EX BIBLIOTHECA
onpeptionis Sanctinimi
REDP:MPTORIS
JOHN M. KELLY LIBRARY
Donated by
The Redemptorists of
the Toronto Province
from the Library Collection of
Holy Redeemer College, Windsor
University of
St. Michael's College, Toronto
THE LIFE
OF
ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
[All rights reserved.]
THE LIFE OF DOM BARTHOLOMEW OF
THE MARTYRS, Religious of the Order of St. Dominic,
Archbishop of Braga, in Portugal. Translated from his Biogra
phies. By LADY HERBERT. In one thick volume, demy 8vo,
price I2s. 6d.
" Lady Herbert's large Life, — translated from that written by
the Four Authors, — of this wonderful servant of God, Dom Bar
tholomew of the Martyrs, has become a standard work on the
ecclesiastical spirit, and a perfect treasury for Priests and Bishops."
—FROM THE BISHOP OF SALFORD.
/
• 1 I- n» i i r> FN • rs 1
<8t. John Baptist be
This Photograph is taken from the Original Picture at the Trinitb
del Pellegrini.
THE LIFE
OF
ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE BOSS!
TRANSLATED FROM THE ITALIAN,
BY LADY HERBERT.
INTRODUCTION:
iastical touting anb %
BY THE BISHOP OF SALFORD.
LONDON :
THOMAS RICHARDSON AND SON,
23, King Edward Street, City;
and Derby.
1883.
DEDICATION OF THE TRANSLATOR.
THE ENGLISH VERSION OP THIS
LIFE,
UNDERTAKEN AT THE BEQUEST OP ONE OP THE ENGLISH
BISHOPS,
IS DEDICATED WITH GREAT RESPECT
TO THE
TABLE OF CONTENTS.
PAGB
Introduction, by the Bishop of Salford. — On Ecclesiastical
Training and the Sacerdotal Life ... ... xiii
Preface of the Author Ixxiii
Jirst fart.
HIS BIRTH AND YOUTH.
CHAPTER I.
Birth and Early Years of St. John the Baptist de Rossi ... 1
His Family.— His Early Years. — He ia taken to Genoa.— His
uncle makes him come to Borne.
CHAPTER II.
The Condition of the Eoman College on John Baptist's first
Entrance ... ... ... ... ... 6
The humble beginnings from which the College sprang. — The
favour it obtained from the Popes. — Gregory XIII. built a
fine Building.— The glories of the College.
CHAPTER III.
Studies of John Baptist ... ... ... 13
His conduct at the Roman College.— His Studies. — His devotion
towards our Lady and St. Aloysius of Gonzaga.— His mortifica
tions bring on a serious illness.
Till CONTENTS.
CHAPTER IV.
PAGB
John enters into the Congregation called " The Kistretti" ... 20
What was meant by " the Kistretti" in the Eoman College.—
John's zeal for the sanctification of his co-disciples. — Hia
visits to the Hospitals. — The Venerable John Baptist of Bur
gundy becomes his friend.
CHAPTER Y.
John is ordained Priest ... ... ... ... 31
His Vocation to the Ecclesiastical State.— His Ordination, and his
First Mass. — The Rules he laid down for his conduct. — How he
recited the Divine Office and said Mass. — What he thought of
Prayer.
fart.
HIS FIRST LABOURS IN THE MINISTRY.
CHAPTER I.
The beginning of his Ministry ... ... ... 44
His first work after his Ordination.— The character of his Mis
sion. — He occupies himself with shepherds, prisoners, and exe
cutioners.— His love and respect for the poor.
CHAPTER II.
John Baptist at St. Galla ... ... ... ... 55
The work of St. Galla. — Its commencement. — John "Baptist joins
the Association.— The zeal which he shows, and the trials he
meets with.— He becomes intimate with the Venerable John
Andrew Parisi.
CHAPTER III.
The care John Baptist took of the young ... ... 66
John Baptist devotes himself to the care of the yonng, leads
them to the Hospitals, and tries to make them love and practise
every virtue.
CONTENTS. IX
CHAPTER IV.
PAGE
John Baptist founds the Hospital of St. Louis ... ... 71
John submits his plan to Father Galluzzi. — Foundation of the
Hospital.— The Death of Father Galluzzi.— His zeal in the new
work. — Petition to Pope Clement XII.
CHAPTER V.
John Baptist is forced to accept a Canonry ... ... 81
Dom Lawrence appoints John his Coadjutor. — The difficulties
raised by him.— How the young Canon fulfils his duties.
CHAPTER VI.
The good done by St. John Baptist at St. Mary in Cosmedin 87
John comes to live close to St. Mary in Cosmedin. — His devotion
to the Miraculous Picture of our Lady. — The crowds who come
to the church, which was formerly deserted.
CHAPTER VII.
John Baptist prepares himself to hear Confessions ... 96
The Venerable Tenderini persuades John Baptist to hear Confes
sions. — His wonderful facility in doing so, in spite of his suffer
ings.-— He prepares himself by the study of Moral Science. —
The persecution he underwent.
THE APOSTOLATE EXERCISED BY THE SAINT,
CHAPTER I.
De Rossi comes to live at the Trinita dei Pellegrini ... 105
He lives in his new house as he did at St. Mary's in Cosmedin. —
His Spirit of Prayer. — He establishes the work called of the
" Fienaroli," and Retreats previous to Paschal duties and to
the Feasts of Ft. Peter and St. Paul— He becomes the Almoner
of the Police Force.
X CONTENTS.
CHAPTER II.
PAGH5
John Baptist in the Confessional ... ... ... 115
His zeal in hearing Confessions. — His great reverence for the
Sacrament of Penance. — His impartiality and sweetness towards
hia Penitents. — The supernatural lights given him by God for
the discovery of hidden sins. — The way in which he touched
the most hardened hearts, and obtained the most wonderful
changes in men's lives.
CHAPTER III.
Preaching to the Poor ... ... ... ... 129
John Baptist's gift of preaching. — The source from whence he
drew his inspiration. — His simplicity and facility in speaking.
— His zeal for the Faith. — The way in which his words led the
poor to the reception of the Sacraments, and filled them with
hope in God and confidence in His divine mercy. — The wonder
ful results he obtained.
CHAPTER IV.
De Rossi in the Hospitals ... ... ... ... 141
John Baptist's constant visits to the sick. — Their confidence in
him. — The special way in which Providence seemed to lead him
to the bedsides of the sick.— His particular love for those
afflicted with consumption.
CHAPTER V.
John Baptist's Missions in the Campagna ... ... 153
His first Excursions there. — The good he does. — He begins his
Missions. — The innumerable conversions he brings about.— Hia
conduct towards other Missioners.
CHAPTER VI.
Canon de Rossi as Director of the Clergy ... ... 166
He seeks for the society of Ecclesiastics.— His love for young
Priests. — The way in which he developes and encourages their
ardour for the Salvation of Souls. — Their walks to the Villa
Mattei.— He is consulted by Pope Benedict XIV. on the Reform
of the Clergy. — He occupies himself specially with Confessors.
CONTENTS. Xi
CHAPTER VII.
PAGE
His Preaching to Priests ... ... ... ... 177
John Baptist's Exhortations to the Members of St. Galla. — "What
ought to be the first care of a good Priest. — The zeal which
should be shown towards the poor. — That in order to do good
one must, by one's virtue, first gain the esteem of men.— Of
Humility.
Jfowrth fart.
VIRTUES AND DEATH OF CANON DE F^OSSI.
CHAPTER I.
The Faith, Hope, and Charity of the Saint ... ... 192
CHAPTER II.
His Renunciation of the World ... ... ... 202
From his earliest childhood John renounced the world.— He dis
tributed Don Lawrence's inheritance. — The poverty to which
he was reduced. — He gives away even pious objects — His aver-
sion for legacies or gifts. — Towards the end of his life he is
constrained to accept a small living.
CHAPTER III.
His Almsgiving ... ... ... ... ... 213
John Baptist gives all to the poor. — The good he effected by his
Charity.— He begs of the rich. — Duchess Isabel Strozzi, — God
rewards his zeal for the relief of the poor.
CHAPTER IV.
The Purity and Mortification of de Rossi 219
Xll CONTENTS.
CHAPTER V.
PAGE
The other Virtues of John Baptist de Kossi ... ... 225
CHAPTER VI.
His terrible Sufferings ... ... ... ... 233
His frail health. — His patience under continual suffering. — His
last journey to 1'Ariccia. — His farewell to the Basilica of St.
Mary in Cosmedin.— His malady returns with greater violence.
CHAPTER VII.
The Death of Canon de Rossi ... ... ... 242
John Baptist expects death with confidence and calmness. — His
love for the poor, and his piety on his death-bed. — He dis
tributes the poor little things which remain to him. — The
Novena of St. Philip. — Last attack. — His Solemn Obsequies. —
His Epitaph.
ERRATA.— For "Dom" throughout the book read "Don."
INTRODUCTION.
(Dn €aksiasttcal draining anb the
HE Life of ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE Rossi
has an altogether peculiar and sin
gular interest. He is the first simple
secular priest of modern times who
has been canonized as a Confessor.
There have been, among the secular
clergy, bishops who have been canonized, such as St.
Charles Borromeo, St. Francis of Sales, and St. Turibius,
to speak only of the last three centuries. There havo
been secular priests canonized as Martyrs, such as the
Parish Priests at Gorcum ; and there have been innumer
able secular priests who have given their lives for the
Faith, but have not yet been canonized, such as the
martyrs of the English secular clergy, and the secular
priests, of our own day, who suffered in Corea and China.
But ST. JOHN BAPTIST is the first instance in modern times
of the canonization as Confessor of a priest belonging to
no religious order or congregation. He was a simple,
humble member of the diocesan and pastoral clergy of the
city of Rome.
If it be asked, how it has happened that so few secular
INTRODUCTION.
priests have been canonized, several reasons may be given.
The first, that many who began as secular priests became
either bishops or founders of religious orders and con
gregations. Thus St. John of Matha, St. Dominic, St.
Cajetan, St. Philip Neri, St. Cainillus de Lellis, St.
Vincent of Paul, St. Joseph Calasanctius, St. Alphonsus,
and others, received their inspiration to draw up a
stricter rule of life, or to found an Institute for the pur
pose of achieving some particular end or good work,
while they were members of the secular clergy.
Another reason which may account for BO small a
number of canonized saints among the secular clergy is,
that the lives of the secular clergy, as a rule, are much
more isolated than those of the members of religious
orders. They are less observed, and less the property of
their brethren, than the lives that form part of a reli
gious community. In a religious order everything that
is remarkable is chronicled and treasured up; the lives of
its heroes are written with every care; and there is a large
and undying body of men interested, — and very justly in
terested, — in upholding the splendid examples which their
holy brethren have given to the world. This fact is
strikingly illustrated in the pathetic and edifying volumes
of Records of the Society of Jesus in England, which have
been published of late years. No such records could be
produced of the lives of the secular clergy ; for the simple
reason that the secular clergy have never had the custom
of drawing up a chronicle of the lives of their brethren.
Secular and regular missioners lived side by side in the
same country, were equally pursued, hunted and perse
cuted, preached the same faith, showed the same charity,
ON THE CANONIZED SAINTS. XV
endured the same trials, and died the same deaths. The
minute history of the latter has been happily preserved ;
the history of the former, unless some special notoriety
attached to their lives, is confined to the chronicles of
heaven.
In addition to this, the very process of a canonization ia
difficult and expensive. It is carried through many
generations, sometimes through a century or two. The
promotion of a cause is taken up more easily by a compact
body, having widespread relations, than by isolated mem
bers of the secular clergy. As to its cost, it is related that
while the Gonzaga family rejoiced in having one of their
house raised to the dignity of the altar, they used playfully
to say that the canonization of a second would be the ruin
of the family. The ordinary course of God's providence
is to act through human means in promoting even the
canonization of His saints. Had not the Cardinal Arch
bishop of Westminster taken up the cause of the English
Martyrs, who can say how long it might have been allowed
to lie in abeyance ? This, however, is not to ignore the
direct action of God in giving the testimony of miracles,
without which the Church never proceeds to a canoniza
tion.
But apart from the foregoing circumstances, it stands
to reason that Religious Orders will always give to the
Church the greater number of canonized saints. They
possess, in addition to the obligations of the priesthood,
definite obligations to practise for life the three great
counsels of perfection ; and they ordinarily have the in
estimable advantage of a carefully prolonged training, and
the support and encouragement of a multitude of brethren
XVI INTRODUCTION.
who are like-minded. Still, it is fair to remark that we
cannot judge of the excellence of states of life and of
orders simply by the number of their canonized saints.
The Carthusians, who belong to the highest state of con-
templatives, have but few canonized saints ; this arising,
probably, from their lives being hidden and unobserved,
and from their known unwillingness to admit the distrac
tion incidental even to the promotion of causes for canoni
zation. Their founder, St. Bruno, was canonized five
centuries after his death ; the three other canonized Car
thusians were Bishops. Again, we find that the great
Benedictine Order, divided as it is into such a variety of
ramifications, has not given to the Church a canonized
saint for five centuries ; but no one will suppose that their
rule does not lead to perfection. In like manner, the ex
cellence and holiness of the state of the priesthood, in the
secular clergy, is not to be judged by the number of
secular priests that have been canonized. Finally, extra
ordinary sanctity is an extraordinary gift of God, who is
pleased to exhibit it, now in the person of an apostle,
like St. Peter; now in the founder of an order, like St.
Francis ; now in a bishop, like St. Charles ; now in a
shepherdess, like St. Germaine Cousin ; now in a beggar,
like St. Benedict Labre; and now in a secular priest,
like the Saint whose Life has suggested this preface.
Mirabilis Deus in sanctis suis.
2. In approaching a consideration of the Life of ST.
JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSST, we naturally ask, the better to
understand his mission to the world, to what category of
saints does he belong ? Is he of those whose lives are
chiefly for our admiration, or of those whose lives are for
TWO CATEGORIES OF SAINTS. XVII
our imitation ? The Holy Ghost sets before the eyes of
the children of the Church examples of both kinds. There
are lives in which the supernatural stands out so vividly,
and in such extraordinary manifestation, that we seem
to have before us beings of an order altogether different
from our own,— contemplation so rapt, intense, and con
tinuous, that it appears to be angelic rather than human ; —
mortification far exceeding the ordinary powers of man to
endure ; an empire over the forces of nature, with an in
dependence of her ordinary laws, which astonishes and
bewilders the beholder; knowledge too> and love^ in which
the supernatural is perpetually breaking forth like fire in
strange revelations and unheard-of acts of charity. Many
of the saints of the desert, St. Mary of Egypt, St. Simon
Stylites, St. Peter of Alcantara, St. Veronica Giuliani, Sti
Joseph of Cupertino^ and many others, are instances in
point. It would be rash to say that such saints as these
are less useful to the faithful because their lives are beyond
their imitation. Our minds and hearts need lifting up
above this natural world. Many of us are apt to be
dangerously practical, and to lose sight altogether of the
fact that while still on earth we belong to a supernatural
order, and that the supernatural and natural ought to be
as closely united in the life of a true Christian as the soul
is united to the body. On this account it is that the Holy
Ghost has raised up men and women in the Church, who,
if we examine their lives, force upon our attention the
existence and action of the supernatural. Then God
glorifies His own infinite perfections, and rallies and in
structs His children by singling out men and women,
whom He makes, as it were, the embodiment of particular
XV111 INTRODUCTION.
virtues, like St. Peter of Alcantara, who may be called
the personification of prayer and penance. Such examples
strike and awaken us from our lethargic earthly routine,
and summon us to the practice of a higher virtue. Less
extraordinary examples of virtue would fail to teach us
the lesson we need. Nor may we suppose that these
saints, raised so high above us in their lives on earth
that they seem to have nothing in common with us, are
in reality less interested in our well-being than saints who
are less extraordinary. The tenderness and depth of their
charity correspond to their wonderful endowments of
grace. Thus St. Teresa used to say of St. Peter of Al
cantara, whose life of penance distanced that of all other
eaints, that he was never known to be prayed to after his
death without granting the prayer of his petitioner.
The other reason for which saints are canonized is in
order that we may have models, in our own flesh and
blood, of our own country, and in our own state of life,
to imitate. As some saints are set before us chiefly to raise
our minds to the highest standard of virtue, and to awaken
our admiration, so others are set before us particularly
for our imitation. The founders of religious orders are
naturally in this category, and so are great apostles and
missioners, like St. Bernardino of Siena, St. Vincent
Ferrer, St. Francis Xavier, St. Francis Solano, St. Francis
Girolamo, and others ; and great bishops, like St. Charles
Borromeo, St. Thomas of Villanova, and St. Francis of
Sales.
Now we possess what we have hitherto been without :
we have a simple secular priest, who was neither a bishop,
nor the founder of a congregation, nor a member of a
OUR SAINT AND THE SECULAR CLERGY. XIX
religious order, nor even a foreign missioner. He was a
simple priest, engaged in the humblest offices of the sacred
ministry, devoted to the poor — to the most neglected
among the poor, — and to the greatest sinners. His days
were employed in prayer, in preaching, in visiting the
sick, in teaching the ignorant, and in the confessional.
Here in the confessional were achieved his greatest
triumphs. He was no fashionable director, run after by
rich ladies; no marvellous preacher, drawing after him
the polished and educated by the fame of his learning
and eloquence. He was just such a priest as hundreds of
secular priests are called to be in this country. If you
want to read of the sensational, of the extraordinary; if
you want to see a meteor passing through the sky ; if it
is admiration alone that has to be excited, you must not
turn to the Life of ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE Eossi. But if you
want a perfect model for a secular priest, working in any
of our large towns, or among our rural populations, you
have him here in ST. JOHN BAPTIST. His life was passed
among the poor in town and country ; and this in the
midst of our modern civilization, for he died less than a
hundred and twenty years ago.
3. The canonization of this secular priest is not merely
a happy accident. It has taken place in God's chosen
time, when the eyes of popes and bishops seem to be
especially turned upon the necessity of raising the
character of the secular clergy, for sanctity as well as for
learning. The present condition of the world demands
that a particular care should be bestowed upon the forma
tion of the secular clergy, who form what may be called
the ordinary pastoral clergy, the rank and file of the sacer-
XX INTRODUCTION.
dotal army of the Church. We may be permitted to dwell
in some little detail upon this subject, arising, as it does,
out of the providence of God, in raising ST. JOHN BAP
TIST to our altars at this particular time, in the midst of
the present need of the Church.
It is no reproach to the regular orders to say that it
has been disastrous to the Church where all the offices of
influence and power, where all the education and direction
of the people have been placed in their hands, and where
at the same time the secular clergy have been neglected in
their education, and excluded from posts of trust, and
from the normal work of the Church in the midst of
society. This happened in Portugal, and in parts of South
America; to a great extent in Spain; and perhaps England
herself may furnish a similar illustration of this in her
condition at the rise of the sixteenth century. When the
world persecutes the Church, it falls first upon the regular
orders. Their influence, their good works, and sometimes
the wealth which they accumulate, excite jealousy and
envy. They are not of the soil in the same sense that the
diocesan clergy are, \vho are bound to remain on it by the
condition of their state, as much as the regular clergy are
bound by their rule at the voice of obedience to depart to
any part of the world. The secular or diocesan clergy
are indigenous^ and nearly always remain in the country;
and it has been disastrous for religion to the last degree
where their education has been neglected, and the avenue
to all the influential branches of the ministry has been
closed to them, because there were zealous bodies of regu
lar clergy upon whom the bishops could cast all the chief
work of the Church, and thereby save themselves tha
ON RAISING THE SECULAR CLERGY. XXI
labour, the expense, and the anxiety of forming an efficient
diocesan clergy. The disaster has come, and come with
double weight when, through persecution, the regulars
have had to fly, as has happened, alas ! so often during
the last three hundred years, abandoning everything to
a depressed clergy. No disaster can be greater than that
a people be left in the hands of an untrained and
neglected priesthood, whom the flock can neither confide
in, nor honour and respect as they should.
It is not that we would have the regular clergy one whit
less carefully trained, or less efficient than they are. Let
them ascend from virtue to virtue ; let their sanctity and
learning shine forth more and more brightly in humility
and charity. They are, as Pope Leo XIII. has said, " the
auxiliary troops, specially necessary in our times, whose
zeal and activity afford the bishops assistance, equally
seasonable and valuable, as well in the exercise of the
eacred ministry as in the accomplishment of works of
charity.'* They raise the standard of holiness in the
Church, and offer safe retreats and homes for the practice
of the evangelical counsels of perfection. " Wherever the
liberty of the Catholic Church exists, religious orders rise
and form themselves spontaneously, like so many branches
connected with the trunk of the Church whence they
derive their origin."*
Our consideration here is not of the perfection and
office of the religious state, but of the needs of the diocesan
priesthood, in connection with the life of ST. JOHN BAPTIST
DE Rossi. And we affirm that the experience of the
Church and common observation point out the necessity of a
* Apostolic Letter to the Archbishop of Paris. 22nd Oct., 1880.
INTRODUCTION.
special, prolonged, and perhaps we may add extraordinary
care in the preparation of priests, who are to live, for the
most part, isolated lives in the world, scattered like grains
of salt over society to preserve its spiritual life, and to
arrest the principle of decay, which is ever ready to break
out. In some true sense the secular priest stands in
greater need of careful preparation than the members of
religious orders. These latter, for the most part, live in
communities, and are subject to a minute discipline which
is continuous. Communities are necessarily confined to
large centres of population, where they can find main
tenance, or to foundations in the country, which are in
some way or other sufficiently endowed.
But there is necessary work to be done in the Church,
which is practically incompatible with community life.
The pioneer's work of breaking new ground, of creating,
out of the slenderest resources, new missions, new centres
of spiritual life; the carrying spiritual light and food up
and down among units scattered over a wide district,
where a priest can barely find means of subsistence; the
endless and wearisome labour of begging in order to save
the little ones from perversion in heretical schools ; the
long years of monotonous work, Sunday after Sunday,
month after month, with no change of scene or climate,
perhaps during a whole lifetime. This is the character
of much of the work that God confides to the secular
and diocesan clergy. They are left as free as may be,
because they have to fight singly, like sailors, rather
than in compact bodies like soldiers. They possess a
greater freedom, in order that they may render to God
a greater service. And what is thia phase of their
NEED OF A MORE LEARNED CLERGY. XXlll
life but a repetition in the priest of the life of the
Good Shepherd, who went out into the wilderness to
seek and tend the sheep that was lost ! No one but he
who has had experience can tell the labours and self-
sacrifice which spring out of love for souls, labours longer
and harder than those which the shepherd Jacob went
through when he served for Rachel "in the east country."
But these broad outlines are far from completing the
picture of what the Church and the people require from
the diocesan clergy. It is not sufficient that the priest
should ' ' pass muster," in knowledge and culture among
the half- educated and the peasants of his congregation.
We do not say that all priests must be what is popu
larly called learned and cultured men. There is abundant
work for those who, possessing but moderate abilities
and a mere sufficiency of knowledge, excel in piety
and zeal. But what we urge is this: that in these daya
a more learned and cultured priesthood has become essen
tial to the fulfilment of the Church's mission. Within
three centuries the condition of society has been greatly
changed. Increase of population and of leisure, the action
of the press, and the spread of instruction among all
classes, have reversed the ancient position of the clergy
and laity in respect to knowledge. The clergy no longer
lead, as they used to do, wherever they were found.
The torch of profane learning has been wrested from
their hand, and is now carried throughout the world
mainly by others. That this can be accounted for in a
way that frees the Church from reproach is certain. The
world's persecution of the Church — its wholesale confis
cation, in every country, of that ecclesiastical property
XXIV INTRODUCTION.
which would have enabled the Church to produce a clergy
numerous and leisured enough to pursue the path of
knowledge, and even to push the pursuit of it further
than it has yet been carried, accounts sufficiently for the
change that has taken place. When the pursuit of
knowledge, or the salvation of souls, have been set before
the Church as a practical alternative, the Church has
never hesitated to embrace the mission for which she was
immediately instituted. Rather than see her children
perish, she has sent forth her priests only partially
equipped, at the earliest moment she could trust them to
go.
A policy of such self-sacrifice is justifiable in an emer
gency, but it would be fatal if pursued systematically,
and beyond the absolute need of the moment. Our
clear duty is to make provision for a learned and cultured
clergy.
A priest is not expected to be an expert in all the
profane sciences. But he is expected to be abreast of the
general knowledge and culture of the day. The people
read history, science and literature ; their difficulties
against faith arise out of their reading. They have a right
to look to their pastors for guidance, and for a knowledge
of the connection between science and revealed religion.
They have a right to expect of them at least an intelli
gent appreciation of their difficulties; and when religion 13
attacked to see the priest in the front rank of its defence.
The priest is not a mere machine for administering
sacraments, he has a mission to address himself to the
people of the age in which he lives. He must speak to
their intellect, as well as to their conscience; he must
NEED OF LONGER AND HIGHER STUDIES. XXV
understand the former, if he is to regulate the latter. He
has to do with the whole man.
4. It is manifest that if the clergy are to become more
learned and cultured than they are, a longer time must be
bestowed upon their education than is given at present.
While a notable increase of time has been given during
the last centuries to the education of the laity, by no
corresponding increase of time has the ecclesiastical
course been prolonged.
It may be permissible here to throw out some sugges
tions for the improvement of ecclesiastical education, and
to consider, in the first place, its intellectual side, and
then the spiritual and religious formation of the clergy.
So early as the sixteenth century, the need of a College
of Higher Studies for the English clergy was keenly felt.
Although Cardinal Allen founded a College at Douai, in
which the full ordinary course of instruction was given to
the missi oners who were sent to death in England, it was
even then felt that this was not enough. Allen's mind
was full of a project for establishing a College of Higher
Studies. He regarded it as essential, in order to cope
with the new learning in England. He was thwarted in
his project, and did not live to realize it. But the wisdom
and foresight of Allen have been justified by experience.
We are still asking for that which Allen deemed necessary
three hundred years ago.
But till a House of Higher Studies can be founded, much
might be done with the means already at our disposal.
Proficiency will not come of multiplying theological
seminaries, but rather by increasing the number of their
INTRODUCTION.
students, raising the standard of their studies, and pro
longing their years of culture and training.
In the absence of a Catholic University, or of a House
of Higher Studies, the various seminaries in the country
might unite in common examinations, to be followed by a
suitable recognition of merit and by degrees. This is no
new idea. But a few years ago the Bishop of Perugia,
who is now Pope Leo XIII., proposed a scheme of this
kind to the seminaries of Umbria. If it was not at once
adopted, it was because an element of human infirmity
and local difficulties prevailed over a suggestion fraught
with wisdom.
But in addition to raising the standard of the ordinary
course, some special provision seems needed to supplement
it, by which young men of higher intellectual gifts might
continue to pursue their studies, in either literature,
science, history, sacred scripture, philosophy, or theology,
for a few years beyond the ordinary course. In the early
and middle ages, when the means of communication were
far different to what they are now, young men were sent
to distant seats of learning, wherever a specific advantage
was to be found that could not be gained at home. It
would seem that in those days greater sacrifices were
made by the clergy to obtain learning and intellectual
excellence than are habitually made at present; whereas
the need of such excellence has certainly not diminished.
5. Another consideration, closely connected with the
intellectual power of the clergy, will not be out of place.
A man may be a walking encyclopaedia of knowledge,
a very Solomon of wisdom ; but if he cannot communicate
A PROFOTTNDER STUDY OF ENGLISH. XXvii
his knowledge, if he cannot use his power, of what
service will he be to his neighbour and to the Church ?
What has given to the modern apostles of science their
prestige, their empire over the minds of their fellow-coun
trymen ? Not merely their knowledge, and their discoveries
of the secrets of nature; but the facility, the grace, the
transparency of language, with which they have presented
their theories and discoveries to the world. Would
the influence of Messrs. Renan, Darwin, Tyndal, and
Huxley have been what they are had they written and
spoken in a style that was involved, cumbersome and
unpolished ? In the midst of the cacoethes scribendi, and
of the multitude of public speakers, at least the law of the
survival of the fittest should point out to us the necessity
of cultivating the knowledge and use of our mother
tongue. It is through this alone that we can address,
captivate, and persuade our fellow-men. Men will read
and listen to that which pleases them. While the" variety
of choice is so great they will be drawn to whatever needs
the least expenditure of unnecessary labour. They will
certainly consult their ease as well as their taste. We
have only to ask ourselves, What is it that draws men to
a lecture, to the perusal of a periodical or a book ? Not
alone the matter, but the style. What is it that wearies
a congregation ? What is it that thins the benches ?
Not the truths that are announced from the pulpit, but
the faulty, confused, uncultured language in which they
are delivered.
While the whole world is being moved by the press as
never before; while every effort is made to bring men and
women up with a taste, aye, even with a passion for
XX VI 11 INTRODUCTION.
reading, and when literature is destined to become part of
their daily food; while, again, debating clubs are estab
lished in every large town, in order to cultivate the art of
public speaking in those who hold the franchise, — how is
it possible that the Catholic clergy, who are nothing if
they are not the guides and instructors of the people,
should be satisfied to enter upon life with no preparation
for public speaking, or with nothing that is worthy of
being called preparation ? We know what assiduous care
great political speakers and leaders of public thought have
bestowed upon their remote and immediate preparation.
A hundred examples come to mind at once, such as those
of the elder and the younger Pitt, of Fox, Sheridan, Sheil,
and Macaulay, not to mention the names of living orators.
They all remembered and acted upon that most ancient of
maxims, orator fit; they made a critical study of their
mother tongue ; they enriched their memories with words
and idioms; they never ceased, by reading and exercise,
to form, strengthen, and enrich all the powers which
render public speaking effective. Yet how often it hap
pens that in the education of the clergy the art of public
speaking is left to chance. The chief weapon of the priest,
the gladium linguce, is neither tempered, nor sharpened
and burnished, as true steel always should be. It is a
mistake to suppose that a sufficient knowledge and use of
the English tongue can be picked up incidentally during
the ordinary course of studies. The masters of language
never thought this. Nor can it be acquired during the
two years given to what is called the classes of poetry
and rhetoric, while the mind is still young and the judg
ment immature.
BETTER PREPARATION FOR PREACHING. XXIX
Long before the development and spread of modern
knowledge, it was laid down as a rule by the two most
intellectual religious orders in the Church, that after
the ordinary course of studies had been completed their
students were to bestow a second year upon the literature
and the use of the language they were to preach in.
Would it not, then, amply repay the Church in this '
country to prolong the usual course of ecclesiastical
studies by a year, which should be chiefly devoted to
the study of English, and to the vernacular use of the
professional knowledge that had been already acquired ?
The habit of requiring boys in the lower classes to
narrate aloud in their own words the facts of history they
learn, and the judgments and opinions suggested by them,
and to explain in a continuous narrative the doctrines of
their catechism, — the formation of debating societies, and
the cultivation of a healthy public opinion in schools as to
the importance of the study of the English classics, both
for writing and public speaking, would easily lead up to
the more radical change proposed, if it did not even
dispense with the necessity of devoting a year at the close
of the entire course to what may be called an advanced
study of rhetoric.
Until the study and cultivated use of the English lan
guage engages more of the attention of our schools and
seminaries than it has hitherto done, it will be vain to
expect the Catholic clergy to exercise that power over
the minds of the people which is within their reach. Let
not the words of the apostle be adduced as an objection:
" Sermo meus et prcedicatio mea non in persuasibilibus
humance scientice, sed in ostentione spiritus et virtutis."
XXX INTRODUCTION.
(1 Cor. ii. 4.) The apostle meant that the preaching of
the Gospel must stand, not on a mere human foundation,
but upon the grace and power of God. His aim was not
that of the vain-glorious Corinthian orators and philoso
phers, who sought to tickle the ears of men, to display
vain learning, and to win applause. St. Paul knew and
preached nothing but Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
All human knowledge, all eloquence; all power, were so
buried by the Apostle, in subservience to the knowledge
and service of Jesus Christ, that he accounted them as
nothing. This was not to condemn or forbid the use of
knowledge, eloquence, and intellectual power, — the apostle
possessed and used them abundantly, — but to declare their
secondary and subordinate place, basing his reliance on the
power and grace of God.
"Docente te in Ecclesia," writes St. Jerome in his
epistle to Nepotian, " non clamor populi, sed gemitus
Buscitetur. Lacyrmse auditorum, laudes tuas sint. Sermo
Presbyteri Scripturarum lectione conditus sit. Nolo te
declamatorem esse et rabulam garrulumque sine ratione,
Bed mysteriorum peritum, et sacramentoruna Dei tui
eruditissimum. Verba volvere, et celeritate dicendi apud
imperitum vulgua admirationem sui facere, indoctorum
hominum est."
God knows it is not the " rabulam garrulum " style of
eloquence — "sine ratione" — that we commend, any more
than it is the halting, ungrammatical, involved, and
unintelligible style, which is quite as often " sine ratione/'
and is the result of ignorance of the language, of neglect
of early training in the use of it, or of a presumptuous
and foolish belief in the theory of a "dabitur vobis." A
ON EARLY STUDY OF THE FATHERS.
preacher who is a real master of speech will use a trans
parent simplicity and a familiar illustration in preaching
to the uneducated which will go straight home to their
minds and hearts, while in preaching to the educated he
will use language adapted to the audience, and becoming
the occasion.
6. St. Paul would have the ministers of the Gospel
make all their studies subservient to the preaching of
Jesus Christ. Is it not possible to improve upon the
system of intellectual discipline at present in use for eccle
siastical students, or must ecclesiastical training wholly
conform to the fashion of the times? According to the
present system, ecclesiastical students are now subjected
to a long course of exclusively pagan classics. While fully
admitting that the study of the ancient authors of Greece
and Rome presents many intellectual advantages, there
can be no doubt but that their standard of thought and
judgment is pagan, that their morality, their aspirations,
and their motives are pagan. The paganism in thought
and conduct which characterises the nineteenth century is
quite as much the result of the pagan classical renaissance
as of the Protestantism of the sixteenth century. The
passionate revival of pagan literature has ended by well-
nigh wrecking the Italian peninsula, and its effects upon
faith and morals are manifest throughout Europe.
We do not apprehend any direct injury to religion from
the use made of the classics in our seminaries, nor do we
suggest their total abolition. But they inflict indirectly a
grievous injury upon the Church by monopolizing the
attention of her ecclesiastical students for six or seven
years to the entire exclusion of the study of the great
XXXli INTRODUCTION*
Christian authors. What we venture to suggest is, the
introduction of the study of selections from the writings
of the Greek and Latin Fathers, at least; side by side with
the pagan classics.
For what purpose, it may be asked ? In order to
form the minds of the clergy from an early age upon
the highest ecclesiastical authors, and thus help them to
meet and counteract in some degree that terrible worldly
pagan influence which is almost omnipresent^ not merely
in the pagan classics, but in the literature and thought
of the day;
What a storehouse, too, of noble Christian thoughts
and maxims } what sublime, yet practical and homely
lessons ; what fire of Christian zeal ; what examples of
apostolic rhetoric, might not a youth gather from the
study of well-made selections from, the Fathers ! Then
again, can any one; — not fanatically wedded to the
modern superstition that some extraordinary latent vir
tue lurks in the study of pagan mythology, and iu
tracking out the references contained in pagan authors,
to past or contemporaneous pagan facts and customs,
— for a moment believe that the doctrines and refer
ences contained in the Christian Fathers are not in
finitely more interesting and infinitely more important
to a Christian scholar, let alone a Christian priest ?
Take selections from the writings of St. John Chry-
sostom, of St. Gregory Nazianzen, of St. Jerome, St.
Augustine, St. Leo, St. Bernard, or of St. Prudentius,
and from the Church hymns, — and will not each and all of
them open out to the student studies of contemporaneous
history, of the struggle between Christianity and paganism,
EPFECTS OF PATRISTIC STUDIES. XXX111
the manners, customs, and ways of thought which the
Church had to combat or to convert, of the progress of
the Church in the world during a period which the present
dangerously resembles ?
As long as we give seven precious years of youth to the
assiduous, unflagging study of pagan authors, to the entire
exclusion from our studies of the Christian classics, can we
be surprised if the silent, unheeded conflux of the two
streams — the ancient and the modern paganisms — should
insensibly carry away many a youth from the noble
mission for which he was destined in the Church of God?
If the Church has entered upon a new phase in her
relations to the world, it may surely be necessary to
revise the methods of education which sprang up amidst
the evils of the sixteenth century, and to turn to better
account the years dedicated to the study of humanities,
which form the remote preparation for the priesthood.
The study of the Fathers during the course of humani
ties would be productive of other results. It would infuse
a taste for reading the Fathers, which seems at present
to have been lost. And with what great benefit ! — With
what benefit to preachers, to confessors,1— and hence to the
people! With what benefit to the priest himself! For
importance, authority, learning, and power, the Fathers
stand alone in the Church. He who reads the Fathers,
and has cultivation enough to digest and assimilate them,
so far from finding that he has buried his mind, like
a relic in a mass of antiquity, will find that he has
come forth doubly armed — in armour that he can adjust
to the times, and with weapons that he can wield with
effect. Non nova sed nove. How few the priests now-a-
XXXIV INTRODUCTION.
days familiar with the Fathers ! They all know the
estimate in which the Church holds their teaching; they
know the authoritative place they take in theology ; but
they know little more than this, for the simple reason
that during their three or four years' course of theology
there was not the material time to read the Fathers,
and during the six or seven years when they might have
formed undying friendships with them, their whole time
was given to Cicero, Yirgil, and Horace, to Zenophon,
Homer, and Greek plays.
Another result would spring naturally from the spread
of such a taste. Modern ascetical books, — of which a mul
titude are but pale and insipid dilutions of piety, and
feeders of weak popular tastes and devotions, — would
become healthier, stronger, and more nourishing. There
is a modern tendency on the part of many to strain after
the last developments of doctrine or devotion, to the
neglect of their root; to prize the filigree, and to ignore
the solid substance of which it is the efflorescence and the
ornament. In an age in which Christianity and Theism
itself are at stake, we especially need the masculine sense
and generous devotion to the great truths which abound in
the writings of the Fathers. This is not to condemn the
modern industries of piety, of which the Church has
approved. It is to keep everything in due subordination,
and to be wise unto sobriety.
7. It is not the purpose of this Introduction to enter
upon an exhaustive disquisition on the various studies by
which ecclesiastical education may be advantageously
raised and prolonged. But one other observation in con
nection with the formation of a more learned clergy may
CAREERS FAVOURABLE TO STUDY. XXXV
be made ; and it is this — that unless leisure and oppor
tunities for study be supplied after the conclusion of the
ecclesiastical course, no great tradition and succession of
intellectual power and learning will ever be established
among the secular clergy. A priest thrown into the
active practical work of the mission is unable to give
himself to a life of study. His studies will have to be
merely supplementary to his work. Other careers there
fore than that of the mission ought to be at hand. An
invaluable service might be rendered to the Church by the
gradual foundation of benefices attached to canonries,
having fixed conditions annexed to them, such as the
delivery and publication of lectures upon given subjects,
and by the endowment of Professorships.
The work of education in colleges, — which will no doubt
increase in general importance, — offers another most
suitable career for the development of intellectual tastes
and the pursuit of learning. This is ,a reason why bishops
ought to reserve to the diocesan clergy a fair proportion of
such work in every diocese. To make over the whole
of this field for apostolic zeal to religious bodies would be
practically to confine the secular clergy to parochial work,
to thin and impoverish their ranks, and finally to diminish
their prestige and their influence on society, to the
ultimate injury of the Church. There will always be
educational work for those religious bodies that have been
instituted for the education of youth, as well as for the
secular clergy. It is in order that such work may be
properly apportioned, that the Church has invested the
bishop with certain powers of discretion as to the opening
of houses of education within his diocese'.
XXXVI INTRODUCTION.
8. Let us now turn to the ascetical or spiritual side
of ecclesiastical education. The Life of ST. JOHN BAPTIST
DE Eossi will here furnish us with practical examples and
illustrations.
Important as the intellectual training of the clergy is,
their spiritual formation and discipline are of infinitely
greater moment. Learning and culture are not the
equivalents of zeal and piety. A priest who has acquired
the latter, with a mere sufficiency of the former, is to be
preferred for parochial work and the cure of souls to one
who is richly endowed with learning, but is inferior in the
virtues of zeal and piety. This is the wise teaching of St.
Alphonsus, and there is no bishop who will not confirm its
truth from his own experience.
In the spiritual training of youths for the priesthood,
the first question to be asked is, What standard of life
are they to be taught to aim at ?
The Church in her solemn ordination service declares
that priests are ordained " in adjutorium duodecim Apos-
tolorum, Episcoporum, videlicet Catholicorum," and that
consequently they ought to be perfect : — " fide et opere
debere perfectos, seu gemmae dilectionis, Dei scilicet efc
proximi, virtute esse fundatos."
The standard of life to be aimed at, the model to be
imitated, is set forth by St. Jerome in few and simple
words, in his Letter to Paulinus on the Priesthood.
" Episcopi et Presbyteri," he says, " habeant in exemplum
Apostolos et Apostolicos viros; quorum honorem possidentes
habere nitantur et meritum."
And the Holy See, in the Letter published by the Sacred
Congregation of Propaganda upon the missionary vow and
IMPORTANCE OF STRONG DESIRE. XXXV11
oath, as taken in this country, distinctly describes the
state of those who take it as that of priests, " qui in
arduum apostolici ministerii opus assumuntur." There
ought therefore to be no doubt whatever as to the standard
of life to be aimed at. We need add no more in proof of
this.
9. In order that ecclesiastical students may reach this
high standard, the thoughts and efforts of superiors ought
to be continually directed to awaken in their minds an ear
nest, intelligent, and continuous desire of the apostolic life.
St. Augustine says : " tota vita boni Christiani sanctum
desiderium :" much more must it be the active and working
principle in the life of a priest. Desire, St. Thomas teaches
with a philosophy which is profoundly true, enlarges the
soul, and renders it capable of containing that which ifc
desires to possess. Desire not only strengthens and
enlarges the superior faculties of the soul, but overflowing
the inferior, it enlists the co-operation of the emotions and
even of the body itself. " Cor meum et caro mea exulta-
verunt in Deum vivum." "Dilata os tuum et adimplebo
illud." St. Paul, forgetting the things that were behind,
by earnest desire pressed forward to that which he had not
yet attained. The priest, then, like the apostle, must be
emphatically ' ' a man of desires." The desire to advance
in sanctity, the desire to do great things for God's glory,
the desire to have ' ' partem aliquam et societatem cum tuis
sanctis apostolis," as every priest in the holy Mass prays
that he may have, takes the place in the spiritual life of
that well-regulated ambition which we know to be essential
for success in the affairs of this world. The lawyer, the
merchant, the physician, the politician, who is not actively
XXXV111 INTRODUCTION.
inspired by an earnest desire to advance in his profession,
is doomed from the beginning to failure. The ecclesiastical
student who has not placed the true standard of perfection
before his mind, and is not continually animated by a desire
to attain it, is also from the outset doomed to a life of
miserable mediocrity, if to nothing lower still. Indeed, it
is true to say that where there is no desire of perfection,
there is no divine vocation to the priesthood. But if
at present you feel no burning desire within you, be not
discouraged; in the words of the Venerable Cardinal
Bona, " Saltern desidera id multum desiderare."
10. Nothing conduces more readily or more forcibly to
awaken and nourish these holy desires in the soul, than a
constant intercourse and familiarity with the Saints. ST.
JOHN BAPTIST DE Rossi used to insist very much on this,
and on his death-bed he had the Lives of the Saints,
especially that of St. Philip Neri, read to him, and he pre
ferred that kind of reading to any sort of exhortation or
conversation. Nor is it surprising that the Lives of the
Saints should act so powerfully on the soul. They are, as
ST. JOHN BAPTIST used to say, "the supplement to the
Gospel," " the maxims of Jesus Christ reduced to prac
tice." They are the heroes, the only true heroes, of our
race. They alone had formed the correct estimate of God
and of the world; and their lives were consistent with
their estimate.
ST. JOHN BAPTIST constantly seasoned and illustrated
his sermons and instructions with examples from the
Lives of the Saints, well knowing that the mind and
heart are drawn to virtue by witnessing its effects upon
others. A penitent's good resolution is often sealed
THE USE OF SAINTS' LIVES. xxxix
by the quotation of an example from the Life of a
Saint. How many generous and heroic deeds, how many
a consecration of life itself to God's service, have followed,
as cause and effect, the reading of the Life of a Saint !
There is particularly one class of priests to whom the
Lives of the Saints may become a great solace; — those
who live alone on small missions, or with scattered con
gregations. They need a companionship and friendship
which they cannot, and perhaps should not, seek among
their flock. But, through an intimate acquaintance with
the Lives of Saints, they may hold a very sweet and pro
fitable intercourse with the great servants of God, who
lovingly look down upon us from their thrones above.
This is one of the unspeakable consolations to be drawn
out of the doctrine of the Communion of Saints. We can
at pleasure place ourselves in direct communication with
Saints. We have it in our own power, by means of
reading, to become acquainted with them. Acquaintance
begets love, and love a return of love. They speak to us
in their biographies, and we speak to them in our prayers.
They hear us, love us, help us. 0, how many secret
sources of happiness and of grace are to be found in the
writings of the Fathers and the Lives of the Saints, if only
superiors would train their subjects from an early age to
turn their whole soul in this direction !
11. ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE Eossi's vocation and sanctity
seem to have been wonderfully .promoted by his joining
the congregation or Sodality of the twelve Apostles, which
was formed in his time in the Roman College.
A prejudice exists in some minds against the existence of
sodalities in Colleges, where all the students are supposed
xl INTRODUCTION.
to be on an equality. They are said to produce a "hot
house piety/' which will not stand the outer air, and to
create differences where all are equal. To this we reply,
that a large college, especially if it be composed of lay
and church students, is made up of every variety of
character, with at least as wide an interval between the
highest and lowest capabilities of holiness, as between the
highest and lowest degrees of natural ability.
The college rule offers just such spiritual advantages as
are suitable to all; but the sodality is a voluntary
association designed to afford additional spiritual benefits
to those who desire them. Differences are recognised,
and the law of liberty is respected. Nor need there be any
danger of the growth of a spurious piety which will not
wear. It is the business of a wise superior or director to
check the growth of youthful, morbid exaggerations, and
to guard against that deceptive and dissiduous piety, which
has roots, if it have any roots, only in the imagination and
emotions.
If a college is a little 'inner world, and a preparation for
the outer one, why should it not have its own associations
like the outside world ? The world is full of societies for
the better attainment of various ends, — commercial, scien
tific, social and political. Every parish, too, has its confra
ternities, with its rules and badges : why, then, may not a
college, composed of youths of varied characters and
different vocations, have its sodality, for the purpose, for
instance, of cultivating a deeper knowledge of spiritual
works, and especially of the Lives of the Saints, and for
the promotion and development of the apostolic spirit ?
ST. JOHN BAPTIST derived the greatest advantage from
ASSOCIATIONS FOR PRIESTS. xli
the association formed in the Roman College ; and he re
mained a member of it for twenty years. He also found
that an association of secular priests, called "the Pious
Union of Priests/' was of sensible assistance to him when
he entered upon his missionary work. There can be no
doubt that, when priests are thoroughly in earnest about
their own sanctification as well as about their work, the
edification and mutual support derived from a voluntary
association of brother priests is of wonderful advantage,
at least to a great many. This has been found to be the
case in Italy, Germany and France. In France at the
present moment, there is a wide- spread society of secular
priests, having a purely spiritual object, which has been
blessed and recommended by Pius IX., and by Leo XIII.
An association or brotherhood, in honour of St. Peter,
the Head of the priesthood, has come into existence in
England. We know not to what extent it may develop,
or whether it will answer the need. But this assuredly
is true, that an association of secular priests, formed
simply to promote the apostolic spirit, into which the
young clergy, who come forth in the first fervour of their
ordination, might enter, would help to sustain good re
solutions at a most critical period, and would in various
ways be productive of many blessings.
Were it possible to prolong, as we have suggested, the
seminary course, so as to ensure for the secular, as for
the regular clergy, a greater spiritual as well as intel
lectual maturity, before they are thrown upon the world,
the Church would be amply repaid in a very few years, for
any sacrifice that she might have had to make for the pur
pose. But pending any such change, the creation of
Xlii INTRODUCTION.
voluntary associations of missionary priests for the pro
motion of the apostolic spirit, would certainly be according
to the mind and heart of our great secular priest, ST. JOHN
BAPTIST DE Rossi.
12. ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE Rossi ought to be particularly
honoured and invoked by the secular clergy, because of
the high esteem which he had for their state of life. He
had no vocation to any religious order, but was a thorough
secular priest. The religious state is to be profoundly
respected, because it is a state tending, by the use of the
most approved means, to perfection. No one can be said
sentire cum Ecclesia, who is hostile or ill-disposed towards
it; nay, he ought "laudare plurimum religionum status,"
as St. Ignatius teaches. All the saints who were not
members of religious orders, were in relations of amity
with one or other of them. ST. JOHN BAPTIST owed his
early training and education to the Jesuits, who set him
on the road towards heroic sanctity, and encouraged him
in it. But he had his own high vocation, which he
properly esteemed ; he was a secular priest, devoted to the
secular clergy. It was noticed how bright and happy
he always was in the midst of his brethren of the clergy,
and how well he was known to nearly all the clergy of
Rome. A considerable part of his life was spent in giving
them retreats and conferences, and he exercised a special
apostolate among young secular priests just ordained.
Pope Benedict XIV. esteemed his opinion so highly that
he consulted him upon the measures best calculated to
improve and raise the condition of the Roman clergy.
Indeed, ST. JOHN BAPTIST, like so many others, seema
to have acted all through life upon the conviction that one
SANCTITY IN THE PRIESTHOOD. xliii
of the ways in which God may be most glorified is by
raising and perfecting the diocesan clergy. He often
dissuaded young men from becoming religious, believing
that they were being carried away by a momentary
enthusiasm, rather than by a solid and definite vocation,
and persuaded them to seek their sanctification and per
fection in the ranks of the secular clergy. And his
biographers point out that his discernment was justified by
the important services which many of them rendered
to religion as secular priests.
ST. JOHN BAPTIST had formed to himself a very high
ideal of the perfection belonging to the priesthood. Ho
had no notion that it was a state designed to furnish a
mere easy and innocent mode of existence, in which the
secular priest was to differ from an ordinary layman only
in the matter of Orders. With St. John Chrysostom, he
saw that the secular priest is like leaven "hid in the
meal," " buried but not destroyed, till by little and little
it transmutes the whole lump into its own condition." His
whole aim was therefore to model his life on the example
of the apostles, and to train himself to those virtues by
means of which they leavened and converted the world.
It is not surprising therefore to hear that he was very
jealous of his right to practise the great evangelical
counsels, though he took no vows of religion ; and that he
made for himself a rule of life, based upon their observ
ance, and upon the duties which Providence marked
out for him.
13. Now first, as to evangelical poverty. There are
various degrees in the practice of the counsel of voluntary
INTRODUCTION.
poverty, by means of which we become like Christ and the
apostles.
The observance even of the vow of poverty is very
differently interpreted in different orders. Some religions
are allowed to possess a small limited amount; others
are supplied with what they ask for; some are poor per
sonally, bnt rich corporately; others are poor personally
and corporately. Some are mendicants, like the Fran
ciscans; and others, like the followers of the rule of that
wonderful apostolic hero, St. Cajetan, can neither possess
personally or corporately, nor even beg for alms as the
mendicants do, but depend absolutely on Providence,
taking only what is voluntarily offered them. St. Cajetan
is said to have received this rule from the apostle St.
Peter himself, who used often to appear to him ; and
he founded his order in the church of St. Peter, over the
body of the great apostle.
As there are various degrees in the practice of poverty
among the regular clergy, so much more may there be
among the secular.
Voluntary poverty being a counsel, is not of obligation
in se. But the state of life we voluntarily embrace may
make it obligatory upon us to a greater or less extent;
and our own free will, sustained by divine grace, may lead
us to carry its practice to heroic lengths, even though
we are not members of a religious order. But it is one of
those virtues which is not to be inculcated by urging,
driving, and legislation. It may be inspired by wise
directors, by saints' lives, spiritual reading, and prayer.
It is the natural result of the growth of love and generosity
towards our Divine Redeemer, of love and generosity
APOSTOLICAL SPIRIT OF POVERTY.
founded on a very thoughtful reading of the Gospels :
(< Intellectus cogitabundus principium omnis boni."
The whole of this question must be of practical interest
to every young priest who, being about to enter upon his
missionary career, thinks within himself by what rule
he shall guide his life> and what shall be his conduct
in respect to the goods of this world, which may come
more or less into his possession. ST. JOHN BAPTIST care
fully considered the matter, and came to a definite
resolution, which he kept most perfectly to the day of his
death. A few detailed considerations may therefore be of
use to those who are " men of desires, " who " hunger and
thirst after justice," and are seeking as far as possible for
" the more excellent way.'*
The words of the apostle, f< Scio et abundare et penuriam
pati," offer to the priest a wise rule of conduct; " I know
how to be brought low, and I know how to abound,
(everywhere and in all things I am instructed,) both to be
full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need."
(Phil. iv. 12.) On these words St. John Chrysostom
remarks, <( Some one will say that it requires no great
wisdom or virtue ' to abound.' But," he answers, " there
is great need of virtue to know how to abound, quite
as much as to know how to endure poverty. As want
inclines us to do many evil things, so also doth plenty.
Many coming into plenty have become indolent, not
knowing how to bear good fortune. Many have taken it
as a reason for working no longer. But Paul did not so,
for what he received he spent upon others, and emptied
himself for them. This is to know how to make good use
of what we have. He did not relax his life, nor exult
INTRODUCTION.
in abundance. Paul was the same in want and in plenty;
he was neither depressed and dissatisfied when he was in
want, nor was he set up and arrogant when he was in
plenty. ( I know how to abound and how to suffer need.*
And it is here that the apostle immediately adds, ( I can do
all things in Him who strengtheneth me.' "
The secular priest retains a liberty in respect to this
counsel which the regular has surrendered. The one uses
his liberty for God, the other sacrifices it for God. The
glory of God should be the end of both, and God is
honoured by each in a different way. But as the one
requires rules and discipline for the maintenance of his
vow, so does the other require rules and self-restraint lest
he abuse his liberty. The young priest will therefore act
with discretion if, like ST. JOHN BAPTIST, he lay down for
himself, under the sanction of his director, some rules and
practices to be observed. These cannot be the same for
all. The members of the secular clergy naturally differ in
antecedents, character, and health ; circumstances of time,
place, and fitness vary. For instance, the severity in fur
niture and food, which would brace up one, might almost
incapacitate another. That which might be self-indulgence
in a third, might be absolutely needful to the cheerfulness
and health of a fourth. But in determining such matters
we are fortunately not left wholly to our own discretion.
God Himself often comes in to correct our too partial
judgment, by providentially ordering the circumstances of
our life, and limiting, perhaps to the very borders of
poverty, the means over which He gives us control.
Some degrees of evangelical poverty, which are com-
DEGREES OF EVANGELICAL POVERTY. xlvii
patible with the life of a missionary priest in England,
may here be mentioned.
i. The cultivation of a special love for the poor, giving
work for the poor a distinct preference over work for the
rich. This was ST. JOHN BAPTIST'S maxim all his life. The
great work of the Catholic clergy in England must ever be
among the' poor; this is the Gospel principle, "evangeli-
zare pauperibus." We shall convert the country by con
verting the people. The Establishment followed the op
posite principle, in obedience to the world and the flesh,
and it has lost the people. It will never be the " fine
gentlemen" priests that will convert England, but priests
steeped in the apostolic spirit, who find their rest after
labour among the people, not in parties and in dining,
but in prayer and reading.
ii. The next degree is a preference for poor and destitute
missions, where there is much to suffer; or, at least, a
cheerful willingness to serve them as long as the bishop
may appoint, with an unalterable resolution never to
repine, never to petition or scheme to be transferred to a
mission where the emoluments are richer and the comforts
greater.
Practically the diocesan clergy in England and other
missionary lands form a great mendicant order. Nolens
volens the secular priest must often be as poor as St.
