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Father Jordan

and

His Practice of Virtue

by

Father Winfrid Herbst, S. D. S.

Father Francis Jordan founded

the Society of the Divine Savior in 1881

and the Congregation of the Sisters of the

Divine Savior in 1888.

Published by

Society of the Divine Savior

St. Nazianz, Wisconsin



Imprimi Potest:

JEROME JACOBS, S.D.S.

Superior Provincialis

Nihil Obstat:

NICOLAUS L. GROSS

Censor Librorum

Imprimatur:

* STANISLAUS V. BONA
Episcopus Sinus Viridis

Green Bay, Wisconsin

August 13, 1948

Eessfdled
II



FOREWORD

The sketch of the life of Father Francis

of the Cross Jordan here offered to the

public under the title Father Jordan and His

Practice of Virtue is a presentation in bio-

graphical form of the various facts given in

the "Articles" required by the Ecclesiasti-

cal Tribunal in the informative process for

the cause of the beatification and canoni-

zation of the Founder and first Superior

General of the Society of the Divine Sav-

ior, and the Founder of the Congregation

of the Sisters of the Divine Savior.

All credit for the collection and presen-

tation of those facts goes to the Very Rev-

erend Dorotheus Brugger, S.D.S., Postula-

tor of the Cause, who devoted himself
whole-heartedly to that laborious task.

But at the same time much credit goes

to the Reverend Heribert Winkler, S.D.S.,

for his scholarly translation of the "Arti-

cles" into English.

All that then remained for me to do was
to rewrite and rearrange the matter thus

placed at my disposal, adding a bit here
and there, occasionally omitting irrelevant

matter. Perhaps it would be better to say

that mine was merely the task of re-

strained editing.

Inasmuch as Father Jordan was born

III



June 16, 1848, this year is the centenary

of the birth of our Venerable Father and

Founder. It is, accordingly, a fitting time

in which to send out this little book on its

mission of edification in the spirit of Father

Jordan, for God
#

s glory, Mary's exaltation,

and man's salvation.

Father Winfrid Herbst, S.D.S.

Salvatorian Seminary

St. Nazianz, Wisconsin

Easter, 1948

IV



‘Declaration

In complete conformity with the de-

crees of Urban VIII we hereby declare
that everything said in this book regarding

the miraculous and such like manifesta-

tions is submitted without reserve to the

judgment of Holy Church. The expres-

sions such as "holy" or "saint" in so far

as they are applied to the subject of this

biography, are not in any way intended

to anticipate the judgment of the Holy

Apostolic See.

V



CONTENTS

Foreword Ill

Declaration V

Introducing Father Jordan ... VII

Chapter 1 — Birth and Boyhood 1
Chapter 2 — Higher Education and Priesthood

_ _
4

Chapter 3— Apostolic Teaching Society 8
Chapter 4 — Society of the Divine Savior 11
Chapter 5— Father Jordan's Faith 17
Chapter 6— Father Jordan's Hope 31
Chapter 7 — Father Jordan's Love of God 35
Chapter 8 — Father Jordan's Love of Neighbor .. 39
Chapter 9 — Father Jordan's Prudence 46
Chapter 10 — Father Jordan's Justice 53
Chapter 11 — Father Jordan's Temperance 59
Chapter 12— Father Jordan's Fortitude 62
Chapter 13-— Father Jordan's Observance of the

Vows of Poverty, Chastity and

Obedience 66

Chapter 14 — Father Jordan's Humility 75
Chapter 15— Father Jordan's Supernatural Gifts 79
Chapter 16 — Father Jordan's Death 81
Chapter 17 — Father Jordan's Reputation for

Sanctity 88

Chapter 18 — Father Jordan's Intercession 91

VI



INTRODUCING FATHER JORDAN

Since the following pages will give you

a rather detailed account of Father Jordan

and his virtues, you will probably appreci-

ate a brief advance description of the man.

Father Jordan was of more than medium

stature, about five feet ten inches in height;

he was broad shouldered and of rather

strong build; his weight in his last years

was probably about two hundred pounds.

He enjoyed good health up to the time
when he began his higher studies. But he

began his studies for the priesthood when

he was already somewhat advanced in age;

and, because he was well aware of the in-

itial difficulties confronting him and of the

importance of a good start, he applied him-

self to those studies with a zeal and will

power that were out of proportion to his

physical strength. The immediate conse-

quence was that he injured his nerves to a

considerable extent and thus made work

very hard for himself all his life long. The

result of these shattered nerves was that

both agreeable and disagreeable things

made an excessive impression upon him.

Hence, Father Luethen was right when he

used to say: “We have absolutely no idea
of what he must suffer.” He also had to
suffer from a kind of bronchitis. His di-

gestive organs likewise caused him much

trouble, so that he had to be extremely

VII



careful in eating. Father Luethen, who
after Father Jordan was the first member
of the Society of the Divine Savior and

who was a most perfect model of mortifica-

tion at the table and whose place was at

Jordan’s right, saw to it that the latter took

the proper diet. Otherwise Father Jordan

had no serious illness—with the exception
of one that came upon him in the year

1897—and he was accordingly able to do
his work all his life long.

As pointed out above, Father Jordan was

very much hampered in his activity by his

weakened nerves. This led to a condition

that we might call anxiousness or over-

anxiety. From this, of course, his fellow

workers in the vineyard of the Lord had

to suffer almost as much as he.

Again, Father Jordan was of an extreme-

ly impulsive nature. He was quick to seize
upon a thought and to develop it within his

mind. Because of his open, one might al-

most say childlike disposition, he would

often communicate plans to others even be-

fore he himself really knew whether or not

they were capable of realization. Then, if

the person to whom such plans were made
known would agree with him, he would

at once raise objections and would him-

self give expression to a thousand and one

misgivings. One who could listen to all

these and then quietly dispel them had to

have good nerves and very great patience.

It seems that Father Luethen was the only

VIII



one who could really do this perfectly; and

it was just this saintly priest whom Father

Jordan approached for counsel more than

any one else. This he would do whether

the time was opportune or not; for when

Father Jordan had misgivings, they had to

be dispelled as quickly as possible; and as a

rule he contented himself with placing

them before others for final decision.

As a rule Father Jordan did not want to

hear any reasons but wanted only a “Yes”

or a “No” to his anxious inquiry as to

whether he might be quiet about the mat-

ter that was at the moment troubling him.

Father Luethen used to say that one must

have patience and that our dear Lord had

as a matter of fact simply laid this cross of

over-anxiety upon the Founder. It was all

so arranged by a special dispensation of

God, because with his lively temperament

and his great desire to go ahead and do

things Father Jordan might otherwise easi-

ly have gone too far and the consequences

would then have been much worse. “You

see,” Father Luethen would smilingly say,

“our Venerable Father thinks too much,

that is why a thousand difficulties occur to
him that do not occur to others.”

IX



Father Francis Jordan Receives

the Blessing of Pope Leo XIII

on the Project of Starting His

Society.



CHAPTER 1

BIRTH AND BOYHOOD

Father Francis Mary of the Cross Jordan

was born June 16, 1848, at Gurtweil near

Waldshut, Baden, Archdiocese of Freiburg

in Breisgau. He was the second of three
sons. His parents were poor and simple

peasants. His father, Lawrence Jordan, had

an accident which left him a cripple for the

rest of his life. He died when the subject of
this biography was about fifteen years old.

His mother, Nothburga, whose maiden

name was Peter, was a quiet, industrious,

serious woman. Because of her husband’s

handicap much additional work fell to her

lot. The Jordan family was poor in every

way; indeed their poverty was often so ex-

treme that they did not have enough to eat.

Born on June 16, 1848, Father Jordan

was baptized the following day in the par-

ish church and was given the name of John
Baptist.

John Baptist Jordan was a rather lively

lad and one given to all the pranks that

characterize a normal boy; but he was by

no means malicious. Nevertheless, he felt

sorry for those boyhood pranks in later

years, as is evidenced by the fact that he

apologized for them to his classmates be-

fore he began to study for the priesthood

and again before he offered his first Mass.

At the usual age John Baptist attended

1



2

the elementary school in his home town.

But he did not like to study and once in a

while he played truant. When he thus ab-
sented himself without permission he usual-

ly went fishing. In this way he also inci-
dentally replenished the family larder. But,

though he did not care much for study and
though he did play truant from time to

time, he was nevertheless the best pupil in

his school, so much so that the teacher

sometimes asked him to take his place

when he himself was prevented from pre-

siding for some time over the class. Though

John Baptist was not one of the regular

altar boys, still he could serve Mass well

and he liked to do so.

In those days, before the famous decree

of Pope Pius X on the early Communion of
children, it was not customary to receive

Holy Communion at such an early age as

is the practice today. That is why John
Baptist Jordan was twelve years old when

he received his first Holy Communion in

the parish church of his home village. After

this first blessed union with the Savior in

the Holy Eucharist John Baptist was a dif-

ferent boy. Up to that time a rather frivo-
lous lad, he now manifested a remarkable

change in his conduct. Though he never

spoke of what he had experienced in his

soul on the occasion of his first Holy Com-

munion, there was at least one exterior cir-

cumstance which makes us pause and won-

der. It had been noticed that his behavior

at the communion rail was very restless.



3

Afterwards when his pastor rebuked him for

this, he apologized by simply explaining

that he could not help it, because “a white

dove fluttered around my head and then
flew away towards heaven.”

Be that as it may, John Baptist Jordan

seemed greatly changed from the day of his

first Holy Communion. Often he would

withdraw from his companions and go into

the woods or to some secluded spot where

he would pray or read the Lives of the

Saints. He was different from other boys.

He did not frequent taverns; he did not in-

dulge in worldly amusements; he never as-

sociated with persons of the other sex; he

frequently received the Sacraments and

was especially careful in his preparation for

confession. But in spite of his seclusion he

was loved by all because of his friendly

ways.

Being a poor boy in a poor family, John

Baptist lived as a workman up to his six-

teenth year. It was difficult to make ends

meet in the family, as we have seen, and

he had to do more than his share to allevi-

ate daily needs. In 1864, when he was six-

teen years of age, he decided that he would

become a decorator, and after completing

his apprenticeship in this trade he joined

the Catholic Journeymen’s Association and,

as was then customary, set out on his trav-

els as a journeyman, during which he care-

fully avoided the wTorld and its dangers,
thus preparing himself for the call of grace

which was soon to come.



CHAPTER 2

HIGHER EDUCATION
AND PRIESTHOOD

When John Baptist Jordan was twenty-
one years of age he clearly sensed an in-

terior voice which drew him nearer to God;

and not only that, but he felt himself dis-

tinctly called to the priesthood. During the

summer of 1869 he was present at the first

Mass of a newly ordained priest in his

home parish; and it was on this occasion

that his resolution to study for the priest-

hood reached full maturity. Once he had

this lofty goal set before him, he overcame

with extraordinary energy all the difficul-

ties which confronted his heart’s desire,

namely, advanced age, poverty, feeble

health, and draft into military service. He
surmounted all these obstacles because he

prayed much and trusted in the help of

God; and God, Who has promised to aid
those who ask for His assistance, did not

fail him.

John Baptist was not admitted to any

high school because of his age, so he asked

his parish priest to give him private lessons.

His pastor approved of the plan but turned

over the task to his assistant; and the as-

sistant, handing the young man a Latin

Grammar, gave him the laconic order to

learn the five declensions within eight days

and then come back and report to him.

Though he did not at the time realize what

4



5

an almost impossible task had thus been

imposed upon him, John Baptist neverthe-

less did as he was told, returning after

eight days and startling his teacher with his

mastery of the lesson imposed. After a year

and a half of this private instruction he

passed the examination for the sixth class

of the so-called Gymnasium at Constance,

in Baden, where he then went through the

four upper classes and graduated in 1874.

For his final examination he prepared a

composition in twelve languages.

During the years of study just men-

tioned John Baptist lived in great poverty

and privation. He endeavored to work his
way through college, as we would say, by

earning some money by giving private les-

sons. In addition to that he begged of cer-

tain good-hearted, generous families his

daily sustenance, getting his dinner now at

one place, then at another. No sacrifice
seemed too great for him when it was a

question of reaching the goal he had set for

himself, the inestimable grace of the holy

priesthood.

In the year 1874 he also made his first

pilgrimage to Rome. His notes about this

show that especially the catacombs left a

deep impression on his soul. From 1874 to

1877 John Baptist studied philosophy and

theology at the university in Freiburg,

Breisgau. He attended the lectures with
the greatest diligence and was very success-

ful in his studies there. Though he studied

a great variety of subjects, his interior life



6

of virtue was not in the least impaired

thereby. In the words of the director, Dr.

Litschgi, “the theologian John Baptist Jor-

dan of Gurtweil distinguished himself by

his exceptional piety and humility.”

In the fall of 1877 he entered the Archi-

episcopal Seminary of St. Peter near Frei-

burg in Breisgau. There he strove after

Christian perfection with extraordinary

zeal while preparing for ordination to the

priesthood. He was ordained priest by
Auxiliary Bishop Lothar von Kuebel on

July 21, 1878. Because of the anti-clerical

attitude of the state he could not celebrate

his first Mass in his home parish, so he

offered the adorable Sacrifice for the first

time in a town in Switzerland called Doet-

tingen. He then spent two weeks in his
home town, Gurtweil, where he could in-

deed say Mass but only behind closed

doors. Because of the so-called Kultur-

kampf, which amounted to a persecution of

Catholics, and because of his refusal, at his

Bishop’s direction, to undergo the state ex-

amination, Father Jordan could not get an

appointment in his home diocese. He there-

fore asked his Bishop for permission to con-

tinue his studies in Rome. The permission

was gladly granted and he was admitted to

the Campo Santo, a college for priests, and

studied Oriental languages (Armenian, Syr-

ian, Coptic) at the Papal Seminary of St.

Apollinaris.

Father Jordan was permeated with a

glowing zeal for the salvation of souls.



7

Therefore he constantly begged God, as he

had already done even while he was still in

the seminary, to make known to him in

what way he might most efficaciously pro-

mote His honor and procure the salvation

of immortal souls. As he thus prayed and

reflected the thought began to develop in

his mind that he could multiply his power

and labor most efficaciously for the greater

glory of God and the salvation of souls by

means of a religious association or congre-

gation. Especially these words of the holy

Cure of Ars left a lasting impression upon

him: “I often think that the majority of

people are lost through lack of instruction.”

Hence, the necessity of religious instruction

and education preoccupied the mind of

Father Jordan; and in September, 1878, he

was already firmly resolved to lay the foun-

dation for this work.

