THE
BROTHERS
OF
HOLY CROSS
NOTRE DAME
INDIANA
190 7





REV. JAMES FRANCIS DUJARIE
Founder of the Brothers of St. Joseph


If THE BROTHERS-l
II OF HOLY CROSS
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BY
THE REV. JAMES J. TRAHEY, C. S. C.
SECOND EDITION.
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UNIVERSITY PRESS .
NOTRE DAME, INDIANA I
lL_�190�7 �


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INTRODUCTION.
A hundred years have come and gone smce
France, June 22, 1804, modified the law of August
18, 1792, by which she had suppressed all the
religious Orders within her territory. The imperial
edict of 1804 provided that a religious community
might, on examination and approval of its statutes,
be legally organized. A few years later the French
governmen t became friendly to the religious Orders,
and the result of this friendship we all know well.
Indeed the early summer of the century that has
just gone by gave promise of a more fruitful spiritual
harvest in France than was actually reaped.
The preceding remarks will find their appro­
pria teness in the fact that the religious Congrega­
tion, the history of one di vision of w hich we are
about to trace, had its origin in France, was legally
authorized by a decree of Louis XVII!., June 23,
1823; and was expelled from France by the "Law
of Associations" passed in 1901.


THE BROTHERS OF HOLY CROSS
JAMES FRANCIS DU] ARIÉ.
'l1 T was a night in cold December. A sort of
� mingled rain and snow was falling fast upon
the lonely road that led from Rui11é to Paris.
Two men in the disguise of pilgrims exchange a few
words now and then, or murmur an occasional ejacu­
lation of thanksgiving to God for the inclemency of
the weather and the darkness of th� night. They
are M. Jacques-François Dujarié and M. Jacques
Aubry: the former a holy cleric in deacon's orders,
the latter a fervent Catholic layman. Arrived at
Chartres they bid each other an affectionate fare­
well, and M. Dujarié continues his midnight journey
to Paris, where he hopes to be ordained a priest. *
The foregoing narrative takes us back to a
momentous period in the life of Father Dujarié, the
* The facts regarding the life of Father Dujarié and his founda­
tions have been taken mostly from the" Annales de Saint-Joseph,"
vols. 31-34; also from a work entitled "Le Très Révérend Père
Basile- Antoine Moreau du Mans, et les Ouvres," ... Par l ' Abbé
Charles Moreau, Paris, 1900.
7


8
THE BROTHERS OP HOLY CROSS.
venerable founder of the Brothers of Saint Joseph.
He was born at Sainte-Marie-des-Bois, a village in
the department of Mayenne, the ninth of December,
1767,-an epoch of moral distress in France, a time
when Voltaire's ink has turned to poison and his
pen to a serpent's fang. The parents of M. Dujarié
were hard-working peasants, who lived on little
and labored for a small reward. There was a sim­
plicity, a contentment in their humble lives that
seemed to harmonize and blend happily with the
rural serenity of their surroundings. They were fer­
vent Christians whose refined humanity and kindly,
peaceful ways had a determining influence for good
upon their son's career. At a very early age he gave
evidence of a vocation to the priesthood. This voca­
tion appeared to be a part of himself, a something
that belonged to him naturally. Its manifestation
and development were as spontaneous as the unfold­
ing of a rosebud's petals. He loved God's call from
the beginning and never lost his first fervor.
At the age of eleven, M. Dujarié began his Latin
in the little College of Lassay, near Mayenne,», After
mastering the rudiments of this ancient tongue he
was promoted to the advanced Latin classes at Saint­
Ouen. Here he studied with remarkable- success
during the years 1780 and 1781. The two follow­
ing years he spent at the Colleges of Ernee and Dom­
front, where he finished his Rhetoric. Now he was


10
THE BROTHERS OF HOLY CROSS
The event has its significance and recalls the great
St. Paul making tents in the house of Aquila. M.
Dujarié's next occupation was that of a shepherd.
Here, too, we perceive something symbolic: for the
faithfullevite likened to his Master Christ, t.he "good
shepherd," shall one day seek the lost sheep of the
house of Israel. When the very mountains refused
to hide him any longer and when the plains threat­
ened to disclose his identity, M. Dujarié toward the
close of the year 1792 returned in disguise to Paris,
where he managed to eke out a scanty living ped­
dling mild refreshments. His biographers picture
him carrying on his back a large cylindrical vase
covered with velvet and provided with a faucet.
The vase contained what might be called a species
of lemonade. With a pair of clappers and a strong
voice he reminded passers-by that they were thirsty.
A peddler to all external appearance, he was a
minister of God at heart.
The annals of the diocese of Paris inform us
that about this time a band of heroic priests
went around secretly consoling the victims of
the Revolution and giving them absolution in
the hour of death. Our zealous deacon had not
yet received the keys of the kingdom of heaven,
and consequently could not exercise the sublime
ministry of forgiving sins. But there is another
ministry, -that of the angels who stood beside


JAMES FRA.NeIS DUJARIE
11
Christ in the desert. Like these ministering spirits
M. Dujarié held the cup of his humble refreshment to
the parched lips of many a person destined for the
scaffold. And we are told that he appeared daily
among the sick and the dying, cheering the lonely
heart and whispering the promise of an abiding
peace, of a joy more perfect than can be found in
the sweetest and purest pleasures of this" Star-domed
City of God."
In the December of 1795 we find M. Dujarié and
M. Aubry making the perilous journey referred to
at the beginning of this Chapter. The downfall of
Robespièrre, July 28, 1794, brought about a slight
mitigation of the" Reign of Terror," and M. Dujarié
took the opportunity to interview the Vicar General
of Mans. The latter sent him to finish his studies
under the wise direction of M. Delahaie, who was
then exercising his ministry in secret near Ruiné.
Toward the close of the year 1 795 his Superiors
ordered him to Paris, where Mgr. de Saint-Papoul
was secretly giving ordination. Hither the joyous
deacon came disguised as a pilgrim, and received the
holy priesthood from the hands ofMgr. de Saint-Pa­
poul, on the feast of St. Stephen, December 26, 1795.
In the early part of January, 1 796, Father Duj arié set
out for Ruil1é, where he hoped to celebrate his first
Mass. The way was lonely, dangerous, and dreary.
Happily he had his pillar of cloud by day and his


12
THE BROTHERS OF HOLY CROSS
pillar of fire by night: for his soul beheld in antici­
pation the uplifted Host and the gleam of the radiant
Chalice. The future rose before him, a picture of
mingled joy and sorrow. His youthful and stately
physigue had begun to show the "marks of the
Lord Jesus." New fears, new combats, new perils
shook his mortal frame and threatened his very life.
But it was necessary that this soul made of heaven's
untried gold should be purified in the furnace of
earthly tribulations. He offered his first Mass in
the cellar of a farm-house known as Fosse-Garnier.
The altar was a temporary structure whose decora­
tions were not of this world. Few roses were there
to symbolize the celebrant's burning love, few lilies
to indicate his purity, and no olive leaves to repre­
sent his peace. Perhaps it was fitting that not even
the fairest images of God's love, purity, and peace
should be at hand in abundance, lest their earthly
fragrance might di�tract this saintly young man as
he walked with Christ for the first time from Gethse­
mane to the Mount of Olives. During the celebration
of the Holy Mysteries he must have "heard secret
words, which it is not granted man to utter;" for
the life he led from his first until his last Mass, was
no ordinary existence. During the early years of his
priesthood he was obliged to exercise his ministry
in secret. How he must have felt the withering frost
of restraint as it fell upon his young soul and at-





F ATHER DU} ARIÉ FOUNDS THE SISTERS
OF PROVIDENCE.
�HE death-knell of the French Revolution was
\ � sounded by the Concordat of 1801. On the
twenty-seventh of May, 1803, Father Dujarié
became parish priest of Ruillé. Immediately he set
about repairing the dilapidated church. He built a
new main altar which he named, with prophetic sig­
nificance, the altar of Holy Cross. Like his Master,
Christ, he "went about doing good," and he had com­
passion on the multitudes, because they were morally
"distressed and lying like sheep that have no shep­
herd." The mildew of the Revolution had cast its
withering blight upon the rising generation, and
Father Dujarié found the youth of France in a piti­
able condition. Children were confided to incom­
petent teachers, and, what was more deplorable, to
masters whose moral conduct could seldom be recom­
mended. The poor especially were neglected, and
their misery appealed strongest to the young priest's
kindly heart. His herculean energy, however, was
soon conquered by untold hardships, and he realized
his incompetency to carry out his charitable under­
takings without some assistance. Many of the poor
IS


SISTER ST. FRANCIS XAVIER.





