I- to
 
 First Superior of the Congregation of the Mission in the United States 
 and Vicar General of Upper Louisiana.
 
 LIFE 
 
 OF THE 
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andreis, C. M., 
 
 FIRST SUPERIOR OF THE 
 
 Congregation of the Mission 
 
 IN THE UNITED STATES, 
 AND 
 
 Vicar General of Upper Louisiana. 
 
 Chiefly from Sketches written by 
 The Right Rev. Joseph Rosati, C. M., 
 
 First Bishop of St. Louis, Mo. 
 
 With an Introduction by 
 
 The Most Rev. JOHN J. KAIN, D. D. t 
 
 Archbishop of St. Louis, Mo. 
 
 ST. LOUIS, MO., 1900. 
 
 Published by B. HERDBR, 
 
 17 South Broadway. 
 
 SANTA BARBARA. CAUF.
 
 
 NIHIL OBSTAT. 
 
 MARTIN S. BRENNAN, 
 
 Censor Deputatus. 
 St. Louis, Mo., November 3d, 1900. 
 
 IMPRIMATUR. 
 St. Louis, Mo., November 6th, 1900. 
 
 J JOHN J. KAIN, 
 Archbishop of St. Louis, Mo. 
 
 BECKTOLD 
 
 PRINTING AND BOOK MFG. CO. 
 ST. LOUIS. MO. 
 
 Copyright, 1900, by Joseph Gummersbach, 

 
 TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
 
 INTRODUCTION. Page. 
 
 By the Most Rev. John J. Kain, Archbishop of 
 St. Louis, Mo v 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 Birth of Father De Andreis, his Youth and En- 
 trance into the Congregation of the Mission. 
 Ordination 5 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 He is sent to Rome, in 1806, to teach Theology. 
 His pious labors in that city up to the year 
 1816 22 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 Father De Andreis is asked for by Bishop Du- 
 bourg, of New Orleans, for the Missions be- 
 longing to his diocese. He obtains leave 
 from the Superiors of his Congregation, re- 
 ceives the Apostolic blessing from Pope Pius 
 VII., and departs from Rome, in December, 
 1815 51 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Journey of Father De Andreis and his compan- 
 ions from Rome to Bordeaux, and thence to 
 Baltimore 72 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Louisiana in 1816. Journey of Father De An- 
 dreis and companions from Baltimore to 
 Bardstown 102 
 
 (iii)
 
 iv CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 Arrival of Father De Andreis in the city of St. 
 Louis, and his Apostolic labors 166 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 St. Mary's Seminary of The Barrens. First 
 House of the Congregation of the Mission in 
 the United States. Father Rosati its first 
 Superior. Opening of the Novitiate in St. 
 Louis. Father De Andreis as Master of 
 Novices 207 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 Death of Father De Andreis. Funeral Honors. 
 Removal of his Remains to The Barrens. 
 Testimony to his Merit and Virtues 219 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 Interior Life of Father De Andreis 244 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 Theological Virtues practised by Father De 
 Andreis 255 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 Simplicity, Prudence, Fortitude, Humility and 
 Meekness 271 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 His Mortification and Zeal.... ... 296
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 the Right Rev. JOSEPH ROSATI, first 
 bishop of St. Louis, we are principally 
 indebted for the following life of his vener- 
 ated Superior, the Very Rev. Felix De An- 
 dreis, C. M. And no one else was as well 
 qualified as Bishop Rosati, to describe the 
 life and heroic virtues of that truly remark- 
 able priest. 
 
 When in the early years of the iQth cen- 
 tury, Professor De Andreis was lecturing 
 on theology in Rome, before the students 
 of his own Congregation and those of the 
 Propaganda, among his most attentive and 
 enthusiastic auditors was the brilliant young 
 cleric, Joseph Rosati. Master and pupil 
 were even then attracted towards each 
 other the former admiring the brightness 
 of intellect and purity of heart of his dis- 
 ciple; the latter carried away by the learn- 
 ing and eloquence and sanctity of his pro- 
 fessor. "When Father De Andreis took 
 the chair," writes the Bishop, "to give us 
 lectures in theology, his disciples were 
 astonished, I may almost say thunder-
 
 vi Introduction. 
 
 struck, by the richness, ease, solidity and 
 perspicuity of his arguments. I enjoyed 
 the great privilege of studying under him, 
 in the house of Monte Citorio, the entire 
 course of dogmatic theology. What I 
 prized even more than his learning was, 
 that while he enlightened our minds, he 
 inflamed our hearts, his words being as so 
 many fiery darts which pierced the inmost 
 depths of the soul ; so that when we left the 
 school we could repeat with the two dis- 
 ciples who accompanied our Saviour to 
 Ernmaus: Nonne cor nostrum ardens erat 
 in nobis, dum loqueretur nolis in via?" 
 
 After Father Rosati's ordination to the 
 priesthood their relations became still more 
 intimate, their mutual affection still 
 stronger. They left their native land to- 
 gether, crossed the ocean and half the con- 
 tinent of America to the frontier-town of 
 St. L,ouis, which they reached on the lyth 
 of October, 1817. Three years later, Father 
 De Andreis passed to the reward of his 
 labors. Just before his holy death he ap- 
 pointed Father Rosati his successor, as 
 Superior of the Congregation of the Mission
 
 Introduction. vii 
 
 in the New World. Father Rosati was 
 consecrated bishop, in 1824, and amid the 
 great labors of his immense diocese, he 
 found time to collect and put in order the 
 data for the following life. In 1840 Bishop 
 Rosati went to Rome and brought his 
 manuscript, which he intrusted to the Rev. 
 J. B. Samaria, an Oratorian priest of Turin, 
 who agreed to collect some further infor- 
 mation about the early life of Father De 
 Andreis, and prepare the work for the 
 printer. The death of the bishop in 1843, 
 was probably the cause why the Italian 
 life was never published. 
 
 The Rev. Francis Burlando, C. M., 
 director of the Sisters of Charity in the 
 United States, translated Bishop Rosati 's 
 manuscript into English and had it pub- 
 lished in Baltimore in 1861. The present 
 publication is Father Burlando's trans- 
 lation, with some corrections and additions. 
 It appears quite opportunely at the present 
 time, when the work of collecting evidence 
 intended to prove the heroic sanctity of 
 Father De Andreis is about to begin in this 
 country. Already the process, which it is
 
 viii Introduction. 
 
 hoped will result in his canonization, has 
 been set on foot in the dioceses of Rome 
 and Placentia in Italy, and a similar pro- 
 ceeding will soon be inaugurated in the 
 diocese of St. Louis, where the holy priest 
 spent the closing years of his life, and 
 where took place his edifying death. 
 
 Father De Andreis was a man endowed 
 with eminent intellectual ability and a 
 most amiable disposition; but he was prin- 
 cipally remarkable for his great super- 
 natural gifts. He was a poet, a linguist, a 
 theologian and an apostle. Had he devoted 
 his attention to literature, instead of to the 
 salvation of the poor and the spread of the 
 gospel of Christ, he would, no doubt, have 
 attained to no mean eminence among men 
 of letters. 
 
 The study of this biography will be of 
 interest and of great benefit to all classes of 
 Catholics. The clergy will see herein de- 
 picted an ideal priest, learned, zealous, 
 self-denying and pious. He was highly 
 esteemed in Rome by Pope and Cardinals 
 and clergy, and in all probability he would 
 have risen to eminence, had he remained
 
 Introduction. ix 
 
 there. But the voice of Bishop Dubourg 
 of Louisiana, pleading for apostolic missi- 
 onaries to evangelize the unclaimed wilder- 
 ness of his immense diocese had stronger 
 attraction for the heart of the young and 
 brilliant priest than all the honors of the 
 Roman Court, and the charms of his native 
 land. The true missionary spirit which is 
 ready to surfer all kinds of trials and diffi- 
 culties in the work of the holy ministry is, 
 mutatis mutandis, as necessary in many 
 parts of this country today as it was in the 
 days of De Andreis and Rosati. Priests 
 working in poor and difficult missions will 
 derive much consolation and encouragement 
 from the perusal of these pages. 
 
 The indefatigable zeal of the servant of 
 God, and his all to all spirit, are striking 
 features of his life. Wherever he went and 
 no matter how short his stay in a place, 
 both clergy and laity, Catholics and Pro- 
 testants, seemed to feel the influence of his 
 presence. He had but one object in view 
 and that was the glory of God. To pro- 
 mote this he never lost the slightest oppor- 
 tunity. While waiting in Bordeaux for a
 
 x Introduction. 
 
 vessel to bring him to America, lie evaii- 
 gelized the prisons of that city, and 
 wrought great good among the prisoners 
 confined in them. The Sisters of Charity 
 rejoiced in the privilege of having him for 
 a confessor, even for the short time of his 
 stay. They consulted him as an oracle, 
 and revered him as a father. The Arch- 
 bishop of Bordeaux, his Vicar-General, the 
 Canons of the Cathedral and the entire 
 clergy, seemed to be impressed by the brief 
 visit among them of this humble follower 
 of St. Vincent de Paul. Similar results 
 were produced by him in Baltimore, Pitts- 
 burg and Bardstown, where he tarried on 
 his way from the Atlantic seaboard to St. 
 Louis. 
 
 Religious communities, both men and 
 women, will find much to admire in the 
 exactness with which the servant of God 
 observed, and caused others to observe, the 
 details of community-life, even in the most 
 difficult circumstances. The vessel on 
 which he sailed from Bordeaux to Balti- 
 more resembled a religious house, so per- 
 fect was the order and so fervent the piety
 
 Introduction. xi 
 
 of the little baud of missionaries of whom 
 Father De Andreis was Superior. Long 
 journeys by stage-coach over the mountains 
 and through the valleys of Pennsylvania, 
 in all kinds of stormy weather, were not 
 favorable conditions for the observance of 
 religious rules or the recollection of com- 
 munity-life. Yet Bishop Rosati assures us, 
 that during their journey by stage, from 
 Baltimore to Pittsburg, all their exercises 
 were strictly observed, under the magic of 
 Father De Andreis' direction. 
 
 For six weeks the servant of God and his 
 companions floated down the Ohio, from 
 Pittsburg to Louisville, in a flatboat, 
 through the roof and sides of which snow 
 and rain found easy entrance. Sometimes 
 the passengers were soaked with water, and 
 very frequently shivered with cold, as they 
 sat, huddled together in their rude craft. 
 Yet study, prayer, silence, recreation came 
 in their regular order in that little com- 
 munity, and were strictly observed. The 
 holy Mass was said every morning, and the 
 Sundays and festivals were celebrated with 
 religious solemnity. On All Souls' Day
 
 xii Introduction. 
 
 the office of the dead was solemnly chanteo 
 on that rough flatboat, and Requiem-Mass 
 was sung. 
 
 The laity will find in this life of a holy 
 priest, much that will move them to a 
 greater love for the priesthood in general 
 and to a wider sympathy with the priest, 
 who gives up home and family and friends, 
 to consecrate his life to the service of God 
 and the salvation of souls. Moreover, 
 Father De Andreis was the pioneer of 
 Catholic Education west of the Mississippi. 
 One of the principal objects of his coming 
 to this country was the opening of a semi- 
 nary for the education of priests. This 
 aim he accomplished when he founded St. 
 Mary's Seminary at The Barrens, in Perry 
 County, Mo., in 1818. St. Mary's still 
 flourishes as the Mother-house of the Vin- 
 centian Fathers for the western province of 
 the United States. There the body of the 
 servant of God reposes, beside the altar of 
 St. Vincent de Paul in St. Mary's Church, 
 and there his spirit keeps watch over the 
 training of the young ecclesiastics, who 
 are to continue in the twentieth century
 
 Introduction. xiii 
 
 the work which he started iu the early part 
 of the nineteenth. 
 
 Father De Andreis spent less than three 
 years in St. Louis, yet so high was his re- 
 putation among the people for sanctity, 
 that the appearance of a luminous star 
 over his body, during his funeral service, to 
 which occurrence both Bishop Dubourg 
 and Bishop Rosati bear witness, was 
 looked on as a very fitting manifestation of 
 God's approval of so holy a life as his had 
 been. All the people of the town esteemed 
 him as a saint, and even to-day, eighty 
 years after his death, the descendants of 
 the old St. Louis' families, the great 
 grandchildren of those who knew him, 
 hold fast to the traditions and belief of 
 their ancestors, that some day his heroic 
 virtues will be publicly recognized by the 
 Church, whose devoted son he was. The 
 devout prayers of those who read this 
 book, may do much to bring about this 
 long cherished desire. 
 
 t JOHN J. KAIN, 
 Archbishop of St. Louis.
 
 LIFE OF THE 
 
 Very Rev. FelixDe Andreis,C.M. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 His Birth, Youth, and Entrance into the Congregation 
 of the Mission. His Ordination. 
 
 THE Very Rev. Felix De Andreis was 
 born of respectable and pious parents, on 
 December I3th, 1778, at Demonte, a con- 
 siderable hamlet in the present diocese, and 
 former province, of Cuneo, Piedmont. 
 
 We have not been able to ascertain any 
 particulars respecting his early youth, but 
 will relate what he himself mentions with 
 candid simplicity in a manuscript found 
 after his death, entitled, "Soliloquy No. 59, 
 Uluminare tu mirabiliter a montibus ceter- 
 nis." 
 
 "I see very clearly, when I collect my 
 thoughts, that Divine Bounty began to call 
 me to the sweet intercourse of contempla- 
 tion from my very childhood ; and after- 
 wards, at different intervals, during the 
 
 (5)
 
 6 Life of 
 
 whole course of my most ungratetui life. I 
 remember, and, even now, can very dis- 
 tinctly picture to myself the unspeakable 
 delight which I once felt when a child, 
 while listening to one of my aunts, on my 
 mother's side, who was singing some hymns 
 on the love of God and the infancy of Mary, 
 as we walked one evening in the gardens 
 of Count Beranger. And I experienced 
 this pleasure on many other similar occa- 
 sions ; once especially, as I was thinking of 
 St. Aloysius while I was employed in com- 
 posing a hymn in which I spoke with my 
 Angel Guardian of the joys of heaven and 
 the sweets of the love of God. O ! how 
 happy should I have been had I corre- 
 sponded to divine grace ! Even amidst the 
 disorders of my youth, never did the Al- 
 mighty cease to call me to Himself by in- 
 spiring me with a desire of entering the 
 Congregation of the Mission, which desire, 
 in spite of myself, impelled me to seek 
 solitude. And when, through divine mercy, 
 I had entered the novitiate, I remember 
 that the dislike I felt for conversation was 
 such, that I generally spent the time of re- 
 creation without being able to utter a single 
 word. I made known to the director the 
 secret desire I felt of keeping aloof from all 
 creatures, were it possible to do so ; and he
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 7 
 
 told me that I should cultivate such feel- 
 ings. I did not then foresee what would 
 be the result, and, though I was somewhat 
 acquainted with the writings of St. Theresa 
 and St. John of the Cross, I had no precise 
 idea of the treasures hidden in their mystic 
 works. I passed through divers ordeals of 
 scruples, anguish, and temptations, until 
 the little book "God Alone" inspired me 
 with a more earnest desire of suffering as 
 they did. And, before I underwent those 
 fearful trials, God mercifully ordained that 
 suitable writings should fall into my hands, 
 to enlighten me during the dark night 
 through which I had to pass. I see, there- 
 fore, to my shame, how much I was favored 
 by the blessings of divine mercy; though 
 my conduct, being so different from the 
 lights I received, dishonors, in some sort, 
 the gifts of God, and gives me reason to fear 
 that I am a consummate hypocrite. Oh ! 
 what confusion is mine ! ' * 
 
 Having completed his first studies, in his 
 native place, Felix De Andreis was sent to 
 Cuneo, at the age of fifteen, to learn rhetoric 
 and philosophy; while there, he was once 
 in imminent danger of losing his life. It 
 was a holiday, and he, and several of his 
 companions went to take a walk beyond the 
 river Stura; on their return, in order to
 
 8 Life of 
 
 reach home more quickly, they endeavored 
 to wade through its rapid waters. For the 
 others, this proved an easy task ; but, for 
 him, who was rather small and delicate, it 
 was a dangerous undertaking. The current 
 carried him off a long way, and his com- 
 panions, who were anxiously watching him 
 from the bank, without being able to come 
 to his relief, already believed him drowned. 
 Such indeed he would have been but for 
 a special intervention of Divine Provi- 
 dence. While in the water, he raised 
 his heart to Heaven, invoked the aid of St. 
 Anthony, and, at the same moment, saw, 
 or thought he saw, the saint handing him 
 a rope, which, having grasped with all his 
 might, he was conducted in safety to the 
 shore. The fact is, he escaped unhurt, to 
 the great astonishment of his fellow stu- 
 dents. 
 
 All who knew him admired his penitrat- 
 ing intellect, his aptness to learn the most 
 difficult things, his ready and retentive 
 memory, his lofty imagination, and, what 
 is more important, his determination in the 
 pursuit of his studies, and his irreprehensi- 
 ble moral conduct. *) 
 
 His excellent qualities caused increasing 
 wonder among his teachers, who incited 
 
 *) Memoirs of his life by Bishop Rosati and the 
 Rev. Mr. Ugo, C. M.
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 9 
 
 him by their commendations to still greater 
 progress, promising him their assistance and 
 predicting his brilliant success in literary 
 pursuits, but especially in poetry, for which 
 the young De Andreis felt a peculiar attrac- 
 tion.*) 
 
 But grace, meanwhile, was working in 
 his heart, other and better dispositions ; he 
 was not more than fifteen or sixteen when 
 he felt within him an increasing desire of 
 joining the Company of the Mission, founded 
 by St. Vincent de Paul. This wish became 
 so strong that he could no longer refrain 
 from making it known, and accordingly 
 mentioned it to Rev. Father Laugeri, 
 Visitor of the province, entreating to be 
 received into the Company as he felt con- 
 vinced that such was his vocation. The 
 prudent superior, well aware of the re- 
 markable talents of the young candidate, 
 and knowing particularly his poetical gen- 
 ius, received his request very coldly, observ- 
 ing that the Congregation of St. Vincent 
 
 *) Among the numerous manuscripts of F. De An- 
 dreis, a considerable volume of sacred poetry was 
 found after his death ; this he composed more to give 
 vent to the pious sentiments which animated his 
 heart, than to afford amusement to his mind. It was 
 impossible to peruse them without feeling the effects 
 of that charity which inspired them. Un fortunately , 
 this precious volume, with many others, has been 
 lost.
 
 io Life of 
 
 would never suit his views. "The employ- 
 ments of our missionaries," said Father 
 L,augeri, "are far different from those to 
 which you have hitherto devoted yourself 
 in accordance with your natural inclination ; 
 the principal object of our institute is to in- 
 struct the poor in the country, and form 
 good laborers for the vineyard of the Lord ; 
 its duties, therefore, do not require brilliancy 
 of thought, nor talent for poetry; but serious 
 study, and discourses without pomp or orna- 
 ment. How difficult it would be, for a young 
 poet like yourself, to become accustomed to 
 such things!" 
 
 "And yet," replied the undaunted youth, 
 U I will do all this, if you will receive me 
 among your children." 
 
 "Be of good heart, then," resumed the 
 Visitor; "take another year to reflect on 
 your design ; give up your poetical compo- 
 sitions for that period, and apply your mind 
 to other studies ; devote more time to 
 prayer ; let your life be more recollected ; 
 and then, having done all this, present 
 yourself anew." 
 
 "I then entered into myself," adds Mr. De 
 Andreis, "and endeavored to correct what- 
 ever I knew to be reprehensible in my con- 
 duct, but especially, that spirit of vanity 
 which prompted me to wish to display my
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. n 
 
 talents before the world ; I traced out the 
 plan of a more serious life, having resolved 
 to become a missionary, in order to atone 
 for my sins, give glory to God, work out 
 my own salvation, and, by the aid of Divine 
 grace, promote that of others ; such was my 
 intention, and I acknowledge it to be from 
 Thee alone, O my God I" *) 
 
 Father Laugeri became acquainted with 
 these excellent dispositions the following 
 year ; and having, without any further 
 difficulty, admitted him among his children, 
 he sent him to begin his novitiate in the 
 house of the Mission at Mondovi. There, 
 Mr. De Andreis took the habit of St. Vincent 
 on the first of November, 1797, and after- 
 wards applied himself to correspond to his 
 holy vocation, under the guidance of Rev. 
 Joseph Giordana, subjecting himself to the 
 most perfect obedience, mortifying his pas- 
 sions, and striving to become an interior 
 man. About this time, namely, in January, 
 1799, the houses in Piedmont having been 
 suppressed, by order of the Provisional 
 Government, established by the French 
 after the expulsion of the royal family of 
 Savoy, he was obliged to return home, 
 February gth, 1799. Affairs being more 
 settled towards the close of the same year, 
 
 *) From the MS. entitled Ad Quid Venisti.
 
 12 Life of 
 
 and the Missionaries having regained pos- 
 session of the house of the Holy Martyrs at 
 Turin, he was recalled there on the 1 2th of 
 December following. 
 
 His novitiate being ended, he made his 
 vows with great interior delight, on the 
 2ist of September, 1800 ; being most desir- 
 ous of making progress in all the sacred 
 sciences, in order to fit himself to be a good 
 missionary. He was not vain of his talents, 
 nor did he presume upon them, but always 
 seemed little in his own eyes, though he 
 was most fervent, regular and obedient, 
 even in the smallest things. His superiors 
 remarked all these excellent qualities, and, 
 though they avoided any manifestation of 
 the esteem in which they held him, it was 
 nevertheless very great, for in him they 
 already beheld a true disciple of St. Vincent. 
 No fault could they perceive in his deport- 
 ment, and, if by chance some slight im- 
 prudence needed reprehension, they always 
 found him docile in receiving correction, 
 more circumspect for the future, never be- 
 traying any ill-humor, but showing a 
 smiling countenance and modest cheerful- 
 ness. 
 
 He prosecuted his studies in the same 
 house at Turin, which, at the end of the 
 last century, was adorned with many ex-
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 13 
 
 perienced meii who spent their lives in the 
 labors of the holy ministry. The young 
 De Andreis, seeing in these venerable 
 priests so many living portraits of St. Vin- 
 cent, endeavored, with ardor, to follow their 
 holy example in the practice of every virtue. 
 But it was not long granted him to enjoy 
 their company, for fresh misfortunes having 
 befallen the royal family of Savoy, the Mis- 
 sion of Turin was again suppressed. Mr. De 
 Andreis was then sent to the house at Pla- 
 centia, in order to continue his studies. He 
 arrived there on the 26th of December, 
 1800, and pursued them so extensively, and 
 with so much success, that he became a 
 profound philosopher, a learned theologian, 
 and an erudite historian ; besides being well 
 versed in literature, chemistry, natural his- 
 tory, astronomy, mathematics, medicine, 
 music, geography ; and skilled in the He- 
 brew, Greek, French, and Spanish lan- 
 guages. As for Latin, he spoke it fluently, 
 and wrote it with elegance. It must not be 
 thought that his knowledge of these sciences 
 was merely superficial and only fit to dazzle 
 the vulgar eye ; on the contrary, he was an 
 adept in each one of them, and had accus- 
 tomed himself from the beginning to so 
 much regularity and order in his ideas, that 
 these different acquirements were never
 
 14 Life of 
 
 confused in his mind, and he could teach 
 them all in a masterly manner. 
 
 As to merely ornamental accomplish- 
 ments, he possessed them without display, 
 being very much averse to anything like 
 ostentation ; he looked upon them as the 
 spoils of Egypt, only fit to adorn the temple 
 of the Lord. It may here be asked, how it 
 was possible that a young missionary, whose 
 hours of study were regulated with prudence, 
 and were not dependent upon his own will, 
 could thus acquire such vast and diversified 
 knowledge. We will say, in reply, that Mr. 
 De Andreis was gifted with so piercing an 
 intellect that he penetrated, at the first 
 glance, the most difficult questions and the 
 most abstruse theories. His memory was 
 so good, that, having once read a book, he 
 never forgot its contents, and could repeat 
 them many years afterwards ; and, so just 
 and accurate, was his discernment, that he 
 could distinguish, in an instant, truth from 
 error ; correct reasoning from sophistry ; the 
 light that merely dazzles, from that which 
 illumines the mind. It is not, therefore, a 
 matter of surprise that he learned, in a few 
 months, what, to an ordinary capacity, 
 would have been the labor of years. And 
 one thing, which appears worthy of par- 
 ticular notice is, that his ardor in the pursuit
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 15 
 
 of science was restrained within due bounds, 
 and was ever subordinate to the zeal with 
 which he sought to perfect himself in every 
 virtue. Thus, while he was adorning his 
 mind with so many different acquirements, 
 his spiritual progress was no less rapid ; his 
 attention to the Divine presence, and his 
 desire to learn all the functions of his in- 
 stitute, never decreased. He consequently 
 preferred to every other study, that one 
 which tends to form holy and learned 
 priests, namely: the Holy Scriptures, the 
 works of the Fathers, the canonical deci- 
 sions of the Church, and the moral and 
 ascetic books written by the most eminent 
 doctors. St. Thomas was the theologian 
 he preferred, but he also consulted St. 
 Augustine, St. Bernard, and St. John 
 Chrysostom ; and he retained by heart long 
 passages from these Fathers, besides all 
 their most remarkable dicta and most im- 
 portant quotations. 
 
 Meanwhile the time approached when 
 Mr. De Andrei s was to be promoted to the 
 priesthood; *) this event took place in 
 Placentia, in the year 1801. He prepared 
 for it by the most efficient means : fervent 
 
 *) He was ordained subdeacon early in the year 
 1801, deacon at Pentecost, and completed his course 
 of study, on the 14th of August, 1802.
 