In this spirit and with these ideas in

mind Father Jordan, in the summer of

1880, made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land

in order there to pray for strength and to

get God’s special blessing for the plan he

had in view. He also utilized his stay in
Palestine to improve, by practice, his know-

ledge of Oriental languages. With this pur-

pose in mind he stayed for three months

at the college of Ain-Warka. Moreover,

while in Jerusalem he submitted his plan for

a religious foundation to Bishop and future

Cardinal Massaia. This cardinal was thus

the first to encourage him in his new under-

taking and to impart his blessing upon it.



CHAPTER 3

APOSTOLIC TEACHING SOCIETY

After his return from the Holy Land

Father Jordan steadily pursued his aim of

founding a new religious Society. In order

to dedicate himself unreservedly to this

project he abandoned his favorite study of

languages. In his solicitude to do what was

right he made sure to ask higher ecclesi-

astical dignitaries for their counsel and

their blessing. Almost without exception

they received him kindly and approved of

his plans. Especially was Cardinal Bilio

very much interested in Father Jordan; he

even declared himself his protector and

procured for him a private audience with

Pope Leo XIII, who bestowed his special

blessing upon the project. Having received

the blessing of the Holy Father and the en-

couragement of so many cardinals, Father

Jordan thought that he could now without

more ado proceed with his foundation. But

it was here that he made a mistake which

later on gave his adversaries a weapon with

which to assail him. In good faith he had

not thought of obtaining first of all the in-

dispensable and necessary permission of

His Eminence the Cardinal Vicar of Rome.

Together with a theologian who had

joined him, Father Jordan then rented a

lodging in the house of St. Brigid in Rome.

There he said Mass daily in the little

church connected with the house, and from

8



9

time to time, especially on certain feast-

days, preached a sermon.

He called his foundation Apostolic

Teaching Society and chose the Mother of

God as his Patroness under the title “Queen

of Apostles.” He then went to Germany in

search of cooperators and in order to secure

financial assistance. At Donauwoerth he

won for his cause the Rev. Bernard Lue-

then, editor of the “Ambrosius,” a periodi-

cal for priests, who later on, as Father

Bonaventure, became the most eminent

member of his Society. That Society was

definitely started on December 8, 1881, at

Rome, in the death chamber of St. Brigid.

There Father Jordan offered a Holy Mass

in which two priests who had joined him

assisted, received Holy Communion from

his hand, and also took the three religious

vows, but only in a private manner.

Father Jordan gave his foundation the

following purpose: the Apostolic Teaching

Society pursues the task of propagating,

defending, and strengthening the Catholic

faith in all countries of the world in the

spirit of the Apostles. For this end it makes

use of the spoken and of the printed word;

it intends to send missionaries to non-Cath-

olic and pagan countries and to help along

in the care of souls in Catholic lands; it

endeavors to make those teachers already

active in the Church enthusiastic for their

vocation and to support them in the dis-

desires to attain by publishing special vo-

charge of their duties. This latter end it



10

cational periodicals for all the teaching

bodies, namely for pastors, for teachers in

higher and lower schools, for parents, and

for all others helping along in the work of

education; moreover, it seeks to attain its

end also by distributing such literature as

has already been published and is per-

meated with a true Catholic spirit. At the

same time all those who participate in the

work of Catholic education are to be united,

imbued with an apostolic spirit, and sanc-

tified by means of common prayer. Indeed,
Father Jordan attached such importance to

the apostolate of the press that even before

the actual foundation of the Society he had

established a printing press in the house of

St. Brigid, where two Italian monthlies ap-

peared under the capable editorship of the

zealous Titular Archbishop Peter Rota,

Canon of St. Peter’s, whose informative

process has been started. It is to be re-

membered in this connection that Father

Luethen became the editor of the German

periodical “Missionaer” and that as early

as March, 1882, the first number of the

“Nuntius Romanus,” a Latin magazine, ap-

peared, likewise edited by Archbishop

Rota. In 1884 Father Jordan began the

publication of “Manna,” a magazine for

children. As a result of the Society’s

growth the establishment at the house of

St. Brigid was no longer adequate and

another dwelling had to be found. After

some negotiations the large, commodious

building was obtained which to this day,



11

with some alterations, is the headquarters

and Motherhouse of the Society.

As mentioned above, Father Jordan had

in good faith made a mistake by not seek-

ing the official permission of the Cardinal

Vicar of Rome for the establishment of his
Society. This led to the Cardinal Vicar’s

transmitting the whole affair to the Sacred

Congregation for Religious, which in turn

deputed a member of a religious order to

examine the whole matter. The final docu-

ments were then submitted to the Holy

Father. The result of all this was that on

September 25, 1882, the Cardinal Vicar

notified Father Jordan that the Holy Fa-

ther did not permit the title Apostolic

Teaching Society. Thereupon, in October,

1882, Father Jordan changed the name of

his foundation. Because objections had

been raised against the word “Apostolic”

he now called it Catholic Teaching Society.

CHAPTER 4

SOCIETY OF THE DIVINE SAVIOR

On Passion Sunday, March 11, 1883,
Father Jordan took the three usual vows

of religion, according to the following for-

mula: “I vow unto the Holy Father and his

lawful successors obedience, as also pover-



12

ty and chastity, and I vow to devote and

sacrifice myself wholly to the furtherance

of the glory of God and the salvation of
souls.” At the same time he assumed his

name in religion: Francis Mary of the
Cross.

After the change of the name of his

foundation from Apostolic Teaching Socie-

ty to Catholic Teaching Society and after a

specially appointed visitator had ascer-

tained from personal observation Father

Jordan's thorough ecclesiastical attitude

and his full and unrestricted devotedness

to authority, the objections that had been

raised against him were overcome by a

favorable report.

However, Church authorities did ask

him to explain how he thought that priests

living in the world could be bound by vows

of poverty and obedience. Pondering over

this matter and seeking in his own mind a

solution to this knotty problem, Father Jor-

dan himself gradually began to have some

doubts as to whether such an association as

he had in mind could remain solidly united

and be properly governed in the interest of

the Church. Therefore, he finally decided

upon founding a religious congregation in

the strict sense of the word; and when, in

1893, a revision of the Society’s constitu-

tions was made, he once again bowed to the

will and wish of ecclesiastical authority in

the matter of a name for his foundation.

His religious congregation was called

Society of the Divine Savior, and this time



^
i;

FATHER FRANCIS JORDAN AS HE LOOKED
WHEN HIS TWO SOCIETIES WERE WELL

UNDERWAY.



14

with the full and permanent approbation

of Holy Mother Church. Father Jordan

himself related that during his sojourn in

the Holy Land, when standing upon Mount

Lebanon and pondering over his founda-

tion and future task, the words came to his

mind: “Now this is everlasting life, that
they may know Thee, the only true God,
and Him Whom Thou has sent, Jesus
Christ.” Henceforth the Divine Savior,

Jesus Christ, was the Titular and Patron

of his Society. That is why the emblem of

the Society is a representation of the teach-

ing Savior with a cross in the background

and the circular inscription, in Latin: “Jesus

Christ Son of God Savior.”

On December 8, 1888, Father Jordan
had founded a congregation of Sisters who

were called Sisters of the Catholic Teach-

ing Society. Baroness von Wuellenweber,

who had been under Father Jordan’s spirit-

ual direction since the year 1882, was ap-

pointed Superior. About this the Baroness

wrote, among other things: “We were per-

mitted to stay in Rome for three days, in

order to visit the sanctuaries. Then we

had to go to Tivoli, a little episcopal city,

distant about two hours by train from

Rome, where, on November 27th, our Ven-

erable Founder led us into our dwelling,

which was small and poor. Kneeling, I then

received from his hand the holy rules of the

order, which he handed to me with the

words: 'If you do this, you will become

holy.’ ” The Baroness took as her name in



15

religion: Mary of the Apostles; and she

became the first Superior General. The

religious habit selected by the Founder was

the same as the one worn by the Sisters to-

day. Mother Mary of the Apostles de-

voted herself heart and soul to the cause

and, what was more important still, let her-

self be guided by the will of the Founder

in a spirit of exemplary submission. Father

Jordan prescribed the religious habit, the

manner of life, and the activity of the con-

gregation. And Mother Mary saw to it

that there was no deviation whatsoever

from these directions. In 1893, when Father

Jordan’s foundation was definitely named

Society of the Divine Savior, the founda-

tion he had established under Mother Mary

of the Apostles was officially and definitely

called the Congregation of the Sisters of

the Divine Savior.

Already in 1889 Father Jordan’s So-

ciety had been given by Propaganda the

immense mission field of Assam, in what

was then British India. Thereafter in his

great desire to save souls he did not rest

until he saw his Society spread in as many
countries as possible. Each year he opened

one or more new Houses of the Society.

Father Jordan convoked the first Gener-

al Chapter of the Society of the Divine

Savior in 1902, at which he was unani-

mously elected Superior General, to which

office he was repeatedly re-elected up to

the year 1915. In 1905 his heart was glad-

dened by the first Papal Approbation of



16

the Society; and his happiness was com-

plete when in 1911 the Holy See granted

Final Approbation to the Society of the

Divine Savior.

On September 8, 1918, Father Francis
Mary of the Cross Jordan died in Switzer-
land, where the Generalate had been tem-

porarily transferred during the first World

War.

Such is the brief history of the Society

of the Divine Savior and its Founder, a

man of God who, after the turning point of
grace on the occasion of his first Holy Com-

munion, became a shining example of all

virtues in all the conditions of his life: as a

boy, a laborer, a student of the classics and

of philosophy and theology, as a secular

priest, as Founder of his Society, and as a

religious. He was always a source of edifi-

cation and admiration to all who lived

with him.

He was so truly a servant of God that,
once he had started on the way of per-

fection, by constant endeavors he advanced

step by step. Nothing could move him in

his faith in God, nor in his trust in Him, nor

in his love for Him, not even the gravest

human disappointments and trials. And

not only did he practice the three divine

virtues of faith, hope and charity in a

heroic degree but also the four cardinal vir-

tues of prudence, justice, temperance, and

fortitude. Through his life of faith and

virtue, his mild, kindly, humble, and mod-

est example, he merited from God that



17

particular spirit which characterizes the

two religious families founded by him, a

spirit with which he himself was imbued

and which he transmitted to them.

CHAPTER 5

FATHER JORDAN’S FAITH

Father Jordan looked upon it as a most

precious grace to have been born in the

bosom of the Catholic Church. Thus he

used to say: “We can never thank God

enough that we have Catholic parents.” In

the weekly Chapter of Faults which he

held in the Motherhouse in Rome he time
and again admonished his subjects to

thank God for the undeserved grace of

the true faith.

His Mission-mindedness

Father Jordan was filled with a fervent

desire to win all men over to our holy faith.

He constantly prayed that all might be one

and exhorted others to do the same. His

was truly apostolic prayer. So much was

he steeped in the thought of saving souls

that in his radiant face one could positively

see an indescribable joy when he heard of

the labors and successes of his spiritual

sons and daughters in the service of the

Church, or when he was able to send some

new laborers into the vineyard of the Lord.



18

This spirit of his is well expressed in the

following portion of the morning prayer

composed by him which is daily recited in

all the Salvatorian Houses throughout the

world: “That they may faithfully and per-
severingly make known, bring to light, and
glorify Thee, the Triune God, everywhere

until the consummation of the world and

lead innumerable souls to Thee.
,,

His zeal for souls was truly unquench-

able. This aim, the salvation of souls, pre-

occupied him all day long, penetrating all

his thinking, planning, and praying. Even

as a student he endeavored to contribute to

and fervently promote the apostolate of the

press. This fire glowed within him still

more brightly when he was a student of

theology. “Oh, you souls,” he wrote, “pur-

chased with a great price, I wish I could

save you; readily would I sacrifice my life
for you.” Later on, in order to fill his spirit-

ual sons with the proper enthusiasm for the

apostolate, he had maps hung up in front

of his room showing the mission fields and

giving mission statistics, so that they might

study the same while awaiting their turn at

his door. In the annual Directory which

was printed for the Society he prefixed

each month with the words: “To the pray-

ers and labors of the members are recom-

mended the following peoples, nations,

tribes, and islands.” He kept a small globe

on his desk which he looked over and stud-

ied again and again; and one could hear

him frequently say: “We need more mem-



19

bers; we need priests” for the vineyard of

the Lord. In his addresses he often en-

treated that one should not criticize him on

account of the many Houses he had

founded; he said that they were but grains

of seed for the Society and for the propaga-

tion of our holy faith. Whenever reports

on the care of souls exercised by the mem-

bers of the Society were read in the re-

fectory, his face assumed such a radiant

warmth that one could perceive his interi-

or joy. In his last illness the infirmarian

heard him say: “O that I could convert the

whole world!” Once he said sadly to his

first spiritual son, Father Bonaventure Lue-

then: “A bishop stood with folded hands

before me and asked for priests .... pray
much, pray much for a good coming gener-

ation. We could use a thousand priests
right now.” It was said of him that his de-

sire for the propagation of our holy faith

and his great zeal for souls was the greatest

passion of his life. In a word, Father Jordan

was a man of faith through and through.
That is why he again and again admon-

ished his subjects to be men of faith, men
willing to die for an article of faith. That

is what he himself was.

His Devotion to the Blessed Sacrament

Needless to say, Father Jordan had a

most fervent devotion to the Most Holy

Trinity. This profound interior adoration

manifested itself in the devout manner in

which he always made the sign of the cross;



20

also in the deep, reverential inclination

which he was wont to make at the “Glory

be to the Father,'” etc., and in the fervent

recollection with which he said the Credo.

But what we wish to point out here in a

special manner is Father Jordan’s great de-

votion to the Most Holy Sacrament of the

altar, a devotion which he endeavored to

promote by word and example among his

subjects. One could not help being deeply

moved when observing his recollection

as he prayed before the Blessed Sacrament.

Even when entering the chapel and whilst

going up to the altar he looked at nothing

else but seemed to be all absorbed in the

fact that he was looking towards Jesus and

Jesus was looking at him. He made fre-
quent visits every day to the Hidden Sav-

ior in the Sacrament of His love, and

these visits often lasted for a long time,

even for hours; indeed, he spent whole

nights in prayer before the Blessed Sacra-

ment, especially when he was young and

his health was still good. It was his prac-

tice to pay a short visit to the Blessed

Sacrament before leaving the house and

upon returning; and he introduced this

custom into the Society. So, too, he doffed

his biretta in passing the chapel. During

exposition of the Blessed Sacrament his

eyes were constantly fixed upon the sacred

Host, so that one who for many years ob-

served him closely called him “The saint

before the Blessed Sacrament.” His lively

faith was manifested by his every genu-



21

flection, which bespoke deep veneration

and humble adoration. For years he daily

visited St. Peter's in Rome where he was

wont to prostrate himself before the altar

of the Blessed Sacrament and to commune

so long and so ardently with the Savior as

seemingly to be oblivious of his surround-

ings.