Francis. If he is poor by necessity, he will be wise to
sanctify his poverty by making it voluntary through acts
of the will. More wonderful than any Midas's wand is the
act of the will which can convert the distress of earthly
poverty into a heavenly treasure. Nothing assuredly is
sadder than to see a priest fretting and repining at poverty,
INTRODUCTION.
treating as an unwelcome, miserable wretch her who has
been offered to him, even as a spouse, by Jesus Christ.
Let him once begin to look upon poverty as the apostles
and ST. JOHN BAPTIST did, and after a little time he will
fall down upon his knees and bless God for a new sense
of liberty and independence that has arisen within his
soul, and for a train of innumerable blessings.
The words of St. Vincent Ferrer upon the practice of
poverty are very consoling, and are worth quotation. He
says: " A certain author observes, 'To be poor is a thing
which in itself merits no praise, but what renders it
meritorious is the fact of loving poverty, and of suffering
with joy for Christ's sake whatever wants poverty entails
on us/
"Unhappily, there are many who glory only in the
name of poverty, who embrace it merely on the condition
that they shall want for nothing. They desire to pass for
the friends of poverty, but strenuously shun its daily
accompaniments, viz., hunger and thirst, contempt and
humiliation. Such is not the example of Him who, being
sovereignly rich, became poor for our sakes ; such is not
what we discover in the acts and instructions of the
apostles.
" Ask nothing of any one, except when absolute neces
sity obliges you ; neither accept the presents which people
offer you, unless it be to distribute them among the poor.
By acting thus, both they whose gifts you refuse, and they
who hear of your disinterestedness, will be edified; thus
will you the more easily lead them to despise the world
and to relieve the poor."
PRIESTS NOT TRADESMEN.
This was the poverty that ST. JOHN BAPTIST DB Rossi
practised, and he was a secular priest.
iii. An apostolical contempt for money distinguishes the
priest of the sanctuary from the man of business in the
world. The latter sets a money value upon his services,
which belong to himself and his family. The priest sets
no earthly price upon his. He consecrated them to God
with the consecration of his life. The holy Bishop,
Bartholomew of the Martyrs, quotes with strong com
mendation the words of one of the Fathers, who, in
speakiDg of the priesthood, says : " Clerici qui fideliter
laborant in Ecclesia, non expectent hie stipendia temporalia
ab Ecclesia, quasi prsemia laborum (quia stipendia suse
militiaa non nisi ccelestia sunt), sed solum necessaria ad
sustentationem vitae."
Hence the priest, who is provided with the needful,
when asked by the Bishop to render some service to the
Church, does not bargain with the Church for the price
of his labour, like a hireling j but works after the example
of an apostle. If unhappily a priest have come into the
Church, like a tradesman, for a living — his eye, like the
eye of a tradesman, will be always on the till. If avarice
have struck her root into his heart, it will become visible
to others, in his impulses, in the readiness or slackness of
his movements at certain times, and his inward calcula
tions will be often betrayed by casual looks and words.
Although a priest may be bound to spend much time
in collecting money, to claim the established dues, and
to receive gifts, — and all this he must do for the sake of
the people, — he ought always both to be, and to appear to
be, personally detached from filthy lucre. When he ia
1 INTRODUCTION.
known to spend all that he receives upon religion and
good works — not upon his own comforts and pleasures —
he will be recognised as walking in the path of the apostles.
iv. A priest is not open to reproach if he lay by some
provision for sickness and old age, especially where there
is no common fund for that purpose; even the regular,
when he vows poverty, knows that he will be provided
for. But to provide for a time of illness and old age, out
of the contributions and free gifts of the flock, is a very
different thing to bequeathing the money thus collected
to friends and relatives. It is a scandal to the faithful,
and a lasting stain on the name of a priest, when money
given in the service of God, or for the use of His anointed,
is hoarded and finally left away from the Church, for the
enjoyment of a private family.
But the priest who determines to make no earthly
provision for the future, spending everything, as it comes,
upon religion and the poor, practises poverty and trust
in Providence in a heroic degree. ST. JOHN BAPTIST did
this, as may be seen in his life ; and this is another degree
in which a priest may, if he will, practise evangelical
poverty.
v. But what of those priests who possess private
fortune ? Can they practise the counsel of evangelical
poverty, and still retain the use of their fortune ? As
suredly they can. Some priests consecrate to God, by a
solemn act, all that they possess, even their private for
tune, and bind themselves to hold it, either in the names
of others or in their own, and to administer it, simply
as a trust. They then no more allow themselves to spend
it upon their own comforts and pleasures, than they would
ST. CHARLES ON EVANGELICAL POVERTY. li
spend upon these a deposit of trust money belonging to
another. Would St. Charles have done better to have
taken a religious vow of poverty, at the outset of life,
than to have spent his large fortune year by year, as he
did, upon education and charity, practising all the time
towards himself the strictest poverty ? Opinions may not
be divided upon the question in the abstract. Each case
must be considered in the concrete. Certain, however, it
is, that if the secular priest use his private fortune like
St. Charles, he will walk in the example of saints, and
practise evangelical poverty in a heroic degree.
We may quote the authority of So. Charles Borromeo
•without suggesting a suspicion that we are drawing the
secular clergy away from their own proper vocation, by
setting forth his spirit and example as to poverty. St.
Charles in one of his homilies addressed his priests thus :
" Do you know how great is the perfection of complete
poverty ? how great and valuable the assistance which it
renders to fishers of souls ? how strictly the Lord required
its observance in those first fishermen, the apostles, whom
He permitted to ' carry neither purse, nor scrip, nor
shoes r»
And elsewhere he said : " Take as your pattern the lives
of the holy fathers of old; after the example of the saints,
live in such poverty, that what you may have to give for
your churches and the adornment of your altars and other
sacred objects, may not be merely the overflow of your
superfluity, but rather savings stolen by mortification from
your necessary maintenance."
It has been surely by a divine guidance, and for the
good of the priests who live in the world, as 'well as of the
Ill INTRODUCTION.
laity, that the vicar of Christ has recently so strongly
recommended to us the study of the life and conduct of St.
Francis, " the poor man of Assisi."
We have dwelt at length upon the counsel of voluntary
poverty for two reasons. First, because the luxury of the
age is fashionable and penetrates everywhere. In our
schools and colleges are to be found conveniences and
comforts which fifty years ago no student dreamt of. On
the plea of health, the plea of progress, the plea of fashion
and of necessity, requirements and expenses are multi
plied. These are the marks of modern civilization.
We of the clergy are in danger, and it is right to recog
nize the danger. We are in danger of succumbing to the
easy-going ways, to the softness and self-indulgence of the
age. Our clerical colleges contain a large lay element,
and though this is an advantage on the one side, its in
fluence upon the severer apostolic spirit needs to ba
closely watched and counteracted.
The priest is not a layman in Orders, on a social level
with the attorney and the doctor. Everywhere he
stands alone, associated with the apostles for the con
version and salvation of the world •, and he needs their
spirit. Venerable old priests notice with sadness how
many of the young have become particular and exacting
in food, furniture, comfort, and means for enjoyment.
Not only do some of them look for holidays longer
than were ever enjoyed by the old missionary priests
of England, but large sums of money are often spent ou
foreign travel, perhaps every year, while some will even
disguise their priesthood, in order to be the more free —
as though it were ever fit for a priest to seek hia
POVERTY TO BE CLEAN AND TIDY, liii
pleasure and relaxation in company, or in places, where
the ecclesiastical dress proves to be an unpleasant
restraint. Such cases as these, no doubt, are the exception
— for it would be difficult to point to any priesthood in
Europe more laborious and self-denying than the Catholic
clergy of England; still they show the influence of the
spirit of the world, and the danger of a setting in of a
depreciation of the hardness and self-denial which are
marks of the true soldier of Jesus Christ. A declension
from the apostolic spirit may be arrested in the beginning,
but if it put on a momentum, and become general, what
power on earth can restore it ?
While speaking of the counsel of poverty and hardness
to self, as shown in the Life of ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE Rossi,
it must not for a moment be supposed that he confounded
dirt and untidiness with self-denial. Though we read that
he had so well learned the art of " going without," that he
was satisfied with a piece of string and two nails for a
wardrobe, and wore only simple and common stuffs, we
also read that " he was very particular as to cleanliness.
Like St. Francis of Sales, he had adopted the maxim of
St. Bernard, that one should detest dirt and negligence in
one's clothes as much as the appearance of vanity and con
ceit. ' Let us content ourselves,' he used to say, ' with what
is absolutely necessary/ " As the counsel of personal
poverty, then, is compatible with personal cleanliness, so
is it with living, like St. Charles, in a well-built house,
and with a genial, though unpretentious, hospitality.
The other reason for dwelling on this counsel is,
because it is impossible to expect the conversion of a
people absorbed and mad, like the English, in the pursuit
liv INTRODUCTION.
of wealth, by any kind of conformity with their spirit
of greed. Men will not learn to despise houses and lands
and riches for Christ's sake, if they see that the ministers
of Christ are covetous and attached to them. St. John
Chrysostom, answering the objection that the apostles
converted the world by miracles, says, "No, not by
miracles, but by contempt of wealth, by contempt of glory,
and freedom from all worldly concerns. Had they raised
ten thousand dead to life, and been wanting in contempt
for the riches and glory of the world, so far from doing
good, they would have been accounted deceivers.'*
But forced, as we are, to become bankers and builders
for the churches, the schools, the houses of refuge of the
people, the situation is perilous to an unspeakable degree.
Our only security is in the steady growth and maintenance
in the soul of the clergy of this conviction, that a priest's
life and conduct must be laid upon the obvious and broad
Gospel maxims, which favour poverty and the poor rather
than riches and the rich. The example to follow is that
set forth in practice by Christ, the apostles, and the saints,
down to the last saints canonized, John Baptist de Rossi
and Joseph Benedict Labre.
14. Nearly thirty years ago, when preparing, in obe
dience to the direction of the late Cardinal Wiseman,
to take part in the education of the clergy, we held several
long conferences with that learned and profound biblical
scholar and priest, the late Professor Windishmann, at
that time Vicar- General to Cardinal Eeisach in Munich.
Among other questions, we asked him this one : ( ' What do
you consider is the perfection of a secular priest ? and
what is the best way to promote it ?" — We quote from the
A PRIEST'S LIFE OF OBEDIENCE. Iv
pages of a journal written at the time. — He replied: "A
priest's perfection does not consist in a great multitude of
prayers and exterior mortifications self-imposed, — these are
consistent with life in a cloister, but not with the active
charity of a priest in the world. A secular priest's perfec
tion consists in a great love of God, just as does that of a
religious. The means to attain it are to be found in doing
the Will of God, for in doing His Will perfectly we attain
the perfection to which God calls us. Now, for every one,
but especially for a secular priest, obedience is the way to
perfection, — great reverence and love for the authority
and voice of the Church, and a determination to obey all
her ordinances, and to follow her spirit in everything.
Some priests question the Church's right, sneer at such
regulations as mortify them, and obey her grudgingly,
setting their own private spirit up as a guide.
" Next to obedience to the Church, comes obedience to
the Bishop. If the Bishop applies an ordinance of the
Church to his diocese, his voice is then identical with that
of the Church. In his administrative capacity he may err
in judgment, he may be narrow-minded and at fault. In
that case the priest should say, God can choose such a one
to be the means of my salvation; he is in God's place
towards me, — I must obey. He may make a proper re
presentation to the Bishop once; but let him beware of
forcing him morally by importunities.
" As a consequence of obedience, first to the laws and
spirit of the Church, and then to one's Bishop, this rule is
arrived at, — that we must never seek for distinguished
employments and positions which the natural man coveta.
When a priest is once settled in a place by his Bishop,
Ivi INTRODUCTION.
beware of a restless desire to change. His sanctity is
perhaps attached to that place. If there be good reason
for a change, he may respectfully represent his feelings
and reasons to the Bishop, and leave the rest to him.
They belong to an abominable class who are perpetually
asking their Bishop for a change. It proceeds sometimes
from sensuality, that is, from a desire to shirk the cross.
A trouble has come, and they have not love of God enough
to meet it. Let them consider poor laymen, with their
families, and all the trials they have to endure, and cannot
shirk. How can priests console them if they are themselves
always flying from pain and anxiety ? Sometimes pride is
the cause ; they think they are underrated by the Bishop,
aiid that they are capable of better things. When I hear
of a priest constantly seeking for change, I lose all good
opinion of him ; the best excuse I can make for him is —
weakness of character and want of perseverance."
Such were the remarkable words in which this great and
truly holy man declared his conviction that obedience is
the rule for a priest who desires to be perfect.
But as we are writing this Introduction in great
measure for the benefit of those who are about to be
ordained, we may be permitted to dwell a little longer
on the importance of obedience in a priest. St. Catherine
of Siena used to say that " obedience was the measure of
humility, and humility the measure of obedience." And
it is but natural, after the Son of God had triumphed over
sin and death, and purchased for us the rewards of eternal
life, by having become " obedient unto death," that the
great victories of the saints should be won also by obe
dience, and that Jesus Christ should will that the lives of
THE PRIEST'S PROMISE OF OBEDIENCE. Ivii
His priests should resemble His own, in the practice of
this particular virtue. There is, therefore, no comparison
between the amount of obedience required of a priest and
of a layman. Not to speak of the general laws of the
Church, which place the life and conduct of the clergy
under rule and obedience, there are the decrees of pro
vincial and diocesan synods, which claim their obedience ;
and then, as the Bull Romanes Pontifices declares, " when
the law is silent the authority of the Bishop stands in the
place of law," the Bishop's being the living voice of the
office and authority created by God. Hence it follows
that the priest's life is truly a life of obedience.
After years spent in the practice of obedience in the
seminary, the day at last comes when, in the ordination
service, the priest, placing his hands upon the knees and
in the hands of the Bishop, solemnly promises " reverence
and obedience " to his Bishop. This solemn promise lifts
him who makes it into a life of obedience, higher than
that which is demanded of the flock. It secures that the
works of his ministry, so far as they are in conformity
with his promise, shall be recognized, accepted, and, as
it were, engrafted into the great world- wide work of the
Good Shepherd.
How highly the saints have esteemed this solemn
promise, and how dependent they have considered their
work for souls to be upon union with Christ through the
Bishop, may be seen in many places, but it appears
nowhere more clearly than in the Life of St. Francis
Xavier. We read in F. Coleridge's Life and Letters of St.
Francis, that "On landing at Goa he went to the Bishop,
and informed him of his mission from the Pope and the king,
Iviii INTRODUCTION.
showing him his letters and faculties, including that which
appointed him Apostolic Delegate. At the same time he
declared that he had no desire or intention of using the
extraordinary powers conferred upon him, except so far as
it seemed good and advisable to the Bishop himself. This
absolute deference to the ordinary ecclesiastical authority
was a fixed principle with him during the whole of his
missionary career, as it was also uniformly insisted upon
by St. Ignatius in Europe. Francis adopted the principle,
not merely out of prudence, but in order that his work
might have the blessing of obedience upon it, as well
as that of perfect union with the representatives of divine
authority in the Church." (Vol. 1, p. 125.)
From many examples to be found in his letters of how
he dealt with his own religious, who were exempt, we may
judge what the saint's instructions would have been to
those who form the ordinary clergy of the diocese. We
may make one selection from a letter written to Father
Cipriani. Speaking of the Bishop's Yicar, he says: "If the
Vicar does not act as he ought, most certainly he will not
be taught better by such reproofs from you, especially
when they are pressed upon him so imprudently, as has
been the case now Understand that all things are
brought about by humility. If you cannot do as much as
you wish, do what you can accomplish in quietness and
goodness Good that is done without offence or dis
turbance, even though in itself no greater than this little
line , is much better and greater than good gained in
another way, though it appears ever so much larger, so as
to be expressed by a line that reaches across the whole
page That speech of yours certainly has a very grand
THE MISSIONARY VOW.
sound. 'What? Can we endure in silence to see injury
done to God's glory, and obstacles placed in the way of
saving souls ?' How then ? Do you repair that injury,
or do you heap fresh mischief upon it, by the storm and
tumult of detestable quarrels ? I repeat it, you will never
obtain from the Vicar by threats and contentions what you
cannot obtain by modesty and humility." (Vol. ii. p. 418.)
But besides the solemn promise of obedience to the
Bishop, made at ordination, the Holy See has consecrated
and raised still higher the state of priests in missionary
countries, by ordaining them on the title of a missionary
oath. This oath includes in express words a vow de bono
meliori, to labour for life in the work of the salvation of
souls, subject in every sort of way to the direction and
jurisdiction of the Bishop. The words are as follows :
" Voveo pariter et juro, quod in liac Dioecesi perpetuo in
divinis administrandis laborem meum et operanij sub omni-
moda directions et jurisdiction R. P. D. pro tempore Ordi-
nariij pro salute animarum impendam."
The various clauses and restrictions preceding and
following these words, add additional force and con
centration to this magnificent consecration of the soul to
the apostolic life. It is not a religious vow; it may be
called an Apostolic vow — as binding for life and as sacred
as a vow of religion, dispensation from it being similarly
reserved to the Pope.
What sacrifice of self-will, what noble generosity this
vow implies, may be seen by a brief examination of its
meaning. First, it binds a man to labour for life in a par
ticular district, thus concentrating his attention and work
in a most practical manner, and cutting off the root of
IX INTRODUCTION.
fickleness, and of that restless desire to roam abroad in
quest of excitement, and of mere change of place and scene,
which is so common. So strictly is this interpreted that
the Holy See alone has power to transfer a priest, who has
taken this vow, from one diocese or bishop to another, even
of the same province. Next, it places the priest under
perpetual holy obedience to a superior, not chosen by him
self, but by God, in whatever concerns the great apostolic
work of his life. There is in this, as one may easily see,
a distinctive element of generosity and of trust in Jesus
Christ. It includes and is more than a vow of stability.
And lastly, what is the motive, what the end, of this sub
lime sacrifice ? Nothing less than the love of God, and the
love of souls. " If you love Me, feed My sheep, feed My
lambs." " Greater love no man hath than to lay down his
life for his friends."
Spiritual writers tell us that whatever is done under the
vow of obedience receives an additional and special merit
and reward. How amply will this reflection encourage
those who have sworn an oath and taken a vow to give
their lives to the sacred ministry, and to spend them
" sub omnimoda directione Ordinarii" !
Whether they be sent to a town or a country mission,
whether they be employed in a college as a teacher of
grammar or as prefect, whether their work place them
under the eye of the world, or leave them hidden in
obscurity, — it is all pastoral, all apostolical work they are
engaged in, guaranteed a double reward under their
promise and their vow. They are well assured that
obedience to their Bishop makes their union with the
Prince of Pastors absolutely complete^ so far as their work
ANNUAL RENEWAL OF THE VOW. Ixi
is concerned. They know, moreover, that the merit of
work consists, not in the nature or excellence of the thing
they are engaged in, but in the perfection of the intention
and the measure of divine love with which it is under
taken. The hidden humble lives of Mary and Joseph were
of a more exalted merit than the miracles of St. Peter and
the preaching of St. Paul. So, too, the humblest office of
the apostolic ministry may become as meritorious as the
most resplendent. These thoughts are enough to fill with
a singing joy and gladness the heart of a priest, whom the
world accounts exiled and lost in some lone country
mission, but who is there in obedience to the voice of his
Bishop. He, at least, knows full well that he could not do
the Will of God better than by being where he is.
We could greatly desire that the missionary oath and
vow were made more of than it is. The vows of religion
are taken after long preparation and retreat, and often
with considerable solemnity, and their devout annual
renewal serves much to renew the first fervour with which
they were taken. Why might not the mission oath be
always taken at the end of a retreat, during which its
meaning and merit had been carefully dwelt upon, and in
the presence of the community, solemnly as a religious
function? And then, how suitably it might be renewed
privately every year on one of the three chief festivals of
St. Peter the apostle, or on the anniversary of the day on
which it was taken, according to the exhortation published
by the Holy See. (April 27, 1871.) A Plenary Indul
gence is granted on the day upon which the mission oath
is first taken, and upon every anniversary when it is
renewed. How many, for want of thought, have never
Ixil INTRODUCTION.
fully appreciated the privileges and blessings of their
state !*
It must not, however, be supposed that the mission
oath, while consecrating devotedness and assuring con
formity with the Will of the Divine Head of the Church,
is meant to destroy that free spirit of apostolic initiation
and suggestion, by means of which God at all times
has wrought such wonders in the Church. On the con
trary, whatever work belongs to the apostolic ministry
is open to the secular clergy ; and all over the Church,
in every diocese, works are undertaken through the
initiation and zeal of priests, and are recognized and
blessed by the Bishop. There are places and obligations
in every diocese that must be provided for, to the neces
sities of which all private attractions must give way, and
the Bishop may have many works of zeal for which he may
claim the full strength of his subjects. But wherever
the Bishop gives to a priest charge of souls, and wherever
he leaves him with time at his disposal, as he may do
in dioceses where the clergy are exceedingly numerous,
* The following is the authentic form prescribed by the Holy See.
" Ego N. Filius N. Dicecesis N. spondeo et juro, quod, postquam ad saoroa
Ordines promotus fuero, nullam Religionem, Sooietatem, aut Congregationem
regularem, sine speciali Sedis Apostolicas licentia, aut S. Congregationis de
Propaganda Fide, ingrediar, neque in earum aliqua professionem eraittam.
" Voveo pariter et juro, quod in hac Dieecesi perpetuo in divinia adminis-
trandis laborem meum ac operam, sub omnimoda directione et jurisdictione
R. P. D. pro tempore Ordinarii, pro salute animarum impendatn ; quod etiam
prseetabo, si, cum praedictaa Sedis Apostolicas licentia, Religionem, Societatem,
aut Congregationem regularem ingressus fuero, et in earum aliqua pro
fessionem emisero. Item voveo, et juro, me praedictum jurameutum, et ejua
obligationem intelligere, et observaturum. Sic uie Deus adjuvet et hao
Sanuta Dei Evangelia.
ABSOLUTE NEED OF RULE OF LIFE. Ixlii
he must be understood to say, "Consider with yourself
what services you can render to God; — aid me in the
salvation of the souls committed to my care, in such ways
as I can bless, — spend and be spent in conformity with
my pastoral solicitude, according to your grace : nemo
sibi pontifex."
The Life of ST. JOHN BAPTIST is singularly rich in
examples of this kind of initiation and zeal, living, as he
did, in the midst of a multitude of clergy. In him the
dictum of St. Augustine was again verified, " intellectus
cogitabundus principium omnis boni." He was ever
examining what kind of distress was the most urgent, and
thinking how he could meet it. He was never idle : mind
and heart were ever at work. Very instructive examples,
too, will be found in his Life as to the conciliatory gentle
ness and perseverance with which he comported himself
when subjected to jealousy on account of his zeal and
success, where his seniors had failed,' and as to the sweet
ness and patience with which he bore the ill-humour and
madness of the old canon under whom he lived, showiug
himself, as he did all through life, in a thousand different
ways, a model of meekness and cheerful obedience for
generations to come.
One more observation, connected with the life of obedi
ence and of liberty enjoyed by a secular priest — to be care
fully considered by the ecclesiastical student. A secular
priest must live by rule, a rule based upon the nature
of the sacerdotal life, and proportioned to his character,
grace, and duties. He can draw up such a rule under the
advice of his director, and can follow it in obedience. It
must be a rule that touches his rising, meditation, Mass,
INTRODUCTION.
prayers, visit, and other duties. If he think, because he
is not a monk, that he may live with his mind all abroad,
by impulse and without rule, or if he know that he has
not sufficient self-mastery to lead a life of rule by himself,
let him be well assured that he has no vocation to be a
secular priest. He may go into a convent perhaps, and
live safely under the rule and surveillance of a holy com
munity, or he may go into the world as a layman, and
settle. But if he live, as a secular priest, without rule, his
salvation will ever be in fearful jeopardy, and his fall may
be heard of any day. It is needless to say that ST. JOHN
BAPTIST DE Eossi, though called to no order, lived by
a rule adapted to his vocation and grace.
15. Before concluding this Introduction, a few words
must be added on the devotions of a priest. A missionary
priest is not to be overburdened with practices of devotion.
" The devotion of all devotions," says St. Alphonsus, " is
the love of Jesus Christ, and the frequent thought of the
love which this dear Redeemer has borne, and ever bears
to us."
The priest who does not love the Blessed Sacrament
is soulless, and only half a priest j he is a lusus natures in
the order of grace, deformed or half- formed. If the
mother loves the son she has begotten but once, what
should be the love of the priest for his Saviour and King,
who is born of his words every day, laid in his hands as in
the manger, on the altar as on the cross, and is then
buried in his very vitals as in the tombj
To say Mass for the people, and to carry Him to the
sick, is not love, unless there be faith and devotion. What
kind of love is that which hurries to the altar with little
DEVOTION TO THE BLESSED SACRAMENT.
or no preparation and thanksgiving, which leaves the
sanctuary in filth and neglect, which never makes a visit
of devotion ? How can the Lord save such a one in the
flood, or shelter him in the storm ? Let us ever remember
that Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, from the tabernacle,
governs the Church, and sanctifies souls.
We do not urge the need of the spirit of prayer, — " the
great means of salvation," nor of mortification, zeal, and
other virtues; neither do we mention even one of the
variety of devout practices, which are ever blooming, like
flowers, in the garden of the Church, because everything a
priest needs will follow true love of Jesus Christ in the
Eucharist. Let him ask unceasingly, and labour for this
one grace — the love of Jesus, — and all other things will be
added unto him. Jesus in the Eucharist is like the sun in
the heaven, the source of all light and warmth, and the
condition of life itself.
ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE Kossi's great devotion was to the
Blessed Sacrament. In this, as in so many other things,
he is the model for priests. To say nothing of his
celebration of Holy Mass, of the care he took of every
thing connected with the sanctuary during the years he
was head sacristan at St. Maria in Cosmedin, and of his
exhortations to priests upon love for the Blessed Sacra
ment, — it may suffice to say here that he spent all the
time he could spare from his active works of charity in
the presence of our Lord.
The latter part of his life he spent in the Hospital of
the Santissima Trinita de* Pellegrini, where he died, as a
most zealous and devout member of the arch- confraternity
of the Blessed Sacrament, which is there established, His
INTRODUCTION.
visits, day and night, to his dear Lord and Master were
continual, and his face was often seen to beam with radiance
as he knelt before our Lord exposed upon the Altar.
We have spoken further back of the study of the works
of the Fathers, as highly calculated to inspire solid
devotion and piety. Here is a single illustration of our
meaning, taken from St. John Chrysostom, exciting us,
by well pondered reasons, to the love of God, and of that
marvel of His love to us, the Blessed Eucharist. If the
extract be lengthy, it will afford abundant sweet food.
(f How long are we to be fastened to the earth, and
grovel like worms in the dirt ? God hath given us a
body of earth that we might carry it up with us to
heaven, not that we should draw our soul down with it
to earth. Earthy it is, but if we please, it may become
heavenly. See how highly God hath honoured us, in
committing to us so excellent a frame. I created heaven
and earth, He says, and to you I give the power of
creation. Make your earth heaven. It is in your power.
' I am He that maketh and transformeth all things/ saith
God of Himself. And He hath given to men a similar
power, — as a painter, being an affectionate father, teaches
his own art to his son. I formed thy body beautiful, He
says, but I give thee the power of forming something
better. Make thy soul beautiful. I said, ' Let the earth
bring forth the green herb, and every fruitful tree.3 Do
thou also say, let this earth, this body, bring forth its
proper fruit; and what thou wiliest to produce, will be
produced. I make the summer and the cloud. I create
the lightning and the wind. I formed the devil to make
sport with him, nor have I grudged thee the like power.
LOVE CHALLENGES LOVE.
Thou, if thou wilt, canst sport with him, and bind him as
thou wouldst a sparrow. I make the sun to rise upon the
good and the evil. Do thou imitate Me by imparting of
what is thine to the good and the evil. When mocked I
bear with it, and do good to those who mock Me. Do
thou imitate Me as thou canst. I do good, not to be
requited; do thou imitate Me, and do good, not to be
repaid. I have lighted luminaries in the heavens; do thou
light others brighter than these, for thou canst, by en
lightening those that are in error. For to know Me is a
greater benefit than to behold the sun. Thou canst not
create a man, but thou canst make him just and acceptable
to God. I formed his substance, do thou beautify his will.
See how I love thee, and have given thee power in the
greater things.
"Beloved, see how we are honoured ! yet some are so
unreasonable and so ungrateful as to say : ' Why are we
endowed with free will ?' But how, in all the particulars
which we have mentioned, could we have imitated God,
if there had been no free will ?
"I rule angels, He says, and so dost thou, through Him
who is,' the first-fruits, Christ.' I sit on a royal throne,
and thou art seated with Me, in Him who is the First-
fruits. As it is said, ' He hath raised us up together, and
hath made us sit together in the heavenly places, through
Christ Jesus.' Through Him who is the First-fruits,
Cherubim and Seraphim adore Thee, with all the heavenly
host, Principalities and Powers, Thrones and Dominations.
Disparage not thy body, then, to which in Christ such high
honours appertain, that the bodiless powers tremble at it.
"But what shall I say ? It is not in this way only that
Ixviii INTRODUCTION.
I have shown My love to thee, but by what I have suffered.
For thee I was spit upon, I was scourged, I emptied
Myself of glory, I left My Father and came to thee, who
dost hate Me, and turn from. Me, and art loath to hear
My name. I pursued thee, I ran after thee, that I might
overtake thee. I united and joined thee to Myself; 'Eat
Me, drink Me,' I said. Above I hold thee, and below
I embrace thee. Is it not enough for thee that I have thy
First-fruits above ? Doth not this satisfy thy affection ?
I descended below: I am not only mingled with thee, I am
entwined in thee ; I am masticated, broken into minute
particles, that the interspersion, and commixture, and
union may be more complete. Things united remain
yet in their own limits, but I am interwoven with thee. I
would have no more any division between us ; I will that
we both be one." (St. John Chrysostom, Horn, in J. Tim.)
After such language and such thoughts, it seems almost
trivial to say that the good priest will never fail, as far as
opportunity allows, to spread devotion to Jesus in the
Eucharist, and to visit and honour Him daily. It is
sometimes noticed with amazement by the laity that
occasionally a priest is met with who never seems to make
a visit to the Blessed Sacrament. Let us never retire
to rest, if we live near the church, without having made
our devout visit during the day, or without having said
at least "good night" to our Divine Master in the
tabernacle.*
* It may prove useful to some to refer to a little work called "The Mass,"
considered simply in its doctrinal and devotional significance, by the Bishop
of Salford, Burns and Gates, price two-pence ; and to a much larger and more
profound and exhaustive work, called " The Holy Mass," by Father Miiller,
C.SS.E. Pusteb, publisher, New York. Price ten shillings and sixpence.
DEVOTION TO THREE SAINTS.
16. Devotion to saints may be called a secondary devo
tion. But there are three saints who stand each alone, in
different degrees, above all others, whom priests especially
ought to honour, — MART, JOSEPH, and PETER. To any
other saint devotion may be a matter of private and
personal attraction.
And first, as to MARY.
It is impossible to speak of ecclesiastical training, and of
the sacerdotal life, without speaking of the Mother of God.
"Take it as a rule/' said Dr. Windishmann, whom we
have already quoted, " that no person is called to be
a priest who is incapable of receiving impressions of
devotion to our Blessed Lady. A repentant sinner, with
true devotion to the Blessed Virgin, is a far safer subject
for ordination than he who has never been a great sinner,
but is proof against her attraction and claims. I would
say that he who is not devout to Mary can never be a good
priest, and I should myself never feel sure of his salvation.
Take this as an unerring rule, when you have any respon
sibility in the training of young men for the priesthood."
ST. JOHN BAPTIST'S devotion to the Blessed Virgin,
particularly under the title of " Virgin of Divine Love,"
was well known to all who came within his influence. His
face used to light up with joy as he spoke of her whom he
loved to call "his Mother." He made a solemn promise
to serve her, and to do all in his power to induce others to
serve her also.
Closely connected with devotion to Mary is devotion to
her most holy spouse, ST. JOSEPH.
ST. JOHN BAPTIST learnt from his study of their lives,
that St. Francis of Sales had a special devotion to St.
1XX INTRODUCTION.
Joseph, and used always to carry one picture in hi3
breviary, — a picture of St. Joseph ; and that St. Vincent
of Paul used to set St. Joseph before all his priests as their
model, to place all his seminaries under his patronage, and
to require all his missioners to place themselves and their
labours under his care, and everywhere to spread devotion
to him, as well as to the Mother of God. The Holy See,
by placing the whole Church under the direct patronage
of St. Joseph, and by indulgencing prayers to him for
priests, seems to have suggested to all priests the cul
tivation of a particular devotion to this great patriarch;
for to him, as to a missionary priest, was committed the
duty of carrying about Jesus and Mary ; to him, as to the
priest to-day, was committed the responsibility of caring
and providing for the life and the honour of the Mother
and Son.
To one other saint all priests would do well to encourage
an intelligent and personal devotion, that is, to ST. PETER,
whom St. Ambrose admirably calls "the vicar of God's
love.*' The reasons for this devotion are some peculiar to
England, some special to the time in which we live, others
persona], professional, and Catholic. We have endea
voured to set forth these reasons, and the life and
character of St. Peter upon other occasions,* and must not
now dwell upon them any further.
ST. JOHN BAPTIST entertained such a devotion to St.
Peter as the Head of the Priesthood, and centre of its
* Peter-tide, or 8tt Peter's Month; being Instructions on the particular
virtues of St. Peter, and on his Bufferings and death, with hymn set to music,
and prayers ; price two-pence. Loyalty to Blessed Peter, and ike tribute of
Peter Pence. Price four-pence. Burns and Gates.
ATTRACTION OF ST. JOHN BAPTIST. Ixxi
unity, that he used always to take young priests, after
their ordination, to the shrine of St. Peter, there to con
secrate their lives to God on the very body of the apostle.
This pious practice, which our saint was the first to
introduce, is carried out in Home to this day after a
priest's ordination.
It would seem desirable that the secular priest especially
should cultivate devotion to St. Peter, because, having
no particular founder to invoke as a father, like the
regulars, he should attach himself the more devoutly to
St. Peter, the great head of his order, under Christ. Thus
the Abbe Bourdoise, the friend and companion of M.
Olier, when asked to what order he belonged, used to
answer, " To the order of St. Peter, the oldest and most
distinguished in the world."
17. As to particular devotions to other saints, it is,
as we have said, a matter of personal attraction; and
attractions will differ. ST. JOHN BAPTIST, as a youth,
placed himself under the care of St. Aloysius ; as soon as
he became a priest he began to study continually, and to
form himself upon, the Lives of St. Philip Neri, St. Francis
of Sales, and St. Vincent of Paul, — eminently fit models
for the practical life of a secular priest. To these many
will now add the Life of ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE Rossi him
self. In many ways he reminds one of St. Philip Neri.
Added to the attraction of a beautiful and sympathetic
countenance, in spite of its extreme pallor, and his
dignified figure, there was a simplicity of manner and a
brightness of holiness which gave him a wonderful
ascendancy over souls, like that of St. Philip himself.
We doubt not that, as the life and character of ST. JOHN
INTRODUCTION.
BAPTIST DE Rossi become known, he will be studied and
invoked as a patron and model of the secular clergy in
Great Britain, Ireland, and America. He will powerfully
assist, by his example and his prayers, in that great
upheaval and improvement in ecclesiastical education
which is actually going on ; and especially will he promote
that desire, with which God is inspiring so many of His
priests, to embrace more generously the apostolic life.
This life stands out in marked contrast with the selfishness
and materialism of the world. Its watchwords are Faith
and Love, with the dbneget semetipsum of the Gospel.
Charity, tender sympathy for souls, proving itself in a
thousand acts of self-denial, is capable of winning and
converting whole populations where all other means are
found to fail. This love and self-denial for our brethren
springs like a vigorous shoot out of that ardent and
absorbing love of Christ, which is the essence and the very
soul of the apostolic life.
And not only will ST. JOHN BAPTIST be loved and in
voked by the secular clergy, but by all priests engaged in
the salvation of the poor, and by the devout laity, too, in
proportion to their sympathy with his mission to the
Church.
^ HERBERT, BISHOP OF SALFOKD.
FEAST or ST. JOSEPH, 1883.
BISHOP'S HOUSE,
SALFORD.
PREFACE OF THE AUTHOR.
THE eighteenth century is too often considered as a
cycle of universal religious ruin. People only see
that terrible period which culminated in the catastrophe of
the French revolution, and this thought makes them for
get the true glories of which this era was not altogether
deprived.
Europe, it is true, in spite of the cultivation of letters,
and the progress made in physical sciences, presented
everywhere a sad spectacle. Sceptic philosophy had
triumphed in France ; the epicurean and peaceful atheism
of the seventeenth century had become a scientific, aggres
sive, and audacious theory; the sardonic smiles and
sacrilegious scorn of free-thinkers were pleasant to a
debased people, who were only too ready to applaud any
attacks against God and His Church. Jansenism had only
a few ignorant sectarians as its leaders, who fell into
ridicule at the cemetery of St. Medard ; but this ridicule
reacted against the orthodox faith, and its promoters made
it a powerful arm against the truth.
The other nations of Europe were in a deplorable state.
Russia was a heap of ruins. The infamy and crimes of
Catherine were reproduced by her successors, who pro
longed the sanguinary tyranny of their ancestress. In
England the house of Hanover, to keep their place on the
PREFACE OF THE AUTHOR.
throne, persecuted the Catholics, and perpetuated the
penal laws, which seemed destined to destroy the last
remnants of the Roman Catholic Faith in the kingdom.
Austria for a time enjoyed a period of tranquillity under
Maria Teresa; but soon she too yielded to the puerile
caprices of Joseph II., who, by his fatal influence and
pretended religious reforms, troubled the peace and en
dangered the unity of the empire of the Hapsburghs.
Nevertheless Europe, as a whole, had not revolted against
God. Italy had, up to that time, remained faithful. The
consoling aspect of Italy offered some compensation to the
Head of the Church for the outrages and the defection of
other nations. Whereas, elsewhere, men of learning and
wit proclaimed themselves atheists, in Italy science and
faith made an intimate alliance, and worked in concert.
Excellent Popes, both learned and pious, succeeded one
another without intermission in the Chair of Peter. They
protected, encouraged, and directed all scientific move
ments. On all sides came forth eminent men, while the
most humble cities in the Peninsula became centres of
erudition.
At this very time fresh and enlarged editions of the
great Benedictine works of a past century were produced.
Other most important labours were brought to light.
Every religious order could boast of a learned member:
witness the Jesuit, Tiraboschi : the great Dominican
Fathers, Mammachi and Orsi; the Theatine, Piazzi; the
Observantine, Biauchi ; Father Mansi, of the Clerks of the
Mother of God; and many more. Sacred sciences were
illustrated by the great Pope Benedict XIV., by Cardinals
Gerdil and Zaccaria, by the brothers Ballrini, and others ;
PREFACE OF THE AUTHOR.
profane science by Pergolese and Winckelmann. But in
addition to all these great scientific names, Italy, during
this eighteenth century, shone even more brightly by her
saints. A few dates will suffice to prove this fact. From
1710 to 1787 there died the Blessed Valfrey (the apostle of
Turin), Bonaventura di Potenza (a Religious of St. Fran
cis), Cardinal Tomasi, St. Francesco di Girolamo, St. Paci-
fico di San Severino, St. Veronica Giuliana, the Blessed
Tomaso di Cora, St. Giuseppe della Croce, the Venerable
Parisi, the Blessed Angelo d'Acri, the Venerable Ten-
derini, the Blessed Crispino di Viterbo, St. Leonardo de
Porta Maurizio, St. Paulo della Croce, St. Alfonso Liguori,
and last, not least, St. Giovanni Battista de Rossi. Many
of these saints lived or died in Rome. This great stream
of supernatural life manifested itself specially in the capital
of the Christian world, and the ardent zeal of that phalanx
of holy priests, of which the Blessed de Rossi was the
model and the guide, produced marvels of sanctity among
the people.
The life of this holy canon is not at all known in France,
but it deserves to be so. Now that the holy Father is
about to place this humble priest on the altars of the
Catholic Church, his biography seems to us to be needed,
and to fill up a void. " The lives of the saints/' de Rossi
used to say, " are like second gospels, for they show in
practice the result of our Saviour's teaching." We had
these words continually before our eyes while writing
down, for the edification of the faithful, facts concerning
him, which are in themselves eloquent lessons.
In an existence so simple, so hidden, so obscure, in fact,
filled up by one succession of sacrifices and acts of self-
1XXV1 PREFACE OF THE AUTHOR.
abnegation, ifc was difficult to follow any strict chrono
logical order. It appeared to us preferable to group cer
tain events under a few general heads, and to show forth
his extraordinary virtues more fully than any mere inci
dents in his life. The principal sources from which this
work has been compiled are the process of his beatification
and canonization, a contemporary life of the saint published
in Rome in 1768, by one of his greatest friends, John
Mary Toietti ; another biography of him, by Father Tavani,
of the Society of Jesus, published also in Rome in 1768 ;
and the small collection of his sermons preserved at St.
Galla. We have stated nothing which did not come from
one or other of these sources, but we have not thought it
necessary to give chapter and verse for each of our extracts.
In the work itself we have had but two objects in view.
To show, first of all, that sanctity may be acquired, not
only by heroic actions, but especially by ordinary ones
performed in a perfect manner ; and next, to prove what
can be effected by the devotion of a man deprived of all
hurrran advantages, but never flinching from his work, and
simply relying with entire confidence on God. These two
lessons stand out prominently, as it were, throughout the
whole of de Rossi's life. God grant that our labour may
bring forth fruit to His glory and the good of souls.
E. MOUGEOT,
Doctor in Theology,
And Secretary of H. E. Cardinal Pitra.
1881.
ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
FIRST PART.
firth anb
CHAPTER L
Birth and Early Years of St. John the Baptist de
Rossi.
HIS FAMILY. — HIS EARLY YEAKS. — HE IS TAKEN TO GENOA. —
HIS UNCLE MAKES HIM COME TO EOME.
AINT JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI was
born at Voltaggio, a little town in the
diocese of Genoa, on the 22nd February,
1698. His father, Charles de Rossi,
and his mother, whose maiden name
was Frances Anfossi, were not reckoned
among the rich people of the country.
We know that God, when calling to Himself certain
members of such or such a family, has no regard to rank
or riches, but simply to individual virtue. His father,
however, bore the title of signore, which was universally
accorded to him less for his wealth than for his high moral
qualities. And, in fact, though little is known to us of
this Charles de Rossi, who was soon called to a better
life, we have abundant evidence of the care he took of
1
^ ST. JOHN BAPTIST BE ROSSI.
the Christian education of his children, and with what
well-regulated affection he looked after their welfare.
His family consisted of two boys and two girls. One of
the former received the name of John the Baptist at
his baptism. Like his holy patron, this child, by his
pure and mortified youth, was destined to preach the
divine word, and lead many to Jesus by his excellent
example. St. John the Baptist preached penance : the
mission of the child was specially that of purifying con
sciences ; and by his zeal for the remission of sins he was
to become one of the most powerful instruments in the
sacrament of penance.
Those who knew the little John Baptist were instantly
struck by his happy dispositions. The unutterable sweet
ness of his disposition, his quiet calm of manner, above
all, the joyous expression of his face, won every heart.
These natural and precious qualities greatly assisted the
designs God had upon him in the future.
But if he won the esteem of men, he was equally
deserving of the favour of God. From the first, piety and
purity were his two great characteristics. The parish
church of St. Mary was his favourite haunt; no sooner
was the class over in the morning than he flew there
to serve all the Masses he could find. So far from being
tired, he was as fervent at the last as at the first ; so that
every one was filled with admiration as they watched him,
and marked his special reverence while serving. This
precocious piety was not, however, either forced or cold.
He had a natural grace in whatever he did, which never
seemed to fail him. The gravity and modesty he showed
in holy places struck all who saw him, and many declared
HIS EARLY YEARS. 3
he was like a little angel just come down from heaven, and
still full of the vision of God.
The boy seemed to understand from his earliest years
that, in the words of holy writ, purity is a treasure which
we bear in a fragile vase. While he listened eagerly to
pious or edifying discourses, he early showed the greatest
disgust for any loose or immodest conversation, or any
joke of a doubtful tendency. His companions, full of fun
and spirits, would sometimes indulge in sports and words
contrary to his favourite virtue. But if this ever hap
pened in John Baptist's presence, he would walk away
gravely, without saying a word. This way of acting,
while it suited his natural sweetness, was in reality the
best he could have adopted; for it not only removed him
from danger, but left the others to feel the remorse of
their own consciences. In fact, on several occasions it
produced the happiest effect, and the better-disposed
boys would follow his example, and abjure for ever
dangerous company or loose conversation. His masters
were not slow in perceiving and appreciating his merits.
He was first placed under the care of two very holy priests,
Scipio Gaetano and Joseph Kepetto, who were at the head
of the college at Voltaggio, and very soon the little John
Baptist became their favourite pupil. He was a model of
obedience, never transgressed a known rule, or caused
annoyance to any one. He was equally admirable towards
his own parents, and was at home, as at school, ever
docile and pious.* The older he grew, the more amiable
* Summar. Virt. Deposition of Toietti. "Come Bono stato ragguagliato
BI dietinguersi fin da fanciullo, il servo di Dio, G. B. de Rossi fra qui altri
fratelli e eorelle, nella pietd e devozione."
4 ST. JOHN BAPTIST BE BOSST.
he became. His beautiful face was full of intelligence and
goodness; his voice was charming ; and his playful, witty,
yet innocent conversation, won the love of all those who
were thrown into communication with him.
But God had in store a wider scope for his virtues than
the little town of Voltaggio, and providence, which makes
use of little events to compass her ends, led him, by an
unexpected channel, to the capital of the Christian world.
The beauty of Voltaggio often attracted rich Genoese
families, who came for several months of the year in
wllegiatura, to breathe the fresh mountain air, and escape
the heat of the town. John Baptist was only ten years
old, when one of the richest and oldest families in Genoa,
John Scorza, with his wife, Mary Battina Cambiasi, came
and took a villa for the summer at Voltaggio. This holy
couple were hearing a Mass one day, served, as usual,
by the pious child, when his extraordinary recollection,
and earnest, serious manner, attracted their attention.
They asked some questions about him, and everybody
praised him. Very soon they were able to convince them
selves that these praises were not exaggerated. At last
they implored his parents to give him up to them, and
allow them to undertake his education.
His father, Charles de Eossi, felt that the whole future
of his child depended on this decision. If the Scorza
family were eminent from their riches and position, they
were no less admirable for their virtues. Still, fearing
that a residence in a great town might be injurious to his
boy's soul, he only consented to the proposal on special
conditions. At the risk of losing all worldly advantages,
he exacted that a master should be chosen for his son with
HIS UNCLE MAKES HIM COME TO HOME. 5
the utmost care as to his religious principles, who should
live with him in the Scorza palace, and occupy himself
entirely with the boy. This was granted, and the little
John Baptist started for Genoa with his new protectors.
He spent three years with them, and nothing was altered
in his conduct or pious habits. Although exposed to
many temptations to vanity and self-indulgence in the
palace, where he was treated as a son of the house, he
preserved the same simplicity and piety, the same love of
chastity, and the same ardour for study.
He was just thirteen, when one evening two Capuchin
Fathers stopped at the palace on their way to Rome.
John Baptist begged to be introduced to them, and with
his usual natural grace of manner entreated them to be
kind enough to remember him to his uncle, Father Angelo,
a Capuchin in great repute at Rome, who then filled the
post of Provincial. They were charmed with the boy,
and gladly promised to fulfil his request. On their arrival
in Rome they at once sought out Father Angelo, and gave
him his nephew's message, coupled with such praises of
the child, that his uncle earnestly wished to have him
with him. He therefore begged his cousin, Dom Laurence
de Rossi, Canon of the Church of St. Mary in Cosmedin,
to write to John Baptist's mother, and ask her leave
to bring him to Rome, God having recalled his father,
Charles de Rossi, to Himself. Dom Laurence wrote at
once, setting before her the manifest advantages for study
and advancement in the ways of perfection which would
accrue to the lad by his residence in the holy city. His
mother submitted the proposal to the boy himself, who at
once accepted it. Taking leave of the Scorza family soon
6 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
after, and obtaining a last blessing from his mother at
Voltaggio, John left Genoa for Rome, where he arrived
in 17 11, being then, as we have said, just thirteen years of
age. It was in that city that for fifty-three years he was
to live and exercise his zeal and charity in the salvation of
souls.
This is all that we know of the childhood of John
Baptist de Rossi. Growing in wisdom as in years, he was
thus prepared, in silence and obscurity, for the great
mission to be hereafter entrusted to him by God.
CHAPTER II.
The Condition of the Roman College on John
Baptist's first Entrance.
THE HUMBLE BEGINNINGS FROM WHICH THE COLLEGE SPRUNG. —
THE FAVOUR IT OBTAINED FROM THE POPES. — GREGORY XIII.
BUILT A FINE BUILDING. — THE GLORIES OF THE COLLEGE.
ON his arrival at Rome, Dom Laurence received John
Baptist with great kindness. He made him lodge and
live in his house, treated him as his own son, and gave him
all the liberty compatible with the studies on which he at
once entered. The canons of St. Mary in Cosmedin
wished him to follow the classes at the Roman College, in
which his uncle concurred. The time which he passed
there was not only a preparation for the apostolate, it was
also a real mission. Some details of this college, and its
influence on the city of Rome, are here necessary.
THE ROMAN COLLEGE. 7
About the year 1550 thirteen young Jesuits, under the
direction of Father John Lepelletier, settled themselves in
two or three houses hired by St. Ignatius, near the church
dedicated to St. Yenantius, at the foot of the capitol.
Largely assisted by the alms of Francis Borgia, Duke of
Candia, afterwards General of the Society, they began to
teach Greek, Latin, and Hebrew gratuitously.* The
young professors were as humble as they were devout.
"We do not pretend to great learning/' wrote St. Ignatius
to a detractor of the work, "but the little we know we
wish to communicate to others for the love of God."
Providence blessed the undertaking, and the class rooms
became very soon too small for the crowds who thronged
them. A larger house was then hired near the Gesu, and
to the course of ancient languages was added those of
theology, philosophy, and other sciences. The number of
scholars continually increased, but their means were small,
their resources were well-nigh exhausted, and some of the
religious became anxious. " Go on, go on," exclaimed St.
Ignatius, " heaven will supply all our wants."
In 1555, five years after its foundation, the first hundred
scholars were scattered throughout Europe, and soon, drew
attention to the college which had trained them.
The Emperor Ferdinand I., writing to Pius IV., on the
5th March, 1560, says, while remitting a donation to the
Roman College, " From this house a great number of men,
eminent for their virtues and science, have been sent out,
* When instituting the Eoman College, St. Ignatius took for hi8 type the
Paris university, of which he greatly appreciated the method. He insisted
that all the first professors should be chosen among the old students of that
university.
8 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
not only in our dominions, but also in Italy, France, and
Belgium, and even to India. There is no year that
students do not go forth from this college to propagate
truth, defend religion, and bring back the ancient faith
among all the kingdoms of the world."
In 1561, Pope Pius IV., after praising the Jesuits,
published the following brief:
" We have the first college of this Order in Rome ; it is
as the nursery of all the others established in Italy,
Germany, and France. From this fruitful seminary the
Apostolic See draws chosen and capable ministers, like
plants full of sap and abounding in fruits, to send them to
whatever spots the wants are the greatest. They never
refuse any work which has for its aim the honour of God
and the service of the Apostolic See. They go without
hesitation and without fear, wherever they may be sent,
even to the most heretical and infidel countries, and to the
extremity of India. We owe, then, an immense deal to
this college, which has so well deserved of the Catholic
body, and which is so devoted to the service of our Lord
Jesus Christ and to the Chair of Peter.*'
Yet this college had but eleven years of existence when
it merited such praise from the mouth of the highest
authority.
In 1559 an inundation ruined the house, and the college
was transferred to another near the Salviati Palace. Pope
Julius III. wished to endow it with two thousand gold
ecudi, but death prevented his being able to give a legal
form to his bequest. Victoria Tolfi, widow of the Marquis
Orsini, and niece of Pope Paul IV., gave several houses to
tKe Fathers, one of which was on the site of the actual
THE ROMAN COLLEGE. 9
Roman College. In 1562 they built a little church, under
the title of " The Annunciation." The Jesuits were their
own architects and masons, and this was the first sanctuary
of the college. Pius IV., delighted at the success of the
work, gave it an endowment of six thousand gold scudi.
This was the signal for its gradual development under the
pontificate of Pius V., though this Pope was too much
engrossed in the crusade against the Ottomans to do all
he wished for the Roman College. Gregory XIII., who
succeeded him in the Chair of Peter, was its real founder.
The celebrated Florentine architect, Bartholomew Arnma-
nati, was employed by him to draw out a plan, and,
thanks to the Pope's generosity, the first stone was laid
in 1582. The building had advanced some way when
Gregory came himself to see it, but he was not satisfied
with the design. He caused the part which had been
erected to be pulled down, and the present Roman College
was then erected on a far more magnificent scale, just
as we see it in the present day. In addition to this, the
Pope assigned large revenues to the college, part of which
was specially set apart for the maintenance of two hundred
young Jesuits from every nation. From this institution
consequently sprang the greater part of the most illus
trious members of the Society. The young religious thus
gathered together rapidly mastered a variety of languages.
They consecrated their hours of leisure and recreation to
visiting the prisons, the poor, and the sick; they preached
constantly in public places; and during the vacations
evangelized the Roman Carnpagna. Their zeal inflamed
their companions in the town, who rivalled them in ardour
and good works.
10 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
Out of gratitude to Gregory XIII., who had been its
founder, the college was likewise called f( The Gregorian
University " In the principal court there is a fine statue
of the Pope, with the following inscription : " The Roman
College has erected this monument to Gregory XIII., of the
family of Boncompagni, a great and excellent Pontiff] who
was its Founder and Father."
GBEGORIUS XIII.
BONCOMPAGNO,
P. 0. M.,
FUNDATORI ET PARENTI
COLL : ROM I P.
The Jesuits placed the arms of Pope Gregory XIII. on
the fagade, with this inscription: "Gregory XIII., Pope,
to Heligion and the fine arts.1*
GKEGORIUS XIII., P. M.,
RELTGIONI
AC BONIS ARTIBUS.
Finally, a magnificent church completed the work. St.
Ignatius having been canonized on the 12th March, 1622,
by Gregory XV., of the Ludovisi family, Cardinal Louis
Ludovisi, his nephew, resolved, upon the death of his
uncle, to build a magnificent temple in honour of the
saint.* The little Church of the Annunciation was conse-
* Cardinal Ludoviai had a curious medal struck, which, with the two faces
of Gregory XV. and the Cardinal, bore this inscription : " The one raised
Ignatius on the altars, the other raised altars to Ignatius" Alter Ignatium
aris admovit, alter aras Ignatio.
THE ROMAN COLLEGE. 11
quently r>ulled down, and on the same site was erected the
glorious Church of St. Ignatius, which, though opened
in 1650, was only finally completed in 1685, under the
pontificate of Innocent XI.
The archives of this college have become celebrated. In
the glorious list of its saints we find St. Aloysius of
Gonzaga, St. Camillus of Lellius, St. Leonard of Port
Maurice, the Blessed Berchmans and de Eossi, the Vener
able Peter Berna (martyr) Tenderini, du Tronchet, and
many others. When the subject of our biography arrived
there, ten students of the college had already been raised
to the Chair of Peter. They were Urban VIII. (Bar-
berini), Gregory XV. (Ludovisi), Innocent X. (Pamphili),
Clement IX. (Rospigliosi), Clement X. (Altieri), Innocent
XII. (Pignatelli), Clement XI. (Albani), Innocent XIII.
(Conti), and Clement XII. (Corsini) . To this list must be
added his Holiness Pope Leo XIII. (Pecci), now gloriously
reigning.
