Father Faber

FATHKR FABER

BY W. HALL-PATCH

LIBRARY ST. MARY'S COLLEGE

The Founder of The London Oratorv

FATHER FABER

By W. HALL-PATCH

Verger at the London Oratory

With a Foreword by

His Eminence
CARDINAL BOURNE

BURNS & GATES, LTD.

28 ORCHARD STREET

LONDON, W

1914

Printed by The Westminster Press,
diia Harrow Road, London, W.

FOREWORD

THE name of Father Faber
is a household word among
Catholics in England, and
his hymns and other writings are in
grateful remembrance wherever
Catholics use the English tongue.
But those still left who knew him
personally are now very few ; the
Life written soon after his death is
not easily found, and the details of
his interesting career and edifying
life are in danger of being forgotten.
For this reason we heartily welcome
this account of the first Superior
of the London Oratory, which owes
so much of its ever fruitful work to
his inspiration and the traditions
that he established. We beg God's
blessing and reward for the compiler.

FRANCIS CARDINAL BOURNE,
Archbishop of Westminster.

February 4^, 1914.

ALL that the author desires in this little
Life of Father Faber is to supply a
demand to which he, in his position,
has repeatedly had his attention drawn,
viz., a small cheap book telling something
about Father Faber.

Most grateful thanks are offered to
Father Sebastian Bowden and to Father
K. D. Best for their kindly advice, and
the permission of the latter to use his
poem on " Faber's Grave." And also
to Father Ralph Kerr for permission
to reproduce the pictures for the
illustrations.

September 1913.

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

Father Faber Frontispiece

Facsimile of the MS. of Father Fact-nf fafe
Faber's most popular Hymn 29

The First London Oratory,

King William St., 1849-1853 39

A Ragged Congregation 42

The Old Oratory at Brompton 45

The New London Oratory 50

Father Faber's Grave 55

F

I

REDERICK WILLIAM FABER

was born on June 28, 1814, the
man who, under God, was des
tined to do more for the revival of the
Catholic Faith in England than any
other during the short period of his life
in the Church. His grandfather was
incumbent of Calverley, and at the
vicarage there Frederick William Faber
first saw the light. He was not baptized
at the church at Calverley, as might have
been expected but was taken to the
church of St. Wilfrid, whose name he
afterwards took and to whom he appealed :

" Make us the missioners of Mary and of
Rome."

As a child, " the child of his mother's
prayers," he was a great favourite, and
is described as " of an open disposition,"
ardent and impulsive, eager and deter
mined, generally looking on any under
taking which he had in hand as being of
the greatest importance.

FATHER FABER

His parents' Calvinistic views of ne
cessity influenced the mind of the child,
and we find them expressed from time
to time in his earlier years at Oxford.

At the age of 1 1 years he had been sent
to Shrewsbury School, afterwards going
to Harrow, where he remained till his
matriculation at Oxford (Balliol) in 1832,
going into residence in 1833. The
description given of him at this time
reads like a page from the life of his
beloved father St. Philip : " Of pre
possessing appearance, with great con
versational gifts, a general favourite,
and leading a life full of joy, innocence
and purity," which description may well
be used for the whole of his life.

His father died the year of his going to
Oxford, his mother died four years before.

Indeed, the life of Faber can almost be
learned from his poems and hymns, which
often read like a diary. " I worship
Thee, Sweet Will of God" was the
refrain which ran through the whole of
his short but busy life. His poetical

FATHER FABER

instincts early showed themselves. The
impressions of his childhood and the
beauty of the scenes in which his early
years were passed never faded from his
mind :

" How wonderful Creation is !
The work that Thou didst bless ;
And, O what then must Thou be like,
Eternal loveliness."

Oxford, too, made its deep impression
on him. The Rev. John Henry Newman
was then vicar of St. Mary's. Faber soon
became what he called " an acolyth" to
the man who was destined to be his Su
perior in the Congregation of St. Philip.
In the year 1833 began the great Move
ment known as the " Tractarian," for
the revival of High Church principles ;
and Faber's correspondence shows the
effect it had on him. On the first day of
1834 we find him writing : " Transub-
stantiation has been bothering me, not
that I lean to it ; but I have seen no
refutation of it." But still the early
influences prevailed. He feared that the

FATHER FABER

Tractarian Party would be led on to
extremes, and almost resolved to return
to the Evangelical tenets he formerly
held. In a letter to J. B. Morris, he says :
" I am now never happy unless I am
thinking, talking and writing respecting
things eternal " — " yet I have had none
of those miraculous heart awakenings,
none of those visible interferences of the
Spirit to pluck me as a brand from the
burning. However, I suppose the power
of religion acts in ten thousand different
ways, and by ten thousand various instru
ments, according to the constitutions and
temperaments of those over whom its
agency is to be exercised. Nevertheless,
I must likewise confess that when I look
for the fruits of my faith, I cannot
find any."

From now he is continually quoting
Newman, at first to criticise him : " In
arranging my thoughts for my Church
Article, I have been thinking a great deal
on the merits and tendency of Newman-
ism and I have become more than ever

FATHER FABER

convinced of its falsehood. . . . Am I
chimerical in anticipating quite as much
danger from the mysticisms of Newman
as from the rationalities of Whateley ? I
can most sincerely say, that after having
been an unprejudiced acolyth of New
man's, an attentive reader of his works,
and a diligent attender at his Church, I
found the impressive simplicities of the
Bible irksome to me : all its great consol
ations were knocked away from under
me, and vague bodiless Platonic reveries
were the food my soul craved for. Observe
I know that this is not the case with
Newman himself. I believe him to be an
eminently pious, humble-minded Chris
tian, but I think that he has sat at the feet
of the early contemplative philosophers
with an unscriptural humility and that he
has imbibed their notions. Of course it
would be preposterous in me to charge
upon Newman what was probably in a
great measure my own fault ; but still
I think I may argue that the tendency of
his system is bad."

