ravages of
time. In it he tells them, briefly, of the joy it gave him to hear, through his
brother Mannes, of their piety and of the completion of their Priory. Both the
one and the other are largely due to Brother Mannes' exertions. He is,
therefore, constituted their ecclesiastical superior, with almost plenary
powers
[6]

Very probably the holy man held this position the rest of his days, for we find no record of him elsewhere. With this work, we doubt not, he combined no little preaching in and around Madrid. At times perhaps his confrères took his place at the Nuns' convent, while he labored in more distant localities. His life as a religious
is said ever to have been edifying to his brethren and useful to his fellow
man. Some place his death in 1230. Others say that he died about this time ("circiter
1230").

But the Année Dominicaine informs us that Rodrigo de Cerrato, a Spanish Dominican of the thirteenth century, in his Vitae Sanctorum states that, after Saint Dominic's
canonization, Brother Mannes went to Caleruega and persuaded the people to
erect a church in honor of his brother; that he told them a modest edifice
would do for the time being, for Dominic would see that a larger one should be
built later; and that this prophecy was fulfilled some thirty years later.
[7]
This would make the holy friar die, at the earliest, in 1234 or 1235. It would
also explain how he came to be buried in the Church of San Pedro attached to
the Cistercian monastery near Gumiel de Izán. The monastery is not far from
Caleruega, the birthplace of Dominic and Mannes, whose ancestors were laid to rest
in its Conventual Church. Most probably, therefore, Mannes became sick while engaged in this work of piety, died with the Cistercians, and was buried in their church, for the simple reason that his own Order had no house in that part of Spain then
[8].

In his lifetime, he had been considered a saintly man and a perfect imitator of the
virtues of his brother, Saint Dominic. Not long after his death, miracles began
to be wrought at his tomb in such numbers that it became a place of pilgrimage.
Because of this his relics were transferred to a more honorable place.

Reports of the cures obtained through intercession to the man of God soon became
widespread. Devotion towards him grew particularly pronounced throughout Spain.
In the Diocese of Osma, and especially around Caleruega, he was considered one
of the popular saints. More than once petitions for at least his beatification
were forwarded to Rome. Although these were not acted upon, the veneration in
which Mannes was held rather waxed stronger than decreased with the course of
time.

For this reason, some six hundred years after his death, Gregory XVI, beatified him, and granted his office and mass to the Order of Preachers. July 30 was set apart as
his feast day. During the liturgical reform after the Council, his present liturgical memory is celebrated on August 18.