A BROTHER OF ST. JOSEPH.


22
THE BROTHERS OF HOLY CROSS.
a community of religious lay-brothers, whose object
would be to teach and to catechise in the parishes of
the diocese. "Brothers of Saint Joseph" was the
title happily selected for the new society, whose
humble beginnings were thus described in after
years: ' , It consisted of a band of devoted men,
mostly young, who, without aspiring to the ecclesi­
astical state, yet anima ted by a true zeal to labor
for God's glory and the salvation of souls, had
formed themselves into a Religious Community,
under the title of the Brothers of St. Joseph, con­
seera ting themselves to the Christian education of
youth, and having no higher aim than to imitate
the humble and hidden life of their holy patron." *
The first postulant that presented himself to
Father Dujarié was an ex-brother of the Christian
Schools. He abandoned his vocation after a few
days' trial. This was in the early part of 1820.
On July fifteenth of the same year Pierre Hureau
sought admission into the Brothers of Saint Joseph.
He was twenty-four years old and hailed from Sainte­
Colombe, near Flèche. A month later the founder's
god-child, Louis Duchêne of Ruiné, aged twenty-one,
became the companion of Pierre Hureau. Andrè­
Pierre t Mo t tais, a bright young man twenty years
of age, arrived October the twenty-second; Étienne
* "Life of Rev. F. Cointet," Cincinnati, 1855.


THE BROTHERS OF ST. JOSEPH.
23
Gauffre came November the sixteenth, and a few
days later Renè Menard. These five young men
were the Charter postulants of the Brothers of
Saint Joseph. Two only of the five persevered until
death: Andrè-Pierre Mottais (Brother Andrè), and
Étienne Gauffre (Bro ther Étienne). * They were the
first two Brothers of Saint Joseph.
Their new life was thoroughly austere. They
rose at half-past four, winter and summer; after
mormng prayer, meditation and holy Mass they
breakfasted on a morsel of dry bread; for dinner
and supper they had a pla te of soup with fruit or
a dish of vegetables, and on feast days some meat
was added. A small room in Father Dujarié's house
served these truly mortified Brothers for study hall,
exercise room and recreation room, and they slept to
the gnawing and grinding of rats in the garret. The
day was spent in prayer and manual labor. The hour
for meditation and Mass depended largely upon the
exigencies of Father Dujarié's pastoral duties. To­
ward evening came the visit to the Blessed Sacra­
ment in common, the Way of the Cross, the Beads
and spiritual reading. Later on particular examina-
* It is a singular fact that the first two young women who
formed the beginning of the Sisters of Providence withdrew from
the Community when they were asked to take the vows. Their
leaving was not due to any spirit of worldliness. They did not
feel themselves called to the life of Evangelical Counsel.


24
THE BROTHERS OF HOLY CROSS.
tion of conscience became one of the daily exercises.
Confession was weekly or at least every fortnight.
Their studies were confined to reading, scripture,
ea techism, outlines of Church history, plain chant,
elementary grammar and simpler mathematics.
Toward the end of 1820 the Community num­
bered four persons. Brothers Andrè and Étienne
were sent to Mans to be trained in the religious life,
and at the same time to receive some instruction
in higher mathematics, geography and plain chant
in Le Grand Séminaire. Brother Andrè was hospita­
bly entertained by M. Richepain, pastor of Prè,
while Brother Étienne enjoyed the kindly attentions
of M. Lamare, a priest of the Cathedral. After a
year of mingled spiritual and intellectual formation,
Brothers Andrè and Étienne were recalled to Rui11é.
Father Dujarié appointed Brother Andrè his assistant
Master of Novices, and sent Brother Étienne to open
the first school of the Community at Saint-Denis
d'Orques on the ninth of November, 1821. Without
leaving the Sisters of Providence, God's blessing
was upon the Brothers of Saint Joseph, and by the
end of 1822 the new Institute at Ruillé had be­
come the mother-house of eight foundations. We
can not deny that numbers often predominated over
quality, but we must never forget that it was a
greater good which induced the zealous founder to
curtail the formation of his young religious. Peti-


THE CRADLE OF THE BROTHERHOOD OF ST. JOSEPH,-FATHER DUJARIE'S PRESBYTERY.


FATHER MOREAU AND THE AUXILIARY
PRIESTS.
':o¡
� N the year 1834 there lived in the city of Mans,
� France, a holy and devoted priest, Professor of
Divinity in Le Grand Séminaire and Canon of
the Cathedral. We refer to Father Basil Anthony
Moreau. He was born on the eleventh of February,
1799, at Laigne-en-Belin, nine miles from Mans.
Feeling a strong attraction for the sanctuary in
his youth, he entered St. Vincent's Seminary at
Mans, where he was ordained priest on the twelfth
of August, 1821. Early in his priestly career he
began to preach retreats. Success followed him
everywhere, and soon he was considered one of
the leading preachers of France, -no trifling dis­
tinction in those days. Perceiving the immense
good that Father Moreau was accomplishing,
though laboring single-handed, his Bishop, Mgr.
Bouvier, authorized him to form a society of
auxiliary priests, who were to co-operate with him
m preaching retreats throughout the diocese.
Accordingly in the month of August, 1835, we find
the holy Missionary at the Trappist Monastery of
Port du Salut, near Laval, at the head of six young
31


VERY REV. BASIL MOREAU.
First Superior General.


THE AUXILIARY PRIESTS.
33
ecclesiastics, who formed the nucleus of the society
known as the Auxiliary Priests of Mans.
As early as 1822 Father Moreau preached the
annual retreat to the Brothers of Saint Joseph. This
was the first occasion that brought him into close
contact with the work of Father Dujarié. Later on
when the Treaty of Union was signed by the
Brothers, he helped their Superior to formulate that
important document. In 1835 the venerable founder,
worn out by years and infirmities, informed his
Bishop that he was no longer able to govern and
guide the Brothers of Saint Joseph. He offered to
resign his charge into his Lordship's hands, that he
in turn might entrust the heroic band to some
worthy priest. Mgr. Bouvier and the Brothers were
unanimous in their choice of Father Moreau. Recog­
nizing the finger of God in this selection, and feeling
strongly attracted toward the devoted little com­
munity, w hose admirable vocation he thoroughly
appreciated, Father Moreau did not hesitate to ac­
cept the new charge.
Accordingly on the thirty-first of August, 1835,
Mgr. Bouvier, assisted by his Vicar General, Fathers
Dujarié and Moreau, repaired in solemn procession to
the Chapel of the Novitiate where all the Brothers of
Saint Joseph had assembled. The venerable founder,
resting his right hand ..upon the altar and with his
left clutching the staff that supported his tottering


THE BROTHERS OF ST. JOSEPH
35
frame, surrendered his precious charge to the Bishop,
beseeching him in a dignified and touching manner
to free him from a responsibility far too heavy for
his declining years. Amid the irrepressible weeping
of the assembly, Mgr. Bouvier replied thus to Father
Dujarié: "Reverend and worthy Sir, I consent to­
day to the request you have made, but only from
the consideration of your failing heal th and increas­
ing years, which demand this sacrifice. " When the
Bishop was reseated on his throne, Father Dujarié
addressed these deeply emotional words to the new
Superior: "Reverend Father Moreau, I beseech you
to accept the government of my little congregation,
the care of which I have just resigned into the hands
of my Bishop, on account of my many infirmities.
I confide them entirely to your paternal care, fully
persuaded that you will hencforth be a true guide
and Father to them. Yes, most willingly do I entrust
my dear children to you. Accept them as the greatest
treasure I possess, and as a deposit for whichr yo u
will render an account to Jesus Christ. I desire that
they should regard you as their Father, and that
they manifest toward you all the respect, submission
and attachment they owe you." * In this way the
Brothers of Saint Joseph and the Auxiliary Priests
were first brought together and governed by the
* Life of Father Cointet, Cincinnati, 1855.


