The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1876-06-11

esI of the Diocese of LyoDa; Rev. Father
Panlmier tagged 30), of the Diocese OF Par1s,
and Rev. Father Menoret taged only 26). OF
The Dioceae of Nantes, had fallen martyrs
to the faith of Christ v hich they were here
jca))y carrying into Central Africa. The
death of tn. SO con feseors Of the faith was
communicated to their parents, 10 France,
by the following document:
LETTER OF THE MOST REV. ARCHBInsoP OF AL
GIERs.
Totbe Fathers and 1sohera q tn. thre AREA
Philippe MeEolst, Marie Alfred IDitr and
Bous Ssnd Who were rut to death m the month OF
January. 1875 on the way & to limb bne''0 where they
Goir G 10 carry the faith
Yon have Mt last obtained the cruel and
happy cert ainty that you desired aud yet feareo:
The letter written to you by tie superior OF
our Missionaries can leave no SHADOW OF GonDt
ppop your minds yonr sops have suffered death
Your hearts, enlightened by faith, know,
have thrilled with holy joy, aud yet your eyes
have shed tears. 1t is rot who will accuse
those tears of weakness: Mary shed tears over
Jesus on Calvary, and Jesus shed tears over
Lazarus because he loved him. How could l
forbid father or mother to shed tears over
their son Did even wish to do go, could
not without condemning myself. This frat
wound of nature have felt as we'll ss yon. be-
brought them into lie, brought them into
tbe priesth ood. God made nse of you to give
them to the world and He deigned to make
q of me to give them to marty rdom and TO
heaven.
OIL with what fullness have they received
the grace of which God made me the dispenser
to them! How well do l remem Der the words
! addressed to them ard to their BRETHREN
acarcely two years ago, on the day of the bless
ing Of their church, that church in which their
holy remains will one day rest. You may per-
haps have read them ct the time, for they were
Published in the papers, and you may have
irembled for your sops. They alone did not
tremble. They heard from the depths of their
heart a pow erful voice of which mine was but
aha feah and
"What enticed you into these MISSIONS I
said to them, was the very dangers which
they present to q greater extent than any other
mission on earth. Africa, still unknown in its
interior, is, il is we'll known, the last refuge of
nameless barbarties OF apparently incurable
degradation. of cannibalism, and OF the most
abject slavery.
bound yourselves to lead this life and to die
this death and You all wait with impatience
for the time for marching to the battle ield,-
she battle field of charity where your weapons
will be the good deeds Of each day your de-
fence patience and resignation; your preach
ing, the force of your examples; your final
triumph the heroic sacrifice of your lives.
"As look upon you, my dear sons, see your
countenanoeB beaming with youth aud strength
I think of all you have abandoned, family,
country, and worldly aspirations, and bless
God who still preserves here on earth so many
hearts ready to be infsmed by pure and heroic
devotion
Your SONS listened to me, and at the sound of
words 30 appalling to human nature, the divine
hrilliancy of sacrifice alone beamed forth from
their eyes,
Z I remember, too, the day of their ordination,
when kpeeling at the foot of the altar they
listened to the questions which the Bishop
everywhere, Pnts to the new priest, but which,
in q mission like theirs, convey meaning 80
pregnant with hopes aud meuaces! "DI you
promise me, and my successors, respect and
Obediencef They replied in q firm bat modest
tone We promise + and in accordance with
the sacred lite they placed their hands in mine,
aa II toTesign to my keeping their lives as well
80 their will. They have kept their sacred
promises Their obedience has been that of
The Divine Master whose yoke they assumed,
obedience unto death
What recollectons are these! and with what
n two.edged sword do they pierce my very soul
when think that they have been taken from
rs, and that q useless servant, survive them
"Ohi Absalom, my son! my son, Absaiom,
cried David under a similar affection, "Oh,
that could die for me, my son!' This 10 what
1 feel in standing over their graves; and You
Who have watched over their cradles, can l
wonder if you mourn with met Mourned for
them as Jacob mourned for Joseph, as Rachel
weeping for her children but remember the
holy word, and let your sorrows be softened by
the hope of faith.
And where were those hopes greater and
more urgentf When did life appear more GER
balm than in the midst of such a DEATH
They live, your three martyred cons! They
live in that God, eut of love for whom they shed
their blood. They live forever in the grateful
remembrance of the Church that their sacrifice
has so houoreG
And what o noble position will not these
apostles, trained from their infancy for tbeir
career, retain in her history.
They are the sacred flowers in which the
whiteness of the lily Is blended with the purple
of the martyr, and they have been the first to
bloom and perfume these desertsl In the morn
ing they rose up beaming with all the splendoI
Of their beauty; in the evening they were cut
down before their time. Reared together
united by the most holy ties of love, they were
not separated even in death
It is thus that we have seen them 1t is thut
that we sh all preserve their sweet remembrance
even as David preserved the remembrance oi
Jonathan!
"Yes, We saw them set out full of love fol
God, full of love for those barbarians,whO were
to put them to death, entoninH, As they wert
about quitting o soil which is still a part o
France, the Church hymn of triumph IN thu
already certain hope of being sacrificed TO
B their faith.
They were the first to shed, in this infide
land, the mystic blood of the Lamb, and the!
did not long delay in mingling their inpocen
blood with it: thus planting in death the resnr
rection and the lifel
UAnd in thus associatiup themselves will