 1 6 Life of 
 
 prayer, austere mortification, continual in- 
 terior recollection, and useful reading. He 
 had formed that exalted and true idea of the 
 priesthood which is given of it in the Sacred 
 Scriptures, and by the holy Fathers and 
 Doctors of the Church ; and, having ob- 
 tained this incomparable dignity, his desire 
 to discharge all its holy duties was propor- 
 tionally increased. Nothing was wanting 
 to him for that purpose ; he had prepared 
 everything requisite for a good missionary, 
 such as catechetical instructions on the 
 sacraments, the laws of God, and those of 
 the Church ; spiritual retreats for those who 
 were preparing for ordination, as also for 
 the laity ; ecclesiastical conferences for 
 priests, and other similar discourses. 
 
 It is not, therefore, surprising that he 
 was, immediately after his ordination, en- 
 trusted with the complete exercise of the 
 Apostolic ministry; the duties of which he 
 discharged with uninterrupted fidelity. Pla- 
 centia beheld him, at one period, employed 
 in the country missions, *) at another, de- 
 voting himself to the ecclesiastical confer- 
 ences ; again, as director of the collegiates, 
 
 *) He gave several missions with Father Colucci, 
 who was much venerated by the people on account 
 of his sanctity; also, with Father I/ucio, etc. In 1804 
 and 1805, he presided over the retreat for the can- 
 didates for ordination.
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 17 
 
 or filling among them the professor's chair ; 
 ever ready to supply the place of any one 
 who was absent, either through illness or 
 any other cause. And not only seculars 
 and country people, professors and students, 
 but even the most experienced clergymen 
 of the city, marvelled, on hearing, from the 
 lips of the young missionary, so much pro- 
 found learning expressed with such dignity 
 and grace ; such strength of argument, which 
 never, in the heat of controversy, degen- 
 erated into vulgar ideas, rigorous doctrine, 
 or relaxed opinions. They would scarcely 
 have trusted their own eyes, had he not also 
 made a deep impression upon their hearts ; 
 his superiors themselves were struck with 
 astonishment, and augured great things of 
 him. 
 
 Meanwhile Divine Providence was pre- 
 paring a new field for his evangelical labors, 
 but, before we speak of it more fully, we 
 must insert some reflections and resolutions 
 which he found it requisite to take several 
 years afterwards, and whereby will be seen 
 how entirely he was devoted to study, while 
 he was, at the same time, most careful to 
 shun that knowledge which swells the heart 
 and leads it away from God. 
 
 "During the retreat of 1810, which I 
 made amid many contradictions, in spite of
 
 1 8 Life of 
 
 my ardent desire to make it well ; I ex- 
 perienced, for the first few days, nothing 
 but superficial lights and general emotions; 
 but, having besought the Lord to discover 
 to me the cause of my spiritual infirmities, 
 during the night following the second day, 
 I suddenly awoke, and received a Divine 
 inspiration, which showed me clearly the 
 diseases of my soul, the root whence they 
 sprung, and the means which I should take 
 for their removal. 
 
 "i. The great origin of all my faults is, 
 that I have fallen, without being aware of it, 
 011 that rock of which our holy father St. Vin- 
 cent speaks, in his Rules, chap, xii., art. 8, 
 where he says : 'All, but especially the 
 students, shall continually watch lest an in- 
 ordinate avidity of learning should insen- 
 sibly invade their hearts ; yet they shall not 
 neglect applying themselves assiduously to 
 the studies necessary to perform, as they 
 ought, the functions of a missionary, pro- 
 vided that their first care be to learn the 
 science of the Saints, which is taught in 
 the school of the Cross.' I was not aware 
 that I had failed in this, but the result 
 proves that such is the fact. 
 
 U 2. This immoderate ardor for study pro- 
 duces, in my soul, a kind of languor in my 
 spiritual exercises, making me consider
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 19 
 
 them as mere accessories ; filling them with 
 distractions concerning my studies and caus- 
 ing me to perform them nastily, in order to 
 return the sooner to my occupations ; and, 
 though it may appear to me that I act thus 
 with the purest desire of knowing the 
 source of all truth, which is God, and the 
 better to be enabled to serve the Company, 
 self-love is concealed beneath it. 
 
 "3. This irregular passion also generates 
 in me, (though I do not in the least per- 
 ceive it,) a certain self esteem on seeing so 
 many others deprived of the knowledge that 
 I possess, and this esteem is revealed by the 
 thoughts that pass through my mind, the 
 conversations which I hold, and my de- 
 meanor, as well in praise, as in humilia- 
 tions. 
 
 4 '4. Besides the foregoing effects, this 
 immoderate ardor for study produces in me 
 another disorder which our holy founder 
 has well foreseen in his rules, namely : a 
 certain prudence of the flesh, which, under 
 pretext of preserving health and strength, 
 gives me a relish for the comforts of life, 
 and produces disgust for all practices of 
 mortification. I have noted it in little 
 things only, but they may become great. 
 
 "5. Finally, as a last consequence, I be- 
 gin to experience the truth of these words,
 
 2o Life of 
 
 Deus superbis resistit, by strong tempta- 
 tions which I never before experienced, 
 and to which I am now liable. I begin to 
 feel a certain reluctance to leave my studies 
 when called upon to discharge any duty of 
 my ministry, etc. 
 
 "Hence I am spiritually wasting away, 
 and becoming infected with many faults, 
 without knowing why or wherefore. 
 
 "I now resolve: i. Considering, the 
 axiom sdentia inflat, that, however much I 
 may study, my knowledge will never equal 
 that of so many unfortunate men whom 
 study has ruined, and who have also caused 
 the loss of an infinite number of souls ; that 
 I shall never be able to attain the knowledge 
 of omnem veritatem y which is reserved for 
 paradise. I will remember then, while I 
 apply my mind to study, those words of the 
 Apostle : Non plus sapere quam oportet, 
 etc.;perdam sapientiam sapientium, etc.; 
 non existimavi me scire aliquid inter vos 
 nisi Christum. I will only give to study a 
 stated portion of time, and, beyond that, 
 will banish every thought of it. 
 
 U 2. Seeing, that study is not God, nor 
 even the most direct road to Him, I will 
 endeavor to be more assiduous in my ex- 
 ercises of piety and the practice of virtue ; 
 these being the surest means to lead me to 
 the clear view of truth in paradise.
 
 Very Eev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 21 
 
 "3. Bearing in mind, that humility is 
 the gate of truth, my most ardent study 
 shall be to overcome self-esteem, which I 
 will combat on every occasion by contrary 
 acts. 
 
 "4. Remembering, also, that the pru- 
 dence of the flesh kills the soul:, I will re- 
 sume the practice of my former mortifica- 
 tions, etc. 
 
 "5. In fine, by fidelity, to these four 
 points, I shall be enabled to find a remedy 
 for the last mentioned evil. It seems to 
 me, that by divine mercy, I am now thus 
 disposed ; and if my God knows that there 
 is, in my heart, a single fibre not entirely 
 His own, I would wish to tear it out, were 
 it even to cost me my life. 
 
 "Con fir ma Deus hanc voluntatem." 
 
 It was by such powerful means as these 
 that Father De Andreis made such progress 
 in science !
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 He is sent to Rome to teach Theology in May, 1806. 
 His pious labors in that City until the year 1815. 
 
 THE air of Placentia was very prejudicial 
 to the health of Father De Andreis, who 
 suffered frequently from very violent head- 
 aches. His superiors, therefore, thought 
 of removing him to another place, and sent 
 him to the house of Monte Citorio in Rome, 
 where, it was hoped, he would be able to 
 remain longer than in any other, as several 
 establishments of the Mission in Italy had 
 been suppressed, and many more seemed 
 about to meet with the same fate. He, 
 therefore, went thither towards the end of 
 March, in the year 1806, to the great joy 
 of the Very Rev. Romuald Ansaloni, Visitor 
 and local superior of Monte Citorio. This 
 gentleman was well acquainted with the 
 talents and virtue of Father De Andreis, 
 not only by the favorable accounts which 
 he received of him on all sides, but also be- 
 cause the young priest had been, for many 
 years, his disciple in the study of moral 
 theology. Very soon, then, did the judici- 
 
 (22)
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 23 
 
 ous superior employ him in the weighty 
 duties of that large house, which, being de- 
 prived of many of its subjects, stood in 
 great need of help. 
 
 Before entering upon the manifold func- 
 tions of his institute, Father De Andreis 
 prepared for them by a retreat of some days ; 
 he was intimately convinced that a priest 
 cannot exercise the Apostolic ministry with 
 profit to others, if he be not careful of his 
 own sanctification. His spiritual retreat 
 being concluded, he, at once, devoted him- 
 self to the different missions, which were 
 confided to him. We will here notice some 
 of them (although he gave them at different 
 intervals,) and will then pass on to his 
 other works. To use his own words, it ap- 
 peared to him, when he was sent to instruct 
 the poor of the country, that he was in his 
 proper place, in his own sphere. Every 
 one admired his efforts to extirpate vice and 
 make known unto all, the truths and doctrine 
 of Jesus Christ. Never did he dread the 
 arduous labor and fatigue of such an under- 
 taking ; but, making small account of him- 
 self and his own ease, he was always ready 
 to alleviate the burden of his companions. 
 During the summer of 1806, he assisted in 
 the missions of Ceccano, Giuliano di Fer- 
 rentino, Sannino, Monte Fertino and Val-
 
 4 Life of 
 
 monte. It was rumored, during this last, 
 that certain facts, of a miraculous nature, 
 had transpired. However, the bishop of 
 Segni, in whose diocese Valmonte is situa- 
 ted, having been questioned on the subject, 
 gave the following reply : 
 
 "Although I have well considered the 
 matter in question, I cannot call to mind 
 any wonderful act performed by Father De 
 Andreis during the mission which he gave 
 at Valmonte in 1806. Nevertheless, I very 
 well remember his spotless life, which 
 marked him out among all others ; he was 
 cherished by the people, and I, admiring 
 his exalted virtues, formed a high opinion 
 of him. 
 
 "PETER ANTHONY, bishop of Segni." 
 
 In the autumn of 1808, he returned to 
 this same diocese, and gave many other 
 missions in that of Amelia. Wherever he 
 went, he gave himself no rest, nor could 
 he content his zeal until all had profited by 
 the word of God. 
 
 During the Lent of 1810, and of the fol- 
 lowing years, until 1815, he was constantly 
 employed in laboring in the country, and 
 especially in the suburbs of Rome, where, 
 certainly, there was ample room for the 
 exercise of his zeal in favor of the poor
 
 '-83* 
 
 Very Eev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 25 
 
 shepherds, who sojourn there at that season 
 of the year. 
 
 His last missions in Italy were those that 
 he gave during the Lent of 1814 at Vesco- 
 vera, in the diocese of Tivoli, with Fathers 
 Giovannoni and Vespasiani, from Cofi to 
 Valle, and subsequently from Cori to Monte, 
 which last he made in company with 
 Father Colucci and Father Rosati. In 
 these missions, he endured much fatigue, 
 and had to labor hard to pacify the in- 
 habitants, who, at that period, were divided 
 by animosities and contentions of various 
 kinds. The duty of addressing the clergy, 
 (when their number was considerable, ) was 
 always entrusted to Father De Andreis, and 
 he discharged it with admirable skill and 
 discretion ; for, while he ever manifested 
 towards their person, the greatest respect, 
 he spoke to them with such unction, that 
 they would eagerly endeavor to lead better 
 lives. Conversing with some priests, dur- 
 ing the mission at Cori, he showed them, 
 by the most convincing arguments, that 
 their own salvation, no less than that of 
 the flock confided to their care, depended 
 upon the right administration of the sacra- 
 ment of penance, and that this could not 
 exist where uniformity, which is so essen- 
 tial to it, was wanting both in doctrine and
 
 26 Life of 
 
 practice. "A confessor," said he, "who is 
 too indulgent, though he may draw many 
 penitents, loads his own conscience with 
 the sins of others, because his tolerance is 
 the cause that so many grievous disorders, 
 blasphemies, infamous connections, pro- 
 fanation of festivals, immodesty in women, 
 negligence of parents towards their children, 
 discords, public and private enmities, and 
 other enormous crimes of long standing, 
 continue to exist in towns and villages. If 
 a sinner, on presenting himself at the tribu- 
 nal of penance, were to find there a confes- 
 sor whose firmness would not absolve him, 
 because he had already deceived many 
 other priests by his false promises, he would 
 address himself to another ; and, if the 
 latter, equally firm, were to say to him : 
 'Come back again, to give me a sincere 
 proof of your conversion,' the false penitent, 
 having tried all the confessors of the place, 
 and finding them all uniform in their con- 
 duct towards him, would indeed, as the 
 Blessed Leonard says, open his eyes to the 
 state of his soul, conceive a horror for his 
 sins, and feel the necessity of leading a new 
 life. Venerable priests, the impiety of the 
 people proceeds, therefore, in a great meas- 
 ure, from ourselves ; and thus, according to 
 the words of a pious and learned Cardinal
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 27 
 
 of the Roman Church, 'from too great 
 facility in absolving, comes equal facility 
 in sinning.' 'Give me,' said the great 
 Pope Pius V., 'good confessors, and I will 
 show you the world reformed.' What, 
 then, shall we do, we ministers of the Lord? 
 Let me, at least, hear your opinion, which 
 I so much respect," Then, after he had 
 urged each one to make known his opinion, 
 they all agreed that it was requisite to enter 
 into a holy league, like that which the 
 Blessed Leonard formed for the purpose of 
 remedying the enormous disorders existing 
 in a certain city belonging to the Papal 
 States. Setting aside controversial ques- 
 tions, on which even the most distinguished 
 doctors are at variance, they determined on 
 the observance of certain points extracted 
 from the Roman Ritual and the admonitions 
 of St. Charles Borromeo. All agreed to be 
 firm with regard to these, without ever 
 allowing themselves to be overcome by 
 human respect, or the false promises of a 
 penitent. These resolutions were written 
 down, and a copy of them delivered to each 
 of the confessors to keep as a rule of his 
 conduct. *) 
 
 Notwithstanding the ardent desire of 
 Father De Andreis to labor in the country, 
 
 *) MS., "Different Notices," etc.
 
 28 Life of 
 
 he could undertake but few missions there, 
 Father Ansoloni, his superior, having as- 
 signed him other, and no less arduous 
 duties. He had to teach theology, both to 
 those of his congregation, and to the young 
 clergymen of the college of the Propaganda, 
 which, by order of Pope Pius VII., had 
 been transferred to the house of Monte 
 Citorio in 1802. In this new employment 
 were discovered the vast treasures of sacred 
 learning which he possessed. He was a 
 strong champion of revealed truth, was well 
 versed in all scholastic questions, accurately 
 distinguishing the most weighty from those 
 that are merely of secondary importance ; 
 sustaining the former by invincible argu- 
 ments, and refraining from any asperity in 
 the discussion of the latter. He was an 
 enemy to all novelties ; and, while he 
 modestly followed the opinions which ap- 
 peared to him the most probable, he always 
 respected those authors who taught differ- 
 ently. His ideas were clear, his explana- 
 tions methodical, never confusing or over- 
 burdening the minds of his auditors. Hence, 
 it may be said with truth, that, as all, both 
 little and great, go with delight to quench 
 their thirst, each according to his need, at a 
 limpid and wholesome stream, so all were 
 instructed by the lessons of this excellent
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 29 
 
 master ; the most elevated minds as well as 
 those of a more ordinary stamp ; and, while 
 the former were never wearied, the latter 
 were not neglected. 
 
 "When Father De Andreis took the 
 chair," writes the Right Rev. Joseph Ro- 
 sati, first bishop of St. Louis, u to give us 
 lectures in theology, his disciples were 
 astonished, I may almost say, thunderstruck, 
 by the richness, ease, solidity, and perspi- 
 cuity of his arguments. He never made 
 use of the book, and yet, developed fully 
 the entire doctrine on which he spoke ; 
 quoting with accuracy, not only passages 
 from different authors, but repeating, word 
 for word, long texts from the Holy Script- 
 ures and the Fathers, in corroboration of 
 his assertions. And, besides texts from the 
 author that he was explaining, he would 
 bring in others, which served to confirm 
 and elucidate them. I enjoyed the great 
 privilege of studying, under him, in the 
 house of Monte Citorio, the entire course of 
 dogmatic theology; and, not even once, dur- 
 ing the whole time, did I ever see him make 
 use of a book, or any other writing, while 
 he was giving his lecture, whether he was 
 expounding a principle, or questioning us 
 upon any difficulty. All his explanations 
 were most clear ; and the very things which
 
 3 Life of 
 
 he added himself, in order to convey more 
 clearly the author's meaning, were, of 
 themselves, so beautiful and learned, that 
 scarcely had we returned to our rooms, after 
 class, than we hastened to put them in writ- 
 ing, for fear that something might escape 
 our memory. In this manner we filled 
 entire sheets with useful and valuable 
 knowledge, especially during these lectures 
 which he gave on the Scriptures. But, 
 what I prized, even more than all this, was, 
 that, while he enlightened our minds, he 
 inflamed our hearts, his words being as so 
 many fiery darts that pierced the inmost 
 depths of the soul ; so that, when we left 
 the school, we could repeat with the two 
 disciples who accompanied oiir Saviour to 
 Emmaus : 'Nonne cor nostrum ardens erat 
 in nobis dum loqueretur nobis in via Were 
 not our hearts burning within us, as he was 
 speaking to us in the ways." 
 
 These words of Bishop Rosati are amply 
 confirmed by the testimony of Rev. Joseph 
 Martini, a former disciple and confident of 
 Father De Andreis ; he also declares that 
 whenever his teacher, either in, or out of 
 the school, was heard to speak on the truths 
 of religion, or the maxims of eternal salva- 
 tion, he did it with so much warmth, that 
 his countenance, which was naturally pale,
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 31 
 
 perceptibly changed its color. And this 
 ardor was greatly increased when he ad- 
 dressed himself to the young students of the 
 Propaganda, as if he longed to transmit to 
 their hearts a heavenly fire that would make 
 them fervent apostles for the infidel lands 
 to which they were destined. 
 
 Besides the professorship of theology, 
 Father De Andreis was entrusted with the 
 retreats of the candidates for ordination, 
 those for confessors, parish-priests and 
 others, to whom the house of the Mission 
 was always open, and thither they frequently 
 resorted, in order to strengthen, or renew, 
 the spirit of their vocation. To his share, 
 always fell the most arduous and delicate 
 part of these retreats, so that it seemed as 
 if they could neither be undertaken, nor 
 accomplished without him. And, although 
 he was often called upon unexpectedly, he 
 was always prepared, and, so ingeniously 
 did he vary the form of his discourses, that, 
 though the matter was, necessarily, always 
 the same, what he said, seemed to be heard 
 for the first time. This was a singular, 
 and, we might almost say a marvellous gift, 
 for many who had already made three or 
 four retreats under his guidance, would 
 come to listen to him without experiencing 
 the least weariness, retire deeply touched
 
 32 Life of 
 
 by his words, and eager to hear him again. 
 Not that any art lay concealed in his dis- 
 courses ; on the contrary, he was all candor 
 and sincerity ; he never made use of fanciful 
 expressions, bearing the stamp of mere 
 human eloquence ; but, in the simplicity of 
 his words, his reasoning was so persuasive 
 and connected, that the luminous evidence 
 it imparted to the intellect, dispelled any 
 repugnance to receive the truth ; while it 
 so deeply touched the heart, that it moved, 
 at the will of the speaker, to hatred of sin, 
 confidence in God, fear of the divine judg- 
 ments, holy love of God, and always to a 
 firm resolution of leading a truly sacerdotal 
 life. Now, if it be asked of what means he 
 made use, thus to conquer even the hardest 
 hearts among his auditors, we can only 
 reply that his words partook of the vehement 
 ardor by which he was himself devoured, 
 and his sentiments were as so many burning 
 arrows, discharged by an able hand. With 
 regard to this, we will here cite some par- 
 ticular facts. 
 
 Monsignor Atanasio, pro-vicegerent in 
 Rome, sent to the spiritual conferences of 
 Monte Citorio, a priest of a regular order, 
 who, at the beginning of the new French 
 government, had swerved from the path of 
 duty. While he was listening one morning
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 33 
 
 to the conference, given by Father De An- 
 clreis, on these words of our Lord Ego 
 sum veritas he was touched by such a 
 special impulse of grace, that, in the sight 
 of all, he could not refrain from manifest- 
 ing signs of extraordinary compunction. 
 Scarcely had he retired to his room than he 
 gave way to excessive lamentations ; and, 
 though the hour of the repast went by, he 
 never ceased to weep, without showing the 
 least desire to take any food. Father An- 
 saloni was obliged to send Father De An- 
 dreis to his room in order to console, and 
 induce him to take some refreshment. But 
 he was quieted only by the hope of hearing, 
 in the next conference, an exposition of 
 these other words of Jesus Christ, Ego sum 
 vita. He heard it in fact, and continued, 
 throughout the retreat, to show such un- 
 mistakable marks of true conversion, that 
 all were edified. 
 
 Similar emotions were evinced on another 
 occasion, not by a few only, but by the 
 whole assembly of priests and curates, dur- 
 ing the course, and at the end, of one of the 
 meditations. Towards evening, after hav- 
 ing made, in the chapel, the customary ex- 
 amination of conscience, all the missionaries 
 were assembled in the refectory for supper, 
 when, to their great surprise, the priests,
 
 34 Life of 
 
 who were in retreat, did not make their ap- 
 pearance ; after waiting some time, one be- 
 longing to the house was dispatched to find 
 out what was the matter. He entered the 
 chapel and found them all absorbed in such 
 profound silence and recollection, that 
 they seemed transported out of themselves, 
 and he was obliged to tell them that it was 
 time to go to supper. Such occurrences 
 as these, and the wonderful conversions 
 that took place during the retreats given 
 by Father De Andreis, were soon divulged 
 throughout Rome. Notice was taken of 
 them by the prelates and Cardinals of the 
 Church, and his Eminence, Cardinal Vicar. 
 Delia Somaglia, wishing to ascertain for 
 himself the truth of what was said, went 
 one day to the house of the Mission, with- 
 out disclosing his intention to any one. He 
 arrived just when Father De Andreis was 
 giving a conference to the priests assembled 
 in the interior chapel. On the entrance of 
 so great a personage, they all rose through 
 respect, and, when he had taken his place, 
 and they were reseated, Father De Andreis, 
 without the least discomposure, resumed 
 his discourse, addressing the Cardinal in 
 these words : "Your Eminence, the subject 
 of our conference is this," (here he named 
 it,) "and the division has been made into
 
 Very Eev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 35 
 
 two parts ; the first has been proved by 
 authority, etc., we are now near the con- 
 clusion, and I continue, therefore, by say- 
 ing, etc." The Cardinal Delia Somaglia 
 listened with great attention to this address, 
 and remained to the end of the conference, 
 which afforded him so much satisfaction, 
 that he attended all the others until the con- 
 clusion of the retreat. When it was over, 
 he went to congratulate, in a friendly man- 
 ner, the superior of the house ; telling him 
 how much he admired tjie young mission- 
 ary, not only for the solidity and beauty of 
 his discourses, but still more for the piety 
 and unction with which he spoke. And 
 the worthy prelate, not satisfied with this, 
 in the first audience that he had of Pius VII. : 
 "Holy Father," said he, "I have found 
 out, lately, a treasure of science and piety 
 in a priest of the Mission at Monte Citorio ; 
 his name is Felix De Andreis, and he is yet 
 quite young. I heard him speak, several 
 times, on the dignity and duties of the 
 priesthood, and he pleased me so much, 
 that I seemed to hear a St. John Chrysostom 
 or a St. Bernard." Enraptured at these 
 words, the sovereign pontiff immediately 
 replied: " We must not lose sight of this 
 young man, for it is with such as he, that we 
 should fill the episcopal sees."
 
 36 Life of 
 
 The other cardinals and prelates who 
 resorted to Monte Citorio to hear Father De 
 Andreis, thought and spoke as the Cardinal 
 Delia Somaglia had done ; we must mention 
 especially, among the number, the vice- 
 gerent, Father Fenaia, who, better than 
 any one else, could form a correct opinion 
 about him. He had long experience 
 as a missionary, and was well versed in such 
 matters, being himself an excellent preacher 
 of the gospel. It was not merely to the 
 learned that Father De Andreis gave so 
 much delight ; he was, at the same time, 
 most acceptable to the simple and ignorant. 
 Without discontinuing his theological lect- 
 ures, he had frequent occasion to address 
 discourses to tradesmen, merchants, in a 
 word, to every description of persons, who 
 were, all alike, moved to tears by his words. 
 For a long time, he was entrusted with the 
 conference which was given every Sunday 
 to the clergymen who assembled at Monte 
 Citorio, and he would go from that to the 
 congregation of San Vitale, entirely com- 
 posed of peasantry and common people ; to 
 these, he preached in the morning of every 
 festival day, and afterwards heard their 
 confessions. He was also a member of the 
 pious association of St. Paul, and was elected 
 one of its twelve directors. Besides all
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andrels^ C. M. 37 
 
 this, he was freqiiently called upon to give 
 retreats in monasteries, colleges, schools 
 and other pious associations ; and, wishing 
 to satisfy every one, had often to preach 
 four times, in the same day, on very dis- 
 similar subjects ; now on religious perfec- 
 tion } then again, on the necessity of con- 
 version. During the last years of his so- 
 journ in Rome, or rather from 1810 till 
 1814, he preached regularly, every day, to- 
 wards evening, for about three quarters of 
 an hour, to an assembly, composed of per- 
 sons of all ranks ; countrymen, merchants, 
 servants, lawyers, priests, and even many 
 distinguished individuals, both of the eccle- 
 siastical and the secular order, who met at 
 the appointed hour in a large hall near the 
 entrance of Monte Citorio. He discharged 
 each one of these different duties with the 
 same grace and dignity, as if it were the 
 only object of his care, never allowing his 
 mind to be disturbed, nor doing things in a 
 hurry, in order to have time to do a great 
 many; he was not one of those officious 
 persons who meddle with everything and 
 wish to share in every good work, under 
 pretence of seeking the general good, while 
 they only spoil the greater part of what they 
 undertake, or are overcome by the weight 
 of it, not being able to accomplish anything
 
 38 Life of 
 
 solid or durable. Most assuredly, Father 
 De Andreis did not resemble them, for, as 
 he was gifted with a penetrating mind and 
 mature judgment, he easily distinguished 
 the promptings of charity from those of 
 self-love. He was also careful to give to 
 each affair the amount of attention it de- 
 manded, and the ease with which he spoke 
 in the pulpit seemed so natural to him, that 
 he would blend, in the same sermon, the 
 most sublime truths of religion with the 
 simple words of the Catechism j the most 
 vehement language with the most gentle 
 and pathetic expressions. 
 