DEATH OP FATHER DUJARIÉ.
37
same Superior, though they were not organically
united until some years later. In taking leave of
the Brothers of Saint Joseph, Father Dujarié also
relinquished his superiorship of the Sisters of Pr'o vi­
dence. Henceforth the venerable priest will confine
his apostolic labors to the interests of his scattered
flock, and like another Curé d'Ars he will teach the
poor and the destitute that "not on bread alone
doth man live."
We must now part with Father Dujarié, the
saintly founder of the Brothers of Saint Joseph and
of the Sisters of Providence. One of his spiritual
daughters will furnish us with the text of a fitting
farewell: "It was the happiness of Father Dujarié's
daughters-the Sisters of Providence-to attend to
his temporal support up to the time of his death;
but it was the privilege of his sons-the Brothers of
Holy Cross (then Brothers of St. J oseph)-to shelter
him under their own roof and to receive his parting
blessing and last sigh. Yet it is in the convent
mortuary chapel at Ruillé-sur-Loir that his remains
rest in private. veneration a.wai tirtg the decree of
beatification, the process having been commenced at
Rome, which will place our saintly founder among
the galaxy of the Saints, and give to Father Dujarié
the glory he has merited as a confessor of the faith." *
... "Life of Mother Theodore Guérin, 1904."


FIRST NOVITIATE OF THE BROTHERS OF ST. JOSEPH, RUILLE-SUR-LOIR.


"THE ASSOCIATION OF HOLY CROSS."
�IRECTLY east of Mans was the suburban com",
W mune of Holy Cross. It received its name from
St. Bertrand, Bishop of Mans in the sixth
century. In 1832 Father Moreau had received a gift
01 some property in this commune, and hither he
brought the Community of about sixty Brothers to
labor in union with the Auxiliary Priests. For some
time both priests and Brothers continued the work of
their respective founda tions : the former preached
retreats, while the latter took care of their schools.
Naturally Father Moreau thought of uniting these
two communities, which Providence had placed
under his direction, and shortly he had the joy to
see them formed into one society, which he called
"The Association of HoI y Cross." The success of
the individual efforts of the Priests and of the
Brothers suggested to Father Moreau the plan of
establishing a college for the higher classes, to be
directed by the Priests, who in turn were to be
assisted by the Brothers. These considerations led
to the foundation of the new society's first Insti­
tute,-the College of Holy Cross at Mans in 1836.
Up to this time the Brothers of Saint Joseph had
39


Interior of the Mortuary Chapel where Father Dujarie is buried.


CEMETERY OF THE SISTERS OF PROVIDENCE AND MORTUARY CHAPEL
Ruille-sur-Loir, France.


44
THE BROTHERS OF HOLY CROSS
Mans, and has there assembled certain priests
burning with love for souls and led by the love of
poverty and obedience, who follow the community
life under his direction and are always ready to
announce the word of God, to hear confessions, to
conduct retreats for communities, etc. They are
called Auxiliary Priests and they are alread y fifteen
in number. They live on voluntary offerings and on
the profits accruing from the board and tuition of
a hundred pupils. As the Brothers of the Christian
Doctrine do not undertake establishments unless they
can Ii ve a t least three together and unless/they
are assured an annual salary of six hundred francs
each, they cannot teach the schools in the country
parishes and in the smaller towns. A pious pastor of
Ruillé named Dujarié about the year 1820 gathered
into his presbytery a number of virtuous young men,
kept them at his expense, taught them and prepared
them to become primary teachers for the localities
where the Christian Brothers could not establish
themselves. Thus were founded the Brothers of St.
Joseph. The present Bishop of Mans seeing that the
novitiate of these Brothers could not be suitably
maintained in the country took measures to transfer
them to the episcopal city. With the consent of the
founder who was still alive, though weighed down by
infirmities, he gave the congregation as superior the
aforenamed Father Moreau. The new superior hav-


MOTHER MARY ANGELA.


THE SISTERS OP HOLY CROSS.
4)
the Habit at the hands of their founder, September
29, 1841, in the Convent of the Good Shepherd at
Mans. The names given to them as religious were
prophetic of trial and triumph :-Sister Mary of the
Holy Cross, Sister Mary of the Seven Dolors, Sister
Mary of the Compassion, and Sister Mary of
Calvary.
Father Moreau became intensely interested in
his threefold society and took immediate action for
the consolidation of its unity. Undoubtedly his
spiritual sons and daughters appreciated the mystic
beauty of his consecration of them to Jesus, Mary
and Joseph: "In order to cement this union and
this imitation of the Holy Family, I have con­
secrated, and consecrate again, as much as is in my
power, the Priests to the Sacred Heart of Jesus,
Pastor of Souls; the Brothers to the heart of St.
Joseph, their Patron; and the Sisters to the Heart
of Mary, pierced with the sword of grief."
In more recent times a son of Holy Cross wrote
of the Congregation as follows: "For fifty years
the Sisters of Holy Cross have been united to us in
the closest ties of friendship and devotion, have
rejoiced in our joys and sorrowed in our trials, and
they have been beforehand with assistance in times
of embarrassment and bereavement. That they
should be one in sympathy with the Priests and
Brothers of Holy Cross is only what might be


THE SISTERS OF HOLY CROSS
51
expected from their common origin, their common
mission as educators, the proximity of the Mother­
Houses in America, the hardships suffered in common
in the pioneer days, and the triumphs that have
crowned the work of both communities In later
times. But mere sympathy is too weak a word
to express the fine sisterly solicitude and the enthu­
siastic co-operation we have always found in the
Daugh ters of the Cross. Devotedness such as theirs
is sure of the hundredfold in this world as well as
the reward unspeakable in the next."
The central figure of this Congregation of devoted
women is Mother Angela, who died in 1887, virtually
the foundress of St. Mary's, Notre Dame, Indiana,
the Mother-House of the Sisters of Holy Cross. St.
Mary's celebrated the Golden Jubilee of its founda­
tion during the summer months of 1905.
If Father Moreau ever prayed that this unique
Association of men and women, of Priests, Brothers,
and Sisters should be true to their ideals and true
to one another, his petition has been heard and
answered. They have worked and prayed together
these years for the honor of God and the good of
mankind.
So much for the founding and early history of
the Brothers of St. Joseph. Their childhood was
one with that of the Sisters of Providence, their
youth was associated with that of the Priests and
1-77692


BIRDS EYE VIEW ST. MARY'S, NOTRE DAME, INDIANA.
Mother House of the Sisters of Holy Cross in the United States.


THE SISTERS OF HOLY CROS
53
Sisters of Holy Cross. Today they continue to form
an integral part of the Congregation of Holy Cross,
which is composed of Priests or Clerics and of Teach­
ing and Coadjutor Brothers, who are all constituted
in the religious state by the simple vows of poverty,
obedience and chastity, under the name of Religious
of Holy Cross.
The Brothers of Holy Cross have had an eventful
history, not alone in the Province of France, but in
Italy and Canada, in the United States and in the
Missionary diocese of Dacca, Bengal, India; their dust
has mingled with the soil of Algeria, Africa and three
graves in Cracow, Poland mark traces of their world
wide missionary spirit. The following pages will
have to do principally with their history and develop­
ment in this countrv.


VERY REVEREND EDWARD SORIN, C. S. c.
Third Superior General.
From a Painting by Gregori.