The number of illustrious professors who have taught
there is equally considerable. The great names of Tolet,
Bellarmin, de Lugo, Suarez, Vasquez, Cornelius a Lapide,
Pallavicini, Tolomei, Zaccaria, are perhaps the most cele
brated ; but a multitude of others of rare merit have
succeeded one another without interruption in the pro
fessorial chairs.
Alongside of these great masters there have ever been
found in the Roman College men as remarkable for their
great holiness and virtue as for their noble birth, who
excel in the training of youth in the paths of perfection.
These men, obedient as children to the strict rules of their
founder, give to the world the most magnificent examples
12 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
of humility and devotion to their wearisome and arduous
duties.
It was to masters of this sort that the young John
Baptist was entrusted. Upwards of two thousand stu
dents met together each day in those vast halls, for since
1582 the Jesuits had already more than that number of
pupils. Not only the Romans themselves, but Italians
from all parts- of Italy, and strangers from the German,
Scotch, Greek, English, and Irish colleges, came there to
acquire the sciences which they in their turn were to
spread in the most distant countries. Grand indeed is the
spectacle offered to the world by the city of Rome, that
centre of Catholicity, where the children of all nations
meet as in a common home.
Banished lately from their glorious college, the sons of
St. Ignatius have not forgotten the humble beginnings of
their work. They have not allowed themselves to be dis
couraged. They still hear the words of their founder to
those who lost confidence, " Go on ; heaven will provide
for all our needs. }3 The German College has opened its
doors to them, and as in old times, in a strange house,
and in spite of the cruel spoliation of which they have
been the victims, and which has so brutally despoiled
them of the fruits of three centuries of labour, they strive
still to bring up new Aloysius Gonzagas, and John
Baptist de Rossis, and their earnest toil is crowned with
success.
HIS CONDUCT AT THE KOMAN COLLEGE. 13
CHAPTER III.
Studies of John Baptist.
HIS CONDUCT AT THE EOMAN COLLEGE. — HIS STUDIES. — HIS
DEVOTION TOWAKDS OUR LADY AND ST. ALOYSIUS OF GON-
ZAGA. — HIS MORTIFICATIONS BRING ON A SERIOUS ILLNESS.
IN the little world of college John Baptist was soon
remarkable for his success in his studies, and for his
great piety. His director was Father Francis Galluzzi,
who led him for twenty years in the paths of perfection.
This illustrious Jesuit left a great reputation for holiness
in Eome. But what proves his prudence and virtue more
than the esteem of men is the good he did in the Roman
College among the students committed to his care, and
especially among the number called the " ristretti," of
which we shall speak later. This good Father wrote the
lives of several of the children he had trained for God, and
who almost all died before him. These little biographies
give us a high idea of the fruits then obtained by the
education at this college, and of the Father's own tender
love for his pupils. The influence of so holy a director,
and the centre in which he found himself placed, had a
great effect on young John Baptist. Father Galluzzi did
not die till 1731, and was always his intimate friend and
devoted Father.
From the very first a kind of instinct guided John in
the choice of his friends. He eschewed the company of all
ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE HOSSI.
who strove to keep him back from the path he had traced
out for himself, and his ardour for study sprang from a
higher motive than the simple wish of distinguishing him
self, namely, the greater glory of God. He soon took his
place in the first class, and won the esteem as well as the
approbation of his masters. At the end of the year it was
the custom to elect the best pupil as " dictator," a title
much coveted in the college. Every year this honour was
awarded to him. He wrote some poetry at this time,
remarkable for its grace and beauty of expression, but his
heart was in more serious studies. A contemporary
student, whose evidence was taken duriog the process of
his beatification, stated " that de Rossi, although the
youngest amongst us, and a secular, excelled us all in
diligence and success in his work. In the lists still pre
served in the Roman College, of the attendance of the
scholars and their progress, his name is remarkable for
extraordinary punctuality, good conduct, and diligence, in
which qualities he surpassed us all."
Then came his study of philosophy, and here again ho
triumphed. No one entered so well into the professor's
explanations, and no one could so well point out in his
turn that which had been taught. At the end of the
course he was singled out to defend publicly certain theses,
according to the custom of the college. This took place
before a large number of spectators of high rank, and,
according to Gaetano Ridolfi, who was present, he fulfilled
the task with such ability and clearness, and yet with such
modesty, that the applause given him was universal.
His conduct deserved as much praise as his studies.
Strange to say, this boy, though so humble and reserved,
HIS DEVOTION TO OUR LADY. 15
obtained such extraordinary influence over his companions
that he exercised a real apostolate among them. In the
process of his beatification, begun soon after his death,
many of his schoolfellows came forward to testify that they
owed to him whatever good there was in them.
We will adduce one more valuable testimony, that of
Professor Contuccio Contucci, who, though struck with
his pupil's evident superiority, still, to test it, subjected
him to some rather severe trials on several occasions.
But the boy, by his fidelity and obedience, came out
triumphantly from the ordeal. This raised him greatly in
the professor's esteem, and he made use of him to cure
many little defects which, in spite of a strict discipline,
had crept into the college among some of the students.
John warmly seconded his efforts, and the professor attests
"That he was a perfect model to his companions; and so
Btrongly was his influence felt that I employed him as an
auxiliary, both as regarded the lessons and the piety of
the other students. He was perfectly modest, punctual,
and exemplary in all ways. Thanks to him, I could feel
at my ease with my class, without troubling myself or
being anxious. ... In fact, I held him in the highest
esteem, and always compared him to St. Aloysius of
Gonzaga."
At the same time there was nothing offensive in his
superiority. He was so humble, so gentle, so winning in
his manner, that when any student had gone astray
through bad company or other causes, he always succeeded
in winning him back to the right way, and that so deli
cately that no soreness was felt by the one in fault, only a
deep affection for his loving monitor. He had two special
16 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
devotions at that time, one to our Lady, the other to
St. Aloysius. He became a member of a little congre
gation in honour of Mary, named La Scaletta, and con
tinually repeated the words which were the formula of
admission : " I promise to serve you, and to do all in my
power to make others love and serve you also." No one
was more exact in attending the little meetings held every
Sunday; no one listened more attentively to the pious
exhortations given in the little sanctuary. He took
advantage of all our Lady's feasts to receive the Holy
Eucharist, when his companions remarked that his face
was quite lighted up with fervour and love towards her
whom he called " his Mother." Seeing his good dis
positions, his superiors appointed him sacristan, and
incredible were the pains he took to invent something
fresh on the occasion of each succeeding feast. He held
this post for fourteen years, long after he had left the
college, and the Congregation are still very proud of being
able to reckon him among their members for so many
years.
Next to his devotion to the Blessed Virgin, John Bap
tist cherished the most tender devotion to St. Aloysius
of Gonzaga. He was living in the very same house as the
Saint. Tradition pointed out a host of little incidents
which had occurred in the corridors which he passed
through daily. De Eossi, not content with admiring his
life, resolved to imitate him in every particular as far as
he could. Two virtues were Aloysius' distinguishing
characteristics, — purity and penance. We have already
shown the intense love De Rossi had shown from a child
to this first virtue. In his daily visit to the altar of the
HIS STUDY OF THEOLOGY. 17
Saint, John never ceased imploring of him the same
grace, that he might have a heart as pure as his own.
Every year he performed some extraordinary act of virtue
on his feast. He was never weary of reading his life, and
trying to induce all his friends to do the same, after
his example. John became a model of modesty, whether
in class or in the streets. Never was a light, or doubtful,
or improper word heard from his lips. His first bio
grapher, John Mary Toietti, who was his intimate friend,
asserts that he never lost his baptismal innocence.
John Baptist had now finished his course of philosophy,
and began with renewed ardour that of theology. In this
science he found all that his heart and mind most desired,
and his progress was rapid in proportion. One only
person was dissatisfied, and that was John himself. He
thought himself full of faults, and sought how he could
best punish himself for them. Naturally of a joyous and
expansive nature, he was always fearful of having sinned
against charity, or spoken unadvisedly. A spiritual book,
which he one day read, confirmed all his scruples, and was
the cause of his having a terrible illness. Toietti on this
subject writes: "In the same way as the sun, (St. Ber
nard says,) however good and necessary it may be, often
works great mischief when not tempered by shade, so
over-fervour among the young who are striving to arrive
at perfection, when not tempered by prudence and dis
cretion, generally produces the most lamentable con
sequences."
De Rossi in later life would often relate what had
happened to him, so as to be a warning to others, espe
cially when he saw any one disposed to indulge in ex-
2
18 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
aggerated penances. " Your duty/* he would say, "is to
have recourse to your confessors, to be entirely open with
them, and to do nothing without their advice. Do not
imitate my example; from having held my tongue when I
ought to have spoken, and practised indiscreet austerities,
I injured my health to that degree that I could not con
tinue my studies. I was reduced to such a point that I
was able to do nothing but read a chapter of the New Tes
tament, and meditate a little. But," he added, "I must
still bless Providence, who turned my imprudence to my
profit; for if illness had not hindered my studies I might
perhaps have fancied myself a learned and literary man/''
To return to the fatal book de Rossi had got hold of.
He read in it that penance was the only way to preserve
purity of soul ; that it was a most useful thing to mortify
the tongue by not speaking, and the appetite by not
eating more than was absolutely necessary, and especially
by not drinking. The advice pleased him, and he set to
work with immoderate zeal to carry it out. By not speak
ing he ran no risk of offending his neighbour, and by not
drinking he would mortify that tongue which was the
object of his fears. In vain those around him tried to
find out the motive of such strange conduct : no one was
let into his secret. He thought to enjoy thus perfect
peace, and that in the continual silence he imposed on
himself he could more easily lift up his heart to God.
But by striving thus to purify his soul he weakened his
health, and thoroughly exhausted his body.
One day that he was devoutly hearing Mass in the
church of St. Ignatius, his strength failed him, and he fell
on the floor of the church in a dead swoon. The sound of
HIS SERIOUS ILLNESS. 19
his fall brought his companions round him, who thought
he was dead. At last they found that his heart was still
beating, though feebly. They tried every remedy, and at
last he came to himself, and could be moved home, where,
thanks to the remedies of the doctors, he partially re
covered. But ever after his health was in a most lament
able state. From that hour he was subject to fits of a
kind of epilepsy, which, as he grew older, increased in
frequency, and caused him acute suffering. A complete
transformation also had been effected in his personal
appearance. His beautiful face had become pale and thin;
his voice, which was clear and strong, was now weak and
shrill; his stomach, which he had entirely ruined, could
only bear the lightest food ; and from time to time his
state of health became so serious that he could not write
half a dozen words without bringing on a return of his
malady.
Was this, then, to be the end of the bright promise
which his youth had given ? No ; only from henceforth
his life became more heroic. Now that illness and con
stant suffering were to be his portion, a mysterious, super
natural life was to animate his fragile body, and would
redouble the influence he already exercised over the souls
of others. Profound mysteries of Divine Providence,
which loves to make use of the weak things of this world
to confound the things that are mighty ! Like St. Ber
nard, and so many other saints, who roused whole nations,
while their own lives hung on a thread, John Baptist de
Rossi shows us what can be done, with the grace of God,
by a man deprived, humanly speaking, of all external
means of success.
20 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
CHAPTER IV.
John enters into the Congregation called "The
Ristretti."
WHAT WAS MEANT BY " THE RISTRETTI " IN THE ROMAN COL
LEGE. — JOHN'S ZEAL FOR THE SANCTIFICATION OF HIS CO-
DISCIPLES. — HIS VISITS TO THE HOSPITALS. — THE VENERABLE
JOHN BAPTIST OF BURGUNDY BECOMES HIS FRIEND.
"TF it be certain that the Society of Jesus receives special
-^ graces for the training of youth, it is equally proved
that the formation of congregations is one of their most
effectual methods. To group together such of the students
as show the best dispositions, and to form them into a
chosen phalanx, who fight more bravely collectively than
singly, — such is the object of a congregation. At the
same time it stimulates by example the other children who
may be less well disposed. But no distinction is allowed
which might rouse susceptibilities or awaken jealousies.
The entrance is free to all, and a demand, backed up by
good conduct, ensures admission at once. Now and then,
at the appeal of some loved father, the members step aside
silently from their companions; and whilst the ordinary
run of students assist, according to rule, at the common
practices of religion, the little congregationists, united in
their chapel, recite certain special prayers, and listen to a
brief discourse from their father director.
It was in the Roman College that these useful associa-
" THE RISTRETTI." 21
lions had their birth. From hence they spread to the
other houses of the Society, all the students being filled
with the same spirit. On the arrival of John Baptist at
Borne they had been established in six hundred and twelve
colleges and one hundred and fifty- seven day schools
directed by Jesuit Fathers.
So great was the success of these congregations that
Benedict XIV., who had himself felt their utility, exacted
that they should be obligatory, and that all the students of
the Roman College should assist at the Sunday meetings.
Thus, losing their autonomy and the restriction of their
numbers, the congregation changed its purpose, and
though flourishing, did not attain the desired end. To
remedy this the Fathers created what they called the
11 Ristretti of the Twelve Apostles," which was divided into
two bodies : the ordinary ristretto, into which young stu
dents were admitted, and the particular ristretto, chosen
from the ordinary one, for the older and more serious
students. Besides the " twelve apostles," who were as
the founders of the work, and who fulfilled all its impor
tant functions, the class admitted others of the like dis
positions, and included honorary members among those
who on leaving the college still wished to follow the
exercises of the pious congregation. In this way John
Baptist always continued a member of the Ristretto of the
Twelve Apostles*
* Father Galluzzi, writing to a new member of this congregation, who wa3
away from Rome, and who wished to have its rulea, thus drew them up for
him :
1. The members mnst devote themselves to exercises of piety, and lead
others to follow them by their words and example.
22 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
The wholesome influence exercised by John among the
members of this congregation lasted all his life, for the
ardour which he showed on being first admitted to the
apostolate was never relaxed. Holy companions sur
rounded him on all sides. We have only to quote tho
names of J. B. Scafali, Joseph Grillotti, Dominic Seghetti,
Francis Bacchiori, J. B. Yalentini, Philip Taglieri, and
2. Every eight days they must come to the Sacraments. They should choose
a wise confessor.
3. Every day they must make half or quarter of an hour's prayer and medi
tation, and a nightly examination of conscience.
4. They must practise some little penance, but only with the permission of
their confessor. Friday the best day for this.
5. They must try and observe the Fioretti. (These were little sheets of
paper, giving a virtue for each to practise, and which were drawn by lot.)
6. Accuse themselves of some fault, and ask for a penance. (This article is
voluntary, and to observe it, permission must be asked, which is not always
given.)
7. Never to talk of what has passed in the ristretto, even when one has
left it.
8. Those whose conduct has not been satisfactory, and who have missed
the meetings three times without good reason, will be expelled.
9. The members must love, help, and cheer each other, especially by visiting
one another if sick.
10. They must obey the Father Director without question or reply.
11. They must read every day a spiritual book for a quarter of an hour.
12. They must not take part in any doubtful amusements, such as certain
plays and public games.
13. In going and coming from the meetings of the ristretto a rigorous silence
must be observed.
14. If one of the members happens to die, his companions must make three
Communions for his intention, offer up fifteen days of good works for his soul,
and say for him the Office of the Dead.
Besides this, three times a year we ascend the Scala Santa, once a year we
make the pilgrimage of the Seven Churches, and every week we visit the
hospitals.
(Extract from Letter from Father Galluzzi, still preserved in the library of
the Roman Seminary, which was formerly the German College J
"THE BISTRETTI. 23
many others, whose rare virtues were recorded by Father
Galluzzi, and whose memory is still held in veneration.
The Venerable du Tronchet was among the number, and
the pious priest, Peter Mirre, who became the inseparable
companion of St. Leonard of Port Maurice. The memory
of that Saint, and of the Venerable Francis Tendering
was equally dear to the young congregation.
Amidst this august company de Rossi was soon dis
tinguished, and deserved the universal esteem and respect
of his companions. In all important affairs Father Galluzzi
did not fail to consult him, and he did it with as much
deference as to a saint.
If John Baptist found a powerful help in the example
of his companions, the rules furnished him with endless
opportunities for exercising his zeal. Their director
pointed out two special works of charity to the young
members : in the college itself, the spiritual good of the
students; in the city, the visit to the hospitals, and the
care of the beggars, who then, as now, abounded in Rome.
De Rossi practised these counsels with such energy and
love that he soon deserved the title given him of <c The
second St. Philip of Neri ;" but his first entrance into the
ristretto deserves mention.
As a faithful and devout servant of Mary, John often
went to serve the Mass of a holy priest, Dom Gregory
Oliva, in the church of St. Mary Major. Like all those
who came in contact with the lad, Dom Gregory soon
became a great admirer of the modesty and recollection of
his young server. He found out that he was following
the course of studies in the Roman College, and one day
asked him if he had joined the ristretto, of which he was
ST, JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
himself a member. John replied that he knew nothing
about it, and Dom Gregory drew so glowing a picture
of the congregation that the boy at once offered himself
for admission, and was accepted. Once enrolled among
the apostles, his one idea was to increase the numbers
of these generous young hearts ; in fact, to procure the
greatest amount of good for others was even then his
dominant passion. Not content with striving to induce
his companions to follow him, he would go to their parents,
and try and persuade them to bring their children to join
the congregation, thus following the example of St.
Leonard of Port Maurice, who, having himself experienced
the benefits of the ristretto, always strove to enlist all the
fervent young Romans he knew in the association. On
the days of the meetings he was always punctually waiting
at the college door, and as the crowd of students passed
out he would watch for one after the other, lest the mem
bers should forget the hour, aud by a word, a smile, or a
gesture, he would inspire the tepid, and give courage to
the weak. After his death a picture of him was placed in
this very spot, so that the students might look at it in
passing, and be reminded of their devout and holy
companion.
Then, as the clock struck, he would go into the meeting,
always followed by a large crowd of congregationists, who
were pleased to accompany him, and on whose smiling
faces there was no constraint. The zeal that in others
would have seemed ill-timed, was never misunderstood in
his case, for they knew that he never preached what he
did not himself practise. In spite of his influence over his
-companions, his humility was so great that even when
HE VISITS THE HOSPITALS. 25
he was asked to give advice, lie always dreaded giving
a wrong one. Hence his anxiety to establish a mutual
union of prayer, so that they might help each other, and
that thus his " own weakness and insufficiency," as he
said, might be compensated by the suffrages of his friends.
He knew that, to some natures, serious things are not
acceptable, and therefore determined to pick out all the
interesting anecdotes and edifying stories he knew from
the lives of saints or others, and write them in a little
book, which he would lend to his companions, and let
them copy what they liked. He would add a maxim or a
saying of a saint to this collection, by way of impressing
certain truths on their minds. And this habit he con
tinued to the end of his life, so that at the conferences
he gave to the priests of St. Galla he was careful to
intersperse anecdotes of the like nature, which never failed
to strike and interest his auditors.
Among the duties incumbent on the members, the first
on the list was that of visiting the hospitals. John and
his companions hastened consequently to the bedsides
of the sick poor on every Thursday and feast day. From
the time he was fourteen or fifteen these visits were John's
great delight. He would console the patients in every
possible way, Distribute food and fruit, and encourage,
soothe, and cheer them with real filial anxiety. But not
content with caring for their bodies, he became a catechist
to the ignorant, wept with those that wept, and those who
were depressed and desponding he would contrive to
amuse with the genuine gaiety of his nature, till they
almost forgot their sufferings while listening to his words.
The older he grew, the dearer this work became to him,
25 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
and with increased experience the good lie effected in the
hospitals was incalculable.
His charity towards his companions was equally remark
able. He never let fall a word which could wound any
one's feelings, and when some of the students complained
to him of each other, he would gently try to remove the
bad impression, or if that failed, show by his silence how
much he disapproved of angry words and recriminations.
Any kind of deception or lying was abhorrent to him,
and if anything were falsely stated in his presence he
would gently but firmly reprove it, giving as his reason
his dread of offending the Divine Majesty, the God of
Truth.
Even in this world our Lord permitted him one great
consolation, and that was the friendship of one like-
minded to himself, the Venerable du Tronchet, to whom
we have before alluded among the eminent students of
the Roman College. We will here give a few details of
the life of one who is too little known, and who was John
Baptist's most intimate companion.
In the year 1700, in the little villnge of Billecut, in the
parish of Val-de-Miege, and the archdiocese of Besan9on,
a little boy was born, called Claude Francis du Tronchet.
He was the fifth child of one of the good old families in
that county, and having early lost both parents, was
brought up first by his maternal grandfather, and then by
his uncle, Abraham du Tronchet, who gave him his first
Latin lessons. At this time the inhabitants of Burgundy,
and especially of Franche Comte, were very numerous at
Rome. Many of the people, flying from the cruel in
vasions which ravaged their country, had turned their
CLAUDE FRANCIS DU TRONCHET. 27
steps towards the eternal city, so as to put themselves
under the protection of the Sovereign Pontiffs. They were
warmly received, and the church of St. Claude des Bour-
guignons became the centre which united these exiles
from their native land. Everyone knew the skill and
industry of these good emigrants in all mechanical arts,
and they soon obtained almost exclusive work. Then the
doors of the apostolic palace were opened to them, and
they were chosen before all others to fill any vacant post.
Proud of their reputation, the Burgundians did not forget
the way to Rome. Every year witnessed the influx of
fresh emigrants, who, having made their fortunes, would
return to their native land. Peter, Claude, and Hubert,
the elder brothers of young du Tronchet, had followed the
stream, and established themselves in the eternal city.
The first had become " Cameriere segreto " to the Pope
Clement XI., who, hearing him speak of his young brother,
invited him to come to Rome, promising him his protection
for the future. Peter wrote to his uncle Abraham, and he
gladly confided his nephew to the care of a certain
Anatole Simon, a good man, who was just starting for
Italy.
They performed the journey on foot. Later on, in the
evidence given by Anatole before the Rector of Val-de-
Miege, he speaks with emotion of the pious and edifying
conduct of the youth during this journey.
In crossing the Mount St. Bernard he fell from such a
height that they thought he had been killed. Again, in
Tuscany, while he was crossing a rapid torrent on a rotten
bridge, the plank gave way, and he was precipitated into
the water below. "My Jesus ! mercy !" he was heard to
28 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
exclaim when falling, and though he could not swim he
was miraculously saved, and landed safe and sound on the
bank when everybody had given him up for lost. God
visibly protected His servant, in fact, throughout the
journey. At Rome his brother Hubert, who was less busy
than Peter, devoted himself to the care of the boy, and
sent him to follow the course of study at the Roman
College. This was in 1713. John Baptist de Rossi, who
was older, had been a student there for more than two
years. The two young men soon became great friends,
their director, Father Galluzzi, being the link which at
first brought them together. In the midst of the crowd of
young students they were both models of virtue and piety.
Both became members of the ristretto, of which they faith
fully followed the rules, and a community of tastes and
interests drew them continually together, whether at the
meetings of the congregation or in the visits to the
hospitals, where John Baptist de Rossi was already the
loved guide and director of the rest. To his influence
Claude attributed all the good he ever did, but, in truth,
they helped each other on day by day in the path of
perfection.
When he became eighteen, Claude determined to leave
the world. Struck by the fervour of the Reformed Fathers
of St. Bonaventura on the Palatine, he begged for admis
sion among their order, and was at once accepted. Sent to
the noviciate of Ponticelli in the Sabine, he received the
religious habit on the 19th October, 1718. Being then
attacked by fever, he returned to Rome, but in a lament
able state of health. He pronounced his vows the following
year, and in spite of his continual sufferings was the
CLAUDE FRANCIS DU TRONCHET. 29
admiration and edification of the monastery. He was sent
to Vicovaro to follow a course of philosophy, and then to
various other houses of his Order; but no change of air
had any effect in dispelling the fever, which r \pidly under
mined his strength. At last he received the priesthood at
St. John Lateran's, on the 26th May, 1725. Pope Bene
dict XIII. ordained himself at the great ordinations of
Pentecost, so that he gave Priest's Orders to the Vener
able du Tronchet and John Andre Parisi, and on the 7th
June, 1727, he did the same to him who became St. Paul
of the Cross, and founded the Congregation of the Pas-
sionists.
After the first of these ordinations the young priests
were admitted to kiss the feet of the holy Father, and
when in his turn Claude Francis knelt before him, the
Pope interrupted the previous silence, and exclaimed,
" Hasten to become a saint."
On the 14th of June in that same year the young priest
was sent to Naples. The voyage on the Tiber and by sea
added to his sufferings, and when he arrived at the house
of his Order he was carried to the infirmary, which he
never again left. One of his countrymen came to see him.
Claude received him with great affection, but conjured him
to prepare for his death, which he said was near at hand,
adding that he should follow him very soon. This young
man was then in perfect health, but two months after
he died, according to Claude's prophecy, blessing and
thanking God for the salutary warning he had received.
But Claude himself was dying, in spite of the prayers
offered up for him on all sides. In the midst of the
greatest sufferings and spasms which seemed to strangle
30 ST. JOHN -BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
him, he would go on repeating, "God loves me! God
loves me !" On the 22nd of March, 1726, he slept in the
Lord, holding tightly in his hand his Franciscan Rule, and
exclaiming joyfully to those near him, " Adieu ! we shall
meet in heaven ."
Death seemed to have no effect on this pure and holy
body. His eyes were still bright and limpid, his cheeks
fresh, his frame as flexible as in life. At first they had
buried him in the common grave of the Order, where quick
lime, mixed with the earth, decomposed the bodies in
twenty- four hours. Then orders came for him to be taken
out of the place of sepulchre, and to their great surprise
the monks found that his body remained as life-like as
when it was buried. At the post-mortem examination
which followed, the doctors were amazed at the fragrance
which was exhaled from the corpse. Five little wounds
were found in the heart, and when the incision was made,
although life had been extinct for three days, a torrent of
blood, fresh and red, came from the wound. At the
entreaty of the crowd the coffin was again opened, and
every one could see the blood, and bear witness to the
unchanged state of the body. In 1864, at the express
order of Pius IX., the remains were solemnly attested and
transported to Rome, with a phial containing his blood,
and then placed in the monastery of St. Bonaventura,
on the Palatine, where the early portion of his religious
life had been spent. The cause of his beatification, intro
duced at Rome, is now being pushed forward.
Such was John Baptist's chosen friend, and such the
reward which God had granted him. He had the joy of
seeing Claude attaining to perfection in an incredibly short
HIS VOCATION TO THE ECCLESIASTICAL STATE. 31
time, and heard on all sides the merit attributed to him
self, who had been his master and his guide in that blessed
path. The inscription on his tomb is from the eloquent
pen of Father Angelini, of the Society of Jesus.
CHAPTER V.
John is ordained Priest.
HIS VOCATION TO THE ECCLESIASTICAL STATE. — HIS ORDINATION,
AND HIS FIRST MASS. THE EULES HE LAID DOWN FOB HIS
CONDUCT. HOW HE RECITED THE DIVINE OFFICE AND SAID
MASS. — WHAT HE THOUGHT OF PRAYER.
JOHN BAPTIST was now sixteen ; it was time for him
to choose a state of life. For some years, as we have
seen, his father, Charles de Rossi, had been dead, leaving
a widow and three children. The eldest son followed him
to the grave soon after, and the poor mother was left witli
very small means to bring up her two girls. Human
reasoning, family love, and even common gratitude,
seemed to make it a duty for John to follow some pro
fession, by which he could maintain his mother and sisters,
of whom he was the only hope. He had never spoken to
any one of his intentions, but for a long time he had felt
himself called to embrace an ecclesiastical state. The
earnest desire he felt to do everything in his power for the
good of his neighbour, and particularly for the most
miserable, and the zeal which devoured him, found no
32 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
sufficient outlet save in tins entire sacrifice of himself. He
allowed that circumstances demanded reflection on his
p'irt, but his hesitation did not last long : no human tie
could stop him. Could he prefer the greater prosperity of
his family to the salvation of so many souls, who were
entirely abandoned ? Would riches increase the happiness
or virtue of his sisters ? John thought not ; and after
mature consideration determined to consecrate himself to
the service of God and of His poor. We shall see in the
sequel whether, by setting aside worldly prudence to follow
the call of God, he acted wisely or the reverse. But he
did not come to this decision without earnest prayer, and
without obtaining the prayers of all his friends ; and then,
by the advice of his director, Father Galluzzi, he announced
his intention. His edifying life had probably prepared his
mother for his determination ; anyhow, she does not seem
to have opposed it. At his request the Archbishop of
Genoa, who was then Cardinal Fieschi, sent him the neces
sary permissions to receive holy orders. At once he left
off his secular clothes, and in that same year was tonsured
and received minor orders. It was then that he committed
the imprudent mortifications of which we have spoken,
and that his consequent sufferings began. But to compass
his wish theological science was indispensable, and as,
owing to his cruel illness, he could no longer follow the
course in the Roman College, he tried to assist at the
lessons given by the Dominicans at the Minerva. The
celebrated Father Bordoni was then giving a commentary
on the " Summa " of St. Thomas of Aquinas. John, in
his feeble state, was obliged to content himself with
listening to his explanations. But he showed later, by his
HE IS ORDAINED PRIEST. 33
intimate knowledge of dogma and of holy writ, that these
lectures had not been withont their fruit.
We have no details as to his preparation for the dia-
conate. But that that day made the most profound
impression upon him may be gathered from one of his
sermons in 1758, (that is, thirty years after,) to the
priests of St. Galla, in which he speaks of his happiness at
that time, and relates a circumstance which had occurred
in the retreat which preceded his ordination. While
still earnestly prosecuting his studies for the priesthood, as
far as his health allowed him, he never neglected the care
of the poor. At last, on the 8th of March, 1721, his
earnest wishes were fulfilled, and he received the priest
hood. Being only twenty-two years of age he had to get
a dispensation ; but all that knew him felt that though
young in years he had the experience and maturity of a
far older man. The consecrating prelate could well apply
to him the words of the pontifical, which were a resume of
his life : " Sit doctrina vestra spiritualis medicina populo
Dei. Sit odor vitse vestras delectamentum Ecclesiae
Christi ; ut prasdicatione atque exemplo aadificetis domuin,
id est, familiam Dei."
We may judge of his fervour by the vow he made on
that same day, a vow which was only known publicly after
his death, and which he faithfully observed during his
whole life. This was, never to accept any benefice, or any
ecclesiastical dignity, unless compelled to do so by autho
rity, and positively commanded by his director. This vow
explains the profound aversion he always showed for
honours, and the incredible love of poverty which he
practised to its utmost limits.
3
3i ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
Ho might, however, without any ambition have accepted
one of those modest dignities so common in Rome, which
would have placed him out of the reach of want, and
enabled him likewise to increase his charities. But no ;
he was determined to be entirely detached from the world,
and to break all the chains which might have bound him
to it. Only the obedience which he paid to his director
could ever make him change his purpose, and that for the
sake of immolating his own will to the glory of God.
His devotion for St. Aloysius made him select his altar
for his first Mass. Over the ashes of the saint in whose
footsteps he was following, John Baptist performed this
holy action with a fervour and a recollection which struck
all the assistants, and which never was lessened during his
whole future life. The little choir boy of Voltaggio,
while growing in years, had never lost the angelic piety of
his childhood; on the contrary, he grew in grace as in
stature, and the oftener he drew near the altar the more
his soul was filled with divine love.
He had now obtained the wish nearest his heart. He
was a priest, with the mission to devote himself entirely
to save souls ; and God, who had given him the vocation,
gave him also the necessary grace. This object became
the motive of all his actions; he was never weary of
dwelling on its importance. But to arrive at it a certain
foundation was necessary, and that was, for the priest to
conform his own conduct to his teaching. These are his
first counsels to a young priest: "Take the utmost care
to sanctify yourself, for without this we run the risk of
being useless to the souls which are confided to us, and to
RULES FOR THE CONDUCT OF PRIESTS. 35
lose our own."* "A priest," lie would say, "is not
merely called to ordinary perfection, but to the observance
of the commandments in the smallest little details of
every-day life; especially in his outward actions he should
show what he is, — Sacerdos alter Christus."
On another occasion, while explaining, as was his
custom, the Gospel of the Sunday to the young priests of
St. Galla, he said : " A young man drew near to our Lord
one day, and asked Him what he was to do to inherit the
kingdom of heaven. Our Lord pointed out the first
method, to keep the commandments, — serva mandata.
This answer satisfied the young man. Had he not always
observed ^hem ? — ' Omnia servavi a juventute mea.' But
Jesus Christ exacts something more, and He replies, ' If
thou wilt be perfect, go, sell what thou hast, and give to
the poor, and follow Me/ — fVade, vende omnia qua} hales ,
da pauperibus, et sequere mej At this proposal the young
man retires 'grieved and discontented. The Gospel is
silent regarding him, but some commentators think he was
damned. Now, I am quite willing to believe that we try
and keep the commandments: but that is not enough.
We priests have a stricter obligation. God asks of us
more than a simple observance, and by reason of our state
we must apply ourselves to perfection in a more special
manner. It is of no use for us to preach it to others if we
do not attain to it ourselves. If we do not first of all
sanctify ourselves, we shall produce no fruit in others." . .
And again, on Sexagesima Sunday! : " In the Gospel of
* Serm. I., 11 Aug., 1758; "On the business of our own salvation.*'
t Serai. V., 9 Feb., 1753 ; "Necessity for our san ctifioatiou."
36 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
to-day we read that the father of a family, having sown
good seed in his field, the enemy came and sowed tares.
The good grain signifies the word of God, which we
sow in the hearts of our hearers. But what happens ?
Others come and sow tares, and very often these are sown,
not by others, but by ourselves. Yes; we are ourselves
the sowers of tares, when our works do not correspond
with our preaching, or our actions with our words. In
fact, how can we speak against defects and vices when we
are ourselves, I do not say guilty in all points, but lax in
our observance of contrary virtues ? How can we reprove
evil speaking and uncharitableness when we are so ready
to reveal the faults of others ? How reprove anger and
irritability when we are so deficient in sweetness and
patience ? How can we find fault with those who neglect
their duties if we are careless ourselves about our obliga
tions to say the Divine Office, to celebrate holy Mass, to
teach the catechism, and other priestly duties ?"
With such sentiments as these we can easily conceive
how generously he realized in his own person the high
ideal he set before others. During his whole life the rules
of the Council of Trent were the standard by which he
judged himself, whether as regarded his exterior or in
terior conduct, his clothes, his occupations, and all the
rest. He was very particular as to cleanliness, but at the
same time wore simple and common stuffs. Like St.
Francis of Sales, he had adopted the maxim of St. Bernard,
that one should detest dirt and negligence in one's clothes
as much as an appearance of vanity and coquetry. His
dress was never of fine tissue or of expensive materials.
When he was made canon, and he was compelled to have
HIS PIETY. 37
a silk cassock, according to the rule, he would never wear
it save in public functions. During the winter he used to
be seen very early in the streets of Home, with his hands
violet and almost black with cold, to which he was very
sensitive, and when implored to wear gloves, like other
priests, he would reply, smiling, " No, no ; let us content
ourselves with what is absolutely necessary."
To the scrupulous simplicity, yet decency and tidiness,
of his dress, were united a wonderful recollection and
gravity of manner. He had a habit of walking with his
eyes looking down, his modesty speaking of his constant
union with God. Many, who only knew him by sight,
would watch him as he passed by, with looks full of ad
miration and respect, and considered him as a saint. His
way of acting was always inspired by supernatural motives.
The necessity of living continually with people in the
world, which to many secular priests is a great stumbling-
block, became for him only another occasion of giving a
good example, according to St. Paul's advice to Titus. In
his relations with others he was careful never to show too
much familiarity, for fear of lowering his sacerdotal
character in the eyes of men, and of weakening by degrees
his own good resolutions. Yet he always preserved the
charm and sweetness which were natural to him, and which
God so often made use of to touch the hearts of men.
He fled with a sort of terror from any intimate relations
with women. If charity compelled him to meet them,
either for the good of souls or for the service of God, he
resigned himself to the necessity. But he made an
inexorable rule, that they should never come to his own
house. When he met one of them, to whom he was
38 , ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
obliged to speak for some reason, he maintained such a
careful reserve in his manner that it was impossible to
take a liberty with him, and he never would look any
woman in the face. He used to tell his penitents that to
act in this way was to pay them proper respect. His
friends used laughingly to say that he never saw anything
but the shoes of ladies.
While avoiding contact with the world as much as
possible, he eagerly sought the company and conversation,
of holy ecclesiastics, for with them he felt he could without
singularity speak of things of God. His companions
always hailed his visits with joy, and parted from him with
regret, for he was as charming and agreeable as he was
edifying. They often said he was like another St. Philip
of Neri in the simple gaiety and sweetness which attracted
every one, and of which he made use to give a holy tone
even to innocent diversion. He had a peculiar talent for
bringing in pious thoughts in the form of amusing anec
dotes in conversation. In one of his numberless missions,
he was once the guest of Canon Prosper Bonacorsi, at
Castel San Pietro. He was so charmed with John Baptist
that he earnestly wished to have him constantly in his
house, and would gladly have paid for his maintenance if
lie would have consented to live with him altogether.
One of his characteristics was an indefatigable energy in
the employment of his time. Not a moment was left
unoccupied. When not absorbed by works of charity,
which generally filled every instant of his day, he would
read and meditate on some passage in holy writ, so as to
be thoroughly penetrated with its maxims. In conse
quence, his knowledge of the Scriptures was extraordinary,
MASS AND THE DIVINE OFFICE. 39
and his sermons prove him to have been a most able, as
well as profound commentator. If his health prevented his
following other studies, God rewarded him by flooding him
with light, and revealing to him what He frequently hides
from the proud and learned.
His objection to attend any great dinners or feasts was
well known. If almost constrained by some old friend to
appear on such occasions, he would excuse himself in such
gracious and touching words that people were afraid to
press him any further. He always added that he really
had not time.
But there are two points more on which we must say
a few words, and that is on the two principal acts in a
priest's life, — the celebration of holy Mass, and the
recitation of the Divine Office. As an exact observer
of the rubrics which the Church has drawn up for the
recital of the Breviary, he never would omit one of them.
Thus he never said Mass, as a young priest, without first
reciting Matins and Lauds. Later on, when his charitable
works absorbed him without a moment's respite, he in
variably recited this part of the office the night before.
For the other portions his hours were regularly and care
fully fixed, for he said that as irregularity hindered a pious
and fervent recital, so regularity helped his devotion. If,
when the moment came, any visitor wished to prolong an
agreeable conversation, he would rise and dismiss him,
and that so graciously and civilly that no one could feel
hurt ; but he preferred depriving himself of any pleasure
rather than break his resolution.
From the time of his ordination he had chosen certain
models for imitation, like St. Francis of Sales, St. Philip
40 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
of Neri, and St. Vincent of Paul. St. Francis, when he
was alone, used to say his office on his knees; and this
custom was followed for many years by John Baptist, till
increasing ill-health compelled him to give it up, or unless
any other priest were with him who might have been
troubled at so unusual a practice. If he said office in
choir, it was remarked with what minute care he attended
to all the ceremonies, even when age and infirmities made
rising or standing a very painful action to him. To say
the Divine Office was to unite himself more intimately
with God, and so far from custom making him indifferent
or tepid, he was compared very often to a seraph of love
during that time, his hands being often raised piously
towards heaven, while affective sighs burst from him,
although he was himself unconscious of the fact. The
Breviary produced in him the same effect as a meditation ;
and after both, his face was often quite illuminated, of
which several persons gave evidence during the process of
his beatification. A priest who, in 1763, went with him
to St. Paul's outside the Walls, declared that when Canon
de Rossi left him to say his Vespers, he watched him, and
saw him the whole time so absorbed in God that he was as
one raised above the earth.
But the great action of his day was the Holy Sacrifice.
To it he consecrated his first thoughts, his most earnest
care. Besides his hour's meditation, which he made every
morning as soon as he was dressed, and often on his knees,
he always strove to have half an hour's recollection before
and after the sacred mysteries. Then, entirely absorbed
in the thought of the great sacrifice he was about to offer,
he never uttered a word. Nothing could distract him,
WITH WHAT FERVOUR HE SAID MASS. 41
even if he had to wait a long time in the sacristy before
vesting. The nearer he drew to the altar, the more his
devotion became apparent. He celebrated at last with
such fervour and emotion as to thrill through all who
assisted at his Mass. In his humility he never spoke of
the extraordinary graces he often received during the
celebration, but it was impossible to conceal them alto
gether fuom his servers. Father Monzoni, S. J., declared
that from the beginning of the Canon his face would be
perfectly inflamed with divine love, and the same was
remarked by Count Dominic Tendering who said that on
one occasion he was so inundated with celestial joys after
Mass that he exclaimed to him, "Let us fly from the
crowd and from men. I feel God present in my heart ;
He speaks to me. It is too much I"
Another circumstance is attested by all who had the
happiness of serving him on such occasions, and that was,
that from the time of the Consecration to the Communion
he was invariably seized with an inexplicable trembling,
as if he were under the influence of some great fear. He
was quite unconscious of it himself, and it never happened
except during this part of the Holy Sacrifice. Canon
Dominic d'Alexandris, speaking of this, writes : " I often
assisted at his Mass, and I watched the celebration with
extreme attention. From the Consecration to the Com
munion his face was simply on fire. A kind of violent
trembling, (which he could not conceal from the servers,)
came over his whole body, and often to such an extent
that when he had to make the sign of the cross on the
chalice and the holy Host I was always afraid of some
accident, for his arms shook so much that he seemed often
42 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
on the point of upsetting the chalice. He had such an
extreme reverence for our Lord under the eucharistic
species that he was like the seraphim mentioned in holy
writ, who tremble with holy fear before the throne of God.
Never did I dare ask him the reason, and God permitted
this, I believe, to spare him the pain of revealing the
secret of his holiness, and perhaps because I did not
deserve to understand the mystery of this trembling."
To complete the picture we have drawn of this young
priest, we must speak of his love of prayer. John not
only loved it, but declared that for a priest it was an
absolute necessity. He writes : " One of the chief means
of our salvation is perseverance in mental prayer. It is so
powerful a one that I know of no other way of attaining to
perfection. If we are proficients in that exercise we need
never fear; but if we neglect it let us dread the conse
quences, for we run a great risk of losing our souls. Qui
non vadit ad orationem vadit ad tentationem." At all
hazards John would win souls : but to do this we must be
saints, and we can only attain to sanctity by prayer. On
this subject he once said : " It is related in the life of St.
Pascal Babylon that a certain great lord, having received
a grave insult, would not pardon his enemy. Many
persons tried to appease him, but in vain : their reasoning
was useless. A Franciscan then tried to argue with him,
but with no better success. Pascal, who had accompanied
him to the door, and heard of his failure, declared that,
ignorant as he was, he would himself speak to this proud
man. He came back then, and simply said, ' My lord,
pardon your enemy for the love of God ;' and the proud
man's heart was suddenly touched, and he freely forgave
ANECDOTE OF ST. PASCAL. 43
his foe ; for Pascal had a heart all on fire with the love of
God, owing to his fervent and frequent prayers."
The same thing happened to John himself, although his
humility took care to conceal it.
A young man of noble family, who was studying at
Borne, one day received a cruel and unjust corporal punish
ment from a religious. His anger was terrible : his pride
had been cruelly wounded, and he nourished a profound
hatred for this master, which he manifested in every pos
sible way, to the great scandal of his neighbours. His
friends and many persons of great merit had tried to
soften him towards this injudicious master, and to bring
about a reconciliation between them, but it was useless.
John knew this young man, who loved and respected him,
and after many years had passed, seeing that his anger
and hatred were unabated, he resolved to see what he
could do to bring him into a better frame of mind. One
day he took him aside, and related to him this passage in
the life of St. Pascal. Then, with a sudden inspiration
he seized his arm, and exclaimed, "Well, do you also for
give the injury that was done to you, for the love of our
dear Lord." The youth was conquered; he reconciled
himself entirely with his enemy, and in the end became
a fervent religious. It was by so perfect a life that this
young priest prepared himself for the great mission which
was about to be entrusted to him.
ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
SECOND PART.
ips Jirst If abrars in tht Jlmistrg.
CHAPTER I.
The beginning of his Ministry.
HIS FIRST WORK AFTER HIS ORDINATION. THE CHARACTER
OF HIS MISSION. — HE OCCUPIES HIMSELF WITH SHEPHERDS,
PRISONERS, AND EXECUTIONERS. HIS LOVE AND RESPECT FOR
THE POOR.
N WHAT WAY is a young priest, lost
in the great city of Rome, to exercise the
zeal which devours him? This question
John Baptist frequently asked himself,
and the same Providence which guided
him from Voltaggio to Rome did not
abandon him in this crisis of his life.
At first, weak and suffering as he was, he could not
undertake any extraordinary work. His only aim was
to continue, in silence and obscurity, the charitable care
he had always taken of the poor and sick while in the
Roman College. One of his characteristics, as his bio
grapher and friend, Toietti, relates, was that all his
HIS LOYE FOR THE POOR. 45
thoughts and labours were consecrated exclusively to the
poorest and lowest classes. This was the only lot he was
ambitious to obtain. He often said that the dregs of
society were his predestined flock, and the only people
who really belonged to him.*
J. B. Nerucci, the Arch-priest of Castel-del-Piano,
wrote : " Having lived the greater part of my life with
Canon de Rossi, I should sum up all by saying that this
holy priest seemed to have but one idea in this world, and
that was to teach Christian maxims to the poorest and the
most ignorant classes, and to bring back to the right path
those who had wandered from it."
From the hour that the Man- God, to console and en
courage the miserable, bore the greatest privations,
appeared to the world as the son of a poor carpenter, and
had not even where to lay His head, the Christian religion
has raised a real throne for the working-man, by giving
him the place of honour due to his toil and his sufferings.
But this is not all. God raises up men whom He fills with
His Spirit. Their life is consecrated to the poor outcasts,
for whom they feel a species of divine love. They model
their lives on that of our Saviour, who came to preach the
Gospel to the poor.f John Baptist de Rossi followed thus
in the steps of St. John of God, Blessed Peter Claver, St.
Vincent of Paul, and many others. The same spirit
animated them all, though diversified according to the
wants of the men with whom they came in contact.
De Rossi began by devoting himself to the field la-
* II suo popolo eletto, di 8ua propria pertinenza.
f " Evangelizare panperibus miait me." — St. Luke iv. 18.
46 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
bourers. The vast Roman Carnpagna, which at certain
times of the year is silent and desolate, owing to the
malaria which decimates its villages, is at other less dan
gerous seasons covered with flocks and herds, which have
come down from the mountains, and the shepherds
scattered through this 'kind of desert live part of the year
alone, and entirely separated from other people. Their
manners and appearance are wild in the extreme/and their
ignorance complete. Little chapels have been built and
opened by the care of the Popes in different localities,
where these poor peasants can find occasional services.
But to reach them they must go very long distances and
abandon their flocks. Sometimes negligence came to
redouble the difficulties of communication, and thus their
religious duties were completely abandoned. A journey
to Rome is the only distraction allowed them. They bring
there from time to time the fruits of their industry, but
have neither the time nor the means for any religious
instruction. Certain quarters of the town are reserved for
them, where they group together, and are little heeded by
the Romans proper. Up to this day we see them gathered
in the Piazza Montanara and other places, their only
associates seeming to be the permanent inhabitants of the
Campagna, who, with yellow faces dried up by fqver., and
half- closed eyes, appear far more miserable than the
shepherds themselves. No one cares for them, and to
some they seem positive objects of repulsion. For a long
time John Baptist had watched these poor fellows with
ever-increasing interest. No sooner was he made priest
than he adopted them, as it were, as his children. They
came into Rome at dawn of day or towards sunset. De
THE SHEPHERDS OF THE CAMPAGNA. 47
Rossi found out their favourite haunts, and was there at
the same hours talking to them, showing the liveliest
interest in all that concerned them, and winning their
hearts by his genuine kindness and sympathy, and by his
gaiety, which was catching. A mutual confidence was
soon established between them, and John Baptist profited
by it after a time to slip in a word here and there on
eternal truths, to explain to them the commandments, and
above all to prepare them to receive the sacraments. But
the harvest was great, and one labourer could not suffice.
Later on he found co-operators in the priests of St. Galla,
who were destined to the same ministry, and who, with
the grace of God, worked wonders among those neglected
souls. Often, after he had talked to them, they would
beg to come to confession; but John was not yet old
enough for this part of a priest's duty, so he would joyfully
carry them off with him to one of his holy old confessor
friends, who always received them with kindness and
gentleness. Very soon the shepherds and country people
became warmly attached to him. If they met him any
where in the streets of Rome they would at once come up
to him and engage his attention. One day, in the Piazza
of St. Peter's, he found a peasant whom he did not know,
and at once entered into conversation with him, and at
last persuaded him to make up his mind to go to his
duties. John gave him the address of a neighbouring
priest, but the peasant could not find him, and so gave up
his good intention. John was in despair, and determined,
as he said, to make amends for his fault. Though the
heat was intolerable, it being the month of July, he never
ceased wandering up and down the streets, till at last he
48 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
found liia lost sheep, and took him himself this time to the
confessor. D. Francis Ranucci, to whom generally John
brought his penitents, gave evidence that the good he did
among these poor people was simply miraculous. ee These
rough shepherds, plunged in ignorance and vice, would be
so touched by his words that they would come to me in a
perfect agony of compunction and remorse, and it was
rarely that they fell back again into evil courses."
On another occasion, Mgr. John Francis Tenderini,
having come to Rome to give a report of his diocese,
invited his great friend, Dom Lawrence de Rossi, and
the young John Baptist, to make a pilgrimage with him
to St. Paul's outside the gates. They had got as far as
the little chapel where St. Peter and St. Paul parted from
each other before their martyrdom, when a man met them,
evidently in an uncontrollable fury. He was striding
towards the town, his eyes starting out of his head with
passion, his hair standing on end, his clothes all in dis
order. John quietly slipped away from his companions
and drew near to the man, striving by a few kind and
gentle words to soften and quiet him. At first they had
-no effect, but after a few minutes the Bishop and Dom
Laurence, who were watching him from a distance, saw
the man seize John's arm and burst into tears. It seemed
that he was on the point of committing suicide by throw
ing himself into the Tiber, and he recognized in John the
angel of God sent to deliver him from the claws of the
devil. He revealed to the young priest the misery which
was leading him to this desperate act. John consoled and
encouraged him, and finally led him to a confessor, who
gave peace to this troubled soul. He did not lose sight of
HIS TENDER CARE FOR THE PRISONERS. 49
him till he was thoroughly calmed and resigned ; and the
poor fellow was at a loss how to express his gratitude.
Soon after, he left Rome, and went to join some mis
sionaries who were going to evangelize the heathen, and
among whom he soon became distinguished for his zeal
and fervour. Later on he was ordained priest, and on that
occasion wrote a most grateful letter to John Baptist,
whom he called his earthly saviour, and implored both his
advice and his prayers.
But these were not his only conquests at that time.
Prisoners likewise excited his warmest sympathy, and in
spite of continual physical suffering, he would lavish every
sort of care upon them, and exhaust himself completely
in their service. A priest once was questioning the
wisdom of the tender attentions he showed towards these
convicts. " 0 ! if I could only deliver them from the hell
in their own hearts !" he replied. " When their souls are
at peace they are willing to bear all their sufferings with
patience, as an expiation for their sins."
When he could hear confessions he was still better able
to help and console them. They looked upon him as a
saint, and he won their love and esteem at once. His
visits brought peace and joy to their souls; and when
remorse threatened to lead them to despair, they would
write and implore Father John Baptist to come and take
pity upon them. They would not even go to their paschal
duties without him.
He brought about several admirable reforms also in the
administration of the prisons. One was, that in the
women's wards men should not be admitted, but that
persons of their own sex only should wait upon them;
4
50 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
another, that the chaplain might have access to the
prisoners at any hour, even to those arrested on suspicion.
Both applications were granted by the governor, who
extended the latter permission, unasked, to himself. Great
abuses had crept into the laws regarding vagabonds and
beggars, and many of them were living in an abominable
state of immorality. He persuaded them by degrees to
accept his reforms, and induced a large proportion of them
to marry, always contriving out of his slender resources to
find money for their (l dot."
But there were other men still lower in the social scale,
because universally despised, and those were the public
executioners. There was a noted man at that time in
Rome occupying that hateful position. John became his
adviser and his friend, and when age and infirmities com
pelled him to seek refuge in the hospital, John still
followed and ministered to his wants. This man had a
grave quarrel with his successor, which John contrived to
settle; and meeting a priest-friend that day, joyfully
exclaimed, "I have just concluded an important affair of
state."
After the death of the old executioner he set himself to
work to win his successor. What was the astonishment
of the city when they found out that this hangman was
leading the most edifying of lives ! John had really con
verted him into an apostle, and this man was constantly
bringing men and women to his confessional whom he had
found steeped in vice, and who, by his persuasions and
piety, had been led back into the right path. This became
so frequent, that when John left the city on any business,
he always pointed out some other priest whom he could
HIS DEVOTION TO THE POOR. 51
go and consult in his absence. Once he sent him to Dom
James Severing the curate of St. Venantius, and this
priest received a whole tribe of penitents bearing a note of
recommendation signed by the hangman. Mentioning
these facts, that holy priest added : " In the soul of this
man, despised, dreaded, and avoided by all, John had
sown the seeds of such zeal and charity that he was a
perfect marvel to us all."
In a word, all that were miserable, low, and degraded,
found a friend and a father in the young priest. He was
called " The apostle of the abandoned," and his motto
might have been " Evangelizare pauperism misit me"
In the streets of Rome he was always surrounded by the
lowest class of people ; yet the rich and the wealthy sought
him with equal eagerness. With his usual charity he
would hear and console them in their troubles, but he
almost invariably refused to be their confessor, lest he
should be drawn away from those he called " his dear
poor." A Roman prince who had once been to his con
fessional implored him to become his director ; but John
steadily refused. "People of your rank and position, " he
said, te can find thousands of directors, but the poor and
the despised have the utmost difficulty in securing the
services of one."
Another time a lady of high rank pressed the matter so
much that he did not know how to escape from her
importunity, when it suddenly occurred to him to write to
her, and tell her that " he was sure she would not like it
to be said that she had the same director as the hang
man, and that if she came to him that would certainly
be the case."
52 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSST.
The reputation which he had gained among the poor
and abandoned extended itself, like that of the Cure
cTArs, to far distant countries. Often, when poor
foreigners came to him, they would say, "We have
heard of you in Portugal, or in Spain, or in Germany,
or in France, and we come to you to be freed from our
sins." This always touched John Baptist to the quick,
and he would devote himself to these poor strangers with
as much solicitude as if they had been his oldest peni
tents. His one motive in all this was his intense love
for the poor ; nay more, he esteemed and respected the
state of poverty, as the saints have always done; and
the words of our Lord to the just were ever present to
him : " Amen, I say to you, as long as you did it to one
of these My least brethren, you did it to Me." (St.
Matt. xxv. 40.)
All poor people in his eyes were living images of our
Lord, even more, were Himself. He could not endure the
way in which they were despised and looked down upon,
and often complained loudly of the unchristian spirit thus
shown by many who called themselves good Catholics.
He insisted that respect should be shown to them, as
well as kindness. One day he was walking with some
gentlemen, when they met some beggars, who saluted
John with grateful smiles, calling him their lord and
master. John responded to their greeting with exquisite
politeness, and then turning to his companions, said : " I
assure you I am more pleased at receiving the welcome of
these poor people than if it had been from a cardinal."
The name of "paupers" seemed to him intolerable. He
used to call them the "little poor of Jesus Christ," —
HIS PATIENCE, 53
(poveretti di Gesu CristoJ In the quarter of the town
called " St. Galla " people objected very much to the
crowd who came to take refuge in a kind of hospital he
had founded, of which we shall presently speak, and called
them " thieves and robbers," which used to cut him to the
heart. Very often he could not interfere to prevent it;
but one day he heard a servant using the same insulting
language to these poor creatures, and calling him aside, he
spoke so seriously to him of the respect due to poverty,
and the contempt shown by his words towards those who
represented our Lord Himself, that the man was thoroughly
ashamed, and ever after treated the poor with kindness
and consideration.