5

FATHER FABER

In the beginning of 1835 he went into
residence at University College, having
been elected Scholar in the autumn, and
although he set himself to work hard at
his classics, felt very dubious as to the
probability of taking honours. He be
came a member of the Union debating
society, and spoke often, gaining a place
in the front rank with men like Tait
(afterwards Archbishop), " Ideal " Ward
and Sir Roundell Palmer (afterwards
Lord Chancellor). He also wrote maga
zine articles and verses and competed
for the Newdigate prize poem in 1835,
the subject being " The Knights of St.
John." Owing to illness he was unable
to sit for his Degree examination as he
had intended ; in Easter Term, 1835,
having withdrawn he " went down " for
a short time, and, during his absence
heard that his poem had gained the
coveted prize, and that of the thirty-
seven poems sent in, none came into any
close rivalry with the winner. The
recitation took place on June isth, 1836.
6

FATHER FABER

Holiest of Knighthood's gallant sons

were ye,

A sainted band, the Knights of Charity !
'Twas not an earthly guerdon that

could move
Your gentle Brotherhood to acts of

love."

II

A great change occurred in Faber's
religious life in the spring of 1836. The
reaction caused by the fear of the effects
of the Tractarian Party wore off, and
he became a close follower of Newman,
and a strong adherent of Anglican
principles, in opposition to the claim
of the Catholic Church, though we find
him, all the same, quoting Dr. Wiseman
from time to time. In a letter he writes
at this time : " I have just come from a
magnificent lecture (by Newman against
the Church of Rome) on St. Peter's
prerogative. He admits the text in its full
literal completeness, and shows that it
makes not one iota for the jurisdiction
of the Bishop of Rome."

For some four or five years the whole
atmosphere of England had been full of
" Reform," not only of the constitution,
but of Law and the Church, and a general
attack was expected on the English
Establishment. One party held that she
8

FATHER FABER

was a political body under the discipline
of the State, and the other that she was
the successor of the Church of the
Apostles. In such a state of chaos,
earnest-minded men were searching
diligently for more light, amongst them
Newman and — on the opposing side —
Arnold, whose system was what J. S.
Mill called " shilly-shally and incon
sistent." He viewed the Church as an
essentially Protestant establishment. The
followers of Newman regarded her as
part of the Church Catholic. No wonder
Newman wrote " Lead kindly light "
since he found himself in such a world
of mist and gloom.

Faber's introduction to Newman was
brought about by the share he took in
the translation of the works of St.
Optatus. Henceforth their names were
to be constantly associated. On August
6th, 1837, Faber received Deacon's
orders at St. Wilfrid's Cathedral at
Ripon, and at once started as an assistant
at Ambleside, remaining till his return

FATHER FABER

to Oxford at the end of "the long."
On May 26th, 1839 ^e was ordained by
the Anglican Bishop Bagot. Soon he
published some tracts on Church matters
which had a large circulation, and his
preaching began to attract attention.
He still hung back from a too close con
nection with the " Tractarians " but
followed closely all that Newman wrote
and said. " I think you will be delighted
with Newman's lectures," he writes on
March 31. "It supplied me with what
I had long wanted — clear and positive
statements of Anglican principles."

At Cologne, in the autumn of 1839,
he and a friend who was with him
attended the Divine Office almost daily.
" We both of us got Mechlin Breviaries
at Mechlin," he says, and he had pre
vailed upon a priest whose acquaintance
he had made to " tutorise him in the
Breviary."

His life was now an extremely busy
one ; his parochial work was re
warded by the Church - attendance
10

FATHER FABER

being more than doubled. He also
published a small collection of poems.
Towards the end of the year 1840 it was
rumoured that he was about to marry,
and he writes to his old friend, the Rev.
J. B. Morris : " With regard to marriage,
as one does not like foolish reports to go
about, I may as well say that I have no
prospect of it, however remote ; and
neither have nor have had, any engage
ment," adding that he honoured celi
bacy so highly, and regarded it " so
eminently the fittest way of life for a
Priest, that if Christ would graciously
enable me to learn to live alone, I
should prefer much, even with great self-
denials to live a virgin life, and to die a
virgin as God has kept me hitherto."

The year 1841 was passed in travelling,
and he was much struck in Dresden by the
" Lutheran Sunday." After attending
Mass, he went through the town, and
declared that he had never in any Roman
Catholic capital seen Sunday so " fear
fully profaned." " I never saw a more

B2 II

FATHER FABER

profane scene. No person who has not
been abroad and heard and seen and
investigated for himself, would credit the
extensive system of lying pursued by
English travel-writers, tract compilers
and Exeter Hall speechmakers, respecting
the Roman Catholic abroad. These dull
seekers scrape the sewers of England to
roughcast the Church of Rome with
their plentiful defilements."

12

Ill

We now enter upon what may be
called the last phase of Faber's life as a
Protestant. In the autumn of 1842 he
was offered the Rectorship of Elton,
and from then till November 1845 his
life was one long struggle, ending in his
reception into the " Fold of Peter "
by Bishop Waring. It was on his telling
Wordsworth of his intention of going to
Elton that he replied, " I do not say
you are wrong, but England loses a Poet."

He determined, however, before taking
up his duties, to go once more through
some of the Catholic countries and look
more closely into the methods adopted
by the Church in matters appertaining
to the cure of souls. Having obtained
letters of introduction from Dr. Wise
man and Cardinal Acton, he started off
in the early spring, stopping first at
Rouen, Eastering in Bordeaux, and after
a stay in Marseilles, reaching Rome on
May gth. " By moonlight I have prayed

13

FATHER FABER

at the Tomb of the Apostles, almost
alone in the metropolitan church of the
whole world."