[1] MAMACHI, p. 373. The blessed's name is spelled in various ways by the different writers. Mames, Mannes, Manes, and Mamertus are all found. Mamertus is certainly a latinization of it. If it were Manes, most likely the Spanish tilde should be used over the n. Castillo, always spells it Mannes; and this we have adopted, for it seems to be the correct name.
[2] Acta Sanctorum,
XXXV (first vol. for August), 383, Nos. 128 ff; 383384; 440, No. 429; 547, No.
39; ALBERTI, fol. 179; Année Dominicaine,
VII (July 30), 819 ff; BALME (Francis.) -- LELAIDIER (Paul,), Cartulaire de Saint Dominique, 11, 379,
and 111, 79 ff; BZOVIUS, XIII, col. 306; CASTILLO, p. 54; FRACHET, de, p. 67;
GUIDONIS (Gui), Bernard, O. P., Historia Fundationis Monasterii Pruliani (in Edmond Martène's Collectio Amplissima); MALVENDA, pp. 176 ff; MAMACHI, pp. 373, 494, and appendix, col. 365; MORTIER, op. cit., I, 29, 90, 104; PIO,
col. 14; QUETIF-ECHARD, I, 16, 37.
It must have been through some oversight, or mishap, that Marchese failed to mention Blessed Mannes in his Sagro Diario Domenicano. The early
writers, as a rule, believed that Saint Dominic had only two brothers, and that
he had no sisters. Yet the Vitae Fratrum -- Reichert ed., p. 67 tell us that two of his nephews entered the Order and led holy lives. Similarly, Fr. Giovanni Antonio Flaminio (in his Vita Sancti Dominici -- quoted by Acta Sanctorum, XXXV, 384, N. 134), and Galvanus della Fiamma in his Chronica Ordinis Praedicatorum --
quoted by Mortier, op. cit.,
I, 2 tell us that Saint Dominic had a sister, and perhaps another brother.
[3] There was formerly no little discussion about where the first sixteen disciples of Saint Dominic made their religious profession. Touron says they made it at Saint Romain of Toulouse, in 1216; and the testimony of Juan of Navarra leaves no doubt but that he made his first profession there. Mortier (op. cit., I, 90) says they renewed their vows at Prouille. This was on August 15, 1217, after the Order's confirmation by Honorius III. Mamachi (page 409) speaks of the difficulty caused by the apparent contradiction between the testimony of Juan of Navarra and the Annals of Prouille, in de Percin's Monumenta Conventus Tolosani.
[4] MORTIER, op. cit.,I, 91; FLEURY, op. cit., XVI, 436 ff.
[5]BALME-LELAIDIER, op. cit., II, 240, 379.
[6] Ibid.,III, 79. The original of even this letter can no longer be found. Fr. Fernando
del Castillo, who discovered it, translated it into Spanish. From this language
it has been translated back into Latin. See page 78 of the volume noted at the
beginning of this note. The editors of the Cartulaire de Saint Dominique think this letter was written at the general chapter of 1220.
[7] Année Dominicaine, VII (July 30), 822. See also MAMACHI, p. 14.
[8] This perhaps led to a mistaken notion that Bl. Mannes was a Cistercian monk. in fact Dom Crisóstomo Enriquez, a Cistercian writer, (in his Menologium Cisterciense) included him as a Cistercian. However, this author has been criticized more than once for inaccuracies and carelessness. Eminent Cistercian scholar Abbot Claud Chalemot’s written entry on him in the Catholic Encyclopedia (VII, 219-220) reproaches Enriquez for omitting the names of a number of Cistercians and for putting others in his Menology who never belonged to the Order. Not only did Dominican writers correct him in this instance; for Mamachi, who says that Enriquez could not have read the epitaph on Blessed Mannes' tomb, informs us that another Cistercian author, Dom Angelo Manrique, states most positively (in his Annales
Cistercienses) that he was a Dominican and a brother of Saint Dominic de Guzman.

Tuesday 3 January 2012

the preaching of montesinos: fifth centenary

Five hundred years ago…Bro. Bruno Cadoré Master of the Order

Agitations and reports of civil unrest have made the news in recent months and continue to do so in several countries of the world. In one place, it is the determination to be freed from oppressive, authoritarian regimes. In another, there are groups who are questioning those systems, particularly economic systems, that seem to want to manage the world in spite of the inequality they establish between men and the serious anxieties they create, especially for the young. Here and there, often forgotten voices are making themselves heard, reminding us that the human being wants to be an actor in his own history, and aspires to freedom and justice. They are opening new horizons of hope for a habitable and sustainable world for all.

It is in this context that, responding to the request of the General Chapter of Rome, we are rereading in all our communities the sermon given to the community of Hispaniola by fr. Antonio de Montesinos. We remember the prophetic stance taken 500 years ago by those friars who were attentive to the realities of their time; who tried to understand the issues by taking a theological perspective; who sought to root their common preaching in this way. They wanted to present the Good News of the Gospel from the position of those who do not matter in the “way of the world”. We know that this preaching certainly provoked violent reactions from those whose privilege was threatened. But it also contributed to, on the one side, politicians re-evaluating their own methods and on the other, theologians, by speaking with politicians, taking their part in that decisive debate on the future of the world.

‘Are they not men?’, they cried. In many places throughout the world, brothers and sisters are still asking this radical question today. The power of this question lies not only in the evidence brought before those who exploit the weak in so many ways. The power is also in that assertion which somehow sounds hollow in contemporary debate: those whom you exploit (or even ignore in the march towards humanity’s future) are not only men but especially they are our brothers. But, this assertion immediately raises the corollary: we are their brothers, or rather, their preachers; we are sent to ask them if they will accept us as brothers. The preaching of the Order is rooted in this fraternity with our contemporaries with whom, sharing in the Word, we desire to meet Him who is the Way, the Truth and the Life.

Beyond the memory of an event of which the Order can be proud, the celebration of this anniversary is also a call for us to the responsibility of preaching today. What are the perspectives for us from which we realise the urgency of making the Word heard?