John seemed to feel the privations of his poor clients
even more than they did themselves. One day he saw
two or three of them more depressed than usual, and on
inquiring the cause, found that they were about to be put
in prison for a debt of eight dollars due for cakes. Instead
of remonstrating at this singular extravagance on their
part, he hastened to reassure them and pay the tradesman
his bill, and then came back smiling, saying to those who
were disposed to laugh at his proceedings : " Why should
they not have their little pleasures too, as well as we ?"
His patience was equally remarkable. One day, when
John was walking through the streets of Rome with a
canon friend, a man came up to him in a perfect fury, and
said every sort of disagreeable thing. It was of no use
answering him. John remained calm and silent. The
man went on for a quarter of an hour, loading him with
the most opprobrious epithets. The canon could hardly
keep his temper; the passers-by stopped and wanted to
54 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
arrest him; but John begged of them to take no notice.
At last, the man having apparently exhausted himself
with his fury, slunk away, and John resumed the conver
sation with his friend at the point where they had left off,
without making a single reflection on what had occurred.
The canon, however, could not so easily forget it, and
expressed himself in no measured terms. And then John
took up the cause of the man who had thus insulted him,
and spoke strongly of the numberless trials, and vexations,
and privations of all sorts, which embittered the charac
ters of the poor.
He often wished to live in the hospital at St. Galla, so
as to be sure to die among his " dear poor," and be buried
by them, and thus obtain their prayers, in which he had
the greatest faith. Once, speaking to an intimate friend,
he owned to having received very remarkable graces
through their means, and he always felt sure of succeeding
in an affair, however difficult, if his poor took a real
interest and share in his intention.
Before starting on the missions he gave outside Borne,
or in the convents, he would gather together his proteges,
make them a little farewell speech, and ask them, before
and after, to say a " Hail Mary " with him for the success
of his work, and in the same spirit his favourite ejaculation
was, " Mary, Mother of the poor, have mercy on me."
BIOGRAPHY OP JE110ME VASELLI. 55
CHAPTER II.
John Baptist at St. Galla.
THE WORK OP ST. GALLA. — ITS COMMENCEMENT.-— JOHN BAP
TIST JOINS THE ASSOCIATION. — THE ZEAL WHICH HE SHOWS,
AND THE TRIALS HE MEETS WITH. HE BECOMES INTIMATE
WITH THE VENERABLE JOHN ANDREW PARISI.
WE have reserved for a special chapter the account of
the work to which John devoted himself from the
time he was fifteen till the end of his life, and that was
the hospital of St. Galla. It had been founded by another
chosen soul, and that was a holy priest named Vaselli, of
whom we will now give a short biography.
Jerome Vaselli was born of a humble but pious family
living in Rome. After a holy childhood, he was admitted
into the Capranica College, where he soon became a model
to all the students. In ] 693 he was unanimously declared
to be the first in a public theological dispute held in that
seminary, and again in 1696 he was chosen to pronounce
the funeral panegyric on the founder. Already his burn
ing love for the poor showed itself in a thousand ways, a
love which was the offspring of his great piety and charity.
Not having as yet any fixed outlet for his zeal, he began
by teaching catechism on Sundays to such little children as
he could collect in the church of SS. Celsus and Juliana,
in the Via del Banclii.
There, seeing one day a little fellow who was despised
56 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
by his companions, who, when he came in, would not
make room for him, or let him sit by them, Jerome got up
from his chair, and with winning sweetness placed the
child in it, thus putting him in the place of honour before
them all, to shame them for their unjust contempt of a
boy because he was poor and ragged, and therefore, in
Jerome's eyes, a fit representative of Jesus Christ. Then
standing, he continued his explanations to the children as
usual.
Another Sunday, after he had finished catechizing, he
was going out of the church when he met a child miserably
clothed. He asked him if he had been to the catechism.
The child replied, "No; I belong to no parish." Vaselli
inquired, and found to his sorrow that what the boy said
was quite true ; he was a stranger, and, like a great many
others, had no settled home, and therefore no teaching of
any sort. This made him determine to hunt out these
little stray waifs, and gather them together every
Wednesday at St. Saviour's in Onda, where he taught
them the first rudiments of the faith. To induce them to
come regularly he gave them each, at the end, a little bit
of money. Their numbers increased, and several charitable
people came forward to help him. But then there came
a check. St. Saviour's had to be closed for repairs, and
he could find no other place which would admit his dirty,
ragged crew. Vaselli had followed the course of study at
the Roman College, and been admitted into the Ristretto
of the Twelve Apostles, of which we have spoken. In his
distress, therefore, he hastened to consult the director of
that work, Father Pompey de Benedictis. " You will do
nothing," replied that Father, " until you have an inde-
THE HOSPITAL OF ST. GALLA. 57
pendent place of meeting for your poor children. Without
that, from one moment to another, your efforts will be
neutralized, and produce no results."
Vaselli, therefore, went on with his search. Not far
from St. Maria in Cosmedin stands a chapel which has St.
Galla for its patroness, that illustrious Eoman matron,
whose house had been on this very site, and where it was
Ler custom every day to gather together twelve poor per
sons, whom she fed and served herself. In 1601, the
Blessed John Leonardi founded his congregation of the
" Regular Clerks of the Mother of God " in this church,
which had been given him by Pope Clement VIII., and
there he lived and died. Mark Antonio Odescalchi, a
priest of the noble family of that name, then turned the
house into a hospital for a thousand sick people, and
became himself their servant. His great friend from his
earliest childhood had been the Venerable Berti, a Canon
of the Lateran, and, like himself, a student of the Roman
College. He approved of his plan of finding an asylum for
the multitude of poor who passed the night in the public
squares or gardens, and no place seemed to him so suitable
as St. Galla. In consequence, Cardinal Benedict Odes
calchi made a petition to the Pope Alexander VII., who,
in 1622, offered the Church of St. Maria in Campitelli to
the Religious of the Mother of God, thus leaving the
house of St. Galla free, so that the new work could at once
be organized in it. Every evening Marc Antonio and
Jerome Berti went out to hunt for these homeless wan
derers, and brought them back to the beds they had made
up for them.
Mark Antonio Odescalchi died in 1670, with the repu-
58 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE KOSST.
tation of a saint. Cardinal Odescalchi, who had become
Pope under the title of Innocent XI., gave his powerful
protection to the new establishment, and the Dukes Livio
and Balthazar enlarged it. In 1702 the institution was
directed by Dom Emilio Lami, and its administrator was
Canon Testa, of St. Maria Maggiore. This canon used to
come from time to time to give little instructions to the
beggars, and Vaselli often accompanied him. On one of
these occasions Vaselli told him of his distress about his
ragged children. Testa at once spoke to Prince Odescalchi,
and obtained leave from him to have the free use of the
chapel for the meetings of the boys, so that Vaselli re
sumed his catechetical lectures there on the 25th May,
1702. Father Pompey de Benedictis was delighted at his
success, and induced all the members of the " Ristretto "
to help Vaselli. They persevered, and formed what was
called "The Pious Union of Priests of St. Galla." To
preserve their primitive Order, they only received mem
bers of the (( Ristretto," or of the Oratory of St. Philip
Neri. They had no superior, for Vaselli would often say,
" Let our superior be our Lord Jesus Christ/'' but respect
and obedience were gladly given to him and to the older
members. The associates would receive no recommenda
tion to any dignities, for no human element was to inter
fere with their zeal and devotion, and the most complete
disinterestedness was insisted upon.
Vaselli thought the moment was come to give extension
to the work, and admit, not only children, but all the poor
who sought for instruction. Later on, seconded by de
Rossi, he established regular catechetical teaching at St.
Peter's, in the Piazzas Barberini, Montanara and Colonna,
THE HOSPITAL OF ST. GALLA. 59
at the Madonna del monti, and many other places. He
even preached to the soldiers in the barracks, and to the
sailors at anchor in the barges on the Ripa Grande, and
no ridicule or blasphemy hindered his zeal. By degrees
he gathered the sailors together in the church of " Our
Lady of Good Voyages," which was set apart for this pur
pose. But at St. Galla he established, besides cate
chisms, the explanation of the Gospel on Sundays in very
simple language, and on Saturdays they all recited the
Kosary, after he had interested them with a variety of
edifying stories. In 1721 Jerome Yaselli was appointed
rector of the parish of St. Lorenzo in Damaso ; but the
care he took of his new parishioners did not make him
neglect his poor outcasts. The moment he had a spare
half hour he flew to St. Galla. Beloved by them all,
and consoled by the happy result of his labours, and the
conversion of innumerable sinners, he gave up his holy
soul to God on the 20th March, 1742.
Father de Benedictis, who fully appreciated the vast
importance of Vaselli's work,, recommended it, on his
deathbed, to Father Galluzzi, who was to succeed him iu
the direction of the Ristretto. Father Galluzzi, who knew
the worth of John Baptist de Rossi, hastened to send him,
in spite of his youth, to join Yaselli and his companions.
" His was indeed a chosen soul," wrote Joseph Fuscaglia
in his deposition, f ' and he poured out the treasures of his
charity on the poor inmates of St. Galla without stint or
measure. His continual thought was how he could best
instruct the mowers, harvesters, shepherds, and all the
country people, as well as the sick in the hospitals. Every
evening he would join in the catechetical instruction given
60 ST. JOHN BAPTIST PE ROSSI.
to the lower classes, and holy and pious as were his com
panions, de Rossi was always looked upon as the first and
best of these labourers in God's vineyard ; yet many of
them died with the reputation of saints."
Dom Lawrence de Rossi, knowing well his nephew's
great virtue, left him free to spend his time as he liked,
and no sooner were his studies over than John would
hasten to St. Galla. At first he only offered to do the
humblest services, such as opening and shutting the doors,
ringing the bell, placing the chairs, and the like, and his
example in this respect was very useful as a stimulant to
others, who afterwards never objected to the meanest
offices which they had seen him fill with such joy. One
of the customs was to go round the houses with a bell to
summon the sick to the offices when they were well
enough to attend, and John delighted in this, helping the
lame, leading the blind, and persuading the careless and
indifferent to accompany him. An ocular witness speaks
of the great fatigues he daily underwent in going from
one part of the city to the other, to give catechetical
instructions, and adds, "that in his feeble and suffering
state he must have died had he not been supernaturally
supported."
Notwithstanding his devoted and disinterested labours
for these poor people, he did not escape his share of perse
cution and ridicule. Many of them would laugh at and
insult him, and say, blasphemously, " Leave us alone;
will the sacraments give us bread to eat?" and some would
even go to the length of striking him. John bore every
thing with that wonderful humility and patience we have
before mentioned, and his way of receiving such unmerited
HE MEETS WITH PERSECUTIONS. 61
insults often resulted in the complete conversion of the
very men who had abused and vilified him, and who would
come a few days later with tears to implore his forgive
ness. So far from bearing any resentment towards such,
it was always remarked that John treated them with
greater affection and kindness than any one else.
The clowns and tight-rope dancers were his bitterest
enemies, especially when they saw the mob desert them to
follow and listen to John's stories. Finding that squibs
and ridicule had no effect upon him, they spread a report
that he was secretly raising a troop of soldiers for a bad
and hidden purpose. The credulous people believed them,
and avoided John when he came near them as if he had
the plague. In vain he asked the reason for their sudden
mistrust. At last he found it out ; but it was long before
he could convince them of the falsehood and absurdity of
the charge. In the end, however, the truth became
apparent, and the poor joyfully returned to listen to their
benefactor. This was in 1736. But it made a great
impression on John, and twenty- three years after he spoke
of it to the priests of St. Galla, to prevent their being
discouraged, and to show them the value of patience and
forbearance in dealing with human souls.*
After Vaselli's death, John Baptist took his place. Like
him, he had no official position, but became the director
and the soul of the whole work. The Fathers of the
Roman College sent him their best students to help him,
and he took the greatest care of these young fellows,
encouraging them in their devotion to the poor, and,
in spite of his numberless occupations, contriving to make
* Sermon VIII., 3rd August, 1759.
62 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
time to take them expeditions into the country, to the
Villa Mattei or the Villa Doria, where he would throw
himself into their interests and sports, and become a boy
again for their sakes, while they, on their side, venerated
him as a father and their best friend.
But even at St. Galla trials were not wanting. The
prior of the hospital conceived a violent jealousy of de
Rossi, and especially of the extraordinary influence he
exercised over his companions. He was afraid lest this
young priest should weaken his authority, and eventually
take his place. We shall see later, at St. Maria in Cos-
rnedin, a canon become, for the same reason, his bitterest
enemy, and hinder his work in every possible way. John
had but one arm, and that was patience and confidence in
God. Without interrupting his ministry, he most care
fully guarded himself from everything which could rouse
distrust in the prior's mind, and treated him with the
utmost respect and consideration. Such conduct, perse
vered in, in spite of continual provocations, at last opened
the prior's eyes, and showed him his mistake. It is fair
to add that he had the generosity to acknowledge his
fault, and to repair it by becoming John's assistant in
all his good works.
God rewarded de Rossi by giving him, as a friend and
companion, the Venerable du Tronchet. If John, as the
elder, guided him in the paths of abnegation and in love
of the poor, du Tronchet helped de Rossi upwards by
his admirable and heroic virtue. But there was another
man with whom John became closely united, and who
exercised a great influence on his future life, and that was
JOHN ANDREW PABJSI. 63
the Venerable John Andrew Parisi. We will give a slight
sketch of his life.
His father, Cesar Parisi, was a poor sacristan in the
church of St. Cecilia in Trastevere, whose care was to
keep the lights continually burning over the tomb of the
saint and martyr. Poor in this world's goods, he was yet
rich in every virtue. God gave him seven children.
Struck with the remarkable piety of the second, John
Andrew, his father sent him to follow the course of
studies of the Brothers of the Christian Doctrine, in the
hopes of seeing him one day enter the Order of St.
Francis, for which he had a profound veneration. Heaven
blessed this family, and chose six of its members out of the
seven, who were all consecrated to God. Three of the
boys became priests, and one a Franciscan, whilst the
three girls as nuns edified their communities by then-
virtues.
John Andrew, however, was the flower of the flock. He
had begun to study Latin, and was getting on admirably,
when the good father died suddenly, leaving his family in
the greatest distress. His mother made him give up
Latin, to study arithmetic, hoping to get him a clerkship
in an office. It was impossible to surpass the goodness
and piety of this child, but he needed a director, and this
want was supplied by God. Every Sunday evening his
mother took him and her other children to the church
of " Nostra Signora del buon Viaggio," of which we have
spoken, where Vaselli used to collect the poor Tiber boat
men, and give them catechism and Benediction. A secret
sympathy drew John Andrew to Vaselli, and he implored
him to hear his confession. Vaselli was equally en-
64 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
chanted with the piety and fervour of the boy, and he
became his favourite child. Soon after, John Andrew
was summoned to the office of the Monte di Pieta, to be
examined as to his capabilities. But he found himself
thrown with a set of young men of very loose principles,
and their conversation shocked the pure mind of the child
so much that he hastened home to his mother in tears, and
implored her to give up her plan of placing him there.
Vaselli, hearing all that had passed, and perceiving in the
boy a very decided vocation for the ecclesiastical state,
persuaded his mother to let him go on with his Latin, and
offered to help in defraying the expenses of his education.
He brought him to St. G-alla, introduced him to John
Baptist de Eossi, who gave him Latin lessons, and then
sent him to follow his philosophical and theological course
at the Minerva.
Parisi, as we have seen, had nothing. Vaselli got him
named coadjutor to one of the canons of St. Mary Major,
and Pope Benedict XIII. conferred priest's orders upon
him at St. John Lateran's. Henceforth John Andrew
only seemed to live to adore the Blessed Sacrament of the
altar. He celebrated the holy mysteries with a super
human faith, devotion, and love. He was ravished into
ecstasy very often during his thanksgiving, and remained
for hours together immoveable, absorbed in God. His
sacramental communion was not enough for him ; often
during the day he would make acts of spiritual communion.
Even when he was a child he would do this with the other
members of the family, and obtain wonderful graces in
consequence. After his death several prayers were found,
composed by him, which are really sublime expansions of
JOHN ANDREW PAKISI. 65
divine love. Vaselli read several of them in the pulpit to
his audience, who were all melted to tears. In each an
intense love of our Lord bursts forth.
"0, my God! how I love Thee!" he exclaimed. " I
love Thee as a miser loves his treasure. Ah! yes; the
miser is never content, nor I either. I have nothing
more to ask, and yet all that I have received is not
enough I"
In his long illness he was only deprived one day of
Holy Communion, and even then they had to stop him as
he was leaving his room to drag himself to the church,
drawn on by a holy desire which was almost irresistible.
But he felt the privation so terribly that he cried almost
the whole day. Parisi at once felt the warmest affection
for John Baptist, became his most intimate friend, and
assisted him. in all his good works; but he cared most for
that ward in the hospital of St. Galla where they placed
children with contagious diseases. He used to go there
every morning and evening, and made those poor little
children pious as angels and patient as little martyrs.
There he brought about the conversion of several little
Turks. He always begged to see them after they had
been to Holy Communion, and without knowing their
language he managed to make himself understood by
them, which seemed quite inexplicable.
He was only thirty-four years old when symptoms of
consumption developed themselves. He suffered for a year
with admirable resignation, and died as the saints alone
know how to die. His body rests at St. Cecilia in Traste-
vere, and numberless miracles have made it glorious.
5
66 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
CHAPTER III.
The care John Baptist took of the young.
JOHN BAPTIST DEVOTES HIMSELF TO THE CAKE OF THE YOUNG,
LEADS THEM TO THE HOSPITALS, AND TEIES TO MAKE THEM
LOVE AND PRACTISE EVERY VIRTUE.
THE care John Baptist took of the poor did not make
him forget his old companions at the Eoman Col
lege. Of this John Combi gives the following evidence :
" From the time I was ten years old I heard every one
speak with admiration of de Rossi, and I was myself
a witness of the pains he took with the students at the
Roman College, of which I was one. On holidays he
would meet us at the hospital of ( Consolatiou,' as it was
called, then walk to our Lady of Cerchi,* where he used to
sing litanies with us with wonderful fervour. Then he
would take us into the cloisters of the Gregorian Fathers,
and make us play at some amusing game, in which he
joined as heartily as any of the boys. I used to look
at him in wonder, and we all considered him as a young
saint."
* In this little isolated church de Rossi's portrait was afterwards placed, to
keep up the remembrance of these walks. Under the portrait the following
inscription is engraved : " Heic B. Joannes JBaptista de Rossi ferialibus diebus
lectiores adolescentulos e Collegio Romano Soc. Jesu post operam segrotanti-
bus in nosocomio commodatam ad virtutem et magnte Dei Matris culturu
hortabatur."
HIS CARE OF THE YOUNG. 67
He was then thirty- two, and imitated in this, as in all
else, St. Philip Neri, of whom he was a faithful disciple.
We have already spoken of the care he took during his
whole life to preserve the young from impure thoughts,
and bad or dangerous company. It was with him a prin
ciple "That modesty, a watchful care over all the senses,
and a habit of personal recollection, were the great means
of preserving without stain the beautiful lily of purity
from the withering blast of evil/' He never would allow
any doubtful games or caresses contrary to Christian
modesty, and if he detected anything of the sort he would
reprove the culprits with a severity which had all the more
effect from its being so contrary to his usual sweet and
gentle manner. Neither would he permit any sport which
could wound the feelings of others. On one occasion,
when the students were playing at a game of forfeits, one
of the penances proposed by the leader was that they
should all run and embrace a poor little humpbacked and
deformed boy, who was their constant butt. No sooner
said than done; the whole troop surrounded their victim,
laughing at and kissing him, when suddenly John ap
proached with heightened colour, and indignantly reproved
the mover in this cruel sport and those who had shared in
it. The lads, grieved to have so vexed one whom they
looked up to as a father and a friend, instantly promised to
abstain in future from a repetition of the offence.
Still more strongly did he feel about those coarse jokes
and equivocal speeches which are current even in good
society. He never failed to show his grave displeasure
on such occasions, especially towards those who fancied
they thus made their conversation more witty and agree-
G8 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
able. Speaking to two ecclesiastics, who one day found
fault with him for being too strict on this point, he quoted
his own experience, and related, with great humility, that
having once heard some light and improper conversation
in the streets, his imagination was so impressed by it that
he could not get rid of the recollection for a long while,
nor without strenuous efforts banish the impure ideas from
his mind. He dreaded also perilous intimacies and confi
dences between boys, in which very often short work was
made with the reputation of others. One of his favourite
sayings to them was, " Be islands, but not peninsulas ;" by
which he meant, Keep your independence in doing good,
but do not become the slaves of any ill-regulated friend
ships. The venerable Bishop of Civita Castellana had
confided his nephew to his care, Count Philip Tenderini,
when he was obliged to leave Rome for his new bishopric.
But when the young man was old enough to commence his
higher studies in the Roman University, and go in for an
examination in law and history, John persuaded the bishop
to recall him, and make him study under his uncle's
superintendence, giving as his reason that he could not
answer for his purity among so many dangerous com
panions.
He dreaded also too much dissipation for young men,
and disliked plays or theatres. Even beyond that, he
would not take part in any of the great religious functions
in Rome. " When the fete is at St. Mary Major's/' he
would say, " let us go and be recollected at St. Peter's ;
and when the fete is at St. Peter's, let us go to St. Mary
Major's." Not that he disapproved in any way of those
magnificent solemnities : on the contrary, he took great
HIS WATCHFULNESS OVER HIS PUPILS. 69
pleasure in them ; but lie always feared that the excite
ment and distraction should lessen their piety. This
explains why he never took .his pupils to any public place
of amusement. Once, during the carnival, while he still
had the charge of the young Count Tendering that young
man was bent upon going to a certain theatrical perform
ance where men only were admitted. The canon tried to
put the idea out of his head, but in vain. He then hesi
tated between two difficulties. Should he accompany him,
and sanction by his presence an amusement of which he
disapproved ? or should he let him go alone, with the risk
of his being thrown into bad, or at any rate doubtful
company? He chose the former, and went to the play for
the first and only time. His pupil watched him with
astonishment, and afterwards stated, " That during the
whole performance he never raised his eyes, either to look
at the scenery or the actors. He certainly must have
gained great merit by this act of self-denial and mortifica
tion, and by the violence he must have done to himself."
We have already spoken of his love and generosity
towards the poor. He never could see any one in distress,
without striving to relieve it. His uncle, the Canon Dom
Lawrence, used often to complain bitterly that he never
could keep any clothes but what he had on him. If he left
off anything, or put it aside for repairs, John would be
sure to lay hands upon it, and transfer it to one or other of
his poor. He was always impressing on his pupils in
their walks how they should see Jesus Christ Himself
in their persons, so that they should neither despise their
misery nor ridicule their infirmities. He made them feel
that the greatest happiness here below was to relieve the
70 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE KOSSI.
indigent, and that they could not spend their pocket-
money better than by making some little sacrifice for this
object. His words were so winning, and his example so
powerful, that he persuaded a large proportion of them to
do this, and thus procured for them a nobler and more
durable joy than any passing gratification would have
been to them. Young Tendering when speaking of this,
writes: "I? I ever had any money I carefully concealed it,
that is, if I wanted it for any selfish object ; for if my
tutor had any suspicion of it, he never let me rest till my
purse was empty, both to relieve the poor, and to prevent
my making a bad use of it. It is almost impossible to give
you an idea of the compassion he had for all who suffered.
When he spoke of their needs, and implored the aid of
those who had the means of helping them, his face would
be all on fire, his eloquence had no limits, and one felt that
charity was really with him a dominant and irresistible
passion."
The devoted care thus taken by de Rossi of all the
youths who were committed to his care brought forth
blessed fruits. The children of whom he was the guardian
and the guide became models of purity, piety, zeal, and
self-denial. Towards the close of his life he was often
stopped in the streets by men with tears in their eyes,
who called him the " apostle of their youth," and remind
ing him of all the good he had done to them, they would
implore his prayers for themselves and their families.
Nor did his work fail to create imitators. Up to this
day we see groups of children walking with a zealous
priest through the streets of Eome, listening to his stories,
and often accompanying him to the Campagna or other
HE FOUNDS THE HOSPITAL OP ST. LOUIS. 71
quiet places, where we see him joining in their games, and
doing his utmost to win their hearts.
And when that priest returns wearied to his home, and
he meets other neglected children already bearing the
stamp of vice on their countenances, he remembers the
innocent, joyous faces he has gathered round him that
afternoon, and feels that by following in the footsteps
of the Blessed John Baptist his labours have not been
in vain.
CHAPTER IV.
John Baptist founds the Hospital of St. Louis.
JOHN SUBMITS HIS PLAN TO FATHER GALLUZZI. FOUNDATION
OF THE HOSPITAL. — THE DEATH OF FATHER GALLUZZI. — HIS
ZEAL IN THE NEW WORK. — PETITION TO POPE CLEMENT XII.
UNTIL now John Baptist's energies had been mainly
directed towards the instruction and relief of men,
yet he felt that poor women were even more in need of
shelter and protection. The evil was specially great in
Eome. A great many of these unfortunate women, having
no homes and no shelter, passed the night in the porticos
of the public buildings and monuments, where they were
exposed to the greatest dangers ; but no one seemed to
think of remedying the evil. At last John conceived
a plan which he submitted to his beloved director, Father
Galluzzi. Near St. Galla was a large building, also be
longing to Prince Odescalchi, which he thought might be
converted into a home for these poor outcasts. But the
72 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE IIOSSI.
rent was eighty dollars a year, and to make the building
suitable for the purpose a large outlay would be required.
Before beginning so important a work, Father Galluzzi
told John he must have some days to think and pray
over it, and that then he would let him know his opinion
on the subject. John waited some little time, and then
went back to the Jesuit Father for his decision. Father
Galluzzi met him with a smile. " Courage/'' he exclaimed ;
"I have maturely considered your proposal, and approve
of it. Here are five hundred dollars which I have received
to give in alms ; take them, hire the house you have
chosen, and begin your work."
John was overjoyed; true, five hundred dollars, though
a large and totally unexpected gift, were a small sum
upon which to begin so serious an undertaking; but he
had confidence in God. Prince Odescalchi, wishing to
have his share in this good work, reduced the rent from
eighty to sixty dollars, and John Baptist never failed,
from 1731 to 1754, to pay this sum annually himself,
which is still recorded in the register of that noble family.
Sixty beds and the indispensable furniture of the house
soon exhausted John's slender resources, but by dint
of begging and borrowing he went on as rapidly as
possible with the furnishing of the home. Father Galluzzi
wished him to undertake its management and become its
director. But John, in his humility, entreated that it
should be confided to a religious order, which, he said,
would perpetuate the work and give it greater stability.
Finally, Father Galluzzi himself was appointed superior by
the council, and this charge was to pass to all the fathers
in turn who should have the management of the Eistretto.
DEATH OF FATHER GALLTJZZI, 73
John would not even be elected a member of the council.
In fact, the founder of the work contrived to hide himself
in such complete obscurity, that when the brief of Pope
Clement XII. appeared the following year, praising the
institution, and speaking in magnificent terms of Father
Galluzzi, no mention whatever is made of its originator,
who had borne all the burden and toil of the undertaking.
Father Galluzzi did not live to see this, the crowning point
of the work, or rather he saw it in heaven. On the 19th
August, 1731, he fell dangerously ill. In the midst of his
sufferings his thoughts were continually recurring to the
new house, but it made him unhappy that it should be
still unopened and deeply in debt ; still he had confidence
in God, and continually repeated, " Magna tamen spes est
in bonitate Dei." He implored prayers of every one, and
especially of John, that some generous person should be
found to clear the home of its difficulties. His confidence
was rewarded. Clement XII. heard of his distress, and
at once sent him the sum required to clear off all the
liabilities, announcing also the preparation of the brief of
approval, which appeared a little later. A few days before
his death Father Galluzzi, in conversation with the lawyer,
Stephen Paliani, spoke of John Baptist and his labours,
and then exclaimed, with tears in his eyes, " John Baptist
is a saint ! indeed lie is a saint !" a magnificent testimony
from so holy and devoted a man on the very threshold of
eternity. On the 7th September this good Father gently
breathed his last in the arms of his beloved disciple John.
His death was a profound grief to all Rome, but especially
to de Rossi, whose only consolation was the recollection of
his great holiness and consequent assured happiness.
71 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
The rules of the home, or rather refuge, had been drawn
up by John and Father Galluzzi together ; they were short,
but full of wisdom.
The internal administration was confided to three per
sons, the prioress and the sub-prioress, who lived in the
house, and their man of business, who lodged outside, but
close by. The prioress was to be a woman of a certain
age, prudent, laborious, and of proved virtue. On her
rested the care of the house, the finding of servants, the
reception of the poor women, and the providing of all
things necessary to their wants. In case of illness or
absence, the sub-prioress was to take her place. Ex
ternally, besides the director, who was to nominate the
prioress, (who was under his orders,) and to change her if
necessary, there was a chaplain, who came every morning
to say Mass and give them a short instruction. Two
confessors were likewise attached to the house, and came
two or three times a week to hear those who wished to
come to the sacraments.
The home was intended solely as a night refuge. A bed
was always ready for each new-comer. The house was
only opened in the evening, and was closed in the morn
ing, when the guests were gone. The preference was
always given to young girls, and such pilgrims as could
not be admitted into the Trinita del Pellegrini for want of
space. But no one was admitted except they came of their
own free will. Manual work was forbidden, the house not
being a workshop ; also, no meals were served separately,
to prevent confusion and disorder, but to those who needed
it a good meal was given before they went to bed, but
only after the doors had been closed for the night. This
REFUGE FOR HOMELESS WOMEN. 75
last rule was to ensure their coming in in proper time, and
also to prevent the women coming in to supper and going
out afterwards. If they were sick they were not taken
care of in the refuge, but removed to a hospital, for hospi
tals were plentiful in Rome; only this kind of night refuge
was wanting.
At last, after many vexatious delays, the home was
opened on the 8th December, 1731, under the patronage
of Mary Immaculate and St. Aloysius of Gonzaga. The
successor of Father Galluzzi, Father Belcredi, was its first
director. The great difficulty was to find a man as chap
lain, who would devote himself to the service of these poor,
ignorant, repulsive women, or who had sufficient patience
and tact to deal with them. This man was found in John
Baptist. There was no honour in the position, but great
fatigue, and much good to be done, so John accepted it
with joy. Every morning he was seen, in spite of his suf
ferings, dragging himself to the refuge to say Mass and to
speak to the inmates. He generally gave them a few very
simple words on the elementary truths of our holy religion,
or on the meaning of the sacraments. His extreme gentle
ness and sweetness, and the clearness of his language,
at once attracted these poor women, who listened eagerly
to his words. His gravity and reserve with them were
equally impressive. It was said that in spite of the extra
ordinary conversions which were the result of his system
of teaching, he never knew one of the faces of the women
by sight.
Sometimes, however, there were horrible characters in
the refuge, who refused to listen to him, and went so far as
to insult him in every possible way. But nothing ruffled
76 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
his unalterable patience, and very often some extraordinary
miracles of grace were his reward. For many years John
continued in his daily care of, and duties to, the refuge,
till failing health and increased occupations compelled him
to give up the daily Mass into other hands. But this work
was ever dear to his heart ; his visits never ceased ; and
for twenty- three years, by his encouragement and advice,
and continual begging for the wants of the house, he con
tinued, as he had ever been, its real father and protector.
In his deposition on this subject, Dom John Mosca men
tions the following incident :
(t I met one day a very beautiful girl whom want and
misery had driven into sin, and who had become the
mistress of a well-known nobleman. Thinking that she
was in good dispositions and anxious to lead a new life, I
took her to Canon de Rossi. He knew that poverty was
often the cause of these falls, and began by assuring her
that he would secure her the means of subsistence. He
then told me to take her to the home, and to recommend
her specially to the care of the prioress, saying that he
himself would be answerable for the expenses of her keep.
He came to see her the next day, and at once became
deeply interested in her case. The girl at first seemed
touched and grateful, but after a time, as so often happens
with those poor creatures, she could not stand the confine
ment and monotony of the life, and left to regain her
liberty. The canon was so deeply grieved at this that
one would have thought he had lost what he had most
dear in the world, and always attributed this failure to
his own unworthiness."
St. Aloysius had been made the patron of the house,
RECLAIMS THE FALLEN. 77
and became its powerful protector. When first opened,,
the poor mistrusted it, and for some weeks only one little
girl came to take shelter within its walls. The members
of the " Ristretto " made a novena to St. Aloysius, and
very soon the number of applicants for admission greatly
exceeded the number of beds. Later on it was found
difficult to get them to leave in the morning, as they found
themselves so happy and comfortable. In 1732 it became
absolutely necessary to increase the number of the beds ;
but money was wanting ; the last penny had been spent in
buying some linen for the sheets. But the prioress set to
work cutting them out and making them, full of hope and
confidence in the providence of God. They had only been
able to buy a small portion of linen, yet it seemed to
multiply in their hands, and at last Father Belcredi in
sisted on their measuring what had been made, when two
hundred extra yards were discovered. In this, as in a
thousand other ways, the prayers of the pious founder
were heard and answered, and the work prospered beyond
all expectation.
But no sooner was one chnrity organized than another
suggested itself to John's loving heart, and now that he
had provided a refuge against temptation in this home for
girls who had not fallen into evil courses, he set to work to
devise some means for reclaiming those who had. At
last, in 1732, John drew up a petition to the Pope Clement
XII., which he persuaded the most influential people in
Rome to sign, and of which we will give the text. First,
he begs pardon for daring, in his humble position, to
address the Vicar of Jesus Christ, but his motives must be
78 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE IIOSSI.
his excuse, and also the well-known generosity of the holy
Father in helping all good works. Then he continues :
" Throwing myself at your Holiness's feet, I venture to
call your attention to a terrible evil which has invaded
Rome, and to point out a remedy. There exist in this
city a great number of undisciplined, vicious, and shame
less women, who find themselves, after a life of sin, in
a state of utter destitution. They are more ignorant of the
first principles of faith than the humblest peasant. Their
confessions, which are very rare, .are all sacrilegious, for
they do not choose to understand what repentance means.
Their words are blasphemous; they pretend to believe in
divine mercy, whereby they stifle any remorse of con
science ; a few beads, or a lamp burnt on Saturdays before
the Madonna, is sufficient, in their eyes, to efface a life
time of iniquity.
"But the harm they do to others is incredible. To
seduce the young and innocent is their trade ; they seek
out the most beautiful young women among the poorest
classes; with diabolical skill they contrive to root out
all natural modesty from their breasts, and never rest till
they have made them regular prostitutes. By their
horrible profession our youth is corrupted, and the best
and noblest families are impoverished and degraded. Such
is the life of these loathsome women, who either die
in their infamous houses without priest or sacraments,
or in a hospital, where they very rarely show any signs of
repentance. On the countenances of these wretched
creatures final impenitence is often clearly stamped, and
the terrible punishment is awarded them of dying in their
sins.
PETITIONS THE POPE FOR THE FALLEN. 79
"Now, Innocent XII. built a House of Correction for
young men who had fallen into evil courses ; and what is
desired by many zealous persons is a similar building where
the agents of police could bring these wicked women.
They would have separate cells, from whence they would
be taken two or three times a day into a central hall. A
priest chosen with special care for this work would then
explain to them the meaning of the Catechism, the Gospels,
and the Commandments of the Church ; and the rest of
the day would be employed in hard labour of various kinds
in proportion to the heinousness of their crimes. In the
same building should also be received the well-known
street- walkers of Rome, the bad mothers who for the sake
of gain drive their girls into sin, and others who in the
public streets of our city pursue and molest the virtuous.
They should be condemned to pass so many months in this
house of correction, for the short imprisonments of a day
or two, which they now occasionally incur, do not tend to
their reformation. On the contrary, they come out worse
than before. It is true that one prison of this sort would
not be nearly sufficient for the unhappy numbers of these
miserable women : but as in an ordinary prison only a few
are punished as a warning to the rest, so the salutary fear
of being shut up in this house of correction may cool the
impudence and stop the licence of many others. If there
fore, the evil is not altogether extirpated by these means,
it would at any rate be greatly diminished."
John goes on to show how the necessary funds could be
raised for this undertaking, both by taxing the guilty and
making them work for their maintenance: he also thought
that a collection might be made from house to house for
80 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
this object. Everything in the plan had been well weighed
and carefully and wisely conceived, and the petition was
favourably received by the Sovereign Pontiff. Very soon
de Rossi had the happiness of seeing a building such as he
desired prepared at Ripa Grande. His idea was carried
out to the letter, and even now one can read on the front
of the house the following inscription : " Coercendcu Mu-
lierum licentice et Criminibus Vindicandis ."
No sooner was it opened than John was summoned to
give proof of his indefatigable zeal and charity, by being
appointed to give the instructions. It was hard work, and
of course, not always successful : but on the whole the
results were most encouraging. On the other hand, the
fear on which he had reckoned did not fail to produce its
effects : and before long a really remarkable change was
perceived in the city.
Only a few years had elapsed, de Rossi was still a young
priest, and yet he had done so much. God blessed with
success all his efforts to save souls. Leading a hidden Hfe,
and unknown to most people in Rome, he was already a
powerful element in helping on the good, encouraging the
weak, and defeating the wicked. But his zeal was only
equalled by his humility. He always kept himself in th©
back-ground, doing all the work, it is true, but contriving
that the credit and the praise should be given to others.
His only wish was to live in this obscurity, for which his
bad health gave an excuse. It required unforeseen cir
cumstances to compel him to come forward and make
himself known. The poor sufferer had no thought of this.,
but God judged otherwise, for His own glory and for the
good of souls.
HE IS CHOSEN DOM LAWRENCE'S COADJUTOR. 81
CHAPTER V.
John Baptist is forced to accept a Canonry.
DOM LAWRENCE APPOINTS JOHN HIS COADJUTOR. THE DIFFI
CULTIES RAISED BY HIM. — HOW THE YOUNG CANON FULFILS
HIS DUTIES.
TjlOURTEEN years had elapsed since John Baptist had
-L been ordained priest. In spite of his physical
sufferings, his zeal never grew cold, and amazed all those
who knew him. The person who was most specially in
terested in his career was the old canon, Dom Lawrence,
who was too happy to watch a ministry so blessed by God
as that of his young relative. Not knowing of his resolve
at his ordination to renounce, if it were possible, all
honours and dignities, Dom Lawrence's great anxiety was
to secure him a certainty for the future. He dreaded lest
the day should come when his cousin would need the
absolute necessaries of life, besides having to givejip his
many good works for want of means. Old age rendered
Dom Lawrence incapable of assisting regularly at the
offices in choir, and his death, which he felt approaching,
would leave John Baptist absolutely destitute. As Canon
of St. Mary in Cosmedin, he determined, if it were possi
ble, to appoint him as his coadjutor, with a certainty
of succession. For this the consent of the chapter was
needed. Dom Lawrence explained his views and wishes
82 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
on the subject, and the reputation of our saint was already
so well established that his colleagues joyfully assented to
the proposal, too glad to reckon so holy a man in their
ranks.
Until then Dom Lawrence had kept his own counsel.
He now, however, announced the decision of the chapter
to John Baptist. To his great surprise, so far from being
pleased and gratified, John protested that it was impossible
for him to accept the canonry. All Dom Lawrence's hopes
were dashed to the ground by this unexpected resistance.
In vain all his friends tried to overcome his resolution ;
he remained inflexible. To one who pressed him more
than the rest he replied, " I cannot consent in any way to
accept this dignity,, obtained, as it was, without my consent.
Since the news was brought to me I can no longer rest,
and if I should be forced to take it I think I shall die."
Dom Lawrence thought that humility was the cause of
this refusal, and tried to set before him the solid reasons
for his accepting the offered dignity. He represented
to him his utter poverty, and how he was bound not to
refuse the means of subsistence Providence had put in his
way. "No," replied John; "the alms given for Masses
will be enough for me to live upon." All Dom Law
rence's arguments were in vain; their mutual friends
dreaded lest the kind old man should take offence, and
that, under these grave circumstances, the interruption of
their intimate relations would give rise to scandal. John
Baptist's confessor at last ordered and insisted on his sub
mission, and also that he should refrain from starting any
fresh objections if Dom Lawrence made him his heir. John
obeyed at once, but could not restrain his tears, and on
ILLNESS AND DEATH OF DOM LAWRENCE. 83
the 5th February, 1735, at the age of thirty-seven, he was
publicly received by the whole chapter as coadjutor. The
necessity of attending the offices in choir prevented his
frequenting regularly the meetings of the " Ristretto" at
the Roman College ; but he never would give up being a
member, and always tried to keep alive its spirit in the
walks he frequently took with young men, to whom his
conversation was always a subject of edification.
Soon after, Dom Lawrence was seized with apoplexy,
and the stroke was so violent that it entirely changed his
character. From being the kindest and gentlest of human
beings, he became all at once most violent and tyrannical.
His reason was gone, and no servant would stay with him
or endure his eccentricities, while his fury at times was
such that some dreadful catastrophe was apprehended.
John Baptist alone remained faithful to him, listening
respectfully to his ravings, and continuing to perform the
most devoted and repugnant services, in spite of the violent
and unjust treatment he received. The sick man accused
him of being the cause of all his sufferings, and went so far
as to strike him brutally, and throw all his medicines at
his head, so that very often John came out of the room
with face and body covered with blood. But he never
uttered a word of complaint, and was always calm and
resigned to whatever was God's will.
A second attack came on in 1737, after which his
violence suddenly and entirely ceased. At the last mo
ment he received Extreme Unction and the holy Viaticum
with earnest faith, and died calm and happy in the arms of
his beloved John Baptist, who did all in his power to
prepare him for this last and terrible passage to eternity.
84 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DB ROSSI.
God evidently had permitted this trial for the perfecting
of his patience.
The old canon had been a man of distinguished merit,
and was much esteemed by the Venerable Tendering
Bishop of Orta. This illustrious bishop was accustomed to
write frequently to him, and consult him on all important
affairs. After his death he wrote to John as follows :
" Allow me, dear John Baptist, to continue with you
a correspondence which was very dear to me. Thanks to
you, my old friend will thus be ever present to my mind,
and my heart will be able to recommend him continually
to God."
From 1737 till 1739, when he died, Mgr. Tenderini
wrote regularly to John Baptist, and never did anything
without his advice.
On the death of Dom Lawrence, John was instantly
appointed titular canon of the Basilica of St. Mary in
Cosmedin, and not being allowed by his director to refuse
it, he resolved most scrupulously to fulfil the duties it
entailed, and especially the regular attendance at Divine
Office in choir, and the perfect performance of church
ceremonies in their most minute details. During the first
few years of his canonry he never was once absent from
the choir services, except on occasions of serious illness.
Later on, when penitents flocked in such numbers to
his confessional, the briefs of Clement XII. and Benedict
IY. dispensed him from choir ; but he never used this
permission unless imperative calls in the confessional at
the moment of the Divine Office prevented him.
By his modesty and recollection Toietti said " that he
was like an angel prostrate before the throne of God."
HIS CONDUCT AS CANON. 85
The churches in Italy are not like ours; instead of the
quiet and calm which characterizes our services, in Eome
there is a continual movement, the crowd surging here and
there, either to pray before the relics of saints, or to
perform certain stated pilgrimages to different altars, so
that the noise caused by this continual agitation involun
tarily distracts the attention. But in spite of that, Jolia
was always recollected and calm, and his eyes, which were
generally cast down, never seemed to see the people who
passed and repassed him. His fellow canons used to watch
him, and gave evidence that for twelve or fourteen years
he was always the same; neither the great heats of summer
nor the severe cold of winter ever seemed to affect him.
This simple recollection and absorption in the duties
which he was performing had a great effect on the others,
and many, by his example, were induced to amend imper
fections of this kind.
Strangers were equally struck by him. On one occasion,
under the pontificate of Clement XII., the chapter of St.
Mary in Cosmedin assisted as a body in a procession which
was made from St. Peter's to the church of the Holy Ghost
in Sassia, and the witnesses of this imposing function
remarked " That Canon de Rossi assisted at it with such
modesty and recollection that they all exclaimed, ' There
is a saint [' } He was in fact looked upon as a model
in all his actions. His voice, though so feeble from ill-
health, never spared itself in psalmody. When necessary,
on the contrary, he raised it so as to lead the rest, and
avoid any possible confusion. Was he not addressing
God, and could he fail to bear witness to the faith and love
which burned in his soul ?
86 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
With regard to the ceremonies of the Church he was
not less careful. He became one of the great authorities
on all liturgical questions, and the chapter unanimously
elected him to fill the office of head sacristan in the church .
The superintendence of everything connected with divine
worship therefore devolved upon him. Omitting nothing
which was ordered, inflexible in the observance of the rule,
and without ostentation, his simple earnestness attracted
all beholders. His beautiful and sympathetic countenance,
in spite of its extreme pallor, and his dignified figure, not
withstanding its excessive thinness, gave a lustre to his
devotion, which struck everybody. He was inexorable in
all that concerned the purity and holiness of those who
belonged to the service of God and His Church. One of
jthe chaunters on a particular occasion had allowed himself
£o make use of certain improper gestures towards the man
who preceded him. The scene had taken place in the
procession which the choir was making from the sacristy
to the high altar before a solemn office. It did not escape
the watchful eye of Canon de Eossi, who, full of zeal for
the honour of jGrod's house, made him leave the ranks, and
turned him out of the choir. Jn vain several of his col
leagues, and especially Canon Chiari, whom he particu
larly esteemed, implored him to condone the offence, and
to restore him to his office, for his voice was a beautiful
one, and he was the mainstay of the choir. John was
inflexible, and would not yield. tf The respect due to God
and to His house must be considered before everything,"
he replied. It was long, long after, and only at the
sincere and hearty repentance of this man, that he at last
consented to reinstate him.
THE CHURCH OF ST. MAHY IN COSMEDIN. 87
The efforts made by John Baptist were not limited to
himself or his church. He was devoured by a burning
love for souls, and soon displayed in St. Mary in Cos-
medin that zeal which he had shown in his earlier works,
and which made him a real apostle to the whole neigh
bourhood.
CHAPTER VI.
The good done by John Baptist at St, Mary
in Cosmedin.
JOHN COMES TO LIVE CLOSE TO ST. MARY IN COSMEDIN. — HIS
DEVOTION TO THE MIRACULOUS PICTURE OP OUR LADY.
THE CROWDS WHO COME3 TO THE CHURCH, WHICH WAS FOR
MERLY DESERTED.
WHEN, in visiting the sanctuaries of Eome, a pilgrim
goes to St. Paul beyond the walls, he is generally
struck by a church he passes on his way, situated on a
plot of ground between the Palatine and Aventine and the
Tiber. This is the little basilica of St. Mary in Cosme
din, surmounted by its square and massive tower, pierced
by narrow windows, and ornamented with porphyry
slabs and fragments of ancient marbles. Advancing to the
threshold of the facade, which was restored in 1718 by
Cardinal Albani, you come to a graceful portico resting
on white marble and granite columns, and see before you
the circular Temple of Vesta, which retains its beautiful
chiselled columns, rendered more delicate in appearance by
88 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE BOSSI.
the heavy modern roof with which it is overloaded. To
the right is the Temple of Fortune, now become the
church of St. Mary of Egypt, and further on the curious
edifice known under the name of The House of the Tribune
Rienzi. The tower of St. George of Yelabro is hidden
under the modern buildings, which are themselves over
shadowed by the tower of the capitol. Behind the Temple
of Vesta flows the Tiber, which forms, below the bridge,
the port of Ripa Grande, where small sailing ships can
arrive from the Mediterranean. In the middle of the
piazza stands a beautiful fountain, formed by two gigantic
tritons bearing a marine shell, from whence the waters
burst upwards and fall into a vast basin.
This basilica is one of the most ancient in Rome. In
the third century St. Denis, Pope, built the church in
honour of the Blessed Virgin. According to tradition it
is fifty years anterior to St. John Lateran. St. Adrian I.
embellished and enriched it in 772. It was then that it
obtained the name of Cosmedin, from the Greek word
ornament.
Several Popes lived near this church, which, being given
in 1435 to the Benedictines of St. Paul, was made a
collegiate church by Leo X., and a parish by St. Pius V.
The interior has three aisles. The columns and their
different capitals all belonged to ancient temples. The
pavement is magnificent ; it is formed of fragments of
precious marbles arranged in beautiful mosaic patterns.
Under the high altar, which contains the body of St.
Cyrilla, daughter of the Emperor Decius, is a fine crypt,
which was only discovered in 1717.
Attached as he now was by such near ties to the basilica
HE LIVES CLOSE TO ST. MARY IN COSMEDIN. 89
of St. Mary in Cosmedin, de Rossi began to love it with
all his heart, and without neglecting his other works, de
termined to devote himself to the care of his new flock
with his usual zeal. His first anxiety was to come and
live nearer to it. The comfortable house Dom Lawrence
had left him at the Forum he considered far too good for a
servant of the poor. As long as he lived there with Dom
Lawrence he was content, but no sooner did he become
its proprietor than he wished to leave it. The reason was
easily found. <f He wanted/' he said, " to be able to assist
more punctually at the offices in choir, and to say Mass
every morning in the basilica, so as to give the faithful
greater facilities for being present at the divine myste
ries." Nobody, however, was deceived by this statement;
it was, after all, but a poor excuse, for the Eoman Forum
is very near St. Mary in Cosmedin, and to get there you
have only to cross the little Forum boarium.
Close to the church, from which it was only separated
by a narrow court, was a wretched tumble-down house,
which served as a wheat granary, the state of the rooms,
from damp and neglect, being such that no one would take
them. Besides that, the house was very unhealthy, a sort
of muddy marsh close by keeping up the malaria. The
windows would not shut, which made the rooms intolerably
hot in summer and cold in winter. In fact, it would have
been difficult in all Rome to find a more wretched and
uncomfortable dwelling.
What, then, was the astonishment of the canons when
John begged as a favour for leave to live there ! They
could not refuse the permission, though they did all they
could to dissuade him. Quite delighted, the holy man had
90 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
two poor little rooms cleaned out, and put in some sort
of decent repair ; and leaving his comfortable Louse, came
to settle himself in this miserable apartment. These rooms
are now changed into chapels, and their primitive appear
ance has disappeared under the paintings and decorations
of the faithful; yet, even so, they are anything but
attractive. Here are kept many little things which be
longed to the saint, and which were collected and placed
there after his death.
Here also John passed nine years of his life, in spite
of the continual illnesses which so unhealthy a residence
entailed upon him. Later on it was only by urgent
entreaties, and even commands, that he was persuaded to
accept a more healthy lodging. He declared he only felt
happy and at home in this wretched abode, which made
him feel as a poor man with his beloved poor, his " own
children," as he called them.
The first use John made of Dom Lawrence's fortune was
to complete the necessary repairs in the basilica, adding
likewise an organ, which was sadly needed, and giving
a house in the Trastevere to the chapter for the main
tenance of a good organist. At the same time he placed a
large sum at their disposal for the gilding of the apse.
He was always most eager for the decoration of God's
house, and when there was a question of any extra expense
being incurred of this sort by the chapter, he was ever the
first to encourage and assist them.
But the material beauty of the fabric was still as nothing
in John's eyes compared to the welfare of souls. To bring
about this result he tried, among other things, to increase
the love of his congregation towards the Blessed Virgin.
THE MIRACULOUS PICTURE OF OUR LADY. 91
In his little basilica he had what the people looked upon
as a miraculous picture, which became every day dearer to
him. It is a painting in distemper, of the Greek style.
There is a wonderful beauty and majesty in the face of our
Lady. A well-known painter, Bonaventura Lamberti,
wrote about it as follows ;
" The face seems to me to bs painted from nature, if not
from the actual person of the Blessed Virgin. It is
enough to look at it to be struck with the extreme vir
ginal majesty and maternal love of the .expression. It
would be impossible to find this in any other mortal
figure, and the painter would strive in vain to imagine
such a face, or work out a similar ideal except from
nature."
Every one is agreed as to the antiquity of the picture.
It is probably a good copy of one of the most ancient
portraits of our Lady, and very likely dates from the time
of St. Luke.
If the question as to the painter be unsolveable, there is
no doubt of its being a real work of art. The Virgin is
sitting. Over the blue mantle which covers her from head
to foot lies a light white veil, which falls gracefully on her
forehead. Her head is bent down towards the Infant
Jesus, and she seems to be calling the faithful to His feet.
"With her right hand she is pointing to her Son ; with her
left she is lovingly supporting Him. The august Infant,
sitting on His Mother's knee^ holds in one hand the globe,
and with the other blesses the faithful. The rich gold
ground, studded with flowers, of the background, reminds
the beholders of the glories of heaven, and throws out to
still greater advantage this simple and magnificent compo-
92 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
sition. A nimbus surrounds the Virgin's head, and a star
shines on the left of her blue mantle.
Below the picture, and near her feet, is a little banner
with this inscription in Greek : " To the Mother of God,
ever Virgin." Bat this inscription has evidently been
added, and is of a much later date.
This precious picture was brought to Rome in 726 by
the Christians who fled from the persecutions of the
iconoclast emperors, Leo the Isaurian and Constantine
Copronymus. The Sovereign Pontiffs assigned the basilica
of St. Mary in Cosmedin to these fugitive Greeks, and
many miracles bear witness to the wisdom of the venera
tion paid to the picture by the Romans.
Canon de Rossi had a special affection for this Madonna.
One of his friends, Canon Chiari, copied it for him, and
John hung this copy in a conspicuous place in his own
room, where night and morning he knelt and poured out
to her the love which filled his soul. Seeing how much he
valued this picture, Canon Chiari made another very small
copy for him, which he had framed in a little silver reli
quary, and John always wore this on his breast as a
precious jewel. It was the only object in the world for
which he seemed to have a real attachment.
But he was not content with honouring her himself; he
wished all around him to do the same. He began with
the canons, and proposed to them to sing her Litany after
the Divine Office. So full of love and zeal were his words
that the chapter joyfully assented, and this pious custom
continues to this day.
There remained the people. The church was situated in
such a solitary and out-of-the-way quarter that very few
ST. MARY IN COSMEDIN BECOMES POPULAR. 93
attended the services. The Feast of the Nativity was the
patronal feast of the basilica, and John determined to
celebrate it with unusual pomp. He applied to Father
Galluzzi, a pious Jesuit well-known in Rome, and got him
to come and preach a novena previous to the feast. He
even composed certain prayers to be said on the occasion,
which are still publicly recited. After Father Galluzzi,
other religious came, and attracted great crowds of hearers,
till St. Mary in Cosmedin became one of the most fre
quented churches in the town. The chapter set an excel
lent example of punctuality in all the offices. The number
less colleges in Rome came to see and hear, and very soon
the church became too small for the congregation. From
the immense numbers of confessions and communions
before each feast one would have imagined that a special
mission was always going on. Had not Mary rewarded
the efforts of her devoted client f
The canon used to give simple and clear explanations of
the catechism before the great sermons, which attracted
the poor in a special manner. Very often Mary broHight
him particular penitents, whom he was able to reconcile to
God. On one occasion, a youth, who had long lived an evil
life, went, more from curiosity than devotion perhaps, to
join a pilgrimage which was being made to a Madonna
outside Rome, called " The Virgin of Divine Love." His
childhood's faith had not quite died out of his heart,
and he felt himself strongly moved to go and throw
himself at the feet of a priest he saw there; but shame
kept him back : he rejected the grace and returned to
Rome. In so doing, he passed by the Basilica of St.
Mary in Cosmedin, and felt himself irresistibly compelled
94 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
to go in and kneel by the famous picture of which we
have spoken. He looked round and found himself close
to Canon de Kossi's confessional. He wished to rise
and go away, but an unknown power kept him back.
Then suddenly his eye fell on the sweet and smiling face of
the canon, who was beckoning to him to come to him.
The kind look and gesture melted the youth completely,
and he went into the confessional. Encouraged by a few
loving, paternal words, the lad opened his whole heart,
made an admirable confession,, and received absolution for
all his sins. Then, rising, he went back to the holy
picture, thanking Mary with all his heart for the inspi
ration she had given him,- and full of gratitude towards
the good priest to whose feet she had led him.