His diary and letters of this time reveal
his drawings to Catholicity. Dr. Baggs,
who was Rector of the English College,
soon put him in the way of seeing
the workings of the various organs of
chanty and religion in Rome. Referring
to a visit to the room in which St. Philip
used to say Mass at the Chiesa Nuova,
he afterwards wrote : " How little did I,
a Protestant stranger in that room years
ago, dream that I should ever be of the
Saint's family, or that the Oratorian
Father who showed it to me should in a
few years be appointed by the Pope the
novice master of the English Orato-

rians."

On June ijth an audience of the Holy
Father is thus described : " On entering
I knelt down, and again when a few yards
from him, and lastly before him ; he held
out his hand, but I kissed his foot. He
spoke of Dr. Pusey's suspension for

«4

FATHER FABER

defending the Catholic doctrine of the
Eucharist, with amazement and disgust ;
he said to me, * You must not mislead
yourself in wishing for unity, yet waiting
for your Church to move ; think of the
salvation of your own soul.5 . . . He laid
his hands on my shoulders and I imme
diately knelt down ; upon which he laid
them upon my head, and said, ' May the
Grace of God correspond to your good
wishes, and deliver you from the nets of
Anglicanism, and bring you to the true
Holy Church.' I left him almost in
tears ... I shall remember St. Alban's
Day, 1843, to my life's end."

IV

From this time Faber was practically
convinced of the truth of the Church's
claim, and he was only kept in the
Anglican Church by what he called " the
fear of self-will." A friend persuaded him
into wearing a miraculous medal, which
he kept as a souvenir of this eventful
journey. His remaining in the Church of
England was clearly due more to the
feelings for his friends, and the influence
of Newman and others to whom he
looked as his leaders.

After the publication of " Tract 90,"
and its subsequent censure, a letter was
sent to the Univers, dated from Oxford,
and describing the tendencies of the
followers of Newman. This letter, which
was the joint work of Dalgairns and Ward
caused great excitement, and some
correspondence ensued. The conversion
of Sibthorp closely followed, and caused
a great deal of comment among his
16

FATHER FABER

fellows. Newman, told by Sibthorp that
he was going to visit Oscott, enjoined :
" Take care they do not keep you there,"
and afterwards often warned his friends
of monkeys who had lost their tails and
wished all the rest to lose theirs. The
leader mistrusted what he considered un
due haste in his followers. At Littlemore,
where Lockhart expressed doubts of
the claim of the Church of England, he
replied, " You must agree to stay
three years or go at once." This un
doubtedly influenced Faber.

On his return from the tour already
mentioned, he spoke of being "very, very,
very Roman." He at once set to workathis
church at Elton, determined to banish
all his doubts, and modelled the work of
his parish on what he called the spirit of
St. Philip and St. Alphonsus. The result
was that the dissenting chapel close to
the Church became almost empty, young
men began to communicate frequently,
even " Confessions " were heard, and
exercises on the lines of those of the

FATHER FABER

" Little Oratory " were established on
Friday nights. Then, in 1845, came the
conversion of Newman himself, and
many of Faber's friends ; and we find him
writing to the Catholic Bishop Waring,
asking him how much of abjuration
would be involved in an Anglican's re
conciliation with the Roman Church.
His " Life of St. Wilfrid " had caused
the greatest irritation, owing to the
liberality with which the Catholic spirit
was expressed.

The time was now at hand when Faber
was to give up all hope of remaining in
the Anglican Church ; and, during the
last week of October, 1845, he again
wrote to Bishop Waring asking for
enlightenment on certain points, and was
only held back by his consideration of
others and some monetary difficulties in
connection with his parish. By the
generosity of a friend, the latter obstacle
was removed, in spite of the benefactor's
disapproval of conversions.

On Nov. 1 2th, the Rector was called
18

FATHER FABER

at night to give Communion to a dying
man, and in a flash he felt that he was no
true priest ; and it was only after some
consideration that he was guided by St.
Alphonsus to act on what he called a
probable opinion.

On Sunday, Nov. i6th, at the evening
service the final wrench came. After a
few words by way of introduction, he said
that he could no longer teach his hearers
the doctrines of the Church of England,
and that he felt convinced that he must
go where truth was to be found. At the
close of these few words he left the pulpit
hurriedly, threw his surplice on to the
ground and went at once into the
Rectory.

Some of his parishioners begged him
to remain, but, finding their appeal of
no avail, bade him a sorrowful farewell.
The next morning he left Elton, Mr.
T. F. Knox, two servants and about
half a dozen of his parishioners, who had
also decided to be received into the
Church with him, going too. Among the

FATHER FABER

number was Mr. William Pitts, who
afterwards became organist of the Lon
don Oratory. Writing to him from
Rouen in February, 1846, Faber says :

" What does Elton seem as we look back
upon it ? Those gettings up at the cold
midnight, the teasing hair girdles on
Wednesdays and Fridays, the harsh
discipline at midnight, the long, long
vigil of the Saints' days, what do you
think of them now ? To me they seem
like heaven, although we were not yet
Catholics."

" God bless you, Mr. Faber where-
ever you go " was the cry from the
poor as the party passed through the
village in the early morning.

" Free ! the joyous light of Heaven
Comes with full and fair release."

Faber and his friends were received
that night by Bishop Waring and
Father Kennedy at the church at
Northampton, and there made their
First Communion and were confirmed.
20

FATHER FABER

Monsignor Wiseman, then at Oscott,
was deeply interested in the welfare of
the Converts, and they felt an attraction
to be near him. Faber, therefore, being
as he said, " homeless and unsettled,"
gladly accepted an invitation to stay at
St. Chad's in Birmingham until his
affairs were settled. His humility led him
to refuse the offer made by the Bishop
to admit him to Priest's Orders and
start him at work. He lost no opportu
nity, however, of trying to convert any
Anglican friends who consulted him. Dr.
Wiseman decided it would be a good
thing if he and his little party could be
formed into a small Community, and,
just as St. Philip worked as a layman, so
did Faber. He writes : " I hope by the
end of next week to get all my dear
monks around me in a little hovel here ;
how we are to be supported I do not
know ; mutual love is next door to vic
tuals and drink, and it is some comfort
to me that I shall be simply on a level
with them, and live like a poor man."