THE BROTHERS OF HOLY CROSS IN AMERICA.
� V E R Y recurrmg eve of the Exalta tion
� of the Holy Cross has its memories for our
Priests and Brothers in America. It was
on the thirteenth of September, 1841, that the
Iowa, with Father Sorin and his six Brothers
in the steerage, sailed into the harbor of New
York. Father Sorin's first act on landing was
to kiss the ground beneath his feet as a token of
his affection for the land of his adoption. Next
morning, September the fourteenth, the feast of the
Exaltation of the Holy Cross, he celebrated his first
Mass in the New World, and ever afterwards blessed
God for the prophetic fa vor vouchsafed him in being
permitted to say his first Mass on America's soil in
honor of the Holy Cross,-the symbol of his faith and
the title of his religious Congregation. He wrote im­
mediately to Father Moreau: "We have arrived
in New York full of life, health and joy ..... What
a delicious day it is here-how beautiful is the Ameri­
can sky! Here is the portion of my inheritance;
here will I dwell all the days of my life."
In 1839 Mgr. de la Hailandière, Bishop of Vin­
cennes, visited his native land to get recruits and
55


56
THE BROTHERS OF HOLY CROSS.
aid for his missions among the Indians and w hi te
settlers of Indiana. A young priest, Father Ed ward
Sorin, born in 1814, at Laval, France, heard of the
Bishop's earnest appeal, and shortly came to re­
gard it as the voice from heaven that spoke to
Abraham of old: "Go forth out of thy country,
and from thy kindred, and out of thy father's house,
and come into the land which I shall show thee,
and I will bless and magnify thy name, and thou
shalt be blessed." With the permission of his Supe­
rior General Father Sorin rallied about him six
Brothers of Apostolic spirit, and the seven offered
themselves to Mgr. de la Hailandière. ¡he zealous
Missionary's companions were: Brothers Vincent,
Joachim, Lawrence, Francis Xavier, Gatien and
Anselm.
After the farewell ceremony in the Chapel of the
mother-house at Mans, on the feast of Our Lady
of Sno ws, August 5, 1841, Father Sorin and his
devoted Brothers journeyed to Havre, where three
days later they embarked for America m the
Iowa as steerage passengers, and arrived in New
y or k on the thirteen th of September. After a rest
of three days in the metropolis of the country,
they set out for Albany by boat, thence to Buffalo
four hundred and fifty miles by canal, thence over
Lake Erie to Toledo, and finally by stage coach
eleven days to Vincennes. The way was indeed a


ARRIVAL AT VINCBNNBS.
57
weary, perilous one, but God's benedictions like
doves of peace followed these heroic souls in their
journeying through this wilderness of bodily suf­
fering and mental distress.
Arri ved a t Vincennes they were graciously
received by Mgr. de la Hailandière, and given
their choice of various mission sites. Father Sorin
selected St. Peter's, then one of the largest missions
in the diocese, situated twenty-seven miles east of
Vincennes, between the settlement of Washington
and Mt. Pleasant, in Daviess County. The congre­
ga tion of thirty - five families, mostly Irish and
German, were in destitute circumstances, little con­
cerned with the terror of the forest, in their efforts
to keep at bay the wolf of poverty. Father Sorin
was quick to perceive their distress, and quick also
to rectify their false ideas about "the wolf at the
door." He and his humble Brothers soon taught
them by word and example that the truly blessed
are the poor in spirit. The wolf idea faded from
the minds of these good people and there arose
before them the kindlier Image of God's loving
Providence.
Chastity IS the gilded pinnacle of perfection in
a religious and Obedience is the grand superstruc­
ture, but Poverty will always be the solid founda­
tion. Every religious institute grounded in Poverty
is like the house that was built upon a rock, and


58
THE BROTHERS OP HOLY CROSS.
has Christ's assurance for its perpetuity: "And the
rain fell and the floods came, and the winds blew,
and they beat upon that house, and it fell not, for
it was founded on a rock." Father Sorin was a
man of great intellectual acumen, but of greater
spiritual insight. It is one thing to make the best
of a threatening situation, quite another to grapple
with it, utterly subdue it, and change its terrifying
shrieks into the bugle-notes of one's own victory.
This is precisely what Father Sorin and his "six
beloved Brothers," as he called them, accomplished
m the poverty - stricken wilds of the middle west.
In after years he wrote; "I came in 1841 with my
six beloved Brothers in the steerage. We expended
very little money. In 1846, when I returned with
seventeen devoted members, in the steerage as before
and in emigrant cars from New York, we again
spent but little and felt happy. Blessed are those
who are inbued with the spirit of poverty." Could
the dead arise and tell us of the misery endured by
the little colony at Vincennes, we would scarcely
believe them. "The Brothers," writes Father Sorin,
"lacked almost everything but food and clothes,
yet in accordance with the precept of the Divine
Master, each one �eemed content. At no epoch of
the congregation, perhaps, were there more priva­
tions, more necessities. and fewer satisfactions of
nature; on the other hand fewer complaints and


60
THE BROTHERS OF HOLY CROSS.
decided upon leaving them there until the Retreat." *
We are not contradicting Mother Theodore's
statement,-and we will be understood-when we
deny that these good Brothers ever "left behind
them their spirit of poverty." They carried it into
the wilds of Northern Indiana. And could the pioneer
Sisters of Holy Cross at Bertrand, Michigan, speak
to us today, they would have many a harrowing
story to tell of the Brothers' heroic endurance, many
a scene to paint in which the Brother with his
sack of provisions on his back would be the
prominent figure.
* Heroines of Charity, New York, 1887.
THE CHAPEL AT BERTRAND.


VER Y REV. STEPHEN T. BADIN.
1< irst Priest Ordained in the United States.
�T. REV. C. DE LA HAILANDIERE, D. D.
Second Bishop of Vincennes, Indiana.


From a sketch by Paul Wood.
DEATH OF FATHER DE SEILLE AT NOTRE DAME.
��


ARRIVAL AT NOTRE DAME.
65
peared so beautiful. The lake particularly, with its
mantle of snow resplendent in its whiteness, was to
us a symbol of the stainless purity of our august
Lady, whose name it bears, and also of the purity of
soul which should characterize the new dwellers on
these beautiful shores. Our lodgings appeared to us
-as indeed they are-but little different from those at
St. Peter's. We made haste to inspect the various
sites on the banks of the lakes which had been so
highly praised. Yes, like little children, we went
from one extremity to the other, in spite of thè cold,
perfectly enchanted with the marvellous beauties of
our new abode. Oh, may this Eden ever be the home
of innocence and virtue. Once again in our life we
felt that Providence had been good to us, and we
blessed God with all our hearts."
They came to Notre Dame du Lac-a peculiarly
enchanting spot, though until then, as character­
istically described by a pioneer member of the Com­
munity, "the peaceful home of the muskrat." Ten
years later F ather Sorin refers to these early days
in a way that throws a white light upon many a
hidden sorrow: "Only ten years ha ve elapsed since
Providence first brought the sons of Holy Cross to
a wild and deserted spot in the North of Indiana.
They were six in number - five poor Religious
Brothers and a Priest- all equally destitute of those
human resources which insure success in this life.


66
THE BROTHERS OP HOLY CROSS.
An old and miserable log-cabin, well-nigh open to
every wind, was the only lodging they found at
their disposal to rest themselves after their long
Journey. The kind offices of two or three good
Sisters would then have been very acceptable. I
shall tell you now w ha t I never told you before.
At that moment, one most memorable to me, a
special consecra tion was made to the Blessed
Mother of Jesus, not only of the land that was to
be called by her very name, * but also of the Institu­
tion that was to be founded here. With my fivet
Brothers and myself, I presented to the Blessed Virgin
all these generous souls whom Heaven should be
pleased to call around me on this spot, or who should
come after me."
The Institution alluded to in the foregoing letter
was to be the future University of Notre Dame du
Lac. It could not be built at once owing to the
* The name Notre Dame du Lac was given to the grounds
and to the University by Father Sorin himself, and in after
years he alludes prettily to the share his first companions had
in making Notre Dame the home of the Blessed Virgin: " To
clear the ground she called the Brothers of St. Joseph from be­
yond the Atlantic, rich only in faith and confidence in her pro­
tection."
t Father Sorin mentions five Brothers. There was a six th,
howeverv= a novice, who joined the Community at St. Peter's. In
all eleven postulants entered during the year the Brothers spent
there. Brother Vincent-who at that time was assistant Master
of Novices-did not arrive at Notre Dame until the following
spring.





70
THE BROTHERS OF HOLY CROSS.
versity of Notre Dame du Lac, the corner stone of
which was laid the twenty-eighth of August, 1844,
was completed. The new building was four stories
high, seventy feet long and forty feet wide. Before
the walls were up to the third story, measures had
been taken to secure the charters for the College and
for the Manual Labor School, known as The Corpor­
ation of the Brothers of St. Joseph. This latter estab­
lishment was then and eyer afterwards a favorite
founda.tion of Father Sorin. In the June of 1845 the
few pupils who had been accommodated at the
community house were removed to the new College
building, and in the month of August the first Com­
mencement Exercises were held at Notre Dame. In the
course of the following year the brick building was
given to the Sisters to be used as their dwelling-house.
The Sisters continued to occupy the "little white
house" on St. Mary's Lake until the spring of 1854,
when they moved to their new home near the College,
on the site of the present Infirmary of the Sisters'
convent at Notre Dame. For a number of years after
the departure of the Sisters, the entire basement of the
brick house was used for a bakery.
One of Father Sorin's happiest reminiscences was
the retreat he made in the autumn of 1843 on the
mound between the two .lakes of Notre Dame. * This
*This mound has always been known as "the Island," and is the present site
or the Community house.