Nothing gave John Baptist so much joy as to see the
church full. After only a few months this was effected.
The previous solitude was replaced by an eager crowd, and
people flocked in from all sides. This was the moment
which John had eagerly waited for. He had gained the
first point : the next and the most important was to main
tain this interest,, and so earnestly did he labour at all that
tended to the common edification, and so attractive did he
make both the services and the sermons, that month by
month, and year by year, the church was thronged with a
devout and earnest congregation, while the veneration to
the miraculous picture daily increased. Great as were his
goodness and gentleness towards his penitents and towards
all good Christians, he yet could be stern and severe in
reproving vice, as the following incident will show.
In the height of summer, a body of young men of the
lowest class came to bathe in the fountain opposite the
HIS ZEAL IN REPROVING VICE. 95
basilica. Very often their coarse jokes and loud laughter
attracted a crowd of lookers on. John was very much
scandalized at this proceeding, and looked upon it as an
outrage on the majesty of God, whose tabernacle was close
at hand, and whose temple was profaned by their indecent
cries. While he was considering what to do, four or five
of them undressed in broad daylight, and prepared to
enter naked into the basin. Filled with a holy zeal, John
seized a long whip, and hastening towards the impudent
bathers, administered to them a sound castigation. The
young men, thoroughly ashamed, fled right and left,
followed by the hisses of the crowd; and the scene was
never again repeated,
A zeal of this kind was sure to provoke enemies, and
God permitted the persecution of His servant in order
thereby to increase his merit. One of his most active
traducers was the sacristan of the basilica. He took every
opportunity of insulting and wounding the saint. And as
John's conduct was irreproachable in every respect, he had
recourse to calumny, and invented every conceivable story
to depreciate him and make him odious to his colleagues.
Certain tales of this sort came to John's ears, and he had
no difficulty in tracing them to their source.
But in spite of this he never showed the smallest ill-
humour or irritation towards the man,, but treated him
with marked kindness. Often it happened that a word
from him would have confounded and exposed his
calumniator. But he preferred to suffer in silence. When,
according to Roman custom, the canons distributed
certain gratuities to the sacristans, John was always more
generous towards him than the others.
98 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
We do not know if in the end the man recognized his
evil doings, and was penitent or ashamed of them ; but
what we do know is the way John behaved towards his
enemies and detractors, always returning good for evil.
Such noble and generous conduct struck all his friends,
and especially the faithful among his flock ; and his zeal,
united to his patience, became all the more powerful in
procuring the salvation of souls, which was the only object
of his ambition.
CHAPTER VII.
John Baptist prepares himself to hear Confessions.
THE VENERABLE TENDERINI PERSUADES JOHN BAPTIST TO HEAR
CONFESSIONS. HIS WONDERFUL FACILITY IN DOING SO, IN
SPITE OF HIS SUFFERINGS. HE PREPARES HIMSELF BY THE
STUDY OF MORAL SCIENCE. THE PERSECUTION HE UNDER
WENT.
FOR a long time the friends and admirers of our saint
had bitterly regretted that he would not hear con
fessions. However, the hour was at hand when his
scruples were to be overcome. This was, as it were, a
new phase in his life, and it was to be his glory and his
crown in his missionary career. Mgr. Tenderini was the
indirect cause of his yielding to their wishes. One day he
said to him: " John, you are a brave soldier, and you fight
valiantly for the salvation of your neighbours, but you
need a sword. If you only knew how effectively one
HIS CONTINUAL ILLNESSES. 97
defends oneself, and how one can save souls with the
powerful weapon of confession I"
' ' I know it," he replied, " and God knows how ardently
I wish to possess this arm, but hitherto He has refused
to give me health for it ; yet no one knows what it costs
me to send my poor people to distant confessors."
What he said was true enough. His bad health, which
made him incapable of any prolonged effort at attention,
and the fearful headaches which were the result of any
continued study or intellectual occupation, seemed to
preclude all hope of his undertaking this laborious part
of the ministry. He dreaded especially lest the grave
charge imposed on all who undertake the care of con
sciences should in consequence be negligently or imper
fectly performed by him, and this was a far more powerful
motive than any physical pain or fatigue for his resignation
to the will of God in this matter. He had, in fact, given
up all hope of being able to hear confessions. His life for
a long time had been one of continual suffering, and the
daily and extraordinary labours he undertook often re
duced him to a state of complete prostration. Very often
life seemed all but extinct, but then, when all around
thought him dying, the flickering flame of life would
suddenly brighten up again, and by a sort of miracle he
would regain his strength, though only for a time. In
these critical moments the one wish of the doctors was
to get him away from Rome, so as to force him to rest.
God doubtless permitted these fearful attacks of illness
in order to spread the example and virtues of His servant
more and more widely, for they were the cause of his
frequent absences from Rome and the innumerable number
7
98 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
of missions he preached in other places. Without these
providential circumstances John certainly would never
have left his poor. In 1739 an unusually severe illness
brought him to the brink of the grave. His convalescence
was necessarily slow and tedious, and quiet and fresh air
were absolutely necessary for his recovery. Yielding at
last to the entreaties of his friends and the orders of the
doctors, John decided to go to Civita Castellana, where his
greatest friend, Mgr. Tendering resided, and wrote to offer
himself to pay him a visit. " Come, and come quickly/*
replied the pious bishop ; " on my door is written, Porta
patet justis." John, in fact, was received by him as an
angel from heaven. His host was only too delighted to
enjoy his society, and to propose him as a model to his
clergy. But he also wished more than any one else to see
him in the confessional. He spoke earnestly to him on the
subject, and prayed with all his heart that God would
grant this grace to his sick friend. John alleged the
reasons we have before stated, but the Venerable Ten-
derini was determined he should make a trial, at any rate,
and one day ordered him to go to the cathedral for this
purpose. "Go," he exclaimed; "I delegate to you all
the faculties of which I can dispose. To-day you will
only hear one or two confessions, to-morrow you will hear
more, and God will do the rest." Full of faith in his
friend's words, John obeyed, and, strange to say, this
occupation caused him less fatigue than any other; nay
more, it seemed to rest him after his labours.
The holy bishop, full of joy, made John understand that
God specially destined him for the direction of souls, as,
against all human calculations, and evidently by a special
HE PREPARES HIMSELF TO HEAR CONFESSIONS. 99
grace, this work, generally the heaviest in the ministry,
was to him easy and light. The hour was therefore come
when he could himself console his poor by placing them in
the very arms of God. His good works would henceforth
be crowned with complete success. Mgr. Tenderini was
all-powerful with de Rossi, who loved and revered him as
a living saint, and he had no trouble in persuading him to
continue what he had so well begun.
His convalescence after this was rapid, and he came
back to Rome ; but a few months later he heard of the
death of this holy bishop to his inexpressible grief. Dar
ing his last days Mgr. Tenderini spoke constantly of John,
whom he called a saint; and he left him, besides his
" cappa magna," which John constantly wore, his watch,
" in order," (as he wrote in his will,) " that, marking by
this means his hours of prayer, he should not forget at the
same time the soul of his friend."
Before asking for the necessary faculties at Rome, de
Rossi's scrupulous conscience made him think it necessary
to go through a fresh course of moral theology, and to
consult the most learned and prudent confessors he could
find upon all delicate and disputed questions. Once a
week conferences are held by Roman ecclesiastics, where
certain cases of conscience are exposed, examined, and
solved by competent authorities, followed by a general
discussion, in which all take part. Every Monday Car
dinal Castelli presided at a second conference, with the
same object in view. John never missed one of these
meetings, and frequently joined in the discussions, sub
mitting his doubts and bringing forward proofs. A priest
who was constantly present on these occasions remarked :
100 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
" The resolutions proposed by Canon de Rossi were always
so just and clear that they only needed the author's
quotations/'
At the Trinita dei Pellegrini it was the custom during
meals to discuss a moral case, according to a rule followed
in the Oratory of St. Philip Neri. Later on this was one
of the attractions which led him to leave St. Mary in
Cosmedin and establish himself at the Trinita. His devo
tion to St. Francis of Sales and St. Philip Neri increased
daily. He was never weary of reading their lives, and
became hourly more imbued with their spirit.
During the years he lived at St. Mary in Cosmedin he
used to say Mass at a very early hour, for he never slept
more than a short time; yet he never failed to make
an hour's meditation before Mass, so as to prepare himself
worthily to celebrate the divine mysteries. Often in
winter the sacristan would be late, and used to find the
canon shivering with cold in the little court which separ
ated his rooms from the sacristy. He would not go back
to his own apartment, but waited with patience the con
venience of this man, so as not to lose one moment of the
time he consecrated to his poor.
His habits were well known, and the poor who flocked
eagerly to his early Mass heard it as a preparation for
their confession. No sooner was his thanksgiving over
than he placed himself at their disposal. He took care that
a number of Masses should be said without interruption at
the altar next to his confessional, so that his penitents
might have no difficulty in receiving Holy Communion.
His colleagues were too glad to co-operate with him in
that way, and those whom he had already brought back to
HE IS PERSECUTED BY A CANON. 101
their duties always knew when and where jto find him if in
need of further counsel or advice.
The rest of the day he consecrated to hunting up souls
who were either without a guide, or who were wandering
from the right path. When he became more known whole
troops of people would arrive at daybreak from the Cam-
pagna in order to get speech of the holy canon.
For some years he scrupulously left his confessional at
the hours of choir ; but then he found that many people,
weary of waiting, left the basilica, and could not very often
return. In this difficulty he consulted Mgr. John Bottari,
the arch-priest of the church, who, after mature reflection,
told John that he must get a dispensation from his choir
duties, and devote himself entirely to the direction of
souls. Clement XII. at once sent him the dispensation,
and Benedict XIV. renewed it, with a magnificent allo
cution in praise of our saint. This high approbation
calmed all John's scruples, whose only desire was to do
what would most contribute to the glory of God and the
good of souls. Besides, in acting thus he was submitting
to authority, and the canon was always too delighted to
obey. He yielded then with joy to the Pope's orders, not
because he preferred the confessional to the choir, but
because he thereby made an act of obedience.
This rescript of Clement XII. and the brief of Benedict
XIV. were read in presence of the whole chapter. This
was the signal for a fresh persecution of our saint. Among
the canons was one who was extremely displeased at the
dispensation. In his eyes it was a gross abuse, and he
determined if possible to prevent its taking effect. This
trial lasted a long time, and was the more painful to John
102 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
because lie was obliged to have continual relations with
this man. His name was Tosi, a narrow-minded man,
with a horrible temper, which was aggravated by a serious
malady. He considered John's conduct in this respect
so iniquitous that he seemed to think all means were law
ful to unmask what he called his hypocrisy. He abused
him openly and to every one; he acted as a spy on all
his actions, interpreting them always according to his
jaundiced imagination. He pretended to shudder when he
saw him in the confessional, and whenever he met him
showered upon him every ridiculous epithet he could
think of. " What is the use of your being in the con
fessional," (he would say,) " when your duty and the
divine Will calls you to the choir ? Truly such a beautiful
conformity to the laws of the Church ought to make you
singularly acceptable to God ! Your pretended anxiety to
draw round you a crowd of penitents during the Divine
Office, under the specious pretext of hearing their con
fessions, so far from being a sign of zeal, is a mark of your
insatiable vanity and pride."
At meetings of the chapter Canon Tosi would rise and
vituperate John in every possible manner, while reproach
ing his colleagues for what he called " their fatal relaxation
of the rule." Then, if others endeavoured to calm him, he
would come back to his point, and renew his violent and
unfounded accusations.
In this most painful occurrence what did our saint do ?
In vain had he tried to reason with his furious adversary,
so that at last he remained perfectly silent, and endea
voured only to return good for evil. To the shameful
accusations made before the whole chapter he never opened
HIS PATIENCE UNDER PERSECUTIONS. 103
his lips, and mastered every movement of anger or irrita
tion. Generally, when he came back from these scenes he
had a bad attack of fever. His other colleagues could not
conceal their indignation, and had it not been for Canon
de Eossi's extraordinary self-command and calmness,
angry retorts would have been the result. But what his
friends resented most was the serious effect on his health
which was the result of this cruel persecution. Still, if
any one dared speak before him against Canon Tosi he
interrupted them at once, and always found something to
say in his praise, trying to excuse his brutal conduct and
violent language on the plea of his physical sufferings.
This went on for some years. John then tried a new
means of conciliation. He appointed a coadjutor, Dom
John Cambirasi, who should take his place in choir when
absolutely prevented by his other occupations, besides
attending the chapter meetings and voting in his name.
This step calmed his enemy a little, though it did not
satisfy him, and when they met he abused him as much
as ever.
Time passed on, and Canon Tosi fell dangerously ill, his
state soon becoming hopeless. John hastened to his bed
side, and showed him such genuine kindness and courtesy
that his old adversary became thoroughly penitent and
heartily ashamed of his past conduct. He humbly asked
his pardon, and full of respect for one whom he had so
cruelly outraged, he implored him to prepare him for the
last dread passage. It is needless to say what edification
was given to all by seeing John quietly install himself
in the sick room, assisting him day and night with the
utmost tenderness, and thus avenging the persecution he
104 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
had endured by leading his persecutor to the gates of
heaven. His heroic patience was accepted by God, and
obtained for the guilty man a deathbed full of penitence
and peace.
It may be said that there is nothing very extraordinary
in the facts we have mentioned, and that John's conduct
was simply in conformity with the teaching and example
of Jesus Christ. But which of us would have acted as
nobly under similar circumstances ? There are hardly any
of us who have not to suffer some persecution, whether
great or small. But do we bear it as courageously ? Yet
it was by such actions that Canon de Rossi arrived at so
high a pitch of sanctity.
ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
THIED PART.
.exmiseti bg the (Saint.
CHAPTER I.
De Rossi comes to live at the Trinita dei Pellegrini.
HE LIVES IN HIS NEW HOUSE AS HE DID AT ST. MARY'S IN
COSMEDIN. — HIS SPIRIT OF PRAYER. — HE ESTABLISHES THE
WORK CALLED OF THE " FIENAROLI," AND RETREATS PREVIOUS
TO PASCHAL DUTIES AND TO THE FEASTS OF ST. PETER AND
ST. PAUL. — HE BECOMES THE ALMONER OF THE POLICE FORCE.
AINT JOHN BAPTIST DE EOSSI
had for nine years left his comfortable
house to live near St. Mary's in Cos-
medin, in an unhealthy garret. His
life differed in no way from that of the
poor around him; his food was of the
commonest and coarsest kind. The
large fortune Bom Lawrence had left him had all been
swallowed up in good works of various kinds, and the
revenues of his canonry were in reality the revenues of
the poor, as he kept such a miserable pittance for himself.
106 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
His delicate health was still further enfeebled by the bad
air of the place where he lived, and by the great dampness
of his miserable lodging. Suffering never cooled his zeal •
but his state got worse from day to day. At last his
friends became seriously alarmed; the veneration he
inspired increased their fear of losing him, and finally they
resolved to compel him to change his habitation.
Cardinal Antonmaria Erba, who was at the head of the
Trinita dei Pellegrini, loved him tenderly. He offered him
a chaplaincy in the hospital, and implored him to come
and live there. John consulted his director, and finally
yielded to his entreaties. But he would only consent
to go as a guest who would pay the expenses of his main
tenance, and not as a paid chaplain, as he was afraid of
depriving some one else of that position. This change
was a most fortunate one; his failing health at last received
some care, and at any rate this great servant of God
was not reduced to die of misery, which would have been
indubitably his fate had he remained at Sfc. Mary's in
Cosmedin. Still he left it with great regret ; the canons
felt they were being deprived of the presence of a saint,
and John promised, whenever he could, to come and see
them, and join in the choir offices, especially on feast-days,
a promise he scrupulously kept. For the last two years,
as we have already mentioned, he had made Dom Gagtan
Cambirasi his coadjutor in the chapter; but soon after he
he had gone to the Trinita he gave hirn up the canonry
itself, only reserving to himself a stall in the choir, and
just enough to pay for his monthly board at the hospital.
The establishment which had just opened its doors to
our saint was worthy to receive him. The Confraternity
HE LEAVES ST. MART IN COSMEDIN. 107
of the Trinita del Pellegrini was founded by St. Philip
Neri in 1550. Its object was to receive the poor pilgrims
who during the jubilees and great feasts arrived in Rome
in large numbers, and could find no shelter. The Pope
Paul IV. assigned to them the church of St. Benedict,
which was rebuilt a little later, and given a new name.
In the spacious buildings alongside five hundred pilgrims
could be received, and met with a welcome worthy of the
capital of the Christian world. If they were sick, or only
convalescent, they were nursed with the tenderest care
till their cure was completed. The only qualification for
admission consisted in a certificate from the bishop or
curate of the pilgrim's home, attesting that he or she was
come on a pilgrimage to venerate the tomb of the holy
apostles. The length of their stay was proportioned to
the length of their journey. The highest personages in
Rome formed part of this confraternity, and fulfilled all
the duties of hospitality towards the pilgrims. Not only
cardinals, but even the Popes, would come and wash the
feet of the new comers.
This was the new home in which John was about to take
up his abode. He found there the poor and the sick, and
wished for nothing else. He had his poor little bits of
furniture moved into the room which he had chosen, and
which was a very humble one, with one narrow window
looking into a court. Here he lived all the rest of his life,
and here he gave up his holy soul to his Creator. This
room has now been turned into a chapel. Here he spent
the few moments which were not devoted to the service of
his neighbours. He had no idea of ever taking any
recreation, and if sometimes he would go in the evening to
108 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
the Villa Mattel, it was again from a pure motive of
charity, as we shall see in the course of our history.
This little room was in fact a sort of sanctuary, in which
he only went to pray. " Every morning/' wrote Francis
Quartironi, (one of the people employed in the hospital,)
" the canon, after having said his rosary, made a medi
tation on the virtues of the saints. He made another
meditation at night before going to bed. During the
day, whenever he was alone in his room, he shut the door,
and if I had to call him I always found him on his knees
in prayer." If he was too tired to kneel he would stand,
but never hardly sat down. According to Count Ten-
derini, when he was like this absorbed in prayer, his face
was quite transfigured, and this sort of glory lasted some
time afterwards, so as to strike any accidental visitor with
astonishment and awe.
Dom Antonio della Giustizia, who lived with him for
some time, relates " that he often heard him praying out
loud, sometimes with sighs, but more often as if over
flowing with joy ;" so much so, that he frequently thought
he was talking to some one in his room, but if he went in
he found the saint was alone with God.
Dom Philip Bianchi, who was in the next room to his,
used to hear him getting up very early in the morning and
throw himself on his prie-dieu, where he would remain
praying till the hour came for him to go down to the
chapel to say his Mass.
It was through this continual prayer that John found
such wonderful facility in speaking to people on spiritual
subjects. He was continually recommending young priests
to pray and meditate a good deal before preaching, adding,
HIS ZEAL IN DOING GOOD. 109
" That it was only by that means that their words would
bear fruit and persuade others."
Almost every evening John would say a few words
to the poor. Even when his whole day had been inces
santly employed in good works, his exhortations were
always clear and to the point, as if he had made a careful
preparation. The people listened to him with the greatest
eagerness, and often he would end his short address with
these words : ' ' I got up into the pulpit without knowing
what I should say to you to-night. God put the words
into my mouth, and allowed me to give you these coun
sels, and I implore you to profit by them."
From the moment of his arrival, in fact, at the Trinita
dei Pellegrini, John preached continually, and with the
same fruit as at St. Mary in Cosmedin and at St. Galla.
Nothing would satisfy him when it was a question of
saving souls, and his fertile charity was continually in
venting and suggesting new schemes for doing good. His
idea was to provide a remedy for every evil, and, if possi
ble, to unite in the same good work those who were suffer
ing from the like need. We will now mention three im
portant undertakings which he started about this time.
During the months of May and June a new population,
as it were, flocks into Rome, composed of poor inhabitants
of distant country places. They come for haymaking, and
are sure of finding work and good wages. They are called
in Italy " Fienaroli." They live generally in wretched
houses or caves on the flanks of the Esquiline, between
the ancient Suburra and St. Mary Major. Others find
shelter near St. Galla by the Tarpeian Kock, or at our
Lady of Consolation. They are generally the poorest and
110 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
most neglected of all the inhabitants of the city, and so it
is needless to say that John instantly turned his thoughts
as to what was to be done for them. An experience of
some years had convinced him of the profound ignorance
of this nomad population. There were hardly any among
them who understood the mysteries of the faith or the
duties of a Christian, nor were their troubles softened by
any hope of a better life hereafter. What was worse was,
that many of these poor people came to the sacraments
without any preparation or understanding of the great
acts they were performing, but simply from a kind of
superstition. But how was it possible to remedy this state
of things ? Overwhelmed with fatigue, these poor fellows
never came home till late at night, too tired and exhausted
to do anything but throw themselves on their wretched
beds, not daring to steal five minutes from the sleep which
was so needful for them, for at the earliest dawn they
would have to return to the burning sun and hard work of
the previous day. It was therefore hopeless to try and
collect them together in any way, so that the only possible
means of getting at them was to visit them one by one.
Night after night, accordingly, John used to crawl into
their wretched hovels, and talk to them kindly and
lovingly, while he never interrupted their different occu
pations. Some were already in bed, others eating their
supper, while a few would sit down by him. They were
always glad to see him, for he made himself quite one with
them, talking first of their work and their homes, and then
going on to speak of the greatness and mercy of God,
of the sufferings of the Divine Kedeemer of mankind, of
the holiness and the use of the sacraments, and of the
HIS CARE OF THE HAYMAKERS, 111
happiness reserved for the just in a better and eternal
life. This gentle but earnest voice, coming out of the
dark, as it were, for there was hardly any light in their
poor dwellings, — and he generally contrived to hide him
self in a corner almost out of sight, — had a most marvellous
effect on these wild, uncultured minds. They used to
listen eagerly, hanging upon the words which fell from his
lips, especially when he spoke of the magnificent promises
of the Gospel, and the way to obtain their fulfilment.
What surprised them still more was, that a man and a
priest, unknown to them altogether, should so love them
as to seek them out in this way, unrepelled by the dirt
and misery of their surroundings.
John never wearied of this work. He seemed to forget
all the fatigues of the day, and night after night renewed
his apostolate, having but one thought, — how he could
bring back these poor souls to God. It is impossible to
describe the confidence and affection which arose in the
hearts of these neglected Fienaroli from this devoted and
disinterested service. Often these wretched holes and
caves became like chapels, in which the poor fellows poured
out their whole hearts to our saint, who heard their con
fessions, prepared them for a worthy participation in the
sacraments, and then left them, thanking and blessing
God, and shedding tears of joy. In the month of July
these peasants returned to their country homes, keeping
up precious memories of the saint who had taught them
the way to heaven, proud of wearing a blessed medal,
or an article of clothing, or any little thing he had given
them before their departure. It was always a most touch
ing sight to see them take leave of their benefactor, and to
112 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE UOSSI.
hear them talking to one another of all the graces they
had received from him. One, whose conscience had long
burdened his life, had found pardon and peace. Another,
a man of advanced age, had made his First Communion
with the greatest fervour and joy. A third was pro
mising to be always faithful in future to the God whom he
had learned to know, and who had forgiven him a wild and
sinful life. Many were touched to tears. The following
year they would come to him at once and announce their
return, ready and eager to receive his teaching, and to
bring any fresh companions to know him too.
Later on, when he found the number of these souls
increase, he appealed to St. Galla and to the Ristretto of
the Twelve Apostles, and found many young men and
earnest priests ready to accompany and assist him. At
last this work became a recognized duty at St. Galla, and
up to this day these pious exercises continue, under the
title of the Mission of the " Fienaroli."
But this was only one of the works of our saint. He
was not satisfied with the spiritual condition of the
Eomans themselves, and applied to Pope Benedict XIV.
for authority to establish a solemn annual retreat in Rome,
with a view to prepare the workmen and common artisans
for the reception of the sacraments of penance and the
Blessed Eucharist. The Pope at once acceded to the
request of the zealous canon. The missions began the
Fourth Sunday in Lent, and lasted eight days. Instead
of sermons, John found it more useful to give simple
explanations of the catechism and of the principal dogmas
of the faith. The cardinal- vicar was charged to select the
churches in which these missions should be given. As
HE ESTABLISHES ANNUAL RETREATS. 113
long as our saint had strength to speak he was always
chosen first among the preachers. After the rosary, and
the acts of faith, hope, and charity, there followed these
little lectures, and the ceremony ended with Benediction
of the Blessed Sacrament. It was like a great mission
opened in every quarter of the town, and produced the
most astonishing fruits. In spite of the simplicity of both
the style and matter, whenever John preached, cardinals,
prelates, and all the most distinguished men in Rome
flocked to hear him. So great was his success that the
people would shut their shops, and throng the churches to
such an extent that no building was large enough to
receive them. This plan of annual missions to the whole
city has been continued to this day, and deserves all the
gratitude of the Roman people towards our saint, even
if he had never done anything else for their spiritual good.
Success is always encouraging. After the Lent retreats,
John established others preparatory to the Feasts of
St, Peter and St. Paul. It was not difficult to excite
a devotion towards these two great saints in the eternal
city, of which they are the principal patrons. These new
retreats lasted eight days, and produced the same en
thusiasm as the first. They spread all over the churches
of Rome. Pope Pius IX. during his glorious pontificate
greatly approved of and encouraged this devotion, and he
saw it definitively established in all the principal churches
in the city.
The reputation of our saint, and the success which
always attended his works, did not fail to come to the ears
of the Sovereign Pontiffs. Benedict XIV., amidst his
numberless labours for the good of the Romans, resolved
8
IM ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
to have some special instruction given to a class of men
who had been hitherto much neglected, namely, the
policemen and others employed in all the public offices
and courts of justice.
For this purpose he sent for our saint, unfolded his
plans, and charged him to carry them out. As, however,
his health was always so bad, he gave him leave to dele
gate another in his place should illness incapacitate his
attendance. The Church of the Five Wounds, in the Via
Giulia, was fixed upon for these meetings, and every
Friday these men were collected and came to listen to
John's instructions. There was a great work to be done
among these ignorant, and often rough and brutal men, so
that his loving, apostolic heart was soon warmly interested
in them. Before long he gained their complete confidence.
Docile to his voice, a certain number began regularly
to frequent the sacraments, while all came to him in any
trouble or sorrow, especially if they fell ill or were in
danger of death. Whenever John was compelled to send
some priest in his place, he recommended them strongly
to have no other aim or object than the glory of God and
the good of souls, and especially forbade them to receive
the smallest pecuniary return for their labours.
In all these varied works John proved himself to be
a real apostle, and his zeal and love seemed only to in
crease with age. One day a friend congratulated him
on the enormous amount of good he had been able to
effect. His answer was, f ' You should rather pity me for
seeing such fields for work which I cannot undertake.
I would give anything now to gather together and instruct
a class of men whom no one has thought of, — the grooms
HIS ZEAL IN THE CONFESSIONAL. 115
and helpers in stables. But alas ! I have no time, and I
know no place where I could hold their meetings."
In fact, his thirst for souls was never satisfied, although
his ingenious charity was always inventing new schemes
for their salvation.
CHAPTER II.
John Baptist in the Confessional.
HIS ZEAL IN HEARING CONFESSIONS. — HIS GREAT REVERENCE
FOR THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE. HIS IMPARTIALITY AND
SWEETNESS TOWARDS HIS PENITENTS. — THE SUPERNATURAL
LIGHTS GIVEN HIM BY GOD FOR THE DISCOVERY OF HIDDEN
SINS. THE WAY IN WHICH HE TOUCHED THE MOST HARDENED
HEARTS, AND OBTAINED THE MOST WONDERFUL CHANGES IN
MEN'S LIVES.
AFTER having hesitated so long before accepting the
mission of hearing confessions, John devoted himself
to it with indefatigable zeal. No physical sufferings
stopped him. Like St. Philip Neri, his model, he never
considered illness to be an obstacle, and when the doctors,
alarmed for his life, strove to force him to leave his con
fessional, they had to compel him to leave Rome itself,
for in that city day by day a compact crowd came to throw
themselves at the feet of the saint, who never would refuse
to hear them. Others saw how gravely this labour affected
his health, but he seemed insensible to everything but the
good of souls.
116 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
While lie was at St. Mary in Cosmedin a painful tumour
in his leg confined him to his bed. In despair at being
unable to go to his penitents, he had a confessional
.arranged by the side of his couch, and there received,
consoled, encouraged, and cured all the sick souls that
came to him. His friends tried to dissuade him, but John
would reply, " These poor men have come great distances
to see me; who knows if they would be able to return
another day ?"
It was the same in giving missions or retreats. "That
poor sick canon," wrote one of his companions, Dom
Philip Liber ti, "has more zeal and energy than the
strongest amongst us. He is always the first in the con
fessional, and the last to leave it."
There were certain fixed hours for confessions, but as
many of his penitents could not come at those times he
was always at their service, no matter how inconvenient it
might be. Every one was amazed at the ease with which
he lent himself to this duty. It was only after a meal that
his sufferings sometimes for an hour or so made it im
possible. But by a special interposition of providence
this time, which he always consecrated to visiting the sick
in the hospital, was never wasted, for he was able to do
with the sick what he could not do with those in health.
He could even hear their confessions without extraordinary
fatigue ; and long experience proved the truth of this fact.
Was it that God wished thus to reward his burning love
for the poor ? Be that as it may, there was no doubt that
when a sick call came John had always strength to attend
to it. His lameness and his frail health obliged him to
lean upon a stick, and to walk far more slowly than he
HIS SUCCESS IN THE CONFESSIONAL. 117
wished. One of his friends, therefore, was very much
surprised at meeting him one day in the Lungara flying
rather than walking down the street. On his stopping
him to express his amazement, John exclaimed, " Do not
stop me ; a dying man is waiting for me at St. Gallicano.
God has given me this power for once, that I may be in
time."
He never complained of the number of people who
besieged his confessional, and detained him in it for such
an unconscionable time; and when giving missions he
would often force his companions to take a few minutes
rest, but entreated them, in return, not to disturb him in
his work, alleging that his own salvation depended upon it.
If ever he had to give up the care of souls for a time he
was filled with a kind of terror, and used to declare he was
a useless servant, unworthy of the priesthood. " I am
stopped on my way to heaven," he would exclaim. He
added one day to his friend, Dom Pomponi : " To tell you
the truth, I did not at first know the right way to lead
souls to God. But now I have found it out : it is the path
of the confessional; one reaps such wonderful fruits
from it."
Other priests, struck by his wonderful success in the
tribunal of penance, asked him for his method ; and he has
left behind a short instruction written for a young con
fessor, in which we find all the principles which he so
faithfully put into practice.
To begin with, he had the highest idea of the sacrament
of penance, and therefore used the extremest prudence,
so as to avoid any shadow of sacrilege. He insisted that
no one in presenting himself to the priest should have any
118 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
other end in view than the reverent accomplishment of
this great act. He made it an inviolable rule never to
give any alms in the confessional. If his penitents began
to beg of him, he replied : "In the confessional you should
seek for nothing but the pardon of your faults. It is not
the place where you should either ask for or receive
material help. I will see you later ." In Italy it is the
custom among the poor to put out petitions setting forth
their needs and imploring aid. Not only did he refuse to
receive these petitions, but he would not hear the con
fessions of those who presented them. It was equally
in vain that rich people came at that time to offer him
either money for his poor or for Masses. He would
joyfully fix some other hour to receive their gifts, but
implored them in the confessional never to let their
thoughts dwell on anything but the great duty they were
performing, so as to strive to give them a deeper con
viction of their own sinfulness, and the need of more
perfect and real contrition for their faults.
fe When I am fulfilling that sacred mission," he would
say, " I would rather pass for a rude man without any
manners, than to seem to have a shadow of attachment
to things of earth."
One of the first rules he laid down in that memorandum
of which we have been speaking was to avoid all partiality
or distinction of persons, and to treat all his penitents
alike, whatever might be their rank or position. As
physician and consoler of all spiritual maladies, he only
saw before him the suffering members of Jesus Christ.
The wounds of each, were they not the same ? Was he not
the father of the poor as well as of the rich ? Several
HIS IMPARTIALITY TOWARDS HIS PENITENTS. 119
times, when a throng of poor people were waiting their
turn round his confessional, some gentleman or lady of
high rank would come, and their servant would draw near
and beg him in a whisper to let his master or mistress
pass before the rest. But the saint answered with that
mixture of gentleness and authority which he knew so
well how to assume : " I beg of you to ask your master to
have the patience to wait for his turn. I am very sorry,
but I can make no distinction of persons in the tribunal of
penance." Or else: " If you are in so great a hurry ask
leave of those poor people who have a right to pass before
you, and to whom I cannot do this wrong. Their time is
often more precious than yours."
But it was by his excessive sweetness and fatherly
kindness and goodness that our saint gained the hearts
of sinners. He never showed himself more loving, pa
tient, and gentle than in the confessional. Not only did
he induce them to follow his advice with confidence, but
he filled their souls (when truly penitent,) with ineffable
consolations. How often, touched by his loving words,
great and hitherto obstinate and notorious sinners would
come to him and own that they did not know how to
begin their examination of a long life of sin.' He used
to encourage them by every means in his power, and
then, by judicious questions, probe even to the very
depths of these ulcerated souls, only to dress and heal
their wounds the more effectually. In the hospital he had
an extraordinary sympathy with the physical sufferings
of the sick, which gained their hearts at once. He never
hesitated to come close to them to hear their confessions,
breathing their (often) pestilential breath, applying hia
120 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
ear to their dying lips, and lest they should need him
again, remaining with them during their agony, suggest
ing to them holy thoughts and aspirations, and receiving
their last sigh. One day, in a miserable cellar, he found
two wretched people dying of a contagious disease, and
lying on the same pallet. They implored our saint to
hear their confessions, but their heads were so close
together that one could not speak without being heard
by the other. What did he do? His zeal was not to be
conquered. He scrambled up on the poor bed and laid
himself down between ,the two dying men, and, by fasten
ing himself as it were on to the lips of each, heard their
confessions in turn, and remained with them to the end.
In spite of this superhuman self-abnegation, he met
sometimes with hearts whom even his heroic charity could
not touch. But their refusals to listen to him did not
discourage him. These men were generally the poorest
and lowest class of beggars, who had been taken into the
hospital, but whose souls bad been embittered by their
previous misery, so .that they hated not only the rich,
but the good God who had allowed their misfortunes. If
he failed in doing anything with them during their illness,
he would induce them to remain on in the hospital, him
self defraying the expense of their board, although to do
so he .often deprived himself of actual necessaries. The
days during which they thus lingered on in the hospital,
always appeared to him as so much time gained, for he
was always on the watch for a return of their souls to
God, and felt that grace would have its hour, which, in
fact, offcen happened. The one thing he dreaded most
was an imperfect or sacrilegious confession, when men had
HOW HE BROUGHT SINNERS BACK TO GOD. 121
not the courage to overcome their shame and declare the
whole truth to him whom God had sent to absolve them
in His name. He would use every possible means to
encourage them to speak openly, dwelling on the mercy
and tenderness of God, and on the Blood of Jesus, which
could wash away the most heinous sins. Sometimes men
would be brought to him who were quite determined not
to go to confession: but he almost invariably brought
them round by his loving kindness and real sympathy,
and they would afterwards rejoice at having listened to
him and yielded to his earnest entreaties. Some men
again, who, for forty or fifty years had been burdened
with a secret sin which they had never dared confess, and
so had committed sacrilege upon sacrilege, would be won
by de Rossi so completely as to open their whole hearts to
him, and lay down at his feet the heavy burden which
would have led them to eternal damnation. It is certain,
also, that he had a supernatural light for reading into
men's souls. Dom Tiburtius Pomponi, Rector of the
College at Zagarolo, and the celebrated lawyer Stephen
Palliani, both give conclusive evidence on this point; and
Canon Paolo Ranucci, the archpriest of Magliano, said, in
speaking of several young men of loose morals, " He
knew what had passed in their daily lives so exactly, that
they were constantly reminded by him of sins they had
forgotten.'*
But the story we are about to relate establishes this
fact beyond a doubt.
In 1753, he was giving a mission in the territory of
Tione. Dom John Mattei, rector of that parish, who was
hearing confessions at the same time as our saint, saw a
122 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSST.
man coming up to his confessional, a notorious sinner,
who begged to make a general confession. Thinking that
de Rossi would make a greater impression upon him than
himself, he told him to go to the canon, who was hearing
confessions in a small room alongside the church, where
the penitents came in one by one. This was done to
avoid the noise inseparable from a great crowd of people
at a mission, which is as trying to the confessor as to the
penitents themselves. The man accordingly came to this
little room, but found that the crowd was so great that it
was hopeless to attempt to get in. He was giving it up
in despair, and had almost renounced the idea of going to
confession at all, when the door opened, and the canon
himself appeared, saying to the people : " Let this man
pass who has been sent me by the rector." The man was
extremely surprised, for he knew that de Rossi could only
have known of his being there by some supernatural
means, and he followed him instantly into the confes
sional. After it was over, he returned to the rector and
gave an account of the scene, adding: " When I had made
my confession, he asked me, twice over, if I remembered
anything else. I replied * JSTo.' Then, placing his hand
tenderly on my head, he conjured me to conceal nothing.
I answered again f that I could not recollect anything
else/ which was true. He replied: ' And what you did
twelve years ago, in such and such a place, (mentioning
the details,) why have you not confessed that ?' I re
mained stupefied — for I then remembered it all. To
encourage me, he went into every particular of my sin,
the place, the occasion, and the motive which had led me
to commit it, jus.t as if it had passed before Jbis own eyes.
THE SUPERNATURAL LIGHTS HE RECEIVED. 123
It is perfectly impossible that the canon could have heard
these facts from anyone else, for they were known only to
myself and God, and I had entirely forgotten them."
The rector made him realize what an additional grace
(this was from ;God, for which indeed the poor fellow was
already most grateful, and sent him home humbled, but
rejoiciag.
In the evening the rector was dining with John and his
companions, and curious to find out if really the canon
had this supernatural power, he asked him "if he had ever
been in such and such a country, or knew any one from
those parts?" Both de Eossi and the other Fathers said
"No," and did not even know the situation of the place,
or any of the people. Dom John Mattel required no
further evidence of the fact that these details were only
known to de Rossi by divine revelation.
On another occasion John and his fellow-missioners
were preaching at Rocca di Cambio, when a priest of the
place, Dom Joseph Pietropoli, fell dangerously ill with
perniciosa fever, which reduced him to the last extremity.
He sent for our saint to hear his confession and assist him
on his deathbed. The doctors said there was no hope
whatever : the sick man spoke with difficulty ; and every
symptom seemed to presage the final and speedy end.
To his great surprise, however, John gave him for a
penance the obligation of going every day for a month
to pray in a little chapel dedicated to our Lady, which was
at some distance off. " But, father," exclaimed the dying
man, " I can never comply with this order, for my hours
are numbered." "Accept it without questioning, my
brother," replied John ; " I assure you you will be able to
124 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DB ROSSI.
accomplish it perfectly." The event justified his words.
The sick priest recovered, and faithfully fulfilling his
appointed penance, he was able to thank God for an entire
and perfectly unexpected cure.
In another way also John performed prodigies, and that
was in exciting contrition in the hearts of his penitents.
It belongs to a confessor to touch the heart of a man who
sees his state and understands it, but who, bound to the
world by certain close ties, will not make the sacrifice
which true contrition and repentance would exact. Here
also the faith and love with which John spoke would pro
duce the most extraordinary impression on the mind of his
penitent. A priest related to Toietti what had happened
to himself. He was preparing to receive the sub-diaconate,
and had begged the canon to hear his general confession.
After his confession John gave him some short and wise
counsels, and added these words : " Courage ! excite in
yourself a spirit of true repentance, and ask pardon of our
Lord of all your faults." He did not say more, but he
said these few words in such a manner that, (as the priest
himself wrote,) he felt within himself the most extra
ordinary compunction, and his tears flowed so abundantly
that he could not speak. John waited a few moments,
and then gave him absolution, suggesting to him several
holy thoughts. But even then his emotion continued.
t{ This intense feeling was not natural to me," continued
the priest, " and must have been entirely due to the holy
canon's prayers."
As we have already said, when he was obliged to keep
to his bed, John improvised a confessional alongside, so as
not to disappoint his penitents. Dom Antonio dellu
HIS SUCCESS IN DEALING WITH PENITENTS. 125
Giustizia, who had been appointed to nurse and watch over
him, was in the next room, and used to hear his penitents
making acts of contrition with such fervour that they were
like St. Peter sobbing at our Saviour's feet. Very often,
when they left, they would press his hand, and exclaim,
" 0, what a saint you have in your companion !" On one
occasion, in 1750, John received a visit from a peasant
living in a distant village, who had travelled for several
days in order to come and pour oat his troubles to the
holy canon. The poor man had let a bad woman into
his house, whom he could not get rid of. She had fallen
in love with him, and entangled him in a net which he
had not the strength to break through. John listened
with patient sympathy and kindness, and then spoke to
him in the strongest terms of the necessity of showing
courage, and breaking through these shameful toils. His
words had so powerful an effect on his penitent that
he rose to his feet, rushed out of the house, returned
to his village, drove out the woman, and came straight
back to Rome without stopping, to receive absolution
from our saint, and express his fervent gratitude.
Another time, a similar confession was made to him by
a young Roman, under the diabolical influence of a woman,
who, under the pretence of washing and mending his linen,
came constantly to his house : and although he was
thoroughly ashamed of the connection, he too had not the
courage to get rid of her. Again and again he had been
warned of his sin, but in vain. Our saint, however, was
not discouraged, and the few words he spoke had a
magical effect. The young man rushed off to her house,
and came back to the canon bearing an immense packet of
126 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
linen, exclaiming, " Father, here are my clothes ; I have
carried off everything from that woman and now I am
free.*' He received absolution, and never broke his pro
mise of refusing to see her again.
It is incontestable that God in this way gave de Rossi
an extraordinary gift for touching the hardest hearts and
bringing them to repentance. This was so well known by
his friends that they brought to him all their hopeless
cases. Dom Nicolas Bonucci gave evidence of this, and
said that on one occasion, when they were giving a mis
sion together, a man was brought to Nicolas living in sin,
whom he could do nothing with, and who only flew into
a violent passion when he tried to reason with him. In
despair Nicolas took him to de Eossi, who worked the
miracle as usual by a few words. The man's whole life
was changed from that instant, and he thanked Dom
Bonucci most warmly for having introduced him to the
holy canon. Nor were these extraordinary conversions
fleeting or transitory. Dom John Baptist Capretti, a mis
sionary, declared " That if any one ever made a general
confession to Canon de Rossi, they not only reaped great
profit, but were afterwards remarked for an entire change
of life.'1
Dom Hilarion Cesarei, arch priest of the Pantheon, men
tions the following fact. After a very disgraceful career,
a certain man of my acquaintance had been obliged to
leave home, his reputation being so terribly compromised.
Some months later, meeting him in the streets of Rome, I
thought it my duty to speak to him, and implore him to
lead a more Christian life. But to my astonishment, I
found him already entirely changed. He then told me that
CONVERSION OF A CRIMINAL. 127
having fallen very ill, he had been taken to the hospital
where de Rossi was : that he had made a general confession
to him, and that ever since, his only desire was to corres
pond to whatever was the will of God, and that he would
willingly have accepted death as an atonement for his sins.
Another time an old Neapolitan soldier came to Rome, and
was received at St. Galla. He had led a wild and vicious
life : but de Rossi took him in hand, and a tender piety
took the place of his previous bad habits. He spent many
years at St. Galla, and became a perfect model of devotion.
When he was dying he was asked if he would not make
another general confession. "I hope, by God's grace," he
replied, " that I have not committed any grave sin since I
fell at the feet of the holy Canon de Rossi."
John had also the gift of producing perfect peace in the
souls of his penitents. Dom Ordani, chaplain of one of
the Roman prisons, mentions that on one occasion a man
condemned to death for homicide implored that Canon
de Rossi should be sent for to prepare him for the terrible
passage. John hastened to his cell, and the poor fellow,
who had been in the greatest terror and agony of mind
before, became thoroughly penitent, calm, and resigned to
die. He even refused a pardon which he might have ob
tained ; saying that now he should die in the grace of God,
while he might have been struck down in the midst of his
crimes, or relapse into sin, and then be eternally damned.
From all these facts, we can well understand how great
was the crowd that besieged his confessional wherever he
went, not only of Romans, but of men from distant coun
tries. One day a gentleman arrived at the " Trinita del
Pellegrini," and asked eagerly " if Canon de Rossi were
128 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
still there ?" His great anxiety excited the curiosity of
the porter, and he asked him what he wanted of him. His
answer was : " L have come all the way from Sicily to see
him. Oiie of my fellow-countrymen came on a pilgrimage
to Rome, and had the happiness of making a general
confession to Canon de Rossi. He came back so thankful
and happy that he has done nothing ever since but speak
of his sanctity. I am very anxious to do the same thing,
and have made the journey for no other object." It is
needless to add that his wish was granted.
It was a curious thing that de Rossi always induced
his penitents to accuse themselves of every fault they
might have committed during a long life. He looked
upon this as an essential condition to a true conversion,
and he had such a wonderful intuition with regard to
human souls that he constantly recalled past sins to
them, which they had entirely forgotten. The picture
was sad, may be, but might they not look upwards with
confidence ? God had awarded His pardon to faults gene
rously owned; and a feeling of gratitude would be a
powerful motive to keep honest and generous souls from
falling back into the same sins. This was de Rossi's
method, and in thus following his career we begin to
understand the thought contained in the Church's prayer :
" Deus qui omnipotentiam tuam parcendo maxime et mise-
rando manifest as."*
By creation God brought man out of nothing. By
pardon God softens the guilty soul, renews and trans
forms it, and converts it into a new creature. The whole
* The Prayer for the Tenth Sunday after Pentecost.
HOW HE ACTED TOWARDS THE POOR. 129
life of de Eossi was an exemplification of this truth, and
shows us the divine effects of that Almighty power of
forgiveness in the tribunal of penance, of which he was
so efficient a minister.
CHAPTER III.
Preaching to the Poor.
JOHN BAPTIST'S GIFT OF PREACHING. — THE SOURCE FROM
WHENCE HE DREW HIS INSPIRATION. HIS SIMPLICITY AND
FACILITY IN SPEAKING. HIS ZEAL FOR THE FAITH. — THE
WAY IN WHICH HIS WORDS LED THE POOR TO THE RE
CEPTION OF THE SACRAMENTS, AND FILLED THEM WITH
HOPE IN GOD AND CONFIDENCE IN HIS DIVINE MERCY.
THE WONDERFUL RESULTS HE OBTAINED.
TO understand more fully de Rossi's mission towards the
poor, let us contemplate the three distinct means
which he used in dealing with them. He taught them by
his sermons, healed their ulcerated souls in the tribunal of
penance, and relieved their misery by copious alms. We
have seen what he did in the confessional; let us now
turn to the work he effected by his preaching.
Ever since the day when his imprudent austerities had
brought on the serious malady we have before alluded to,
his weak voice and his incapacity for mental or intel
lectual labour seemed to preclude all idea of his ever being
heard in the pulpit. By a miracle he had been able to
9
130 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
hear confessions, and not long after, in an equally inex
plicable manner, the gift of preaching the Gospel was
granted to him, so that he often could give five or six
sermons in one day.
Was it only the fictitious strength with which his zeal
for souls inspired him ? or was it from the breathless
silence with which the crowd hung upon his words ?
Whatever may have been the reason, it is certain that
in spite of his weak voice he could be heard perfectly in
every corner of the largest churches in Eome.
His style was always perfectly simple. His wish being
solely to instruct the poor, he never indulged in high-flown
expressions, or attempted any flights of eloquence. The
source from which he drew his inspiration was almost
invariably the Bible. A chapter of the New Testament
devoutly meditated upon beforehand was the daily bread
he broke to his flock. Then the lives of God's saints were
deeply engraved in his memory, especially those of St.
Philip Neri, St. Francis of Sales, St. Vincent of Paul, and
the like. He would illustrate his teaching by anecdotes
taken from their lives and example, quote their words,
and thus arrest the attention of his hearers. With these
helps and his crucifix he was never at a loss for words or
thoughts. Very often he would begin by reading a
portion of holy writ, or the Gospel of the day, and then
comment upon it. A few moments of meditation and a
short prayer were often his sole preparation. His in
numerable works of charity and his confessional precluded
all possibility of preparing his sermons with greater care ;
but he used to say that he always reckoned on God's grace
to touch men's hearts, and his confidence was never mis-
HIS ZEAL IN PREACHING. 131
placed. After his death his friends thought they could
not represent him better than by placing in his hands,
with his crucifix, the holy Gospels. It was not enough for
him to preach continually at St. Galla, and on Sundays
besides at the ' ' Oonvertite " in the Corso, and at St.
James in the Lungara, but he would take advantage of
every chance circumstance, such as popular festivals,
retreats given to the servants of cardinals and princes,
instructions to the soldiers, to the sick, to members of
pious confraternities ; everywhere, in fact, at all times and
seasons, John Baptist was ready, provided only his
auditors were poor and neglected by others.
He never preached long sermons; it was on principle.
At St. Galla he never would speak more than a quarter of
an hour, and he begged those with him never to exceed
that time. " The poor come to church tired," he would
say ; " sufferings, privations, troubles of all kinds are
their daily portion, and distract their thoughts. If you
preach a long sermon they cannot follow you, and at
the end they forget all you have said to them. Give them
one idea which they can take home, not half a dozen, or
one will drive out the other, and they will remember none.
Experience proves, alas ! that from the grandest and most
eloquent discourses the poor draw no profit whatever."
Sometimes the members of St. Galla, carried away by
an ill-advised zeal, would pour out magnificent flowery
orations from the pulpit on abstruse and difficult subjects.
The poor canon used to be on thorns all the time, and
thought it his duty to remark to the preacher afterwards
bow mistaken he had been. Once a very celebrated
Roman prelate committed this indiscretion, and afterwards,
132 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
when the priests were assembled in the sacristy, no one
dared say a word to so great a man. But de Rossi, who
was afraid that others might imitate him, spoke out boldly,
and while congratulating him on his eloquent sermon,
remarked that it was not suited to the congregation, who
could not understand a word of it.
In speaking of shameful vices to mixed congregations
de Rossi was most careful never to utter one word which
could wound the most susceptible ears. He used to say
that " no innocent soul should be troubled by having their
thoughts drawn to subjects which they were only too
happy not to know anything about."
There was another thing about which he was very
careful and prudent. It was the custom every Saturday to
relate some miracle due to the intercession of the Blessed
Virgin, so as to increase the devotion and confidence of the
people in her ; but often these stories were exaggerated
and incorrect, and instead of doing good, either excited
ridicule, or made the ignorant fancy they could sin with
impunity, trusting in the intervention of the Mother of
God. Others fell into discouragement and lost all hope,
from always expecting a miracle which never happened.
The good canon could not bear these scandals, and would
seize the first opportunity to explain away what had been
said, and then seriously warn the preachers to choose their
subjects with greater care and more appropriately to their
audience, so as to avoid the dangers arising from such
misunderstandings. At St. Mary in Cosmedin he used in
the same way to entreat the preachers not to weary their
hearers with long panegyrics, which were useless to the
poor.
HIS FACILITY IN PREACHING. 133
One day, on the Feast of the Blessed Trinity, a sermon
on that subject had been announced at St. Galla by a
famous preacher, who at the last moment failed. What
was to be done ? The church was crowded. Was there
no one who would speak to the people ? The priests flew
to de Eossi, and implored him to take the preacher's
place. De Rossi, without the smallest preparation, had to
speak on this great and inscrutable mystery. But he did
it with such clearness, and showing such extraordinary
theological knowledge, that the ecclesiastics who were
present were astonished and delighted, while the poor
were equally pleased, for he had brought the matter down
to their comprehension.
The same thing happened at Zagarolo, near Palestrina,
where Cardinal Spinelli had entreated him to give a
mission. One day, when he was going up the pulpit
steps, the parish priest implored him in the course of the
mission to say something of the reverence due to the
priesthood, which with that rough audience was necessary.
John Baptist assented ; but to the surprise of the priest,
he began immediately on that subject, and spoke with such
unction that the whole congregation was moved to tears.
On another occasion, at St. Maria del Pianto, in Rome,
a novena was being said preparatory to the Feast of St.
Peter and St. Paul. The clergy were just leaving the
sacristy to go into the choir when de Rossi arrived, having
been giving a retreat in the neighbourhood. The preacher
had again failed : the subject had been announced ; it waa
to be The Patience of the Apostles. De Rossi had only the
few seconds in which to prepare while the short prayers of
the novena were being said. Nevertheless, his sermon
ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE IIOSSI.
was magnificent ; the congregation hung upon his words,
and many eminent men present declared they had never
heard anything more eloquent or more convincing. After
dwelling on the sufferings of the apostles, he showed what
was the source of their courage and their strength, and
then applied the lesson to his hearers, pointing out the
means whereby the hardest trials could be borne, so as to
increase their merit and win their crown.
One thing was remarkable in his preaching, and that
was the force and clearness of his reasoning. He never
asserted anything which could not be clearly proved, and
avoided carefully all such arguments as gave matter for
discussion. " It is not the moment for disputations," he
would say ; " and in the chair of truth no one should treat
of subjects which are open questions." He made the same
recommendations to his missionaries. In their catechetical
instructions he insisted on their keeping to the necessary
doctrine, without making any attempts at proving their
own erudition in dealing with disputed points.
He particularly objected to new doctrines or explana
tions, often started by restless spirits, who like to strike
out new methods of dealing with holy writ or with the
Fathers. He could not bear any one to depart from the
usual traditions, even if they were not opposed to the
usual teachings of the Church. Nothing was more impor
tant in his eyes than to keep the purity and integrity
of the faith. In the same way he made open war against
the superstitions which had crept into many of the Roman
villages. In one of them he found a custom which was as
absurd as it was dangerous, from the number of quarrels
it occasioned. It was there an established usage that
HE STAMPS OUT SUPERSTITION. 135
when a young couple were married the husband should
point out to his bride the particular spot on the pavement
of the church where she was henceforth to sit or stand
during the offices. Woe betide her if she stood anywhere
else ! Every kind of misfortune would instantly befall her,
and nothing could avert it. No one, therefore, dared
change their place, and this superstition brought about
endless quarrels. Sometimes two people would fix on the
same stone, or a neighbour would invade the reserved
place. Not only were unseemly struggles in the church
the result, but even homicides, which had no other earthly
cause.
John Baptist endeavoured, by careful arguments and
explanations, to do away with this absurd belief; but so
inveterate was the habit that he failed to convince them.
Then suddenly he announced to them that he was going to
leave them ; that owing to their absurd obstinacy he could
not remain, and would close the mission. The people,
who in reality were very pious, were in despair at this
decision, and implored him with tears to remain. John
only yielded when they had promised to give up this
absurd custom. And this was only one instance out of
many of the wonderful results of his missions in country
places.
In all his labours our saint had but one object, — to sow
the word of God, and see it bring forth fruit. To do this
he urged sinners continually to make a general confession,
so as to ensure a thoroughly good and fervent communion,
and to those who had already made their peace with God
he exhorted the practice of frequent communion. He had
established a general monthly communion at St. Galla, to
136 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE KOSSI.
which he devoted himself with extraordinary energy. For
three days before, he moved, as it were, heaven and earth
to make them worthy to receive their great King. When
the day arrived he would go at dawn to his confessional,
where an immense crowd generally awaited him. Then he
went up to the altar, and offered the Holy Sacrifice with the
fervour which was so remarkable in him, and before giving
Holy Communion he would kneel on the altar step, and
recite out- loud acts of preparation, which touched every
heart. Then, after having distributed the Bread of Life
to his penitents, he would again recite out-loud acts of
thanksgiving, and that with such fervour and joy that
very often the sobs of the whole congregation would
mingle with his praises. These monthly communions
were his great delight, and he never entrusted them to
any one else.