21

FATHER FABER

The house they obtained was a very
small one, at 77 Charlotte Street, and
contained scarcely any furniture, the
chapel, an upstairs room, was absolutely
bare — no altar, only a crucifix on the wall.
The dormitories had no bedsteads, the
mattresses resting on the floor. The
refectory was the best furnished, and
that contained a chair for each one, and a
long deal table, some knives, forks and
pewter spoons (stamped with the tem
perance pledge) and a mug apiece. On
the round table stood a crucifix brought
by Faber from Elton.

From this it can be seen that the
view of life was an ascetic one, but
the community was joyful. The
strain, however, soon told on the Su
perior, and brought on headaches which
prostrated him.

They could not go on without external
help ; and Faber decided to go to Rome
in the hopes of getting someone to
be interested in the little community.
The difficulty was how to get there, and
22

FATHER FABER

what was to become of his little family
during his absence. A gift from a friend
settled the first trouble, and Father
Moore promised to take charge of the
community, the lay-brothers obtaining
employment in the town during the day
and returning to the house at night.

23

Things being so arranged, Faber
started for Italy at the beginning of
February, 1846, accompanied by Mr.
Hutchison, a convert who afterwards
joined the Oratory. The Archbishop of
Lyons had issued a pastoral directing that
thanksgiving should be made for the con
versions which had given the Newmans,
the Oakleys, and the Fabers to the
Church. This caused the two neophytes
great amusement to read. Reaching Rome
just before Holy Week they put up at the
English College, Father Grant having
generously offered them hospitality, and
they made their first Easter Communion
in the Holy City. Mr. Hutchison now
asked to be taken into the new Com
munity. His adherence would have been
of great help, but Faber would not let
him so early commit himself. Dr. Grant
however urged him to accept the offer,
and finally Mr. Hutchison's proposal was
accepted, and it was decided he should
join on their return to England. On
24

LIBRARY ST. MARY'S COLLEGE

FATHER FABER

returning, Faber intended to ask Newman
to receive him and his followers at Mary-
vale when he was there, and also to ask
the Bishop to direct his studies that he
might be fitted for the priesthood.

The Protestant Bishop of Gibraltar was
in Rome at this time for confirmation,
and a great dispute arose among the
High and Low Church Party whether
he should have a cross carried before him.
Certain Romans were much annoyed,
but the Pope " chuckled hugely," and
said that he had only just found out
that Rome was in the diocese of Gibral
tar ! ! His Holiness received Faber and
Hutchison very graciously, and at the end
of the interview gave them his blessing,
and told them to go back to England
and convert as many of their friends as
they might. Just at this time some copies
of his pamphlet, "Grounds for remaining
in the Anglican Communion," reached
Rome ; and the authorities, naturally
deceived by the title, suppressed them ;
a mistake that was soon set right.

25

VI

The return to Birmingham was made
on May loth, 1846. Faber brought with
him some books of devotion unknown in
England, at any rate not in use, and also
introduced the Seven Dolour Rosary
which, through constant use at the
Oratory, has since become well known.

On the Feast of St. Philip, May 26th,
1846 (it is noteworthy how many events
of Faber's life occurred on this day, when
as yet there was no thought of his being
an Oratorian) the Community moved
to another home at Colmore Terrace,
which has been obtained for them by Mr.
Watts Russell. It consisted at this time
of four Choir-brothers and nine Lay-
brothers, all of them " Brothers of the
Will of God." The rule was an austere
one. The time for rising was half-past
five, and at six was followed by Mass at
St. Chad's, then breakfast taken stand
ing, dry bread and tea without sugar.
After breakfast there was another visit
26

FATHER FABER

to the Chapel, then work till half-past
twelve. After Vespers and Compline
came dinner, one of the Brothers reading
some spiritual book the while ; then
came recreation, when silence was broken
for the first time. At five in the evening
Matins and Lauds preceded tea and
recreation, instruction in chapel, Rosary
of the Seven Dolours and night prayers.
The habit worn by the " Wilfridians,"
as they were called, was the black
Roman cassock with the letters V.D.
and a cross between, all in red cloth,
a cape, a leather girdle and a Rosary.

At the back of the house was a large
garden, and the Brothers used to invite
the poor Catholic boys of the neighbour
hood to come and play there in the
evening. The day always closed with the
Litany of Our Lady, sung in procession,
and a candle continually lit before her
picture at the Angelus hour.

The converts at this time had a great

many difficulties to contend with from

the Protestants around them. Some of

c 27

FATHER FABER

the Catholics also regarded with suspicion
the idea of " Oxford Protestants " having
real Catholic sympathies. They regarded
them as only " half " Catholic, opposed
as " new-fangled " all their attempts to
popularise the devotion they had seen
in Rome, and in many other ways
showed their dislike to any idea of what
might be called " coming out of the
shell " in which, for two hundred years,
the Catholics of England had to hide.
Wiseman saw this, and knew that the
only way to make things smoother
would be to get the stamp of authority
placed on their work. He decided,
therefore, that Newman and his own
intimate companions should go to Rome
and there remain for a time. This they
did, and took up their abode at the
College of Propaganda.

