I have been reflecting recently on a question posed to me last week, in the context of the usual discussions of our time. A person asked me, “What did Marcellin do, when faced with difficult circumstances that were imposed on him?” I provided something of a rote answer, but this question lingered in my heart and mind in the days that passed.
So, my mind fell on one of my favourite stories about Marcellin and I thought I would share it this week. It is recorded in Chapter Seventeen (Part One) of the Life of Joseph Benedict Marcellin Champagnat by Brother John-Baptist Furet. It comes during 1830, when France saw itself in the midst of a time of fear, rising violence, social tensions and increasing anti-religious sentiment in many parts of the country. For me, it is a story of Marcellin’s deep trust in God, but also a story of his practical wisdom of facing life with honesty, openness and courage.
However, at the same time that Father Champagnat was preparing to give his postulants the religious habit, there was considerable agitation in the country. Bands of idle workmen roamed the streets of the neighbouring towns, singing impious and revolutionary songs, while insulting and threatening respectable people. Several times, they prepared to go up to the Hermitage to knock down the cross from the spire and to do away with other religious emblems adorning the house. One Sunday afternoon, some people ran in haste to warn that such an attack was imminent. The advice of one of the chaplains was that Father Champagnat should send the Brothers out of the house so that they would not witness the scandal the assailants might cause. "If you like", he volunteered, "1 shall take them for a stroll in the woods until evening."
"Why should you take them for a walk?" replied Marcellin. "What have they to fear here? We shall sing Vespers and commend ourselves to the Lord; let men do their worst; they can do us no harm without the permission of God." The Brothers, in fact, chanted Vespers peacefully and were not in the least disturbed.
However, alarming stories were doing the rounds among the public and these were of a type to compromise the community.
It was said that the house was an arsenal, with cellars full of arms. The assertion was even made that the Brothers had been seen doing military drill, at night in the dormitories and in the courtyards. The rumour also went abroad that a certain marquis was hidden in the house and that he was the inspiration behind the Brothers' plans for a counter-revolution; and that it was he who taught them how to use arms.
These calumnious stories came to the knowledge of the Government and a house search was immediately ordered. This was carried out by the Public Prosecutor, with the assistance of a troupe of police. When the door was opened, the Prosecutor asked: "Isn't it true that you have a marquis here?" The Brother porter, who was a good simple soul, replied: "I don't know what a marquis is, but the Father Superior will tell you whether there is one; please wait a moment while I call him." "Yes, yes", insisted the Prosecutor, "you are hiding a marquis here", and instead of waiting in the parlour, he set out after the Brother who came upon Father Champagnat in the garden, and announced: "There is a man here, Father, asking for a marquis." The Prosecutor butted in to declare: "Your Reverence, I am the Public Prosecutor!" “A great honour certainly for us", answered the priest. Then, noticing the police surrounding the house, he added in a firm and deliberate voice: "You are not alone, I see, sir. I know what you want. Well, you must make a thorough search to find out whether we are harbouring nobles, suspected persons and arms. You have probably heard that we have cellars; let us begin with those!"
He led the Prosecutor and two police straightway to the washing-house and a small cellar with a well that supplied water for the whole house. "Have a good look at our cellars, gentlemen", he invited, "and see if there is anything here to alarm the Government." The Prosecutor gathered from the words, and the tone in which they were delivered, that the reports about the house were pure inventions. He therefore wanted to cut short the visit, but Father Champagnat insisted: "No, sir, you must see everything! Otherwise, the rumours will persist that we are out of order."
At this juncture, the Public Prosecutor said to the police: "Follow the priest and continue the investigation!" For his part, he returned to the parlour. Father Champagnat took the police to every corner of the house. Each time they entered a room, he would say: "Have a good look to see if there are any weapons!"
Reaching a locked bedroom, he asked for the key, which was not available because its occupant, the chaplain, was away. The gendarmes wanted to call a halt. Father Champagnat was adamant, remarking, as he sent for an axe to break open the door: "If we don't inspect this room, they will say that it is the one concealing the weapons and the marquis." The door was soon opened, revealing nothing but a poor bed, a small table and a chair.
The investigation being completed, Father Champagnat graciously offered the Prosecutor and the police some refreshments which they gladly accepted, apologizing profusely for the unpleasant duty they had just carried out. The Prosecutor assured Father Champagnat: "Have no fear, your Reverence: I promise you that this visit will prove advantageous to you." And noticing, as he left, an unfinished building, he exhorted him to complete it. "There is not much encouragement to finish off such works", retorted the priest, "when we see the crosses stripped from them." The Prosecutor withdrew, with renewed assurances that his visit, instead of harming the house, would help it to flourish. In fact, a few days later, he wrote an article on his visit, in the Saint-Etienne newspaper, contradicting all the vexatious reports which had been circulating. The article sounded the praises of the house and of its Religious.