His Devotion to the Passion of Christ

Father Jordan also fostered a particular

devotion to the suffering Savior; and it was

from this that he drew his great love for

the cross. His name in religion, as we have

said, was Francis Mary of the Cross. For

Thursday evening he introduced into the

Society the meditation of our Lord's agony

in the garden; and he ordained that on

every first Friday of the month the history

of our Lord’s Passion should be read at

dinner. As we have seen, he visited the

sacred places of Christ's suffering in the

Holy Land; and later on he spoke with the

greatest unction and emotion of that pil-

grimage. He personally made earnest and
untiring efforts to resemble Christ Cruci-

fied. In his addresses nothing was so fre-

quently reiterated as religious observance

and love of the cross. It is known that

again and again he lovingly looked at the

little crucifix on his desk, took it in his

hand and ardently kissed it; and when giv-

ing his farewell addresses to departing

missionaries he never failed to extol and to

recommend the cross as an inexhaustible



22

source of blessing and success in the con-

version of pagans. Again and again he

would say to those who were despondent

and fainthearted: “Hold the cross tightly in

your hand.” To a certain Father he recom-
mended as the best axiom for his diary:

“Nothing thrives but in the shadow of the

cross.” The Brother who had to tidy his

room, often saw him standing before the

large crucifix on the wall and observed

with edification how he threw himself upon

his knees and with clenched fist struck his

breast and was all absorbed in prayer.

(This Brother, by the way, had permission

to enter the room without knocking at the

door, because he often had to go in and out;

that is why he often came upon Father

Jordan unawares.)

Father Francis of the Cross saw in the

cross the one unmistakable guarantee of

God’s blessing. One time when the Sister Su-

perior of a large hospital in charge of the

Sisters founded by him was showing him

through the same on the occasion of a visit

and pointing out its various furnishings, she

naively remarked: “Venerable Father, we

have no cross whatsoever.” Whereupon he

turned to her as if dumfounded and said

very earnestly: “What, you have no cross-

es? If that is the case your affairs are in

pretty bad shape.” The Sister was very

much embarrassed by this remark and pro-

ceeded to appease him by explaining that

she meant that there were no extraordinary

crosses, that daily sufferings and adversi-



23

ties were, of course, not lacking. To which

he replied: “Yes, there must be crosses,

otherwise it would be too bad.”

His Veneration of the Mother of God

Father Jordan had a great devotion also

to the Mother of God, especially under the

title of the Immaculate Conception. This

love of Mary was one of the most beautiful

traits of his character; it manifested itself

in innumerable ways throughout his life.

He chose the eighth of December, the feast
of the Immaculate Conception, as the day

for the foundation of the Society of the

Divine Savior as well as for the foundation

of the Congregation of the Sisters of the

Divine Savior; he chose Mary as the prin-

cipal Patroness; and he named all the

Houses in honor of Mary. He had very
much at heart the spread of devotion to the

Blessed Virgin Mary. “You must never

rest as long as the Queen of heaven and

earth is not praised everywhere,” we read

in his book of resolutions. He, accordingly,

made the spread of this devotion one of the

principal ends of his Society; a true son of

the Society would be recognized by de-

votion to the Virgin Mother of God. Even

before he founded the Society he had

visited some shrines of the “heavenly Mo-
ther,” as he used to call her, and had re-

mained there for some time in order to

secure her protection and help for the

execution of his plans. Two such shrines
were Mount Carmel in Palestine and Mary



24

of Einsiedeln in Switzerland. Almost con-

stantly he carried the rosary in his hand in

order to utilize every available moment for

a Hail Mary. With a view of over and over

again animating his subjects to increased

veneration for the Mother of God he would

quote the words of St. Epiphanius: “Jesus

is the hook, Mary is the bait.” As he him-

self had assumed the name Mary, he was

very much pleased when his spiritual sons

asked him for permission to add this name

to their religious name. As another means

of promoting this devotion, he introduced

the practice of carrying the rosary sus-

pended from the cincture, thus making it,

as it were, a part of the religious habit. He
ordained that the first Saturday of every

month should be observed in a solemn way

and for this solemnity composed a special

formula of consecration which down to

this day is being recited in all the Houses

of the Society on the first Saturday of

each month.

In various other ways did Father Jordan

manifest his devotion to the Mother of

God. So, to enumerate but a few of these

ways, he experienced a special joy when

bishops offered the Society the care of

shrines dedicated to the Blessed Virgin

Mary; and when there was question of giv-

ing up such places he never gave his con-

sent. Sometimes one would have to await

his attention when in his room, because he

would be absorbed in contemplating the

little statue of Our Lady of Lourdes stand-



25

IT WAS THE FOUNDER'S CUSTOM TO PLACE
HIS PETITIONS LITERALLY ON THE HANDS OF
THE BLESSED MOTHER STATUE ON HIS DESK.

ing upon his desk or would be sitting there

with his hands stretched out imploringly to

the Mother of God. Sometimes when he

thought that he was unobserved he was

seen standing with outstretched arms be-

fore a picture of the Blessed Virgin and

uttering ejaculatory prayers in a subdued

voice. His confidence in the heavenly

Mother was boundless, as is especially evi-

dent from his childlike and pious habit of

writing his petitions on small slips of paper

and putting them between the fingers of

the statue on his table - slips that would

contain words like these: “Mother, I am



26

thine, save me!” - “Mother, pay our debts!”

and the like. There was always at least one

such slip in the statue’s hands. When he
was in unusual trouble and grief he would

go to the shrine of the Sorrowful Mother

in the side chapel of the Motherhouse

where he would pray for strength and cour-

age. In a niche of the staircase in the

Motherhouse there was a statue of Mary
Immaculate; with childlike joy and ven-

eration he was wont to greet it already

from a distance and when passing it would

take off his biretta or hat and bow his head;

and then he would keep his eyes fixed on

our Lady whilst silently praying till he had

passed by. Over and over again he gave

orders that this statue be adorned and that

a light be kept burning before it. At least

once his boundless trust in the Mother of

God was miraculously rewarded on the oc-

casion of great financial distress. Finally,

it surely may also be regarded as a special
grace obtained for him from the heavenly

Mother that he died on the feast of the

nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Sep-

tember 8, that he could enter into the joys

of eternal life on her birthday.

His Veneration of the Saints

In his characteristic childlike manner

Father Jordan also venerated the saints of

God and in his addresses he frequently

admonished his hearers to do the same,

especially as regards those whom he had
chosen as special patrons of the Society.



27

First of all there was St. Joseph, the patron

of the interior life, the great exemplar of a

life hidden in God, a shining example of a

true religious, and an unfailing helper in

distress and trouble. Then there were the

holy Apostles, inasmuch as his Society was

conceived as an association of undaunted

apostles, ready to do and dare for the

Divine Master and for Him to expend all
their energy; and this may explain why for

years he visited the tomb of the Prince of

the Apostles in St. Peter’s every day. Again,

there was St. Michael the Archangel, whom
he looked upon as a glorious model of the

champions of God. There was also St.

Francis of Assisi, whose statue was always

standing on his desk, whose name he had

assumed, and whose love of poverty he en-

deavored to imitate; moreover, hanging on

the wall in front of the place which he used

to occupy in the domestic chapel, was an

inspiring picture of this same St. Francis

of Assisi, the heavenly patron whose name

he had chosen. He had a special devotion
to St. John the Baptist, the Forerunner of

the Savior, from whom he desired to learn
zeal for souls. Finally, there was his de-

votion to his Guardian Angel, a devotion

which dated back to the time of his studies.

“Never forget what holy, pure, lily-white

messengers of heaven accompany you so

closely in all your ways,” he once wrote.

“Oh, never sadden them, but ever keep

yourself in their midst and serve the heav-

enly Father as they do.”



28

Living and Thinking With the Church

Only in the first few years of his priestly

life did Father Jordan preach publicly be-

fore the people, for instance, at Fribourg in

Switzerland and at St. Brigid’s in Rome.

After he had founded the Society of the

Divine Savior he spoke only to the as-

sembled community. For some time he

preached on Sundays and feastdays in the

chapel of the House. Besides, he delivered

many addresses on the occasion of investi-

tures, professions, departures of mission-

aries, etc. Above all, for many years he

gave a talk at the weekly Chapter of Faults.

On all those occasions he showed a great
familiarity with Holy Scripture and the

Fathers of the Church.

Father Jordan submitted himself with

scrupulous conscientiousness in childlike

and humble obedience to the laws of the

Church; and he often spoke the words: “We

certainly want nothing but what Holy

Church wants.” The “Sentire cum Ec-

clesia” (“To think with the Church”) of St.

Ignatius had actually permeated his entire

being. He bowed without bitterness and

contradiction when the rules drawn up by

him were greatly abbreviated by the Holy

See and the rule concerning the apostolate,

which he had drawn up with so much joy

and enthusiasm, was completely struck out.

“Holy Church knows how to do the right

thing and must have good reasons for it,”

was his humble remark. Always and in all



29

things he insisted on the accurate execution

of all Papal decrees. Indeed, it used to be

rather humorously remarked that with

three things one could chase Father Jor-

dan through fire: (1) Holy Church com-

mands it, (2) the Holy Father desires

it, (3) the holy rule prescribes it.

Father Jordan, then, honored the Holy

Father, bishops, and priests in a most ex-

emplary ^ way; he always spoke of them

in terms of highest esteem. It made him

quite happy when many of his subjects at

the Motherhouse obtained tickets for ad-

mission to celebrations in St. Peter’s; for

thus they could see the Holy Father, do

homage to him, and receive his blessing.

He was wont to pay visits to every bishop
who came to Rome and with whom the
Society had some connection, and that de-

spite the fact that it was a great sacrifice for

him to appear before high personages or

officials, particularly because of his shat-

tered nerves. In a word, he entertained

the highest reverence for the priestly dig-

nity. He used to say that if as a priest he
could do no more than once impart his

sacerdotal blessing to a child he would be

richly rewarded for all the efforts involved

in his studies.

Living and thinking thus with the

Church, it was the most natural thing for

Father Jordan conscientiously to observe

all the rubrics of the liturgy and the cere-

monies of the Church. He wished in this
regard also to do everything as perfectly



30

as possible. Hence he did not think it be-

neath his dignity often to ask the server of

his Mass whether he had perhaps noticed

any mistakes. So, too, he often asked the

Father who composed the Directory

whether he could do this or that at Holy

Mass or in the recitation of the breviary or

how this or that ruling was to be observed.

In this spirit he also exhorted his subjects

from time to time to use the rubrics as

their spiritual reading; and he ordained

that liturgical conferences should be held

with the master of ceremonies presiding.

Owing to his shattered nerves, he had to

make almost superhuman efforts himself

in order to observe the ceremonies ac-

curately; but in this respect he did not

spare himself in the least, so that often his

amice was quite drenched with sweat due

to the efforts that he was obliged to make.

He was also solicitous about the decora-

tion and ornamentation of the house of

God. He considered nothing too expensive

or too good for the church. As far as pos-

sible, he wanted the best of everything in

the service of God.

The Church’s Code of Canon Law

states that the faithful are to esteem in-

dulgences highly. Father Jordan had a

very high estimation of indulgences; he

tried to gain all he could; and he always

did his best to fulfill all the conditions

necessary for gaining them. It seemed as

though he were always holding a rosary



31

in his hand with a view to gaining as many

indulgences as possible.

The Church is very strict in its censor-

ship of books, well knowing what a vast

amount of spiritual harm bad books can do.

Living and thinking with the Church, Fa-

ther Jordan had a holy hatred of bad

books and took good care that none of

them ever fell into the hands of his sub-

jects. It is edifying to recall that from

time to time he even asked the librarian of

the Motherhouse to look through his own

books in order to see whether or not a

questionable book had perhaps slipped in.

When visiting the various colleges he was
wont to examine the library carefully and

to give orders that dangerous books be re-

moved so that nobody might suffer any

harm.

CHAPTER 6

FATHER JORDAN’S HOPE

Father Jordan was animated with a

confident, unshakeable hope of attaining

everlasting salvation through the merits

of his Leader, Jesus Christ, the Savior of

the world; and this childlike, unfaltering

trust shone forth in all his words and ac-

tions. One might say that he hardly wrote

a single letter in which he did not try to

arouse in his subjects, at least with a few

telling words, this confidence and trust in

God.



32

Detached from all worldy things, his

endeavors and inclinations were directed

only to God and his eternal destiny. This

detachment manifested itself everywhere

and in many ways. There was his unself-

ishness, his frugality as regards his own

person, his manner of life, his garments, the

poor furnishings of his cell. He looked
upon everything earthly in the light of

eternity, as a means for the attainment of

eternal salvation. Quite alien to him was

any desire for money or possessions, for

joy, for honor, for the comforts and con-

veniences of life.

In all the hard trials of this life Father

Jordan put his trust in God alone, had re-

course to prayer, and expected everything

from God’s goodness and providence. In

his addresses we constantly meet with ex-

hortations to confidence in God. He never

complained about God, never said even a

single word against the wise dispositions of

the Almighty, so that of him could literally

be said what we read in Holy Writ of the

patient Job: “In all these things Job sinned

not by his lips, nor spoke he any foolish

thing against God.” Nor did his confidence

in God falter in the face of staggering

debts; and for this he was at various times

almost miraculously rewarded. In a word

he was a man who relied unreservedly on

Divine Providence. “The loving God,” he

was wont to say, “is good and disposes well

of all.” - “I would like to leave you a

special heritage, if I may say so, and that



33

is a great confidence in God.” Below a

photograph he wrote, in Latin, however:

“No one has hoped in the Lord and has

been confounded.”

In all his thoughts, words, and deeds, as

well as in all the emotions of his heart,

Father Jordan knew only God, his last end.

Already during the time of preparation for

the holy priesthood he had adopted this as

his principle of life: “Live only with God,

live only for God, act only through God’s

enlightenment, converse only with God,

often embrace God; let every breath be for

God; never do anything without God, trust

in God alone, and you will be able to do
everything with God - pray! pray! pray!”

Though there was no end to the ad-

versities and persecutions which he had to

endure, he never lost hope in God’s help,

never lost confidence in God’s providence.

Of those who afflicted him he used to say:

“They act in good faith and think they

must do as they do.” In all his troubles

and trials he clearly saw the hand of God;

and that was enough to make him bear

them all in a humble spirit.