Meanwhile the Wilfridians suffered
similar annoyances. Although the work
set them to do went on steadily, mistrust
of their behaviour resulting almost daily
in the visit of strange priests who
28

f^4 ^,-tf>x^ 4r 1m,

£1*.

tilrft

- JUi-

FATHER FABER

treated them with a sort of reserve,
questioning them on their rule and their
plans. A layman and so recent a convert,
Faber naturally felt he would rather
withdraw from the public view and live
quietly in retirement with his Brothers.
But Dr. Wiseman would not have it so.
While some talked of Faber's " Mario-
latry," others said of him, who had learned
to love Our Lady with such child-like and
St. Philip-like simplicity, that he had
not " warmed to Mary." His verse, if
nothing else, is his justification in both
particulars. At this time about the only
hymn to Our Lady in English was the
time honoured " Hail Queen of Heaven ";
in the collection of Faber's hymns
published by Richardson in 1832 there
are twenty-two.
" And, Oh, how can I love Thy Son

Sweet Mother, if I love not Thee ? "

In July, 1846, Lord Shrewsbury offered

Faber a piece of land next the church at

Cheadle, together with Cotton Hall as a

sort of Rest House for the Community.

29

FATHER F A BER

Bishop Walsh urged his acceptance
of this noble gift, as he was afraid that
the Brothers would break down if too
soon put into the work of the diocese,
while, on the other hand, the Birming
ham clergy were unwilling to lose such
willing helpers.

The church of St. Giles at Cheadle,
also the gift of " the good Lord Shrews
bury," was solemnly dedicated on Sep
tember ist. Faber — now " Brother Wil
frid " —and two or three of the others
were asked to stay a^ Alton Towers for
the ceremony ; and now they removed
to Cotton Hall and kept their first Feast
of the Holy Name of Mary in their
new home.

On St. Wilfrid's Day Faber received
Minor Orders from Bishop Walsh and
afterwards was laid the first stone of
St. Wilfrid's church, of which Pugin
(himself its architect) said : " It will be
the only perfect church in England, with
an east window I could die for."

Father Cobb gave a ten days' Retreat

30

FA T H E R F A B E R

to the Brothers, who were to receive
Orders ; but the long silence and hours
of solitary meditation enjoined proved
too much for Brother Wilfrid himself,
exhausted as he was by long months of
anxiety. He had a nervous fever, and, on
All Saints Day, the sacrament of Extreme
Unction was administered. He made his
Profession of Faith, bade farewell to the
Community and received the last blessing
and Papal Indulgence, the Brothers, like
St. Philip's sons, kneeling round his bed
praying for their Father's life. It pleased
God to spare him, and in a short time
he was able to resume with enthusiasm
the work that came to his hand.

A school for boys was opened, and, on
Sundays, Catechism classes were held in
the Chapel. Again evil thoughts and
tongues were at work, as in St. Philip's
time. " I am said to have strangled one
of my monks." " Mrs. R. came to see me
at St. Wilfrid's, and glared at me in
silence like a tigress. She told Lady
Shrewsbury and Lady Arundell that I

FA T H E R F A BER

was just capable of all she heard, and that
her faith in it was established." He wrote
to his old college friend, Mr. Watts
Russell : " And a Scotchman who had
come to inspect said of me that I was
'an ambitious villain and a hellish
ruler.'"

On the 1 9th of December, 1846, he
received the Order of sub-deacon ; on
the Saturday before Passion Sunday, 1 847,
he was made deacon, and was ordained
Priest on the Holy Saturday following,
at once receiving the sole charge of the
Mission. On his return he began work in
the confessional, and he said his first Mass
that Easter Sunday. His preaching at
once began, as at Elton, to draw large
congregations. The Parish Church emp
tied. " We have converted the pew-
opener, leaving the parson only, his
clerk, and two drunken men, as his
regular communicants." One of his
brothers in St. Philip, who remembers
him, speaking of his preaching says :
" He used but little gesture, satisfied

32

FATHER FABER

with inflections of a voice which was
most beautiful, clear and musical and
in its silver tone like the voice of
Pius IX."

Father Faber used to preach in his
habit, and always wore his crucifix, even
while preaching in the street. This, of
course, met with great opposition. He
used to tell how, on one occasion, a
minister forced his way into a sick room
when he was about to hear a man's
confession, and refused to leave, until
the penitent implored him repeatedly to
do so. He, however, wished even then to
enter into an argument on points of
doctrine, and challenged Father Faber
to a formal discussion, insisting on using
the English version of the Bible only.
Father Faber decided that, to prevent
any question as to the translation,
it would be best to use the original
Greek ! This the combatant was not pre
pared for ; and, after some insulting re
marks retired from the discussion. Several
conversions followed the controversy.

33

FATHER FABER

Next he gave a mission in the pot
teries near Wolverhampton, " where
I may have a chance of martyrdom," he
wrote to Watts Russell.

34

VII

The idea of founding an Oratory in
England was suggested to the Holy
Father in February, 1847. He was
delighted at the idea, and at once gave
Newman and his companions in Rome a
house and an Oratorian Father to
instruct them in the rule, suggesting that
they should serve a short novitiate and
then all return home together at the end
of the year. Wiseman went to Rome in
July, and had an interview with Newman
respecting the scheme. They were now
settled at Santa Croce as novices. New
man was appointed by the Pope as the
first Superior, and Bishop Wiseman, who
was now Administrator of the London
District, was desirous that the Oratory
should be started in London and invited
Newman to make his foundation here.
Birmingham, however, was named in the
Papal brief, and to Birmingham he went,
taking a house in Alcester Street.
At once on Father Newman's return,

35

FATHER FABER

Faber again offered himself and his Com
munity to him as novices. The offer,
however, was not made without a great
struggle. " Elton was to come over again ;
the will of God was to hunt me out of
my new home, to snap all ties."

