The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1909-09-17
TRIBUTE TO BISHOP MlcHAuD
Bishop Schoeffer of Tarbes, Franc,
Wrote to Priests Of Burlington


Wrote to Priests Of Burlington
The following letter was addressed
by the Rt, Rev. Sehoeffer, bishop OF
Tarbes, to the priests of Burlington al
the occasion of the death of the Rt
Rev. j. S. Michaud. their bishop.
Notre Dame de Lourdes
December 80, 1908
20 the Venerable Priests of the
City of Burlington, VT.
Rev. Dear Sirs On learning at
this very instant that the Rt. Rev. j
S. Michaud, your sanity bishop, had
died shortly after having touched the
shore of his native land, | feel it my
duty to express unto you my deer
sorrow-your grief is also mine-and
am personally affected by this the
blow which has so cruelty stricken
you. During the days spent at Lour-
des by the deceased prelate, | have
often enough seen him to appreciate
his remarkable merits and to under.
stand how great is your loss
His spirit of faith, his tender piety
to the Holy Virgin. his patience in the
midst of ais sufferings inseparabe to
his ailments, his gentleness towards
so many trials and as Bossuet has
said. towards death which he knew to
be near. His great kindness and
gratitude for those who took care OF
him. as well as his flial abandonment
into the hands of God There Is dear
sire, tne great and very impressive
spectacle given me by the beloved pa.
tient each time | visited him May
1t please to God that the examples of
so eminent virtues be not lost for me
and that it be given me to initiate
them. OF all | have said there are
two or three things which | am pleas
ed to call your attention 30. First
the bishops great confidence in Our
Lady OF Lourdes. Before dying If
such was the will OF God that he
should not be cured, he wanted TO
have had the consolation of coming
once more near the miraculous grotto
where ten years ago his lost health
was restored to him again, and here
TO pray the Immaculate Virgin in her
sanctuaries Now, he was
coming here to ask of her two favors,
that of q sanity death and that of dy-
ing on his own native land. Both of
these favOrs though the second could
only be granted by miracle. the bish-
0p obtained, and by hoping against
hope. For more of us here, when we
saw him leaving for home never ex-
pected he could cross alive the Allan
tic ocean. The two visits Bishop Mi
chaud could make TO the grotto had
helped him so much that for some
time all ailment had left him and he
felt he was getting cured. Placed on
4 stretcner in the grotto, while his
eyes already CLASSY by the approach
Of death, were fixed with love on the
statue of the Virgin Immaculate, we
could see his face quite pale and as
IL it were wrapped in softly light,
reflex from heaven and the radiancy
Of his soul all filled with supernatural
life.
TIE last time he came to the grotto
was on the eighth of December in the
feast of the Immaculate
A great joy was await
Ing him Three bishops present at
l.ourdes were there to receive him.
They prayed with him, and before the
had their pictures taken. The mitre
on their heads and crosier in their
hands. the three bishops stood around
the stretcher on which was placed
Bisnop Michaud giving thereby to the
sick prelate testimony of their great
and fraternal love. The
first of the two visits made by Bishop
Michaud to the grotto conceded with
the sacredotal jubilee of Our Holy
Father, the Pope.
1t was on the 10th of November,
Bishop Michaud manifested a strong
desire Of assisting at mass which on
hat day | celebrated at the altar of
The grotto in union of prayers and
ilial piety with all the children of the
Catholic church and its pontiff.
The venerable prelate was happy
sven at the peril of his life, to give a
proof of mis- tender attach
nent to the Vicar of Christ. When
sick he went to Rome to see Peter,
lying he was happy to pray for him
1t the feet of Mary Immaculate.
To this religious affection, and to
he great devotion to the Holy Father
,an be added, as a third distinctive
character of tais beautiful Episcopal
paternal tenderness
or his diocesan family. You were
I'll present to his heart, you my dear
sirs, as also all the faithful of Bur
ington At each of my visits, prev
GUS to going on my knees near his
bed and to recite with him part of
the beads, | felt assured to cause
him great Joy in recalling your souv-
anir and as it were making you APP
pear before his eyes He loved TO
pray for you also This offering a SUI
preme act of his paternal love he ac-
compished with touching generosity
on the very day that administered
unto him Extreme Unction. Feeling
that life was leaving him, he gladly
accepted death as a sacrifice that
would call upon you all abundant
blessings. He had been a good pas
tor to the end of his life and | dare
say without fear of mistaking, by
what | have seen with my own eyes,
his last breath has been an act of
charity towards God and for the chill
dren of his diocesan family.
1t will please you, no doubt to learn
that such a family so well loved by
the deceased was here worthily rep
resented near his bed. | feel myself
in great pleasure in rendering justice
to the two gentlemen who have done
great honor to the diocese of Bur
lington. | mean to speak of the Rev.
A. .Plamondon, pastor of st.
Anthony's and DR.. Shea, Burlington,
VT
At the risk to hurt their modesty but
with the assurance to please the Cath
nr--....-...4 n.,L thn IInitnd