 By bestowing upon him so many excellent 
 qualities, it appeared as if God had expressly 
 destined Father De Andreis to sustain faith 
 and revive devotion in Rome, at the very 
 time that both were greatly shaken, namely, 
 during those unhappy days when the holy 
 city was bitterly lamenting the loss of her 
 supreme pontiff, when the sacred college 
 was dispersed, and her temporal dominions 
 abandoned to the tyranny of strangers, the 
 errors of incredulity, and the disorders of 
 her own children. In the proclamation 
 issued in Rome by General Miollis, in pur- 
 siiance of the order of Napoleon, in 1810, 
 for the general dispersion of all religious 
 orders, Father De Andreis was, of course,
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 39 
 
 comprised ; and, being a native of Piedmont, 
 he would have been obliged to withdraw 
 from the capital, were it not that considera- 
 tion was shown him on account of the col- 
 lege of the Propaganda, whose students he 
 taught. This, perhaps, was the only in- 
 stitution which was allowed to subsist. As 
 for Father De Andreis, raising his eyes to 
 Heaven, as he did in all human vicissitudes, 
 he saw clearly, in his preservation, a special 
 dispensation of Divine Mercy, who wished 
 him to remain in Rome, solely, that he 
 might oppose the torrent of iniquity, and 
 become the refuge and comforter of the 
 good, the despised, and the oppressed. 
 Regarding it in this light, he strove to ful- 
 fil the designs of Heaven, and devoted him- 
 self to all the good works that were going 
 on, seeking out others which he knew 
 might be beneficial, either to the spiritual 
 or the temporal welfare of his neighbor. 
 
 Hence, led by his own choice, he fre- 
 quently visited the prisons, consoling, with 
 paternal affection, the unfortunate beings 
 confined therein, often for political opinions 
 only; they were, consequent!}', oppressed, 
 but not criminal. He would give them 
 retreats, and hear their confessions, with 
 joyful alacrity, in order to render them 
 patient and perfect Christians. It was also
 
 4 Life of 
 
 his delight, when he was free from his 
 scholastic duties, to visit the sick of all 
 kinds in the public hospitals, inducing 
 many to make general confessions, who had 
 never approached that sacrament during the 
 whole course of their lives ; preparing others 
 for their approaching passage to eternity, 
 and comforting all, by the most touching 
 and affectionate admonitions. During one 
 of these visits, having met with a sick per- 
 son, all covered with gangrened ulcers, and 
 who was quite abandoned by the physicians, 
 "Courage," said he ; "trust in God, who is 
 all powerful ; put upon your sore a piece of 
 the cassock of our Holy Father the Pope, 
 who is now enduring so much for our holy 
 religion ; who knows ! perhaps, through 
 his merits, God may vouchsafe to restore 
 you to health." A few days after, Father 
 De Andreis having returned to the sick 
 man's bed, accompanied by Father Rosati, 
 he found it empty ; and, on making enquiries 
 about him of those who were around, he 
 was told that he had left the hospital, hav- 
 ing been entirely cured. Whether this 
 cure should be imputed to the merits of our 
 Holy Father Pius VII., or to the prayers of 
 the "fervent missionary, it is not for us to 
 decide ; we leave it to the judgment of 
 others. The fact, wonderful as it is, cannot
 
 Very Eev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 41 
 
 be denied, and it is mentioned in the papers 
 of Bishop Rosati, who was a witness of it. 
 When the servant of God had any time re- 
 maining after these numerous occupations, 
 he employed it in deploring the evils which, 
 especially at that period, afflicted the entire 
 Church, and, for that purpose, he would 
 visit one of the Roman basilicas. What 
 sorrow did he not experience on entering 
 these churches, once crowded by members 
 of the regular orders, and now completely 
 deserted ! What bitter tears he shed over 
 the profane abandonment of these holy 
 places, how many and fervent were his 
 prayers, how austere his mortifications, to 
 obtain that these terrible days of divine 
 justice might be shortened ! Frequently 
 did he offer his own life to God, to save 
 that of others and appease the divine wrath ! 
 And yet, he did not despond in the midst 
 of so many calamities ; on the contrary, he 
 looked forward, with certainty, to their 
 speedy termination ; and, even when the 
 storm appeared most violent and destructive, 
 he assured his friends, in confidence, that 
 the exiled pontiff would return, in triumph, 
 to the Apostolic chair; but, that they must 
 not, meanwhile, neglect to devote them- 
 selves, manfully, to the defence of religion, 
 attacked by so many enemies. He prac-
 
 4 2 */e o/ 
 
 tised, himself, what he taught to others, 
 for he pointed out the errors contained in 
 the impious pamphlets which were pub- 
 lished throughout Rome ; replied to many 
 doubts, which were laid before him, with 
 regard to the oath exacted by the prevailing 
 government ; confuted, by his learned dis- 
 cussions, the wicked maxims then dis- 
 seminated; and, in fine, he prepared an ex- 
 cellent book, wherein the proofs of the 
 Catholic religion were established, by in- 
 vincible arguments of easy comprehension, 
 even to the unlearned , and the objections 
 of infidels overthrown by most clear and 
 substantial replies. He gave to this work, 
 the unpretending title of "Catechism." It 
 was nearly finished at the return of Pope 
 Pius VII. to Rome ; and, as he thought it 
 would be a suitable time to have it printed, 
 he carefully put the last touch to it. But 
 the merciful providence of God had other 
 designs in view ; for, this excellent work, 
 instead of being given to the public, became 
 an occasion of extreme mortification to its 
 author. It was suspected by those to whom 
 it was first made known, was maliciously 
 criticized and condemned, and the writer 
 gained nothing by it, but the deepest con- 
 fusion, both among strangers and his own 
 friends. This was truly an imexpected
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 43 
 
 blow, and he felt it most painfully; but 
 God made known to him, by an especial 
 light, infused into his mind during his 
 meditations, that he must bear his grief in 
 silence, and that this ignominy which had 
 befallen him would be useful for his per- 
 fection. Concerning this, it will be well to 
 give here some reflections found in his own 
 writing, in his private Resolutions and In- 
 spirations received from God. In No. 16, 
 he speaks as follows : 
 
 "Confirma Domine opus quod operatus 
 es in nobis Christo confixus sum cruci. 
 I have, for a long time, felt that a great 
 love of the cross was insinuating itself in- 
 to my heart, and I have prayed that it 
 might increase, and that our Lord would 
 implant it, permanently, in the very midst 
 of my soul. I mean by this, that I have 
 felt a marked predilection for sufferings, 
 humiliations, and poverty, in opposition to 
 the three follies of the world : concupiscence 
 of the flesh, concupiscence of the eyes, and 
 pride of life, which we renounce in baptism, 
 etc. 
 
 "Now, about the third Sunday of Advent, 
 (of the year 1814,) or some days previous, 
 while I was in church, praying before the 
 Blessed Sacrament, all at once, though I 
 was not thinking of it, there came before
 
 14 Life, of -. 
 
 my mind, as plainly as if I had seen it with 
 my eyes, a large cross, suspended in the 
 air, of a frightful and horrible aspect. It 
 was armed with sharp points, and completely 
 covered by a thin black veil, which only 
 allowed part of the lower extremity to be 
 seen. This sight produced within me a 
 sensation of terror and awe, which I vainly 
 strove to repress. I understood that this 
 cross was meant for me ; that the small 
 portion remaining uncovered, signified the 
 sufferings I had already undergone, while 
 the greater part were still in store for me. 
 I felt my strength and courage fail ; yet, 
 making a violent effort, I submitted, and 
 accepted the cross, beseeching our Lord to 
 sustain me by his grace, that I might not 
 sink under the trial, nor displease his Divine 
 Majesty. After this, I could no~ elp con- 
 jecturing what this cross miglr, ; ?, but I 
 could not divine its meaning. ^t hap- 
 
 pened, the following nightfv I e*p' i ienced 
 some suffering, both of mind and ly, and 
 I fancied that, perchance, this wa,<- ie cross 
 which threatened me, and I rejoiced to be 
 rid of it so easily; but the cross came again 
 before my mind, just as I had first seen it, 
 and, from that time, it never left me, though 
 I sometimes perceived it under different 
 aspects. The novena for Christmas was
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 45 
 
 then beginning, and my accustomed pains 
 of body and mind began to increase from 
 day to day; such a height did they at length 
 attain, that I hardly knew what had become 
 of me. My sufferings were but too plainly 
 depicted on my countenance, and the dif- 
 ferent impressions which I saw them pro- 
 duce on others, augmented my anguish. 
 Heaven seemed to have become of bronze, 
 and the earth of iron ; every creature ex- 
 cited in me feelings of aversion. I spent 
 days and nights almost without closing my 
 eyes, my whole system being affected by 
 the mental agony I endured ; it was but 
 with an effort that I took the smallest 
 quantity of food ; life itself seemed about to 
 leave me ; light was changed into dark- 
 ness. . . . One day, when almost in despair, 
 I was trying to recite the Seven Penitential 
 Psalms, I felt somewhat consoled, especially 
 at the second, where it is said : Tn es refu- 
 ffinm mmm a trilidatione quce circumdedit 
 me, and : Domine probasti me, etc. From 
 that moment, I became more tranquil, and 
 felt inspired with great confidence in God 
 and abandonment of self, accompanied by 
 unusual strength and cheerfulness. I be- 
 held the cross again, at first, with nothing 
 but the left arm covered ; then again, en-
 
 46 Life of 
 
 tirely unveiled, and no longer suspended in 
 the air, but resting upon a heavy stone ; 
 and, lastly, adorned with precious gems, 
 and resplendent with rays, like those crosses 
 that are exposed upon our altars on great 
 festivals. I felt like one whose life was re- 
 newed after he had passed through a severe 
 crisis. The love of creatures, the desire of 
 esteem, of possessions, of anything that was 
 not God, had passed away from me ; I felt 
 detached from every satisfaction, even those 
 of a spiritual nature, and from virtue itself ; 
 and was filled (as it seemed to me) with a 
 most sincere desire of being despised by all, 
 annihilated, crucified ; in fine, that the 
 divine will, alone, might be accomplished 
 in me. Yet, as these dispositions seem to 
 me like young and tender plants, they 
 must be fostered, strengthened, and well 
 grounded. And this I beg of our Lord to 
 do, for it is from him that all good pro- 
 ceeds, and to him, alone, belong the glory 
 of it. Confirma Domine, etc. O blessed 
 Catechism ! blessed contradictions ! blessed 
 anguish ! blessed grief ! what treasures have 
 you brought me ! How delightful it is to 
 be disenchanted, and to be set free from all 
 human respect ; to aim at nothing, seek or 
 desire nothing, but God alone and his glory;
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andreis > C. M. 47 
 
 Et unde hoc mihi? Et unde hoc mihif"*) 
 It is now time to return to the Apostolic 
 labors of the servant of God. They received 
 a fresh impulse in 1814, when, the French 
 empire being overthrown, Pope Pius VII., 
 of illustrious memory, returned, in triumph, 
 to his See. Father De Andreis had never 
 doubted that this event would come to pass, 
 even when many, of little faith, had almost 
 given it up in despair ; and his soul exulted 
 with joy, when he became a witness of the 
 reorganization of ecclesiastical affairs, and 
 beheld peace restored to Christendom. He 
 discovered, in all that passed before his 
 eyes, the all-powerful hand of God, who 
 humbles the proud unto the dust, never 
 ceases to protect his Church, and, from the 
 persecutions of the impious, draws his own 
 greater glory. Animated with these senti- 
 ments, Father De Andreis gave way to the 
 most delightful transports of holy joy; at 
 one moment making acts of thanksgiving, 
 at another embracing his fellow-mission- 
 aries, who, having been expelled from 
 Rome, during the stormy period, now 
 
 *) This Catechism was found among the manu- 
 scripts of Father De Andreis, after his death. He 
 might have published it while he was in America, 
 but, having met with a work, recently printed, that 
 answered his views, he put aside the thought of pub- 
 lishing his own, iii spite of the solicitations to the 
 contrary which he received from others.
 
 48 Life of 
 
 hastened to return once more to the house 
 of Monte Citorio. He joined with them, in 
 endeavoring, by renewed labor, to repair 
 the evils which religion and Christian piety 
 had so painfully undergone. The sovereign 
 pontiff, in order to revive the spirit of devo- 
 tion, had appointed several priests to give 
 public missions and private retreats in 
 Rome, and Father De Andreis, who always 
 looked upon the orders of the Pope as those 
 of God himself, felt, more than ever, in- 
 flamed with zeal to excite the fervor of the 
 just and the repentance of sinners. In the 
 appointment of the missions, it fell to his 
 lot to preach in the Piazza Colonna, where 
 his voice, like thunder that startles even 
 those who sleep, or lightning that rends 
 the most solid rocks, called upon all, both 
 rich and poor, and moved them, first to 
 admiration, and then to tears. 
 
 Subsequently, he was sent to give a re- 
 treat to the young students who are accus- 
 tomed to assemble in the vast hospital of 
 vSanto Spiritu 5 a very difficult undertaking 
 indeed. Inhere were over a hundred of 
 them, all gifted with talent ; and having, 
 at least the greater part, a good knowledge 
 of literature and the resources of logic. 
 There were not wanting, among the num- 
 ber, some, who, led astray by the heat of
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andre-is, 0. M. 49 
 
 passion, and the reading of bad books, were 
 more inclined to laugh at the missionary, 
 than to learn of him lessons of Christian 
 humility; and, they were still less desirous 
 of submitting to the yoke of the gospel. 
 Without being in the least intimidated, 
 Father De Andreis spoke undauntedly, in 
 the midst of them, like St. Paul in the 
 Areopagus. Always avoiding bitterness, 
 he convinced them by the solidity of his 
 arguments, moved their hearts, made them 
 yield to his words, and, finally, beheld tears 
 flow from eyes that, until then, knew not 
 what it was to weep. The good that re- 
 sulted from this retreat is almost incredible, 
 the more so as it was lasting, and, many 
 years after the death of Father De Andreis, 
 the sweet remembrance of what he had 
 done was still preserved. 
 
 But the house of Monte Citorio was the 
 special sanctuary of grace and pardon ; all 
 desired admittance within its precincts ; 
 and, in reality, all were received, one after 
 another, without intermission. Father De 
 Andreis attended to all ; now giving con- 
 ferences ; then again, meditations, which 
 he suited to the dispositions of his hearers. 
 He appeared to be the soul of everything 
 the common centre, the oracle, the master' 
 the father of all, who multiplied the brea^
 
 5 fyf e f 
 
 of his words, and cheerfully gave the sweat 
 of his brow for the welfare of his spiritual 
 children. We mention these things very 
 briefly, and in a general manner, though 
 full well are we aware that they would de- 
 serve a long and ample narrative.
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 The Right Rev. William Dubourg, Bishop of New 
 Orleans, asks for Father De Andreis, for the Missions 
 of that Diocese. The latter obtains leave from the 
 Superiors of his Congregation, receives the Apostolic 
 Blessing from Pope Pius VII., and departs from 
 Rome in December, 1815. 
 
 FROM the time that Father De Andreis 
 took the firm resolution of entering the Con- 
 gregation of St. Vincent de Paul, he was in- 
 stinctively urged by a desire of being one 
 day able to devote himself to those missions 
 undertaken by the children of the Saint in 
 infidel lands. This ardent wish increased 
 within him, in proportion as he advanced in 
 years and in the exercises of his institute. 
 Nor did he feel himself justified in repress- 
 ing it as a temptation of vain temerity. It is 
 true, that, at times, he feared it might be an 
 illusion, and, being yet very young, he did 
 not dare to manifest his idea by consulting 
 any one about it. His principal care , during 
 his first years in the Congregation, was, to 
 consult God by continued prayer, earnestly 
 imploring the gift of a supernatural inspira- 
 tion, that he might not err in a matter of so 
 much importance. Then, as he perceived 
 
 (SO
 
 52 Li-fn of 
 
 that the proper time had not yet coinc to 
 unfold his desires, he quietly labored to 
 draw profit from the different employments 
 which, from time to time, were allotted to 
 him, leaving his future fate in the adorable 
 hands of Divine Providence. 
 
 Having been ordained priest, he could no 
 longer conceal his ardent wish and 'hope, of 
 being speedily sent to some foreign mission. 
 He wrote on this subject to Father Brunet, 
 who, at that period, discharged the func- 
 tions of vicar-general of the Company, be- 
 seeching him to allow him to join a baud of 
 missionaries then setting out for China. 
 The reply that Father De Andreis received 
 could not have been more satisfactory ; it 
 was expressed in the following terms : "Be 
 in readiness for the mission which you so 
 earnestly desire, for you are to be one of 
 those who will leave us for China, and you 
 should admire in this the wonderful designs 
 of Divine Providence, which, to attain its 
 ends, makes use of means quite unforeseen 
 by the mind of man." With regard to the 
 latter part of the preceding sentence, we 
 must mention, that the mission intended for 
 the empire of China was, in reality, a won- 
 derful work, as the greater part of the ex- 
 pense attending it was defrayed by a society 
 of Russian ladies, who were schismatics.
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Anclrcis, (7. M. 53 
 
 Father De Andreis held himself in readiness 
 for the projected journey, giving thanks to 
 God, who had thus appointed him a means 
 of laboring among idolaters ; but, in spite 
 of all, his hopes were frustrated. His im- 
 mediate superiors did not approve of his 
 departure from Italy, so he had to be re- 
 signed and to mortify his fervor. This he 
 did ; but, without being dishearted, he re- 
 doubled his prayers and austerities, beseech- 
 ing God to give him the grace to fulfil per- 
 fectly his most holy designs at whatever 
 time, and in whatever manner, it pleased 
 him. And the Lord consoled him interiorly, 
 by bestowing upon him a great increase of 
 the spirit of his vocation, while he infused 
 into his mind an unmistakable light, which 
 showed him clearly that it was not to China, 
 but to America, that he was destined to go; 
 and that his labors there would be so great 
 as to consume his life. He received this 
 special inspiration in Rome, while he was 
 employed as professor of theology, and, not 
 only once, but several times, indeed almost 
 continually, so that he felt perfectly sure 
 that his destiny would be accomplished. 
 He spoke of it one day to a much-loved 
 disciple of his, Rev. Joseph Martini, a mis- 
 sionary of whom mention has already been 
 made ; this gentleman thus bears witness to 
 the fact :
 
 54 We of 
 
 " 
 
 In 1807, an< i the following years, until 
 the 2/th of May, 1810, when the suppres- 
 sion of religious houses in Rome compelled 
 me to part from Father De Andreis, I often 
 heard him say, he would die in America, 
 where, several times, it had been thought 
 of sending him ; and, on those occasions, 
 he always experienced an interior presenti- 
 ment that he would eventually go, and even 
 end his days there ; and, as I asked him 
 how he could be so sure that this inward 
 presentiment would be realized, he replied, 
 that he could explain it only by reference to 
 the past. Whenever, said he, I have ex- 
 perienced similar presentiments , they have 
 always been verified. 11 
 
 These ideas, that Father De Andreis 
 modestly denominated presentiments, were, 
 in fact, supernatural lights, proceeding 
 from Heaven, and this assertion cannot be 
 doiibted, if we consult the narrative of 
 Bishop Rosati, who relates the same facts, 
 accompanied by many more minute details, 
 or the manuscripts found after the death of 
 the devout servant of God. The Bishop of 
 St. Louis thus writes : 
 
 "At the very time that the Church was 
 groaning under that terrible persecution 
 that kept the Roman Pontiff a captive at 
 Sav5na ; when cardinals, prelates, canons,
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 55 
 
 curates, and the most illustrious ecclesias- 
 tics, were expelled from Rome, and banished 
 to different places of the Papal States ; when 
 the power of the tyrant seemed to shine with 
 its utmost splendor, his throne being more 
 firmly settled, and his son decorated with 
 the title of King of Rome ; when, conse- 
 quently, no human foresight could predict 
 at what period, or how, if ever, such evils 
 would have an end, Father De Audreis, as 
 calm as if the furious tempest had already 
 vanished, and the universal Church enjoyed 
 profound peace, said to me, one day, as we 
 were taking a walk together : In what 
 studies are you noi,v engaged? I replied , 
 that I ivas preparing some sermons, besides 
 which I always devoted some portion of the 
 day to the study of the Hebrew language. 
 Let Hebreiv alone, lie immediately answered; 
 such studies as that, are well suited to those 
 who are destined to spend the greater part 
 of their life in their cabinet, preparing 
 learned books to explain and illustrate re- 
 ligion; but we, missionaries, should choose 
 other pursuits. You had better learn Eng- 
 lish. What! English? I replied, English? 
 and of what use will that language ever 
 be to me? Yes, said he, English; you ought 
 to learn English, for that tongue will, onr 
 day, be, needful to both you and me, to preach
 
 56 Life of 
 
 the word of God to a certain people who 
 speak it! 
 
 "Such was my deference for his words, 
 and the respect I bore this holy man, who 
 had been my professor in dogmatic theology, 
 my guide in all my studies, and my master 
 in the composition of sermons, that I did 
 not dare to contradict him. I, therefore, 
 consented to learn English, and, on our re- 
 turn home, he gave me an English and 
 Italian grammar, telling me that he would 
 examine me, during our walks, on my pro- 
 gress in English, and would make me read 
 for him. He had already learned it him- 
 self, having been taught by an excellent 
 Irish priest, a student of the Propaganda, 
 who was one of his disciples in theology. 
 Father De Andreis had also translated a 
 little book of meditations, entitled : Think 
 Well On It, and had bought several Eng- 
 lish books for his own use. So I took my 
 grammar, and, when I was alone in my 
 room, I began to study it. I read the first 
 chapter, striving to fix the rules of pronun- 
 ciation in my mind, but, became so weary 
 of their multiplicity, manifold exceptions, 
 and the difficulty I met with in articulating 
 the sounds of the language, that, after three 
 or four days, I took back the grammar, 
 saying : I shall never, never, he able to learn
 
 Very liev. Felix De Andrew y C. M. 57 
 
 it; I give it up; so take back the book, and 
 never mention the word English to me again. 
 Very well; let it be as you please, he re- 
 plied ; yet, you will see, one day, that you 
 and I shall both be obliged to preach in 
 English. He insisted no more, and took 
 back the grammar. 
 
 "I could not understand his constant 
 assertion, nor how we should both be sent 
 on a mission to any country where nothing 
 but English was spoken, Napoleon having, 
 most rigorously, prohibited, both in Italy 
 and France, any communication with Eng- 
 land. But, what was then hidden from my 
 eyes, was revealed to him by the super- 
 natural knowledge that God gave him of 
 his future destiny; and too truly did I ex- 
 perience the truth of his words, since neces- 
 sity afterwards compelled me to learn Eng- 
 lish, in order to publish the word of God in 
 that language." 
 
 That God had given Father De Andreis 
 this knowledge of his future fate, some 
 years before it was accomplished, may be 
 seen by one of his manuscripts, written on 
 the model of the Confessions of St. Augus- 
 tine, and found after his death. Addressing 
 himself to God, he thus expresses his senti- 
 ments of love and gratitude : "How, O my 
 God ! can I ever worthily thank thee for
 
 58 Life of 
 
 the benefits and graces which them hast 
 bestowed upon me ! Thou didst call me to 
 the Congregation, choose me for the Amer- 
 ican mission, and make known to me, many 
 years before, when I was yet in Rome, that 
 such was to be my destiny; it was thou who 
 didst reveal to me that Father Rosati would 
 accompany me, and that a knowledge of 
 the English language would be necessary 
 for us both, and hence I gave him a gram- 
 mar of that tongue. * ) 
 
 We must now consider the way in which 
 the designs of God with regard to Father 
 De Andreis were admirably accomplished. 
 He was in Rome in 1815, laboring without 
 intermission, as we saw in the foregoing 
 
 *) S. Vocationestucz extraordinarice, scrutator cor- 
 dium Deus, passim fiunt secundum quosdam pr&ce- 
 dentes ptophetias et pr&ludia, quce manum invisibi- 
 lem ostendunt illius qui attinget a fine usque ad 
 finemfortiter, et disponit omnia suaviter. Hinc est 
 quod sensim sine sensu me longe ante inclinaveras 
 non solum ad Mission fs exteras generatim, sedprce- 
 sertint ad desiderandant et postulandam conversionem 
 gentis angliccz, et ad ejus linguam addiscendam quin 
 precise scirent qua ratione idfeceram; quinimmodo- 
 minum Rosati hortatus fueram ut hanc linguam ad- 
 disceret, quia hcec illi necessaria erit in Missionibus 
 exteris, ad quas sitnul pergemus, et hoc phtribus an- 
 nis cotitingit, ante quam ulla notio appareret Missio- 
 nis hujus, etc. . . . Quanam igitur, Tibi gratiannn 
 reddam actiones, etc. Cap. XIV. (These Confes- 
 sions were written by Father De Andreis in the city 
 of St. Louis.)
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 59 
 
 chapter, to bring souls to God, when it hap- 
 pened that Bishop Dubourg, who, for several 
 years, had been Apostolic Administrator of 
 the diocese of New Orleans, came to the 
 holy city, with the intention of obtaining, 
 both from France and Italy, as many evan- 
 gelical laborers as he could possibly find, to 
 assist him in the cultivation of the vast field 
 confided to his care. So urgent was the 
 want of priests in his diocese, that, feeling 
 he could not comply with his most essential 
 obligations, without additional help, he had 
 determined to resign his office, if he could 
 not obtain the necessary co-operators. In 
 this strain he spoke to Cardinal I,itta, then 
 prefect of the congregation of Propaganda 
 Fide, to whom he first applied. His Emi- 
 nence gave him some hopes of success, and 
 meanwhile directed him to Monte Citorio, 
 requesting, at the same time, the vicar- 
 general of the Congregation of the Mission, 
 Father Sicardi, to provide him with suitable 
 lodging. 
 