Father Faber and Father Hutchison
were called to London by Bishop Wise
man to consider their position. They ar
rived just after Father Stanton, the first
Oratorian to land in England, who was
wearing his habit. Faber talked over his
idea of joining the Oratory with the
Bishop, who solemnly approved, and
pronounced that it was to be so. This,
of course, entailed his giving up the
position of Superior, which he had
held since the foundation of the Com
munity, and becoming a novice. It also
meant the giving up of St. Wilfrid's,
which he describes as " uprooting one
altogether from the earth." Speaking of
going to Maryvale, he says : " So away
goes home, church, flock, Eltonian
children and all. . . . Certainly the

36

FATHER FABER

Oratory has been a bloody husband to me,
but I trust that it will also bring with it
a fresh covenant of grace." His spirits had
returned by the time he wrote of himself
and his fellows, " all in our Philippine
habits, with turn-down collars, like so
many good boys."

In July, 1848, Bishop Wiseman assisted
at the opening of St. George's Cathedral
and there were present the Oratorians
as well as 240 other priests, Regulars
and Seculars, and fourteen Bishops. In
the procession were also Benedictines,
Cistercians, Dominicans, Franciscans and
Passionists. The sermon was preached
by Wiseman, Monsignor Stonor was an
acolyte.

We, in these days, can hardly realise
the difficulties the " new blood " had to
contend with from some of the Catholics.
They objected to the bringing back of
images to the churches, new devotions
were looked upon as Romanising, extra
devotions to the Blessed Virgin and
Blessed Sacrament were innovations and

37

FATHER FABER

novelties, and were opposed. At that
time there existed but one statue of Our
Blessed Lady in London. Faber's Life of
St. Philip, like other lives in theOratorian
series, was severely criticised. To all,
was added the outburst of Protestant
indignation at the restoration of the
Hierarchy and the appointment of
Cardinal Wiseman as Archbishop of
Westminster. The Times printed a leader
full of such phrases as " Roman bondage,
daring assumption of power, acts which
the laws of this country will never
recognise."

The converts who had joined the
Oratory had now increased to such
numbers that it was decided to open a
house in London, and it was eventually
settled that Father Newman should
remain in Birmingham and Father Faber
be Rector of the London house. The first
Mass in the London Oratory he said on
the feast of the Patronage of St. Joseph
in 1849. The chapel consisted of a large
room at the back of Nos. 24 and 25

38

o

— ;
c
c

FATHER FABER

King William Street, Strand ; the altar,
which was for about forty years in use
at the Little Oratory and is now in
S. Philip's Church, Sydenham, had been
procured from the old Portuguese
Chapel. The day appointed for the
opening was May 3ist, and as, a month
earlier, there was practically no furniture
for the chapel, the amount of work to
be got through may be easily imagined.
In fact, chaos appeared to reign on
May 3Oth, porters hurrying here and
there with benches and chairs ; organ-
builders and tuners hard at work, with
organ pipes all round them, the altar
being fitted up by some of the Fathers.
But, by the time appointed, next day,
all was ready. Bishop Wiseman ponti
ficated and preached, also assisting at
Vespers, when Father Newman preached.
The Community then consisted of
Fathers Faber, Dalgairns, Stanton (who
as already stated was the first Oratorian
to land in England) Hutchison, Knox
and Alban Wells. With these were two

39

FATHER FABER

novices, Father Gordon, who was after
wards Superior for many years, and
Father John Bowden, to whose Life of
Faber the present writer is indebted for
most of the facts here set forth. Soon
after, there came among them, to com
plete his education, a youth who had
lived with them at Maryvale, Charles
Henry Bowden, who never left them,
becoming a priest, well beloved of the
poor and destitute, and well remem
bered by all frequenters of the Oratory
for his fine voice and his happy coun
tenance. Bishop Wiseman, who was a
brother of the little Oratory in Rome,
was delighted to have his scheme brought
to fulfilment, and the Fathers always
found in him a kind friend and protector.
That they were the first Religious
Community to serve a church in London
was again a cause of grievance to some of
the more old-fashioned among the
Secular clergy. The Oratorians from the
first wore the habit publicly, and this
too was looked upon with suspicion, as

40

FATHER FABER

also were the devotions, which were
called methodistical. Yet the evening
services soon became a favourite form
of devotion ; good numbers attended
them, and shortly other priests used
Faber's hymns, which had mostly been
set to music by Father Wells.

41

VIII

St. Philip had come to England, and
was doing his work as he had done it in
Rome. Converts were " pouring pell-
mell into the church." Men of nearly all
professions and of none came to the
Oratory for instruction ; doctors, law
yers and soldiers were being received
weekly ; the Communions reached five
hundred a week, which, for a London
church so lately established, was a very
large number in those days.

With September came a call for priests
to go to the hop-fields to help the poor
sufferers from the cholera, and at once
Father Faber and two of his Fathers
went to Farleigh, where Henry Wilber-
force, the Rector, was to be the witness
of a charity that brought him and his
family into the Church.

On October the gth, 1850, the Oratory
in London was made independent of
Birmingham, this being St. Philip's
42

A Ragged Congregation at the schools in Dunn's

Passage, Holborn
(From a water colour drawing)

FATHER FABER

rule, and on St. Wilfrid's Day, Father
Faber was elected its Provost.

When, owing to the re-establishment
of the Hierarchy in England, the greatest
agitation prevailed, disputes arose upon
various subjects, among them the zeal
displayed by the new Cardinal Wiseman,
which was called by the old-fashioned
party " love of power." The Cardinal
felt that the Religious Orders in a country
like ours, ought to take an active part
in the missionary work. This, they pleaded
was not allowed by their rule, and on
October zyth, 1852, he wrote to Father
Faber stating the case and almost appealed
for help. Faber at once offered the
services of his church and Fathers for
missionary work, an offer at first de
clined. However, Father Faber applied
to Rome for such dispensations of the
rule as would permit of this plan. The
Cardinal was deeply grateful for this,
and, about a year later, the London Ora
tory undertook the regular mission which
has been carried on ever since. On St.

ca 43

FATHER FABER

Philip's Day, 1856, Wiseman preached
in the London Oratory a panegyric of the
Saint, in which he compared the work
of St. Philip at Chiesa Nuova with that
at Brompton.