From a drawing; by H. H. Darnell.
THE UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME-BIRD' S EYE VIEW.
Mother House of the Congregation of Holy Cross.


74
THE BROTHERS OF HOLY CROSS
Patmos, and that like another John he beheld In
vision the future glories of Mary at Notre Dame.
Now that the home of his Heavenly Queen must be
rebuilt, he set about the realization of his sweetest
dreams, and thus announced the completion of his
plans to his friends: "The extension of the beauti­
ful dome of Notre Dame is now finished, thank God!
But, beautiful as it looks, it is scarcely anything
compared to what it will soon be, when covered, as
originally intended, with the heavy and imperish­
able gilding of the purest gold, which will reflect
magically through the day the rays of the sun, and
at night turn darkness into a bright light, from the
electric crown of twelve stars with which the whole
figure ofthe Blessed Virgin is to be clothed, accord­
ing to the prophecy: And there appeared a great
wonder in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun
and the moon under her feet, and on her head a
crown of twelve stars.
The scene of the first trials of the founders of Notre
Dame has been transformed. A few months' improve­
ments ha ve completely changed the "little white
house's" environments. The barns, stables, and sheds
that stood near by have been moved away, and their
site is now a charming landscape. The "old Indian
Chapel," burned down in 1856, has been replaced by
a facsimile. The brick house has been thoroughly
repaired, and, in fact, practically rebuilt. A hand-


76
THE BROTHERS OF HOLY CROSS
some monument, surmounted by a statue of St. Joseph,
has been erected at right angles with the house 'and
the log-chapel. The monument is ten feet square at
the base, tapering to four feet, and rests on a concrete
foundation. The statue of St. Joseph is eight feet high,
is equipped with electric lights, and is illuminated on
the evenings of the Saint's festivals. On the eastern
and western faces of the pedestal are two granite
slabs; one bears the verse of the Psalmist: He made
him head of his house and ruler of all his possession.
On the other side is inscribed:
IN MEMORY
OF
THE FOUNDERS OF NOTRE DAME
FATHER EDWARD SORIN
BROTHERS
VINCENT
GATIEN
JOACHIM
ANSELM
FRANCIS XAVIER
AND
LAWRENCE
WHO STOOD ON THIS SPOT NOVEMBER 26, 1 42.
Both the statue of St. Joseph and its pedestal
are gifts from generous friends of the Brothers. This
stately little monument was not put up merely to
perfect the symmetry of the immediate surroundings. :
There is a deeper significance attached to its erection.
Father Sorin, in the first letter he addressed from


MONUMENT AND STATUE OF ST. JOSEPH


80
THE BROTHERS OF HOLY CROSS
Mary's Lake. They were the firstto build a dwelling­
house on the edge of the frozen waters. They were
the pioneers. It is, therefore, eminently fitting that
they should again take possession of the spot whereon
Notre Dame du Lac was founded sixty-six years ago.
And this they have done through the young candi­
dates for the teaching Brotherhood, who will hence­
forth make their studies within the walls of Dujarie
Institute, on the banks of St. Mary's Lake. The
appropriateness of this name is due to the fact that
the Founder of the Brothers of St. Joseph (now
Brothers of Holy Cross) was the saintly Father
Francis Dujarie, the holy man of Ruille. Furthermore,
the Brothers of St. Joseph, as originally established
by Father Dujarie, were exclusively a teaching body.
The new University with its oft-sung dome still
stands a monument to the prayers and labors of one
poverty-stricken priest and a handful of poor religious
brothers. At present the Priests and Brothers of
Holy Cross in this country conduct the University of
Notre Dame, Indiana; Columbia University, Portland,
Oregon; St. Edward's College, Austin, Texas; Holy
Cross College, New Orleans, Louisiana; Sacred Heart
College, Watertown, Wisconsin; St. Joseph's College,
Cincinnati, Ohio; Cathedral School, Fort Wayne,
Indiana; Holy Trinity School, Chicago, Illinois; St.
Mary's School, Austin, Texas, and Holy Cross Col­
lege, Washington, D. C. In 1841 there were only one


GROWTH OF HOLY CROSS
81
Priest and six Brothers of Holy Cross in the United
States. To-day, sixty-six years later, the number of
priests is sixty-five, Professed Seminarians forty-one,
Novices twenty-nine, Professed Brothers one hundred
and fifty-seven, and Novices fifty-six.
"THE LITTLE WHITE HOUSE."


BROTHER CELESTINE, C. S. C.


PROMINENT BROTHERS OF HOLY CROSS
IN AMERICA.
�H E highest voice ever heard on earth said
'� of all men: "By their fruits you shall know
them." Though we have Scriptural authority
for praising 'men of renown,' the purpose of the fol­
lowing chapter is not specifically a eulogy on th: dis­
tinguished members of the Brotherhood of Holy Cross
in the United States. To praise a man is to predicate
. something favorable of him, either taking for granted
that what we say is true, or first giving the grounds
on which we base our assertion. In either case we
state a conclusion, and leave little for our audience
to infer . We are prone to affirm good things of
ourselves, and. we like to praise those whom we
esteem, but, strange to say, we frequently recoil
from even the modest eulogies which other persons
bestow upon the objects of their admiration. Give
us the facts, we seem to exclaim, and we ourselves
will draw the conclusion, or apply the moral. Here,
then, are some of the facts that have perpetuated
among the Brothers of Holy Cross in this country
the memory of their beloved dead. " Brother
Lawrence;" writes Father Sorin, "was one of the
83





PROMINENT BROTHERS
85
six companions I first brought with me from France
in 1841." He was born in France, 1816, entered
the congregation in his twenty-fourth year, and died
at Notre Dame, Indiana, on the fifth of April, 1873,
the thirty - second year of his religious profession.
For m any years he was Steward of the Institution,
and director of the farm. He won scores of friends
among the farmers of the surrounding country and
among the business men of the neighboring cities.
His Superior General had this to say of him at his
death: "If anyone is to be named as having con­
tributed more than others by earnest and pe rsevering
exertions, both of mind and body, to the develop­
ment and prosperity of Notre Dame, if I did not
do it here, the public voice would declare it, and
name Brother Lawrence."
Brother Benoit was another one of the old
pioneers of the Congregation in the New World.
He came to Notre Dame with Father Sarin on the
latter's return from France in 1846. Those who
knew him best recall him most vividly as an accom­
plished disciplinarian. Likely no one at Notre
Dame will be longer remembered by the old students
than Brother Benoit, who for twenty years was
Chief Prefect of the Senior Department.
Brother Cyprian is dead many years, but the
image of his peaceful face is perhaps the brightest
among the portraits in Memory's hall at Notre





90
BROTHERS OF ROLY CROSS
solemnity In 1871. For mariy years he took an
active part in the direction and formation of the
novices destined for the Brotherhood. How many
an icy heart he, changed into a burning coal of
fervor! How many a marble slab of worldliness he
chiseled into the stature of the perfect man! How
many a rough bit of quartz he polished into the
glittering gem! In his old age he went with Father
Sorin to the Eternal City, and there had the supreme
happiness of an irrterview with Pope Pius IX. The
Venerable Pontiff would not suffer him to fall at
his feet, but took him into his arms and embraced
him most tenderly.
THE PORTIUXCULA CHAPEL.
Where Brother Hippolytus was Sacristan.


94
THE BROTHERS OF HOLY CROSS
dearly because of his gentle soul and kindly ways.
He was a lad of eighteen, whom men knew as
Francis McAlaine, when he left his home and bright
prospects at Philadelphia to enter the novitiate of
the Congregation of Holy Cross at Notre Dame,
Indiana. This was in 1863, and shortly afterwards
Brother Celestine became Assistant Secretary of the
University. This is a rather trying position, but
after thirty years' service he was as sunny and
unwarped as when he first assumed the office in
1865. Some of those who chronicled his death
"thanked God that men such as Brother Celestine
are still to be found in this money - getting, soul­
ignoring age of ours."
With the demise of Brother Francis Xavier the
last link in the chain that bound the hut of '42
with the majestic University of '96 was snapped
asunder. At his death an alumnus spoke of him as
"the last survivor of that little band of heroes who
changed the bleak forest into a bright fairy-land,
and reared on stones cemented with their blood the
domes and turrets of our noble college home."
The days of Brother Francis' stewardship were
longer than those of his early companions, and all
the while he acted as the local undertaker.
Some one remarked after his death that "as
cheerful as an undertaker was never a proverb,"
and then expressed his conviction that this would


BROTHER FRANCIS XAVIER, C. S. C.
BROTHER FRANCIS DE SALES, C. S. C.