 One evening, while Bishop Dubourg was 
 residing at the house of the Mission, he ob- 
 served a large assembly of persons, of all 
 conditions, congregated in a spacious hall 
 near the entrance of the building, where a 
 young priest was addressing them in sono- 
 rous tones. He paused, listened more
 
 60 Life, of 
 
 attentively, and then, turning to a young 
 student of the Propaganda, who was deputed 
 to accompany him, asked, who was the 
 priest whom he heard preaching so well. 
 "He is a missionary of the Congregation," 
 was the reply; "a man remarkable for his 
 learning and zeal ; one of the best preachers 
 that can be found in Rome at the present 
 day. " "O, how glad should I be, " rejoined 
 the prelate, "if I could have some of these 
 priests for my diocese !" "Father De An- 
 dreis," said the student, "desires nothing 
 more ardently than to be employed in the 
 foreign missions ; and, if his departure de- 
 pended solely on himself, he would be ready 
 this very moment ; but his superiors will 
 take good care not to lose so excellent a 
 subject." "Well," concluded the Bishop, 
 "request him, in my name, to come to me 
 in my room." 
 
 The servant of God went as was desired, 
 and Bishop Dubourg, after giving him a 
 most cordial reception, began to speak of 
 the motives of his journey to Rome, the de- 
 plorable state of his diocese, deprived, as it 
 was, of religious pastors, and the immense 
 good that could be done, in this neglected 
 land, by a company of missionaries, who 
 would not only devote themselves to the 
 duties of their sacred calling, but who
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 61 
 
 might also undertake the erection of a 
 seminary. Most assuredly, Father De An- 
 dreis did not need all that the bishop, with 
 zealous warmth, said to him respecting the 
 mission of New Orleans. He felt the most 
 lively emotion at the mere mention of an 
 undertaking which he had so long desired 
 and prayed for. But concealing all these 
 desires within his own heart, he replied, 
 that he should consider himself most fortu- 
 nate in being chosen for such an enterprise, 
 but, being member of a congregation, to 
 the superiors of which he had made a vow 
 of obedience, he could not decide for him- 
 self ; hence it was to them, and not to him, 
 that proposals should be made. 
 
 Thus ended this first interview, after 
 which the bishop went to lay the affair be- 
 fore Father Sicardi, at that time vicar- 
 general of the Congregation of the Mission. 
 He entreated the latter to give him Father 
 De Andreis and two or three o the Priests of 
 the Mission, besides a few brothers, to found 
 a house of the Congregation and a seminary 
 in Louisiana. Bishop Dubourg backed his 
 request by many cogent arguments, which 
 may all be reduced to the following, namely: 
 that, in America, there was the utmost need 
 of good priests, while in Europe they were 
 numerous ; that they might rely on produc-
 
 6s Life of 
 
 ing the greatest good, besides which it 
 would be a most excellent and glorious un- 
 dertaking, entirely conformable to the spirit 
 of St. Vincent de Paul to establish a colony 
 of missionaries in that distant country. 
 Father Sicardi listened with respect to all 
 these reasons, and then replied, that great, 
 indeed, was his regret at not being able to 
 comply with the bishop's request, especially 
 in so holy a cause, it being quite impossible 
 to dispense with the services of Father De 
 Andreis, at a period when the Congregation, 
 after many years of suppression , stood in need 
 of subjects ; besides which, he added, that 
 the duties incumbent on the house of Monte 
 Citorio were of such a nature, that it would 
 be impossible to fulfil them in the absence 
 of one who was constantly employed there- 
 in, and for whom no one could be substi- 
 tuted. The bishop, therefore, might apply 
 to some other community to obtain laborers 
 for his diocese, but must completely relin- 
 quish the thought of getting any from his 
 Congregation. 
 
 However, things tirrned out quite other- 
 wise ; for the bishop, instead of losing cour- 
 age, on receiving so firm a refusal, only de- 
 sired the more to have Father De Andreis, 
 with whose eminent qualities, frequent in- 
 tercourse made him more fully acquainted.
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 63 
 
 Hence, seeing that he could gain nothing 
 from the good old superior, he resolved to 
 address himself directly to the Pope, and to 
 make him a formal petition on the subject. 
 This he did, showing forth, by energetic, 
 but too truthful words, how much his ex- 
 tensive diocese stood in need of mission- 
 aries, and particularly of Father De An- 
 dreis. He concluded in these words: Holy 
 Father, without the help of some priests, I 
 feel that I shall no longer have strength to 
 bear the formidable bur den of a diocese so 
 vast that it is almost unlimited; I shall, 
 therefore, be obliged to resign it. The 
 Pope consoled him with the assurance, that 
 his request should be granted, and, shortly 
 after, intimated to Father Sicardi, that he 
 wished him to accede to the demand of 
 Bishop Dubourg, by giving him Father De 
 Andreis, and some others of his Congrega- 
 tion. 
 
 Deeply afflicted was the heart of the 
 vicar-general when he received this order, 
 and the blow seemed the more painful as he 
 knew neither how to avoid it, nor how, 
 without this young priest, to keep up the 
 establishment of Monte Citorio. Having 
 seriously reflected, he raised his eyes to 
 Heaven, and conceived some hope that the 
 sovereign pontiff might change his mind,
 
 64 Life of 
 
 were he informed of the wants of the Con- 
 gregation, and especially of the particular 
 need it had of Father De Andreis. Ani- 
 mated with this hope, he went to the Qui- 
 rinal, and, almost in tears, threw himself 
 at the feet of the Holy Father, laid before 
 him a full account of the state of things, 
 and then added : "Holy Father, if I venture, 
 here, at your feet, to make these remarks, 
 it is not with the intention of resisting your 
 will ; on the contrary, through obedience, I 
 am read} r to part with Father De Andreis, 
 and any others of my subjects, for the 
 American mission ; but, if you thus ordain 
 it, you will place me in the utter impos- 
 sibility of complying with your other com- 
 mands, and those of the Cardinal Vicar, 
 namely, that, from time to time, retreats 
 be given to the clergy of Rome ; now, with- 
 out Father De Andreis, I have certainly no 
 subject capable of fulfilling that duty." 
 
 The Pope was struck by these arguments, 
 which were indeed most true and judicious; 
 he had heard, from many sources, of the 
 great talents of Father De Andreis , and of the 
 immense benefit which the clergy of Rome 
 and its vicinity, as well as foreigners from 
 different countries, derived from his con- 
 ferences and meditations. Looking, there- 
 fore, at the matter from this point of view,
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 65 
 
 it seemed to him better to prefer the actual 
 and positive welfare of the Church at Rome, 
 to the future and precarioiis advantage of 
 that in America. He, therefore, sent word 
 to Bishop Dubourg, that he could not let 
 him have Father De Andreis. 
 
 The contest did not end here ; even after 
 this declaration, which was apparently con- 
 clusive, both parties continued to fluctuate 
 between hope and fear ; and, in their un- 
 certainty, both had recourse to God. No 
 less anxious was the soul of the servant of 
 God, who, with a tender and filial love, 
 cherished the house of Monte Citorio, and, 
 still more, the vicar-general. In his dis- 
 tress, he found no comfort but in prayer 
 and the total abandonment of himself to the 
 divine will, leaving others to decide, as 
 they thought proper, on his fate. It is true 
 that his heart inclined more to leave Rome 
 and Italy for a foreign mission, and he felt 
 a certain confidence that such would be the 
 conclusion of the affair; nevertheless, he 
 divested himself of all self-will, in order to 
 follow whatever path God would most 
 clearly point out. He had another thing 
 equally at heart, and this was to lower him- 
 self as much as possible in his own eyes ; 
 to sink into his own nothingness, while 
 every one else was manifesting so much
 
 66 Life of 
 
 esteem for his person. Where is the man, 
 who, placed in similar circumstances, would 
 not have felt some rising emotion of vain 
 complacency? To behold the anxiety of 
 one party to take him away, and that of the 
 oilier to ke^p him in Rome, while even the 
 sovereign pontiff, inclined first to one, then 
 to the other, as they disputed for him in the 
 very presence of the head of the Church ; to 
 see all this and yet entertain no good 
 opinion of himself, was truly extraordinary 
 humility, and such precisely was that of 
 Father De Andreis. 
 
 Bishop Dubourg had not yet made up his 
 mind to receive the episcopal consecration ; 
 he endeavored to defer it until he could be 
 certain of obtaining a sufficient number of 
 priests for the diocese. But, at length, 
 yielding to the persuasions of the Cardinal 
 Prefect of the Propaganda, he consented. 
 The consecration took place in the church 
 of "St. Louis of the French," and was per- 
 formed by Cardinal Joseph Doria, on the 
 24th of September, 1815. Father De An- 
 dreis was one of the witnesses, and, scarcely 
 had the solemn imposition of hands taken 
 place, than the new bishop felt increased 
 hope of gaining that, which, until then, he 
 had not been able, decisively, to obtain. 
 He spoke of it anew, most urgently, to the
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 67 
 
 Holy Father, and, not satisfied with that, 
 being aware of the esteem entertained by 
 Pope Pins VII. for Cardinal Gonsalvi, his 
 Secretary of State, he addressed himself to 
 the latter, and laid before his Eminence all 
 the motives of his reqnest, in such a man- 
 ner, that the Cardinal was perfectly con- 
 vinced of their justice. He mentioned the 
 matter to the Pope, and the American Mis- 
 sion was finally determined upon, the Holy 
 Father deputing Cardinal Gonsalvi to settle 
 the whole affair with Father Sicardi, vicar- 
 general of the Congregation. 
 
 The venerable old man yielded, with 
 respect, to the orders of the Pope, in which 
 he beheld a clear manifestation of the will 
 of God. He had an interview with Cardinal 
 Gonsalvi on the 2 yth of September, in 
 which, by mutual agreement, they planned 
 the manner in which the mission should be 
 regulated, the number of subjects that 
 "would be requisite, and they particularly 
 had in view the erection of a seminary. 
 Father De Andreis was filled with holy joy, 
 riot unmingled, however, with that salutary 
 fear, which all Apostolic men feel, of not 
 fulfilling worthily the duties of their sacred 
 ministry. He remembered Father Rosati, 
 his former disciple, to whom he had pre- 
 dicted, several years before, that he would
 
 68 Life of 
 
 accompany him on a mission to the English . 
 Father Rosati was then about forty miles 
 from Rome. Father De Andreis wrote to 
 ask him if he had any wish to join the 
 projected mission, but did not, in the least, 
 urge him to do so. He received an answer 
 in the affirmative, and several other priests 
 spontaneously offered their services, as did 
 also a student of the Propaganda. 
 
 A memorable day was that of the I4th of 
 October, on which Bishop Dubourg, sur- 
 rounded by his little colony of missionaries, 
 composed of the Reverend Messrs. Felix 
 De Andreis, John-Baptist Acquaroni, and 
 Joseph Rosati ; Mr. Joseph Pereira, postu- 
 lant priest, Mr. Leo Deys, a student of the 
 Propaganda, and Anthony Boboni, a postu- 
 lant lay-brother , N >went to pay their respects 
 to the Pope, and ask his Apostolic blessing. 
 The Holy Father received them most cordi- 
 ally, and conversed with them for nearly an 
 hour ; exhorting them to put entire trust in 
 the Lord, who had called them to his holy 
 ministry ; animating them to bear cheerfully 
 the many labors and trials which are in- 
 separable from the Apostolic mission, and, 
 on the part of God, predicting innumerable 
 blessings, both for themselves and those to 
 whom they were going to preach the divine 
 word.
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andreis t C. M. 69 
 
 Father De Andreis, in the name of all, 
 had drawn up a petition, in which he 
 begged the Pope to allow them to celebrate 
 the office of St. Vincent de Paul, with 
 double minor rites, on the 27th of Septem- 
 ber, on which day the affair of the American 
 mission was concluded ; he also asked for a 
 plenary indulgence, to be gained in all the 
 churches of the Congregation, on the 3rd of 
 December, feast of St. Francis Xavier; and 
 for any students of the Alberonian college * ) 
 who might wish to join them, a dispensa- 
 tion from the promise which they make to 
 remain in their own diocese. He likewise 
 begged, for all, the faculty of confessing, 
 during the journey, to any approved con- 
 fessor; to make the stations with the crucifix, 
 and erect the Via Crucis, in all places where 
 convents of the Franciscan order did not 
 exist. Finally, he requested the Pope, by 
 word of mouth, to allow them to say mass 
 in the ship which was to take them to their 
 place of destination. Pius VII., having 
 graciously granted all these petitions affec- 
 tionately took leave of them. 
 
 They then went to bid farewell to Cardi- 
 nal Litta, who also received them most 
 kindly ; and, having long experience in 
 such matters, as Prefect of the Congregation 
 
 *) Th ecclesiastical college in Placentia founded 
 by Cardinal Alberoni,
 
 70 Life of 
 
 of the Propagation of the Faith, he told 
 them that he felt quite sure of the ultimate 
 success of their mission. With regard to 
 the seminary that was to be erected, the 
 cardinal said that the revenues of the see of 
 New Orleans would, when collected, abun- 
 dantly suffice for its endowment. 
 
 At last, the day for the departure of the 
 first band of missionaries was appointed, 
 and they accordingly embarked for Marseil- 
 les the night of the 2ist of October, at Ripa 
 Grande, intending to join the others at Bor- 
 deaux, where all were to await the arrival 
 of Bishop Dubourg. Father De Andreis 
 had drawn up some regulations to be ob- 
 served on the journey ; these he gave them 
 at the moment of their departure. He him- 
 self remained in Rome to make, under the 
 direction of the vicar-general, the necessary 
 arrangements concerning the mission. 
 
 He made, meanwhile, a choice collection 
 of theological and controversial works, 
 catechisms and sacred liturgies an ample 
 provision of vestments and pious pictures. 
 Several benefactors presented him with 
 sacred vessels, chalices and pyxes ; a con- 
 siderable sum of money was offered him by 
 many worthy prelates ; and, in particular, 
 one hundred ducats by the archbishop of 
 Naples. At length, with many tears, yet
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 71 
 
 with the greatest firmness, he parted from 
 his numerous friends, his brethren of Monte 
 Citorio, and the vicar-general, Father 
 Sicardi, on the i5th of December, 1815. 
 He took with him, from Rome, a priest of 
 that city and two young men who aspired 
 to the ecclesiastical career; one of the 
 latter, Mr. Dahmen , afterwards entered the 
 Congregation. The route taken by Father 
 De Andreis was that of Bologna. Passing 
 through Placentia, he traversed Piedmont, 
 and, having entered France, directed his 
 steps towards Bordeaux. 
 
 As he went out of the Flaminian gate, 
 his heart palpitated with holy joy, and the 
 most lively gratitude to God for the Apos- 
 tolic ministry, to which he was destined, in 
 a foreign land ; for the sufferings he would 
 meet with while laboring to extend the 
 kingdom of Jesus Christ ; and for his escape 
 from the episcopal dignity, for which he 
 knew he had been marked out in Rome. 
 While he encouraged those who accom- 
 panied him, he preserved the utmost recol- 
 lection, constantly expressing, interiorly, 
 to his God, the deep feelings with which he 
 was penetrated.
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Journey of Father De Andreis and Companions from 
 Rome to Bordeaux and thence to Baltimore. 
 
 ON the 27th of December 1815, Father 
 De Andreis arrived at Placentia, where he 
 had the pleasure of again meeting a number 
 of his former fellow students, professors and 
 superiors. He preserved, during the whole 
 course of his life, for those who had been 
 his first guides and directors, the same 
 esteem and affection which he felt for them 
 at the very first. He frequently spoke of 
 them with pleasure, recalling the virtues he 
 noticed in them ~and mentioned particularly 
 Fathers Alliora^Giordana, De Petris and 
 Girodi. 
 
 On the 3oth, he left Placentia, taking 
 with him Brother Martin Blanka. He 
 arrived at Turin on the 2d of January 1816, 
 at Montpelier on the 1 7th and at Bordeaux 
 on the 3Oth. From this place he wrote im- 
 mediately to the vicar-general of the Con- 
 gregation of the Mission, and, to avoid re- 
 petition, we will give his own account as 
 contained in that letter, dated Bordeaux, 
 Febmary ist, 1816. 
 
 (72)
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 73 
 
 4 'VERY REVEREND SIR : 
 
 "I have the honor to inform you of onr 
 safe arrival, on the 3oth ult., having left 
 behind us, at Toulouse, our companions 
 who started from Rome two months before 
 we did, and who will not be able to reach 
 Bordeaux for five or six days, on account of 
 the disasters they experienced during their 
 sea-voyage. I cannot express the consola- 
 tion I received on meeting them at Tou- 
 louse, after having felt so much grief at 
 Montpelier, when I had reason to fear that 
 they had been shipwrecked ; so much so, 
 that I had interiorly offered their loss as a 
 sacrifice to God. May he be continually 
 blessed, that good God, Qui mortificat et 
 vivificat, deducit ad inferos et reducit; he 
 desires to detach me from everything. . . . 
 As far as I am myself concerned, the 
 journey has been most beneficial, notwith- 
 standing the difficulties we encountered 
 among the mountains of Savoy, on account 
 of the cold weather and the almost incredi- 
 ble amount of snow w r hich had fallen. On 
 one occasion, we were obliged to take the 
 horses from the carriage, and remain in the 
 vehicle during a terrible storm, which 
 threatened to overwhelm us ; we were also 
 compelled to go part of the way on foot, and, 
 the snow being above our knees, we almost
 
 74 Life of 
 
 perished. But, after all this, when we 
 traversed Dauphiny, Provence, Languedoc, 
 and Gascouy, there was not an inch of snow 
 on the ground, and the weather became 
 quite mild. . . . The excellent and saintly 
 bishop of Bordeaux was kind enough to 
 give me lodging in his palace, and a seat 
 at his own table ; he appointed me chaplain 
 of the prisons. My companions are placed 
 with different pious persons, and some of 
 them in the houses of the Sisters of Charity, 
 the three Sister-Servants of which houses, 
 came to visit me to-day; they are ready to 
 follow us to Louisiana, and I intend to make 
 arrangements on the subject, with Father 
 Hanon at Paris. . . . The affairs of the Con- 
 gregation in France, are taking a favorable 
 turn, the Court having issued a decree for 
 its re-establishment, and several priests, 
 with a few novices, have already joined 
 Father Hanon. I beg you to recommend 
 us to the Lord, and to ask our good fellow 
 missionaries, to do the same, so that I, by 
 my sins and my pride, may not spoil the 
 work of God, that I may learn to humble 
 myself, thoroughly, and thus become an in- 
 strument in the hands of God, to perform 
 whatever his divine providence has decreed, 
 ut sive per vitam, sive per mortem, nomen 
 Dei glorificetur , etc,"
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 75 
 
 Other more minute particulars of the 
 journey are narrated by Father De Audreis 
 in some of his writings ; we will give them 
 here, in order to describe more fully some 
 things that he has barely mentioned above. 
 The following are his own words : 
 
 "On the 5th of January, we went to Susa, 
 and, the next day, being the feast of the 
 Bpiphany, having availed myself, literally, 
 of the privilege ante auroram, by saying 
 Mass at a very early hour, we set out to 
 climb Mount Cenis, which was covered with 
 snow, the weather being pretty cold. The 
 7th, which happened to be Sunday, was a 
 memorable day for us. It had been snow- 
 ing all night, and, the wind being very 
 high, blew the snow in all directions; how- 
 ever, we started before day-light ; but, when 
 we had gone two or three leagues, we were 
 compelled to stop, for besides the great 
 fatigue of the horses, which were knee deep 
 in snow, and lashed continually by the icy 
 gusts, there was danger of falling into the 
 precipices, which, in Savoy, nearly always 
 border the public roads; and the snow was 
 now so deep, that it was difficult to distin- 
 guish the road from the rest of the neighbor- 
 hood. In this extremity, the driver saw no 
 other hope of safety, but in taking the 
 horses from the coach, it being impossible
 
 76 Life of 
 
 for us to turn back, as there was no meaus 
 of moving the vehicle. He, therefore, left 
 us in this plight, between a mountain on 
 one hand, and, on the other, a precipice 
 into which the wind might easily blow the 
 coach; and, though the latter seemed her- 
 metically closed, the snow came in, imper- 
 ceptibly, through the openings, annoying 
 and covering us, without our knowing 
 whence it came. When we had been for 
 two hours exposed to the danger of rolling 
 into the snow, and being buried therein, 
 the driver re-appeared, and, having rehar- 
 nessed the horses, took us on a few, leagues 
 further to the town of Bramante, where we 
 dismounted at a miserable inn. I inquired 
 immediately if it were possible to say Mass ; 
 but our hostess told me that the church 
 was far off, and, that, in consequence of 
 the weather, it would be out of the ques- 
 tion to convey me there. Her husband en- 
 tering a short time after, I repeated my en- 
 quiry, and he replied that the church was 
 not distant more than a stone's throw, 
 telling me he would go on before, and that 
 we might follow him. We set out then, 
 up to the waist in snow, without any path, 
 our eyes completely dazzled, and our breath 
 taken away by the wind and drift. After a 
 few steps, our guide, who was accustomed
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 77 
 
 to run like a greyhound, soon disappeared, 
 leaving us quite bewildered in the midst of 
 a sea of snow, unable to distinguish the 
 place whence we started, or that to which 
 we were going ; since the wind and the 
 snow, falling in torrents, prevented us from 
 opening our eyes. Almost frozen to death, 
 though covered with perspiration and pant- 
 ing from our efforts to struggle against the 
 wind and snow, we were, for an instant, 
 breathless ; and thinking that death was 
 inevitable I could not refrain from blaming 
 my own imprudence. At length, it pleased 
 God to let us reach the church. But we 
 were more dead than alive, and were at 
 least a quarter of an hour recovering our 
 breath. Our clothes were, externally, cov- 
 ered with a thick coating of ice, as hard as 
 stone, while interiorly, they were wet 
 with perspiration and with the snow, which 
 melted under the influence of our natural 
 heat. The church was full, and the pastor 
 was most urgent in his request that I should 
 preach. Besides the fact that I was not 
 yet sufficiently master of the French lan- 
 guage to be able to preach ex abrupto, I 
 was then in such a state, that the depart- 
 ing prayers might have been read over me. 
 Without a fire or a place to rest, it was in 
 the bread of the strong that I sought my
 
 78 Life of 
 
 refuge. I said Mass then, and could hardly 
 believe that I left the Church alive. The 
 following day we went to San Michele. . . . 
 On the I3th, I said Mass at Valence, in the 
 cathedral, which contains the relics of Pius 
 VI., enclosed in an elegant marble shrine, 
 which would show to advantage, even at 
 St. Peter's. On the lyth, we arrived at 
 Montpelier, where our disappointed wish of 
 saying Mass, caused us to remain fasting 
 until five in the afternoon. The bishop 
 gave us lodging in the seminary, where we 
 rested until the 2oth. 
 
 "I was most anxious to receive tidings of 
 my companions, who, under the protection 
 of Father Rosati, were coming on by sea. 
 A lady who visited me, in order to enquire 
 after Bishop Dubourg, told me, that out of 
 twenty-one vessels, that had sailed for the 
 southern ports of France, nineteen had per- 
 ished. Such news as this combined with 
 the fact that we had been so long without 
 hearing from them, made me conceive the 
 most lively apprehensions concerning their 
 safety; and God only knows what a night I 
 passed, beholding them, in imagination, 
 shipwrecked on the stormy waves. On the 
 24th, we went to Toulouse, and great in- 
 deed was our joy in embracing all our be- 
 loved companions, who, on their side, had
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 79 
 
 been equally distressed on our account. We 
 spent two days with them at the Grand 
 Seminary, and then we started for Bordeaux, 
 which place had been selected as our abode 
 until our embarkation. Having crossed the 
 province of Gascony, we arrived at the last 
 named city on the 3oth, and it would be 
 difficult for me to describe the warm and 
 cordial welcome given us by the saintly 
 Archbishop, the Most Reverend Charles 
 d'Aviared Du Bois cle Sanzai ; he had the 
 kindness to keep me with him for the space 
 of four months and a half, and appointed 
 for each member of our two parties, a lodg- 
 ing in some community, or in the house of 
 one of his clergymen. He gave me, at 
 once, all the faculties, and came himself to 
 install me as chaplain of the prison of 
 Chateau du Ha, where I used to say Mass 
 on festival days, preach, hear confessions, 
 etc." (Journal written by Father De An- 
 dreis.) 
 
 The zeal of Father De Andreis was not 
 limited to the comfort and spiritual direc- 
 tion of these prisoners ; its effects were felt 
 in all the functions of the holy ministry 
 which he fulfilled. As he became known 
 in the place, many sought him out, some 
 for counsel, others for direction, and all 
 classes of this large city derived immense
 
 80 Life of 
 
 benefit from the ample powers granted him 
 by the excellent Archbishop. But, in speak- 
 ing on this subject, we shall no longer be 
 able to refer to the words of Father De An- 
 dreis, always so reserved with regard to 
 himself ; we will, therefore, have recourse 
 to Bishop Rosati, who was an eye-witness 
 of the good he did. 
 