In 1851 Father Faber and Father
Hutchison opened a school for poor
boys and girls in Rose Street, Covent
Garden, which a few months after
wards, was moved to Dunn's Passage,
Holborn. More than one thousand
children attended these schools, before
they were moved later to Charles
Street, Drury Lane, where, in spite of
the great distance from Brompton, and
increased work occasioned by the mission
work, they were maintained by the
Fathers till 1863, when they were made
over to the diocese.

In the winter of 1851, Father Faber's
health again broke down. He was ordered
to travel and, in Rome once more, he
obtained an audience of Pius IX., and
then obtained the daily Plenary Indul
gence for the Church of the Oratory.

44

FATHER FABER

In June, 1852, came the proclamation
forbidding Catholic priests to wear the
habit of their Order, and the Fathers
therefore discontinued the practice.
During the next month, St. Mary's,
Sydenham, a house of rest for the
community, was finished, and on August
2nd, the Blessed Sacrament was reserved
there for the first time, and on the loth
a visit was paid by Prince Massimi of
the family mentioned in the Life of our
Holy Father St. Philip in connection with
the miracle worked on Paolo de Massimi.

In the March of 1853, work was
begun for the building of the Oratory on
the site of the present one and completed
within the year. Meantime, the work
was going on at King William Street and
Dunn's Passage, the people being called
together by the ringing of a hand bell
and gathered into " Rosary rooms "
which had been hired in the lowest
slums of Drury Lane, where instructions
were given, hymns sung and the Rosary
said. The indifference of the people once

45

FATHER FABER

wrung from Father Faber the following
speech. Falling on his knees in the
pulpit he cried : " How can I touch
your hearts ? I have prayed to Jesus ;
I have prayed to Mary ; whom shall I
pray to next ? I will pray to you, my dear
Irish children, to have mercy on your
own souls." The effect was truly won
derful, the whole congregation knelt and
for a time no sound could be heard but
their sobs and prayers.

He was very like St. Philip in
others of his sayings. One of the
Fathers remarking the neatness of
his room, he replied, " You know,
my son, the napkin was folded in the
sepulchre." Again someone remarked
the talent displayed in getting through
so much literary work. " Talent," he said
" Nonsense, my son, it is the fear of God."

One can well imagine the sort of tale
St. Philip would have told young Paolo
de Massimi had he asked him for a
fairy tale ; in response to a similar
request from the daughter of a noble

FATHER FABER

English house Faber wrote " Ethel's
Tales of the Angels.*

The life led at Brompton was as busy
as it had been at King William Street,
and modelled so closely on the lines of
St. Philip, that one has only to alter
names, and the account of St. Philip's
day at the Chiesa Nuova would read like
a day with " The Father at the London
Oratory " : early Mass in private
chapel, work at one or other of his books
till breakfast, visits from the Fathers
for advice on the day's work in their
several departments, sermons, corres
pondence, which was enormous, and the
thousand and one things which fall to the
Superior of a Religious Community,
who for years fulfilled also the office of
Novice Master, and all this in spite of
repeated attacks of most painful illness.
In five years alone he wrote the following
among his famous books : " All for Jesus,"
" Growth in Holiness," " The Blessed
Sacrament," " The Creator and the

* London : Burns & Gates.

47

FATHER FABER

Creature," " The Foot of the Cross,"
" Bethlehem," " Spiritual Conferences,"
" Poems and Hymns," and a part of
" The Precious Blood," and a second
volume of " Spiritual Exercises."

One of his favourite recreations was to
see the children at St. Wilfrid's Convent
whom he called his " grandchildren,"
and to whom his visits were always a
source of joy — remembered now by
some who still talk of him with full
hearts, as a saint.

Father Faber would allow of nothing
but the best for the service of the Altar,
and the decorum observed by even the
small boys who sometimes assist at Bene
diction is remarked even to this day.

It was not till the year 1861 that
the Father's work was seriously inter
fered with by his long and complicated
illness. He preached sermons on All Souls
Day and on the Feast of St. Charles
at Bayswater ; and, shortly after,
had a severe attack of bronchitis and
inflammation of the lungs. For a time

FATHER FABER

great anxiety was felt, for his heart also
was affected. By the 8th of December,
however, he had returned from Arundel
where he had been recruiting. The
Fathers prevailed upon him to refrain
from some of his labours, and he spent
most of the summer at St. Mary's,
Sydenham, where he had frequent
attacks. He used to say that pain was a
precious gift of God.

49

During the Lent of 1863 Father Faber
decided to preach on the Sundays, and
actually did so on the first four ; but
illness prevented him completing the
course. His last sermon was preached on
Passion Sunday, and in a very few days
it was found necessary to call in special
medical advice, as his illness was assuming
a much more serious aspect, and he
himself declared : " I do not see how I

can recover now."

The community, however, were still
hopeful, and could not bring themselves
to realise that they were soon to lose
their Father. At this time they consisted
of twenty-seven members, of whom all
save four had been guided by him to
S. Philip's House. When the news of his
serious condition got abroad, letters of
inquiry and condolence came from all
quarters, and prayers, Masses and
Novenas were everywhere offered for
him. He said his own last Mass on the

50

LIBRARY ST. AWBY'S COILEGF

FATHER FABER

anniversary of the foundation of the
first London Oratory, the Feast of
the Patronage of St. Joseph.