For a certain number of the most fervent he instituted
the same thing weekly, and then would collect them the
night before in a special dormitory, where they made their
preparation on Saturday night with de Rossi himself, who
inflamed their hearts with the love of God.
Each one of these souls had been his special conquest,
though often protracted through months and even years.
To reach them he would first awaken in their hearts a
horror of sin, and then an unbounded confidence in the
mercy of God. Many were willing enough to open their
hearts to him ; but, led away by their passions, could not
at first be persuaded to break through the chains that
held them. But de Rossi never lost hope or patience.
He would speak to them of the joys of heaven, of the
transitoriness of all earthly happiness, and while employ-
HIS HOPE OF HEAVEN. 137
ing their own vulgar language, would continually lead
them upwards and onwards, till his own confidence and
aspirations passed into their hearts. This earth, with all
its riches and honours, which excited the longing and envy
of the poor, what was it to the never-ending joys of hea
ven, — that heaven, the doors of which are opened to the
poor as freely as to the rich, and even more widely ?
Thoughts of paradise were, in fact, continually present
to the mind of John Baptist, and found expression in his
words. He was specially fond of the popular hymn on
heaven which the Italian peasants are so fond of, and
when he used to sing it with his sailor congregation at
the Eipa Grande, in the chapel of the Madonna del Buon
Viaggio, his eyes would often fill with tears of longing
desire.
" 0 Paradise amabile,
Beggia del Somrao Ee,
Begno desiderabile
Deh ! quando verro a te ?
mio Signore Altissimo
La vita di quaggiu,
Mi annoia O ! amabilissimo
Dolcissimo Gesu!"
The effect of his hopefulness was often seen on his peni
tents. Dom John Combi met one day a man coming out
of de Kossi's confessional so joyfully that he seemed not to
know how to contain himself, and exclaimed out loud :
"That holy man has saved me by telling me how com
pletely God has forgiven me. He has added such beauti
ful things on the divine mercy and the hope of heaven,
138 ST, JOHN BAPTIST DE 110SSI.
that it seems to me impossible not to serve so good a God,
or to go on sinning."
Canon Charles Ainbrosetti relates that a famous Eoman
missionary one day complained to de Eossi that he had so
little consolation or fruit from his missions, though he
had spoken so strongly of the judgments of God, of His
awful power and anger, and of the frightful punishments
which He inflicted on sinners. "But do you never
speak to them of the divine mercy and love ?" replied de
Eossi. And on receiving a negative answer, our saint
added : ' ' Take my advice, and preach on that subject
instead, and you will see a far different result."
This missionary had great reverence for de Eossi, and at
once made up his mind to follow his counsel, the result of
which was the conversion of innumerable souls.
Each year a new work was undertaken by our inde
fatigable saint for the glory of God. The months of
January and December always witnessed a great increase
in the number of poor admitted into St. Galla. There
were often more than four hundred, and those of the lowest
class. De Eossi used to go into the wards every evening,
and calling them out one by one, would find out the
history and the religious state of each, and never rested
till he had taught them what it was essential for every
Christian to know. The fatigue of this mission every
evening was inconceivable, but he never would give it up
to any one else till compelled by increased illness. And
then three or four priests were found insufficient for the
work he carried on alone, and they were obliged to content
themselves with giving an eight days' mission to these
poor people.
HIS ANXIETY FOR THE DEAD. 139
Bat it was not only for the living that de Eossi la
boured ; he was as anxious for the souls of the dead. In
November he always had an octave of Masses and prayers
for those who had died at St. Galla during the past year.
On All Souls5 Day he would call all the inmates into the
chapel, and there make them a touching address on those
among their companions whom God had called to Himself,
and who were often friendless and homeless, and had not
any one left in this world to help them with their prayers,
or abridge their sufferings in purgatory. He would draw
a moving picture of the way those holy souls were im
ploring a remembrance from them, and warn his hearers of
what their own fate might be if they refused to assist
them by their suffrages. Should any unexpected death
occur in the establishment, de Eossi eagerly took advan
tage of it to excite their charity and sympathy for their
deceased companion. There was, in fact, no form of moral
or social evil which he did not combat by his charity, his
exhortations, and his prayers.
Another instance of this is recorded by Father Joseph
Gorri, addressed to his superior, Father Leopold Bamfi,
General of the Order of the Brothers of St. John of God.
There existed in Civita Vecchia a very deplorable but
inveterate custom. The Confraternity of " La Stella "
had been instituted to prepare criminals convicted of
capital crimes for their last hour. But when, in the
exercise of their charitable ministry, they went in a body
from the church to the prison, the mob followed them, and
often remained the whole night outside, interfering, by
their wild cries, with their pious work. Even when the
unhappy culprit was led to the scaffold the savage mob
140 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
was still there, howling and screaming, and seeming to
take a positive pleasure in the fears of the condemned.
Insults and menaces were not wanting, and all the efforts
of the police had been ineffectual to stop this fearful abuse.
Canon de Rossi was preaching a retreat to the Brothers
of St. John of God at the very moment when an execution
was about to take place. Several of the inhabitants came
to him, and implored him to put an end to these shameful
proceedings. The confraternity was assembled in the
church, and already the mob was gathering round and
filling it. De Rossi went into the pulpit, and in a burst of
eloquence he made the whole congregation feel how odious
and disgraceful such conduct was. The people seemed to
realize it for the first time, and one by one left the church
quietly and returned to their own houses, so that the
brothers could go quietly to the prison. To complete the
work he had begun, John Baptist determined to accom
pany the criminal to the place of execution, and assist him
in his last moments. The crowd followed in respectful
silence. After the execution de Rossi himself mounted
the scaffold, and there addressed the mob, who were
already deeply impressed. He spoke with love and com
passion of the unfortunate culprit who had just expiated
his crime in this world by a terrible death. He implored
their prayers for his soul, and then went on to speak of
the far more terrible, because eternal, death which awaited
the impenitent sinner in the next world. The mob, awed
and impressed, dispersed quietly, and many were moved to
a change of life.
In fact, Canon de Rossi never either preached, or gave
catechism, or took the lead in any pious exercise, without
THE GOOD HE EFFECTED. 141
the most extraordinary results being obtained. His
confessional, which was always thronged with penitents,
gave another proof of this fact. Very often it was im
possible for him to hear half the number who were waiting
for him, and they had to go to other confessors ; but they
also bore witness to the success of his ministry.
One of them wrote: "The conversions brought about
by the preaching of Canon de Rossi are innumerable. I
Lave often known the most notorious sinners converted by
a single sermon of his ; yet he himself was quite unaware
of the effect he produced. It was truly the grace of God
working in him which brought about these wonderful
miracles."
CHAPTEE IV.
De Rossi in the Hospitals.
DENCE IN HIM. THE SPECIAL WAY IN WHICH PROVIDENCE
SEEMED TO LEAD HIM TO THE BEDSIDES OP THE SICK. — HIS
PARTICULAR LOVE FOR THOSE AFFLICTED WITH CONSUMPTION.
TTTHEREVER human nature was to be found in poverty
» * or suffering, there de Rossi was sure to hasten with
encouragement and consolation. We have spoken of his
visits as a boy to the hospitals when he had become a
member of the " Ristretto," and this charitable habit was
dear to him to the very end of his life. Every day he
142 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
found a few moments to visit one or other of the many
hospitals in Rome. He would stop at the bedside of one
sick man after the other, speaking to each as if he had
been specially confided to him. The most burning sun in
the very middle of the day in Rome did not deter him ;
for those were the moments when he was most free. He
would find out the wants of each patient, render them a
whole host of little services, and never, till he had attended
to their corporal necessities, would he touch upon more
serious matters. Then he would question them gently and
delicately about their spiritual needs, and that with such
sympathy and compassion that the sick would open their
whole hearts to him, and often the most important con
versions were the result. One day, when he was telling a
story to show how Providence makes use of trifling things
to touch hearts, he mentioned the following circumstance.
There was a young man dying at St. Giacomo degli
Incurabili of a horrible disease contracted by a vicious
life. f ' I was constantly by his bedside," related de Rossi,
" and did all I could to reconcile him to God, but in vain.
I came day after day, but he would not listen to me or to
any one. One morning, I came earlier than usual ; but he
drove me away ; all I could do was to commend him to
God, and go and see the other patients. The hour arrived
for those young men to come into the hospital who de
voted themselves to the voluntary service of the sick, and
I went and joined them. It was my business that day to
do a very repulsive office, and it happened to be for the
young man who was dying in that sad state of impeni
tence. This was the moment chosen by God to show forth
His mercy and loving kindness. He saw what I was
HIS DEVOTION TO THE SICK. 143
doing for him, and it touched him to the heart. He said
it proved to him that it was out of pure love and charity
that I had come, as no one could undertake so loathsome
a work without, and he then implored me to forgive his
rudeness, and to hear his confession. His penitence and
compunction were genuine, and I had the happiness of
seeing him die in peace with God and man."
De Rossi's experience and extraordinary intuition as to
the state of men's souls, gave him a wonderful insight into
the hearts and consciences of his patients, and very often
a look was enough to reveal their state to him. " Like a
new Elisha," writes Toietti, t( his presence, which breathed
holiness, seemed to call to life again souls which had been
buried in sin. After confession, if there were no hope of
recovery, he would not leave them till they had expired in
his arms/'
His friends never could understand how one so frail and
delicate could resist the enormous fatigue consequent on
his attendance by these dying beds; but God seemed
to give him on such occasions a special strength. Joseph
Nerucci deposed as follows : " I looked upon Canon do
Rossi as the St. Philip Neri of our day. I am convinced
that he alone did more for the conversion of souls than all
the other apostolic labourers in Rome put together. He
was quite indefatigable in the care of the sick, not only
at St. Galla, but in all the hospitals of Rome, and espe
cially at Santo Spirito. No matter what the cold or the
heat might be, there he went daily. We often implored
him to care a little more for his health, if only for the sake
of being able to work longer. He would reply, ' My death
would not be a misfortune to anybody. The sick implore
144 ST. JOH!N BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
my help; Low can I refuse it to them, or run the risk
of their making sacrilegious confessions to others whom
they do not wish for ?' "
Dom Antonio della Giustizia also declared : ' ' Every day
of his life he was sent for to one hospital or the other to
hear the confessions of the dying. He would start in
stantly, often without ever thinking of taking any food,
and when reproached for not having eaten his dinner,
would reply, smiling, ( The shortest way to get to heaven
is to work as long as one has any strength left. Up there
God will remember it all.' "
It is not to be wondered at that he thus won the un
bounded love and confidence of the sick, and that the most
hardened sinners felt themselves moved to repentance by
his very appearance. One day, at the hospital (called of
f ' Consolation") , a young man was brought in from Ostia,
terribly wounded in a bloody fray. He was a brigand,
and his poor mother was weeping by his bedside, imploring
his return to God, but not daring to pray for his life, as he
felt sure that he would at once fall a victim to the ven
geance of his enemies, who were determined to kill him in
consequence of a murder of which they believed him
guilty. John Baptist was deeply interested in this poor
young fellow, and showed him such love and tenderness
that his heart was melted, and he made the fullest con
fession of his sins, and received absolution. Contrary to
all human expectation, his wounds healed, and his health
seemed about to be restored, which only redoubled his
mother's grief, for she foresaw that he would die a violent
death. Her prayers, however, were heard. Another
malady developed itself, and soon there was little or no
MIRACULOUS CURES THROUGH HIS PRAYERS. 145
hope. One day, at the hour when the wards were full of
strangers, a terrible cry was heard from his bed, which
startled every one. They rushed to his bedside, and found
him apparently dead. After a few minutes of profound
silence, however, the dying man opened his eyes, and
exclaimed, in a thrilling voice: " I have just appeared
before the judgment- seat of Christ, and, thanks to Canon
de Eossi, my sentence is favourable. Through his efforts,
and the merits of our Lord, I am forgiven. Why should I
tarry any longer ? I wish to die, and I die with joy.
Canon de Kossi has saved me." And saying these words,
he expired.
Unexpected cures were also obtained by his prayers.
Gaetano Fantoni, a friend of John's, had fallen dan
gerously ill, and the canon coming to see him, found him
in his agony. His family were in the greatest despair,
and sobbing round his bed. " Courage," exclaimed de
Rossi; "I am just going to the feet of St. Philip Neri,
and will pray for him." Hardly had he reached the altar
of the saint than the dying man recovered his conscious
ness, and in a few days was perfectly cured.
On another occasion John Baptist was visiting a poor
artizan, Gaudenzio Vannini, who had just received all the
last sacraments, and was preparing for death. His poor
wife and nine little children were weeping round his bed,
whose very existence depended on the labour of the dying
man. Tears filled the canon's eyes. " Have confidence,"
he exclaimed; "one hour after the Angelus kneel down
with all these poor little creatures, and ask our Lord
to cure your husband. I will make all the poor at the
hospital join in the prayer." De Rossi flew back to St.
146 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
Galla, made all the sick pray at the appointed time, and
the state of the sick man began at once to amend. The
next day the doctors, who thought to find him dead,
declared, to their astonishment, that he was quite out
of danger.
De Rossi had always the greatest confidence in the
prayers of the poor, and always sought for and obtained
their intercession for his sick and dying cases. Once, at
the Santo Spirito hospital, a man at the point of death
obstinately refused all the consolations of religion. Canon
Dominic Cuccumos, who had charge of the hospital, sent
to tell Canon de Rossi of the fact. It was evening, and de
Rossi was saying the Rosary with his poor at St. Gal la.
He rose directly, told all his sick people to say a fervent
Ave Maria for a dying soul, and rushed off to the hospital.
The sick man had refused to see a priest a few minutes
before, but no sooner did de Rossi come near his bed than
he began directly to make his confession with the heartiest
contrition. Our saint prepared him at once for holy
Viaticum, and had the consolation of leaving him in
perfect dispositions. In fact, at any hour of the day or
night, when he heard of a sick man wishing to see him, he
would hurry to his bedside, and when entreated on several
occasions to wait till morning, he would say, " The fear of
not finding them alive, or without consciousness, would
entirely prevent my sleeping." The servants at the
Trinita, however, complained bitterly of these nightly
interruptions, and at last took it upon themselves not to
call or disturb him till the morning. . The canon found it
out, and bitterly reproached them. After showing them
how frequently a delay might prove fatal, he exacted and
HIS INTERIOR WARNINGS OF SICKNESS. 147
finally insisted on being always summoned, no matter
at what hour or under what circumstances. His words
Were so unusually stern that the servants never again
dared to fail to warn him of any sick call, and that without
delay. Even towards .the close of his life, when walking
was very painful to him, he had been one day to the Villa
Mattei with some ecclesiastics, when he was summoned by
a sick man in the Via Banchi, near the bridge of St.
Angelo. His companions implored him not to go, or at
least to rest a little first* But John Baptist smiling,
instantly turned and walked back, arriving very quickly
at the house where he was expected.
There is no doubt that he was continually interiorly
warned by God when any one urgently needed his assist
ance. One day, Dom Philip Mazzolini was walking with
him near St. Alexis, All of a sudden John took his arm,
turned rapidly back, and began walking as fast as he could
in another direction. His companion followed him in
amazement, till they came to a poor house, where John
went straight in, and there they found a dying man, at
whose bedside he instantly knelt, and began speaking to
him of death, and reciting the prayers for those in their
last agony. The poor man got weaker and weaker, and
John went on suggesting ejaculatory prayers to him, and
remained with him till all was over.
On another occasion Count Nicolas Monzoni heard the
following story from de Eossi's own lips. It was night,
and he was coming home after his usual visits to Santo
Spirito, and to the little hospital of St. Hyacinth along
side, when all of a sudden he felt the greatest anxiety to
retrace his steps, and had an internal conviction that some
148 ST, JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
one was in urgent need of him. He stopped and hesi
tated ; it was very late, and he was very tired ; but again
the same overpowering feeling came over him that he
must go back to the hospital. He yielded to the con
viction, and as he arrived at the gates he found two people
bearing a man in their arms who was dangerously wounded,
and whom he assisted to carry into the ward assigned to
him. Then, after having sympathized with his sufferings,
he asked him if he had anything on his conscience.
" 0, my father," exclaimed the poor man, "I have
never made a good confession, for from my boyhood
I have concealed a mortal sin/5 At these words John's
whole heart was filled with gratitude to God, as he directly
understood the motive of the mysterious recall to the
hospital which he had received. He at once spoke to the
man of the wonderful goodness of God, who had borne
pntiently with his sacrilege until now, and decided him to
make a thorough confession. His state was hopeless, and
he had only a few hours to live. John remained with him
to the last, and had the untold consolation of seeing him
expire in perfect peace and fully reconciled to God.
Another time John Baptist started for the hospital of
St. Giacomo. To his great surprise he found himself
instead at the door of the hospital of Santo Spirito. He
could not understand how he could have had such an
extraordinary distraction. He resolved to retrace his
steps, and take the path leading to St. Giacorao; but again
he found himself at St. Peter's. After having prayed for
a few moments over the tombs of the apostles, he en
deavoured for a third time to follow his original destina
tion, but again found himself at the gates of Santo Spirito.
HE CONVERTS A DYING MAN. 349
He had hardly time to reflect on this most mysterious
proceeding when a man was brought in on a stretcher,
mortally wounded. Internally moved to follow him into
the ward, John waited till the doctors had examined the
wound, and then drew near to his bed. At the sight of
him the man burst out into fearful cries and imprecations.
John remained silent, only looking at him with the
greatest tenderness and compassion. The wounded man
stared at him in astonishment, and again John drew near
and asked him if he could not do something to relieve him.
At these loving words the man burst into tears. "For
five years," he exclaimed, " I have refused to see a priest.
But perhaps God has permitted this accident, and brought
me here, that I might obtain forgiveness for my sins."
The victory was won ; gently taking his hand, John began
a series of questions, which ended in a complete avowal of
his faults and a generous pardon of the man who had been
his murderer. His heavy burden was then lifted from him
by absolution, and John hastened to bring him holy
Viaticum. The poor fellow received it with the utmost
faith and fervour. He would not let John's hand go after
wards, but kept on pressing it, while he whispered acts of
love, resignation, and full acceptance of God's will into
the ears of the dying man. Then John began the prayers
for the agonizing, and at the words ' ' Proficiscere anima
Christiana,'1 the purified soul of the sinner returned to
God. " I feel confident of meeting him in heaven/' added
John, in speaking of this occurrence, "for never were
there more evident proofs of the divine mercy."
As we have seen, it was not only in the hospitals, but in
private houses also that the dying would send for him, or
150 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
make him feel in that superhuman manner that hia
presence was required. It was a terrible addition to his
labours, and towards the end of his life it was sometimes
impossible for him to go to all in the same day. On the
2nd July, 1760, having one of his very bad attacks, Canon
de Eossi was compelled to put off one of his visits for some
days. The instant he could move he insisted, in spite of
the doctor's orders, on hastening to the sick man. What
was his sorrow when he found him without consciousness,
and ready to- breathe his last sigh. There were several
religious round his bed, but the dying man gave no sign of
life, and took no notice of any of them. John drew near
and called him by his name. At his voice, to the astonish
ment of every one, the patient opened his eyes, recognized
the canon, expressed the greatest joy at his arrival, and
begged to be left alone with him, when he made a general
confession. Hardly had he received absolution than he
fell back into the same state of lethargy, and died shortly
after. The canon burst into tears of joy, and every one
present gave thanks to God, who had not allowed an
involuntary delay to cause the loss of a soul for all eternity.
One of de Kossi's favourite charities was to hunt out the
sick who could not be admitted into hospitals, and to
procure for them every alleviation in his power. He
heard one day that an unhappy old man lay paralyzed at
the very top of the Palazzo Colonna. For more than a
year he toiled up those endless stairs, day after day,
(although himself almost in a dying state,) and went on
visiting him till the month of September, 1768, which was
only a few months before his own death, when, being
utterly unable to continue his charitable work, he found
HIS CARE OF CONSUMPTIVE CASES. 151
out a zealous priest who consented to take his place by
the side of the old paralytic.
There was one form of malady which was more dear to
Lim than any other, and that was consumption. He used
to say ' ' that the sick poor were his ' reserved lambs,' but
that consumptive cases were ' his special province.' " The
poor whom this malady attacked were generally taken to
St. Hyacinth's, where John Baptist went so often. As he
hardly ever missed a daily visit to this hospital, and that
the good he did was well known to all, the directors gave
him a private key, that he might be able to go in at any
Lour. Canon de Rossi was very proud of this key, and
used laughingly to say to his friends, " This is the key of
paradise, for, according to my experience, to die of con
sumption is almost always to be predestined to heaven."
This malady causes dreadful ravages in Rome, and is
proportionably dreaded. The unhealthiness of the air at
certain seasons helps the spread of the disease, which
carries off its victims with fearful rapidity. People believe
it to be contagious in Italy, and John had more reason to
dread it than any one else, on account of his natural
delicacy. Many tried to keep him from visiting this
hospital in consequence, but in vain. f< Charity is not
dangerous," he would reply, smiling. Hour after hour
was spent by him in these fetid wards, breathing this
infected air, leaning over the sick to hear their confessions,
and to give them last words of encouragement and hope.
One would think that he did everything he could to catch
the disease. But God verified his words, and, to encou
rage his imitators, never allowed the realization of the
fears of his friends. On the other hand, his presence in
152 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
the hospital brought endless joy and consolation to the
patients. Dying in that way by inches, they seemed
to have but one wish, and that was to be assisted by the
holy canon in their last moments. To hear them speak
about it one might fancy that the canon had the keys of
heaven itself. Not content with visiting them in the
hospitals, he would entreat his friends to let him know
of any private case of this disease, and often was inspired
himself to find them out. " Consumptive people," he
would say, "must be preserved from two great dangers.
The first is, their almost total abandonment when lung
disease declares itself, which makes their life intolerable.
The other comes from the fact of their age, being almost
always young people who are so attacked they have
to suffer more violent assaults from the devil.'* He added,
(< My long experience convinces me that very few young
people are willing to die, and that this disease is most
deceptive in its character. Nevertheless, by visiting them
continually, and preparing them by degrees, they become
at last so resigned that it is a real privilege to be able to
assist them in their last moments."
He did not add that it was generally, thanks to his
indefatigable care, that these happy dispositions were
arrived at.
He had an extraordinary amount of tact in dealing with
his patients. He never wearied them with long prayers,
but would say to them a few words of extraordinary fervour
from time to time. "The last hours," he used to say,
" should be entirely devoted to the dying man, and
not frittered away in condolences with the relations, or
conversation near the bed which, especially if whispered,
HIS ATTENTIONS TO THE SICK. 153
irritates the patient. When a priest is not saying ejacu-
latory prayers, or suggesting holy thoughts suitable to
that supreme moment, he should be fervently kneeling
and imploring God's mercy for that departing soul."
We cannot better conclude this chapter than by quoting
the words which de Rossi himself uttered one day when
speaking of foreign missions, for it shows us, in spite of
his own humility, how God blessed his charitable ministry
towards the sick.
" Many religious," he said, " go to India and to heathen
lands to convert the pagan nations, and it is a blessed
work. But the Indies for me are the hospitals ! And,
thanks to God's wonderful mercy and grace, I hardly ever
pay a visit there without seeing at least one soul saved
from the clutches of the devil."
CHAPTER V.
John Baptist's Missions in the Campagna.
HIS FIRST EXCURSIONS THERE. — THE GOOD HE DOES. — HE BEGINS
HIS MISSIONS. — THE INNUMERABLE CONVERSIONS HE BRINGS
ABOUT. — HIS CONDUCT TOWARDS OTHER MISSIONERS.
terrible malady from which our saint suffered, and
which forced him to remain for weeks in an almost
dying state on his bed, gave him only another opportunity
of glorifying God and saving souls. For after these cruel
attacks, the doctors forced him to leave the heavy air of
154 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
the town and go into the country. It was on one of these
occasions, as we have already mentioned, that he went to
Civita Castellana, when the Venerable Tenderini persuaded
him first to hear confessions. And after that, he visited in
succession Albano, Arriccio, Monte Rotondo, Rocca di
Papa and Tivoli. A very few days after his arrival in any
one of these places, the poor found him out. An invisible
power seemed to draw them towards him, and John be
came as deeply interested in their needs and sorrows as in
his Roman children. By degrees he began to see what an
immense work might be done by zealous missioners,
amongst these good but often ignorant people, and he
resolved to set about it at once.
Among other things he felt that great spiritual profit
might be derived from the special religious festivals
common in each locality, which were celebrated by the
peasants with great devotion and in great crowds, but
which often, for want of priests to lead them, degenerated
towards evening into riotous and profane gatherings. He
resolved to try and make it his habit to pass these days in
the places of devotion near Rome, and thus to sanctify, if
possible, these pilgrimages among the people. We will
only give an account of one of these festivals, and the way
he set about it.
Decima is a little hamlet in the Campagna, where, every
year, the feast of St. Antony is celebrated with great
pomp. Our saint consequently arrived on horseback there
after dinner the evening before, and though very tired
after his long journey, began at once to visit the little
cabins and grottos where the peasants lived during the bad
season. All the people were delighted to see him, and
THE FEAST OF ST. ANTONY. 155
gladly acceded to his request to come and meet him that
evening in the village church. There the canon mounted
the pulpit, and began a very simple and practical ex
planation of the saint's life which they were to celebrate on
the morrow, and the best way of preparing for the feast.
The result was that a mass of people came to beg him to
hear their confessions, which often lasted far into the
night. At dawn of day, however, he was again in the
confessional, and when the hour of communion came, he
would make them a moving allocution on the Holy
Eucharist, so that they might worthily receive their Lord,
and his words touched the peasants to the quick.
After Mass he would join in their simple feast, and
though he eat scarcely anything, he was so gay and bright
that he seemed not even to feel his fatigues, and made
every one happy around him. In the evening they again
met in the church, recited litanies, venerated the saint's
relics, and again listened to some burning words which he
would address to them on the love of God for us, and the
love we should feel towards Him. " It was his favourite
subject," wrote Toietti, " and he did it with extraordinary
energy. His face would seem quite lighted up, as if with
a ray of that divine fire which interiorly consumed him."
In speaking of the death of St. Antony, he quoted the
last words of the saint to his monks, imploring them to
persevere in love towards Jesus Christ, and spoke so
movingly of this love that the peasants were all in tears.
They had come from great distances to this feast, from
Ostia, Porcigliano, Practica, and even from Castel-Romano.
There, as at Rome, noted sinners would throw themselves
at his feet, and were as much touched at his loving-
156 ST. JOIIN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
kindness and charity as they had been with his words.
The next morning at break of day, half dead with fatigue,
he would ride back to Borne, thanking God for the good
which had been, (according to his own account,) " so
easily effected."
The time came, however, for these missions to be regu
larly established. Canon Lodi had consecrated his whole
fortune to pious foundations, and when dying, left, among
other sums, fifty scudi annually for a secular priest to
preach in the most neglected part of the Campagna. Dom
Carlo Ambrosetti was the first priest chosen for this
mission. He was young, and without much experience,
so that he earnestly entreated our saint to accompany him.
De Rossi consented at once, provided he had no share in
the money. When, however, the news was spread through
Eome, the people took fright. They feared his absence
might be prolonged, and that his health would break down
from the fatigue. They flew, therefore, to his director,
and implored him to forbid his departure. This holy
priest knew well John's apostolic zeal, and the good he
would do; so, knowing also his admirable obedience, he
took very good care not to say a word to him against the
proposal, and did not even show him the real anxiety he
felt as to his health. John accordingly started with Dom
Ambrosetti ; but the extraordinary number of conversions
which were the result of their first mission induced him
afterwards to go by himself wherever he was summoned.
In that way he went through the dioceses of E/ieti, Aquila,
Spoleto, and Atri. He generally set out after the Feast of
the Nativity of our Lady, which he liked to celebrate at
St. Mary in Cosmedin, so as to obtain special graces for
HIS PATIENCE UNDER HARDSHIPS. 157
his work. He never returned to Rome till the end of
October. The roads were then in a very bad state, being
infested by brigands, and each traveller had to pay a kind
of black mail. But never were John and his fellow-
missioners molested, and every one attributed the fact to
our saint's personal holiness. They had to endure very
great fatigues; but who could complain when they saw
John, already bowed with the weight of years and oppressed
by illness, yet always gay and bright, and even rejoicing
at the toil endured for the salvation of souls ? " God be
praised," he exclaimed one day, when the fatigues had
been even greater than usual, " the greater our sufferings,
the larger will be our harvest of sinners." And his words
were always prophetic. They could only travel on horse
back, which was very painful to him on account of his
infirmities, the length of the way, and his not being used
to the saddle. Very often he could scarcely sit his
horse, yet no accident ever happened to him. In crossing
mountains and streams, when very often their steeds
became unmanageable, his companions remarked that
John simply let go his bridle, and abandoned himself to
the will of God. His exhaustion and the pain he suffered
was seen on his countenance, and sometimes they thought
he would die before he got to his destination ; yet he
always had a smile on his lips. One day, when they were
going from Aquila to Rieti, which is a long way, the rain
came down in such torrents, together with a biting cold
wind, that the horses could hardly face it, and the mis-
sioners had, of course, no way of protecting themselves
from the elements. Canon Toietti, who was one of them,
thought that John must die of such exposure ; but he only
158 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
laughed at their misfortunes, and could not be persuaded
to stop and take shelter on the road. This happened
several times, and it seemed as if the devil, furious at his
success, was quite determined to stop him if he could ; but
God visibly protected His servant.
The fatigues of the journey, however, were not all ; the
food was scarce and bad. In one place they had to suffer
positive hunger, in another equally severe thirst. The
miserable lodgings they found in most places added to
their discomfort ; generally it was a disused barn, without
either bed or any other necessary of life. Sometimes even
they had to sleep in the open air, exposed to all the
vicissitudes of the weather ; but that was better than the
repulsive cabins filled with vermin, which were the only
alternative.
Our saint, however, never uttered a word of complaint.
Always calm and gentle, he thought of nothing but of the
souls he was come to save; nothing else, according to him,
was worthy of consideration ; nay more, if there were a
choice between one place and another, he always chose the
worst. One day he was received by the only rich person
in the place, who, proud to entertain such a guest, had
done everything she could to contribute to his comfort.
But the servant of God perceived that in this nice apart
ment the poor people could not have free access to him.
He instantly left his comfortable quarters, and settled
himself in a wretched hole near the church, which was
more like a prison than anything else. There was no
furniture of any sort : but the poor flocked round him, and
he was as happy as a king. This very fact, moreover, had
touched their hearts before he had said a word. They
HIS GENTLENESS TOWARDS OTHERS. 159
implored him themselves to go back to the rich lady's
house, but all their entreaties were in vain. "He had
come there for them," he said, smiling, "and with them
he would stay."
One only thing cost him a good deal in these poor
missions, and that was the impossibility of finding more
than one room very often for himself and his fellow-
missioners. That any one should witness his nightly acts
of devotion and penance was insupportable to him, so that
whenever he possibly could, he would get into some cave
or outside shed, where he could be alone, no matter what
its discomforts might be. If this could not be found, he
would act with the greatest tact and circumspection, wait
ing till his companions slept, and the like. But, thanks to
this unavoidable necessity, many little circumstances of his
holy and mortified life became known which otherwise
would have been buried in complete silence.
He always looked upon himself as the last and lowest of
the missioners, but he could not help being their head and
their model. Hard as he was towards himself, he was
most tender towards them. In the diocese of Aquila two
of them fell ill from intense fatigue and exposure. Our
saint waited upon them day and night, and performed the
humblest offices for them. Finding their state getting
more and more dangerous, he offered his own life for their
cure. Writing at this time to a friend in Rome, he says :
" Why has not this sickness fallen upon me rather than on
these young apostles ? They have still so much power and
strength to do good, whereas I am only a poor, worn-out,
miserable old man." Needless to add that God heard his
prayer, and restored them to health. At Eocca di Mezzo
160 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI,
another of his companions, who was the sole support of
his family, was reduced to the last extremity. John felt it
terribly, for already people complained that these new
missions killed the most fervent of his young priests. He
redoubled his prayers, his watchings, and his devoted care
of his patient, and God again accepted his sacrifices, and
restored the young priest to life after all human skill
seemed in vain.
On another occasion, at Monte Falco, a fearful storm
broke out during the night. The lightning and thunder
were terrific ; a thunderbolt fell close to them, and to add
to their fears, an earthquake shook their poor cottage to
its foundations. But John, with a calm and undisturbed
face, called his companions, made with them a short and
fervent prayer, and then returned to his bed and slept
quietly, in spite of the fury of the elements. The next
morning they asked him how he could possibly sleep
like that, when every one was so fearfully alarmed. He
answered, smiling, " Well, I had just been to confession ;
why should I be afraid ?"
There was one post which he always reserved to himself,
and that was to be the one to call the missioners every
morning. They used laughingly to declare he was the
"inexorable alarum." He had two reasons for this. In
the first place they were thus compelled to be always in
time for the services in the church, a punctuality which
was absolutely necessary in the country, where the
peasants were all day at work in the fields, and could not
attend to their duties at all except before sunrise. John
was therefore, as his missioners said, inexorable. When
one or the other of them would protest that it was not yet
HIS PUNCTUALITY IN RISING. 161
time, he would gaily reply, "Ah, but is this the time
to rest?"
His second reason was, that unless he rose before break
of day he could never find time for his own prayers and
meditation, which he never neglected during the missions
any more than when quietly in Eome. Dom Constantino
Salvi, who often woke early, relates that an hour before he
roused his companions he would see John kneeling be
tween his bed and the wall, immoveable in prayer. His
extraordinary fatigues and his delicate health were to him
no excuse for omitting or shortening his hour of medi
tation.
One evening he was so exhausted that his alarmed
companions determined to put his watch back an hour,
that he might rest a little longer the next morning.
Hardly had he begun his prayers, in consequence, than
the bells began to ring for church. He hastened thither
accordingly; but afterwards he reproached them bitterly
for their fuse, telling them how fearful he was of going
into his confessional, or saying his Mass, without a proper
preparation for this sublime mystery.
Canon de Rossi had the strongest possible feeling on
the subject of charity, and could not bear that the smallest
want of concord should exist among his missioners.
One evening, in a house in the diocese of Aquila, a
proposition was brought forward, which Dom Liberti
opposed, for the sole reason that he wanted to hear what
de Rossi would say in reply. Every one entered into the
joke, and to de Rossi's astonishment every one, in conse
quence, took part against him. As it was an important
question in the spiritual life, John thought he ought not
162 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
to yield his opinion, although Dom Liberti made believe
to be seriously anno}7ed. However, John's pretended
adversaries began to repent of having pushed the matter
so far, and changed the conversation. When night came,
and every one had gone to bed, Dom Liberti heard some
one knocking at his door. On opening it he found, to his
astonishment, de Rossi, who with the greatest humility
and simplicity said to him in a low voice, " You are not
vexed with me? We are still friends?" His voice and
manner touched Dom Liberti to the quick, and he at once
confessed that he and his companions had only carried on
the discussion by way of a joke. John breathed a great
sigh of relief, and smiling brightly, wished him joyfully
good-night, returning happily to his room now that he
found that no cloud had arisen to mar their mutual good
understanding.
He followed a certain rule in giving the missions, from
which he rarely departed, and to which the other mis-
sioners gladly conformed. After holy Mass and a short
exhortation they took their coffee, or some slight food,
and then went to their confessionals. At one o'clock they
left to say Vespers ; then they dined. The canon knew
how to brighten the conversation, and made the meal
agreeable to everybody. Then he went to his room for a
few minutes' recollection, after which he started to visit
the sick in the village or in the neighbouring country,
whom he consoled, instructed, and confessed. Then he
went back to the church, taught the catechism to the
children, and then again repaired to his confessional.
A fresh instruction in the evening, after the men had
come back from their work, followed by Benediction and a
HOW HE CONDUCTED HIS MISSIONS. 163
return to the confessional, closed the day. He never left
the church till two hours after the Angelus. Then he said
Matins and Lauds, and then joined his companions at
supper, when, however, he rarely eat anything himself,
but discussed the mission with them, spoke of its results,
and of the reforms which might be inaugurated in this or
that practice, and then retired for the night. His first
care on arriving in a place was to see that the people were
able to attend the instructions, so that they might
thoroughly know and understand Catholic doctrine. For
this purpose he visited all the proprietors, imploring them
to spare their labourers for the required time, and promis
ing that the hours should be so arranged as to interfere as
little as possible with their work. At first the masters
paid little heed to his words ; but when they found that
his promises and menaces were alike fulfilled, and that God
blessed or cursed their farms in proportion to the oppor
tunities they gave to their labourers to profit by the
missions, they hastened to comply with his request, and
came themselves as regularly as their men. His instruc
tions were so clear and simple that the poorest could
understand them. He preached on the catechism, and
took incredible pains to leave a distinct idea on the minds
of the peasants of their duty to God, to their neighbour,
and to themselves. It was in this way that he made such
innumerable conversions. It was enough for him to put
before them in the plainest possible words the goodness
and love of God, and the terrible state of men who were at
enmity with Him Who had given the last drop of His
Blood for their conversion, to touch the hardest hearts.
Then he would dwell on the precepts of charity towards
ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
our neighbour, all emanating from that same love which
was, in fact, the key-note of his instructions. He never
spoke without preparing himself by fervent prayer, and it
is no exaggeration to say that every sermon of his was
followed by miracles of divine grace. The peasants
positively besieged his confessional, and it was remarked
that the very same words used by any other priest were
insufficient to touch them. There was a kind of virtue
went out from him, a mysterious and inexplicable power
of penetrating the secrets of men's hearts, and of pro
ducing an impression upon them which was never after
wards effaced.
One day, when he was about to give a mission, he
preached upon the necessity of making good and thorough
confessions, and what dispositions were required of those
who would rightly approach the tribunal of penance. All
of a sudden his face became very sad, and turning towards
a particular corner of the church, he exclaimed, "In this
very church I see a man whose soul is stained with sin,
but who cannot be persuaded to make a general confession;
and yet this confession is so vital to him that if he does
not make it now it will be too late ; divine vengeance will
strike him, and he will die unabsolved." His words struck
the congregation with awe and terror, and no one could
imagine to whom he referred, as he had only just arrived,
and knew no one in the place. Only one old man re
mained unmoved and disdainful, and after church went to
pay a visit to the parish priest, saying to him, laughing :
" You heard that good missionary's exordium just now ?
Well, the man who won't make his confession is myself."
This was true, and the priest forced him to own that no
AN IMPENITENT DEACON. 105
soul needed it more. He used every argument to induce
him to see the canon ; he spoke to him of wasted oppor
tunities ; of this last warning which God had given him ;
of the extraordinary intuition and gift of prophecy which
had been granted to Canon de Rossi, and which had
invariably been confirmed by subsequent events. At last
he implored him on his knees to save himself from the
wrath to come. It was so much breath wasted. The
mission began and ended, and the old man remained
impenitent. John and his missioners left the place and
arrived at Goriano. The day after their arrival news was
brought that the wretched old man had suddenly dropped
down dead, and had thus been cut off, as John had fore
told, in the midst of his sins.
On another occasion John found an unhappy deacon,
who, forgetful of his vows, had given scandal to the whole
country by an illicit connection. One of the missioners,
Dom Nicolas Bonucci, persuaded him to go and see Canon
de Rossi. John received him with the greatest kindness
and affection, and used every argument to win him,
but in vain. In despair at his hardness of heart, John
burst into tears, and conjured him to think of the scandal
he was giving; of the Precious Blood shed for him, and
which he was trampling under foot; of the remorse which
even at that moment he knew filled his soul. At last he
added that this was the last plank of safety which would
be held out to him. But the more John insisted, the more
the wretched man held out against his arguments. As he
was leaving the mission the principal inhabitants came to
thank the canon for his services, and to accompany him on
his way. The unhappy deacon was amongst them. Our
166 ST. JO EN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
saint called him aside, and in a voice broken by emotion
implored him once more to save himself. ' ' My brother/'
he exclaimed, " for God's sake break through this fatal
tie. The wrath of God is about to fall upon you, and you
will die in your sin." But his words were in vain, and
the canon and his missioners returned to Eome. A day or
two later the unhappy deacon was stabbed by his own
brother on the steps of the church, and died without a
moment being given him for repentance. The criminal
intercourse which John had in vain striven to induce him
to give up had been the motive of this terrible outrage,
and the instrument of his punishment.
CHAPTER VI.
Canon de Rossi as Director of the Clergy,
HE SEEKS FOR THE SOCIETY OF ECCLESIASTICS. — HIS LOVE FOR
YOUNG PRIESTS. — THE WAY IN WHICH HE DEVELOPES AND
ENCOURAGES THEIR ARDOUR FOR THE SALVATION OF SOULS. -
THEIR WALKS TO THE VILLA MATTEL - HE IS CONSULTED BY
POPE BENEDICT XIV. ON THE REFORM OF THE CLERGY. — HE
OCCUPIES HIMSELF SPECIALLY WITH CONFESSORS.
Dom Eomuald Onorante, dean of the Roman
vJ clergy, deposed as follows : " I can affirm with
certainty that through the influence of John Baptist
de Rossi, all that was cold and tepid among the secular
HOW HE INFLUENCED THE CLERGY. 167
clergy disappeared. He was so fervent that he inspired
them with a like zeal, and, thanks to him, perfect prodi
gies were wrought on men^s souls."
We have before said that John was not at his ease in
general society, and it cost him a good deal to enter into
general conversation on indifferent subjects. But with
priests it was quite different : he felt himself in a con
genial atmosphere, and never left them but when charity
called him to the bedside of the sick and suffering. His
apostolate amongst young priests was as fruitful as all his
other works. He won the confidence and love of all the
ecclesiastics in Rome, and was listened to by them with
sovereign respect. Father Tavani, when speaking of this,
remarked, {c That a priest in a high position, invested with
great authority, should influence the clergy under him is
not surprising; examples, orders, promotions, threats, — all
are in his hands. But that a poor and humble ecclesiastic,
without any authority in the hierarchy, suffering and
unknown, hidden in a little room of a hospital, should
become all-powerful with his brethren, this, one must
allow, was something extraordinary."
This extraordinary fact could only be attributed to the
rare sanctity of John Baptist, a sanctity which he did his
best to conceal, but which nevertheless unconsciously
influenced and charmed all who came near him. Never
was he seen alone in the streets ; as soon as he appeared
the priests would gather round him and accompany him
like disciples to the house or the hospital he was going
to visit.
The supernatural graces he received were never more
evident than in discerning vocations. One day a young
168 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DB ROSSI.
priest was anxious to go to India, and consulted him.
" Console yourself instead at the feet of St. Philip Neri,"
John replied ; " stay here and follow his example." In
spite of this advice the young man started. Yery soon
after he was compelled to return to Rome, and showed
himself a truly zealous priest, doing immense good to
souls. Two other priests were going to become religious.
John stopped them, and these very men played an active
and important part later on among the secular clergy.
He prevented several other young men from doing the
same thing, seeing that they were carried away only by a
momentary enthusiasm. The event justified his advice,
for a few years after these same men had entirely forgotten
that they had seriously entertained the idea of the reli
gious life.
Our saint had a particular esteem for the Brothers of
St. John of God, called commonly " Fate bene fratelli."
Father Leopold Bamfi, General of the Order, and Father
John Maria Ambrosi, Master of Novices at Tivoli, were
his intimate friends. The latter deposed as follows: "I
think that Canon de Rossi had an extraordinary and
supernatural intuition as to future events, for he often
prophesied things which were afterwards verified. As
regards my novices also, he would at first sight point out
to me which would persevere and which not, and the latter,
to my great regret, all left us."
But it was not enough to lead worthy subjects to the
sanctuary. John was equally anxious to sanctify those
who had already entered, or who were beginning their
ministry.
The first method he employed was prayer. Every time
HIS ZEAL TOWARDS YOUNG PRIESTS. 169
that an ordination was announced at St. John Lateran
John would persuade his most intimate friends to go with
him to St. Peter's, and there implore the prince of apostles
to obtain for the young priests who were to be ordained
the next day the true ecclesiastical spirit and the neces
sary graces for their sublime mission. It is the custom in
Rome that after their ordination the new ecclesiastics
should repair to the Basilica of St. Peter's in the evening,
to offer themselves to that great apostle and implore his
assistance, and it may well be believed that this pious
habit also originated with de Rossi. During the retreats
preparatory to ordination he would go to the house of the
mission where these exercises were held, entering into
conversation with the retreatants, entreating them to make
an entire sacrifice of themselves, and, after the example of
the saints, to devote themselves without reserve to the
glory of God. The religious of the mission did all they
could to encourage his visits, knowing full well his holi
ness and the effect of his words, and often asked him
to hear confessions, which produced wonderful fruit.
Once, when he was away from Rome, one of the mem
bers of St. Galla was ordained subdeacon. As he could
not be present, our saint wrote him so beautiful a letter,
and so full of useful recommendations, that John Capretti,
a venerable religious, who prepared young men for ordina
tion, begged to have a copy of it. Afterwards he never
failed to read this letter to all those who were preparing
to receive holy orders.
John knew the whole of the Roman clergy. He had
passed several years at the Gregorian University, and for
twenty years had been faithful to the " Ristretto," where he
170 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
met all the best students of the Roman College, in addition
to which it was his business to receive and guide them at
St. Galla, when sent by their director to serve and help
the sick. He was the friend of each one of these young
men, and treated them with as much respect as if they had
been his equals or superiors. In speaking to them he
would always use the third person, and not the second, (a
common mark of respect in Italy,) and this very fact
strengthened their affection for him, and gave weight to
his words. If he met them in the street he would invite
them to walk with him, and his conversation sank deeply
into their hearts. If he spoke of meditation, he would
point out its fruits; if of mortifications, he would prove
their inestimable price. Especially would he exhort them
to the frequent reception of the sacraments, and especially
of the Holy Eucharist. For daily reading he would recom
mend, after the holy Gospels, the lives of the saints, from
which, he would say, he had derived such advantage.
(t These lives are as a supplement to the Gospels," he
would say, " as we there find the maxims and examples of
Jesus Christ put into practice/'' But his favourite subject
was divine love. " If," he exclaimed, " the love of God
exacts a return from all men, how much more should be
expected from priests who have received such celestial
favours. And this love should not be a cold affection, but
an active, moving principle, encouraging all that is good,
arresting all that is evil, relieving the poor, consoling the
sick, bringing the whole world to love our good God, in a
word, to consume itself in the flames of charity."
Although he showed such a marked respect to the young
clerics who were members of St. Galla, he did not thereby
HIS EXAMPLE AND COUNSEL. 171
neglect their training, or let them follow their own will.
Sometimes he sent them to the Piazza Colonna, or to the
Ponte Sisto, to collect the poor and bring them to St.
Galla ; at other times to St. Maria del Viaggio, to instruct
the sailors. Their work was chosen for them, and they
had simply to obey. Those who remained behind rang the
bells, prepared the altars, served the Masses, and the like.
The canon exacted that all should be done with gravity,
modesty, and devotion, so that their very appearance
should edify the spectators.
Sometimes example superseded counsel. One day a
young priest of noble family objected to acting as acolyte
at a High Mass, wishing for a higher place. Without
answering, John quickly put on a " cotta," and before the
young man could stop him John was at the altar himself,
performing this humble office, in spite of his age and
canonical dignity, and with the same reverence as if he had
been celebrating the divine mysteries. After the cere
mony he said not one word, but the lesson was enough.
Ever after the young priest, to subdue his pride, chose the
lowest and humblest offices.
Our saint acted with equal tact when other circumstances
arose, especially when modesty was in question. He had
been asked to hear the confession of a young Roman
prince who had lately entered into the clerical ranks. He
found him in a very unsuitable though perhaps comfort
able dress. John hesitated for a moment, and then said,
gently, "I will wait while your highness changes his
costume, and then we can speak of the grave matter which
has brought me here." The young prince retired directly,
and reappeared in an attire more suited to his new state.
172 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE EOSST.
Nothing, however, was exaggerated in de Rossi's life or
character, and he knew how to make allowances for youth,
and to take into account human weaknesses and human
nature. His great anxiety, therefore, was to procure
innocent recreation for his young companions, and let
both body and soul rest completely after their arduous
works of charity. If he were their guide at St.
Galla and in the other hospitals, he would also be at their
head when they made expeditions into the country. It is
the custom at Rome to take walks in the neighbouring
Campagna, and especially in the spring and autumn, amidst
the vineyards planted on all sides ; hence the name of
' ' vignate " given to these excursions.
Prince Mattei had placed his charming villa of Monte
Coelio at John's disposal when they could not make a long
expedition. This villa was a favourite resort of John
Baptist's. Nothing, in fact, can be more lovely than the
views on all sides. At one end of an avenue of laurels the
eye rests on the magnificent ruins of the Baths of Cara-
calla and the old walls of the city, while further on
stretches the beautiful Campagna, with its aqueducts,
its tombs, its ancient monuments, its lovely vegetation,
and beyond are the blue Albanian hills, with Monte Cava,
Frascati, and a multitude of other villages, while palaces
and villas peep out of the thick green woods of Tusculum.
Towards evening John would organize a kind of picnic,
which every one enjoyed, and conversation flowed freely,
only checked by the canon when any word was likely
to wound the feelings of another. On this head Constan
tino Salvi wrote : " He was very reserved in speech, and
never did I hear him say a syllable which would sin
HIS PICNICS AT THE VILLA MATTEL 173
against prudence or charity. No one dared in his pres
ence to say anything against the absent. He was always
bright and gay, and full of harmless pleasantry and fun,
which he encouraged in his companions; but he would
never suffer an equivocal word, and any conversation
which had the ghost of impropriety in it ; on the contrary,
he showed for such amusements the profoundest disgust,
and abhorred them as much as he did lying."
His young men completely entered into his spirit. One
day, after one of these picnics at the Villa Mattei, a young
student got up, and with that wonderful power of im
provisation which the Italians seem to have by nature,
composed a graceful sonnet, comparing the beauty and
peace of the scene around them to the eternal happiness
of heaven, and ending by the hope that all present would
assist one day at the banquet of the Lamb, te ad coenam
Every one applauded the young orator; only John
appeared deeply moved, and tears flowed down his cheeks.
To the interrogatories which the party eagerly put to him
he could only answer, " Ad coenam Agni, ad coenam Agni"
The way in which he pronounced those words made a
profound impression on all present. Every one became
thoughtful, and surrounding the holy man on his return to
Home, listened eagerly to his burning words, which in
flamed their own hearts, and filled them with fresh courage
to labour for Him who had prepared for them so glorious
a recompense.
But it was not only among students or young priests
that John had such success; the reputation he enjoyed
among all the ecclesiastics of Rome was astonishing.
174 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
Pope Benedict XIV. sent him one day in his name to
study and report on the actual state of the clergy, and
when this report appeared there were several abuses to
correct which demanded careful remedies. John thought
himself unworthy of this mission, but was compelled
to obey, and the Pope, who only knew him by repu
tation, was enchanted with the able paper which John
had drawn up with his own hand. The methods he
suggested were easy to put into practice, and involved
no undue severity. Benedict XIV. at once adopted
his proposed reforms, and resolved to carry them out.
Unfortunately other urgent matters prevented the carry
ing out of this scheme in its entirety, but John did
not labour with the less assiduity to create in the minds
of the clergy a truly evangelical spirit. Dom Constantino
Salvi, when referring to this, affirmed that he never
missed an opportunity of speaking of the love with
which their hearts should be filled if they would win souls.
" He always had this end in view in his conversations,"
continued Dom Constantino, " and after having spoken to
him, one special thought always remained in one's mind,
which one could not help remembering. I have often
experienced it myself, and others have told me they had
a similar impression. I think I am not wrong in asserting
that we owe all the best priests in Rome to Canon de
Rossi. I could quote a large number of ecclesiastics who,
thanks to him, gave up all worldly and ambitious thoughts,
and laboured solely and earnestly ever after for the salva
tion of souls. I have often heard him preach pastoral
retreats, and can bear witness to his intense zeal for the
reform of the clergy, having the strongest conviction that
RETREATS FOR THE CLERGY. 175
the salvation of the people depended on the holiness of the
priests. He would, therefore, never pass over the smallest
fault, saying that the imperfections of ecclesiastics often
produced the most serious consequences."
At that time priests were very numerous in Rome. Tbe
noblest houses considered it an honour to have one of
their members in holy orders, and these ecclesiastics, by
their wise counsels and holy lives, were often the arbiters
and guides of their families. Beloved and honoured in
the household, they kept alive the spirit of union and
charity among its members, and set the example of every
virtue. But their action was limited to their own homes.
The celebration of the divine mysteries in the morning,
and the recitation of their office, seemed to them the only
duties of their state, and was enough to fill up their time.
They never dreamt of devoting themselves to the salvation
of souls by preaching or other apostolical labours among
the poor. It was against this universal tendency that John
wished to make a pious crusade. " To deserve paradise,"
he would say, " we must work without intermission. He
who waits for the moment of death to deserve it reckons
without his host.""
To encourage them, therefore, our saint judged that
retreats were necessary. In those solemn moments when
man, isolated from his fellows, thinks only of God and his
own soul, God gives special graces. It is the hour for
examining, by the light of the Gospel, and far from the
world's turmoil, if the path already chosen be the right
one. It is the moment to find out in what we have been
wanting, and to determine to make amends for past negli
gences. Above all, it is there that a new vigour is infused
176 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
into our souls to go on with our daily work in the path
which God has marked out for each one of us. The canon
considered that once in two years, at the very least, every
fervent priest should make a retreat. Many, by his ad
vice, followed the retreats of the Lnzarist Fathers. Others
he would take in hand himself, and to excite their ardour
he would relate various extraordinary conversions which
had taken place under his own eyes in the confessional or
in the hospitals. Nicolas Monzoni states : " That this
great servant of God told us these things for our own
instruction, and not only was it impossible to find a
shadow of self-love in his recitals, but his humility shone
forth all the more from the way he contrived to leave
himself out altogether."
He spoke often with enthusiasm of the wonderful holi
ness which would exist in the world if all priests really
followed their vocation, and gave themselves up without
reserve to the good of souls. When he had to preach the
clergy retreats his words made an indelible impression on
the hearts of those who heard him, and the very doors of
the chapel were crammed with eager listeners. Once, at
Spello, he was asked to give conferences to the clergy of
the town and neighbourhood. His success was such that
no one would miss a single one of his instructions, and
the convents were closed so that all the religious, without
exception, might be able to attend them. He took special
pains with those who had the power of hearing con
fessions, for they were the most actively employed in-
saving souls. Such was the work done by our saint
among the Roman clergy. One understands,- therefore,
HIS W011K AT ST. GALLA. 177
the following words, which the priests inscribed on his
tomb :
" Vocatis in sortem Domini ad sancte vitam instituen-
dam, et ad Christi h'delium salutern, procurandam, doc-
trina, hortatione et exemplo, magistro et duci, omnibus
ordinibus in urbe, probato, accepto, sodali optimo, patri
benemerenti, ecclesiastici urbis ad sacra niinisteria ab eo
instituti . . . posuerunt."
CHAPTER VII.
His Preaching to Priests.
JOHN BAPTIST'S EXHORTATIONS TO THE MEMBERS OP ST. GALLA.
WHAT OUGHT TO BE THE FIRST CARE OP A GOOD PRIEST.
THE ZEAL WHICH SHOULD BE SHOWN TOWARDS THE POOR. — -
THAT IN ORDER TO DO GOOD ONE MUST,, BY ONE'S VIRTUE,
FIRST GAIN THE ESTEEM OP MEN. OP HUMILITY.
WE have before mentioned that John Baptist had been
sent to St. Galla during the first years of his sojourn
at the Roman College. This hospital became, therefore,
the centre of his labours and his principal occupation.
From 1715 to 1764 his name appears regularly in the
reports of the meetings. Though wishing to remain
the last of the members, our saint had speedily acquired,
without his knowledge, the first place in that assembly.
The associates had, in fact, constantly before their eyes
three chosen souls, de Rossi, Vaselli, and Paris! . E;ich
12
178 ST, JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
had the same simplicity, the same virtues, the same zeal.
God called the two last to Himself, but da Eossi remained,
the inheritor of all their noble qualities.