 "The servant of God visited the jails, 
 comforting the poor prisoners, with all the 
 consolations that religion affords, according 
 to the counsel and example of his holy 
 founder St. Vincent. He said Mass for 
 them on feast-days, preached the truths of 
 the gospel, instructed them in all their 
 religious duties, and, having thus prepared 
 their hearts, gave them a retreat of some 
 days, by means of which a great number 
 were led to confess their sins with lively 
 sorrow, and receive the most holy Eucharist. 
 The Sisters of Charity, founded also by St. 
 Vincent, seeing him so zealous and skilful 
 in the discharge of all these works of mercy, 
 would send for the 'Italian missionary' to 
 assist every one of' these poor wretches. 
 They, likewise, thought themselves most 
 fortunate in having, within their reach, a 
 priest, who seemed a living portrait of St. 
 Vincent ; and the continual acts of virtue, 
 of which he gave them the example, in-
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 8t 
 
 duced them to treat him with the utmost 
 veneration, while they tendered him the 
 kindest assistance. They consulted him as 
 a father and director, being desirous of 
 learning the most perfect manner of dis- 
 charging their holy duties. The servant of 
 God condescended to their pious wishes, 
 and, though they were already very virtu- 
 ous, they gladly derived much benefit from 
 his instructions and guidance. 
 
 "Father De Andreis attended to these 
 good works, and many others besides, with- 
 out the least ostentation, and, as much as 
 possible, wished to be taken for some un- 
 known traveller. He rejoiced in this ob- 
 scurity, which was so dear to him, and 
 which is always so much desired by the 
 children of St. Vincent ; but, in spite of his 
 desire, his reputation and the esteem in 
 which he was held by the most eminent 
 persons, continually increased. The Vicars- 
 general of the Archbishop, the Canons of 
 the cathedral, the priests of the city and 
 those of the country, whose business took 
 them to Bordeaux, sought his acquaintance, 
 had frequent interviews with him, and never 
 left his presence without being deeply im- 
 pressed with his eminent qualities. One 
 would admire the depth of his knowledge, 
 another the holiness of his life, and all, the
 
 82 Life of 
 
 suavity and prudence of his demeanor. 
 Their admiration amounted to enthusiasm 
 when they heard him speak of the Church 
 in Rome, and the heroic sufferings endured 
 by Pius VII., who was then just -liberated 
 from the species of slavery to which he had 
 been subjected. They pressed him with 
 questions on the number and form of the 
 different pious institutions then existing in 
 Rome, and also desired him to tell them 
 about the various devout practices which 
 are observed in Italy. To all this he replied 
 with such clearness and precision, accom- 
 panied with so much affability, that they 
 were scarcely able to part from him. They 
 often returned to listen to him, anxious to 
 learn something new. To satisfy their 
 wishes, he one day gave them a pathetic 
 description of a devotion, which was then 
 quite popular in Italy, and was called, The 
 Three Hours of Our Lorfrs Agony. 'It 
 is usually made,' said the servant of God, 
 'on Good Friday, and is begun at twelve 
 o'clock, to be concluded at three. A Cal- 
 vary, with the representation of our Saviour 
 nailed to the cross, on the point of expiring, 
 is erected in the sanctuary of the church. 
 The assembled crowd sing some hymn, in 
 a mournful strain, on the first words of our 
 Lord on the cross. This over, the priest
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andreis > C. M. 83 
 
 ascends the pulpit, repeats the words and 
 comments upon them by some pious reflec- 
 tions of a nature to touch the hearts of his 
 auditors ; after this, he reads a short medi- 
 tation upon the same subject. All listen to 
 him with the utmost attention, and in pro- 
 found silence and recollection, reflect upon 
 the thoughts suggested to them ; some 
 prayers follow, and then another hymn is 
 sung on the second words of our Lord on 
 the cross, and so on, until the seventh 
 word ; and between the hymns, meditations 
 and readings, the auditors are excited to 
 feelings of love, gratitude and repentance, 
 according to the extent of the preacher's 
 ability.' 
 
 "While Father De Andreis was relating 
 the above," continues Bishop Rosati, "the 
 Archbishop and his Vicars experienced an 
 ardent desire to introduce the holy practice 
 which he described ; and, having prepared 
 all that was requisite in one of the con- 
 ventual churches, they entreated Father De 
 Andreis to superintend the arrangements 
 and to preach. Crowds attended the ex- 
 ercises, which created such a sensation 
 that, though they were performed for the 
 first time at Bordeaux by the servant of 
 God, during the following years they were 
 introduced into several other churches of 
 France.
 
 84 Life of 
 
 "The favorable impression which the 
 sermons of Father De Andreis produced 
 upon all, induced the Archbishop to confide 
 to him the duty of giving the usual retreat 
 to the seminarists and the candidates for 
 ordination. The servant of God endeavored 
 to avoid this charge, alleging .that he had 
 not his manuscripts with him, besides 
 which, he declared that he was not as yet 
 sufficiently familiar with the French lan- 
 guage to be able to address persons of edu- 
 cation. But the orders of his superiors made 
 him overcome his reluctance, so that he 
 applied himself to the undertaking that was 
 required of him, and succeeded so well that 
 all these young aspirants to the priesthood 
 were penetrated with the sacred and sub- 
 lime truths which he imparted to them." 
 
 In the meantime Father De Andreis did 
 not forget the companions of his mission, 
 either those he brought with him from 
 Rome, or others who came subsequently to 
 join the Apostolic expedition. He revived 
 their zeal by his frequent exhortations, and 
 so animated their courage that they felt 
 ready for every peril they were about to. 
 encounter, heartily resolving to die for the 
 glory of God JL in a word, he made of them 
 so many intrepid apostles. While he was 
 thus encouraging them by his fervid dis-
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andrds> C. M. 85 
 
 courses, he received a letter from Bishop 
 Dubourg, wherein the Prelate informed 
 him of a great change that he was com- 
 pelled to make in their destination. He no 
 longer intended that they should proceed to 
 New Orleans, situated about a hundred 
 miles from the mouth of the Mississippi, 
 but to St. Louis, which is on the banks of 
 the same river, about twelve hundred miles 
 above. The principal reason that induced 
 the bishop to make this alteration in their 
 route, was the great advantage which, he 
 trusted, would be derived from it, both by 
 the Catholics who, almost destitute of 
 religious succor, were dispersed throughout 
 the country, and by the Indians, who are 
 more within reach at St. Louis than at New 
 Orleans. It was on this account that the 
 first house of the Mission with its seminary 
 was built there, and, as both English and 
 French were spoken at St. Louis, the bishop 
 concluded his letter by saying that it was 
 absolutely necessary that the missionaries 
 should learn the former language. 
 
 This unforeseen determination did not 
 discourage Father De Andreis ; on the con- 
 trary, it met with his entire approbation 
 and was, in all, conformable to his own 
 views. He joyfully announced it to his 
 companions, "Now then," said he, "let
 
 86 Life of 
 
 us take courage, gentlemen ; I see that the 
 English language will, indeed, be indis- 
 pensable to us." "When he spoke thus," 
 adds Bishop Rosati, (who was then only a 
 missionary,) "I recalled to mind what he 
 had told me, some years before, in Rome : 
 That the English language would, one day, 
 be necessary for us both, as we should be 
 obliged to preach in that tongue, and that it 
 was, therefore, more necessary jor me to 
 learn it than Hebrew, which I teas then 
 studying. His prediction was verified to 
 the letter. I perceived it in the circum- 
 stance of our change of destination, and my 
 esteem for the servant of God was, in con- 
 sequence, very much increased ; in him, I 
 beheld a living saint, to whom the Almighty 
 vouchsafed to reveal the future. But he 
 took care not to remind me of what he had 
 said, for his humility always prompted him 
 to conceal his supernatural gifts. 
 
 "On the 2 ad of May, the eve of the Ascen- 
 sion, Bishop Dubourg arrived at Bordeaux. 
 He was accompanied by a band of young 
 men, partly ecclesiastics and partly secu- 
 lars aspiring to the sacerdotal dignity, all 
 equally longing to embark for America, in 
 order to share in the holy enterprise. We 
 were reanimated by the presence of this 
 distinguished Prelate, who confirmed our
 
 Very Mev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 87 
 
 resolution of going to St. Louis, and took 
 immediate measures to prepare the depart- 
 ure of the first band, of which Father De 
 Andreis was the head, the bishop intending 
 to set out shortly after with the second 
 division of our company." 
 
 The servant of God announced these 
 occurrences to the vicar-general in Rome, 
 by a letter of the 28th of May, of the follow- 
 ing tenor : 
 
 "A few days ago, Bishop Dubourg 
 arrived here ; he constantly endears himself 
 more and more to us all. A real father 
 could not show us more affection, or be more 
 solicitous for our welfare. Besides this, all 
 the inhabitants of the city, especially the 
 clergy, overwhelm us with kindness, and 
 have bestowed many considerable presents 
 upon us. The Sisters of Charity treat us 
 as brothers, and volumes would not suffice 
 to record the benefits which we have re- 
 ceived from them. Happening to find all 
 the superiors together yesterday, I took the 
 opportunity of delivering your message, 
 which they received with much pleasure. 
 In a word, Providence showers down its 
 blessings upon our mission, so much so, 
 that I am covered with confusion at the 
 sight of my incapacity for so great an en- 
 terprise. Through just and prudent motives,
 
 88 Life of 
 
 our plan has been changed, and instead of 
 going to New Orleans, the capital of Lower 
 Louisiana, we are going four hundred 
 leagues higher, to St. Louis, the capital of 
 the upper part of the province. I have, 
 therefore, been obliged to apply myself 
 seriously to the study of the English lan- 
 guage. We shall go to Philadelphia, or 
 Baltimore, and thence by land some eight 
 hundred leagues farther, through the woods, 
 among musquitoes, wolves, bears, panthers, 
 rattle-snakes, and savages almost more 
 ferocious than the wild beasts themselves. 
 We shall be obliged to sleep under trees, 
 making large fires around to keep off in- 
 truders. I regret that we shall have to 
 change our costume for the secular dress, 
 but this will be only for a while. Four of 
 the priests who came with us from Rome 
 have left us ; but we have been more than 
 compensated for their desertion by many 
 others who have joined our band. This 
 morning, the bishop will conclude his bar- 
 gain with an American captain for our 
 speedy departure ; we are to form the van- 
 guard, about twelve in number, and shall 
 remain a short time in Kentucky to await 
 the bishop, who is not to leave Bordeaux 
 until October, and who, consequently, will 
 not be with us before next vear. Our new
 
 , Very Rev. Felix DC Andreis, C. M. 89 
 
 destination possesses many advantages over 
 New Orleans ; the climate is healthy, the 
 manners of the people simple, and, as yet, 
 free from European vanities. St. Ivouis is 
 also a trading-point for all the Indian 
 nations, and offers many resources for our 
 establishment. As for me, I am in one 
 continued transport of delight and admira- 
 tion on beholding how Divine Providence 
 has, by(inexplicable v ;and stupendous ways, 
 led me to the summit of my desires, those 
 very desires with which he himself had in- 
 spired me, which he fostered in my heart, 
 and towards the accomplishment of which 
 he guided me imperceptibly during so many 
 years. It seems to me that we are all well 
 resolved to become good missionaries, and 
 to seek nothing else in this world but God 
 and the salvation of souls." 
 
 As Father De Andreis said in his letter, 
 the arrangements for their departure were 
 to be concluded on the 28th of May, with 
 the captain of an American vessel ; but 
 some difficulties having arisen, the contract 
 was broken off, and hence, to the disap- 
 pointment of all, their embarkation was de- 
 ferred for a few days longer. Father De 
 Andreis tranquilly resigned himself to 
 await another opportunity. It was, shortly 
 after, known that this vessel having been
 
 90 Life of 
 
 assailed at a little distance from Bordeaux, 
 by a furious tempest, was lost, with all be- 
 longing to her ! Father De Andreis often 
 related this sad occurrence, with the remark, 
 that, under human opposition, God always 
 conceals designs of particular mercy towards 
 his servants. 
 
 The final arrangements for their journey 
 were taken with the master of a brig called 
 the Hanger; and everything being v satis- 
 factorily 'concluded, the Missionaries em- 
 barked on the 1 2th of June. Bishop Du- 
 bourg, who was obliged to remain in France 
 for the affairs of his diocese, accompanied 
 them to the harbor, and while bidding them 
 farewell, exhorted them, in the most press- 
 ing manner, to be obedient in everything 
 to Father De Andreis, whom he constituted, 
 not only superior of this band, but also his 
 vicar and representative in all that related 
 to the concerns of his diocese. They were 
 moved to tears at his words, and before 
 leaving, he embraced and blessed each one 
 of them ; then, entering a small boat, they 
 were conveyed to the ship, where they spent 
 the night. As the next day was the feast 
 of Corpus Christi, and the ship could not 
 set sail, for want of a fair wind, Father De 
 Andreis and his companions went ashore, 
 where he celebrated the holy sacrifice of the
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andreis, C. M, 91 
 
 Mass, and gave them all holy communion. 
 Soon after their retnrn to the ship, the wind 
 changed in their favor, and the sails were 
 set.-v The following are the names of those 
 who accompanied Father De Andreis : 
 Fathers Rosati and Acqtiaroni, both priests 
 of the Congregation of the Mission ; Fathers 
 Carretti and Ferrari, secular priests from 
 the city of Port Maurice on the river Genoa, 
 the former being Canon of the collegiate 
 church ; Messrs. Francis Xavier Dahmen, 
 Joseph Tichitoli, Leo Deys, and Casto Gon- 
 zalez, seminarists ; Brother Martin Blanka, 
 of the Congregation of the Mission ; and 
 three young laymen, Francis Moranviller, 
 Medard Di Latre, and John Flegifout, who 
 had some intention of entering the Congre- 
 gation as lay-brothers. 
 
 The Missionaries were almost the only 
 passengers on board the vessel ; for their 
 convenience, a small cabin had been con- 
 structed, in which each one had his own 
 berth. In the centre was a table on which 
 they took their meals, namely, dinner and 
 supper. This room soon became a little 
 seminary or rather a sanctuary, for Father 
 De Andreis, who was a great lover of order 
 and regularity, drew up some rules which 
 all, even those who did not belong to the 
 Congregation, made it their pleasure to 
 follow exactly ; so that the whole band
 
 92 Life of 
 
 seemed transformed into a religious com- 
 munity. In the morning at an appointed 
 hour, the signal was given to rise, and 
 half an hour after, meditation was begun 
 by the reading of the usual points. Then 
 the altar being prepared, Mass was cele- 
 brated, if the accidents incidental to a sea- 
 voyage did not prevent it, meditation was 
 concluded by the Angelus and the Litany 
 of the Holy Name of Jesus. The Breviary 
 was recited in common, at its proper time ; 
 there were also hours set apart for reading 
 the New Testament, and other pious books ; 
 also for moral conferences, and the study of 
 theology. A certain portion of time was 
 allotted to silence, another to recreation, 
 particular examination, and part of the 
 Rosary, in which all joined. Sacramental 
 confession and a spiritual conference took 
 place every week, Father De Andreis being 
 the soul and director of these pious ex- 
 ercises ; all his companions were dependent 
 on him and we may say, in a word, that 
 they formed but one heart and one mind. 
 The captain of the ship was struck with 
 admiration at their manner of life, and 
 seemed never weary of contemplating their 
 union and recollection ; he testified the 
 utmost respect towards each one of them, 
 and sought to alleviate, as much as lay in
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 93 
 
 his power, the unavoidable inconveniences 
 of the voyage. He was a Protestant, but 
 the most excellent Catholic could not have 
 treated them better. Whenever the wind 
 permitted, he had a nice awning arranged 
 on deck, and would invite them to come 
 and enjoy the fresh air and fine weather. 
 They often had spiritual reading there, or 
 recited part of the Rosary which they ended 
 by singing the Litany of Loretto. All those 
 that composed their little band were gifted 
 with good voices and acquainted with 
 music, so that the chant was really harmo- 
 nious and delightful to the ear. And, if 
 they sometimes delayed it, the captain 
 would beg them to begin, telling them how 
 much it pleased him ; and they, as they 
 sang, implored her who is the star of the 
 sea, to protect from all shoals and perils of 
 the deep, the mariners who put their trust 
 in her. 
 
 On Sundays and festivals, Mass was sung 
 in the Gregorian chant, in two choirs. 
 Father De Andreis expounded the Gospel, 
 and those who could not celebrate, went 
 to communion. Vespers were solemnly 
 chanted in the same way, so that the vessel, 
 thus transformed into a church, resembled 
 the bark of the Apostles, into which our 
 Lord so often entered. With the same
 
 94 
 
 solemnity, they celebrated the feast of St. 
 Vincent, and, as their voyage was progress- 
 ing but slowly, on account of adverse winds, 
 which caused it to be feared that their pro- 
 visions might not hold out in case of much 
 delay, Father De Andreis proposed that all 
 should make, in honor of the saint, a vow 
 by which they would bind themselves to 
 solemnize the day of his death, namely, the 
 27th of September, by fasting on the eve of 
 that day, and preparing for its celebration 
 by a novena. All were delighted at the 
 proposal, and agreed to it with joy. 
 
 St. Vincent soon vouchsafed to manifest 
 his satisfaction at the vow, for almost im- 
 mediately, the wind became favorable, and 
 on the 23d of July, land was seen ; they 
 soon entered Chesapeake Bay, and on the 
 26th, landed at Baltimore. -(But before go- 
 ing ashore, they chanted the Mass Pro gra- 
 tmmm actione, with feelings of love and 
 gratitude which can more easily be im- 
 agined, than expressed. 
 
 The above description of this journey, 
 such as Bishop Rosati gives it, being very 
 short, necessarily omits many interesting 
 details ; we have, therefore, thought that it 
 will be well to give also the Journal written 
 by Father De Andreis, just as he sent it to 
 Rome in 1819. We might, certainly, have
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 95 
 
 inserted it above, by making, of the two, 
 but one narrative. But we feared that some 
 of the beauty belonging to the original, 
 might be lost in passing through our hands, 
 and might also seem less worthy of credi- 
 bility ; we will, therefore, give all particu- 
 lars, in the very words of the Journal, even 
 though, by so doing, we may repeat some 
 circumstances already mentioned. Father 
 De Andreis writes, then, as follows : 
 
 "On the 1 2th of June, having put on the 
 customary dress of the American clergy, 
 consisting of a short coat cravat and round 
 hat, we embarked on the Garonne, in a 
 sloop which conveyed us to the American 
 brig "Ranger," lying at Poliac. Our bag- 
 gage being already on board, we ascended 
 the sides of the vessel by means of rope lad- 
 ders, our number amounting to thirteen ; 
 five priests, four seminarists, one lay-brother 
 and three postulants, who, by-the-by, all 
 three of them, subsequently left us. Berths 
 had been prepared for us in a large airy 
 room around which each one had his own 
 place, all being arranged like the shelves in 
 a library. With the exception of a young 
 Quaker from Baltimore, we were the only 
 passengers. The captain professed no re- 
 ligion ; he and all his crew were Americans. 
 Among the sailors were two negroes and an
 
 96 Life of 
 
 Indian. .The captain, although a Protes- 
 tant, facilitated as much as he could, the 
 performance of our religious exercises ; he 
 always treated us with respect, and took 
 pleasure in assisting at divine service, and 
 in hearing us speak on religious subjects ; 
 but, at the conclusion of our discourse he 
 would say candidly, that he cared more for 
 his dollars than for his soul, and that the 
 business of this world seemed to him of 
 more importance than that of the next ! 
 What lamentable blindness ! 
 
 "The day after oiir embarkation, being 
 the festival of Corpus Christi, as we were 
 still near laud, four of us went ashore at 
 break of day, in the sloop ; two said Mass, 
 and the others approached the holy table. 
 We then returned in haste to the ship ; at 
 eight we set sail, and arrived, towards even- 
 ing, opposite Rohan. On the i4th, we 
 availed ourselves of the privilege granted 
 us by the Sovereign Pontiff, and said Mass 
 in the ship, having with us all the sacred 
 vessels, and a good supply of altar-bread, 
 wine, and tapers. Each time the most holy 
 sacrifice was offered, a priest, in surplice 
 and stole, stood beside the celebrant, with 
 his hand on the base of the chalice, after 
 the consecration, in order to prevent any 
 accident. When we began our journey, the
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 97 
 
 weather was delightful, but we soon ex- 
 perienced the effects of a sea- voyage. Being 
 all sick, we had no Mass on the i5th ; on 
 Sunday, the i6th, we had two, and the 
 same number every succeeding day, except 
 when the ship was tossed about too violently. 
 Fathers Rosati, Carretti, and the two pos- 
 tulants, were sick the whole time. I suffered 
 less than any one. We had some stormy 
 weather, particularly during one night 
 which we spent in prayer ; it seemed as if 
 that night were destined to be our last. So 
 furiously did the waves lash against the 
 vessel's sides, that the planks seemed, every 
 moment, ready to give way. The sailors 
 were terrified and the captain himself ex- 
 horted us to redouble our prayers. The 
 Almighty was pleased to deliver us from 
 this peril, that our sufferings might be pro- 
 longed. The victims were ready, but the 
 blow was deferred, He alone knows why ! 
 "Before we left Bordeaux Bishop Du- 
 bourg gave me a patent of Vicar-General, 
 and another to Father Rosati, in case any 
 accident should happen to me. The arch- 
 bishop of Bordeaux, as littoral Bishop, gave 
 us full faculties as far as Baltimore. While 
 passing the coasts of Spain we saw some 
 whales, and other marine monsters, which 
 came within some little distance of us. We
 
 98 Lije of 
 
 also admired the flying-fish, which in some 
 respects resembles a bird. One of these 
 fishes having fallen one evening upon the 
 table in our room, we eat it and found it 
 excellent. It was something like a small 
 cod-fish, and its membranous wings, were 
 sufficiently extended to enable it to fly from 
 time to time. We also noticed with wonder 
 and admiration, a large tower constructed 
 in the midst of the ocean, several miles from 
 land, and seeming to rise above the waves, 
 without any visible rock to support it. 
 
 "We made the Novena of St. Vincent, 
 and it happened that, on the very day of 
 his feast, a negro slave, for relapse into 
 theft and drunkenness, was to undergo the 
 chastisement which was customary in such 
 cases ; namely, to be thrown into the sea 
 attached to a rope which passed under the 
 ship. It being drawn up on the other side, 
 obliged the poor wretch to pass under the 
 vessel, once or several times, at the immi- 
 nent risk of losing his life in the process. 
 We told the captain that it was a great 
 festival for us, and begged him to pardon, 
 for the sake of our Saint, the unhappy de- 
 linquent. Luckily, we succeeded in obtain- 
 ing our request. 
 
 "We had now been about forty days at 
 sea, and had made very little progress,
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 99 
 
 owing to calms, and adverse winds ; the 
 captain complained that the provisions 
 would soon be exhausted, and he feared 
 that, in consequence, we should die of 
 hunger ; we were about three hundred miles 
 from Baltimore, and, if we did not go back 
 every day, at least we did not advance ; we 
 resolved then, to make a vow, in honor of 
 St. Vincent, at the First Vespers of his 
 feast, and it was expressed in the following 
 terms : 
 
 4 ' ' We, the undersigned missionaries of 
 Louisiana, amid the perils ivJiicli surround 
 its, being firmly convinced of the influence 
 and special favor which thou, glorious and 
 illustrious hero of Christian Charity, St. 
 Vincent of Paul, dost enjoy, before the 
 throne of the Divine Majesty; on this day, 
 dedicated by the Church to the celebration 
 of thy glorious triumph; prostrate at thy 
 feet, implore thee by the zeal winch inflamed 
 thy heart for the glory of God, the salvation 
 of souls, and the tvelfare of those who con- 
 secrate their lives to promote these ends, to 
 accept the vow we joyfully offer thee, and by 
 which we bind ourselves to celebrate, in the 
 best possible manner, the day of thy happy 
 death, on the 27tli of September, 1816, to 
 prepare for it by a novena, and a fast ontJt& 
 eve; in the hope that thou wilt obtain for us
 
 TOO Life of 
 
 a favorable wind, ami a safe termination of 
 our voyage, together ivith an increase of 
 that apostolic spirit, ivhich was so conspicu- 
 ous in the whole course cf thy holy life. 
 Amen. 1 
 
 "As some of our number were French, 
 the above words were translated into that 
 language, and all joined in making the 
 vow. We celebrated the feast of St. Vincent, 
 with all possible solemnity; our little room 
 was hung with sheets festooned with fringes, 
 and decorated with reliquaries, Agnus Deis, 
 etc. Each one of us celebrated the holy 
 sacrifice, the last Mass being chanted ; we 
 also had Vespers, a sermon in French, etc. 
 These exercises were performed with heart- 
 felt delight by every one. 
 
 "It was not long before we experienced 
 the effects of our vow. A day or two after, 
 to the great surprise and joy of all, we be- 
 gan to perceive the continent of America, 
 which seemed at first only like a dark line, 
 dotted here and there with clusters of green 
 trees. We soon entered Chesapeake Bay, 
 from which we had so long been kept away, 
 by the current flowing from the Gulf of 
 Mexico into the Atlantic Ocean, like a large 
 river, bearing along with it, masses of sea^ 
 weed and other marine formations. When 
 we entered the bay, a schooner came, accord-
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 101 
 
 ing to custom, with a pilot on board, to take 
 command of our brig, and steer her through 
 the difficult passes. The captain imme- 
 diately came to tell us that the pilot was a 
 Catholic, which was, of course, sufficient 
 reason for an interchange of mutual con- 
 gratulations. On the 25th we drew near 
 land, and, Father Acquaroni, impatient to 
 go ashore, asked my leave to avail himself 
 of the opportunity 'presented by the return 
 of the schooner. He went ashore, and 
 came back the same evening, to the ship. 
 Our landing took place on the 26th of July, 
 the octave day of St. Vincent, about ten 
 o'clock in the morning."
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Louisiana in 1816. Journey of Father De Andrei 3 and 
 Companions from Baltimore to Bardstown. Pro- 
 fessor of Theology in St. Thomas' Seminary. 
 Missionary Labors. 
 