He grew rapidly worse, and on June
the 1 6th, the Holy Viaticum was carried
to him in solemn procession. Extreme
Unction was afterwards administered.
To the questions put he answered clearly
and firmly, even adding a few words to
them. To the question, Do you for
God's sake forgive your enemies ? " Yes,
I do; I never had any." Again: " Do you
now from your heart ask pardon of every
one, &c. ? " he answered : " I do, especially
of every member of the Community :
I have been proud, uncharitable, un
observant, and I ask pardon of all. I
wish I had been more kind." Although
there were no hopes of his recovery, he
lingered on for some weeks, and was able
to receive Cardinal Wiseman, his old
and faithful friend. His sufferings were
now very great and it sometimes hap
pened he could not find words to express
his meaning, although his mind was

5*

FATHER FABER

perfectly clear, so great was the pain he
endured. A visit from Father Newman
towards the end of July cheered him
considerably.

Matters remained much the same,
with occasional signs of improvement,
till September, when he had grown
terribly weak and had some delirium.
On the 1 5th a change appeared ; he
was in bed, and his eyes fixed on a large
crucifix at the foot of the bed. He was
told that the end was near, and
he replied most fervently, " God be
praised ! " At midnight the Community
was assembled, and the commendation
of his soul was made. He seemed to get a
little better and the Fathers went back
to their rooms. At half-past six the next
morning Father Rowe came into his room
and told him he was just going to say
Mass for him. He looked his thanks, being
unable to speak ; and, just as the Mass
was finished, he turned slightly and,
with a clear bright look, gave his soul
back to its Creator.

S2

FATHER FABER

Almost his last words were, " If ever
I am able to obtain it for you, I will pray
that all of you may have easy deaths"

This was fifty years ago, "I have
lived," says the Father who has been
infirmarian for most of the time, " to
see the prayer answered."

The body was placed in the Little
Oratory that the people might make
their last visit ; and crowds came and
went, bringing their Rosaries to be
placed on the coffin. On the Tuesday
following the body was taken in solemn
procession into the church, the Fathers
chanting the Miserere. Vespers of the
Dead were sung, and, next day, came
the Requiem. The church was thronged,
there being more than a hundred
priests and members of the Religious
Communities. Father Newman and
Father St. John came from Birmingham.
The Mass was sung by Father Richard
Stanton ; and after the Absolutions
the well-beloved Father was taken to the
burial place of St. Mary's, Sydenham,

53

FATHER FABER

whither, only two months before, his
great friend and follower, Father Anthony
Hutchison had preceded him.

Large numbers followed on foot and
saw the body of the man who had been to
many of them the guide into the ways
of peace, and to the fold of Peter, laid
at the foot of the consecration Cross.
Here lies his dust, waiting till the final
call shall unite it to the soul, which we
trust is before the throne of God, not far
from the feet of his " Dear and Blessed
Lady " whom he so dearly loved on earth.
Eeati mortui qui in Domino moriuntur.

54

Father Faber's Grave
In the Cemetery of the Oratorians at Sydenham

FATHER FABER'S GRAVE
By Father K. D. BEST.

(OBIIT. XXVI. SEPT., MDCCCLXIII.
Vixit Annos XLIX. In Congr. XV.

Thousands who mourned at Faber's death

Ask for his resting place ;
Even poor strangers to the faith

Come, as if drawn by grace.

Where is he buried ? We are come

Not to the Poet or Sage,
But to the Priest of God whose tomb

Merits our pilgrimage.

Where is he buried ? He who wrote
Hymns that he might have heard

Chanted in heaven, whose echoed note
Sounds in each holy word.

Where is he buried ? He so true,

True to his God and creed,
True to the c treasure old and new,'

True to the Church in need.

ss

FATHER FABER

Where is he buried ? Have ye made

Room for your noble dead
Here, in the church where he preached
and prayed,

Here, where his Mass was said ?

Under that altar he should be,
Faithful and watchful found —

Sailors are buried near their sea,
Soldiers on battle ground.

Where is he buried ? Thus they ask

Eagerly day by day.
Piety shrinks not from its task,

Well does love know the way . . .

Here is he buried ! look around,

All is just as he planned —
Garden, lawns, and Burial Ground,

Drawn by his own dear hand.

Here is he buried ! see the trees —

Then, only nursling plants,
Now, they make dirges in the breeze

During the robin's chants.

56

FATHER FABER

Here is he buried ! skylarks sing

Up in the clear blue sky,
Ere they descend on loving wing

Down to the nest hard by.

Here is he buried ! cypress trees,

Roses in endless bloom,
Lead the heart's faithful memories

Back to Christ's garden tomb.

Forty-nine years from birth till death,

Death in the Autumn days,
Fifteen with Philip — the grave-stone saith ;

No other word of praise.

Here is he buried ! others too
Sleep here — God's will be done !

Some of the graves are green, some new —
Ranged round this central one.

Hark to yon City's ceaseless roar,

Reaching these quiet graves !
Life calls death — But the silent shore

Heeds not the senseless waves.

57

FATHER FABER

There they fulfilled their priestly life,
There bravely fought the fight,

Finding here, after toil and strife,
Rest and the longed-for night.

Asking assistance to be brave,

Help to endure each loss,
Often we come to our Father's grave

Close to the holy Cross.

Sweet is it ever to see that Sign
Shedding by day and night

Beautiful blessings, peace divine,
Shadows more loved than light.

'Tis not the De Profundis Bell,
'Tis not the Requiem Mass,

But it is Heaven's sacred spell
Laid on the dewy grass.

Here is he buried ! see the mound,

Lowly yet ever blest ;
Thus, in St. Mary's holy ground,

Father and Brethren rest.

LIBKAKY bT. MARYS COLI.EGI

282.09? 122415

F112H

HAIL-PATCH, W.

2827092 122415

F112H

HALL-PATCH, W.
FATHER FABER