American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1869-10-30
The CARMELITE PRIEST, PEEE
HYACINTHE.
His Missiouary.Ez General
Life, and !. Ill About Him.
From.the Galaxy for November,l

Father HyacInthe, Superior of the
Barefooted Carmelites Of Paris, and
second preacher of the order in the
province of Avignon, is the son of d
small farmer, who early destined h i'm
for the church. Not because it is
the only respectable profession with
in poor mans reach, or that it is
so pleasant to speak of "my son.
| Monsieur lAbbe," but because the
boy had prediction for it. Such
a prediction as a devOrt chOrister,
regular at mass and confession
evinces, led certain friends of the
family to procure him an ecclesiasti-
cal training, first in the local semi
nary, and afterward at st. Sulpice.
Few men who have taken priestly
VOWS ever. regarded them more sol
emnly than did this young man.
There was a work given him to do
in the great city of Paris. He was
to illustrate the simple -mindedness,
the purity and self-denial of reli-
gion sneered at by many, neglected
and despised by more. These scep-
ties he constantly met, and was as
frequently silenced by their itlgeni-
GUS sophisms. To answer them he
must study, he must keep himself
an coMdnt with the thought of the
day. So, after long days of labor, he
spent nights of study, very much
thwarted and hindered by want of
means to purchase books. NoI did
this application to literature impede
his missionary work. The district
allotted him, near st. Sulpice, is full
of young men and sou6rettes who
very early forget home lessons, and
live immoral and vicious lives
Studying mankind in their midst,
this ardent young abbe, by win.
ming gentleneSs of manner, and the
devoted piety of his life, won respect
from sworn foes Of the church. Thl
grandeur of his work was the theme
of his thoughts. To devote ones
whole being to it, to seek the high.
est developments of the Christian
life, this was plainly duty. He re
solved to give up the world more en-
tirely by becoming a Carmclite triar
The Carmelites are a severe order
fasting much, practising great aus
terities and continued devOtiOns.
Father Hyacinthe faithfully kept hi:
rule through novItiate, and was al
length protessed. But his vow o
obedience was not snch as til,
Jusuits take. Another Frenri
preacher, Pere Ravlgnan, said, g
see God, L hear Jesus Christ HiInsei
in my superior" Not so with iiya
cinthe. He did not sacrifice self-re
spect in becoming Il monk. Tel
years of self-abnegation Of the sever
est type have taught him how lin
measurably grand the human sou
: is compared to the petty IDEAS me-
' form about it. He says, 81 hay
+, promised monastic obedience, bll
!, limited by the honesty of my col
! science, the dignity of my persor
! and my ministry" 1t is to De frare
! that in our ideas of the right c
: every man to work out his salyatio
. in the world, we are apt to deprec
> ate the intentions Of monks i
, general. Yet the record Of a Who'll
. life of over forty years attest til
= plain. .unvarniShed truth OF this stat
' ment: g 1t is for the more perfe(
y practice of this holy liberty that
= came to ask at the cloistrr, Eo
more than ten years ago, il the ella
!, of an enthusiasm free from ;il huma
= calculation-I shall not venture
. add, from all the illusion Of youth
The missionary experiences
u Father Hyacinthe compelled him
see that in Paris, beneath, the mo
e iRsouciaRt disposition, there is gre:
o thought going on. Was the tende
| CIV to Professionalism and in;idelit
o merely the work of Satan i'll men
It disorganized minds, or was the
n some other reason Nine-tenths
5. the priests shirk the inquiry, tearf
a of its probable results. Iyacintl
u faced it. Then it was that devo
t. child Of the church, ready to gi'
b. up every private thought in the i
,e terest of truth, discovered those 'dC
it trines and practices, calling thel
H. selves Roman, but which are Ii
ii Christian, and which in their e
is croachments, always most audacl0
to AMI most baneful, tend to chan
5. the constitution Of the church, t
lt basis, as we'll as the f0Im OF h
a teachings, and even the spirit of h
ly piety. Such minds as Dr. Ne
at mans always feel a difficulty in de
~ inc with Professionalism on the har
IN Roman idea Does the AImigll
II. reveal Himself to the seeking sru
" Is ii stW true that He dWclleth Wi
IL the pure in heart Do love, deN
fin ton to good, zeal for truth, III.
nv mir;iedne$S-in short. the virtues
nd the Ilvangel, prove the Possession
il, pure Faith ? And are not
". these qualifications met among Z
,S testants? The mere theory of
nv vincibe ignorance cannot meet I
I'D ease. Then how do you reg
We them? A Roman in Rome he
he has to meet these queries, but in
nd midst OF a Protestant pnpulat
to iney occur every hour.
Ike In his rounds among the pc
,ir Father Hyacinthe encounte
i've Adolpho Monod, Monsieur Vale
7 Monsieur Montedleu, and otht
ex- earnest, self denying men. Go
,ut he look on their laaorS Of love
Me having no divine root in saving t;s
- He did not Despi&ing that u
.;tb risaism Of the new law" which is
shs a sacrilegeous perverIion Of
in. word Of the Son of God himself,
ter spirit and the letter OF which
Dir- equally trodden under foot" by
aka he welcomed them as brethren, j
bat ell them in social intercourse i'll t
hey homes, and saw them with the
ant of apostolic charity.
hall 1t may be asked what conclus
e to has Father Hyacinthe arrived
7 about protestants?
| go Something Of this kind. | q
sud from Il sermon retained in mel
too only: "To all men it is not give
we see Truth III the same Tight.
ii I thou see il in meridian spien
BE grateful, thy gift is cXccptl