 BEFORE further describing the journey of 
 Father De Andreis, and the Missionaries of 
 Louisiana, it will be well to give a short 
 notice of that vast country, not only with 
 reference to its civil and political situation, 
 but also with regard to the state of religion. 
 The country then called Louisiana, was 
 situated on both banks of the Mississippi, 
 and extended from the Gulf of Mexico to 
 the lakes of Canada. The part nearest to 
 Florida, was discovered by the Spaniards, 
 under Ferdinand De Soto, but they did not 
 long retain possession of it ; and the French 
 who proceeded thither from Canada, may 
 be called its first settlers, and the first who 
 introduced therein the Christian religion. 
 They named this immense territory Louisi- 
 ana; it was divided into two parts, one 
 called Upper, and the other, Lower Louisi- 
 ana. About the year 1720, was founded 
 the city of New Orleans, thus named from 
 Philip of Orleans, then Regent of France, 
 (102)
 
 Very Rev, Felix De Andreis, C. M. 103 
 
 and the small town of St. Louis became 
 the capital of Upper Louisiana. The first 
 mentioned of these two places was situated 
 in the southern part of the country, near 
 the mouth of the Mississippi ; and the other 
 in the northern, part, about eighteen miles 
 below the confluence of^the Missouri and 
 the Mississippi. New Orleans and St. Louis 
 are twelve hundred miles apart, by river. 
 
 From the hands of the French, Louisiana 
 passed into those of the Spaniards, who took 
 possession of it in 1763. It remained thus 
 until 1803, when Spain restored it to France, 
 which was at that time governed by Napo- 
 leon Bonaparte. Shortly after, it was ceded 
 to the United States. 
 
 Under the first dominion of the French, 
 the Jesuit fathers came to Louisiana and 
 strove, by their labors, to diffuse around 
 them the light of the holy gospel. But 
 the majority of the inhabitants being almost 
 in a state of barbarism, these fervent mis- 
 sionaries obtained but little success. Civili- 
 zation and good morals, having subse- 
 quently made some progress among them, 
 religion became more prosperous. Under 
 the Spanish rule, as Catholicity was the 
 only religion recognized by law, the govern- 
 ment provided for the maintenance of priests 
 in different posts, sent missionaries to van-
 
 104 Ltf e f 
 
 ous places, and received with truly paternal 
 care, the French, German, and American 
 Catholics who came to settle in Louisiana, 
 giving them portions of land, and even pro- 
 viding for their immediate wants, until they 
 were able to do so for themselves. 
 
 The Spanish government also obtained 
 from Pope Pius VI. the establishment of 
 the episcopal see of New Orleans, in 1793. 
 This diocese comprised the whole country, 
 in this part of America, then subject to 
 Spain : namely, the Floridas, and Upper 
 and Lower Louisiana, the two latter con- 
 taining about a million of square miles, or 
 as much as the rest of the United States 
 put together. The first bishop of New 
 Orleans was Mgr. Pegnalvere, a Spaniard 
 by birth, who when the country was ceded 
 to France and subsequently to the United 
 States, was transferred from New Orleans 
 to another episcopal see in the Spanish 
 dominions of South America. That of New 
 Orleans being vacant, the diocese was 
 governed by two canons, who formed the 
 whole clergy of the Cathedral, until the 
 Holy See conferred the administration on 
 Bishop Carroll, first bishop of Baltimore. 
 
 Tho? bishopric of Baltimore had been 
 erected by Pius VI. in the year 1789, and 
 its jurisdiction extended over all the United
 
 Very Mev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 105 
 
 States, containing with Louisiana, about 
 two millions of square miles. About forty 
 or fifty thousand Catholics were dispersed 
 throughout the vast region. 
 
 In 1808, Pope Pius VII. raised the See of 
 Baltimore into an archbishopric, and nom- 
 inated as its suffragan sees the four bishop- 
 rics (which he established, ) of Philadelphia, 
 New York, Boston and Bardstown. The 
 Most Rev. John Carroll was the first Arch- 
 bishop of Baltimore. This prelate sent Rev. 
 Father Dubdurg, a native of Bordeaux, 
 and who belonged to the Congregation of 
 St. Sulpice, to New Orleans, entrusting 
 him with the administration of that diocese. 
 As this clergyman was endowed with the 
 most eminent qualities, and displayed in a 
 particular manner, zeal united with pru- 
 dence and great learning joined to exem- 
 plary piety, the Archbishop did not long 
 delay to petition the Holy See that he 
 might be appointed to fill the vacancy of 
 that bishopric, and Pius VII., sure of find- 
 ing in his person a worthy prelate, did in 
 fact so nominate him. 
 
 Father Dubourg subsequently went to 
 Rome, though with the intention of refus- 
 ing the episcopal consecration, if he were 
 not able to find in Europe a sufficient num- 
 ber of laborers willing to assist him in the
 
 io6 Life of 
 
 cultivation of his truly desolate diocese ; 
 which, while it abounded in errors and 
 vices, was, to crown its misfortunes, desti- 
 tute of priests. Divine Providence granted 
 his desires ; he obtained the co-operation of 
 Father De Andreis and some other mission- 
 aries, as related in a preceeding chapter, 
 and was afterwards joined by many more, 
 as we shall see hereafter. 
 
 On the 26th of July, 1816, Father De 
 Andreis and his companions landed at Bal- 
 timore. The holy Missionary was filled 
 with enthusiasm as he stepped ashore. At 
 last he had reached the land for which he 
 had so long been praying. Continuing the 
 letter quoted at the close of the last chapter 
 he says: 
 
 "I cannot describe the impression pro- 
 duced on us by the magnificent view of the 
 harbor of Baltimore, together with the 
 splendid situation of the bay ; I hardly 
 think there can be, in the world, a more 
 beautiful prospect. 
 
 Our first impulse on landing, was to kneel 
 and kiss the ground, but the place where 
 we disembarked was so crowded that we 
 deferred doing this. Having entered the 
 place, we soon perceived the difference be- 
 tween the cities of Europe and those of the 
 New World, with regard to construction of
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 107 
 
 houses, streets, etc. The streets here are 
 wide and the houses rather low than other- 
 wise ; there are sidewalks, as in the Corso 
 at Rome and sometimes they are bordered 
 with trees. Numerous pumps are to be 
 met with, by which means water is con- 
 stantly on hand. 
 
 Hungry and worn as we were we had to 
 traverse the entire city, inquiring as we 
 went along for St. Mary's College, the 
 house of the Sulpicians, which was outside 
 the city, at the very opposite end from our 
 place of landing. 
 
 At last we reached the college and were 
 received by the president, Father Brute, 
 the most holy, learned, humble and affable 
 man I ever knew. He welcomed us with 
 the utmost cordiality, and during the whole 
 time of our stay in Baltimore, and even * 
 afterwards, he never ceased to bestow upon 
 us marks of his kindness. He obtained 
 for us many handsome donations of some 
 hundred crowns, besides which he supplied 
 us with everything that we could possibly 
 need. For some days we remained at the 
 college, after which we were located with 
 different clergymen, as had been done at 
 Bordeaux. The worthy vicar-general, the 
 Rev. Mr. Fenwick, conferred on me the 
 honor of singing high Mass at the Cathe-
 
 io8 Life of 
 
 dral, on the Assumption, which is the prin- 
 cipal festival of the diocese and the day On 
 which the first bishop in the United States 
 was consecrated. We were constantly 
 employed on feast days, in various sacred 
 functions at the different churches, but it 
 was a painful thing for me, to hear bells 
 pealing from magnificent temples, and to 
 be told that these edifices belonged to 
 heretics; although in the State of Maryland, 
 and especially in the city of Baltimore, the 
 Catholics are most numerous and fervent." 
 What is mentioned above by the servant 
 of God is fully confirmed by Bishop Rosati, 
 his first companion and fellow-laborer, who 
 speaks in the following terms: "The Sul- 
 pician priests of Baltimore, who have the 
 direction of the college and seminary of 
 St. Mary's, and to whom we had been 
 recommended by a letter from Bishop 
 Dubourg, received Father De Andreis and 
 his companions as if they had been so many 
 brothers. Father Brut^, the president of 
 the college, who was then the only one at 
 home, (the others having gone to recreate 
 themselves a little in the country), hastened 
 with the most tender charity, to procure 
 lodgings for him and his twelve companions, 
 loading them with all possible kindness 
 and attention. He saw to our baggage and
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 109 
 
 the payment of the duties concerning it. 
 When the other Sulpicians returned to the 
 college they hastened to give us a hearty 
 welcome, each one endeavoring to find out 
 in what manner he could serve us. O! how 
 beautiful is Christian charity ! How truly 
 is it called Catholic ! It makes no distinc- 
 tion of nation, language, or person ; but 
 takes all men into one family ! And, not 
 without motive, does it teach us to address 
 all by the tender name of brother ! Such 
 were the reflections that Father De Andreis 
 suggested to us in many circumstances, 
 but especially with regard to the cordial 
 reception we met with in Baltimore. 
 
 "Meanwhile, the servant of God, without 
 losing time, wrote to apprise our vicar-gen- 
 eral in Rome of our arrival ; he also wrote 
 to the archbishop of Baltimore, who resided 
 at Georgetown, requesting him to grant us 
 the necessary faculties ; and to Bishop Fla- 
 get, at Bardstown in Kentucky, to obtain 
 from him some information respecting the 
 remainder of our journey. In this last let- 
 ter he enclosed the one written by Bishop 
 Dubourg, recommending the missionaries 
 to his attention. The letter he wrote to 
 Rome was as follows : 
 
 "BALTIMORE, July 28th, 1816. 
 
 " 'We safely reached the American shores 
 on the octave-clay of St. Vincent, after
 
 no Life of 
 
 forty-three days of a wearisome sea-voyage, 
 during which the writer suffered less than 
 any one. The good Sulpicians received us 
 as so many angels. "Maria et mantes which 
 seemed so frightful in anticipation, vanish, 
 little by little, as we advance ; -the rest of 
 our journey to St. Louis, is described to us 
 as being of easy accomplishment. We 
 shall start anew, please God, after resting 
 for a month. This morning, to my great 
 delight, I celebrated the most holy sacrifice 
 in the church of the seminary; there was a 
 great concourse of persons, many of whom 
 approached the holy table. Although there 
 exist in this city about a dozen different 
 sects, the Catholics form the richest and 
 most numerous portion of the population ; 
 religion is evidently on the increase, and 
 I was both surprised and delighted to see 
 the number of churches, together with the 
 fervor of the Catholics and the favorable 
 dispositions manifested by our separated 
 brethren towards a reconciliation with 
 their true mother the Church. I sincerely 
 hope we may find the same sentiments 
 among the Indians. We are all in good 
 health, notwithstanding our journey and 
 the change of diet; things which in Rome 
 would have been very injurious to me, here 
 cause me no inconvenience. And thus has
 
 Very Rev. Felix DC Andreis, C. M. in 
 
 Divine Providence arranged all things ; in 
 Rome, I was in spite of myself, a burden 
 and a trouble to all my good companions, 
 of whose society I was not worthy on ac- 
 count of my more than gigantic pride and 
 self-love, which, with all my efforts I have 
 not yet succeeded in subduing perfectly; 
 therefore the Almighty has designed to 
 bury me among the savages, whither I am 
 now hastening with the greatest joy, firmly 
 resolved to live and die in complete forget- 
 ful ness of all creatures. There remains for 
 me nothing more to desire in this world 
 but death ; delay will only make me long 
 the more for it. 
 
 "The Lord vouchsafes to favor me with 
 profound peace in the midst of the troubles 
 inseparable from my employment. I beg 
 your prayers and those of the Community. 
 
 FEUX DE ANDREIS." 
 
 In reply to the letter which the servant 
 of God addressed to the archbishop of Bal- 
 timore, then residing at Georgetown, he 
 received a most courteous answer, granting 
 him and his companions the most ample 
 faculties. Bishop Flaget also wrote, en- 
 couraging them to start for Pittsburg as soon 
 as possible before the winter should set in, 
 promising that he would do everything in
 
 112 Life Of 
 
 his power to assist them. This caused them 
 to decide upon their immediate departure. 
 
 "Having made the requisite arrange- 
 ments," continues De Andreis, "a semina- 
 rist, Brother Blanka, and the two postu- 
 lants, set out from Baltimore on foot, on 
 the 3d of September. They were to accom- 
 pany our baggage ; the others, who were 
 not strong enough to go on foot, started on 
 the icth, in a public conveyance which we 
 had previously bespoken, at a high price. 
 It was a kind of diligence, called here a 
 * 'stage," very inconvenient, and exposed to 
 all the inclemency of the weather. Eight 
 of us got into it, with our travelling bags. 
 The first day everything went on well ; we 
 spent the night at Chambersburg, one of 
 the congregations, (or rather parishes,) of 
 Father Zochi, a Roman, who, when we 
 passed through, was in another place called 
 Taneytown. The next day the rain began, 
 and seemed to follow us for four or five days, 
 during which we passed over the most 
 frightful roads; we were obliged to get out 
 every now and then, to ease the vehicle. 
 Two occurrences, almost of a miraculous 
 nature, took place on the way ; one was 
 that Father Aquaroni and two others, wish- 
 ing to take a shorter route through the
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 113 
 
 woods, having lost the road during half a 
 day, thereby causing us the greatest anxi- 
 ety, were found at our first stopping place. 
 The other circumstance to which I allude, 
 and of which, I was, myself an eyewitness, 
 was as follows: an enormous fragment of 
 rock became detached from its place, and 
 rolling rapidly down the mountain, crossed 
 the road at the very moment that two of 
 our companions were passing. It seemed 
 impossible for them to escape death, or, at 
 the very least, severe injury; but they were 
 preserved, the immense mass passing with- 
 in a hair's breadth of their feet, without 
 touching them. The rain continued to fall 
 in such torrents that it was almost impos- 
 sible to continue our journey. Night over- 
 took us at the foot of a steep hill, where, 
 with the excessive rains, the bad roads 
 filled with ruts, and the fatigue of the hor- 
 ses, (one of which fell and had to be raised 
 on his legs again,) we were reduced to the 
 most pitiful condition. Indeed one among 
 iis, could not refrain from shedding tears.*) 
 And, in fact, there we were, in the midst of 
 
 *) While perusing the account which Father 
 De Andreis gives us of the dangers and difficulties 
 encountered by himself and his companions, during 
 this and their subsequent journey to St. Louis, the 
 reader should bear in niitid, that ninety years ago, 
 none of the present rapid modes of travelling were 
 common in the United States, and that, consequent-
 
 ii4 Life of 
 
 frightful precipices, in the impossibility of 
 seeing each other, as the rain prevented us 
 from having a light ; far from the habita- 
 tions of men, with streams of water running 
 off, with no aid to raise up the horse, and 
 no way to continue our journey. It is hard 
 to depict all the horror of such a situation. 
 At length, after many efforts, the horse was 
 lifted up ; wet through as we were, we 
 returned to the "stage," where, every mo- 
 ment, we were in danger of being upset ; 
 and, after two or three hours, we arrived at 
 a wretched inn, where there was not fire 
 enough to dry our dripping garments. 
 
 "The next day we reached a place called 
 'Bloody-Run,' so named in memory of the 
 outrages there committed by the savages. 
 Here we seemed to be in the midst of a 
 spacious sea, for the whole country had 
 been inundated ; we were, therefore, de- 
 tained for some days, at no slight expense. 
 We started at last, but after proceeding 
 some three or four miles, the driver very 
 coolly put us down at an inn and turned 
 back, under pretext that the Juniata hav- 
 ing overflowed its banks, the stage would 
 
 ly, a journey which could now be performed with 
 the utmost facility, was then an undertaking at- 
 tended with no slight amount of peril and incon- 
 venience.
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 115 
 
 not be able to cross it. Thus, after paying 
 the whole fare to the end of our journey, we 
 were left half-way on the road. Luckily, I 
 had a letter of introduction to an Italian 
 doctor who lived at Bedford, on the other 
 side of the river. I therefore requested 
 one of our priests and a student to ford the 
 river, as best they could, in order to convey 
 it to its address, and procure another stage. 
 Their undertaking succeeded, and the next 
 day we crossed the river in boats, which 
 being long and narrow, we had to be very 
 careful while in them, to preserve out- 
 equilibrium. On the opposite bank we 
 found the stage awaiting us, and in it we 
 proceeded on another day's journey ; but, 
 towards evening, or, if I mistake not, the 
 following morning, we met with the same 
 difficulties at Stoystown. Here we had to 
 remain two or three days more, to wait for 
 another stage. It came at length, but was 
 already crowded with passengers, and we 
 were told that it would be vain to wait for 
 another. The expenses which we incurred 
 threatened to leave us without resources, in 
 a country where there were but a few dis- 
 persed Catholics, no church, no priest, and 
 amid strangers, whose language and cus- 
 toms were entirely foreign to our own. 
 Having well considered the matter, we put
 
 u6 Life of 
 
 our baggage into a wagon and set out on 
 foot, in two bands. Then it was that, 
 happening to be alone, and somewhat apart 
 from the rest of the company, in the midst 
 of these frightful mountains, in doubt as to 
 the road and scarcely knowing how to get 
 on, the smiling picture of Rome, its chur- 
 ches, and the friends I had left there, pre- 
 sented themselves to my mind in glowing 
 colors, and like daggers, made me ex- 
 perience, for an instant, all the tortures of 
 melancholy; but thank God, faith, and the 
 desire of the salvation of souls, soon 
 brought back to my soul peace and seren- 
 ity. A few days later we found a stage, 
 and arrived at Pittsburg on the iQth of 
 September. Here we accomplished the 
 vow we had made to St. Vincent, and re- 
 ceived letters from Europe, which were a 
 considerable source of consolation to us. We 
 were well received by the Catholics of the 
 place ; but I think I remember to have 
 related all that occurred, in some of my 
 previous letters." 
 
 Only one of the letters written by the 
 servant of God, from Pittsburg, has reached 
 us; it is dated the 2 ad of September, 1816, 
 and addressed to Rev. Mr. Sicardi, Vicar- 
 General of the Congregation. It is in the 
 following terms:
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 117 
 
 "As I feel sure of affording you, as well 
 as my dear companions, some gratification, 
 by an account of our long and disastrous 
 journey, I will, in fancy, turn with my pen 
 from this our third station, towards ever 
 dear Rome, which becomes only the more 
 beloved as we advance into the midst of 
 these regions, almost destitute of any 
 vestige of Catholicity. Having set out in 
 two parties from Baltimore, we crossed, 
 partly on foot and partly in wretched 
 vehicles, the rugged mountains of Pennsyl- 
 vania; some of us accomplished the journey 
 in nine, others in ten days ; but, for all, 
 it was attended with great expense and in- 
 convenience. The distance we had to go 
 was about three hundred miles ; and, not 
 meeting with any Catholic church on our 
 way, we could neither celebrate nor hear 
 Mass. The worst of it was however, that 
 even when we reached Pittsburg, a pretty 
 considerable town, in a commercial point 
 of view, there was no means of obtaining 
 this consolation. Among a population of 
 ten thousand, the Catholics scarcely num- 
 ber three hundred. They are also gen- 
 erally very poor, so that the church is al- 
 most destitute of everything; the pastor, 
 who has under his care a parish nearly 
 equal in extent to ten dioceses, is constantly
 
 u8 Life of 
 
 employed in visiting his parishioners. He 
 was absent when we arrived, and having 
 taken with him the chalice, our devotion 
 no less than that of the people, was dis- 
 appointed, for all seemed most anxious to 
 see us officiate. At last a pewter chalice 
 was found, but there was no paten ; how- 
 ever, yesterday late in the evening, having 
 gone with one of my companions to our 
 lodging in the house of a worthy Catholic 
 family, a paten was found, most unexpec- 
 tedly. I sent my companion to bear the 
 good news to the others and to the prin- 
 cipal Catholics of the place, who soon 
 spread the tidings from house to house ; so 
 that, this morning we celebrated our five 
 Masses, including one that was chanted. 
 Those who did not celebrate went to com- 
 munion, and this afternoon we had Ves- 
 pers, after which a good Catholic invited 
 us all to dine with him on the morrow. We 
 attribute our success in finding all that was 
 requisite for the most holy sacrifice, to the 
 intercession of the Blessed Virgin, whose 
 feast of the Seven Dolors we celebrate to- 
 day; may she be for ever blessed! We 
 have been most earnestly requested to hear 
 confessions and to preach, but my English 
 will not, as yet, allow me to venture so far. 
 Of eight persons, only seven of us under-
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 119 
 
 stand French. We are waiting for our 
 troublesome baggage, in order to embark 
 immediately on the Ohio for Louisville, in 
 Kentucky, the boat which is to convey us 
 being in readiness. Everything is very 
 dear here; we had to pay twenty crowns 
 for a small cart to carry our traveling-bags 
 for about thirty-five miles. A boat, to 
 cross a small river, cost us three crowns; 
 and, for a common portfolio which, at 
 Rome, would cost three paoli, we had to 
 pay here five crowns. Everything else is 
 in proportion. Very little coin is in cir- 
 culation ; banknotes are negotiated with 
 great caution, according to different local- 
 ities of the United States. Divine Provi- 
 dence blesses us with most extraordinary 
 marks of continual assistance, causing to 
 fall into our hands sums of no less than 
 three hundred crowns at a time, and in- 
 deed, no less than that would suffice to 
 pay, in so expensive a country, for the 
 food, clothing, and travelling expenses of 
 twelve persons. We are all in excellent 
 health, notwithstanding our hardships, the 
 constant privation of wine, soup, etc. The 
 perspiration often freezes on our skin, for 
 here it may almost be said that we have 
 the four seasons in one day. In the morn- 
 ing one shivers with cold, and a few hours
 
 120 Life of 
 
 after is ready to melt with the heat. When 
 we first arrived, we went to the hotel; but 
 seeing that our lodging would cost us about 
 two crowns a day, we removed to the house 
 of a poor Catholic family, where we are 
 now boarding. We are not very comfort- 
 able, but we are all cheerful and happy, 
 consoling ourselves in the Lord, living 
 peacefully together like good brethren, 
 mutually encouraging one another to unite 
 our sufferings with those of the Son of 
 God, who endured so much for the sal- 
 vation of souls. We have meditation, 
 spiritual reading, conferences, etc., accord- 
 ing to the custom of the Congregation, and 
 everything is conducted with admirable 
 harmony. 
 
 "FELIX DE ANDREIS, 
 " Priest of the Congregation of the Mission." 
 "We had to remain," continues the ser- 
 vant of God in his Journal, "until the 
 23rd of October at Pittsburg, the waters of 
 the Ohio being too low to allow us to pro- 
 ceed on our way. On the above-named day 
 we started in a sort of vessel called a 'flat- 
 boat,' made precisely like a small house, 
 the roof of which served as a deck. It was 
 a moving sight to behold the banks of the 
 river crowded with people who came to 
 bid us farewell ; many of them gave us
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andrcis^ C. M. 121 
 
 considerable sums of money, and exhibited 
 lively marks of sorrow for our departure. 
 Our voyage went on very well; there is 
 not, I think, in the whole world, a river 
 whose banks are more diversified with 
 beautiful scenery ; from time to time we 
 went ashore on one side or the other of the 
 splendid stream, which is about six times 
 the length of the Tiber, and we walked 
 about among the thick forests, where no 
 human foot ever trod save that of the 
 savage, nor human voice but theirs had 
 ever been heard. Joyfully we made the 
 echoes repeat, for the first time, the sweet 
 names of Jesus and Mary ! In these forests 
 one is stopped at every step, by brush- 
 wood and pendent branches, while the 
 ground seems to sink under the feet, 
 covered as it is with decayed trunks of 
 trees and leaves, which have fallen during 
 so many years. There is also some danger 
 in advancing too far into the woods, on 
 account of snakes, especially rattlesnakes. 
 I saw some of the latter ; their tails are 
 provided with a set of bony rings, running 
 one into another ; when the serpent moves, 
 these rings give warning of his approach, 
 and allow the traveller time to put himself 
 on his guard. I think I have, elsewhere, 
 mentioned the cordial welcome which we
 
 122 Life of 
 
 received as we went along, but especially 
 at Marietta, where a lawyer, one of the 
 principal citizens of the place, earnestly 
 endeavored to detain us in order that we 
 might teach him the Catholic religion, 
 promising that he would be most docile to 
 all our instructions ; but Providence willed 
 us to be elsewhere. 
 
 At last, on the i9th of November, 1816, 
 we reached Louisville, where, after two or 
 three days rest, I left my party in the house 
 of a good Catholic, and I went on horse- 
 back to Bardstown, about forty miles 
 distant, in order to deliberate with Bishop 
 Flaget, quid faciendum. He was well ac- 
 quainted with Louisiana, having been there 
 some years before, since which period he 
 had kept up a correspondence with persons 
 resident there. We had yet a long way to 
 go to reach St. Louis ; the winter was 
 rapidly approaching ; we ran the risk of 
 being stopped by the ice ; besides which 
 we needed some time in order to study the 
 English language, and become more per- 
 fectly acquainted with the French. The 
 question now was, whether we should go on 
 immediately or stop. The bishop received 
 me with the greatest kindness, and con- 
 vinced me that it would be very imprudent 
 to proceed immediately to St. Louis,
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 123 
 
 where there was nothing prepared to re- 
 ceive us. We therefore resolved to accept 
 the generous offers of Bishop Flaget, and 
 to stop awhile at his seminary of St. 
 Thomas, about four miles from Bards- 
 town. When Bishop Dubourg heard of 
 my determination, he disapproved it ; but, 
 when he arrived on the spot, and saw how 
 matters stood, he could do no less than 
 applaud it." 
 
