The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1917-03-17

/ this twofold manner but by a special
ldevotion which made him her
champion all through his life. While
waiting in his prison cage for the sol
diers who we're to lead him to execu
ton, he said: Il shall present my,
palm to Our Lady and say, Hail! my
Mother and my Mistress, all hail.'''.
The life of this young missionary is
one of the best biographies to inspire
us to seek 'the better part 1t por-
trays the strength of Faith, which led
him, like so many before him. to sever
ties; to give up human hopes and pros
poets; to labor in faroff lands, and in
the end, to lay down his life for his
Friend" A non-Catholic who read it
said: u should like to know more of
/ the Church which can, in this nine
teenth century, produce such charac-
ter
On the goth of January, two weeks
before the death of Blessed Theophane
Venard, he wrote to his sister Me-
lanie:
My dearest Sister: AS my last hour
is approaching, / want to send you q
special word of love and farewell, for
our hearts have been one from our
childhood. You have never had
secret from me, nor / from you. When,
as a SchoolbOy, / used to have to leave
home for college, it was my little
Melanie who prepared my box and
softened with tender words the pain of
rparting. 1t was you who shared in
the sorrows and joys of my college
life; it was you who strengthened my
vocation for the Foreign Missions. 1t
was with you, dearest Melanie. that
passed that solemn night of the 26th'
of February, 1851, which was our last
meeting upon earth, and which we
/ spent in a conversation so full of in
innate thought and feelings of sym
pathy and holy hope, that it reminded
me of the farewell of st. Benedict
and st. Scholastica. And when |
crossed the seas and came ito water
with sweat and blood this Annamite
country, your letters were my strength,
my joy, and my consolation. 1t is,
then, only fair that, in this last hour,
your brother should think Of you, and
send you a few last words Of love and
remembrance. 1t is midnight. Round
my wooden cage | see nothing but ban
ners and long sabres. In one corner
of the hall, where my cage is placed
group Of soldiers are playing cards;
another group play draughts From
| tn ~ ~
hour of night on their drums or tom
toms. About two feet from my cage
a feeble oil-lamp throws a fitful light
on this sheet Of Chinese paper, and
enables me to trace these few lines
From day to day | expect my sentence.
Perhaps tomorrow | shall be led to
| execution. Happy death, which con-
ducts me to'the portals Of eternal life
| According to all human probability |
shall be beheaded, a glorious shame of
which heaven will be the reward At
this news darling sister, you will shed
tears, but they should be Of JOY
Think of your brother with the aureole
Of the martyr and bearing in his hand
the palm Of victory Only few short
hours and my soul will quit this earth
will finish her eXile-Will have done
with the fight | shall mount upwards
and shall reach our true home. There,
in the abode OF Gods elect, / shall see
what the eye OF man cannot imagine;
hear harmonies which his ears cannot
dream Of; enjoy happiness which it
has never entered into his heart to
conceive! But before arriving at this,
the grain OF wheat must be ground;
the bunch of grapes must be trOdden
in the wine-press. May I become pure
bread and wine, fit for the Masters
use! | hope it through the mercies of
my Saviour and through the protection
Of His immaculate Mother. And so
I venture, while still in the arena and
in the midst Of the fight, to intone the
hymn Of triumph as if | were sure of
victory. And you, my dearest sister,
leave you in the field of virtue and
good works. Reap a great harvest of
those for the eternal life which awaits
us beth. Gather faith, hope, charity,
patience, gentleness, sweetness, per-
severance and holy death; and SO we
shall be together now and forever
more. Goodbye, my Melanie, good
bye, my Beloved sister! Adieu."
The Mission MESSAGE.