Not content with evangelizing the poor, John thought
also of the sanctification of his fellow-labourers. He began
a series of little conferences for the priests of St. Galla,
and preached to them every month in the church of St.
Thomas dei Censi. Among the hearers was a certain
Dom S. Cameli, who became the first postulator in the
cause of John Baptist. He used to make copious notes of
de Rossi's instructions, which manuscript was happily
preserved, and the priests of St. Galla keep it as one
of their most precious archives. There is a close resem
blance between our saint's practice and his counsels; as he
taught, so he acted. His short sermons were eminently
practical, and with wonderful simplicity and point he
traced out the path which every good priest should follow.
These conferences were held for about five years, from
the month of August, 1758, to the month of June, 1763.
De Eossi took generally as his theme the Gospel of the
Sunday, and we will give a few extracts from Dom
Cameli's notes, which will show us his method, and the
way in which he carried it out. The first thing he strove
to impress on his hearers was, that the main business of a
priest was to save souls. Out of twenty-five of these little
addresses nine treat of this subject, and all with fresh
arguments.
" The Gospel of last Sunday," he began,* which was the
fourteenth after Pentecost, " tells us that we cannot serve
* Sermon IX., 24 September, 1759.
EXTRACTS FROM HIS SERMONS. 179
two masters. If we love one we shall hate the other,
if we cling to the one we shall despise the other. Thus we
ourselves have only one Master to serve, and that is God,
whose ministers we are. Him only must we obey. We
have not chosen Him, but He lias chosen us. Non vos me
eligistis, sed ego eligi vos. How great is this favour, how
singular this preference, when so many others deserved it
so much more than ourselves ! But if He has deigned
to choose us as His labourers, it is that we might really
work, and that our work should bear fruit, and lasting
fruit. Uteatis, etfructum offer atis etfructusvestermaneat."
Again, on the 14th December, 1759, he developes the
same idea in a different way :
"In the Gospel of this Sunday," (second of Advent,)
et we read that John the Baptist, being in prison, sent two
of his disciples to the Saviour, asking if it were indeed He
who was to come, or if they were to look for another ?
Tu es qui venturus est, an alium expectamus? Remark
this, that our Lord did not reply, ' I am the Messiah :' He
only told them to find out by the fruits He brought forth.
' Go and relate to John what you have heard and seen ; the
blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf
hear, the dead rise again, the poor have the Gospel
preached to them/ ' Cceci vident, claudi ambulant, pauper es
evangelizantur.' (Matt. xi. 5.) What a lesson this is for
us, my brethren! We are ecclesiastics, we are priests;
but can we answer, as our Redeemer did, by pointing
to our works? We say holy Mass daily, but do we
celebrate these tremendous mysteries with all the devotion
they demand ? We say our office, but how ? as a weari
some task which must be got over, or with earnest atten-
180 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DB ROSSI.
tion and love ? God does not will that these great actions
should be done lightly or negligently : yet even good and
spiritual persons are often sadly wanting in these respects.
Let us watch, then, over our daily actions. Remember
that our lives, our work, sh'ould be filled with supernatural
fervour, that nothing human should hinder us from doing
everything we possibly can to save souls. If we be idle or
indifferent in the things pertaining to God's service we
shall fall into a thousand imperfections. Thank God ! we
are free from mortal sins, but what about venial ones ?
If we do not labour, by the mortification of our appetites
and our evil tendencies, to destroy the smallest faults,
beware lest we fall into more serious ones. In good, as in
evil, nemo fit repente summus.
" We are called by God Himself for the sanctification of
souls. How many amongst the common people are lost
for want of instruction ! If we do not do this, laymen
certainly will not ; and yet, if many of these laymen were
in our place, what would they not do ? Even as it is,
do not they often shame us by their activity and their
zeal ? Is it not disgraceful to think that very often they
labour harder than ourselves, and contribute more to the
sanctification of souls? The Gospel adds that after the
departure of St. John the Baptist's messengers our Lord
said to His disciples, ' Quid exiistis in desertem videre,
arundinem vento agitatam?' (Matt. xi. 8.) No, the pre
cursor was not a feeble reed driven by the wind ; his
strength and courage were great, and equally remarkable
was his constancy. Although in prison, he did not fear to
tell Herod, Non licet till liabere earn. He neither dreaded
the anger of the tyrant, nor the prison, nor the death which
EXTRACTS FROM HIS SERMONS. 181
were in store for him ; and so our Saviour adds : < Non
surrexit inter natos mulierum major Joanne Baptist a*
<e A generous constancy, therefore, is as necessary to us
as to St. John. But how often does a slight obstacle
suffice to make us give up a work we have begun, or stop
us as we are beginning to undertake some useful scheme
to help others ?
" Our predecessors were far more zealous. Persecution,
ridicule, cold, heat, rain, rebuffs, nothing discouraged
them, however much they might have to suffer. And
so their works were accomplished, and God blessed and
rewarded their constancy. Remember that we are the
inheritors, not only of their position, but of their labours.
We are priests, chosen by God for the salvation of His
people; not to seek our own ease and comfort. Let us,
then, be known by our works, and may men say of us
as our Lord did of St. John, ' Pauperes evangelizantur.' *
Again, on the Tenth Sunday after Pentecost, he speaks
as follows :
"In the Gospel of to-day we read that our Lord met
ten lepers at the door of a little village, who cried to Him,
' Lord Jesus, have mercy upon us/ Our Lord told them
to go and show themselves to the priests, and while they
obeyed they were cured. . . .
" Ignorance" is the leprosy of the soul. How many such
lepers exist in the Catholic Church, even in Rome, where
many men do not even know what is necessary for their
salvation. It must be our business to try and cure this
disease. In old times conversions of whole cities and
countries were not unusual, for the zeal and faith of our
predecessors in the ministry worked miracles; they were
182 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
filled with the Spirit of God. Are we less strong than
they were, that we are so easily tired, and so slack in our
labours among the poor ? Spiritum nolite extinguere.
Have we, then, hopelessly degenerated ? But we need not
go back to past centuries for examples. Vaselli and his
fellow-missionaries did wonders in the Campagna. Let ua
try and deserve the like graces. Besides, if we neglect to
labour for the salvation of our neighbours, let us tremble
for our own. The conversion of our brethren is the object
of our mission, the only real reason of our existence. It is
enough for a layman to keep the commandments of God,
Who will not require more at his hands. But for us it is
different ; as faithful imitators of our Lord, we must givo
our lives for the brethren. Let no fatigue, then, dis
courage or slacken our zeal ; never let us mind the hard
ness, or the indifference, or the rudeness of the poor.
Only let us persevere, and if we have the right spirit
we shall triumph over all obstacles with the grace of God,
and obtain our own salvation as well as theirs."
Again, speaking on the 14th January, 1763, he says :
" We read in last Sunday's Gospel, (the Octave of the
Epiphany,) that at the age of twelve our Lord remained
in the temple disputing with the doctors, and when found
by Mary and Joseph, who had been sorrowfully seeking
Him, He replied, ' Nesciebatis quiet, in his quce Patris mei
suntj oportet me esse.3 (St. Luke ii. 49.)
" Well, we also are, or ought to be, about our Father's
business, the saving of the souls of our brethren. This
alone is our mission. For ourselves especially, we must
strive to convert the poor of St. Galla and in the country
districts. This is what God asks of each one of us.
EXTRACTS FROM HIS SERMONS. 183
How have we responded to the call ? To take one thing
only, — how have we taught the catechism ? Parvuli
petierunt panem et non erat qui frangeret eis. We go and
preach in public places, but with what ardour ? Are we
not glad of the smallest excuse to escape it ? The souls
of our neighbours are in our hands, and yet how many are
lost through our fault ? The sick die without being
properly prepared, for we have not given time or care
enough to each particular case. We are easily rebuffed,
and ready enough to leave them, and say to ourselves :
'Well, after all, it's their own fault if they won't listen to
us/ Yet, with a little more patience, a little more perse
verance, a little more love, in fact, we could have led
those poor souls to heaven. Many among us shrink from
going to the hospitals, either on account of fear of infec
tion, or from the sights and smells that await us there.
Courage ! We are not come into the world to follow our
own will and pleasure, but to imitate our Lord. e Non
qucero voluntatem me am, sed voluntatem ejus qui misit me*
(St. John v. 36.) If we experience some repugnance in
our work, either from its nature, or from the unwilling
ness of the poor to listen to us, let us think of the example
of St. Francis of Sales, who shrunk from no labour, no
fatigue, and was rewarded by the conversion of seventy
thousand heretics, and when reproached for having
shortened his life by these means, replied, ' It is not neces
sary that I should live, but it is necessary that souls
should be saved/ This should be our motto. Let us,
then, learn greater perseverance in good works; do not
let us get tepid and hopeless when unexpected difficulties
arise, but let us strive courageously to surmount them,
184 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
being thoroughly persuaded that such is the will of God.
. . . Again, let us ask ourselves, ' How did the saints
act in similar circumstances ?' Look at St. Philip Neri
and St. Ignatius. The first was sent for to assist a lady
on her deathbed. Her husband imagined, in his blind
fury, that she would be persuaded to make a will in the
saint's favour, and maddened by cupidity, declared that
if the holy man came near the house he would kill him.
St. Philip, nothing daunted, went to the lady, and ad
ministered to her all the last sacraments, and by thereby
fulfilling simply what he felt was the will of God escaped
all injury.
ec In the time of St. Ignatius, a certain convent had
become a subject of public scandal, from the freedom given?
in the parlour, where all the smartest young men of the
city went to see the nuns. St. Ignatius, with enormous
difficulty, induced these faithless religious to return to*
their duties and banish their visitors, in spite of the
manaces of the young men, who, finding that St. Ignatius
was determined to carry out his purpose, waylaid him one
night and beat him till he was nearly dead. Nevertheless,
the Saint persevered because he felt he was thereby doing
the will of God.
" Such examples should stimulate our zeal and our
constancy. But we need only imitate certain pious laics
of our acquaintance, both men and women, who show
themselves real apostles of charity, nursing the sick,
assisting them in their last hours, hastening to procure
good confessors for them, and the like. Shall we be out
done by these voluntary labourers ? I do not say that
there must not be prudence in our actions; and that un-
EXTRACTS FROM HIS SERMONS. 185
wise zeal sometimes does much harm; but who does not
feel his heart burn with the fire of charity for the many
suffering, abandoned souls in this sad world ? We fancy
that we have this love — but how do we prove it ? To
believe is not enough; w© must test it by our actions,
prove it by our deeds, toil for them in the sweat of our
brow. Without this, how can we declare we have real
charity ? ' Qui viderit fratrem suum necesse liabere, et
clause/fit viscera sua ab eo, qiiomoclo cliaritas Dei manet
in eo?' (John iii. 17.) Rome is full of ignorance and
blindness of heart. Grievous sins are committed con
stantly in this city; its inhabitants will not listen to those
who strive to put Christian thoughts into their minds.
They only hearken to worldly advice, and turn a deaf ear
to all that comes from God. In so great a peril, who is to
be found who will really devote himself to find a remedy ?
Alas I Charity in our day has waxed cold. ' Filioli mei,
non diligamus verbo neque Unqtia, sed opere et veritaie."
And can we doubt how pleasing in the sight of God are all
works done for His poor ? Has not our Saviour Himself
said : ( Spiritus Domini super me, pro-pter quod unxit me,
evangelizare pauperibus misit me?' Have we not been
specially set apart for this apostolate ? But to follow Him
we must have His spirit, that is, labour with a never
halting fervour, and with a purity of intention which
seeks for no human motive, no human reward.
" Another reason for co-operating with all our might in
the salvation of the poor, is their immense need. In the
days of St. Vincent of Paul, a heretic was once heard to
say, "That he could not believe the Church was led by the
Spirit of God, otherwise the poor would receive the same
186 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
knowledge of His word as the rich.' Soon after, this very
man happened to be in a town where St. Vincent was
giving a mission, and when he saw the earnestness with
which he explained the Gospel to his hearers, who wero
all poor, and the way he was surrounded by the most
miserable and abandoned of the lower class, to whom he
was teaching the first truths of our holy Faith, he was
convinced of his error and openly made his abjuration.
" We also, if we devote ourselves entirely to the peasants
and the poor, shall not fail to give edification to those
outside the Church, and when we see the multitudes of
every age who are being positively lost for want of
teachers, how can we be so indifferent to their eternal
welfare and to the glory of God ? It was to the publicans
and sinners that Jesus preached. ' Erant autem appro-
pinquantes ei publicani et peccatores ut audirent ilium.1
(St. Luke xv. 6.) How do we perform this duty ? Do
we go after those poor abandoned souls of whom no ono
thinks ? We fancy we do a great deal in coming to St.
Galla, or in going into the public squares to try and get
hold of the peasants congregated there. If we spoke to
them from our hearts should we not win them ? And
how many conversions have we made ? It would be easy
to reckon on our fingers the numbers who have made good
confessions and been induced to change their lives, but
yet it is only thus that we can ascertain if our works are
really done with true charity. St. Philip Neri consecrated
his nights, as well as his days, to the conversion of sin
ners; no fatigue, no danger stopped him: like our Lord,
he taught sinners, and with what fruit ! By one sermon
alone he converted thirty young men who were leading
EXTRACTS FROM HIS SERMONS. 187
bad and immoral lives. The poor, the little poor of Jesus
Christ, are in truth terribly abandoned ; few care to de
vote their lives to them, and yet their needs are greater
than those of any other class ; if they were only properly
taught, many would live the lives of saints.
"I remember at St. Galla finding a sick man whom
I recommended to Parisi, and who had the greatest repug
nance to going to confession, because the priest to whom
he had been before had treated him with impatience and
disdain, and as being one whose confession was not worth
hearing. It required all Parisi's tenderness, and charity,
and devotion to make him make a general confession,
after which he was very happy, recovered his health, and
returned later to St. Galla, where he edified every one by
his virtues. Yet that man might have been lost from tho
want of charity of that other priest."
Speaking on another occasion of the way the poor should
be spoken to, he said : " People should say of us what
they did of our Lord, ' Viam Dei in veritate doces.3 (Matt,
xxii. 16.) Our language should be truth, that is to say,
simple, without equivocation, spoken from the heart.
To preach or to catechize with fine words and rounded
periods is not to teach the truth, because in such a case
the peasants often misunderstand our words, and derive
no fruit from our instructions. Non respicis personam
hominis was also said by the Pharisees to our Lord. We,
in consequence, should beware above everything of that
fatal respect of persons, that preference for the rich to the
poor, which we unhappily see in some priests. We must
love our neighbour as ourselves, and if in certain cases we
have to show a preference, let it be in favour of the poor.
188 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
The rich and noble always find some one to come to their
assistance, while the poor are abandoned and neglected.
Remember that all are equal in the sight of God, who
weighs men by their merits, and not by their rank or
wealth. Did not our Lord shed the last drop of His Blood
for the poor as well as the rich ? In this, as in all else,
we have only to imitate our Blessed Saviour, and bear
gladly our cross for the salvation of His poor."
Our saint dwelt frequently also on the preaching of
example as being even more fruitful than words. <( In the
Gospel of last Sunday we read, ' Vado ad enm qui misit
me . . S-i enim nan abiero, Paraclitus non veniet ad
vos.' (John xvi. 5.) ' The apostles still clung to the
human body of the Lord,' St. Thomas says,, ' and thnfc
hindered the coming of the Holy Spirit/ So it is with
ourselves : our affections, our attachments, are obstacles to
the divine habitation in us, and by their means we often
lose our fervour in the service of God. St. Philip used to
say, f That the more we are united to the world the further
we are from God.' The Holy Spirit seeks for pure hearts
in whom He may dwell. Let us strive, then, to detach
ourselves from creatures, and then our actions will be more*
in conformity with our sermons. Words without works
are vain. If a priest does not prove that he is disinterested
and full of zeal for souls, if people do not remark in him
that modesty, abnegation of self, and devotion which
should belong to his priestly character, they will not
esteem him, and his words will have no weight. Again,
if a bishop be pompous and ignorant, how will he
inspire respect and veneration ? If the people see in.
EXTRACTS FllOM HIS SEltMONS, 189
us the faults we reprove in them, how can we pretend to
correct them ?
" In 1736 there was a rising among the people in the
Campagna, in consequence of a rumour that the conscrip
tion was going to be enforced, and when we went there
for a mission they fancied that, under pretence of cate
chising, we were going to enrol them. I know it, because
we were publicly reproached with this design. Well, for
a long time we could do nothing with the people. ' Diffa-
matus es-t apud ill am.' (St. Luke xvi. 1.) I only allude to
this to show the misfortune of having a bad reputation if
you seek to evangelize. To have a ' good report among
men' must be the fruit of solid virtue. This alone will
give weight to our words, for people are more moved by a
great reputation than by anything else. When St. Francis
Borgia went to Spain as papal legate, his great reputation
had preceded him. The king asked him to say a few
words to the people, and the saint tried to excuse himself
by pleading the weakness of his voice. But being com
pelled to obey, he went into the pulpit. Before he had
said half-a-dozen words the congregation melted into
tears. Thus he preached by his reputation more than by
his words.
"But this esteem must have no human object, save to
lead men .up to God. If we grow in human esteem, of
what avail would it be, unless men thereby magnified
God ? ' Non nolis, Domine, non nolis, sed nomini tuo da
gloriam.' " (Psalm cxiii. 9.)
Humility was indeed de Rossi's special virtue. Saint
and apostle as he was, with such extraordinary gifts for
winning souls, he never alluded to himself, even in these
190 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
private conferences. He spoke as himself needing, more
than any of his hearers, the example of our Saviour and of
the saints, whose lives he quoted, and often he would
add : ' ' I fear I have expressed myself very badly, but I
hope some of the thoughts I have suggested may be as
useful to you as I have found them to myself/"'
" If, in speaking to others," (he would often say,) " we
seek for human praise, we shall produce no fruit. Our
words will be cast to the winds, and God will say of us,
' Receperunt mercedem suam.' (Matt. vi. 5.) We must
have but one end in view, to preach so as to convince
others, and thus to labour for their good, forgetting
ourselves altogether. Look at the apostles, with their
tremendous works, their horrible sufferings, their millions
of converts ; yet what was their cry ? ' Servi inutiles su-
mus.' And if they felt this, what can we say ? What are
our labours compared to theirs ? Although, like them,
we have been chosen among the people to preach the
Gospel, even if we were rightly to employ every talent we
have received, how can we be moved to vain-glory ? for
these talents come to us from God, and of ourselves we
have nothing but misery and sin. We pride ourselves
upon this or that; but nothing is ours, — all is from God.
How then dare we appropriate the honour and glory which
are His alone ? . . Caiphas, who was high priest,
declared the necessity that one man should die for the
people. This he said in prophecy, but without under
standing the sense of his words. God, then, made use of
this bad man, who afterwards condemned Jesus to death,
to declare His truth to the world. This thought should
stifle any feeling of pride arising in our hearts should God
EXTRACTS FROM HIS SERMONS. 191
make use of us in the exercise of our ministry. Even if
innumerable conversions were the result of our preaching,
should we be their cause ? Would not God simply make
use of us, as He did of the wicked Caiphas ? Once upon a
time a famous preacher obtained wonderful results from
his sermons, and he could not help glorifying himself a
little over his success. But God made known to him that
the whole merit rested with his companion, who, kneeling
behind his pulpit, was praying with fervour the whole
time. . . .
" Caiphas prophesied, but what fruit did he derive from
his prophecy ? None at all. God grant that those who
teach eternal truths to others may not stray themselves
from the right path. Let us always fear this, and say to
ourselves, f Ne forte eum aliis prcedicaverim, ipse reprolus
efficiar: (Cor. ix. 27.) St. Paul himself trembled at this
thought, and how much more reason have we to fear.**
We will not prolong these quotations, which are suffi
cient for our purpose. They show the wonderful clearness
and simplicity of our saint's method of preaching. But
what we cannot reproduce is the peculiar unction with
which he spoke, and which penetrated the hearts of his
hearers, engraving in them, as it were, the truths which
God inspired him to speak.
ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI
FOUKTH PART.
THE
nrib teath 0! (Eanon
CHAPTER I,
The Faithj Hope, and Charity of the Saint.
N CONSIDERING the heroic virtues
of Canon de Rossi, we do not mean
to speak of all his merits, but simply
of the three great theological virtues
which distinguished him. And first,
as to faith : his extraordinary recol
lection in church, and the emotion
which he could not help showing when celebrating the
divine mysteries, were sufficient indications of this vir
tue. But among the few papers found after his death
was a little sheet on which he had inscribed, with a trem
bling hand, some of the aspirations of his soul. " Credo
in Te, veritas infallibilis ;" " Credo quidquid credit Sancta
Mater Ecclesia ;" "In hac fide vivere et mori cupio ;" " Ah!
si mihi daretur pro fide mori;1' are among these written
HIS FAITH. 193
ejaculations. He seemed, in fact, always to live in the
presence of God. In the middle of the street he would
recite the Angelus, to the edification of all who saw him.
Before every action he made the sign of the cross. Count
Dominic Tendering who was his pupil for some time,
deposed, " That it was enough to see the canon say grace
to perceive that he was a saint. Taking off his biretta,
standing devout and recollected, he acted as a man would
do who was performing a serious, and not an every-day or
usual action. Every evening he said his Kosary with the
greatest piety and recollection. I felt that he always lived
in the thought of and the presence of God."
Another remarkable sign of his faith was his devotion
to the Blessed Sacrament. When he came into a church
where there was Exposition, and that his eyes rested
on the Host, he fell instantly on his knees, where he re
mained immoveable, and as if plunged into an ecstasy.
He seemed as if he could not take his eyes off the altar,
and used to envy the fate of the flowers and lights which
were being consumed in the presence of our Divine Lord
and Master. But was he not himself a living holocaust
before the majesty of God ?
He loved to pray before the tabernacle, and would spend
hours there when not prevented by his charitable duties.
Towards the end of his life, when he could no longer
go after his sick people, he used to be carried into the
chapel in the interior of the hospital, and passed his time
thus in profound adoration.
"While he was at St. Mary in Cosmedin he was requested
to bear the Blessed Sacrament in the procession on Corpus
Christi. The people were chanting the Te Deum. When
13
194 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE EOSST.
they came to the words, " Te ergo, qiicesumus, famulis tuis
subveni guos pretioso sanguine redemisti," he burst into
tears, and was unable to join any longer in that hymn
of praise.
The clearer his faith was, the more he was anxious for
its integrity. The incredible pains he took at St. Galla to
instruct the poor there was mainly with the object of
reviving and strengthening their faith, and making them
more clearly understand the leading doctrines of the
Church. Many people implored him to explain his method
of teaching the poor, — a method which had such wonderful
results. To satisfy them, our saint wrote a little treatise
on the subject, entitled, " A very simple explanation
of things which every Christian ought to know." It is a
sort of catechism, but unfortunately the last part is want
ing. He took pains also to explain the symbols and
pictures in the churches, which are to the poor and un
learned often more useful than books. For instance :
" Why is God the Father represented under the features
of an old man ?
" Because He appeared thus to a prophet of the Old
Testament, and also to make us poor mortals understand
His eternity.
" Why is the Holy Ghost represented in the form of
a dove ?
" Because He appeared thus on the head of our Lord at
His baptism by St. John the Baptist in the river Jordan.
He also wished thereby to manifest to the world the
innocence of the Saviour, whom men at the moment of
His baptism looked upon as a sinner/'' &c., &c.
His sorrow was very great when he heard that any
HIS ANXIETY FOR FAITH IN OTHERS. 195
infidel or heretical book was being circulated in the town,
or even any work which gave rise to doubts and objections.
One of these books was doing great harm, and some one
came to tell him it had been condemned and put in the
Index. With great joy he asked John Combi to get him a
copy of the decree, which he circulated everywhere before
even the good news was publicly announced. On another
occasion a friend of his met him at St. Peter's with tears
in his eyes. "What is the matter?" he exclaimed. " I
have just learned," replied our saint, " that a book attack
ing the principal articles of our faith is being published
here. I came directly to throw myself at the feet of
Peter, and implore him not to abandon his flock, and to
arrest the evil with which we are threatened."
The zeal he showed for the preservation of the faith was
not less than when it was a question of diffusing it. One
day he was going through the Ghetto with Dom Antonio
Podiani, when he turned round and asked him to say the
Creed with him. And as he walked and repeated it, he
went on sighing and saying, " 0, poor people ! poor
people!" His companion asked him why he was so sad.
" Do you not feel," replied John, " the awful blindness of
these people who will not see the truth ?" He advised
him afterwards always to say the Credo, in the hope that
this act of faith might help in their conversion.
Dom John Mosca received one day at the Trinita dei
Pellegrini a man who implored him to solve his doubts.
Born in Rome of Catholic parents, he had gone as a boy
with a rich Englishman to London, where he had been
persuaded to apostatize and become a Protestant. Then,
Laving nothing to guide him, he had plunged into vice :
196 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
but now, full of remorse, his only anxiety was to return to
the Catholic faith. Dom John Mosca, thinking himself
unworthy of undertaking such a conversion, brought him.
to the canon. De Rossi, who was never happier than
when thus employed, soon won the poor fellow's heart,
and prepared him for his abjuration. Finding that his
conversion would leave him without any resource what
ever, he provided him each month with what was necessary
for his maintenance.
Such was our saint's faith. His hope was not less
fervent. One day, some one asked him to do them a
service, adding, " If you will consent to this I will give
you a monument in heaven." "I don't care for any
monument," replied John Baptist ; " I want to go there in
my own person. "
This hope was not a vain presumption, for he made use
of every means to attain to this end; that is, he laboured
without ceasing, reckoning on God's mercy to obtain his
reward. " God, in fact," as exclaimed Toietti, " God was
his only aim." "In te, Domine, speravi, non confundar in
ceternum." <e Si consistant adversum me castra, non timebit
cor meum." " Si exurgat adversum me prcelium, in hoc ego
sperabo." These were his constant ejaculations. It was
this hope which rendered him so indefatigable, and which
consoled and encouraged him in the midst of the cruellest
sufferings. Very often his missionary work led him into
great dangers, and he frequently ran the risk of losing his
life. When implored not to expose himself thus he would
reply, smiling, "When one wishes to attain one's end
quickly, one frequently takes short cuts." In confession
he would speak so earnestly of the mercy of God that
A MIRACULOUS ESCAPE. 197
he encouraged the most despairing souls to trust in Him.
He would often quote the words of St. Francis of Sales,
" That our miseries are the throne of the mercy of God."
Out of this hope arose that perfect peace which he always
enjoyed, and which made him bear the heaviest trials with
patience. During his frequent illnesses he was always
gay and bright, though his sufferings were sometimes
excruciating. He laughed at them, and turned them into
ridicule, to the amazement of the watchers. In truth,
it seemed a perfect joy to him to suffer. When his illness
increased his joy did the same, like a pilgrim who felt
himself nearer every moment to his journey's end.
Death might strike him at any moment. This thought
was ever present to him, but he was ready, and so not
afraid. One day he was going to Decima with Dom
Antonio Podiani, who was driving him in a little carriage.
In the middle of the road the horse suddenly took fright,
and ran away in the direction of a steep precipice. The
wheels actually hung over the chasm, and their escape
was nothing less than miraculous. Dom Antonio was
horribly frightened at the danger they had run, and to his
great surprise our saint turned to him and said, quietly,
" After all, where would have been the great misfortune ?
We should have gone to heaven." And as his companion,
was still unconvinced, he began speaking to him more
fully of the confidence we should have in God if we are
striving to labour for His glory and the good of our
neighbour. And then he went on to speak of heaven, not
as a distant region known to God alone, but as a home
which is waiting for each one of us, and which we ought
to possess, as it is ours, being purchased for us by the
198 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI,
Blood of Jesus Christ. It was this longing for heaven
which made him so despise the goods of this world. When
his cousin, Dom Lorenzo, insisted on his accepting the
canonry of St. Mary in Cosmedin, he pointed out to him
that he would otherwise some day have to beg for a bed
himself at St. Galla. But this prospect, so far from alarm
ing our saint, seemed, on the contrary, to fill him with
joy. "If it be difficult for a rich man to enter the king
dom of heaven," he would say, "the poor are surely in the
right road."
In spite of all we have said, however, the devil would
not allow the canon to escape occasional feelings of fear.
Mgr. Joseph Garampi, who was afterwards made a car
dinal, preached one day before him on the very small
number of the elect. John Baptist met him afterwards,
and said to him, " Your proofs are very convincing. I
feel I have reason to be very much afraid." But the
preacher, alluding to this speech of his, added: " His fears
were those of a just soul, who from his very nearness
to God realized more than others the heinousness of sin.
He had the humblest opinion of himself, but the firmest
hope in God's promises, and in the merits of Jesus Christ,
through which alone we obtain salvation." Very often,
when the poor expressed their fears to him, he would
reply, " My dear children, do not fear. If you lead Chris
tian lives, if your daily conversation be holy, if you do
your best to follow the commandments of God, wait for
death without terror, and hope for an end which will
fill your soul with joy, and make you inheritors of the
kingdom of heaven."
If sufferings and dangers, however, did not disturb our
HIS LOVE FOR HIS NEIGHBOUR. 199
saint's calm, other things greatly ruffled and distressed
him. If he heard of some grave sin being committed, for
instance, his face would suddenly change, and his whole
body tremble with emotion. The thought of offences
committed against the majesty of God caused him more
pain than anything else in this world, for his interests
were those of his Lord's. In the same way his whole heart
would overflow with joy if anything turned happily to the
glory of God and the salvation of souls.
It is not necessary that we should speak again of the
divine love which filled his heart, and which often found
vent in tears; nor of that same love and charity which he
extended to his neighbour, at whose beck and call he was
always ready, whether ill or well, day or night, at all
times, and in all seasons. "Remember," he would say,
" the words of the Venerable Father Avila, fWe ought
never to delay or to spare ourselves any fatigue when it
is the question of a soul, for perhaps God intends to bring
about the conversion of a sinner solely by our means.' I
feel this so strongly," he added, " that as long as I have
breath in my body I will go wherever and to whomsoever
I am called."
His charity was also shown in the immense care he took
never to hurt any one's feelings ; and if obliged occasionally
to find fault, he would do it with such gentleness that the
reproof made all the deeper impression. At the Trinita
dei Pellegrini a similar case happened to one we have
already related as taking place on the missions. After
supper, during recreation, the canon made use of some
gentle pleasantry in speaking to one of his priests, which,
however, annoyed the latter, who would not take it as
200 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
a joke. When they were going to bed John came to
his door, and in the most humble way apologised for
having unintentionally given him pain, asked his forgive
ness, and added, " You are not angry with me now, are
you?" a touching act of humility and delicacy, which
showed the extreme fear he had of sinning against charity.
In spite, or rather perhaps because of his extraordinary
merits, the canon had many enemies. We have already
alluded to the way they made him suffer. But his only
answer was patience and silence, and whenever he could,
returning good for evil.
He had an extraordinary gift of reconciling adversaries,
and bringing about peace in families. He was equally
happy in his way of encouraging those who were suffering
from misrepresentations and unjust persecution. Among
the Brothers of St. John of God, whom he was very fond
of, as he met them constantly by the bedsides of his poor,
one of them, Father John Maria Ambrosi, Master of
Novices at Tivoli, was suffering under the load of a most
grave and unjust accusation. He asked John Baptist's
advice in the matter, and John answered in a letter, which
we will transcribe literally.
" Sit Nomen Domini benedictum.
" St. Francis of Sales, being then bishop, was terribly
calumniated by a gentleman, who accused him of immoral
conduct. For four whole years he bore this calumny
without attempting to justify himself, and until God, who
cares for His own, had miraculously shown his innocence.
St. Vincent of Paul, being rector, (if I do not make a
LETTER TO FATHER JOHN MARIA AMBROSI. 201
mistake,) just as he was about to found his congregation,
was falsely accused of a theft of four hundred dollars, and
although he knew who the real thief was he would not
clear himself, but left it to the providence of God. Yet
St. Francis and St. Vincent continued their ministerial
works, and did untold good.
" Quia acceptus eras Deo} necesse fuit ut tentatio pro-
It caret te.
"Do not, then, attribute what has happened to you
to the devil, or to the malice of men, but look upon it as a
special grace from God, who will dispose all these events
for your greater good. Therefore, stay courageously
where you are, fulfilling the important duties confided to
you without any change, until God, through your supe
riors, shall see fit to dispose things otherwise. ' God
knows/ said St. Francis of Sales, 'what reputation is
needful to us/ Be, then, without anxiety ; knowing that
God will be our helper, and that everything which happens
to us in this life has only one end, our everlasting good
and the acquisition of true humility, which is the fruit of
tribulations.
" St. Paul gloried willingly in his weaknesses, so that
the grace of Jesus Christ might be magnified in him.
This, too, was St. Francis of Sales' principle. Be valiant,
then, and full of conformity to the divine will. Go on
working in our Lord's vineyard as before, and bringing
forth the same good fruit; above all, be silent and patient.
Perhaps you may not understand this answer to your
letter, but if you read it over two or three times I think
you will see my meaning. Pray for me/'
202 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DB ROSSI.
John Baptist in this letter simply traced out his own
line of conduct as regarded his enemies and those who had
done him wrong, so that he was actually practising what
he preached. To sum up what we have said in this
chapter, we will only quote the words of Dom Cosmo
Torretti : " I knew Canon de Rossi most intimately when
he came to the Trinita dei Pellegrini, and seeing the
perfection of his daily life, I always felt that he possessed
the three theological virtues of faith, hope, and charity in
an heroic degree."
CHAPTER II.
His Renunciation of the World,
FROM HIS EARLIEST CHILDHOOD JOHN RENOUNCED THE WORLD.
HE DISTRIBUTED DOM LAWRENCE'S INHERITANCE. — THE
POVERTY TO WHICH HE WAS REDUCED. — HE GIVES AWAY
EVEN PIOUS OBJECTS. HIS AVERSION FOR LEGACIES OR
GIFTS. — TOWARDS THE END OF HIS LIFE HE IS CONSTRAINED
TO ACCEPT A SMALL LIVING.
WE have already seen that John Baptist did not wait
for his ordination to renounce both money and
position. His uncle, Dom Lawrence, with whom he lived,
was devoted to him, and would gladly have given him any
thing he fancied. But during the many years they lived
together, John never asked for anything for himself, and
HIS LOVE OF POVERTY. 203
never coveted any of the objects in which young men
mostly delight. He used to plead very often for money for
the poor, and obtain gifts of clothes and food for them ;
but for himself he would neither ask for nor accept any
thing. We have seen with what difficulty he was induced
to accept the canonry, which required a direct order from
his confessor; and how he resisted as long as he could
accepting the inheritance which had devolved upon him
on his uncle's death. Fortune, however, seemed to
smile upon him. The property left by Dom Lawrence
was considerable. There were two large houses in the
town, abundantly and even richly furnished, a large store
of linen of all kinds, a magnificent library, and a very
considerable annual income. Besides that, he had the
revenues of his canonry ; in fact, on the death of Dom
Lawrence, John Baptist found himself with an unusually
large fortune: and many envied him his independence.
But our saint, what did he do with it ? Hardly had he
closed the eyes of his benefactor, than he began to dis
tribute his goods. Before the end of the first fortnight
the greater portion had disappeared. The poor were
relieved, the old sheltered, young girls received their
dowry for which they had waited to enter into religious
orders. Every description of want found an antidote.
The house in the Trastevere was given to the chapter
of St. Mary in Cosmedin, together with a large sum to
restore the Basilica. "I don't know what to do with
all this money ;" he replied to certain canons who scru
pled at receiving it.
At the end of a few months, when he came to live in
that wretched house near the church, nothing remained
20 4 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
but the worst furniture and a few pious pictures. And
hardly had he installed himself in his humble rooms, than
he began to think he had too much furniture, and that he
had better dispose of all the rest to a dealer for fifteen
dollars. Happily his friends found it out in time, and
persuaded him instead, to sell one of his pictures, for which
Canon Chiari obtained twenty-five dollars. But the sale
was only postponed; a little later, the same friends on
arriving, found everything gone. On expressing their
vexation, John Baptist simply said : " Such good pictures
were not fit for me. I prefer engravings."
However, soon after, these poor engravings were to
share the same fate. A Spaniard came to see him and
admired them very much, especially a set of German
etchings, representing scenes in Holy Scripture. John's
hospital for poor women was in need of funds, how
could he resist? He sold them all to the Spaniard on
the spot, and gave the proceeds to the hospital.
Nine, years later, when he went to live at the Trinita
dei Pellegrini, he brought with him the whole of his
possessions. They consisted of a bed, a table, a prie Dieu,
two chairs, a little cupboard for his clothes, and thirteen
common prints to stick upon the walls. Looking round
after these poor bits of furniture had arrived, he thought
the cupboard an unnecessary luxury, and sold it at once.
"But where will you put your clothes?" objected his
friends. "Bah!" exclaimed John, "with two nails and
a bit of string I shall have quite room enough for my
wardrobe."
Nothing remained to him then, but Lis canonry, of
which he had to give half to his coadjutor. In 1760, he
HIS LOVE OF POVERTY. 205
gave it up altogether, reserving to himself only a monthly
pension of eight dollars, (40s.) which was barely enough
for his food. Among other things which he had inherited
from Dom Lawrence was a large quantity of linen ; that
went with all the rest. In vain he was entreated to keep
what was necessary for his personal use. " It is too fine
for me," was his only answer. His own shirts disappearel
in the like manner. Very often he had only the one he
wore. One day Dom Niccolo Bonucci saw him returning
home in haste, and with visible embarrassment. He found
out that, having discovered a man quite naked in one of
his rounds, John had taken off his own shirt to cover him.
And this happened several times.
Those who were living with him at the Trinita, and who
loved and venerated him as a saint, resorted to endless in
genious methods of supplying his needs, which made them
seriously unhappy; but all in vain. If they made him
some new shirts, forthwith they were given to the poor;
or if he were obliged to keep some, he chose always the
worst. Once, while giving a mission, he wanted a clean
shirt: they hastened to give him two; the second instantly
disappeared. To their reproaches he answered, laughing:
" Would you have me wear two at a time ? that poor man
who came just now had none ; how could I leave him thus,
and keep two for myself?" It required the tears of his
friends to make him leave off his rags, and exchange them
for some shirts of their own, which he would accept
simply that he might not hurt their feelings.
In 1759 he had a serious illness. His friends hastened
to his bedside, and found him in want of everything. He
had neither sheets, nor night-shirts, nor anything neces-
206 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
sary for a sick man. However, they were careful to give
everything, not to him, but to the prior of the hospital, so
that he might supply his wants, and that the things
might remain in his, the prior's, care. Even then John
found them out, and managed to distribute some of them
" to his dear sick." We must not, however, fancy from
this that John did not care for cleanliness; on the con
trary, he was most particular about it. He was quite
content that his cassock should be worn, that his stockings
should be full of darns, that his shirts should be mended ;
but he insisted that they should be clean. He was poorly
clad, but never unworthily of his sacred profession. He
constantly quoted those words of St. Bernard : " Poverty
pleases me, but dirt is my aversion."
There were one or two things, however, to which John
clung as though they had been precious jewels. The first
was a copy of the Madonna in St. Mary in Cosmedin, the
work of Canon Chiari, which John always carried with
him. He also cared very much for a little reliquary con
taining the relics of St. Philip Neri and St. Louis of
Gonzaga. If we add to this the watch and cappa magna of
Mgr. Tenderini, which the latter had left to him specially,
and which he looked upon as the relics of a saint, we shall
have enumerated all the objects to which our saint clung
on this earth, and they were of a kind which make one
realize still more his detachment from any purely worldly
possession. Though these things were dear to him, how
ever, he was ready enough to make the sacrifice when
required. The portrait of our Lady went to a Spaniard,
who had earnestly desired a copy of that particular
Madonna. The relics of his favourite saints were given by
HIS WATCH IS STOLEN. 207
him to Dom Joseph Carminati, who had expressed in his
hearing an ardent desire to possess a relic of St. Louis of
Gonzaga. He heard later that one of the canons eagerly
coveted the cappa magna of the venerable Bishop of Orti,
and instantly implored him to accept it, thus parting with
the only things he really cared for in this world.
The watch alone he retained, both from affection for the
donor, and also for use. But that, too, he had to resign.
A stranger one day asked to come into his room to make
a general confession, and only after his departure did our
saint discover that the man had stolen his watch. He
consoled himself by thinking that only extreme distress,
and the fear of falling into the hands of his creditors,
would have induced him to commit the theft. But John's
friends were not so easily consoled, and insisted upon
endeavouring to trace the thief. John yielded, till there
was some mention of putting the matter in the hands of
the police; then he took fright. "Never," he exclaimed,
" would I cause such a misfortune to my neighbour. I
would rather lose all that I possess. Besides, he who took
my watch certainly needed it more than I."
This answer may provoke a smile, but it gives us an
insight into the profound love of the poor in his heart,
which shrunk from no sacrifice, forgave the wrong done to
himself, and tried to change it into an involuntary alms.
Duchess Isabella Strozzi, who greatly venerated our saint,
heard of the circumstance, and insisted on replacing the
watch, which was so necessary to him for his daily en
gagements. Contrary to his usual practice, he accepted
her gift ; but then, finding it too valuable a one, he
exchanged it with Doui Giacoino Maria Costa for a common
208 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
watch of his, which John declared answered his purpose
much better.
The canon invariably refused all gifts offered to him,
although it was the custom in Rome to receive such.
When he gave his little addresses to the servants and
secretaries of the cardinals or princes, they never dared
offer him even a refreshing drink. Many of the nuns,
when he gave retreats, implored him to accept some little
proofs of their gratitude, but he resolutely rejected them.
On another occasion, when they sent him some linen to
use during one of his illnesses, he sent it back with the
message, t( that if they ever attempted it again he would
not set foot in their monastery." The captain of the
guard, who knew the good John had done among the
soldiers, tried on one occasion to send him a small sum of
money; but John indignantly returned the purse, and
expressed himself very strongly on the subject. Many of
those he had helped among the poor were most anxious to
express their gratitude. One poor peasant sent him some
little cheeses, saying they were all he had, and implored
him to take them. John was very much touched, but sent
them back to him, saying that he made it a rule never to
accept anything in return for any little good which, by the
grace of God, he had been able to effect in the confessional.
Another poor woman sent him four capons at Christmas,
imploring him not to consider them as a payment, but
only as an expression of her gratitude. "I cannot,"
replied our saint; ' ' it is no great fatigue to me to hear
confessions, and I wish to keep my liberty of speaking
in the administration of the sacraments without any
extraneous considerations."
HIS IlEFUSAL OF ALL PRESENTS. 209'
At Narni John had preached a retreat to the nuns
of St. Bernard, which had been attended with extra
ordinary fruit. These religious found out the extreme
poverty of the preacher, and at his departure presented
him with a large roll of linen of their own manufacture.
Our saint was greatly distressed, and returned it. The
nuns had recourse to Cardinal Joseph Castelli, the pro
tector of the convent, who sent him an order to accept the
gift. But the canon hastened into the cardinal's presence,
and set before him so strongly the motives of his refusal
that his eminence, whose veneration for our saint was
only increased by the interview, left him free to follow his
own wishes in the matter.
During a serious illness he had in 1759 one of his oldest
penitents died, Joseph di Luna, who, in token of his
gratitude, left him fifty dollars. John was in bed when
the executor, Dom Bonucci, brought him this little legacy.
The sick saint was in despair ; he would not hear of taking
it, said that it would cause no end of scandal, and insisted
on its being returned to di Luna's family ; but Dom
Bonucci positively refused, and left the money on the table.
A few days later he heard that the canon was worse, and
wished to see him. He hastened to his bedside, having
forgotten all about the legacy ; but the moment John saw
him come in, he exclaimed, " I have had no sleep or rest
since you left me that money; as you will not yield, you
must please to distribute it for me in good works. Here
is a little list ; take it and the money, and never let me see
it again. " Dom Bonucci, touched and edified, undertook
the commission, and John himself became instantly better.
For that same reason he never would help in the wills
14
"210 ST. JOHN BAPTIST BE ROSSI.
of the dying. He was always ready to remain for hours
by their bedsides to encourage and console them ; but
whenever there was a question of making their wills he
would instantly retire, pleading that he knew nothing
about business, in order to avoid all suspicion, and lest he
should lower his ministerial office in the care of souls by
mixing himself up with worldly affairs. This en tiro
renunciation on his part of all worldly interests was well
known in Rome. The canons of St. Mary in Cosmediu
found it was useless to speak to him on any questions of
temporal advantage to the chapter ; but if any extra
ordinary outlay were proposed, either for the restoration
of the basilica, or for a pious work, then he would approve
warmly, and even urge them to an increased expenditure.
In spite of all the care he took to hide his extreme
poverty, those who were in the house with him could not
help knowing it, and the fact gave very painful anxiety to
his friends. His charities also often exceeded his means,
and made him contract debts which it would have taken
years to pay out of his miserable income. He had on one
occasion borrowed a large sum from the Duchess Sforza,
which he had bound himself to repay within a certain
time. All of a sudden he fell dangerously ill; not know
ing how to meet his liabilities, he sent for a dealer to value
the few poor articles left to him, and sent the money to
the duchess, telling her how much he suffered from his
inability to pay her more at that time. The duchess was
inexpressibly touched. But John recovered and never
rested till he had made up the debt. He never borrowed
save in the most urgent cases : and his horror of wronging
anyone made him all the more careful in money matters.
HE IS APPOINTED TO A BENEFICE. 211
At last his friends determined to try and get him some
extraneous assistance without his knowledge ; and a year
before his death, Mgr. John Lescari, afterwards arch
bishop of Genoa, and Dorn Louis Cortini heard that a
small benefice had fallen vacant in the Diocese of Albenga,
near Genoa. Without saying a word to John Baptist,
they applied for it for him. The holy Father and Car
dinal Cavalchini, who knew well both his holiness and the
poverty to which he had reduced himself, were delighted
at the proposal, and immediately granted it.
The cardinal accordingly wrote a letter with his own
hand to the canon announcing his appointment. John
was looking up some poor people in the heart of the town,
and the note was left at the Trinita dei Pellegrini. It
came upon him on his return like a thunderbolt, and after
a sleepless night he sent the following answer by peep of
day: "The favour which his Holiness has deigned to
confer upon me has deprived me of all rest, and it seems
to me if I accept it I shall soon lose both health and life.
It is, in fact, too heavy a burden for me, and I am the
more troubled as the demand was made without my know
ledge. His Holiness has too much consideration for me
in thus wishing to ensure me a comfortable maintenance
in my old age. But my state is not so critical. Not only
have I all that is necessary, but even if I limit myself to
what is indispensable, I have a surplus to give away.
If I accept this benefice, I shall not know how to spend
its revenues. Therefore I have had recourse to the
excellent Dom Fortini, that he may intercede, in my name,
with the cardinal and the holy Father, so that this living
may be given to another. Very powerful motives oblige
212 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE HOSSI.
me to refuse it; and if I were to accept it, I fear I should
imperil my eternal salvation. I hope that this favour may
be granted to me, and that the few days I may yet have
to pass on this earth may be spent in peace/'
This beautiful and characteristic letter did not produce
any change in the mind of the Pope, who, through his
confessor, sent him an order to accept what Divine
Providence had sent him. He was therefore compelled to
submit : but as everyone knew that if he had the money
in his own power he would give it away the instant ho
received it, it was never paid to him but to the Prior of
the hospital, who supplied him with all that was necessary
without consulting him, or allowing him any choice in the
matter. Sometimes he would plead for some of the
money, which instantly went to his poor. A few months
later, his last and terrible illness began ; and then the
great utility of this little income was apparent, as every
thing could be obtained for him without having recourse
to public charity. Nevertheless our saint always sought
for an occasion to give up the living, and this desire
never left him up to the very last hour of his life.
HIS ALMSGIVING. 213
CHAPTER III.
His Almsgiving.
JOHN BAPTIST GIVES ALL TO THE POOR. — THE GOOD HE EFFECTED
BY HIS CHARITY. — HE BEGS OF THE RICH. DUCHESS ISABEL
STROZZI. — GOD REWARDS HIS ZEAL FOR THE RELIEF OF THE
POOR.
WE have already seen the way in which John distributed
all his revenues among the poor; yet, strange to
say, when he had done this he still found means to give
extraordinary sums in charity. The money seemed
miraculously to multiply in his hands. In visiting poor
families he generally left a sequin, that is, about ten
shillings, with each. One of hi& penitents seeing this
liberality, one day said, laughing, " Why, you must be a
millionaire.'* " Not quite," replied John, smiling, " for
to get to the end of the month I have only a paul left,"
(that is, sixpence.) The revenues of his canonry, in fact,
were looked upon by him as the property of the poor.
When he had to buy something personal which was
absolutely necessary he would grumble and sigh, and
never consent unless compelled to do so. His greatest
wish was to live as a pauper, deprived of all the little
comforts which money brings.
In his last illness he was ordered a certain soup made of
viper's flesb, which was considered in those days a certain
ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
remedy for wasted strength. It was useless for Lira to
refuse, as his friends were quite determined to follow to
the letter the doctor's prescriptions. The sick man called
his servant, and begged him to find out secretly what this
peculiar soup cost ; " for," he added, " I cannot be such an
expense to the hospital, so that I shall ask to be admitted
to the Fate bene fratelli; there, at any rate, I shall be
able to die like a poor man.'*
" His charity towards the poor was, in fact, so great,"
deposed Dom Philip Liberti, ' * that his only wish was to be
as intimate with them as if they had been his own personal
friends or relations. He often said to me, ' What great
good one can accomplish by living with the poor!' His
love was such that he declared very often that he would
be laid with them after death. I attribute it entirely to
his humility that he did not mention this on his deathbed;
for if his body had rested at St. Galla, where he was
so well known, he would at once have been, as it were,
canonized by the voice of the whole people, and I think
that was the motive of his silence, although the wish was
very near his heart."
Among the poor, John Baptist's peculiar care were those
whom the French call " les pauvre honteux," i.e., those
who have known better days, and are too proud or sensi
tive to beg or make their distress known. He was always
hunting them up in different quarters of the city, and
provided them with what was necessary with the most
extreme delicacy. " I am always so glad to help them/'
he used to say, " for they are more like Jesus Christ than
any others, — noble, and yet so poor."
A young ecclesiastic who often came to St. Galla was
HIS ALMSGIVING. 215
miserably dressed, John Baptist, who guessed his dis
tress, had a new suit made for him, and begged him to
put them on. On another occasion a poor priest had been
received as a patient at St. Galla. John hastened to the
prior with a bundle of clothes for him. The prior per
ceived that he had given his own cassock, and only kept a
miserable old one for himself. He entreated him to take it
back, saying that the priest would never be able to use it.
John refused, adding, " God will provide what I want
by-and-bye." In the meantime the poor priest died, and
the prior brought John back his cassock, of which he was
in absolute need. But he was only grieved that his
charity had been in vain.
If it were a question of saving some one from vice, or
preventing the commission of some sin, our saint spared
nothing. He always managed somehow or other to find
the required sum. These cases happened frequently. If
it were a question of giving a dowry to a girl in danger of
losing her character, or of saving her from some bad
influence or perilous position, he never hesitated, even
if it were a matter of paying a pension for some years.
What signified money when it was a question of saving a
soul?
Dom Giacomo Mosca mentions that he knew a very
beautiful young girl to whom John sent regularly enough
for her maintenance. " Several times he sent me on that
mission," he wrote, " and told me to encourage and
console her, and increase her trust and confidence in God,
so that she might not be anxious for the future. She
was utterly destitute, and had it not been for the canon's
216 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
daily alms she would undoubtedly have fallen into sinful
courses."
Another of his favourite charities was providing beds for
poor families, so that they might not be tempted to sin
against modesty. When he had not a farthing left he
would knock at the door of some charitable person, and
borrow what was necessary; but he never delayed the
return of the money. He would quote the words of St.
Lawrence Giustiniani, who said, "I have always a sure and
certain hope of being able to repay the debts contracted
for the urgent needs of the poor, for this hope is in Jesus
Christ Himself, for whom I have borrowed it." He was
very anxious that the poor should be decently dressed, and
if he had nothing left to give them he would strip himself
of everything he could. He always remembered the words
spoken by Father Galluzzi when he was still a student at
the Roman College : f ' Ah, my dear children, give all the
alms you possibly can ; you never can imagine the amount
of misery there is in this world; but by your alms you
might prevent many sins."
The canon's enormous charities used to amaze his friends.
"He gave with greater liberality than any of our princes,"
exclaimed Father Tavani. When his own slender re
sources were exhausted he would go round and beg of
the rich from door to door. But when he became better
known, certain charitable persons sent him weekly large
sums on purpose for distribution. His reputation became
so great, both for liberality and discretion, that the rectors
of the different parishes hastened to him with all their
worst cases, so that he might obtain help for them, which
he invariably succeeded in doing.
THE DUCHESS ISABELLA STRUZZI. 217
Among his most generous benefactors in this manner
was Isabella Duchess Strozzi. This noble lady was an
example to all the great patricians in Rome. Feeling
certain that in the hands of our saint her money would be
better bestowed than in any other way, she gave every
thing through him. One of her letters to him was found
among his papers, which ran as follows : " His reverence
Canon de Rossi is entreated to address himself to the
writer every time when, through the judicious employment
of money, an offence against God may be averted. If he
were to refuse to do this from any false delicacy as regards
herself, the said person will consider it a sin binding on
his own conscience; for by not accepting her offer he
would refuse to hinder a possible sin, or to pay the debts
of one to whom riches have been entrusted for no other
purpose. Pray for me."
The duchess thus endeavoured to break down all barriers
to his charity, and prevent his ever fearing to weary or
annoy her by his petitions, and at her death she left him a
large sum of money for the same purpose.
The abuses which were sometimes made of people's
charity were not, in John Baptist's eyes, a sufficient
motive for stopping them. One day, in the depth of
winter, he was walking in the town with Dom Nicolas
Monzoni, when they met a number of men half naked,
shivering with cold, and exciting the compassion of the
passers-by. Dom Nicolas expressed his surprise at seeing
such misery in Rome, where there were such a number of
rich people who ought to look after them. "It is not
from want of charity," replied our saint; " I have very
often myself clothed these very men, but they sell what is
218 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
given to them in order to trade upon the benevolence of
the public. If they be thus exposed to the cold it is their
own fault." But then he added immediately, "But be
cause these men abuse our charity that is no reason why
we should refuse alms to others. We must always hope to
relieve some who are really in want, and then our con
science will be at rest."
The greater portion of the alms given to our saint were
distributed by him to the sick poor in their own houses,
who were often entirely destitute. He would pay for .their
medicines and the doctor, and procure for them all needful
food. This charity alone mounted up to a very large sum.
Very often his charities were rewarded by positive
miracles. A poor woman of Celdomare had a certain
quantity of wheat which she had kept for seed; but
unaccountably the grain became corrupt, and she had had
nothing but crops of bad corn for three years, of which she
could make no use. Our saint was giving a mission in
that neighbourhood. The poor woman, in despair, came to
find Dom Leopold Manzocchi, John's companion, and
implored him to induce our saint to come and bless her
barn, convinced that if he did so, her troubles would be at
an end. Dom Manzocchi, without telling John what was
expected of him, simply asked him to do what the poor
woman wished for. He did it at once, and at the same
time spoke a few words to the woman on the way in which
she also should bring forth good fruit from the seed sown
in her heart. The poor woman took the corn which had
been blessed, and sowed it in her field. The result was
the most magnificent crop that ever was seen, which was
attested by numberless witnesses. This event was rapidly
HIS PU11ITY. 219
made known in the country, and added greatly to our
saint's reputation ; and what is certain is, that the smallest
thing done by him for the poor, thanks to his own per
sonal holiness and purity of intention, was precious in the
eyes of Him whom he served, and who was pleased thus to
reward him by special and totally unexpected graces.
CHAPTER IV,
The Purity and Mortification of de Rossi.