The religious life as such demands many

a sacrifice. Father Jordan lived it in all its

severity in a most exemplary manner. He
did not make the slightest exception in the

observance of the rules, customs, and regu-

lations, unless the care of his health simply

demanded it. He always took part in the
common spiritual exercises, even when suf-
fering from one of the minor ailments



34

which so frequently afflicted him. It was

frequently noted that after his return home

from a tiring journey he was the first to

appear promptly in choir for the common
recitation of the breviary. He patiently
bore the burden of his office of Superior

General without ever uttering a word of

complaint, though so many journeys of
official visitation of the Houses in various

countries of the world caused him great

sufferings because of his ailing nerves. De-

spite the many affairs that constantly oc-
cupied him, he showed his childlike de-

votedness to God, his unshakeable hope in

God’s goodness and love by his uninter-

rupted praying. His lips seemed almost

always to be moving in prayer. He never
wearied of saying various ejaculatory pray-

ers and aspirations that came from the

very depths of his heart.

God was so pleased with Father Jordan’s

firm hope in Him that several times He
rewarded it in a miraculous manner, es-

pecially in the most difficult financial situ-

ations of the Society. The peace, resigna-

tion, and serenity manifested by him in his

last illness and at the hour of his death may

be regarded as a special grace and particu-

lar privilege, inasmuch as formerly, even in

minor dangers, for instance during thun-

derstorms, he showed himself very uneasy

and timid.



CHAPTER 7

FATHER JORDAN’S LOVE OF GOD

Father Jordan most conscientiously kept

the Commandments of God, the Precepts

of the Church, and the Constitutions of his

Society. This exact observance no doubt

demanded many a heroic sacrifice because

of the shattered nerves from which he suf-

fered. But no one could say that he ever

deliberately transgressed the Command-

ments of God, the Precepts of the Church,

or the Constitutions of the Society; indeed,

it never occurred to any one that Father

Jordan could deliberately and conscien-

tiously transgress in this way. He loved
God. And the Savior has said: “He who

has My commandments and keeps them,
he it is who loves Me.”

Loving God as he did, Father Jordan
hated sin with all his heart. His fear of sin

was so great and so noticeable and so

generally known that it almost seemed ex-

aggerated. All those who associated with
him were deeply impressed by his tender

conscience and his anxious solicitude that

nothing should happen which might even

resemble an offence against God. Many
who knew him were of the opinion that he
never committed a mortal sin after his first

Holy Communion; and a great many even
held the view that he preserved his bap-

tismal innocence. Again and again one

could hear this unusual protestation fall

35



from his lips: “Nolo peccare” (“I do not

want to sin”), even when he was in a semi-

conscious condition in his last illness. With

persevering zeal he made use of all the

means of grace offered by Holy Church in

order to cleanse his soul from all defects

and to preserve it free from stain.

As we have said above, the mind and

heart of Father Jordan was uninterruptedly

united with God. God and souls were the

sole objects of his thoughts, plans, labors,

and conversations. He lived in profound,
admirable recollection. Those who visited

him in his room or who started a conversa-

tion with him got the impression that he

first had to shake himself loose, so to

speak, from his union with God before

he could fully give his attention to the

visitor or speaker. Indeed, it was almost

impossible to have an ordinary conversa-

tion with him, for hardly had one started

when he would quite naturally switch the

subject over to the theme which alone

seemed constantly to occupy him, namely,

the greater glory of God and the salvation

of souls. “Out of the abundance of the

heart the mouth speaketh.”

It goes without saying, of course, that

Father Jordan said Mass every day, when

not prevented by sickness; and this he did

in spite of his nerve disease, which made

the celebration almost a martyrdom for

him and which called forth deep com-

passion among those who assisted at it.

So great an effort did it cause him that



37

often he returned from the altar drenched

in perspiration. His fervor, devotion, and

recollection at the celebration of the sacred

mysteries was so extraordinary that one

often got the impression that he was in

ecstasy. When during the last two and a
half months of his life he could no longer

say Mass he received Holy Communion

every day.

As we have already mentioned, Father

Jordan was a man of prayer in the truest

sense of the word. He actually prayed
without ceasing and made good use of

every moment for prayer. Whether he was

walking about or standing still, his lips

moved and the beads of the rosary glided

through his fingers. It was difficult for him

to withdraw from prayer, so much so that

sometimes when he was all absorbed in

prayer one could not attract his attention

in spite of repeated efforts to do so. Being

a lover of prayer himself, he sought to im-

bue his subjects with a love for prayer;

hence, in his admonitions and addresses

he dwelt on prayer over and over again.

“You must become men of prayer,” he
said. “Pray earnestly, most earnestly, pray

without ceasing!” - “Give me men of pray-
er and I will convert the whole world.” -

“Prayer is the greatest power in the world,”

he wrote on the wall of his room beside

the holy water font.

Loving God as he did, Father Jordan
was deeply pained when he heard about

the sins of others. Though he himself



38

was not engaged in the care of souls as

such, he could and did fight against sin

by word and example and exhorted his

spiritual sons to join in the combat with

him. He reminded his subjects of these
words of St. Francis: “Woe to you that

through your fault so many are lost!” With

St. John Chrysostom he urged them on to

greater zeal for souls in these words: “One

man of faith, burning with zeal, suffices to
bring back to righteousness a whole people

- one suffices!” In a word, he never grew

weary of exhorting, imploring, and entreat-

ing his spiritual sons to grow in the true

love of God and to enkindle it in the hearts

of others by all the ways and means which

the charity of Christ might inspire.

Besides the usual fasts prescribed by the

Church, it was neither prudent for Father

Jordan nor was it permitted that he take

upon himself such fasting or such corporal

works of penance as would have seriously

injured his health and made him less able

to perform the duties of his office. But he

nevertheless had ample opportunity to

practice the virtue of mortification and

thus show his great love for God and his

particularly intimate love for the suffering

Savior. For more than forty years he bore

with greatest patience and resignation and

in union with the Passion of Christ all the

suffering that came to him because of his

shattered nerves. How painful, how ex-
cruciating such an affliction can be is best

realized by those whose lot it is to carry



39

such a cross. Still, with the permission of

his confessor, he did some fasting every

Friday, in honor of Christ’s Passion.

Let these few words about Father Jor-

dan’s love of God suffice. He was very re-

served and cautious not to let others be

witnesses of his interior life. But things

such as the above simply could not be con-

cealed. And often enough, as we said, his

interior life plainly, almost naturally, as it

were, manifested itself on his face, in his

general attitude and appearance, and in his

fervent sighs and prayers.

CHAPTER 8

FATHER JORDAN’S LOVE
OF NEIGHBOR

Father Jordan’s burning zeal for souls

became in him a source of that true Chris-

tian love of neighbor which desires to lead

all men to God and to heaven. Next to the
glory of God, the salvation of souls was the

greatest aim of his life, his labors, and his

love. In all his discourses and instructions

he sought to make his spiritual sons zeal-

ous, tireless apostles for the welfare of the

neighbor. His love of neighbor embraced

all men; thus we read in his diary: “As long

as there is yet a single man on earth who
does not know God nor love Him above all
others, you must not rest for a moment;

no sacrifice, no cross, no suffering, no aban-

donment, no tribulation, no attack, nothing



40

must be too hard ... no betrayal, no faith-

lessness, no cold, no mockery should di-

minish your fire. . . . Woe to me if I do not
make Thee known to men, O my God.”

His Own

The personal activity of love of neighbor

was exercised by Father Jordan almost ex-

clusively in the narrow family circle of his

Society. He gave himself to his own. In a
manner that was most edifying he with-

drew from the outside world in order to

live unreservedly, completely, and undi-

videdly, for his spiritual sons, to whom he
wished to be all in all. He was their supe-
rior, father, counselor, comforter, and help-

er. No wonder, then, that the members of
the Society in the Motherhouse in Rome
liked to visit him regularly. They knew

that whenever they came to him he would

be ready to help them in any way in his

power. And he was so hearty about it all,

made them feel at home with him, inspired

them with confidence. Thus he instructed

them, solved their doubts and difficulties,

consoled the discouraged and the despond-

ent, and filled all with enthusiasm for their

holy vocation and the apostolate. In those

confidential talks of his he strikingly re-

vealed how well acquainted he was with

spiritual writers. Incidentally, he also

showed what a marvelous memory he had.

The Good Name

Father Jordan actually showed a tender



41

solicitude in shielding the reputation and

good name of his neighbor. He was always

anxious and on his guard not to say any-

thing in the least derogatory about others,

following in this the principle that if one

cannot say anything good about another

one should not speak about him at all. He
would tolerate neither detraction nor slan-

der. In his presence no one dared to utter

anything that might have even slightly

darkened the good name of another, much

less to say anything disparaging. When re-
ports were made to him, or official infor-

mation given, he used to interrupt the con-

versation with these words: “I take it for

granted that you are not telling me things
which I ought not to know.” Indeed, so

solicitous was he as regards the reputation

of others that he wished to have each one’s

good name safeguarded also for the future

and therefore he wrote with his own hand

on many letters in the archives of the Gen-

eralate the word “Soli” (“To him alone”),

so that later on they would not be read by

others, inasmuch as they were communica-

tions to him alone. When he simply could
not close his eyes to the existence of faults,

when it simply could not be denied that

faults had been committed, he would never-

theless emphatically and with considerable

warmth try to give a charitable interpre-

tation. Often he bitterly expressed his

indignation because so many sins were com-

mitted in the world against the eighth

commandment. Over and over again, until



42

that individual was almost sick and tired of

it, he insisted that the Secretary General

keep strictly secret anything pertaining to

the good name of others.

The Poor

As a true follower of the Savior and of

his special patron, St. Francis of Assisi,

that little poor man who so much loved
the poor, Father Jordan was also drawn in

a special way to the destitute and aban-

doned. He saw to it that they all received
an alms at the portal of the Motherhouse.

As a consequence, they daily came in great

numbers to eat a plate of soup and a piece

of bread. On the occasions when he would
make his official visitations of the Houses

he would beg and exhort the various supe-

riors to treat the poor at the door with the

utmost kindness. Everywhere and always

he manifested the greatest sympathy for

the poor. Here are a few examples of many:

A poor girl at a railway station offered
flowers for sale. Father Jordan’s compan-

ion gave the child a cold shoulder, where-

upon he told him to buy the violets, for to

buy them in this instance was the equiva-

lent to giving an alms. When in his travels
he had to eat in a restaurant with his com-

panion he always saw to it that the waiter

got a good tip. “Do give him a little more,”

he was wont to say, “it is an alms, you know;

these people need it.” A Brother della
Penitenza, as they are called, came to the

door of the Motherhouse in Rome to get



43

his usual alms. The Brother porter, how-

ever, was absent that day, so Father Jordan

gave him an order that the next time that

Brother showed up he should apologize to

him and give him a double alms. Before

making his daily visit to St. Peter’s Father

Jordan always asked the porter for two

soldi (Italian coins), so that he would have

something to give should he meet some

poor person on the way; and if it some-

times happened that he did not meet one,

he would give the two soldi back to the

Brother.

The Sick

Jesus and His Mother had a special love

for the sick; indeed the sick were the Sav-

ior’s favorites. The Gospels tell us over

and over again of how they crowded around

Him and He healed them. So, too, the sick
were included in Father Jordan’s love of

the neighbor, and that in a special way. It

was his wish that he be daily informed by

the infirmarian as to how the sick in the

House were getting along; and in case of

serious illness he desired that this informa-

tion be brought to him more than once a

day. So solicitous was he for the sick that

one of the infirmarians said it was not al-

ways easy to carry out all his wishes in

their favor, to do everything that he

wanted done for their ease and comfort.

No wonder, then, that it was a special joy
for the sick when he came to see them and,

after having spoken a few encouraging



44

words to them, gave them his blessing. It

may be remarked here that Father Jordan
had an almost excessive fear of contagion

and that, therefore, he did not visit mem-
bers afflicted with contagious sickness.

However, his reason for acting thus was not

personal interest; he thought he owed it to

the Society. But he always took all the

sick under his special protection and de-

fended them against false accusations.

Enemies

“Love your enemies; do good to them

that hate you.” Father Jordan practiced the

love of enemies in an admirable manner.

He kept a careful watch over himself and
energetically suppressed every impulse to-

wards antipathy or grudge, not to speak of

hatred. Never was he heard to utter one

word of complaint in the midst of all the

persecutions and calumnies which he had

to endure, in the midst of the misunder-

standings which arose even in the ranks of

his own spiritual sons. “The loving God

knows what it is good for,” he said; “let the

good God take care of that; all comes from

the hand of God.” He never spoke in an
uncharitable or offensive manner about

his adversaries but always found excuses

for them. “They do not mean it that way,”

he would say, or he would express his

charitable interpretation of their actions

in some other way. He also acted in that
manner towards his greatest opponents,

those who had actually inflicted bitter in-



45

justice on him. He himself never spoke un-

charitably of them nor would he tolerate

such speech in others. He readily and
gladly forgave from the heart all those who

had caused him pain. “Father, forgive

them.” He never nursed a grudge against
them but prayed for them, in imitation of

the Divine Savior.

FATHER FRANCIS JORDAN HAD A PARTICU-
LAR DEVOTION TO THE SORROWFUL MOTHER
BEFORE WHOSE STATUE HE WAS SEEN SO

FREQUENTLY.



46

The Poor Souls

Father Francis had a great love for the

Poor Souls in purgatory. In Rome, while

the bells were ringing, he recited on his‘

knees for the suffering souls the psalm De
Profundis as was customary there. In

places where that custom did not exist he

would do so after the evening Angelus. He
often exhorted his subjects to say ejacu-

latory prayers for the Poor Souls and to

give them, as he expressed it, the holy

water. He advised the Brothers to pray
with beads in hand for the Poor Souls when-

ever they happened for the moment to be

without any other occupation.

CHAPTER 9

FATHER JORDAN’S PRUDENCE

As we have said before, all Father Jor-

dan’s actions, all his thoughts and desires

were directed towards the attainment of

eternal salvation—after the greater glory
of God, of course, though in reality the

glory of God consists in knowing, loving,

and serving God here on earth and being

eternally happy with Him forever in the
life to come. With the utmost fidelity he

made use of the very best means for at-

taining this goal. As a most efficacious

means to this end, he himself practiced and

emphatically recommended to others a live-

ly faith, a faith by which they were to be



47

guided, with which they were to be imbued,

and which was to be the decisive factor in

all the problems of life. Hence, he warned

them against the prudence of the world, of

the flesh, of the intellect. Only one kind of

prudence was known to him: the prudence

of faith. But his life of faith had in it noth-

ing of the ostentatious, of the abnormal. In

all things he clung to the teachings of the

Catholic Church and the example of the

saints.