 This was the fourth delay made by 
 Father De Andreis and his companions, 
 since their departure from Rome. In 
 describing this part of his journey, we have 
 given the details written by his own hand 
 in his journal ; we must however notice 
 that he purposely omits mention of any- 
 thing that might redound to his own 
 praise. We will therefore, in order to 
 supply this deficiency, and acquire some 
 further knowledge of his virtues, return to 
 the account of the journey from Baltimore 
 to Bardstown, as it is given by Bishop 
 Rosati, who minutely describes the daily 
 occurrences as they took place on the way. 
 The following are the words of the worthy 
 prelate : 
 
 "Some may be inclined to think that, 
 during this journey from Baltimore to Pitts-
 
 124 J jii f e f 
 
 burg, performed in an uncomfortable close 
 vehicle, (such as our stage,) over high 
 mountains and through wretched roads, 
 very different from those that have lately 
 been made, we could, but with difficulty, 
 conform to a regular order of common 
 prayer and other exercises, and that it was 
 almost impossible, in the midst of the fre- 
 quent interruptions to which we were 
 liable, to keep ourselves constantly atten- 
 tive to the presence of God. Yet Father 
 De Andreis succeeded in adapting all this 
 to the circumstances of our journey, and he 
 enjoyed the satisfaction of seeing his regu- 
 lations faithfully observed by us all. Every 
 morning when we started, the prayers 
 designated by the Itinerary were recited, 
 followed by the Litany of the most holy 
 Virgin. Then we made an hour's meditation; 
 Father De Andreis proposed the subject, 
 and as we could not make our spiritual 
 reading before day-light, he supplied its 
 place by suggesting pious reflections which 
 penetrated our hearts. In conclusion, we 
 recited the Litany of the Holy Name of 
 Jesus, and the Angelus Domini. Later in 
 the morning we recited the canonical 
 hours, read a chapter in the New Testa- 
 ment, and somewhat later still, another 
 pious book. After dinner, we took an
 
 Very Ra\ telix De Andreis, C. M. 125 
 
 hour's recreation, then recited Vespers and 
 Complin, which were followed after a cer- 
 tain interval, by the third part of the 
 Rosary, Matins and L,auds. We ended the 
 day with the usual prayers, accompanied 
 by examination of conscience. 
 
 "It may, perhaps, seem that so many 
 religious exercises, following so closely 
 one upon an other, must have been weari- 
 some, or at least importunate to travel- 
 lers, tossed about, as we were, among the 
 mountainous and dangerous places through 
 which we had to pass. But such was far 
 from being the case, whether on account 
 of the tact which the servant of God dis- 
 played in arranging all our religious exer- 
 cises, in parts to be performed at suitable 
 hours, or that being himself always in good 
 humor, he was admirably skilled in keep- 
 ing up the spirits of those who surrounded 
 him, by his agreeable and interesting con- 
 versation. Now and then he would relate 
 an amusing anecdote, or enliven us by some 
 pleasant saying ; at other times, discuss 
 some scientific or theological question, and 
 while he excited our curiosity, he filled our 
 minds with useful knowledge. In a word, 
 his conversation was so pleasing that 
 Bishop Dubourg, who was equally remar- 
 kable for his great endowments of inind
 
 126 Life of 
 
 and his polished manners, frequently told 
 me that he had never known any one 
 whose society was so useful and agreeable 
 to him, as that of our servant of God. And 
 thus it happened that time, however long, 
 seemed short, when spent in his company. 
 "But notwithstanding his constant cheer- 
 fulness, the journey was very trying for 
 Father De Andreis, whose health was ex- 
 ceedingly weak, the strength of his body 
 being much inferior to that of his mind. 
 For many years he had been subject to 
 violent attacks of colic, w'hich made him 
 surfer most acutely, and many times during 
 our long journey he experienced them. 
 The jolting of a vehicle without springs, in 
 which ten persons were crowded one upon 
 another, the wretched roads over which we 
 had to travel, the accidents by which some- 
 times our stage was overthrown or broken 
 down in the midst of the mountain tor- 
 rents, and the darkness of night, while a 
 deluge of water was pouring upon us, all 
 this was hard for the youngest and most 
 robust among us ; it can then easily be 
 imagined, how much the delicate health of 
 one like Father De Andreis must have 
 suffered. On one occasion when his 
 clothes had been drenched with rain, he 
 was obliged to wear them in that state for
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 127 
 
 two days, it being utterly impossible to 
 change or dry them. And very far from 
 allowing all these inconveniences to depress 
 his spirits, he was ever cheerful, encour- 
 aging us to bear our sufferings courageous- 
 ly, by the example of what the apostles 
 endured for the salvation of souls. We were 
 sometimes obliged to walk for forty miles 
 across the mountains, but at last, after all 
 our trials, we reached Pittsburg on the igth 
 of September. 
 
 "In this place, as in all others where the 
 servant of God had to remain for any 
 length of time, he was welcomed by the 
 Catholics to whom he was recommended, 
 with all possible marks of affection and 
 respect. But he needed no letters of intro- 
 duction for all who approached him, Pro- 
 testants as well as Catholics, immediately 
 conceived for him sentiments of the strong- 
 est friendship, and even a sort of venera- 
 tion, and all were eager to testify these 
 feelings whenever an opportunity offered. 
 In 1816, Pittsburg was not such as it is 
 now, but even then one could, in a measure 
 foresee what it would afterwards become. 
 The number of Catholics was pretty large, 
 and the first church erected there, being 
 already too small for the congregation, it 
 was proposed to build another, for which
 
 1 28 Life of 
 
 purpose a suitable piece of ground was pur- 
 chased, whereon a splendid edifice was sub- 
 sequently erected. On our arrival at Pitts- 
 burg, we found that the Rev. Mr. O'Brien 
 was absent ; he had under his care not 
 only this parish, but several others, situated 
 at some distance apart. However, a Cath- 
 olic merchant by the name of Beelen, to 
 whom we had been recommended, was of 
 great assistance to us ; it was he who pro- 
 cured for us suitable lodgings, and took us 
 from the hotel, to which we went on our 
 arrival, and where our expenses were very 
 considerable. Some among us availed our- 
 selves of the hospitality generously offered 
 by some of the Catholics of the place, and 
 Father De Andreis, with a few others, went 
 to board in a poor but respectable Catholic 
 family. Shortly after, we enjoyed the satis- 
 faction of welcoming our three companions 
 who, in order to accompany our baggage, 
 had taken a longer route. To continue our 
 journey we had to embark upon the Ohio, 
 which is usually about a mile in width, but, 
 at this season of the year its waters were 
 so low that we were forced to postpone our 
 departure for a period, which turned out to 
 be longer than we at first anticipated. But 
 Father De Andreis knew how to derive 
 profit even from these delays, which neces-
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andreis, C. M . 129 
 
 sity alone compelled us to make, and which 
 he might have devoted to rest. He daily 
 employed his missionaries in the customary 
 duties of the Congregation, and in the study 
 of the sacred doctrines and the English 
 language. Our lodgings being somewhat 
 distant from the church, so only one in turn 
 said Mass every day, and the others re- 
 ceived holy communion. Father De An- 
 dreis subjected himself, like the others, to 
 this regulation, desiring that no exceptions 
 should be made for him on account of his 
 rank as superior. However, on Sundays, 
 all offered the holy sacrifice and assisted 
 at high Mass and Vespers, which we 
 chanted with great recollection and solem- 
 nity. All the inhabitants of the place who 
 assisted at the ceremonies, both Protestants 
 and Catholics, were deeply touched, never 
 having witnessed in Pittsburg anything 
 similar. Very solemn was also the festival 
 of the death of St. Vincent, which in ful- 
 filment of our vow already mentioned, we 
 celebrated on the 27th of September. The 
 Rev. Mr. O'Brien, who returned before 
 this, was edified, and conceived sincere 
 esteem and affection for our venerated 
 superior. 
 
 4 'We enquired almost every day about 
 the means of continuing our journey, but
 
 130 Life oj 
 
 so many obstacles presented themselves 
 that we were a long time in doubt with 
 regard to it. In 1816, navigation upon the 
 Ohio was very slow and difficult. It is 
 true that a few small steamboats were to be 
 seen on its waters, but this was seldom and 
 the fare they exacted was exorbitant, being 
 no less than two thousand dollars for twelve 
 persons. Father De Andreis could not 
 think himself justified in giving so large a 
 sum, not only because he had no money to 
 spare, but because his love of poverty in- 
 spired him with the strictest economy. He 
 therefore preferred to take our passage on 
 one of those rough barks, called by the 
 people of the place, 4 ' flat-boats," and 
 which somewhat resemble those which are 
 made use of in sea -port towns to convey 
 merchandise on board large ships, or those 
 by which troops are sometimes landed on a 
 shallow coast. In this wretched vessel, 
 very poorly sheltered from the inclemency 
 of the weather, Father De Andreis and his 
 Missionaries embarked for Louisville, 
 which is about six hundred miles from 
 Pittsburg. Many of the inhabitants accom- 
 panied him to the boat, and only left the 
 shore when he had completely disappeared 
 from their view. 
 
 ' 'In this portion of our travels as in the
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Audreis, C. M. 131 
 
 others, the servant of God, always the 
 same, conformed as usual to the practice 
 of his rules, and to all the devout exercises 
 of a religious community, not neglecting 
 the study of the English language and of 
 theology. He was, above all, careful to 
 give us good example, while he refused to 
 avail himself of any privilege or distinction. 
 He had to surfer much from the cold, which 
 was very severe; the rain sometimes poured 
 down in such torrents as almost to overflow 
 our common dormitory, while occasionally 
 the snow found entrance between the 
 boards; but in the midst of all these incon- 
 veniences he ever showed a cheerful coun- 
 tenance, and in truth we were almost 
 tempted to believe that the sensations of 
 nature were extinct within him. The sub- 
 limity of his soul shone forth still more 
 brightly while sanctifying the Sundays and 
 festivals that occurred during our journey. 
 On All Saints we rose at four, in order that 
 every one might have the opportunity of 
 saying Mass, and on the following day 
 we chanted the Office for the Dead and the 
 Requiem Mass. In this way did Father 
 De Andreis shed everywhere around him 
 the good odor of Jesus Christ, for not only 
 were the Catholics whom we met from 
 time to time, edified by our manner of life,
 
 132 Life of 
 
 but also the Protestants, who had never 
 seen Catholic missionaries before. Struck 
 with what they beheld in us, they would 
 enquire who we were, where we were go- 
 ing, and what was the object of our mis- 
 sion ; and on receiving an explanation of 
 it, would gather around eagerly pressing 
 us to remain among them, promising that 
 if we did so, we should be well provided 
 for and have many followers. Some of us 
 having gone ashore, a few miles from 
 Marietta, met a person on horseback, in the 
 garb of a hunter. He seemed well educated 
 and accosted us very politely. We after- 
 wards discovered that he was a lawyer. He 
 questioned us very closely, and having re- 
 ceived satisfactory answers to his numerous 
 interrogatories, with much kindness of- 
 fered us part of the produce of his chase. 
 He then accompanied us on our return to 
 the boat and entreated us to pay him a 
 visit at his house, which was at no very 
 great distance from the river-side. We 
 cheerfully accepted his invitation and 
 went to his dwelling, where he introduced 
 us to his wife and children, the former 
 having been an invalid for the last sixteen 
 years. We enquired if our host and his 
 family professed any religion, and being 
 told that they knew of none we spoke to
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 133 
 
 them of the Catholic faith and of the 
 necessity of receiving and practising its 
 doctrines. To these words the poor family 
 listened with tears, while they made the 
 most generous offers and promises to any 
 one of us who would remain with them, 
 even for a short time. One of you at 
 least, said they, can stay with us; and we 
 were all deeply touched by their entreaties. 
 But we could not remain long, and when 
 the time for our departure drew near, we 
 knelt down (the father and his sons follow- 
 ing our example ) and implored the blessing 
 of God upon this interesting family. The 
 master of the house obliged us to accept 
 somefruit, and then with a worthy old man 
 who was present, he accompanied us back 
 to the boat. Here he espied the crucifix, 
 and, taking off his hat kissed it most 
 respectfully after which he embraced each 
 one of us in turn, recommended himself 
 anew to our prayers, and received with 
 gratitude a catechism and some other 
 books which we gave him. This and 
 some other occurrences of a similar nature, 
 made a deep impression on the mind of 
 Father De Andreis, so that the ardor of his 
 zeal for the salvation of souls appeared in 
 his countenance, and thus enkindled in the 
 hearts of his companions the flame which 
 consumed his own.
 
 134 Life of 
 
 "As we passed Gallipolis we heard 
 that about forty Catholic families, of 
 French origin, were living there without a 
 church, a priest, or any means of practising 
 their religion. It was indeed painful for 
 us not to be able to stop, for a few days at 
 least, to render some assistance to people so 
 sadly abandoned. But we could not delay 
 the boat, and were prevented by the same 
 reason from stopping at Cincinnati, where 
 many Catholics resided, also without a 
 church, being visited from time to time 
 by Father Fen wick, of the Dominican Or- 
 der, who afterwards died bishop of Cincin- 
 nati. On the 1 9th of November our boat 
 landed us at Louisville. At this place we 
 soon found lodgings prepared for us in the 
 house of a good Catholic, through the kind 
 precaution of Bishop Flaget. The latter 
 had been frequently in Louisville, previous 
 to our arrival, in order to meet us ; but be- 
 ing obliged to absent himself at the time 
 we reached there, he left a letter in which 
 he apologized for his inability to be in 
 Louisville, and earnestly begged Father De 
 Andreis to meet him in Bardstown before 
 he continued his journey, so that, both to- 
 gether, they might deliberate on what was 
 best to be done under the circumstances. 
 
 "On the reception of this letter Father
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 135 
 
 De Andreis, leaving his companions in 
 Louisville, went to confer with Bishop 
 Flaget. The holy prelate gave him a most 
 cordial welcome, and then spoke of his future 
 destination and that of the Missionaries 
 who accompanied him. The Bishop told 
 him candidly that, to set out immediately 
 for St. Louis did not seem to him a wise de- 
 termination, and that it would be better to 
 defer their departure to a later period. 
 'The people of St. Louis,' said he, 'have 
 not yet been informed by Bishop Dubourg 
 of your arrival, and certainly, however well 
 disposed they may be, it will be a great 
 surprise to see you arrive thus suddenly 
 among them. Neither will they be able to 
 give you a suitable residence ; and although 
 I am certain that you would be satisfied 
 with even a wretched cabin, yet your 
 new habitation must be large enough to 
 hold you all, and be likewise adapted to the 
 functions of your institute. Now, all this 
 requires both time and money, and as I 
 know you have not at your command 
 sufficient funds, either for your maintenance 
 or the construction of the building which 
 you need, you cannot at the present time, 
 make a good beginning. Besides this, it is 
 requisite that you and your companions 
 should be well acquainted with the French
 
 136 Life oj 
 
 and English languages ; and it will be diffi- 
 cult, if not impossible for them, as well as 
 yourself, to acquire a perfect knowledge of 
 these tongues while merely studying among 
 yourselves without the aid of an experienced 
 guide to direct you. All these things well 
 considered, it is my opinion that you should 
 all, priests and lay-brothers, remain for 
 some time in Kentucky, and here await the 
 arrival of your bishop. Meanwhile you will 
 be able to learn the languages, and take the 
 necessary measures to found in St. Louis, 
 a useful establishment. You can likewise 
 during your residence in this place, begin 
 to pave the way for a favorable reception in 
 your future mission. Such is my opinion,' 
 concluded Bishop Flaget ; 'if it meets with 
 your approbation, my dear Father De An- 
 dreis, and if this locality and my poverty 
 be not too disagreeable, you are welcome to 
 them, for I am willing to share with you 
 all that I possess. My seminary (which is 
 my ordinary residence) is situated at a place 
 called St. Thomas ; it is at your service. 
 Let us then live there together in common, 
 like good brothers.' 
 
 *' Father De Andreis was charmed with 
 these affectionate words, and, being also in- 
 timately convinced of the strength of the 
 arguments, brought forward by the good
 
 Very Rev, Felix De Andreis, C. M. 137 
 
 bishop, lie determined not to prosecute his 
 journey any farther. He therefore thanked 
 the bishop, and willingly accepted his gen- 
 erous offer. This arrangement being con- 
 cluded, the priest who had accompanied 
 Father De Andreis, and the procurator of 
 the seminary, returned to Louisville, bring- 
 ing word that the remainder of the party 
 should go on horseback, to Bardstown, and 
 there remain. All were delighted at this, 
 and set out forthwith for the seminary of 
 St. Thomas. The superior of that place 
 was, at that time, the Rev. Fr. David, 
 afterwards bishop of Maiiricastro, and coad- 
 jutor bishop of Bardstown. He had then 
 under his guidance, twenty young ecclesi- 
 astics ; they all resided together, in a house 
 constructed of logs, the crevices of which 
 were filled with clay, which, in drying, be- 
 came as hard as stone. The upper part, 
 roofed with rough boards, served as their 
 common dormitory. Not far from the 
 seminary was the episcopal residence, also 
 constructed of logs, but somewhat better 
 put together. It was divided into two stories 
 besides the basement. The first floor con- 
 tained three rooms, the largest of which 
 served as a school-room and refectory. 
 Fathers De Andreis and Rosati were located 
 in the two others. The bishop had his
 
 138 Life of 
 
 room in the upper story ; near it was a small 
 cabinet, used as a library, and which he 
 gave up to one of our band. Some were 
 lodged in the seminary, and others in the 
 houses of good Catholic families. 
 
 "Father De Andreis was never weary of 
 admiring the generous hospitality of the 
 holy bishop of Bardstown, who notwith- 
 standing his poverty and the sinallness of 
 his dwelling, received us with such affec- 
 tionate charity, sharing with us not only 
 his table and his house, but even his own 
 room. The servant of God never ceased 
 to bless Divine Providence for having led 
 him and his companions to a place where 
 he could so well learn the practice of the 
 sacred ministry in this country, and be 
 guided by the experience of two such holy 
 men as Bishop Flaget and Father David. 
 Both of those zealous and vigilant pastors 
 had grown old in the labors of the Apos- 
 tolic career ; and, for many years, they had 
 been employed on the American mission, to 
 the great advantage of the flock confided to 
 their care. "And most assuredly," adds 
 Bishop Rosati, "we learned from them 
 many useful things, of which it might have 
 been very prejudicial to ourselves and 
 others that we should be ignorant. For 
 example, they advised us not to attack cer- 
 tain customs of the country, which were
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 139 
 
 not wrong in themselves, nor opposed to 
 the gospel or the laws of the Church, but 
 merely different from the customs of 
 Europe. A certain amount of toleration is 
 laudable and if it had always been observed 
 by other missionaries, many scandals would 
 have been prevented ; the enemies of Chris- 
 tianity would not have so many arguments 
 against us, and, in fine, the abjuration of 
 heretics, and the conversion of infidels and 
 savages would become a work of much less 
 difficulty." Such were the instructions, 
 which these two excellent prelates with so 
 much prudence recommended ; they sup- 
 ported them by many peculiar facts which 
 had already oc cured, and, both the servant 
 of God and Bishop Rosati found out in 
 course of time, by their own experience, 
 how important these instructions were.*) 
 
 *) Father De Andreis, thanking God for this use- 
 ful advice, thus expresses himself in his considera- 
 tions: "Dcnique hoc Bardense seminarium tant- 
 quant probaticam piscinam mihi paraveras, ut hie 
 alteritts generis mirabilia intus experirer. Frustra 
 cottarer exponere omnia commoda et utilitates, quas 
 hie invenire nobis fuit et quoad corpus, et quoad 
 animam. Difficile admodum dictu est quot ascen- 
 siones in corde nostro disposuisti, per quot adiuncta 
 et inexplicabiliafacta voluntatem tuam manifestasti , 
 et hie quasi Juturce missionis tyrocinium suppedi- 
 tasti in doctrina linguarum, in morum regionis 
 hujus agnitione in ministerii experitneiito, in solitu- 
 dinis emoluments, in fnnctionum preparandaruin 
 opportunitate, in quiete et tranquil itale, in gradata 
 vit& hujus habitatione."
 
 140 Life of 
 
 But the best instruction, and that which 
 made the most impression on Father De 
 Andreis and his companions, was the irre- 
 proachable and austere life led by the two 
 bishops in their little seminary. Both of 
 them observed total abstinence from all in- 
 toxicating liquors, the use of which some 
 had endeavored to justify, under the 
 specious pretext that they were a substitute 
 for wine, which could not always be ob- 
 tained in some parts of the country. These 
 liquors were therefore banished from the 
 common table of the seminary, as well as 
 from the bishop's private apartments ; and 
 in consequence of this invariable rule, 
 when persons offered anything of the kind 
 as a present, to recruit the strength of these 
 two laborious prelates, they never accepted 
 any such donation. This example of mor- 
 tification, being followed by the priests and 
 students of the seminary, was a source of 
 much edification to all the faithful of the 
 diocese where, unfortunately, the use of 
 strong drinks generally prevailed ; and 
 Fathers De Andreis and Rosati, seeing this 
 abstinence so strictly observed, determined 
 to follow it in the same manner, as soon as 
 they were settled in St. Louis. 
 
 Meanwhile Father De Andreis was ap- 
 pointed by the Rev. Fr. David, to teach
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andreis, C. M . 141 
 
 theology in the seminary and his lessons 
 were no less beneficial to the ecclesiastics 
 of Bardstown, than they had been to so 
 many others in Rome. The best of it was, 
 that while the servant of God spoke as a 
 master, on questions concerning the sacred 
 sciences, he himself became a scholar in 
 the study of the English language, under 
 Father David. He came every day with 
 the others, his "spelling-book" in his 
 hand, for, though he already possessed a 
 tolerable knowledge of the language, and 
 could even write it pretty well, he desired 
 to perfect himself in it, and especially to 
 acquire a correct pronunciation. He was 
 not ashamed then, to seem but a beginner 
 in this study, and to place himself on a 
 level with the scholars to whom he taught 
 theology in so masterly a manner ; using, 
 like them, the elementary books of the 
 language, learning and reciting the usual 
 lessons, and stammering over the English 
 like a child just beginning to learn. He 
 took the utmost delight in this humiliation, 
 and said, several times, Those words of the 
 Gospel, "nisi efficiamini sicut parvuli, non 
 intrabitis in regnum coelorum," must be 
 literally fulfilled in our regard. Father 
 David, on his side, was very much pleased 
 to give these lessons of English, saying,
 
 142 Life of 
 
 with holy pleasantry, that he cheerfully ex- 
 changed them for those of theology, which 
 Father De Andreis gave so assiduously. 
 Hotv fortunate I am, he would say, to teach 
 you English! I shall share in the merit of 
 your apostolic labors, and when, one of 
 these days, you announce the word of God 
 in various places, I shall, in some sort, 
 preach it myself by your mouth! 
 
 The occupations of Father De Andreis, 
 in the seminary of St. Thomas, were more 
 regular and conformable to his desires, 
 than any others in which he had been em- 
 ployed since he left Rome. He began to 
 preach in English, which he had never yet 
 done ; he also heard confessions in that 
 language, and, in a word, exercised all the 
 functions of the sacred ministry, being very 
 much delighted to be enabled thus to pro- 
 mote still more the glory of God and the 
 salvation of souls. He translated his ser- 
 mons into English, having already put 
 many of them into French ; his translations 
 were excellent, because he had learned the 
 beauties of both languages from the best 
 writers both in prose and poetry. Whenever 
 he went out to walk with his pupils, he 
 conversed with them in English, and 
 desired to be told whenever he made use of 
 any unsuitable expression.
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 143 
 
 He did not fail to include in his studies, 
 the best ascetic books, especially the writ- 
 ings of St. John of the Cross, St. Theresa, 
 St. Francis de Sales, Father Saurin, Boud- 
 ran, and others. It was his delight to read 
 these books, because, in the sublime per- 
 fection which they taught, he beheld that 
 to which he himself aspired, and felt his 
 love for God increase by the holy inspira- 
 tions which they breathed. His heart 
 became more and more inflamed with this 
 divine love, during his profound medita- 
 tions, his exercises of piety, and his fre- 
 quent and fervent visits to the most holy 
 Sacrament of the Altar. To all this he 
 united the most affectionate kindness to- 
 wards his missionaries, and, in fact, to- 
 wards every one. He watched over their 
 health and comforted them in their trials. 
 The moment he perceived any one in 
 trouble, he endeavored to win his con- 
 fidence, in order to dispel from his mind 
 any symptom of sadness ; and, when they 
 all gathered around him, he encouraged 
 them to put their whole trust in God, or 
 amused them by some interesting anecdote. 
 As they all experienced the effects of his 
 paternal solicitude, they easily manifested 
 to him the most secret emotions of their 
 hearts, and nearly all desired to have him 
 for their confessor.
 
 144 Life of 
 
 During his stay at Bardstown, Father De 
 Andreis judged it expedient to send to Rome 
 some further information concerning him- 
 self and his companions ; we will therefore 
 give his letter precisely as written by him- 
 self. It will not merely afford more ample 
 details on what has already been said, but 
 may mention some facts that have perhaps 
 been omitted. It is addressed to the Rev. 
 Mr. Sicardi, and dated November agth, 
 1816.*) 
 
 "I avail myself of an opportunity afforded 
 me by the Very Rev. Vicar-General of the 
 Jesuit fathers in America, who is going to 
 visit the capital of the Christian world. I 
 am much obliged to him for his attention, 
 though I have not the honor of knowing 
 him otherwise than by his letters ; if you 
 are kind enough to write to me in return, 
 you can send me your reply by the same 
 Rev. Father. These facilities occur so sel- 
 dom, that we must not lose sight of them. 
 