96
-THE BROTHERS OF' HOLY CROSS.
soon be proverbial, if all the craft had as much sun­
shine in their hearts as Brother Francis Xavier.
On the ninth of July, 1900, the genial old pioneer,
Brother Augustus, was suddenly summoned before
God to give an account of his talents. He came to
Indiana wi th the second band that crossed the
Atlantic to join Father Sarin, and was extremely
young when he bade adieu to home and country.
Brother Augustus was a tailor and worked at his
humble trade for many years previous to his death.
There was a charm in his simplicity that won the
hearts of his Brothers in religion. He was candid,
without guile, without mental reservation, without
secret calculation. There was not a fold in his
character, not a wrinkle in his childlike dealings
wi th others. The evening of his death he assisted
a t Benediction, and made some characteristic efforts
to join in the singing. During recrea tian that same
evening he appeared more joyful than usual. He
went quietly to bed at the appointed hour, but had
sweetly answered his Deo Gratias to an Angel, when
the Community Excitator rapped on his door next
mormng.
Brother Edward was one of the trusted coun­
sellors of Father Sarin in the upbuilding of Notre
Dame. For thirty-eight years he held the office of
Treasurer in the University. His problem was to
make a small income fit a large expenditure, and


98
THE BROTHERS OF HOLY CROSS
m the days following the devastating fire of '79
th at pro blem m ust have' been painfully distress­
mg. The laborious days and sleepless nights in
Brother Edward's life during this period are not
thoroughly known to man. They are written beside
tha t other record of kindness to Christ's deserted
poor, and prompt attendance to every religious
, exercise. It often occurs that a life so entangled
with secular affairs is wanting ,in religious regu­
'larity, but Brother Edward never betrayed the mere
business man clothed in the garb of a monk. He
died in January of 1901, and was appropriately laid
to rest between the graves of Brother Augustus and
Brother Celestine: with the length of days enjoyed
by the former he had combined the serenity of the
latter.
One who knew and loved these pioneer Brothers,
the Very Rev. Walter Elliott, C. S. P., has kindly
given me some memoirs of his school days at Notre
in 1855: "I remember Brother Amadeus 'the post­
master and professor of penmanship. He was the
first member of Holy Cross that I ever met. He was
always busy but an interior man, with the demeanor
of one who had rather pray than work. Dear old
Bonaventure taught us bookkeeping, the soul of
kindness, and ever impressing us, in spite of his,
retiring manners, with the solidity and extent of his.
mathematical acquirements. Brother Benoit was


100 THE BROTHERS OF HOLY CROSS.
the great prefect of the bigger boys. I think he
might have been canonized at his death, for he had
no purgatory: we boys saw to that this side of
eterni ty. Then there were Charles and Cyprian,
assistant prefects, truly religious men, and very
much attached to us. It was chiefly owing to the
vigilance, sense of duty and absence of human res­
pect in these three, especially in Brother Benoit, that
early Notre Dame was an orderly college. Anthony
was, I think the name of the blacksmith, though
some of us called him Brother" Vulcan." He was the
most genial of men, and we loved to chat with him
to the music of his hammer and anvil. Francis
was the carpenter and undertaker-how sweet and
sincere a character, how kindly a religious! Against
Lawrence, the great farmer of Notre Dame, we had
the grievance that he cutdown the noble trees of
the forest primeval upon the banks of the lakes,
little recking the terrible financial straits that this
shrewd and no less pious manager more than any
one else, enabled the authorities to tide over in
those early days. He was rated the best farmer
in Northern Indiana. I must not forget Brother
Augustus, or Brother "Gus," as we al ways called
him. He led a saintly life. And he played the double
bass in both orchestra and brass band, and sung or
rather sawed off the plain chant in the choir. May
God rest them all in everlasting peace. How enviable


104 THE BROTHERS OF HOLY CROSS.
in the flesh become Brothers Éphrem, Bernard and
Joseph in religion. The first two spend their energies
in the class room and devote their brilliant talents
to the instruction of youth, w hile the third culti­
vates the earth and works through the long day
at the humble occupation of a farmer. A Brother
Polycarp dies in apparent obscurity, though he
seems to have been called to the Community by
Mary Star of the Sea, after a thoroughly romantic
career. "As a boy James White was a great reader
with a special predilection for ancient history. The
story of Jerusalem as related by the Jewish historian
Josephus had particular charm for him and fired him
with the desire to visit the land of Palestine, especially
the parts made sacred by the life of Our Lord. To
gra tify his love for travel and ad venture he became a
sailor in the British navy, and within a few years had
the satisfaction of having touched at all the ports of
consequence in the world. Not as yet, however, had
he had an opportunity of gratifying that early wish
of his.hear t, to visit Nazareth and Jerusalem. After
a time, however, he got a position on board the
pri va te yacht of an English officer heading on a cruise
for the Holy Land.
One evening after they had reached their destina­
tion and were enjoying the cool breeze that stirred the
olive leaves along the gardens of Nazareth the officer
expressed a wish for a drink of w a.ter brought from


JJURATION OF NOVITIATE.
113
passed in the Novitiate. The second, which should
be, as it were, a counter trial of the first, may be
continued partly or wholly in the Novitiate, or in
any. other house of the Congregation, according as
the Provincial and Master of Novices may judge
fit."
"One year to form one's self to the spiritual life is
the minimum of time required by the Rule. This year,
therefore, from the first moment to the last, must be
consecra ted to the science by pre-eminence and the
sweet practice of this superior life, which is the essen­
tial foundation of the religious life.
No technical study is permitted or should be made
under any pretext whatsoever, as, for instance, the
study of grammar directly, of mathematics, of lit­
era ture, of philosophy or of theology properly so
called." *
The Novitiate for the Province of the United
States is at Notre Dame, Indiana, where the
Seminarians and Brothers make their probation
together. The latter are continually reminded of
their holy Patron, St. Joseph, as he is the special
heavenly guardian of the Novitiate. As far back
as 1869 Father Sorin wrote: "In the domain of
Notre Dame du Lac, the centre of our work, see
* Directions for the Novitiates of the Congregation of Holy
Cross, by the Very Reverend Gilbert Français, Superior General,
c. s. C.





116
THE BROTHERS OF HOLY CROSS
washing dishes, weeding flower-beds, or tending
the garden. At eight-fifteen o'clock the novices
assemble for the recitation of the Little Hours
of Our Lady's Office. Immediately after this
exercise the Master of Novices gives his highly ap­
preciated Conferences on such subjects as the Rules,
the Life of Our Lord, the Religious State, the
Directory and Liturgical Explanations. The rest
of the forenoon is occupied with priva te reflec­
tions on the morning's Conference, reading of the
Life of Our Lord, the study of the Rules and
prayers that are recited in common, and partic­
ular examination of conscience. Dinner and rec­
rea tion last till half past one, and are followed
by a short visit to the Blessed Sacrament and
Vespers. An hour's out-door manual labor relieves
the spiritual routine of the afternoon. A half
hour's private reading of the Lives of the Saints
at three o'clock, and thirty minutes practice in
singing at half past three prepare the novice for a
fervent recitation of Matins and Lauds half an hour
later. After Office there is study, meditation and
recollection, then supper, an hour's recreation, half
an hour's spiritual reading, a few minutes study,
and night prayer. The grand silence, as in all
religious Communities, lasts from the evening devo­
tions until after Mass next day.
The novices go to confession weekly, and receive


RE'V WILLIAM R. CONNOR, C. S. C.
MASTER OF NOVICES.
BROTHER JOHN CHRYSOSTOM, C. S. C.
ASSIST ANT MASTER OF NOVICES.