FROM his earliest years John Baptist de Rossi was
remarked for his excessive love of purity. Later
on, as the disciple of St. Louis of Gonzaga, at the Roman
College, he showed a prudence in guarding that great
virtue worthy of his saintly model. He adopted certain
safeguards, from which he never swerved, and though men
of the world may laugh at them, they are yet the only
method by which temptations can be avoided. To guard
our senses and our eyes is the first thing needful, and our
saint did not fail to observe scrupulously that first rule in
the spiritual life.
" I always remarked," affirmed one witness, " the ex
treme modesty of his looks, whether when out walking, or
if in company with women. Up to the end of his life his
half closed eyes gave him the look of a young novice in a
religious order."
He did not think it necessary to take only common
220 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
precautions; he adopted a way of life which might be
called heroic and angelic. At college he was called " the
angel/' or " the new Louis Gonzaga," and his companions
used laughingly to declare, " that he never saw anything
of a woman save her shoes." His reserve became even
more remarkable when he had been ordained priest. " I
understand/' he would say, " that sometimes a man may
meet a woman's eyes, but I cannot excuse his not with
drawing them at once. Depend upon it that the face of
a woman can never without danger be studied by a man."
And he practised what he preached, not only with the
young and beautiful, but also with those advanced in age.
A poor old deformed woman who did his washing whilst
he was at St. Mary in Cosmedin affirms that he never
once looked her in the face during the nine years she
worked for him. One of the canons used to take him to
see his mother, who was old and infirm, to hear her con
fession, and console and encourage her. John used to be
received by her daughter, the canon's sister. He was
naturally obliged to speak to her with politeness and
kindness, but he always did so with his eyes cast down.
This the young girl remarked, and said to her brother,
" I cannot make out why Canon de Rossi never looks
at me when he speaks; I never saw any other man act
like that."
Following the example of St. Francis of Sales, he never
would let women come into his own room. But the poor
women, knowing his charity, would knock at his door,
and insist on being admitted. Oue wanted a bed, another
clothing, a third food, &c., &c. John used to send a man
to tell them he would do all in his power to satisfy them :
HIS MODESTY. 221
but that lie could not let them into his room, or allow
them to wait on the staircase.
Once he was staying in the country with a friend of his
for change of air, when, just as he was going out for a
walk, he met at the door one of his old Eoman penitents,
who was married in the neighbourhood, and who had
come over to pay him a visit. Taken thus unexpectedly,
John was very much puzzled what to do, for he did not
like to ask her into his room, nor could he send her away
in so rude and disobliging a manner. Fortunately his
friend came to the rescue, and drawing the lady into the
sitting-room, entered into conversation with her. John
remained standing and talking to her as long as civility
required, and then left her, she being charmed, as well as
his host, with his quiet dignity and modesty.
It is a common custom in Italy to kiss the hands of
priests, representing, as they do, Jesus Christ, and venera
ble from having not only received holy unction, but
from being permitted to handle each day the Sacred Host.
Ordinarily John would not allow women to kiss his
hand, and when it was unavoidable he did it with evident
repugnance. Even with men he permitted it reluctantly,
and especially disliked it when he felt his hand pressed
with unusual warmth. However, he was very careful not
to hurt people's feelings in the matter, and would put
them off now and then in a playful manner. On one
occasion, his hand being seized by a friend, he cried out,
smiling, " Take care, I have just come from the hospital of
St. Gallicano, and I might bring you an infectious disease."
His friend drew back his hand quickly enough, though not
222 ST. JOHN BAPTIST BE ROSSI.
quite sure whether it was not a "ruse" on the canon's
part to escape the compliment.
The curious thing was that this extreme reserve, which
would seem excessive and over- strained in any one else,
never excited surprise in his case, so perfectly natural did
it appear.
John was staying with his friend, Canon Chiari, when
he was one day attacked by his terrible malady, and rolled
on the floor without consciousness. All the family rushed
to his assistance, and the sister and housekeeper of the
canon carried him to the nearest bed, and in order to
enable him to breathe with greater facility, they proceeded
partially to undress him. When he came to himself and
opened his eyes, he saw directly what had happened.
Calling the canon, he implored him to send away the two
women, saying that he was very grateful, but that he
could not be nursed by them, and for days after the
thought that he had been undressed by women made him
quite inconsolable.
During the missions, when the missioners had to share
one room, he was careful never to go to bed till the others
were asleep, and always put out the light before retiring
himself, while he was up and dressed before day, and
saying his prayers before his companions were awake.
This sensitive modesty was apparent in all his actions. In
his dreadful illnesses he always dispensed with the ser
vant's help when he possibly could, and arranged a cord so
that he might draw himself up without calling for assist
ance. Even the doctors found it almost impossible to
examine him properly. In fact, it might be said of him, as
of St. Francis of Sales, who, being once watched in his
HIS MORTIFICATION. 223
bedroom by the Bishop of Belley, the latter affirmed
" that he had been more edified thus than even by his
reserve in public •/' and the same evidence was given by
Dom JSTiccola Bonueci, who^ when the canon was one day
resting at St. John Lateran's, looked at him through
the keyhole,
Rome did not fail to profit by such an example, and a
sermon which he one day preached at Sfc. Mary in Cos-
medin against obscene pictures produced the most extra
ordinary results, many of the owners bringing them to him
to burn. On another occasion, at a public festa, a very
objectionable picture was exhibited. John heard of the
scandal, rushed off to the cardinal- vicar, and never rested
till the picture had been removed. " If the cardinal had
not listened to me," he said, " I should have gone off
to the Pope himself."
Purity and mortification are sister virtues, and one is a
necessary condition of the other. John had become so
completely master of his passions that they were in him
extinct, and so continual was his watchfulness that it was
impossible to find in him the shadow of a defect.
He who at fifteen had imposed upon himself, as we have
seen, the penance of not speaking, and who had the
courage in a Roman summer to give up drinking, except
what was absolutely necessary, was not likely to fail in
personal mortification. He never advised extraordinary
corporal penances, however, especially without the dis
tinct leave of a confessor, having himself suffered so
severely from neglecting prudence in that particular.
There is no doubt that his directors refused him in later
life all kinds of austerities, owing to his state of health.
221 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
But be never omitted any small opportunity of mortifying
his tastes and appetite. He never made but one good
meal in the middle of the day/ and though supper was
served he rarely touched it. If anything more delicate
than usual was cooked for him he would never eat it. He
would take the first dish that was brought to him and eat
that, refusing everything that came after. Never did he
complain if a thing was badly cooked, although every one
might be abusing it round him. One day the cook by
accident had emptied a whole cellar full of salt into the
soup. John eat it quietly, and never said a word. His
neighbour asked him why he didn't leave it, like the
others. (C Why ?" he replied, gaily; "but is not salt an
indication of wisdom ?"
He dined one day with Cardinal Castelli, when a fine
fish was put on the table, and the cardinal, who wished to
do him honour, and had placed him in consequence on his
right hand, helped him first. John began to eat the fish,
and went on doing so, when the cardinal, who had just
helped himself, uttered a cry of horror. The fish was bad,
and the taste horrible. He told the servant instantly to
take away John's plate, and was horrified at his having
eaten so much of it. " But I found it very tender," said
John, smiling, and trying to excuse himself.
Another day Dom Dominic Cucumos received him at his
house, and as the heat was overpowering, forced him to
accept a glass of old Syracuse wine. To his dismay our
saint proceeded to deluge it with water, and when re
proached for spoiling such a rare and excellent beverage,
John only answered gaily, "Better to spoil it than to
be spoilt oneself by it."
HIS MORTIFICATION AND HUMILITY. 225
But it was not only in eating and drinking that he
mortified himself. At the Trinita he would not let the
servant make his bed oftener than once a week. As the
man thought this a most extraordinary idea, John tried to
invent a reason for it. "You see, one of my shoulders
grows out, and my hump is easier when it finds a hole
where it is used to rest." After the terrible fatigues of
his day one might have thought that a good bed was
a very legitimate comfort, and a refreshing sleep abso
lutely necessary. But even in this he found a means of
mortifying himself, to make up for his inability to bear
severer penances. Such is the way in which the pious
scholar of the Roman College continued all his life to
imitate his model, St. Louis of Gonzaga.
CHAPTER V.
The other Virtues of John Baptist de Rossi.
TO enumerate the rest of John Baptist's virtues we have
only to speak of his extraordinary humility, sweet
ness and prudence.
Humility, which consists in the conviction of our own
weaknesses, is the foundation of all holiness. This solid
basis was not wanting to our saint's character. In fact,
his biographers speak of it as the most salient point in it.
One writes: " He had the humblest opinion of himself, and
although he worked such miracles in the way of conver-
15
226 ST, JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
sions, I never heard him speak of them, or praise himself
even in the smallest things. In his presence, I hardly
ever dared approve of what he had done ; for we were so
intimate that I knew I should at once incur his dis
pleasure. He used to labour for souls with the greatest
secresy, and was annoyed when any one found him out."
" Another extraordinary sign of humility was the way
in which he would behave when there was any public dis
cussion on points of theology; unless forced to speak he
appeared so incapable and so ignorant that strangers
would pity him. Yet no one had a more powerful mind
or a clearer judgment in such matters. It was only in
private, as for instance, at dinner at the Trinita dei
Pellegrini, where it is the custom to propose a case of
conscience, that he consented to speak, and then did so
with such clearness and force of reasoning as to astonish
his hearers ; for he quoted the opinions of the greatest
theologians and doctors of the Church, as if he had spent
his whole life in studying them."
We have seen the difficulty he made in accepting the
canonry, persuaded that he would do much better as a
simple priest. And in all the letters he wrote afterwards,
he never would sign himself thus or add his title. He
detested any kind of pretension, and would accept no
particular honour. In public ceremonies he would always
choose the lowest place, and mix himself with the crowd,
unless compelled to keep the dignity of his office.
Another witness adds: " I went one day in the month
of August to St. Mary in Cosmedin to say Mass. The
canon, to my dismay, took up the missal, and insisted on
serving my Mass himself." It is the custom of the Church
HIS HUMILITY. 227
for the canons to wear the Cappa Magna in winter, and
the rochet in summer, under the alb. Every one knows
how particular they are to wear this insignia of their
dignity. But this great servant of God, in his humi
lity, was utterly regardless of human considerations, and
wherever he could procure, as he thought, with greater
facility the glory of God or the salvation of a soul, he
would appear like an ordinary priest.
When he renounced his canonry, he kept the privi
lege of his place in choir, from his love for the Church's
Offices, and his veneration for the Madonna which is there
exposed. His place was therefore among the canons : but
he always would sit after the coadjutors. The latter
resisted: so that to get his own way he would arrive first,
and then install himself where he chose. He would do
the same in public ceremonies. Very often the canons
would implore him to preside at the Offices : but to over
come his objections they had to resort to his director to
enforce obedience. When his friends expressed their
annoyance and surprise at not seeing him in his proper
place among the canons, he would reply, " I have resigned
my canonry, and have no longer the right to appear as
canon."
The same spirit of humility was visible in all his actions..
One day he was reproached for killing himself with work.
"My death would be of no importance to any one," he
replied, smiling, ' ' for I am old and useless."
At the Trinita dei Pellegrini,, as at St. Mary in Cos--
medin, he always took the lowest place. Although not
attached to the house in any .capacity, he was as regular
as the chaplains in the performance of every duty. He
228 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
always put himself at the disposal of the other priests.
He would only say Mass at the hours and at the altars
which were appointed for him, and never complained of
the frequent inconvenience which such an arrangement
imposed upon him.
Whilst every one admired his profound experience and
wonderful prudence, he himself shrank from ever ex
pressing his opinion or giving advice. In fact, much
more might have been remembered or written down of his
sayings if he had not always been so careful to hide his
ability and virtue. He loved to be unknown and counted
as nobody. In the hospitals he would perform the
meanest and most loathsome offices, in the teeth of all
human respect, and he loved to do such things, as they so
often brought about the conversion of sinners. In the
street he was continually seen walking with beggars, with
sailors, and with dirty or miserably dressed peasants. He
treated them with a gentle familiarity, which won all their
hearts, and would even take them by the arm when he
wanted to speak to them with greater intimacy. It may
be supposed that some among these men were coarse
enough to take advantage of this kindness; but it was
remarked that he never gave any sign of anger or im
patience at their rudeness, or even at the abuse he some
times met with. He would even join in the ridicule which
some would throw on his personal appearance, so as to be
considered as a man of no value or importance. But,
on the other hand, if any one praised him, especially
in public, he was extremely annoyed. He used to beg of
them to stop, and not to say things of which they knew
nothing. At St. Galla, on one occasion, before a largo
HIS HUMILITY. 229
auditory, a priest began to eulogise his conduct. The
canon interrupted him, and exclaimed, " Add to my quali
ties that I am the confessor of the hangman ! " who, being
naturally the man most odious to and despised by the
people, would (he thought) make his confessor appear the
most miserable and the lowest of his kind.
Some one was expressing his astonishment and admira
tion that without having had time to study such and such
works, he yet could preach such learned sermons and write
such able treatises. <f Before preaching or writing," he
said, " I always make my poor people pray -, they, in con
sequence, are the real authors of what I do or say." Once,
when speaking to an intimate priest-friend of some won
derful instances of God's mercy towards sinners, brought
about by his means, he added, " I tell this to you to show
how God alone works in us, and suggests things to us of
which we should be utterly incapable ourselves."
A few days before his death a member of the Trinita
became his secretary, and John dictated a letter to him,
the contents of which we do not know, but in which he
made allusion to himself in such humiliating terms that the
priest was on the point of stopping several times and
remonstrating with him. When it was finished John said,
"Well, do you think the letter will do?" "But no,"
exclaimed the astonished secretary ; " it is a total anni
hilation of yourself." "Never mind, it is the truth,"
answered our saint, and he insisted on the letter being
sent just as it was.
From this extraordinary humility arose his extreme
gentleness with regard to others. Following in the steps
of his model, St. Francis of Sales, he was always full of
230 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
kindness and amiability. The sweetness of his character
was shown in his smile, which was so winning that it often
touched the hardest hearts, and filled all who came near
him with confidence and peace.
In his exterior he had nothing hard or austere. He was
always gay and bright in manner; his conversation was
full of fun, often indeed sparkling with wit; but never
in one single instance wanting in charity. Every
one could have access to him, rich or poor, high or lowly,
old or young, all were received with the same paternal
kindness. Sometimes his visitors, who were delighted to
have an opportunity of talking with our saint, would stay
an unconscionable time. Unless obliged to cut short the
interview from some imperative engagement, John con
tinued to talk and to listen, and never showed any ennui
or impatience ; but sometimes he would own to his confi
dants afterwards that such or such a visitor had made him
lose much precious time. This condescension on his part
was so well known that people came in crowds to consult
him, to entreat him to settle their quarrels, or to help
them in their various troubles. He gave as much attention
to the poor as to the rich, in fact the former had generally
the preference. Above all, he urged patience and gentle
ness on confessors, and often quoted the story of the poor
man who had been driven away from the confessional by
the harshness of a priest, who had simply told him " To go
away, as he was already damned," and whom he had had
such difficulty, with the help of the Venerable Parisi, in
bringing back to his duties. He used to implore young
priests to remember the conduct of our Lord towards the
Samaritan, and to act accordingly. And he objected as
HIS GENTLENESS. 231
strongly to preachers terrifying their hearers by dwelling
solely on the judgments of God. Writing to a priest on
this subject, he says : ' ' We can have but these two ends in
view, the glory of God and the salvation of souls. But
depend upon it, we shall never arrive" at either without
gentleness and sweetness, united with constancy. Our
dear Lord and Master conquered the world by humility
and patience, joined with love, and we pretend to imitate
Him by severity and threats of divine vengeance. Let us
act like Him, and we shall see far happier results."
John's own gentleness led also to his exceeding docility
of character. Unless there were anything wrong or
doubtful in what was proposed he would always place him
self at the disposal of the people he was with, and sacri
ficed his own tastes without a moment's hesitation. For
this reason one of his intimate friends used to say that
"you could lead him with a thread." Although he dis
liked games, yet, whenever he thought he could do good
by joining in them, he did so, and that so thoroughly that
no one would believe he did not enjoy them. In this
he followed the example of St. Charles Borrorneo, who
would play at cards (which he hated) with the Swiss
guards, and St. Francis Xavier with the sailors on board
ship: and so John would play with the children, or the
young clerics of St. Galla in their expeditions into the
country or elsewhere.
It is not necessary to enter into further details of his
virtue in this respect, for his whole life was an example to
those around him, although apparently so hidden, so
simple, and, what some men might call so common-place.
But to do the common things of everyday in a perfect
232 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
manner, what more is needed to become a great saint ?
We will only add a few words more on his extraordinary
prudence.
In spite of his great horror of sin, and his intense desire
to start various new schemes to avert it, he never did
anything hastily. Before beginning any fresh work, or
trying to remedy any evil, he would first go carefully into
the whole question, find out the root of the evil, listen to
what was said on all sides, and then employ only the
means most suited to the occasion, to the persons, or to
the circumstances of the case. He never acted without
extraordinary discretion, patience, and prayer, and by
these means his undertakings almost invariably succeeded
when others failed.
When he left Rome on his different missions he begged
one of his priests to take charge of the most pressing cases
among his poor, and to him he would write constantly,
advising gentleness in all difficult cases, and above all, no
violence or precipitation, and if any doubts arose to refer
them to certain persons on whose calm judgment he could
rely. Everywhere the extraordinary prudence of John
Baptist inspired confidence. The Archdeacon of Albano
declared that he never undertook any important act with
out consulting him, and that to follow his advice ensured
success. " Whenever I have consulted Canon de Rossi,'1
wrote another eminent ecclesiastic, " whether upon cases
in the confessional, or matters personal to myself, I have
always found him the most discreet and enlightened of
guides, and one who made everything clear to me at once;
BO that, relying on his judgment, I had no hesitation
HIS FEEBLE HEALTH. 233
in acting, and I never was mistaken in thus obeying his
wise counsels."
Enough has been said of this, the crown of all virtues.
We must come now to the detail of the sufferings which
brought this perfect life to a close.
CHAPTER VI.
His Terrible Sufferings.
HIS FRAIL HEALTH. — HIS PATIENCE UNDER CONTINUAL SUFFER
ING. HIS LAST JOURNEY TO L^ARICCIA. HIS FAREWELL TO
THE BASILICA OF ST. LIAIiY IN COSMEDIN. HIS MALADY
RETURNS WITH GREATER VIOLENCE.
IT is impossible to read the life of Canon de Eossi with
out wondering how he could accomplish such in
numerable good works in so short a time, but our wonder
increases when we bear in mind that this man was a con
stant invalid, and at times in a state of fearful suffering.
His appearance alone showed how much he had to bear.
We have already alluded to the fearful change in his
appearance when that terrible malady attacked him as a
young man. Later on his feeble body became more and
more emaciated : his fresh complexion became of the
whiteness of wax, and under his eyes were deep lines left
by pain and continual suffering. Yet his eyes were still
full of fire, and a sweet smile expressed the peace which'
234 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
filled his soul. This smile was often quite enough to
console the sick and calm the greatest griefs. It seemed to
transfigure his whole face with a kind of celestial beauty.
In his last years a fringe of snow-white hair made a kind
of aureole to this sweet face, which might well be called
"angelic."
. Besides the frequent attacks of his malady, he suffered
constant pain, and was reduced to the last stage of weak
ness. All intellectual work was forbidden him. Writing
cost him so much that he was obliged to give it up, as it
invariably brought on a crisis of his malady, so that the
few letters which have been handed down to us are only
dictated and signed by him, and were written by friends,
who were too glad to act as his secretaries. Sometimes he
could not even read the letters which were addressed to
him. His weak stomach could not bear any ordinary food,
hence his extreme thinness. If he eat in the middle of the
day a little more than usual, violent headaches followed,
which lasted for hours. We can fancy what courage it
required for him to go on just the same with his labours
among the poor and in the confessional. In the evening
he took so little that it could not be called supper, and
very often he touched nothing. No one ever heard him
complain, however, of his want of appetite, and he used to
sit at table with his companions and keep up an animated
conversation, so that no one might find out he was suffer
ing. In fact, he was in such a state of health that he
ought to have been spared every kind of fatigue, and
the care of such a fragile frame would have been to most
men a sufficient occupation and an excuse for any amount
of self-indulgence; but, on the contrary, he was not only
HIS CONFORMITY TO THE WILL OF GOD. 235
the most indefatigable of the Roman priests, but he was
really the apostle of Borne, and his zeal was such that he
seemed to forget that he had a body at all, so unwearied
was he in his labours, so superhuman in his self-denial.
This delicate organization and sickly temperament pre
disposed him also to take every prevailing epidemic.
Fever is mistress of Rome at certain seasons, and he caught
it on four or five occasions while visiting the sick, and was
several times in danger of death. In 1758 his end seemed
so near that Mass was interrupted at the altar of the
Blessed Sacrament to bring him holy Viaticum, the doctor
thinking he would die before the Mass was finished.
Other painful internal maladies supervened to test both
his patience and his courage, but however acute might be
his sufferings, every one who came to see him found him
not only resigned, but joyous. His conformity to the will
of God was so perfect that he never saw in anything
but the pleasure of his Divine Master. Sickness or
health, both could be turned to the glory of God and the
salvation of souls. In that very illness of 1758, a priest,
knowing his devotion to St. Louis of Gonzaga, gave him a
relic of the saint to kiss. John said out loud instantly the
following prayer : " By the merits of this glorious saint,
let us pray Jesus Christ our Redeemer to restore me to
health, if I may still labour for the good of souls, the relief
of the poor, and for His greater glory ; if not, it is useless
for me to live any longer." Our Lord had still work for
His faithful servant to do, and heard the prayers of the
poor on his behalf. He raised him up again, and for six
years longer John laboured more indefatigably than ever
to save sinners. True patience is shown more remarkably
236 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
in bearing continual ill-health than short and sharp pain.
Our saint's life might be called a long and lingering
martyrdom, yet no complaint ever escaped hitn ; his peace
and resignation were unalterable. Count Tendering who
knew him so intimately, and was with him during one of
his worst illnesses in 1720, declared that he seemed posi
tively insensible to suffering; yet the doctors all declared
that the malady under which he was labouring must neces
sarily cause him acute agony. The priests and the
servants at the Trinita who waited upon him at such
times, declared unanimously that not only he never uttered
a cry or a groan of pain, but that in his long and tedious
convalescence he never showed any signs of being weary
or bored.
But there was something more than patience and heroism
in his way of bearing his illnesses, and that was an inex
plicable joy, which no pain seemed to take away from him.
Instead of sadness and depression, those about him, or
who came to see him, were amazed at his playfulness, his
sallies of wit, and the way in which he talked of every
thing except his own sufferings. People used to come to
sympathize with and console him, and found, when they
came away, that they had forgotten the object of their
visit, and had never said a word to him about his health,
while he had led them on to talk of themselves, and had
encouraged and comforted them in their troubles, instead
of himself seeking for or accepting consolation. He was
always most considerate towards his nurses, never dis
turbing them when he could possibly avoid it. At the
Trinita dei Pellegrini an iron bar is still shown above his
bed, to which he had a strong cord put, by which he could
HE IS SENT TO I/ARICCIA FOR CHANGE OF AIR. 237
lift himself up without calling any one to help him, or
being touched. But, docile as a child, he submitted to
everything that was necessary. It was the moment to
renounce all personal will; Jesus on the cross was ever
before his eyes, and his conduct was regulated on this
divine model.
But in spite of all the care of his devoted nurses the end
of our saint was at hand. His strength gave way alto
gether; his swelled legs could hardly bear the weight of
his feeble body, bowed down as it was by the burden of
sufferings and of incessant toil. In 1763 an increase in
many of the worst symptoms of his malady destroyed all
hopes of his being spared much longer. But as country
air had been found several times to have a magical effect
upon him, the doctors determined to try this remedy once
more, and John, as usual, submitted to their decision.
They first thought of Eocca di Papa, that beautiful village
perched on the summit of the Alban hills. But they were
afraid that, as he was so well known and beloved by the
inhabitants, they would never leave him in peace ; so that
they finally chose PAriccia, near Albano, where he was
less known.
Our saint himself had no illusions as to his state, and
felt that he was dying. Before starting he insisted on
making a retreat with the Lazarist Fathers at the mission
house, to prepare himself for the last dread passage. It
was the last retreat of his life, for the one he began before
the feast of St. Philip Neri was ended in heaven.
After a general confession he was carried to 1'Ariccia.
But he found no relief from the change ; on the contrary,
his cruel malady returned with greater violence, and
238 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
increased his weakness. Feeling death drawing near, he
implored to be taken back to Rome, and to the Trinita
dei Pellegrini, that he might expire in the arms of the
fathers whom he had loved as brothers.
His wishes were at once complied with, and he was
brought back to Rome about the middle of October. At
first there was a slight amelioration in his condition. He
was able to hear the confessions of those who came to him,
and once or twice, when he felt a little better, he would
drag himself to the bedside of the sick poor who lived
near, in order to strengthen and console them. His zeal
had not diminished, and he seemed determined to realize
the words he had once spoken, "As long as I have a
breath left in my body I will go wherever I am wanted."
Priests succeeded one another hourly in his room. Feel
ing themselves on the eve of losing one who had so long
been their father and their guide, they strove to make the
most of those last precious days, and to obtain all the
instruction and advice they could from his dying lips.
On the 8th September, 1763, .the feast of the Nativity of
our Lady, John determined to say Mass once more in that
Basilica of St. Mary in Cosmedin, which was so dear to
him, and venerate for the last time his favourite Madonna.
The feast itself was magnificent ; his presence added to the
crowds that flocked that day to the church. As he dragged
himself painfully towards the sacristy a bevy of poor
followed him, expressing their joy and veneration, and
their delight at seeing him again; John had a kind word
for every one, and listened to their good wishes with a
smiling countenance. But after Mass, when they followed
him, as it were, in procession back to the Trinita, re-
HIS LAST ILLNESS. 239
peating out loud their hopes and prayers for his recovery,
he stopped, and turning round to them with his usual
sweet smile, said: "My dear good people, do not flatter
yourselves with false hopes, for this is the last time I shall
say Mass in that holy basilica."
His biographers state that he had a thorough knowledge
of the day of his death. In the month of December he
went to see Canon Dom Antonio Coselli, his confessor,
whose sister had long been in a dangerous state. He
spoke to her with unusual earnestness and fervour, ex
horting her to bear her sufferings with courage, and above
all to make a daily preparation for death. " Good-bye,"
he added, in taking leaving of her, " take courage, our
turn will come very soon. Next year we shall both of us
go home." The sick lady died in the month of January,
1764, and John in the month of May following.
A fresh attack, more serious than any that had preceded
it, followed his return from FAriccia. He had consented, at
last, to rest a little longer in the morning, and did not get
up till half- past six ; after his hours' meditation, and half
an hour's preparation for his Mass, some one came to fetch
him and to lead him down to the little private chapel of
the hospital. On the 27fch December, the servant
knocked as usual at eight o'clock at his door, but he did
not answer; he called loudly, but in vain. Alarmed at this
the man flew to summon some of the priests of the house,
who ran and opened his door, and to their sorrow and dis
may, found him lying half dressed and unconscious on the
floor by the side of his bed ; he appeared, in fact, to be
dead, his face was livid and his body like ice. They drew
near and found that he still breathed, so that they re-
240 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DB ROSSI.
placed him on his bed, summoned three of the best
doctors, and did all they could to restore consciousness,
but in vain. At last, after trying the strongest remedies
for three or four hours, he opened his eyes and tried to
speak a few words, though with great difficulty. They
brought him holy viaticum, and at the sight of his
Lord our saint was roused to such an expression of faith
and love that every one was moved to tears. After
having received it, he remained immoveable, and with
his eyes closed, so that it seemed as if life were extinct.
The sacrament of Extreme Unction was administered,
and then again John seemed to revive, and answered
the responses to the prayers. Every one thought his last
hour was at hand, but, strange to say, after the admin
istration of the last Sacraments, he became visibly better,
and the next day was almost out of danger. As soon
as he had recovered the free use of his speech, the holy
man asked pardon for all the trouble he had so involun
tarily caused his assistants. He asked special forgiveness
of the servant who used to take him to say his mass in the
chapel, but he added to them all : " I hope soon I shall no
longer make such demands upon your charity, for I am
sure to die before long." He begged every one to thank
God, who had not allowed him to die without the last
Sacraments. After this, for two or three months he was
still able to receive penitents in his room, and give counsel
and advice to those who sought it. But it was evident to
all that his last hour was at hand, and that he would soon
be called to receive the reward of his labours.
His sufferings indeed deserved a special crown. They
formed a prominent feature in his life, and greatly en-
AN APPARITION SEEN AT HIS DEATH.
hanced the value of his work. He had, some years before,
preached a mission at Bracciano, a little town about forty
kilometers to the north of Rome. The parish priest of that
place had had constant intercourse with him during that
time, and had conceived a very high idea of his sanctity ;
finally he became one of his intimate friends and sought
his advice on every occasion. On the 23rd of May, 1764, in
a kind of vision, which still was not sleep, this same priest
saw a beautiful illuminated cross in the air. Its brightness
lit up an innumerable crowd of people, who, prostrate before
it, were watching it with profound respect and admiration,
as if in expectation of some great event. The priest asked
one who was kneeling before the cross what the apparition
meant? The answer, given in a loud and harmonious
voice, was as follows : " It is thus that the Son of God is
preparing to honour and receive one who has faithfully
served Him, and who is now about to have his reward."
After these words the vision disappeared, and the priest
roused himself to try and understand what it meant. He
was afraid that it was only a dream, and feared to be the
victim of some illusion. However, he wrote down the day
and hour, and all particulars, and all day long this vision
was before him, filling his thoughts and mind. Towards
evening, a traveller coming from Rome, brought him the
news of the death of the holy canon. He eagerly enquired
the time, and it carne oat that at the very moment when
the priest had seen the radiant cross in the heavens, John
Baptist, with his eyes fixed on the crucifix, had sweetly
fallen asleep in the Lord. His friend could have no
reasonable doubt that he had left this suffering life to
enter into the kingdom of God's glory in heaven.
16
242 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
In the beautiful picture representing our saint, which is
now in the Vatican, and which was given to that great and
holy pope Pius IX., at the time of Canon de Eossi's
beatification, the holy man is represented as meeting this
cross, which floods him with celestial light. Perhaps God
wished thereby to signify how acceptable to Him had been
the many years of John Baptist's sufferings, so nobly and
heroically borne. After having thus carried the cross of
suffering and self-denial through so long a pilgrimage,
our saint was to receive one of beauty and of light, in
the brilliancy of which our Lord Himself would be reveal
ed to him, and be for ever his joy and his exceeding great
reward.
CHAPTER VII.
The Death of Canon de Rossi.
JOHN BAPTIST EXPECTS DEATH WITH CONFIDENCE AND CALMNESS.
HIS LOVE FOR THE POOR, AND HIS PIETY ON HIS DEATH-BED.
HE DISTRIBUTES THE POOR LITTLE THINGS WHICH REMAIN
TO HIM. — THE NOVENA OF ST. PHILIP. — LAST ATTACK. — HIS
SOLEMN OBSEQUIES. — HIS EPITAPH.
ON the 17th June, 1763, that is, less than a year before
his death, John Baptist gave his last address to the
priests of St. Galla. It was his real farewell, for soon
after, his illness returned with such violence, and the
attacks became so frequent, that he could no longer attempt
HIS LAST ADDRESS AT ST. GALLA. 243
to preach. In this conference our saint treated his favourite
subject: { c On tlie zeal which priests should have for the
salvation of souls, and especially the souls of the poor." He
concluded with these words :
" What amount of merit shall we not gain if we devote
ourselves thus to the well-being of our poor neighbours !
Perhaps that may happen to us which we read of in the
life of a monk in the East. Unfortunately this man had
fallen into temptation, and was on his way to commit a
grave sin, but on his road he met his superior, who ordered
him to go at once and preach in a neighbouring convent,
where the priest had failed to appear in time. The guilty
monk would fain have escaped, but was compelled to obey :
seeing that he could not avoid this burden, he resolved to
take it up courageously, and preached with real zeal and
devotion. This sermon brought forth extraordinary fruits,
and God blessed it by bringing it home first to the
preacher himself. His eyes were suddenly opened to see
the precipice on the edge of which he was standing : he
repented himself of his bad purpose, returned to his
monastery, and led ever after a most edifying life. So you
see that God shows a special mercy towards those who
labour for the salvation of their brethren. He will be
generous to us in proportion as we have been generous
towards others.
" In the life of St. Andrea Avellino we read that he was
one day sent for in hot haste to hear the confession of a
sick man. The messenger was full of anxiety and fear
lest the father should be too late, and implored him to
make haste, as the salvation of his friend depended upon
it. The zeal of the messenger struck the saint, who,
244 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
suddenly enlightened from above, exclaimed: 'But you
also, my brother, need sadly to make a good confession
yourself.' It was quite true, and the man, struck to the
heart, followed the saint's advice, and made a general
confession. God thus rewarded him for the anxiety he
had shown to procure the salvation of his sick friend, and
this St. Andrea told him afterwards. I was once asked if
I had a strong hope of salvation, and on what reasons my
hopes were grounded. I replied that my hope was strong,
and my confidence great, because I had always devoted
myself to the poor, and to those who were abandoned
by every one else. If by the grace of God I have suc
ceeded in bringing back one or other of these souls, it
seems to me that God has undertaken on His part to save
me. This poor soul, which has been rescued and restored
to Him, will it not intercede for me ? Courage, then, dear
brethren, and let our zeal for the service of the poor be
strengthened and inflamed by this one thought."
Our saint, therefore, did not fear death. He expected
it, and waited for it without any terror; as the soldier who
dies on the rampart he has stormed in face of the enemy.
A canon was one day speaking to him of the fears which
assailed him when he thought of death, and still more of
damnation. "We all feel this naturally," replied John;
" I have also passed through these moments of terror, but
when I think of all I have tried to do for the poor, peace
and confidence come back to me. My hope is then so
steadfast and strong that I feel as if I were already in
paradise. Devote yourself, therefore, to doing good to
the very poor, and I assure you your fears will then pass
away."
HIS HOPE OF HEAVEN. 245
In the month of May, 1764, his illness increased, and his
attacks came on more frequently. His confessor, Dora.
Antonio Coselli, (Rector of St. Thomas a Censi,) was with
him on one of these occasions. When he regained hia
consciousness he begged at once to make a general con
fession, which he did with quiet calmness. Dom Antonio
suggested various pious thoughts to him, and advised him
to accept death with joy, as the means of bringing him into
the presence of God. " I look upon death," replied John,
" without fear and without regret. I believe this feeling
is a special grace from God, Who will have mercy upon
me, because He knows I have always treated His poor
with such special affection."
Spring was come, but it brought no increase of strength
to the dying saint. The purer air might, the doctors
thought, have done him good, but his own room was bad
and unhealthy, being close to the Tiber, which made it
damp, and the only window opened into a narrow court,
where the air was bad and close. John was accordingly
moved, sorely against his will, to the house of a friend, a
lawyer named Stephen Palliani, who had an apartment
near the Quattre Fontane, built on a hill, surrounded by a
garden, and where the air was always fresh and sweet.
Our saint found himself there with devoted friends, and
surrounded with every comfort which their delicate affec
tion could suggest; but in spite of all that his state became
daily worse, and finally he entreated to be taken back to
the Trinita. His sufferings now became so great that not
only was he obliged to give up saying Mass, but he could
not even receive daily communion, which was a terrible
privation to him. In the midst of it all, however, his
246 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
heart was still full of his poor. That year, 1764, was a
terrible one for them. There was almost a famine in the
land, and the starving peasants flocked into Rome in
serried masses. Certain zealons priests, encouraged by
our saint, determined to open a new hospital for women,
for the one of St. Louis, which John had founded near St.
Galla, had become entirely insufficient. It was necessary
to raise a large sum of money for this purpose, but, thanks
to John's influence, the required funds poured in quickly.
Guided by his counsels, and walking in his steps, these
young priests worked wonders. Their ardour was such
that one of them, Canon Louis Strozzi, fell dangerously ill
from over- work, and actually died a victim to his charity.
John exclaimed, sighing, when he heard the news, S( Ah,
what a blessed death ! As for me, I am an unprofitable
servant." How gladly would he have given his life for the
poor, and died, like his friend, while labouring for them.
The total inaction to which he was now condemned was,
for him, the most cruel of sufferings. To be no longer
able to go and visit his dear children was to him a greater
and more meritorious sacrifice than even his patience under
physical pain. He used to envy his companions at St.
Galla, who were free to carry out their apostolate. But
God had so ordained it, and with this thought ever present
in his mind, John cheerfully submitted to the divine will.
Two consolations remained to him. His friends, who
succeeded one another without intermission by his bedside,
were ever ready to be his messengers, and would write
for or read out loud to him continually. They used to
read the lives of the saints, especially that of St. Philip
Neri, and he preferred that sort of reading to any kind of
HE DIVIDES 1IIS FURNITURE, ETC. 247
conversation. One other great comfort to him was the
recital of the rosary, which hardly ever left his poor
shrunken hands. "I have been forbidden to say my office,
so I make amends with this," he wonld say to his visitors.
This rosary was a subject of continual envy to his friends,
who looked upon it as a precious relic. During one of
his attacks a priest, who had long coveted its possession,
detached it from his wrist. The moment he recovered
consciousness he found out his loss, and begged to have it
back with such touching earnestness that it was instantly
replaced. But then our saint had a scruple; he was afraid
that he had shown too much attachment to this particular
rosary, and gave it away, only asking as a favour that he
might be allowed to use it up to the last.
When he felt himself about to appear before the presence
of God, he looked round him, wishing to die as became one
who had devoted himself entirely to the service of the
poor, that is, despoiled of all earthly possessions. His
riches had long since disappeared, as we know, and he had
hardly left himself enough for the necessaries of life. But
he wished to divide the few things he had left. First, the
bed on which he lay. Being told of a young girl who
was engaged to be married, but who could not do so with
out (according to Roman custom) buying her bed, he left
her his own, only reserving a few planks, of which he
begged that his coffin might be made.
He had also a little table, a prie Dieu, one or two chairs,
a breviary, the New Testament, all tattered and torn, of
which he had made use all his life, two old pictures on
copper without any value, and a few common prints of
sacred subjects. He divided these among the priests of
ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
the Trinita and those of St. Galla. He sent for each of
them in turn, said a few burning words to encourage them
to generosity in the service of God, and devotion to His
poor, and then begged each to accept one of the humble
little things which were all he had to leave. To the
priests of St. Q-alla he specially addressed himself, im
ploring them never to neglect their duties towards the sick
poor. All left him profoundly touched and impressed.
We do not know what he said to each ; but one of them
relates the following : " He gave me his breviary, and
added, * Love God with all your heart, and live as becomes
a good and holy priest/ These few words were said with
such unction that, in spite of myself, I burst into tears. I
could not command my voice enough to say one word of
thanks, and he had to send me away himself."
As for his crucifix, which he wore during all his mis
sions, the canon had promised it thirteen years before
his death to John Baptist Camassei, the parish priest of
Beragna, who had said how much he wished to possess it.
The canon did not forget this promise on his deathbed,
and begged one of his friends to transmit it to him after
his death. Father Camassei received it as his greatest
earthly treasure, and wrote shortly after, "Have I not
received in this precious gift a pledge of the protection
this saint will give me in heaven ?"
In giving away most of these little things, John begged
the recipients to carry them away at once before his death.
Could voluntary detachment go further ? He also an
nounced that he had reserved a small sum of money. It
was the exact cost of a poor person's funeral, which he had
kept by him for a long time, and which he did not look
HIS ANXIETY FOR THE POOR AT ST. OALLA. 249
upon as his own, as it was "to pay," he said, "an in
evitable debt ;" and he particularly wished no expense to
fall upon the hospital. But such were not the designs of
Providence, and the funeral pomp which followed the
glorious remains of our saint did not certainly enter into
his humble thoughts or intentions.
What the canon found it hardest to leave were his
" little poor of Jesus Christ," as he called them. During
the last two months of his life he would talk of St. Galla
continually, and liked to know every little detail which
happened. Who had been the preacher, and what had he
said ? How were the poor getting on ? Were they con
tent and happy ? These and the like questions were ever
on his lips. He added very often, addressing the young
priests, "How happy you are to be able to serve the poorl
it was such a joy to me!" The thought that he was
condemned to complete inaction, and could no longer do
anything for them, used sometimes to make him cry
bitterly.
It was the 17th May, the day when the novena always
begins in Rome, before the feast of St. Philip Neri. John
Baptist wished to join the whole town in making a special
retreat; he said he would ask the saint to give him
strength enough to say mass once more on his feast. All
his life long the canon had devoted this particular period
to special exercises of prayer and acts of virtue, and never
had he shown such fervour as now. It was his final pre
paration for death. On all sides prayers were offered up
in union with his and for his intention. During these days
he was able to get up several times, and had himself carried
into the chapel of the hospital, where he spent as much
250 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
time as his strength would permit. St. Philip did not
grant his prayer; but obtained for him a far higher grace,
that of seeing on that day his Lord, not under the Eucha-
ristic veils, but face to face in all the beauty of His Divine
majesty.
On the 21st of May, 1764, towards evening, our saint
became suddenly worse. Violent pains and a great
oppression in his breathing too clearly showed that a fresh
attack was imminent. His face became deadly pale, his
limbs stiff and cold, and his sufferings were terrible to wit
ness. He was carried to his bed, and never spoke a word,
being as it were plunged in profound meditation; a little
later, he said he was ready to see any of his penitents who
wished to speak to him. He spoke a few words to John
Mary Toietti, and added as he left him: "Pray for me
that I may still say mass on St. Philip's feast-day." And
the brightest smile passed over his face. Did he feel that
death was at hand, and was he only playfully alluding to
the hope he had conceived and which was not to be
realised ? Contrary to his usual habit, he begged then to
be left alone with God, and soon became absorbed in a
kind of meditation which no one liked to disturb.
A little later, however, Dom Antonio Coselli, his con
fessor, and Dom Joseph Gasperoni, a very old friend of our
saint's, came by turns into his room. On seeing them,
John partly raised himself in the bed, and asked them how
the poor women were going on who had been sheltered in
the hospital of St. Louis, and in the new asylum which
had been recently opened. He asked in the same way
various questions about the poor people in St. Galla.
These were his last words, and they were consecrated to
THE LAST ATTACK OF HIS MALADY. 251
the poor, and worthy of him who was called, "The
Father of the miserable."
Hardly were they spoken, however, than another fearful
attack came on, the last, but also the most terrible. For
two long hours, without an instant's intermission, a con
vulsive trembling came over his whole body, his head and
arms especially were as if violently shaken. His friends
could only look on with grief and compassion, and marvel
how he could resist such frightful convulsions. Blood
poured in torrents from his mouth, which was contracted
and half open, and added to the misery of the lookers-on,
who could do nothing whatever to help him save- by
prayer.
At last these frightful convulsions ceased ; but John re
mained as one dead. His head was turned towards hia
prie DieUj and his eyes, wide open, were fixed on the
crucifix. All of a sudden a beautiful smile came over his
face, with an almost extatic expression, and until his last
hour he remained thus in contemplation of the Crucified
One, without answering any questions, his eyes remaining
fixed and brilliant. Had he a vision of that glorious cross
which his friend saw, and which was to be his guide to
heaven ?
Thus passed all the day of the 22nd of May. Towards
evening, the sick man suddenly tried to throw himself
back, and an expression of great terror came over his face,
though his eyes were still fixed on the crucifix. One of
his attendants feared that another convulsion was coming
on: but Dom Giacomo Costa, who knew the malice of our
infernal enemy, especially at the moment of death, hastily
took some holy water, with which he sprinkled our saint
252 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
and the whole bed, making over him the sign of the cross.
Instantly he became calm, the sweet smile returned to his
face, and he was no more troubled to the very end.
The next morning, the 23rd of May, 1764, at nine
o'clock in the morning, while they were reciting the
prayers for those in their last agony, the heart of this
great servant of God ceased to beat. John Baptist was
sixty-six years, three months, and one day old.
A poor old priest, stripped of all worldly possessions,
had then died, whose whole life had been devoted to the
care of the lowest and most abandoned of God's creatures.
He had voluntarily chosen them in preference to the rich
and powerful. He had refused all human dignities, and
had separated himself altogether from the world. His
death, one would think, would pass by without any earthly
notice ; men would soon forget him, and God alone would
reward His brave and faithful servant.
This fate, however, which, humanly speaking, was only
natural and to be expected, did not enter into the designs
of Divine Providence. God wished to set him before
priests for ever as a model, and as a proof to the whole
world of what a man can do, denuded of everything, but
leaning on God, and corresponding in all things with His
grace.
The news of his death spread quickly through the town,
and caused an incredible sensation. An immense crowd of
people flocked to the Trinita dei Pellegrini, and implored
to see his body. His precious remains were consequently
exposed in the inner chapel of the hospital. The poor
especially surrounded the bier, kissing his feet, touching
his body with their rosaries and medals, and crying and
THE VENERATION PAID HIM AFTEU DEATH. 253
weeping for tlie loss of one who had been indeed their
father. They insisted upon having fragments of his dress,
of his hair, of anything, in fact, which belonged to him,
and the priests had to watch lest everything should be
carried off which he had ever touched.
We have said that he had begged to have a pauper's
funeral, for which he had left the money, but in this his
desires were not fulfilled. His friends determined to bury
him in the church of the Trinita, and all the neighbouring
parish priests concurred in paying the utmost veneration to
the remains of one whom the whole town recognized as a
saint. According to Roman custom the translation took
place in the evening. Two hundred and fifty members of
the Trinita dei Pellegrini, dressed in their habits, and
carrying torches, followed; then upwards of sixty surpliced
priests. Many more wished to have joined them, but there
were not enough cottas in the church. They walked two
and two, absorbed in grief, and thinking of the great loss
which the Roman clergy had sustained. Prelates and
canons, parish priests and curates, all were mixed together.
Round the bier, bearing torches, were the poor of St. Galla,
to the number of four hundred, most of them crying
bitterly. This funeral procession passed through a number
of streets in the city, all traffic being stopped, the crowd
kneeling on both sides, and many openly pleading for his
intercession in heaven.
The next morning the solemn funeral service was held
in the church, which was entirely hung with black, the
body, still exposed, being placed on a magnificent bier.
According to the register still kept in the church, one
hundred and fifty Masses were celebrated that morning.
254 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
Monsignor Giovanni Lescari, Archbishop of Adrianopolis,
sang the High Mass, and the Archbishop of Genoa and a
multitude of other prelates assisted at the Holy Sacrifice.
All this time the crowd succeeded one another by the
bier; it seemed as if they could not gaze long enough on
the features of their father and the "apostle of Borne."
Among many miracles, one of a crippled child, whose
mother had lifted it up to touch the body, is attested in
the process of his canonization.
At two o'clock in the afternoon it was necessary to close
the church, and to do so force was required, so incessant
was the influx of visitors. The moment was come to bury
the venerable remains of one whom the Church, rather
more than a hundred years after, was to reckon among the
saints. The priests remained alone, but the same scene
was renewed, for all wanted to have a fragment of his
clothes. They hastened to place him in a coffin of cypress
wood, which was sealed with the arms of the arch-con
fraternity, and placed in a second coffin, bearing on a
leaden plate the following inscription :
" To the glory of God. John Baptist de Rossi, Priest
of the Diocese of Genoa, and Canon, of St. Mary in Cos-
medin, died 23rd May, 1764."
D. o. M.
JO. BAPTISTA DE RUBEIS,
SACERDOS JANUEN,
E. S. M. IN COSMEDIN
CANONICUS j
OBIT DIE XXIII. MAII,
MDCCLXIV.
HIS FUNERAL. 255
It was easy to foresee that these precious remains would
be exhumed later, and the most minute precautions were
taken to distinguish them. The body was placed under a
marble slab on the Gospel side of the altar dedicated to tho
Blessed Virgin. On this slab was also engraved tho
words, " Ossa Joannis Baptistce de Rubeis." The canons
of St. Mary in Cosmedin, proud of being able to reckon
such a man among their ranks, wished to celebrate a
solemn service in the church of the Trinita. They came
in a body, and did all they could to make the ceremony
worthy of its object.
The poor of Sfc. Galla also insisted on a funeral service
being celebrated in their chapel, at which many cardinals
assisted. John Mary Toietti, John Baptist's intimate
friend, pronounced the funeral oration. He had been so
closely united to the holy canon that the effort to speak
even of his extraordinary virtues was very great, and soon
both the preacher and his hearers melted into tears, and
sobbed out loud, nor could they reconcile themselves to
their irreparable loss, save with the thought of his cer
tain glory in heaven.
This great servant of God was scarcely buried before tho
witnesses of his holy life and death began to prepare the
necessary papers for the cause of his beatification. Tho
numberless miracles which attested his sanctity and his
powerful intercession with God contributed in no small
degree to second the efforts of his friends. A recital of
these prodigies would make this little volume exceed its
limits. Suffice it to say that the suit was begun under
Pius VI. on the 27th June, 1781, but the state of Europe
during the succeeding years put a stop to any progress ia
256 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
the cause, until it was resumed under Pius IX., when the
decree of his beatification was published on the 7th of
March, 1859, Finally, on the 8th of December, 1881, the
Sovereign Pontiff, Leo XIII., solemnly placed Canon de
Rossi among the number of the saints.
A short time after his death a commemorative slab
was placed in the church of the Trinita dei Pellegrini,
by the care of the clergy, which is a sort of resume of our
saint's holy life. It runs as follows :
HIS EPITAPH. 257
JOANNI BAPTISTS DE RUBEIS,
DOMO VEITURIO PRESBYTERO LTGURI,
CANONICO BASILICA S. MARINE IN COSMEDIN,
VERBI DEI PR^CIPUE IN ERUDIENDIS RUDIBUS
ET SACRAMENTI PCENITENTLE MINISTRO
INDUSTRtO INDEFESSO INCOMPARABILI ;
IN DEVIIS AD VIAM SALUTIS REDUCENDIS
PERPETUO LABORS ET CURA
VIRIBUS CONSUMPTO,
IN LABORANTIBUS INOPIA SUBLEVANDIS
AD PAUPERIEM REDACTO,
VOCATIO IN SORTEM DOMINI AD SANCTE VITANS INSTITUENDAM
ET AD CHRISTI PrDELIUM SALUTKM PROCURANDAM,
DOCTRINA, HORTATIONE, ET EXEMPLO MAGISTRO ET DUCI,
OMNIBUS ORDINIBUS IN URBE PROBATO ACCEPTO
SODALI OPTIMO FRATRI BENEMBEENTI
ECCLESIASTICI TJRBIS,
AD SACRA MINISTERIA AB EO INSTITUTI
POST JUSTA EITU SOLEMNl PERSOLUTA
COLLATO MGJBENTES POSUERUNT.
OBIIT IN HOC IPSO QUOD DIU INCOLUIT XKNODOCHIO,
X. KAL. JUNTAS ANN. SAL. MDCCLXIV.
VIXIT ANNOS LXVI. M. III. D. I.
17
258 ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
By miracles, and by the universal esteem of men, God
began to glorify, even in this world, His brave and faith
ful servant, while He bestowed upon him an imperishable
crown, and received him into the glories of His kingdom
in heaven.
THE END.
Iprintcb tyi Jlidjatbsoit anb £OK, JUrbg
gait's $eto f itblications
23, King Edward Street, City, London, E.G.;
and Derby.
LIFE OF ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI, translated
from the Italian, by LADY HERBERT. With an Introduction
on Ecclesiastical Training and the Sacerdotal Life, by the
BISHOP OF SALFORD. Demy 8vo, with Portrait of the
Saint, superfiue cloth, lettered in gold, price 6s.
LIFE OF DOM BARTHOLOMEW OF THE MARTYRS,
Heligious of the Order of St. Dominic, Archbishop of Braga,
in Portugal. Translated from his Biographies. By LADY
HERBERT. In one thick volume, demy 8vo, price 12s. 6d.
" Lady Herbert's large Life of this wonderful servant of God — Dom
Bartholomew of the Martyrs — has become a standard work on the ecclesi
astical spirit, and a perfect treasury for Priests and Bishops." — FROM THE
BISHOP OF SALFORD.
SHORT MEDITATIONS FOR EVERY DAY IN THE
YEAR, according to the Method of St. Ignatius. E/evised by
a Jesuit Father. For pupils in Convent and other Schools.
In Monthly Parts, price 4d. each, in printed wrapper.
Original, Short, and Practical SERMONS for EVERY
SUNDAY of the Ecclesiastical Year. Three Sermons
for every Sunday. By F. X. Weninger, S.J., Doctor of
Theology, SECOND English Edition, demy 8vo,
strongly bound in cloth, price 10s.
Original, Short, and Practical SERMONS FOR EVERY
FEAST Of the Ecclesiastical Year. Three Sermons for
every Feast. By F. X. Weninger, S.J., Doctor of Theology.
English Edition, demy 8vo, strongly bound in cloth, 10s.
t^ This volume, is the complement of Father Weninger' s Sunday Sermons,
and is bound uniform with them.
HEAVEN OPENED : or our Home in Heaven, and the
Way Thither. A Manual of Guidance for Devout Souls.
By REV. FATHER COLLINS. Post 8vo, handsomely bound, 5s.
BERN ADETTE.— Sister Marie-Bernard. The Sequel to
" Our Lady of Lourdes." By HENRI LASSERRE. Translated
with the special permission of the author, by Miis. F.
RAYMOND-BARKER. Foolscap 8vo, ornamental cloth, price 4s.
COMPLIN; BENEDICTION; QUARANT' ORE; with a
Selection of Psalms and Hymns. Extra cloth, gold letter
ing, red edges, price Is.
23, King Edward Street, City, London, E.G. ;
and Derby.
FATHER MILLERIOT, the Rayignan of the Working
Men of Paris, From the French of the Rev. Pere Glair,
S.J., with the special permission of the author, by Mus. F.
RAYMOND-BANKER. Foolscap 8vo, extra cloth, inked design
on cover, lettered in gold, price 2s.
LIFE OF THE YEN. F. LOUIS DE PONTE, S.J. Post
8vo, extra cloth, blocked black, lettered in gold, price 4s.
May also be had uniform with his MEDITATIONS, paper wrapper,
price 3s.; dark cloth, red edges, 5s.
MEDITATIONS ON ALL THE MYSTERIES OF THE
FAITH, together with a Treatise on Mental Prayer. By
the Ven. F. Louis de Ponte, S.J. To which are added, the
Meditations on the Sacred Heart of Jesus. By the Ven.
F. C. Borgo, S.J. Complete in six vols., 8vo, superfine
paper, printed wrapper, price 18s. Any vol. may be had
separately, price 3s. The 6 vols. bound in cloth, red edges,
price £1. 10s. Od.
LEGEND OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, Mother
of Christ our Lord. By Michael Henry Dziewicki. In
wrapper, price 6d.
VIRGIN MARY ACCORDING TO THE GOSPEL. Edited
by the R/KV. H. COLLINS. Post 8vo, superfine cloth, 6s. 6d.
PRIMACY OF ST. PETER demonstrated from the
Liturgy of the Greco-Russian Church. With several
Documents and the Russian Text of all the passages quoted
from the Slavonic Liturgy. By the RKV. C. TONDINI DE
QCTARKNGHI, Barnabite. Demy 8vo, price 3s.
COMFORT AND CONSOLATION FOR THE SICK AND
AFFLICTED. With Mass and Prayers for the Sick and
tor the Dead. Crown 16mo, with Frontispiece, cloth,
blocked black, red edges, lettered in gold, price 2s.
NUN OF THE ORDER OF THE VISITATION, Anne
Madeleine de Remusat, of Marseilles, called the Second
Margaret Mary of the Sacred Heart. Foolscap 8vo,
superline cloth, X». Od.
THE PROBLEM SOLVED. Edited by LADY HERBERT.
Crown 8vo, 450 pp., extra cloth, price 6s.
BX 4700 .R677 A24 1883
SMC
St. John Baptist de
Rossi /
AWV-7211 (awsk)
Live Music Archive
Librivox Free Audio
Metropolitan Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Internet Arcade
Console Living Room
Books to Borrow
Open Library
TV News
Understanding 9/11