Purity of Conscience

With the greatest care he preserved

purity of conscience, which means freedom

from sin, and lived in the holy fear of God,

which means to love God as a Father and

to obey Him because we love Him. It
means fear to offend Him. His childlike

innocence shone forth from his whole be-

ing. His was an extremely tender, not to

say anxious, conscience. When some doubt
arose within him, he found no rest until he

had cleared the matter up, which as a rule

was achieved after consultation with his

advisor. This often happened during re-

creation. Whether the time or place were

opportune or inopportune, his conscience

had then and there to be put in order; he

wanted an answer to the question: “Can I

now be quiet?” And he used to say: “You

must be patient with me, God has per-

mitted it thus”—meaning that he was so
anxious. As we have said before, many

were of the opinion that he preserved his



48

baptismal innocence throughout life. In

order to avoid sin, or even faults and im-

perfections, he made use of every available

means: the presence of God, regular recep-

tion of the Sacrament of Penance, daily

examination of conscience, the faithful ful-

fillment of his duties, constant self-con-

quest, and control of the senses.

Simplicity

Father Jordan loved and practiced sim-

plicity. He was so open-hearted and un-
restrained, so simple and condescending,

that one liked to talk with him and could

do so without embarrassment. He was a
simple soul, candid, open, like a crystal

vase easily seen through. He knew no
dissimulation. There was no double-deal-

ing in his association with others, no con-

cealment. Indeed, in his relations with

others he spoke with such sincerity that

one was uneasy for fear that such openness

might do harm. Yet that so common dip-

lomatic, studied behavior was repugnant

to his honest character. From the bottom

of his heart he detested exaggerations, men-

tal reservations, restrictions, not to speak

of untruths or lies. When this writer as a
Society student once composed a letter in

the name of all the students at the Salva-

torian Seminary, St. Nazianz, Wisconsin,

congratulating him on his name day, the

Father in charge, who had associated with

Father Jordan in Rome, said: “You had

better rewrite that and make it very plain



49

and simple; Father Jordan does not like

such an exaggerated and flowery style. He
is the soul of simplicity.” Of course, as is

frequently the case with such characters,

his simplicity and blind confidence were

often abused.

Prayer

Father Jordan did nothing, decided noth-

ing, omitted nothing without having first

deliberated with God in prayer. His fore-

most concern was to know and to do the

will of God, to do only what pertained to

the greater honor and glory of God. “Pray

for me,” he said to a Brother to whom he
wished to entrust an important task, “that

the good God may enlighten me as to
whether I should send you or not.” No
doubt it was because of this spirit of prayer,

because of his utter reliance upon God in

all things, that all Father Jordan’s actions

were subjectively good. It was quite out

of the question that he would knowing-

ly go through with a perverse action.

Consulting

Father Jordan gladly made use of the

counsel of prudent and honest men. In-

deed, because of his excessive anxiety, he

did rather too much than too little in this
regard; and he thought that even in mat-

ters of minor importance he could not act

without first conferring with others. He
often prayed to God that He might make
known His will to him through such and



50

such a person. His principal counselor was

the saintly Father Bonaventure Luethen,

but he did not refuse the advice of other

and younger members, if they were ob-

servant and pious. He also consulted out-
siders, his confessor, and other pious re-

ligious. In his addresses he was fond of

referring to the advice he had received

from outsiders.

As we have said, Father Jordan was per-

sonally very anxious, indeed almost help-

less, as regards solving his own spiritual

problems. Still, others often went to him

for advice. Inasmuch as he had entirely

withdrawn from the world and mixed so

little with people outside of the cloister,

those who sought his advice were all his

spiritual sons. Very many professed mem-

bers of the Motherhouse went to him reg-

ularly on fixed days for advice and ad-

monition, some making a point of it to

go to see him weekly. Father Jordan liked

to give advice in short pithy sayings that

could be easily remembered, such as,

“Build the edifice of sanctity upon prayer,

work, silence and mortification.” - “You

must grow strong by prayer and humility.”
- “Expend all in order to save all!” To a
Superior he once said: “He governs well

who governs as little as possible.” - “Hu-

mility and modesty are apt to make you

loved everywhere in your future activity.”

It is worthy of note that in his great hu-

mility he looked upon the saintly Father

Bonaventure Luethen as far superior to



51

himself as a counselor; for this reason he

sent his spiritual sons to him again and

again. Father Jordan always thought things

over well before he gave any advice; first

there was mature consideration and then

he gave a keen and quiet decision. And

not infrequently it happened that he told

others who asked his advice to come back

later on, saying that he first wished to con-

sider the matter well before God and then

also consult others, in case he should con-

sider it feasible to do so.

His Use of Time

Father Jordan was utterly convinced of

the value of time, realizing with the saints

that time is the stuff we purchase eternity

with. He accordingly tried, prudently and
with keen supernatural calculation, to

make the very best use of it. For him there

were only two occupations, and these two

demanded every minute of every day, and

every year of his whole life. These can be

summed up in the phrase: Pray and work!

When he prayed, he worked; and when he
worked, he prayed. He wished his spiritual
sons to imitate him in this. He was wont
to say: “Work, pray for the salvation of im-

mortal souls!” He never thought of relax-
ing or of taking a vacation. Unless he had

to make his official visitation tours, he even

spent the hot summer months in Rome. He
was very solicitous that none of the busi-

ness matters which came up each day re-

mained unfinished. Hence, early in the



52

morning he discussed the correspondence

with a certain Father who acted as his
secretary and arranged to dispose of all

such matters as soon as possible. A remark
with which his secretary was well ac-

quainted because it dropped from his lips

with such expected regularity, was: “Yes,

my dear, we must work harder still; one
could do so much and accomplish so much.”

Those who had the happiness to hear him

speak knew full well how sternly he lashed

out at idleness in his addresses.

We close this chapter by remarking that
Father Jordan was so extraordinarily con-

scientious that he employed every possible

care in order to proceed with prudence and

caution in the exercise of his office. It can

be said without exaggeration that in most

cases he did not make a decision alone, out

of fear that he might commit an error, but

sought the advice of others. Naturally this

cautious procedure of his was often re-

garded as irresolution; he was severely

criticized for his hesitancy, for his inability,

as some thought, to stand on his own feet.

Though his sensitive nature suffered much

from these accusations, he could not be pre-

vailed upon to change his method, his way

of action, and continued to make every

effort to act prudently in the Lord in all

affairs and to discharge his duties faith-

fully.



CHAPTER 10

FATHER JORDAN’S JUSTICE

Father Jordan always took pains to prac-

tice the virtue of justice, to give to every

one what was his due: to God, to the saints,

to the neighbor, to superiors and subjects,

to friends and benefactors, to enemies and

adversaries - to all without exception, to

all without distinction.

Above all, of course, he rendered due

obedience to Almighty God. So sacred to

him were the commandments of God that

he would have given up his life rather than

slight or transgress even one of them. God’s

will, God’s guidance, God’s providence in

the arrangement of things were to him the

only rule of conduct in his life, even though

the greatest sacrifices were connected with

it. He also paid due veneration to God by
his life of prayer, by the practice of walk-

ing in God’s presence, inasmuch as he

labored tirelessly by word and deed for

the greater honor and glory of God.

After satisfying the demands of justice

as regards Almighty God, he also rendered

to the saints the veneration that was due

to them and often gave evidence of if in a

most simple and childlike manner. His

favorite saints were the Blessed Virgin

Mary, St. Joseph, St. Michael, the holy

Apostles, St. John the Baptist, St. Francis

of Assisi, and the Guardian Angel. He
venerated the relics of the saints, whom he

53



54

invoked with great reverence and confi-

dence. It was he who introduced into the

Society a special feast with Office and

Mass in honor of all the sacred relics which

are preserved in the churches of the So-

ciety. On his desk he always kept a relic
of St. Francis of Assisi, his patron saint. He
was very happy in the knowledge that

there were so many relics in various Houses

of the Society. On feast days he sent the
professed members to the churches of the

Eternal City to venerate the relics of the

saints.

Father Jordan obeyed the laws and or-

dinances of the Church to the minutest de-

tail; indeed, as regards this matter he rec-

ognized no difference between important

and unimportant things. Herein he prac-

ticed in a special way his fidelity to little

things, and he did it in a most edifying

manner. He conscientiously observed the
sacred customs and ceremonies prescribed

by the Church so that ordinary devotions

were to him just as holy and venerable as

the important rubrics of Holy Mass, the

breviary, etc. This attitude of his mani-

fested itself in his reverential genuflection

before the Blessed Sacrament, in the de-

vout way in which he made the sign of the

cross, in the respectful inclination of the

head at the Holy Name, at the Glory be

to the Father, etc., in the frequent use of

holy water, in the spirit of faith, in the de-

vout wearing of the scapular, in the use of

the Catholic salutation “Praised be Jesus



55

Christ.” This approved and indulgenced

Christian salutation, by the way, was the

one that he always used, indeed the only

one that he used. And it was his wish that

others use it also.

One of the obligations of every priest is

the daily recitation of the Divine Office,

or breviary, as a public person and in the

name of the Church. Father Jordan was

very conscientious about this duty, fulfill-

ing it with care until the doctor forbade

him to say it during his last sickness a few

months before his death. When the Office
was being said in choir he assisted at that

service with great punctuality, never com-

ing late, and usually being the first or at

least one of the first. He recited the brevi-
ary with such devotion and fervor as even

sometimes to move others to tears. Even

in choir he himself looked up every anti-

phon and commemoration and joined in

their recitation; this he did so distinctly,

with so much recollection and devotion,

and with such a pious posture that it called

forth the admiration of all, even if it did

not l^ad to imitation. The saints, it is said,

are in some instances to be admired indeed

but not to be imitated. He never lifted his
eyes from his breviary except in choir

after the silent prayers, which he recited

turned towards the tabernacle. All this he

did with such exemplary exactness as to

pronunciation and the observance of the

rubrics that it could scarcely have been

done any better. Since the recitation of the



56

Divine Office in choir was then the general

rule of the Houses of the Society, Father

Jordan said the breviary privately only in

case of urgent necessity. When he was pre-
vented from attending choir he asked a

Father to come and pray with him, so that

there would be at least a choir of two, if a

choir that may be called. He regarded
prayer in common as a sort of guarantee of

a more correct recitation, about which he

was always very solicitous. He was accus-
tomed to ask the Father afterwards wheth-

er he had recited everything correctly or

whether he had forgotten or missed any-

thing.

Father Jordan was affable and kind to

all; affability was a striking trait of his

character. All, even the least novice, could

approach him at any time; and all were

ever received in an amiable and friendly

way. He was so courteous that he would
return in a most pleasant way every salu-

tation, even that of a child; politeness and

courtesy were noble blossoms of his hum-

ble heart, of his tender sense of justice. He

was very sociable and condescending and

could converse with an ordinary man just
as affably as with one of his own standing.

In his association with people he was so

plain, simple, and unassuming that some

persons only afterwards found out with

whom they were talking. Such instances,
as matters of general interest and edifi-

cation, .were sometimes even mentioned

in the press.



57

One of Father Jordan’s maxims was:

“Rather suffer injustice than commit injus-

tice.” This he impressed upon his subjects

again and again. He carefully respected

and upheld the rights of his neighbor, who-

ever he might be; he made it a matter of

conscience to render to every one that

honor and esteem which was due to him

according to his rank and dignity, age and

position.

Father Jordan was filled with profound

and sincere gratitude towards his bene-

factors, both his personal ones and those of

the Society. He prayed much for them and
caused others to pray for them. He intro-
duced into his Society the custom of pray-

ing twice every day in common for the

benefactors in these words: “Let us pray

for all the benefactors of the whole Society

both the living and the dead.” He would
not permit any change in this formula,

every word had to be used so that the duty

of gratitude towards both the living and the

dead might each time be fully called to

mind. In his addresses he never tired of re-

minding his subjects of the duty of thank-

fulness; and he warned them of that vice

which is called black ingratitude. He liked
to quote the words of the saintly Faber:

“An extraordinarily thankful man will soon-
er become holy than he who scourges him-

self, sleeps on boards, is beaten by the

devil, and has visions of the Mother of

God.” He made it a point regularly to visit
the dignitaries of the Church in whose



58

dioceses the Society worked, whenever they

were staying in Rome, in order to thank

them for their benevolence. With stern

severity and conscientiousness he insisted

upon using all alms that were given accord-

ing to the wish and will of the benefactors;

and he kept a strict watch over this. All

donations had to be gratefully acknowl-

edged at once, as was well known by those

who had to attend to the correspondence

with benefactors.

It almost goes without saying, then, that

Father Jordan endeavored to discharge

with utmost exactness all the duties of his

office as Superior General and as a re-

ligious. In this matter he did not spare him-

self in any way. Self-indulgence was a

stranger to him.

In concluding this chapter on Father

Jordan’s justice we may recall that he was
a lover of the truth in the highest degree

and deeply detested all duplicity, hypo-

crisy, and dissimulation. Even as a student

he gave clear evidence of his veracity. So,

for instance, we know that in the written

exercise for the final examination in mathe-

matics when he was still attending college,

he simply handed in a blank sheet because

he would not stoop so low as to copy the

solution of the problems from the paper of

another student. Such honesty, by the way,

did not fail to make a favorable impres-

sion on the board of examiners, and so he

had nevertheless graduated. To some per-
sons his love for truth appeared to be ex-



59

aggerated; thus his secretaries had to re-

v/rite many letters until they were accus-

tomed to express themselves correctly and

unequivocally. To cite but one example, a

secretary wrote: “The venerable Father

thanks you with all his heart.” This ex-

pression was not tolerated, did not pass,

because Father Jordan was afraid it might

involve an exaggeration. His objection was:

“How can one say, ‘with all his heart?”

CHAPTER 11

FATHER JORDAN’S TEMPERANCE

There can be no doubt that Father Jor-

dan practiced the virtue of temperance and

of self-conquest in an eminent way. He
was admired by all as a man of constant
mortification and self-denial. From his

early years he tried to subdue all inordi-

nate emotions. As an instance in point we

may recall that at college he had no inter-
est in mathematics and that when the pro-

fessor of mathematics noticed this he

treated him very rudely and unkindly,

making caustic remarks about his former

trade as traveling journeyman and alluding

in an offensive manner to his future calling

as a theologian and a priest; all of which

John Baptist Jordan bore in silent patience.

His fellow students could testify that they

never heard an unkind word from his lips

about that professor. His was a choleric



60

and irritable temperament, but he sup-

pressed it with unflagging energy in the

spirit of the Ignatian plan: “To act against.”