118
THE BROTHERS OF HOLY CROSS
Holy Communion frequently. Every Friday there
is the Way of the Cross in common, and the Chapter
of Accusation in which the novice acknowledges his
external violations of the Rules of the Community.
There is an hour of adoration once a week, and every
month a retreat of one day with direction and moni­
tion. Besides there is the annual retreat of one week.
Many thoroughly good persons in the world
ha ve erroneous ideas about the life lived in a
Novitiate. They speak in undertones of the planks,
the bare boards, the long fasts, the curtailed meals,
the heroic acts of obedience, the untold humiliations.
The Novitiate is primarily a place where the candi­
date for the Congregation is taught the Rule of life
that he must henceforth observe, and incidently trial
is made of his vocation. He is not specifically noti­
fied that this or that mortification patiently endured
will decide his calling, and place him among the
predestined. His life in the Novitiate is by no means
an extraordinary existence, and if he observes the
Rule, his will be the peace "that surpasseth all under­
standing. "
The young man who begins his years' probation
with the sincere intention of becoming a worthy
Brother of Holy Cross, will find the Novitia te the
very vestibule of that higher life, which he hopes to
enjoy for all eternity. It has been said that our
imperfections are suggestive proof of our i mmor ..


SPIRITUAL GAIN.
119
tality. These imperfections are the subject of daily
meditation for the novice; their analysis continually
occupies his mind and heart. The end and aim of .all
he thinks and does is knowledge of God and of self.
H he is constant in the observance of his Rule, if he
is faithful to the stud y of his own heart, he soon
comes to know, appreciate, and love his vocation.
He understands the words of St. Paul: "I count
all things but loss for the excellent knowledge of
Jesus Christ my Lord; for whom I have suffered the
loss of all things." He begins to experience the truth
of Christ's promise: "Everyone that hath left house
or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife,
or children, or lands for my name's sake, shall receive
an hundred fold and shall possess life everlasting."
He looks back with deep emotion to the days when
he first heard the mysterious words: "Blessed are
the poor in spirit. Blessed are the clean of heart.
Take up my yoke upon you, and you shall find rest
for your soul. For my yoke is sweet and my burden
light." He retires from his frequent conversations
with his Master in the Blessed Sacrament, repeating
interiorly after the manner of the disciples of Em­
maus, "Was not my heart burning within me while
He spoke to me from the tabernacle?" The days of
severest trial serve only to intensify such a novice's
conviction that his Master's yoke is sweet and His
burden light. The more his life is influenced by these


120 THE BROTHERS OP HOLY CROSS.
salutary meditations, the brighter grows the flame
of fervor and in the light of this burning love he
receives his impressions about the religious life. He
sees in the sweet, pure, humble, disinterested and
self-sacrificing lives of those around him many a
reflection of the lives of Christ and Mary. He learns
to read in the open book of his companions' daily
actions many things that tell of heaven. Finally
he comes to regard the religious life as the very
threshold of Paradise, and he realizes to his intense
joy that his soul, the pearl of great price, has found
its proper setting.
ST. JOSEPH'S RIVER, NOTRE DAME, INDIANA.


VERY REV. ANDREW MORRISSEY, C. S. c.
Provincial.


124 THE BROTHERS OF HOLY CROSS.
thor oughly equipped for his glorious mISSIon.
The scope of the teaching Brothers' education is
thus stated in the Rule (XVIII., 116): "The
Brothers destined for the schools shall stud y all
that regards primary education." This Rule is in­
terpreted by the present Very Reverend Superior
General of the Congregation as follows: "All that
regards primary education takes in, nowadays, read­
ing and writing in their diverse forms; sacred his­
tory, the history of our Lord, the abridged history
of the Church, the history of the country of which
one is a resident, together with accurate notions of
universal history; a thorough knowledge of the
geography of one's own country, as well as a con­
siderable acquaintance with the physical and politi­
cal geography of other lands; practical arithmetic
in its entirety; practical geometry; the elements of
natural history and cosmography; commercial arith­
metic and book-keeping; elementary physics and
chemistry; a summary of rhetorical principles with
their practical application; elementary drawing;
stenography; type-writing; the general principles of
music; and some knowledge of hygiene and gym­
nastics." - Circular Letter, April, 24, 1895. The
General Chapter of the Congregation issued a decree
in 1898, which regulates the studies of the teaching
Brothers of Holy Cross in this country: "In the
Province of the United States the Postulate for the


COURSE OP STUDIES.
127
-take in Algebra from its fundamental principles to
the Binomial Theorem; Plane and Solid Geometry;
Trigonometry. The Natural Science course offers an
interesting study of Physical Geography, Physiology,
elementary Zoology, elementary Botany, elementary
Physics and Chemistry, and Descriptive Astronomy.
There is a three years' course in French, and also
one in German. Elementary Drawing is generally
finished in two years, but if time allows, the student,
just as in Mathematics, may follow the advanced
classes. These latter in Drawing include full figure,
busts and heads, sketching, artistic anatomy, deco­
rative designs, etc. The Commercial course, which
takes the place of Greek and Latin in the curriculum
of the teaching Brothers, offers a com pIete business
training in English, Arithmetic, Penmanship, Short­
hand, Type-writing, Book-keeping and Commercial
Law. After passing satisfactory examinations in
the above branches, the Brother receives his diploma
from the University.
The foregoing will give us an idea of the possi­
bilities that a.wai t the bright and fervent novice
who rightly values knowledge, who is anxious to
acquire it and to impart it to the little children
whom Christ blessed, to the youth whom He loved.
The teaching Brother who is imbued with the
spirit of his noble calling has an enviable vocation.
He shares the merits of the priesthood without


FATHER SORIN'S VIEWS.
129
vincing Circular Letter addressed by Father Sarin to
his Community is that of January 7, 1885, suggested
no doubt by the Crib of yule-tide. Christian Edu­
cation is the main theme. A paragraph from this
letter may throw some light on the standard of
excellence required of the teaching Brothers of Holy
Cross: "Teachers of youth must know thoroughly
the various branches they have to teach. This is
universally admitted; and the qualification is every
day becoming more strictly required. The time of
common or mediocre teachers is rapidly passing
away. Real merit alone, oflicially acknowledged,
will admit one to the important function of a
teacher even in the smallest country schools. But
ev:en granting the required proficiency of all our
teachers, will their superior personal ability secure
all the advantages most undoubtedly needed in, and
confidently expected from, our Catholic schools?
No: Something more than erudition and talent is
required in the school-room for the complete educa­
tion of the future generation. It is not enough to
cultivate the intellect, to cram the minds of our
youth with such knowledge as can be learned in
the public schools. This instruction, or filling up
of the mind, is only a part, and a supplementary
part, of the great work of education. Education,
in its proper sense, implies the expansion and cul­
tivation of all the faculties, mental and physical,-


PAST IDEALS NOT FOR_GOTTEN
133
their ideals and their destiny? Are the Brothers of
St. Joseph no longer to be identified with the­
Brothers of Holy Cross? Has the evolution left no
trace of the proto-type?
Ideas admit of development,-of mathematical,
physical, material, logical, political and ethical
developments. No human institution can prosper
and escape these laws of development. The Brothers
of St. Joseph were undergoing a rational process of
deve1opment-a spiritually economic transformation
-when they withdrew in part from the schools,
united their efforts to those of the Auxiliary Priests,
and in union with them established the first College
of HolyCross at Mans in 1836. It was also during
this eventful year at the close of the annual retreat;
that Father Moreau singled out those members of
the Brotherhood who had not the requisite tastes
and training for work in the class-room and assigned
them to manual labor. In a Circular Letter of this
period addressed particularly to the Brothers, Father
Moreau says: "Associated to the apostleship of
the Priests of Holy Cross by the services you render
them in the diverse employments which you fill near
them in the Colleges, or by the instruction of the
children in your schools ..... what a beautiful,
what a glorious mission is yours!" The Brothers
of St. Joseph, therefore, did not deviate from the
primary object of their foundation in becoming





SCENES ON ST. JOSEPH'S FARM.


THE A VE MARIA.
145
kept constantly heated during the winter months.
The heat is conveyed to the Main Building by a
tunnel five feet in diameter, and by smaller connec­
tions to the halls occupied by the students of the
University. Connected with the steam-house are
three dynamos. The Chief Engineer and the Elec­
trician are both Brothers.
St. Joseph's Industrial School is located north
of "the shops" on a corner of the three hundred
acres incorporated under the title of the Corporation
of the Brothers of St. Joseph. The school was
founded by Father Sorin with a view to giving
poor boys an opportunity to learn a trade by serv­
ing for some time as apprentices in the varióus shops
directed by the Brothers .. Many-a young man has
left this School to mak; the Industrial Worldbetter
by his having lived and worked in it.
The Ave Maria, published weekly at Notre
Dame, was founded by Father Sorin in 1865. The
Brothers of Holy Cross have always been identi­
fied with the publication of Our Lady's Journal as
typesetters, press-men, binders, and office-men. At
present nine Brothers are employed in these various
positions. Eight Brothers travel during the year as
agents for The Ave Muria. They visit nearly every
state in the Union.
The Brothers have charge of the new bakery,
w here fifteen hundred loa ves of bread and three thou-


146 THE BROTHERS OF HOLY CROSS.
sand biscuit and cakes are baked daily for Notre
Dame, St. Mary's and St. Joseph's Hospital; of the
little confectionary for the students; of the music
rooms; of the la bora tory preparations in Science Hall
and in Mechanics Hall; of the local mason-work; of
the sacristry work in the Collegia te Church; of the
house-keeping about the University; of the land­
scape gardening on lawn and campus. The Govern­
ment Post-Office on the University grounds affords
two Brothers constant employment. Finally, the
students' refectories, private rooms, and dormitories
are under the immediate supervision of the Brothers.
This cursory prospectus will give the reader an
idea of the varied occupations of the Working
Brothers of Holy Cross in America. What has been
said with special reference to their activities at
Notre Dame applies to the other establishments of
the Congregation throughout the United States. The
Industrial Arts have their worthy representatives
among the Brothers in every foundation of the Com­
munity in this country. The Superiors recognize the
economic value of allowing the Brother to follow
in religion whatever trade or craft he may have
learned in the world, and consequently the distribu­
tion of labor among the Working Brothers of Holy
Cross, has long been the secret of their power.
The vocation of the Working Brother has its
dignity and its reward. It will always be respected,


152 THE BROTHb"'RS OF HOLY CROSS.
have I observed from my youth. And Jesus looking
on him, loved him. Jesus saith to him: If thou
wilt be perfect, go, sell what thou hast, and give to
the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven:
and come, follow me."
Why did Christ love this youth so spontaneously,
so quickly, so passionately? Was the "Brightness
of the Eternal Father and the Figure of His Sub­
stance" dazzled by the rays of earthly loveliness?
W as the Son of God so suddenly enamored of the
son of man? No. Jesus loved this handsome youth,
not because of physical or intellectual attractiveness,
not because of his great possessions, but because
of the beauty of his soul. ' , Master, all these things
I have observed from my youth. And Jesus looking
on him, loved him." The young man's heart was
good. His soul was upright and pure, without
guile, without deceit, and adorned with the jewels
of every virtue. And yet there have been holy men
who doubted seriously concerning the salvation of
this young man. For when Christ invited him to
give up the joys of a worldly life and to follow Him
along the narrow path, he walked away sad and
sorrowful. He had immense possessions, and his
heart refused to part with them. Here was a voca- .
tion, a call, a counsel, an invitation to become a
disciple of the Cross. Jesus loved this fair soul and
He wanted it. The sacrifice may be hard, but Christ


VOCATION.
155
all earthly things. It may be the boy who sat beside
you at school, the friend in whom you did not know
this thought. The messenger you can not see touches
him passing, and he rises and goes. You imagined
that he was made of very much the same clay as
you are: he could bat and bowl, and he stammered
through his verbs, and behold he is called away from
your youthful pursuits and your ambitions to the­
highest and most abstract of all loves ! Whatsoever
he be, however weak, he must rise when that call
comes and say his 'Present.' Grace will be given
for all that is required. And the miracle is not
only that he goes, but that he goes in absolute
willingness, in absolute joyfulness, and that hence­
forth he will watch over his eyes and his heart that
no other love than God may enter." These were
the thoughts uppermost in St. Bernard's mind when
he said one day, "Is there a greater marvel than
this, that so many young men, in the flower of their
youth, should be detained without fetters in this
open prison, chained only by the love of God?"
The foregoing considera tions on the religious
vocation represent the basic principles according
to which the Congregation of Holy Cross (which is
composed of Priests and lay Brothers*) regulates the
* We might note here that the Executive Administration of the­
Congregation is regulated by General and Provincial Chapters.
In both of these the Priests and Brothers are equally represented .. ,





158 THE BROTHERS OF HOLY CROSS.
Master's words. "If thou wilt be perfect, go, sell
what thou hast and give to the poor, and thou
shalt have treasure in heaven." He has sold all
he had on earth in order to purchase heaven; he
knows that the "kingdom of heaven is like to a
merchant seeking good pearls. Who, when he had
found one pearl of great price, went his way, and
sold all he had, and bought it." He is convinced that
this 'pearl of great price is worth more than any
man ever paid for it '; he sanctions the words of SL
Bernard: "Oh! brilliant pearl, thou art wonderful,
for thou remittest sin and openest heaven! O holy
and immaculate life, thou art brighter than gold and
more resplend�nt than the sun! O religious state,
thou art the home of God and His angels! O happy
life! O angelic life! O beautiful gate by which we
enter into the holy city! "
The Brother of Holy Cross has his exercises of
piety and the inspiring exam pIe of his brethren to
animate his fervor and to sustain his good resolu­
tions. He has the morning meditation, the daily
Mass; the particular examination before dinner, the
visit to the Blessed Sacrament before supper; the
numerous Communions; the weekly Confession, hour
of adoration, Way of the Cross, Chapter of accusa­
tion of faults; daily rosary and spiritual reading;
morning and evening prayers,-all these in common;
and last, though not least, the edification derived





INDEX TO ILLUSTRATIONS.
Rev. James Francis Dujarié Frontispiece
Mother Honse of the Sisters of Providence, Rui11é ' .. " .. '" 14
Sister St. Francis Xavier 16
St.-Mary-of-the-Woods-Bird's Eye View 18
"Little Providence" 19
A Brother of St. Joseph 20
The Cradle of the Brotherhood of St. Joseph 27
Very Rev. Basil Moreau 32
Mother House, Le Mans, 1852 34
Chapel of the Mother House of the Sisters of Providence 36
First Novitiate, Brothers of St. Joseph 38
Interior of Mortuary Chapel, Rui11é 40
Cemetery of the Sisters of Providence, Ruil1é 42
Father Dujariés Tomb 43
Mother Mary Angela . 46
St. Mary's, Bertrand, 1850 48
St. Mary's, Notre Dame, 1855 50
St. Mary's, Notre Dame, 1907 52
Very Rev. E. Sorin, C. S. c 54
165


166
INDEX TO ILLUSTRATIONS
The Chapel at Bertrand 60
Very Rev. S. T. Badin 62
Rt. Rev. Bishop De Hailandiére 62
Death of Father De Seille 64
The Arrival at Notre Dame 67
The Founding of Notre Dame, 1842.............. 69
The University of Notre Dame 73
"The Dome" 75
Monument and Statue of St. Joseph 77
The Log Chapel 79
"The Little White House" 81
Brother Celestine, C. S. C 82
St. Edward's College, Austin, Tex 84
Brother Philip, C. S. C 86
Brother Benoit, C. S. C 86
Holy Cross College, New Orleans, La. 89
The Portiuncula Chapel 90
Brother Paul of the Cross, C. S. C 92
Brother Vincent, C. S. C 93
Brother Francis Xavier, C. S. C 95
Brother Francis de Sales, C. S. C 95


INDEX TO ILLUSTRATIONS
167
Superior General and Bishops 97
Brother Edward, C. S. C _ 99
Sacred Heart College, Watertown, Wis 101
St. Joseph's College, Cincinnati, 0 103
Very Rev. Gilbert Francais, C. S. C 110
St. Joseph's Novitiate 115
Rev. W. R. Connor, C. S. C 117
Brother John Chrysostom, C. S. C 117
St. Joseph's River 120
A Brother and his Boys _ '" 121
Very Rev. Andrew Morrissey, C. S. C 122
Du j arié Insti tu te 125
Columbia University, Portland, Ore 132
Directors of Halls, University of Notre Dame 135
The Shops 138
The Barn .. _ 141
St. Joseph's Hall 143
Scenes on St. Joseph's Farm 144
The Ave Maria Office 147
The Post Office 147
Members of the General Chapter, 1906 149