Considering the innumerable times when

he had to face unpleasantness, contradic-

tion, adversity, suspicion, and calumny, one

can easily understand what a struggle he

had in order to keep himself under con-

trol, to act quietly, and to answer calmly.

It was great virtue manifesting itself in the

midst of great adversities.

Father Jordan was abstemious, frugal,

and quite indifferent in regard to food and

drink. No doubt he would gladly have gone
to great lengths in this phase of mortifica-

tion, had it not been for his weak stomach.

Because of this digestive trouble he was

not able to practice extraordinary fasting.

As a matter of fact, it was because of his

too great abstemiousness in his youth that

he had ruined his stomach. However as a

religious he always took his meals with the

community and did not like to make any

exception unless it was absolutely neces-

sary. The meal placed before him at table

was like that of the least novice in the

house. He never used butter or honey on
his bread, even when traveling; and it was

of no use to urge him to do so. Though he

did not wish to make exceptions as regards

food, he nevertheless humbly and readily

followed the guidance of Father Bonaven-

ture, who used to sit at his right. He did
not pay any attention as to whether things

were palatable or not; his only concern was



61

whether or not because of his physical

condition, he was allowed to eat them. In

case of doubt he simply looked at Father

Bonaventure and if the latter disapproved

he did not take the food, nor did he ask for

something else. He strictly observed the
fast days prescribed by the Church; and on

such days, for breakfast, he often took only

half of the little piece of bread allowed and

weighed beforehand.

As long as he lived Father Jordan did

not allow himself much sleep. In the early

years of his life, as we have seen, he studied

and worked far into the night. Later on,

his strained and shattered nerves brought

about the condition of insomnia, so much

so that only towards morning could he fall

asleep. Nevertheless he arose with the com-

munity at 4:30 in the morning and kept

this up until the doctor ordered him to

take better care of his health. His bed was

a simple wooden frame, a mattress and a

pillow, stuffed with seagrass, and one blan-

ket. It was no better than the bed of the

other members. When a Brother wanted
to give him a new mattress he refused to

take it.

He was exceedingly economical with his
clothes; they were simple, unpretentious,

and often just about worn out; but they

had to be both clean and neatly mended.

He was very reluctant to put on new
clothes and did so only for special reasons,

for instance when he was about to under-
take a long journey. His cell, the little



62

room that he occupied, was a model of

simplicity. In it he would not tolerate any

superfluous objects or those tending to

comfort. He occupied only one room,
which served both as study and bedroom;

and it was never heated. He could never
be induced to use an easy chair; a simple

chair with a straw seat sufficed for him.

He had no wardrobe but only a wooden
frame with a curtain. Instead of a prie-dieu

he used a board placed on the stone floor.

Finally, to conclude these remarks on

Father Jordan’s temperance, we may brief-
ly recall that with tireless watchfulness he

kept his senses in check and did not yield to

any sensual desires. His custody of the eyes

was especially noticeable. He faithfully ob-
served religious silence and insisted on its

observance on the part of others, imme-

diately reprimanding its violators. He
deeply loved solitude, seclusion, and the

hidden life. Earnestness and modesty were

manifested in his whole being, in his bear-

ing, in his gait. Jokingly he said: “A re-

ligious ought not to run, even though there

is a fire somewhere.” There was about him

an atmosphere of prudent moderation and

religious restraint.

CHAPTER 12

FATHER JORDAN’S FORTITUDE

It called for a high degree of the virtue

of fortitude to follow God’s call to the



63

priesthood when he was already advanced

in age. Nevertheless he overcame all ob-

stacles with unswerving energy. Unmind-

ful of mockery and scorn, he, a full grown

man, took his place among the boys at

school who were so much younger than he.

All he had in view was the sublime goal of

the holy priesthood. For its attainment he

had to make and did make innumerable

sacrifices. It took real courage for Father

Jordan as a young priest to set to work with

such heroic energy in the establishment of

his foundation, which he recognized to be

the will of God. Once he was convinced

that it was the will of God, nothing could

discourage him, not even the plain re-

marks of his priest friends who bluntly told

him that he was not fit for such a task.

Again, it required more than ordinary cour-

age to approach the Holy Father, Leo XIII,

to place his plans and intentions before

him, and ask for his approval and blessing

- and all this hardly two years after his

ordination.

Then came the difficulties and cares so

inevitably connected with his position as

Founder and with his office as Superior

General of a new religious congregation,

all of which he bore with great fortitude.

No sacrifice was too hard, no efforts too
great, no cross and suffering too pressing

for the furtherance of God’s honor and the

salvation of souls. And when God sent him
an abundance of extraordinary trials he

bore them all with energy, courage; and



64

confidence, never uttering a word of com-

plaint amidst the numberless troubles from

within and without. He never lost heart

either under the burden of his labors or in

his interior trials and exterior difficulties,

such as those which came to him during

the many years of the apostolic visitation,

those that arose from a lack of health,

lack of new vocations. Nothing could make

him despondent, nothing could shake his

confidence in God.

All his life long Father Jordan mani-

fested great zeal for the rights of the

Church and valiantly defended them; and

this he did with deep interior conviction

and with apostolic frankness and fortitude.

Indeed it was precisely for this purpose

that he founded his Society, inasmuch as
*

he saw the Church persecuted by the Kul-

turkampf in Germany, of which he himself

was a victim, and because he wished to

oppose that godless endeavor with a band

of apostolic men. He never grew weary of
exhorting and animating his spiritual sons

to be true children of Holy Mother Church,

dauntless champions of her rights. He al-
ways visibly rejoiced and smiled when the

choir of the Motherhouse on the occasion

of some feast or celebration sang the hymn:

“To arms for Christ, soldiers! Give battle

for God!”

To the very end of his life Father Jordan
persevered in the practice of virtue. His

example of virtue is an inexhaustible herit-

age which he bequeathed to his spiritual



65

sons. No one could ever notice in him any

slackening in his striving after perfection.

With an iron will, he clung to his princi-

ples to the very last, as we find them in

his notes. He prayed much and continually

for the grace of perseverance and pointed

out its necessity with emphatic words. In-

deed, so much and so constantly did he

pray that a priest who knew him intimately

once said of him: “If I would practice so

many and such intensive prayers, acts of

virtues and ejaculations, I would have been

put in an insane asylum a long time ago.” -

Here it may be mentioned in passing that

Father Jordan once found it necessary to

make official use of the exorcism of the

Church over a possessed member of the

Society, during which exorcism he had to

endure various molestations from the devil.

Never was Father Jordan influenced by

human respect. Neither the high rank of a

person, nor disagreeable and even painful

consequences that might come to himself,

nor the hardest sacrifices and difficulties,

in a word, no human consideration or earth-

ly calculations could divert him from the

fulfillment of his duty. Irrespective of

man’s criticism or talk, taunts or sneers, he

looked only to God’s command and God’s
will.

We conclude this brief chapter on Father
Jordan’s fortitude by recalling how bril-

liantly that fortitude was demonstrated in

his last illness, which he endured with

edifying patience and resignation, never



66

uttering the least complaint. All of which

is beautifully summed up in the words
which he said to the infirmarian who ex-

pressed compassion because he suffered so

much: “Well, it is all right, if it but pleases

the loving God.” This fortitude in his last

days was all the more admirable since, be-

cause of World War I which had sent him
into exile, special circumstances rich in

sacrifices surrounded his last illness.

CHAPTER 13

FATHER JORDAN’S OBSERVANCE
OF THE VOWS OF POVERTY,
CHASTITY AND OBEDIENCE

Poverty

Father Jordan looked upon poverty as

the foundation of the religious life; he,

therefore, made it the groundwork of his

foundation. As long as he lived the Mother-

house was actually a place of poverty, both

as regards the manner in which the reli-

gious life was lived there and as regards

the furnishings of the House in general. Be-

cause of his great love of poverty he chose

the little poor man, St. Francis of Assisi, as

his special patron; and that is why he took

the name of Francis in religion. He kept
far away from his Society every species of

luxury, every worldly pleasure. This he

did first of all as regards his own person,

thus becoming a shining example to all. He



67

would have liked to live with his com-

panions on alms alone, but ecclesiastical

authority would not permit that. Never-

theless, he personally undertook several

journeys for the purpose of soliciting alms

and thus did actually go out on begging

tours. He made it a point not to admit

anybody to the holy vows unless he had

clear evidence that the person concerned

really possessed the spirit of poverty. He
never carried money on his person; in

every single instance when he needed some

money he asked the procurator or the por-

ter for it. He never asked for more money
than he actually needed at the moment; if

he needed, let us say one quarter, he would

not accept two quarters. It is not too much

to say that he thoroughly detested pocket

money. His love of poverty was touchingly

demonstrated when, in his last sickness, he

was transferred to the hospital at Tafers

in Switzerland which also served as a home

for the poor. “Well,” he said with evident

satisfaction, “I am now among the poor.”
As already intimated elsewhere, Father

Jordan liked to use worn-out and mended

clothes; the plainer and poorer they were

the more pleased he was with them; but

they had to be clean. On his passage to
America in 1896 he wore such poor gar-

ments that in New York some people had
to lend him better clothes so that he could

visit the Most Reverend Archbishop.

The room which a religious occupies in
a monastery or religious house is frequent-



68

ly called the cell. It is edifying to recall

how extremely clean and simple, how de-

void of all comfort, not to speak of luxury,

was Father Jordan’s cell in the Mother-

house at Rome. That one room served as

his study and his bedroom. In it were one

table, one standing desk, one rack for

clothes, two chairs, and a plain wooden

bed — that was all. He would not permit
the exchange of an old chair for a better

one. All the other things that he used were

characterized by the same simplicity: his

traveling bag was old-fashioned; he never

used a breviary with gilt edges; during his

last illness someone wanted to buy a little

standing clock for him to be placed beside

his bed so that he could more easily see

what time it was, but he refused to give

his consent.

Father Jordan also practiced holy pover-

ty by taking the best possible care of all

the things that he used; he would handle

things carefully, preserve them neatly, and

employ them economically. For making

notes and sketches of his addresses and

discourses he made use of old envelopes

and small pieces of paper on which he

wrote wherever he could find a little blank

space. A piece of shoe string served as a
watch chain. For sharpening a pencil he

used a pocket knife. These are but a few

of the many ways in which he proved his

love of poverty.

As he lived a life of exemplary poverty

himself, so Father Jordan demanded of his



69

subordinates that they conscientiously ob-

serve this holy vow. In his addresses he

never grew tired of extolling the grandeur

of holy poverty, of eloquently inciting his

spiritual sons to a greater love for the same.

In training and educating the members of

his Society in this regard, he often put

them to hard tests - indeed, to tests that

were too hard, as some said, especially

when new Houses were founded. On the
occasion of his official visitations of the

Houses, he had a watchful eye for any

abuses or violations in the matter of pover-

ty. So, for example, he permitted only red-

edged breviaries. In one House he found

little brass stands for knives, forks, and

spoons, which had to be removed at once,

though they had been donated by a bene-

factor. The above few remarks are sufficient

to give us an idea of Father Jordan’s prac-

tice of poverty. In his high esteem and love

of poverty he was but imitating the Divine

Savior, the great model and teacher of

every virtue; and he always reminded his

subordinates of this sublime, unattainable

Exemplar. “If we desire to follow our Di-

vine Savior,” he would say, “if we desire
to become saints, if we desire to convert

the world, oh, then let us be poor!”

Chastity

Father Jordan safeguarded and pre-

served purity of body and soul not only

with scrupulous conscientiousness but even

with the greatest anxiety. He made upon



70

all the impression of an angel in the flesh.

Even his greatest enemies never attacked

him on this point nor accused him in the

least.

Of course it goes without saying that he

sedulously employed every means for the

preservation of chastity, especially constant

and fervent prayer. He observed strict
moderation in food and drink and sleep. He
kept his body in hard subjection, being a

decided enemy of comfort and effeminacy

in any form. His whole exterior bespoke

modesty and restraint of the senses. He
genuinely detested idleness, always keep-

ing himself busy, and never granting him-

self a moment’s rest.

The way in which Father Jordan con-

trolled his eyes, practiced custody of the

eyes, as the expression has it, was rather

unusual and striking. He never went about
with eyes surveying everything within view

but with eyes modestly cast down. If one

happened to address him outside his room

he would be startled, inasmuch as he was

always so interiorly recollected and would

hardly notice when a person came near

him. One could never see him looking

about curiously. When he noticed anything
even remotely objectionable in a book or

in the street, etc., he at once turned his eyes

away, not infrequently in a conspicuous

way, and said some ejaculatory prayers.

In accordance with the spirit of chastity,

Father Jordan insisted with unflinching

severity that the laws of enclosure be ob-



71

served. According to his ordinance no wom-

en were allowed to enter or to stay even in

the passage or courtyard of the monastery.

The entrance to the parlor for women was
outside the monastery door. As far as he

himself was concerned, Father Jordan

avoided practically all association with

women. He did not like to go to the parlor
and did so only when it was absolutely

necessary. In conversation with women he

was extremely reserved and short, so much

so that sometimes women who had been
benefactors of the Society for long years

felt somewhat offended that when in their

company in the parlor he would not so

much as look at them but always direct his

gaze past them or keep his eyes cast down.

But though they even complained about

this, he did not change his manner of act-

ing. He never wanted to be nursed by per-
sons of the other sex, not even in his last

sickness. However, since this simply could

not be helped when because of circum-

stances he had to be taken to the hospital

at Tafers, which was conducted by Sisters,

he settled the matter with his customary

expression of confidence and resignation:

“The good God will help.”

Because he was so very concerned about

keeping away from his subordinates every-

thing that might endanger the virtue of

chastity, Father Jordan was extremely ear-

nest when dealing with this subject in his

exhortations in the Chapter of Faults. For

that reason also he gave strict orders that



72

the members were not to take off the re-

ligious garb without necessity, especially

when traveling, because in the religious

habit he saw a real guardian angel, so to

speak, a protection, an incentive to reserve.

For the same reason he liked it better when

professed members went out for a walk in

the open air, if they took this relaxation

out in the country or in less frequented

places rather than along the streets where

there were many people moving to and fro.

Obedience

Poverty is enumerated as the first of the

three vows in most religious constitutions

where the three vows are mentioned. It is

fundamental, though chastity may be more
heroic and obedience is the greatest sacri-

fice. As regards Father Jordan’s obedience

it can be said that he most conscientiously

observed the prescriptions and constitu-

tions which he himself had given to the

Society; even the most zealous novice

could not have observed them more per-

fectly. In this way his good example and

his virtuous life became a living commen-

tary on the religious statutes. In a circular

letter to the members of the Society he

made the words of St. Alphonsus Liguori

his own: “A transgression (of the rules)

causes me greater pain than a hundred

persecutions.” He responded to the sound

of the bell for the common spiritual exer-

cises (choir, examination of conscience,

Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, etc.)



73

with that punctuality which is prescribed in

the rule, wherein it is said that at the sound

of the bell one should immediately go to

that to which he is called, leaving even the

letter of the alphabet unfinished in case

one is writing a word. Knowing that in

responding to the call of the bell he was

actually responding to the voice of God,

he was wont to go to the chapel, for in-

stance, at a pace more brisk than one

would expect, considering his age and the

state of his health. In a spirit of holy obe-

dience he observed religious silence with

scrupulous care always and everywhere.

So eager was he not to miss an exercise that

was held in common that he earnestly tried

to prevent any one coming to him with an

important matter shortly before such an

exercise was to begin; the reason for this

was that he did not want to be kept away

from the spiritual exercises nor be dis-

turbed or distracted in them by some half-

settled affair. For the same reason impor-

tant letters had to be written and mailed

before the spiritual exercises. In a word,

when at prayer he wished to be free from

all other thoughts and to commune with

God alone. His love for religious observ-

ance shone forth in all splendor in the

prescribed discourses at the Chapter of

Faults, which he himself gave regularly in

the Motherhouse for many years. So, too,
in a spirit of obedience he made the canoni-

cal visitation of all the Houses and Colleges

regularly, although this involved many and



74

great sacrifices in view of the precarious

state of his health, such as frequent changes

of climate, of food, of environment, as well

as the tiring journeys during which he al-

ways traveled third class, etc.

Father Jordan was the Founder and first

Superior General of the Society of the

Divine Savior; hence, his own superiors

were the ecclesiastical authorities, to whose

will he readily and gladly submitted at all

times. In this regard he had to face hard

trials; but he always stood the test as, for in-

stance, when he would have liked to intro-

duce a stricter degree of poverty but met

with a refusal; when the apostolic visitator

attacked, and that in a most offensive man-

ner, many of his cherished views. He al-
ways humbly subjected himself and obeyed

under all circumstances and at the cost of

heavy sacrifice, true to his plan: “We wish

to do nothing but what the Church wishes.”

Whenever circumstances or other mat-

ters in question permitted, Father Jordan

did not insist on his own will and often

obeyed his subordinates, frequently asking

them for advice, willingly and thankfully

accepting their instructions. An example

in point is the following incident. During a

visitation Father Jordan could not make

up his mind to see a doctor, so the superior,

in order to get him to make a decision in

the matter, told him outright: “I command

you to go with me at once to see the doc-
tor.” Without saying a word Father Jordan

put on his mantle, went with him to the



75

doctor, and received the necessary exami-

nation and treatment. When this was done
he thanked the superior and said: “It is

always good to be obedient.” He considered
himself bound in conscience to obey the

doctor and infirmarian.

CHAPTER 14

FATHER JORDAN’S HUMILITY

In his deep humility Father Jordan did

not consider himself worthy of any esteem.

Far from desiring marks of respect, he

actually disliked them, as far as he himself

was concerned, and tried as much as pos-

sible to avoid them. It was only for the

sake of the community that he permitted

celebrations in his honor, for instance on

his name day or on a jubilee, otherwise he

would have preferred to withdraw from

them. On the other hand, he rejoiced with
a childlike disinterestedness when his

spiritual sons were praised or honored. He
always felt quite embarrassed when marks

of respect were shown him, so much so,

indeed, that on certain occasions when an

armchair would be placed for him, he

would not sit down in it but would remain

standing beside it, if such a procedure were

at all possible.

He looked upon himself as a great sin-
ner. It was to his sinfulness that he attri-

buted the mistakes that had been made in



76

the foundation and development of his

Society and the trials which it had to under-

go. He was wont to utter earnest warnings
against judging the faults of one’s neighbor

with severity, inasmuch as we do not know

whether or not we ourselves are going to

fall more deeply on the morrow. Again and

again one could hear from him the humble

confession: “I am but a sinner.” In the hu-
mility of his heart he always showed an

admirable readiness to apologize when he

thought he had offended anybody.

Father Jordan was very much concerned

about concealing his saintly life and his

virtues; and because of this anxiety he tried

to hide from the eyes of others his progress

in the religious life. He endeavored to be

quite ordinary in everything, avoiding

striking acts of virtue. Only on rare oc-

casions could one notice some greater mor-

tification which he practiced. In keeping

with these sentiments of his, he also ad-

monished his subordinates to avoid every-

thing eccentric and to be very faithful in

the discharge of their ordinary duties, to do

the ordinary things of everyday life in an

extraordinarily faithful way. When he no-
ticed that someone was practicing some

extraordinary and public mortification with

too much zeal and that such a one was hop-

ing to introduce the practice into the com-

munity, he severely forbade it. Those who

from time to time came upon him sudden-

ly and surprised him in the exercise of par-

ticular virtues, were commanded by him



77

never to mention anything about what they

saw. He spoke little of himself and neither

sought nor desired praise or recognition

from others. He considered all that he did,

all that he suffered as a matter-of-fact task

imposed upon him by God and not deserv-

ing of any special attention. He made these

words of the Divine Savior his own: “And

you, in the same way, when you have done

all that was commanded you, are to say, We
are servants, and worthless; it was our duty

to do what we had done.” (Luke 17:10.)

Father Jordan was the Founder of the

Society of the Divine Savior and its Su-

perior General and yet he did not regard

himself as lord and master but rather as

the servant of all. He was humble and con-
descending towards everyone, benevolent

and friendly to all, even towards the least

novice, the youngest postulant. Far from

being above such a thing as asking advice

of others, he liked to do so and often sought

the advice of even his subordinates, es-

pecially in matters of conscience; and hav-

ing obtained advice in these matters, he fol-

lowed it conscientiously even if it did not

tally with his own opinion. In a word, he

had greater confidence in the judgment of

others than in his own. In his capacity as

Superior he never gave short, snappy, ar-

rogant, or even cold orders; his wishes were

always expressed in the form of a petition,

such as: “Be so kind as . . . Could you per-

haps . . .” Added to all this, he had such a

humble and affable character that one



78

liked to be in his company, to bask, as it

were, in the sunshine of his amiability. In

his addresses at the Chapter of Faults he

often and lovingly turned to the Brothers

with words of unusual friendliness; for the

Brothers were especially dear to his heart

because of their lowly position and their

hard and unpleasant manual labor. During

his last illness, not long before his death,

he sent special greetings and salutations

to the Italian Brothers in Rome.

To bring this brief chapter on Father

Jordan’s humility to a close, we now ad-

duce a number of other ways in which this

virtue manifested itself in his life. In the

first years of his religious life, when his

health was still sturdy enough, he ate his

dinner at the penance table on every Good

Friday. One time when the Father who was

acting as his secretary and who was carry-

ing on the extensive correspondence with

benefactors complained that his index fin-

ger pained him from so much writing, Fa-

ther Jordan said to him: “I would like to kiss

that finger”; whereupon the Father felt very

much ashamed, overwhelmed by the tone

of humility and gratitude contained in that

brief remark. When Father Jordan was al-
ready 70 years old he once went up the

stairs to the fifth story of the house at five

o’clock in the morning to see a young Father

who had his room there and to beg his par-

don for an innocent remark with which he

thought he had probably offended him the

day before. After having resigned as Su-



79

perior General (though at the wish of the

Society he retained that title until death),

he manifested such a modest, humble, and

obedient attitude towards his successor

that the latter was often quite ashamed. It

may also be considered an act of heroic

humility that Father Jordan dedicated

himself with such complete and unreserved

devotion to the duties and obligations of a

founder of a religious congregation, allotted

to him by Divine Providence, when he

might have excelled in other spheres, gain-

ing for himself, for instance, laurels as a

genius in languages, of which he knew

about 50, some, of course, less well than

others; but, as a matter of fact, in his later

life, no one ever heard him make a remark

about his linguistic abilities.

CHAPTER 15

FATHER JORDAN’S
SUPERNATURAL GIFTS

Father Jordan was endowed by God
with supernatural gifts. These supernatural

gifts together with his practice of virtue

gave him a reputation for sanctity.

No doubt, that remarkable occurrence at
his first Holy Communion, which we have

mentioned at the beginning of this bi-

ography, namely the appearance of a white

dove which fluttered above his head, was

a mysterious token of grace from heaven.



80

As we have already seen, he was dis-

tinguished in a particular way by the gift

of prayer and union with God, so that he

could remain in prayer for a long time and

without fatigue and, as if detached from

exterior things, could not be disturbed.

Those around him got the impression that

he always lived in the presence of God.

Naturally, then, all had the greatest con-

fidence in his prayers. Father Jordan’s

prayers were heard by God in a wonderful

way. As an instance in point, we may men-
tion the time when he was in great need of

money and went to the chapel to pray.

After having thus prayed, he walked up

and down in the corridor as though waiting

for help to come. The door bell rang; he

himself opened the door; and a Trinitarian

handed him a letter which contained ex-

actly the required sum. After the bearer

of the letter had disappeared all inquiries

made at the Trinitarians about him proved

in vain. The identity of the mysterious

messenger was never ascertained.

Father Jordan also received special in-

terior illuminations. So, for instance, one

day he unexpectedly went to Tivoli where

the Society had a House of Studies. After

leaving the railway station he went first

to the Sisters’ convent, a thing which other-

wise he never did. In the convent Sister

Clara Rheinwald was sick, but nobody

thought that there was any danger of death.

As this Sister had repeatedly expressed the

desire to take her holy vows before death,



81

Father Jordan then and there received

them; and while he was still present the

Sister passed away. This was on July 26,

1892.

Also Father Jordan’s blessing had an ex-

traordinary efficacy. Brother Alexius Ber-

ger (who died at the Salvatorian Mission

House, Elkton, Maryland, Dec. 11, 1945)

had been suffering from a severe throat

disease so that he could take liquid food

only. In his distress he went to Father

Jordan, who playfully reproached him for

not having come earlier. Then he asked the

Brother to kneel down, placed his hands

upon his head, and blessed him.,. The fol-

lowing morning all the symptons had dis-

appeared and Brother Alexius could eat

again just as before his sickness.

CHAPTER 16

FATHER JORDAN’S DEATH

By March, 1918, Father Jordan’s health,
which since the days of his youth had been

none too good, failed rapidly. On May 28
of that year he had so serious a spell of

weakness that at the advice of the doctor

the Last Sacraments were administered to

him. Thereupon he recovered somewhat.

But on June 25 he said his last Mass. After

that he received Holy Communion daily
with the greatest devotion. He continued
to recite the breviary daily until the doctor



THE FOUNDER, FATHER FRANCIS OF THE
CROSS JORDAN, DURING HIS LATER YEARS.



83

expressly told him that he was forbidden

to say it any longer.

Ordinarily, no doubt, Father Jordan

would have stayed at home during his last

illness and would have died there; but be-

cause all the members capable of nursing

the sick had been drafted for military ser-

vice in World War I, it was absolutely
necessary that he be taken to a hospital.

The decision was made in favor of the sim-

ple hospital at Tafers, near Fribourg, Switz-

erland, under the direction of the Sisters of

St. Vincent de Paul, which, at the same

time, served as a home for poor aged peo-

ple. On August 26, 1918, an automobile
brought the patient there. When he saw
the poor old people sitting on benches in

front of the house he said with evident joy:

“Well, now I am among the poor.”
Father Jordan spent the last days of his

illness in complete resignation to God’s holy

will, in calm patience, in edifying unpre-

tentiousness. He was frequently seized by
intense suffering, which came upon him

suddenly. One could notice these spells of

sharp pain in his face, yet no sound of com-

plaint came from his lips. Most of the time

he lay unconscious and breathed heavily

while the lungs were filling with phlegm,

which slowly led to death by suffocation.

Both during the moments of unconscious-

ness and also when in a slumbering state he

was always at prayer, making his usual

ejaculations: “God is good - Thy will be
done - Jesus, I love Thee - Nolo peccare



84

(I do not want to sin),” etc. During one of

his last days he said all of a sudden without

any exterior occasion having been given for

the remark: “I forgive all those who have

offended me, and I beg of all those whom I
have offended that they forgive me.” On
another occasion he said: “Remember this:

God’s ways are not our ways and His

thoughts are not our thoughts. One must

let himself be guided by Providence and

take good care not to cross it. Many have
already lost patience and remained stand-

ing on a way half traversed. If one per-

severes, a solution will finally be found.”

When asked whether he had any wish
that might be granted him, he answered,

looking up cheerfully: “Ah, what should I

still wish for myself on earth! I no longer

take part in affairs. ‘The Lord has given,

the Lord has taken away, blessed be’ . . .”

His weakness prevented him from finishing

the sentence.

At another time he remarked: “The good

Lord will make everything turn out right;

others will come and be mindful of our

suffering and continue the work.”

When a nursing Sister asked him to pray
for her once he should be in heaven, he

answered: “Sister, the mercy of the Lord it

is if we get to heaven. The mercy of the

Lord.” His most frequent prayers and aspi-

rations were: “My Jesus, I love Thee! -

Everything as God wills it! God is so good,

may His will be done!”

The abdominal disease from which Fa-



85

ther Jordan suffered was the worst of its

kind according to the dictum of the nurs-

ing Sister. When convulsed by spasms of
pain he took the crucifix into his hand and

said: “My God, all for Thee, and in atone-
ment for my sins.” When during the last
days the pain grew more intense, he re-

doubled his ejaculatory prayers and, though

his whole body was trembling with pain,

said over and over again: “My Jesus, I am
Thine, yes, Thine, entirely Thine alone.”

Thus came the eighth of September,

1918. It was a Sunday and at the same

time the feast of the Nativity of the Blessed

Virgin Mary. Father Jordan, who was such

a faithful lover of the Mother of God and

who had been so zealous in fostering devo-

tion to her, was to enter into eternity on

this beautiful feast of hers. His condition

was not at all good and he could not re-

ceive Holy Communion on this day. He
found it very hard to get breath and re-

peatedly there was danger that he would

choke. In the evening at about 7:30 the

doctor came; he gave him an injection. The

patient did not notice it.

After this about a quarter of an hour

passed. No one was in the room with the
patient except Father Pancratius Pfeiffer,

his successor as Superior General. All of a

sudden the patient’s heavy breathing began

to slacken, but he did not move in any way.

Father Pancratius called out through the

door, summoning the Sisters. A number of
them immediately came. Death was im-



86

minent. The blessed candle was lighted

and the prayers for the dying were begun.

After about five minutes there was one last

heavy breath and Father Jordan passed in-

to eternity. It was two minutes past eight

o’clock in the evening, September 8, 1918.

Thus ended this life so rich in virtue, so

full of sacrifice. The Society of the Divine

Savior and the Congregation of the Sisters

of the Divine Savior had lost their spirit-

ual Father and Founder. And yet they had

not really lost him; he had merely gone

before them to plead their cause before

Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Savior.

The dead body of Father Jordan was

significantly laid out between white flowers

in the plain, poor, unpretentious chamber

where he d’ed. It was not long before the

inmates of the hospital came in to pay

their respects to the deceased. They were

mostly poor, old, invalid people, many of

whom dragged themselves along supported
by crutches. Then the children from the

orphanage appeared in groups; barefooted

they knelt around the bier and sang ap-

propriate songs, as was the custom there.

They did not show the least fear in the

presence of the venerable deceased, be-

cause one got the impression that he was

only sleeping, so peacefully was he lying

there with what seemed to be the reflec-

tion of a happy eternity on his face. Then

the people of the village, who had heard so

much about the holy man, also appeared on

the scene. All those who knew Father Jor-



87

dan and his lowly spirit would instinctively

say: Truly, all this happened in just this

place and in just this way by a special dis-

position of the all-good God; it almost had

to be so; out of the mouths of infants and

sucklings God wished to procure praise for

His servant. Also one could not help but

think of the Savior’s words: "Call; the- poor,

the maimed, the lame, and the blind, and

thou shalt be blessed.” (Luke 14:13-14.)

As we have said, the Sisters had signifi-

cantly laid him out among white flowers;

at the head a palm stood to the right and

one to the left, with a chalice between. He
wore the religious habit and the stole of

the priest. In the morning the Holy Sacri-

fice of the Mass was offered for him by

Father Pancratius, which all the Sisters

attended.

With special permission the deceased

was buried in the main aisle of the parish

church at Tafers on September 11, 1918.

The Most Reverend Bishop of the diocese,

Dr. Placidus Colliard, accompanied by his

Vicar General, the Rt. Reverend Msgr. Ems,

was present and performed the absolution

at the casket. The pastors of the entire

neighborhood had turned out. From near-
by Fribourg were present the chapter of

the cathedral, the Reverend Dominican and

Capuchin Fathers, and various others. The
school children and orphans lined the road

on both sides. The church was crowded with
the faithful of the parish and many friends
of the Society. After the Solemn Requiem



88

Mass the pastor extended the sympathy of

those present to the sorrowing members of

the Society. He pointed out the trust in

God which had enabled the dear departed

to overcome all the difficulties encountered

in the course of his long and active life. He
dwelt upon the success achieved, the suc-

cess which the Founder had been able to

see for himself after the Society had existed

hardly 38 years. To him, said the pastor,
one could easily apply the words of the

Divine Master: “I have finished the work

which Thou gavest me to do.” (John 17:12.)
He said that the parish of Tafers consid-
ered it an honor to be allowed to shelter

the mortal remains of this great man of
God, at least until such time when circum-

stances would permit their being trans-

ferred to the Eternal City.

CHAPTER 17

FATHER JORDAN’S REPUTATION
FOR SANCTITY

Even in his youth, after he had laid aside

the innocent mischievousness of his child-

hood, which was, as we have seen, after his

first Holy Communion, Jordan was looked

upon as a model boy, v/ell behaved, modest,

exemplary in every way. He was esteemed
and liked by all. Because of his humility

and kindness of heart, his unaffected and

peaceful disposition, he was an object of



89

admiration and high esteem during his col-

lege days; and at the university he was

looked upon by his fellow students as a

man of more than ordinary virtue; whereas

the director of the seminary reported to

the bishop that as a student of theology he

excelled in unusual piety and humility.

When Father Jordan came to Rome as a
young priest he everywhere left the impres-

sion of being unusually conscientious and a

man of God in every sense of the word.

This impression, first given at Campo

Santo, endured throughout the thirty-seven

years of his stay in the Eternal City. Also

the few lay people who knew him regarded

him as a saint. A priest who studied in
Rome once said to some members of the
Society: “Your Founder is looked upon as

a saint in Rome.” On another occasion a
Benedictine Father in St. Peter’s called his

companion’s attention to Father Jordan

who was just then praying in that magnifi-

cent edifice and said: “Some day this man
will also be placed up there among the

holy founders of religious orders.”

A Jesuit Father who was giving a retreat
to the community at Fribourg, Switzer-

land, once enthusiastically exclaimed:

“What a privilege to have been called to

the religious life in the Society of the Di-

vine Savior during the lifetime of your

Founder! How I wish I had been living to-
gether with St. Ignatius!” It was a privi-

lege truly appreciated by those Salva-

torians to whom he was speaking. Proba-



90

bly all the members of the two religious

congregations founded by Father Jordan

regarded him as a saint. Professed mem-

bers considered it a rare privilege to serve

his Mass, inasmuch as they felt they were

serving the Mass of a saint. Father Greg-

ory, the Rector of Scholastics, once said to

them: “Keep all things coming from the

Venerable Father; some day they will be

relics.” Some indeed criticized his physical

defects and the way in which he governed

the Society but no one dared even to doubt

his virtuous life or to question his holiness.

Especially were the Brothers deeply con-

vinced of the sanctity of the servant of

God. “Some day,” they used to say, “they

will envy us for having served a saint.”

So great was Father Jordan’s reputation

for sanctity that the Sisters in the hospital

at Tafers were exceedingly happy at hav-

ing a saint in their house and looked upon

it as a rare privilege to be permitted to

take care of him. They used to ask one

another: “Who has merited for us this

grace?” Afterwards the Sister Superior re-

ported: “I really could not speak much

with Father Jordan, because his venerable

appearance and his holiness moved me to
tears.” The Sister at the hospital who took

care of the laundry used by him once said

to the Superior: “I cannot tell you with

what joy I do this work; I think I hold

holy things in my hands.”
Finally, to bring this brief chapter to a

close, the inmates of the hospital and the



91

villagers came in great numbers to pray at

the coffin and whisper to one another:

“Here lies a saint.” Many touched his
dead body with their rosaries, which they

then treasured as relics. Children, as we

have already said, gathered close around

his remains without showing any fear as

they happily sprinkled holy water on the

deceased or knelt and prayed at his side.

No odor of death was perceived in the
room, though it was very small and low

and the windows were always closed.

CHAPTER 18

FATHER JORDAN’S INTERCESSION

Many people have asked Father Jordan
to pray to God for them; they have invoked
his intercession with success in manifold

kinds of need and distress. And in many
instances God has already granted them
real favors as a result of those prayers and

has thus confirmed and honored the sancti-

ty of his servant. For the edification of our

readers we mention a number of such

cases without, however, entering into de-

tails.

In 1937 a lady suffering from a com-

plicated inflammation of the lungs was

confined to a hospital in a hopeless condi-

tion. Her death was expected at any mo-

ment. Then the nursing Sister had recourse
to Father Jordan; she began a novena in



92

his honor and put a relic of him upon the

patient; whereupon immediate improve-

ment set in, the lady was restored to health,

and left the hospital within a short time.

The physician in charge declared in writing

that the condition of the patient had been

quite hopeless and that the sudden im-

provement took place immediately after

the imposition of the relic of Father Jordan.

This is but one case of many. Various

hospital Sisters have called Father Jordan

an exceedingly powerful helper in sickness;

and their confidence in him has grown and

has been strengthened by the many evi-

dences of his help. They will mention, for

instance, how two newly born babies who

had been given up by the doctors were re-

stored to health against all expectation be-

cause of prayers to Father Jordan; how he

often helped in a striking manner when

patients during an operation seemed on the

point of death, how such a patient regained

consciousness for some hours and was thus

enabled to receive the last Sacraments and

to die in peace with God.

Then there is the case of an elderly lady

who suffered from gout for many years, as

a consequence of which she became deaf

and almost blind. Nevertheless she dragged

herself along to the church in order to assist

at Holy Mass and to receive Holy Com-

munion. Then all of a sudden a new disease

appeared, an open sore on her foot, which

made it impossible for her to go to church.

Thereupon she got a picture relic of Fa-



93

ther Jordan. Feeling great confidence in

him, she begged of him to intercede for her

with God, praying only for the cure of her

foot in order to be able to go to church

again. It was on Thursday after Passion

Sunday that she began to pray to Father

Jordan and help came so quickly that on

the following day, the feast of Our Lady of

Sorrows, she could go to church. She con-

tinued to go to church every day of Holy

Week. All the pain had disappeared and

never returned. The doctor could remove

the elastic bandage.

In 1933 a Sister had to undergo a very

dangerous double operation, which was per-

formed by four surgeons. It was a hard

struggle between life and death. But from

the very start Sister had recourse to Father

Jordan, made a novena, and placed a relic

of him upon the wound. There was visible

improvement, so much so that the doctors

wondered. However, when all seemed well

and the wound was apparently healed, it

broke open again at about eight o’clock one

evening. With renewed fervor the patient

turned to Father Jordan and again placed

the relic upon the wound; at two o’clock

in the morning the wound was still open;

at three o’clock the Sister fell asleep from

exhaustion and fatigue and when she

awoke in the morning the wound was com-
pletely healed and every trace of pain was

gone. That same day the Sister went back

to her convent and the day after she was

able to do her regular work again. There



94

was no reoccurrence of the sickness.

Then there was the extraordinary case
of a young man who was studying for
the priesthood. In September, 1938, he

was seized with a severe hemorrhage

of the throat and was brought to the

hospital, where a doctor succeeded in

closing the veins by means of a clamp.

The patient had lost a quart of blood.

The next morning the doctor removed

the clamp, but two hours later a new

hemorrhage set in which was so bad that

the patient lost consciousness and lay

there as if lifeless. Extreme Unction was

administered to him. Two doctors and
several nursing Sisters worked for hours

until the vein could be duly sewn up; then,

after a blood transfusion had been given,

the patient was again out of danger. As

soon as the seminarian had been brought

in the Sisters, realizing the seriousness of

his condition, had started a novena in hon-

or of Father Jordan, full of confidence that

he would help them again as he had done

on so many other occasions. Four days

afterward another hemorrhage set in. He
was at once taken to the operating room

but it was with some reluctance that the

Sister administered ether because his hair,

eyes, and features indicated that death was

approaching. However, the ether worked

effectively, but at the same time the pa-

tient clamped his jaws together so tightly

that the doctors were at a loss as to what

to do. Thereupon the Sister sent up a fer-



95

vent prayer for help to Father Jordan -

and at once the doctor was able to open

the mouth. But because much blood had

gathered in the mouth, it was now im-

possible to find the vein; and, to make

matters worse, the light of an instrument

went out. All seemed to be lost. A new cry
for help went up to Father Jordan; and

thereupon the doctor found the vein and

the operation was brought to a successful

close. The Sister made a second and third

novena, and at the third one the patient

was out of danger. The recovery pro-

ceeded quickly and in October of the same

year the young man could return to the
seminary hale and hearty and continue his

studies. In due time he was ordained to

the holy priesthood and is today doing

splendid work for the greater honor and

glory of God and the sanctification and

salvation of souls.

Without entering into any details we

may also mention that through the inter-
cession of Father Jordan a certain person

was saved from a heavy fine because

against all expectation the case of litigation

was suddenly dropped; a novena had been

held in honor of the servant of God. Then

there was the case of a striking reconcili-

ation in the immediate family circle be-

cause of trustful recourse to Father Jor-

dan. Sisters in grave economic distress saw

their confidence in him splendidly justified

and have ever since held his relics in high

esteem. In a poor country parish the prob-



96

lem of water supply was solved in a re-

markable way through the intercession of

Father Jordan.

To bring our partial enumeration of

cases in which Father Jordan’s intercession

was confidently sought and obtained to a

close, we merely add the following. A man
had an abscess on the pupil of one of his

eyes and according to the opinion of the

doctor there was no other way than to take

out the eye. A novena was held in honor
of Father Jordan and the eye healed up

well in a short time without any medical

aid. - How Father Jordan helps in simple,
ordinary cases can be seen from the fact

that a man was relieved of an obstinate
toothache which had caused him great pain

for months on the last day of a novena

made in honor of Father Jordan. - Then

there was the Sister who suffered from ter-

rible headaches finally followed by blind-

ness and who was cured with unexpected

quickness through the powerful interces-

sion of Father Jordan. - There was also the

case of that insane person who had been

declared incurable by the doctors but who

was completely cured after several novenas

had been made for her in honor of Father

Jordan. There was also the case of the

priest who feared that he would have to

give up his parish because he was afflicted

with a tremor in his arm which was making

it impossible for him to distribute Holy

Communion. He prayed to Father Jordan
with the greatest confidence, whereupon an



97

improvement immediately set in so that he

could properly discharge all his parochial

duties.

Also you who have now read this book

may wish to have recourse to the interces-

sion of Father Francis of the Cross Jordan.

Also you may receive great favors from

him. If so, please report all favors received

through the intercession of Father Jordan

to the Very Rev. Father Provincial, The

Salvatorian Novitiate, Menominee, Michi-

gan.

As regards the manner of asking his in-

tercession, you may proceed in your own
way, praying to him in your own words, or

simply saying over and over again, “Father

Francis of the Cross Jordan, pray for me.”

You may say the rosary in his honor, or
any other prayers. If you repeat such pray-

ers for nine consecutive days you will be

making a novena in his honor. Or you may
use, but only for private devotion, the

following

PRAYER FOR BEATIFICATION

O Divine Savior, Jesus Christ, Thou
didst fill the heart of Thy faithful servant,
Father Francis of the Cross, with burning

love of God, unshaken confidence, and un-

tiring zeal for souls. Grant also to us, as

Thou didst to him, a love of God and the
neighbor which surmounts all obstacles, a

spirit of constant prayer, great purity of

heart, evangelical simplicity, and true apos-

tolic zeal. Aid us faithfully to follow his



98

example that we may be found worthy to
do all in our power that Thine infinite love

for us sinful men may be known ever more
and more, that Thou mayest be supremely

loved in return, and that this poor world

may seek help and salvation from Thee
alone.

And thou, most amiable Mother of the

Savior and Queen of the Apostles, who

obtainest from Thy divine Son whatsoever

thou dost ask of Him, beg of His most lov-

ing Heart that Father Francis, who was

attached to thee with such childlike devo-

tion, may very soon receive the honor of

the altars, that he may be constantly before

the eyes of all his spiritual children as a

shining example, and that thus, as in life

so also in death, he may continue his work

for the sublime interests of God and the

salvation of many immortal souls. Amen.