 "The change of climate, food, etc., has 
 caused me to suffer not a little during the 
 past winter. At one time the cold was so 
 intense, that I fell down at the altar, ap- 
 
 *) From the contents of this letter, we perceive, 
 that, though it bears a previous date, it must have 
 been written after the next, -which is dated January 
 6th, 1817.
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 145 
 
 parently lifeless, and it was with great dif- 
 ficulty that animation was restored. I am 
 now in excellent health, and, since Lent, 
 have been preaching and hearing con- 
 fessions in English. Father Rosati does 
 the same, and the other three priests are 
 preparing to follow our example. Father 
 Rosati has been absent since Easter, on a 
 mission with a Sulpician priest. They have 
 gone to a^poor Catholic locality, called 
 Fort Vincennes, inhabited by persons of 
 French origin, who scarcely ever see a 
 priest more than once or twice during the 
 year. I am in daily expectation of Father 
 Rosati 's return. 
 
 "The life of a missionary, in this coun- 
 try, is pretty hard ; he must be constantly 
 on horseback, finding his way here and 
 there through immense woods, to visit the 
 sick and attend the congregations. Some- 
 times he is obliged to go thirty or forty 
 miles to see a sick person. The congrega- 
 tions are what we call parishes ; the people 
 assemble in cabins, built of trunks of trees, 
 laid one upon another, the interstices being 
 filled up with clay, (like the greater num- 
 ber of houses, into which the wind and 
 rain enter without difficulty. ) These are our 
 churches, without pictures and ornaments 
 of any kind, provided merely with a poor
 
 146 Life of 
 
 wooden altar. They are scattered about 
 among the woods, and on festival days, 
 Catholics, and not unfrequently Protes- 
 tants too, for ten or fifteen miles around, 
 gather together within their walls. All 
 come on horseback, and it is really amus- 
 ing to behold the surrounding woods filled 
 with horses, and to hear them neighing as 
 if a regiment of cavalry were in the vicin- 
 ity. Confessions take up the greater part 
 of the morning, Mass is said or sung, a 
 .sermon or homily preached, and then fol- 
 low the baptisms, generally very num- 
 erous; the sick must be visited, and the 
 poor priest, worn out with fasting, fatigue, 
 the journey, and the heat, has at length to 
 beg his dinner here or there. This meal 
 usually consists in some corn-bread, beef- 
 steak, and water, without wine, vinegar, 
 soup, or oil. Sometimes he is obliged to 
 say two Masses and to preach in places far 
 apart, for the people are very much dis- 
 persed, every one being employed in cul- 
 tivating his own land. There are neither 
 towns nor villages; you see no peasantry 
 nor servants ; all the work is done by negro 
 slaves, who are very numerous. 
 
 "The other evening, having been sent 
 for to visit a sick person, about twenty 
 miles away, I was left alone in the midst of
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 147 
 
 the woods, without a guide or horse, the 
 latter having made his escape into the 
 forest while I dismounted for a moment, 
 and the guide had to run after him some 
 time before he succeeded in bringing him 
 back. However, the actual good that is 
 done and that which we hope to realize is 
 a great consolation. Last week, I was 
 called to assist a poor sick woman, whose 
 only dwelling was a miserable cabin, in 
 which she and her whole family were 
 living. As this could not possibly accom- 
 modate both myself and my horse, a rich 
 Protestant gentleman, who lived about a 
 quarter of a mile farther, came to offer me 
 his house, which I found full of company. 
 Controversial subjects were discussed, and 
 my host was so well satisfied with the man- 
 ner in which his objections were removed , 
 that he promised me he would become a 
 Catholic. Protestants are generally very 
 respectful towards priests, and even make 
 it a point of honor to treat them with all 
 possible politeness and generosity; but 
 priests are too few for the work that has to 
 be done, and they can barely attend to the 
 wants of Catholics. How many die with- 
 out a priest and are buried without his 
 ministry! How many congregations pass 
 entire months, even the greatest festivals of
 
 148 Life of 
 
 Religion, .without: Mass; in a word, with- 
 out a priest ! In this immense diocese of 
 Kentucky, Tennessee and Ohio, there are 
 scarcely twelve priests, including the 
 bishop, who is continually on horseback, 
 riding here and there like the youngest of 
 his missionaries. He goes alone, without 
 any distinction of rank, save that of taking 
 for himself the most difficult and laborious 
 share of the ministry. The Sulpicians do 
 a great deal of good ; we are under veiy 
 considerable obli^o Lions to them for the 
 charitable attention they bestowed upon us 
 at Montpellier, Toulouse, Bordeaux, and 
 Baltimore ; also at the seminary where we 
 now are. They are replete with zeal, 
 religion and piety ; indefatigable and fer- 
 vent in the discharge of their duty, devoted 
 to the Holy See, pure and unerring in the 
 doctrines which they teach. The Domin- 
 icans also render many services to the 
 Church in this country. I had the pleasure 
 of becoming personally acquainted with 
 Father Fenwick, their founder in America, 
 and some others. I have no doubt, indeed 
 I am sure, that when once we begin our 
 establishment, we too shall have many 
 students We expect our bishop in the 
 course of next summer, and we shall go 
 with him to our place of destination. We
 
 Very Rev, Felix De Andreis, C. M. 149 
 
 experience, thank God, the truth of those 
 words of St. Vincent, that One fares well 
 at the Inn of Divine Providence. How ad- 
 mirable ! to be solicitous for nothing, and 
 yet want for nothing ! such is our state. On 
 the one hand, I well know how incapable 
 I am of acting the superior, while on the 
 other, I see that everything goes on well ; 
 better could not be wished were I the most 
 efficient man in the world. Thus, God 
 does all himself, and I can do nothing but 
 annihilate myself in his divine presence, in 
 order to act, speak, let alone, go or stay ; 
 in a word, follow blindly in everything his 
 most holy will, even unto death, which is 
 now the only end I have in view. 
 
 U I have already written to you several 
 times, Reverend sir, and have given you 
 all the news concerning onr band. I have 
 now been teaching six months at the semi- 
 nary. I have ten pupils, four of whom 
 belong to us and the others to Kentucky. 
 Father Rosati does wonders already ; it is 
 easy to see that God has called him to this 
 mission for the execution of great designs. 
 His health is robust, and he has made sur- 
 prising progress in the English language. 
 He began to preach before me, and I very 
 willingly humble myself at his feet, as I 
 ought, seeing that the Almighty grants
 
 150 Life of 
 
 him lights and graces which he very justly 
 refuses me, on account of my sins, ingrat- 
 itude, and unconquerable pride. Indeed I 
 think it rny duty, Reverend sir, in all sin- 
 cerity, and for many reasons which I have 
 not time, at present, to develop fully, to 
 entreat you to transfer to him the office of 
 superior. This, I hope, will meet with 
 universal approbation, and will redound to 
 the greater good of our mission, and of the 
 whole Congregation. I have written in the 
 same strain to Bishop Dubourg, with refer- 
 ence to the office of vicar-general. My 
 pride renders it needful for me to be under 
 a superior, and my capacity is too limited 
 for the pilotage of a bark such as this. I 
 will, however, labor as usual without spar- 
 ing any pains, until I receive your permis- 
 sion to resume the yoke of obedience. I 
 assure you that nothing in the world pos- 
 sesses now any charm for me ; life is a 
 burden, and I desire but death. I know I 
 ought to tremble on account of my sins, but 
 I trust in the infinite mercy of God. We 
 all recommend ourselves to your prayers, 
 and those of the congregation. 
 "I remain, etc., 
 
 "FEUX DE ANDREIS." 
 The same details were given more fully 
 by the servant of God in one of his other
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andreis, C. M . 151 
 
 letters, which we will likewise insert in this 
 place ; it is addressed, like the last, to the 
 Vicar-General of the Congregation of the 
 Mission at Rome, and dated January 5th, 
 1817. 
 
 "With pleasure I prepare to fulfil the 
 task imposed upon me, by giving you 
 Reverend sir, an account of the state of the 
 Congregation in this part of the world, and 
 I undertake it the more willingly, being 
 now enabled to give you some exact infor- 
 mation respecting our future residence, as 
 we are almost on the spot. It is only three 
 hundred miles from here to St. Louis, a 
 journey which can easily be performed on 
 horseback in a week, it not being neces- 
 sary to go up the Mississippi. 
 
 "One must be blind, non plus ultra, not 
 to perceive clearly the hand of God, 
 throughout this undertaking. He removes 
 obstacles, disposes hearts in our favor, 
 opens a way for us, preserves us from dan- 
 ger, and by unforeseen succors, abundantly 
 provides for all our wants, in a country 
 where, as in England, everything is ex- 
 orbitantly dear. We meet everywhere, 
 thanks to the same divine hand, a welcome 
 such as we could hardly expect from our 
 dearest fellow missionaries in Europe, or 
 even from our nearest relatives. The ex* 
 pense of clothing foocj and traveling for
 
 1 5a Life of 
 
 twelve persons, all young and with good 
 appetites, is, of course, considerable ; yet I 
 can assure you that, so far, I have given it 
 no more thought than if I were at Monte 
 Citorio. Our Lord abundantly provides for 
 us without any care 011 our part ; we are, 
 however, ready to suffer poverty, which is 
 the most precious treasure of all Apostolic 
 men. It is true, we had some trials to 
 undergo in our tiresome and inconvenient 
 journey down the Ohio, in a boat made like 
 a cabin, where the rain often visited us 
 even in our beds, and where, in the space 
 of a few feet, (the remainder being crowded 
 with boxes, etc. ) we had our kitchen, re- 
 fectory, church, sacristy, sleeping-room, 
 and everything else, for nearly a month. 
 But when we reached Louisville, after a 
 journey of six hundred miles or more by 
 water, we were most courteously received 
 by a good Catholic, whom the kind bishop 
 of Bardstown, Mgr. Flaget, had requested 
 to receive us into his house. A few days 
 after, in compliance with a letter which I 
 received from the bishop, I started from 
 Louisville for this place, (which is his 
 usual residence, ) in order to deliberate with 
 him whether it woiild be better for us to 
 continue our journey to St. Louis, or remain 
 for some time in Kentucky, the season be-
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 153 
 
 ing already far advanced, and the jour- 
 ney, in consequence, somewhat perilous. 
 The above named bishop, who, in the ab- 
 sence of Bishop Dubourg had been nomi- 
 nated administrator of part of the diocese 
 of Louisiana, agreed with me that for 
 many reasons it would be wiser to remain 
 here until the arrival of Bishop Dubourg, 
 that we might make our formal entrance 
 into the place altogether. I wrote there- 
 fore to my companions, who came here on 
 horseback through the woods, and we pur- 
 pose to remain some time, in order to rest 
 both body and mind, and learn English in 
 a proper manner. Divine Providence has 
 given us an excellent teacher, under whose 
 tuition we hope, in a few weeks, to be able 
 to begin to preach. Our seminary here has 
 something very Trappistic, or Carthusian 
 about it, located as it is in the midst of 
 the forest, in a poor log-house. The bishop 
 is at the head of the seminary, though he 
 is nearly always absent for the purpose of 
 visiting different portions of the Catholic 
 population. Missionaries in this country 
 sometimes ride over ninety or one hundred 
 miles a day, a fact which in Europe, will 
 seem almost incredible. I am employed in 
 teaching moral theology to seven young 
 men, four of whom belong to our company.
 
 154 
 
 I hardly believe there exists a country, to 
 which the words of the gospel: messis 
 multa, operarii autem pauci, would be more 
 applicable than to this. The missionaries 
 work beyond their strength, going con-, 
 stantly on horseback, through these im- 
 mense woods, to assist the Catholic popu- 
 lation scattered here and there. They have 
 not time to attend properly to the con- 
 version of Protestants, who seem well dis- 
 posed and desirous of hearing religious 
 discourses, and who therefore might easily 
 be brought back to the Faith. Not far 
 from the seminary is a house of the Sisters 
 of Charity, established by the zealous 
 pastor of the diocese. They follow the rules 
 of St. Vincent, though in order to adapt 
 themselves to the country, they have made 
 some changes in the dress and regulations ; 
 they also make perpetual vows. We can- 
 not appear in public unless we wear a 
 short coat, cravat, and round hat. In the 
 seminary we wear the cassock, and this 
 having been noticed, some persons came 
 from a long way off to see, as they said, 
 'A Roman priest dressed like a woman.' 
 
 "So far, we are only four belonging to 
 the Congregation. Brother Blanka is very 
 well, although he has much to do, having 
 to attend to the service of the whole band
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 155 
 
 (aided by the two postulants only,) to take 
 care of our movables, which is no little 
 matter, and to have them conveyed from 
 one place to the other. Father Acquaroni 
 acts as procurator in the best way he can, 
 and supplies the dexterity that is wanting in 
 Father Rosati and me. Father Rosati 
 makes rapid progress in the English lan- 
 guage, and his zeal, health, and other ex- 
 cellent qualities, give promise of much 
 good to the country. As for myself, 
 miserable wretch that I am, most unworthy 
 to occupy the place of vicar-general, I 
 hope to be able to discharge some of my 
 numerous debts towards Divine Providence, 
 by laboring and suffering until death, with- 
 out any reserve. Here we drink nothing 
 but water, with the exception of a little 
 coffee in the morning, and tea in the 
 evening, with a piece of corn bread. My 
 stomach finds some difficulty in becoming 
 accustomed to this diet, but I never cease 
 to exclaim : Felix necessitas quae nos ad 
 meliora compellitf We celebrated the 
 Christmas festivals with great pomp, and a 
 pontifical high Mass, which being a most 
 unusual sight here, attracted a large con- 
 course of persons. The only Sulpician, 
 who bears the burden of the whole semi- 
 nary, numbering about twenty members,
 
 156 Life of 
 
 addressed the people ill our presence, and 
 demonstrated very well the truth of the 
 Catholic Church, from the very fact of our 
 coming among them. 
 
 "I perceive clearly, to my great delight, 
 that our Lord vouchsafes to treat me with 
 mercy, as he sends me crosses and humilia- 
 tions enough to check my self-love and force 
 it to take flight. I entreat you to help me by 
 your prayers, and to cause others to come 
 to my aid that I may thank him worthily, 
 for I candidly avow that I know of no 
 grace more precious than these joys of 
 Paradise. 
 
 "Here, almost on the spot, seeing things 
 as they are, or according to the information 
 which we obtain from the bishop, we are 
 certain of the establishment of our semi- 
 nary, and of meeting with many subjects 
 who will seek admittance into our Congre- 
 gation. A little later on we may also 
 hope for several other establishments in 
 various places, having before our eyes the 
 example of what the Jesuits and the 
 Dominicans have done, they being already 
 settled in many places. I have had a per- 
 sonal interview with Father Fenwick, the 
 superior of the Dominicans, and some cor- 
 respondence with good Father Grassi, an 
 Italian, the vicar-general of the Jesuits, a
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andrcis, C. M. 157 
 
 mail about my own age, but gifted with 
 most excellent abilities, which enable him 
 to do wonders in these parts. To him I 
 am indebted for considerable aid, as also 
 for many kind offers. I very much regret 
 that we have not been able to become per- 
 sonally acquainted, all the arrangements 
 made on both sides, for that purpose, 
 having failed. 
 
 "I feel strongly impelled to devote my- 
 self, in a particular manner, to the conver- 
 sion of the Indian tribes who live beyond 
 the Mississippi. Here, no trace of them 
 remains, while on the contrary, the 
 Mississippi, which serves as a boundary to 
 the United States, and separates them from 
 the immense wilderness, which extends 
 even to the Pacific Ocean, flows by St. 
 Louis, and makes of it the central point of 
 all these savage nations. Among these, so 
 far, the light of the gospel has never pene- 
 trated, though they seem well disposed to 
 receive it. Therefore I intend, when our 
 seminary is well established, to leave Father 
 Rosati at its head, and to wend my way, in 
 nomine Domini, along the banks of the 
 Mississippi and Missouri, preaching the 
 gospel to these poor people. Before I leave 
 St. Louis. I will have the Catechism trans- 
 lated into their language. This I can do
 
 158 Life of 
 
 with the assistance of some Indians who 
 come from time to time to St. Louis, and 
 persons of the place, who are pretty well 
 acquainted with their language. I have 
 received from men of experience, much 
 information, both with regard to the dif- 
 ficulties to be encountered and the manner 
 of overcoming them, and, with the help of 
 God the undertaking seems as easy as if I 
 already witnessed its execution. I shall 
 have much to surfer, but of this I do not 
 think, nor will I allow my mind to rest on 
 it one moment. Too much already have I 
 thought about myself, and I am ashamed 
 to have done so, but in future, nothing but 
 God and the interests of his glory shall 
 occupy my attention. I see clearly that he 
 is very merciful in my regard, for I should 
 be an infidel, did I not trust in him and 
 follow solely the impulse of his Spirit. 
 
 1 'To tell the truth, the Indians are un- 
 civilized, ferocious, inconstant, and 
 haughty. They habitually lead a very 
 austere life, and sometimes spend several 
 days without taking any nourishment : but 
 then, if they chance to kill a buffalo or a 
 deer in their hunt, they will eat it all at 
 once, almost raw. They wear very little 
 clothes, and torment their bodies to 
 please the 'Great Spirit.' The old people,
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 159 
 
 with the women and children, remain 
 in the wigwams, but the others are 
 nearly always away hunting wild beasts, 
 whose skins they prepare very skilfully, 
 and exchange them with the Americans 
 for provisions and strong liquors. They 
 are exceedingly fond of liquor, so much 
 so that this propensity constitutes one 
 of the principal obstacles with which the 
 missionary has to contend, in the work of 
 their conversion. 
 
 "The holy bishop, in whose house we 
 now are, looks upon our coming as a 
 sign that a season of mercy has arrived 
 for these regions, and I feel myself 
 irresistibly inclined to the same opinion. 
 But the works of God, as St. Vincent 
 says, have their . beginning, progress, 
 and end ; we must follow Divine Pro- 
 vidence, step by -step, without ever inter- 
 rupting, anticipating, or deserting it. Have 
 the charity to recommend us to God, that 
 we may be faithful in following this im- 
 portant maxim. 
 
 "The manifold changes to which our 
 situation has exposed, and still daily ex- 
 poses us, have never caused me to feel one 
 single moment's regret for having come to 
 this country ; on the contrary, my inward 
 satisfaction daily increases, and leaves me
 
 160 Life of 
 
 nothing more to desire, but death, from the 
 effects of my labors. The world has van- 
 ished for us ; we all look upon ourselves as 
 victims immolated to the glory of God, and 
 the salvation of these poor souls. The 
 thought of returning to Europe never even 
 crosses the mind of any one of us. After 
 Easter, Father Rosati will go about three 
 hundred miles hence, on his first mission ; 
 a Sulpician priest is to accompany him. 
 He will have a good opportunity of meeting 
 with the Indians. 
 
 Excuse the length of this letter. I 
 thought it was not worth while to write 
 from such a distance, without filling my 
 paper. A kind remembrance to all." 
 
 It will not be amiss to insert here some 
 other facts mentioned in part of a letter 
 written by Father De Andreis to Mon- 
 signor Paulinus Martorelli, canon of the 
 Lateran basilica, August 24th, of the same 
 year. It is as follows : 
 
 "It would be difficult and tedious to give 
 you a full description of the state of the 
 Church in America, for, where you are, 
 you can form no correct idea of this country. 
 Picture to yourself an immense tract of 
 land, entirely covered with woods and 
 forests, dwellings scattered here and there 
 without any order, the towns and cities
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 161 
 
 being few in number, which is very incon- 
 venient on account of the small number of 
 priests, and for other reasons of minor im- 
 portance. The churches are situated in 
 open plains, surrounded by the woods ; on 
 feast-days, men women and children, of 
 every age and condition, come on horse- 
 back, ten, fifteen miles, or even more, to 
 attend Mass, hear the word of God, and 
 receive the sacraments ; so that, when they 
 wish to go to holy communion, they are 
 compelled, notwithstanding the fatigue of 
 the journey coming and going, to remain 
 fasting until the evening, when they reach 
 their homes. These churches, in their 
 outward appearance, resemble all the other 
 houses, being built of rude logs and trunks 
 of trees, (which are never scarce in this 
 country), put together with mud, and 
 through which the wind, cold, heat and 
 rain enter by turns. They are entirely de- 
 void of ornament. 
 
 "Although, with regard to the popula- 
 tion, these churches are few in number, 
 still, as priests are likewise very scarce, 
 every one of the latter has to attend to four, 
 five or six of these parishes, or, as they are 
 called here, congregations; and though a 
 priest is sometimes obliged to say two 
 Masses on one day, some of the congrega-
 
 162 lAfe of 
 
 tions are whole months without a clergy- 
 man. 
 
 "On account of the great distance at 
 which the congregations are situated one 
 from another, the missionary is obliged to 
 be constantly on horseback, going here and 
 there to preach, assist the sick etc. Hence 
 twenty, thirty, sixty or even ninety miles 
 in one day are his customary rides ; his life 
 is, indeed, a hard and laborious one. To- 
 day he is in one place, but he knows not 
 where he will be to-morrow ; he depends 
 entirely for his food and lodging on the 
 hospitality of the planters who, thank God, 
 are delighted to show every mark of atten- 
 tion to a priest ; even Protestants will do all 
 in their power to receive him well, though 
 the best fare that he can expect consists of 
 nothing but some corn-bread very badly 
 baked, tough salt pork, potatoes and water. 
 This is the refreshment that the missionary 
 finds after a pretty long journey, having 
 heard confessions the whole morning until 
 one or two in the afternoon, said Mass, 
 preached, baptized, etc.; sometimes at five 
 in the evening he is still fasting. 
 
 "However, blessed be God, who in the 
 midst of so many labors and difficulties 
 sends us the most exquisite consolations, 
 both interior and exterior ; they would be
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 163 
 
 still greater, could we afford to give more 
 help to these poor souls. Alas! to what 
 can a Christian, a priest, better devote his 
 talents, his wealth and his possessions than 
 to this excellent work ! For want of means 
 we are not able to assist Catholics as we 
 should wish, much less can we attend to 
 the conversion of Protestants and Indians, 
 who are, on the other hand, very well dis- 
 posed fo receive us. How many Protestant 
 ministers would change their religion, 
 could we but offer them some resource for 
 themselves and their families, their un- 
 happy ministry being at present their sole 
 means of subsistence ! Who would not be 
 moved with compassion for these poor 
 souls ! 
 
 "It is indeed a trial for any one who has 
 seen Rome, to come to this country. I beg 
 your prayers, Reverend sir, that I may die 
 sword in hand, since my only comfort in 
 the world is this hope. We are expecting 
 Bishop Dubourg, who is coming this time 
 with twenty-eight other missionaries, and 
 we shall all enter Louisiana (the place of our 
 destination) together. This State borders 
 on Kentucky, and with regard to religious 
 matters is pretty much in the same con- 
 dition, with a few additional obstacles. I 
 am delighted that our sojourn here has
 
 164 
 
 Ufa of 
 
 given ine some practice in the language 
 and customs of the country, for, having 
 gone through our novitiate in the ministry, 
 we shall succeed the better when called 
 upon to labor ex professo. 
 
 "I remain, etc., 
 
 "FELIX DE ANDREIS."
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 Arrival of Father De Andreis at St. Louis, and his 
 Apostolic labors. 
 
 IN September Father De Andreis, in con- 
 cert with Fathers Acquaroni and Ferrari, 
 having concluded the retreat at the semi- 
 nary of St. Thomas, received the welcome 
 intelligence that Bishop Dubourg, with 
 some thirty priests, had arrived in Balti- 
 more, from which place he was on his way 
 to Louisiana. The letter containing this 
 news was addressed to Bishop Flaget of 
 Bardstown, whom the former Prelate re- 
 quested to proceed to St. Louis with 
 Fathers De Andreis and Rosati, in order to 
 sound the intentions of the inhabitants of 
 the place, and to make the requisite arran- 
 gements for the Mission about to be estab- 
 lished there. Bishop Flaget set out then with 
 the two above-named priests and Brother 
 Blanka, all being on horseback. They 
 had to travel over three hundred miles. 
 The roads were in a most dreadful state, so 
 that they lost their way once or twice, and 
 
 (165)
 
 1 66 Life of 
 
 were overtaken by night in the rnidst of 
 frightful precipices. Another day they 
 were drenched by the rain, without having 
 any means of drying their garments; finally, 
 on another occasion, they had to go with- 
 out food from morning till night. Among 
 so many hardships and dangers the Bishop 
 did not complain of his own sufferings, so 
 many years spent in the sacred ministry 
 having, as he said, identified him with 
 similar trials ; but he deplored those that 
 his companions had to undergo, especially 
 Father De Andreis, who suffered so much 
 that he could hardly remain on his horse. 
 But he conquered his bodily weakness by 
 the energy of his ever cheerful soul. 
 
 After travelling nine days, they arrived 
 at Kaskaskia, a village of French origin, 
 almost wholly composed of Catholics. It 
 is one of the oldest settlements of the 
 country, and was formerly the centre of the 
 missions commenced among the Indians by 
 the zeal of the Jesuit fathers. On descend- 
 ing the hills which bound this magnificent 
 plain on the east, Father De Andreis and 
 his companions were moved even to tears 
 at the sight of the cross that rose on the 
 spire of the church, and with lively senti- 
 ments of faith they reverenced this sign of 
 our redemption, which at that period was
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 167 
 
 but seldom seen above the cities and vil- 
 lages of the United States. Their pious 
 emotions still further increased when, on 
 entering the place and stopping at the 
 house of Colonel Peter Menard, one of the 
 principal citizens, they heard, as the sun 
 went down, the sound of the bell, remind- 
 ing the faithful to recite the Angelus 
 Domini, in memory of the divine mystery 
 of the Incarnation. This pious custom, so 
 conducive to the preservation of the Cath- 
 olic faith, had been carefully maintained 
 among the Creoles, or descendants of the 
 French, who were the first settlers of that 
 place. 
 
 Col. Menard and his family welcomed 
 the good bishop of Bardstown with the ut- 
 most delight, gave him a suitable lodging, 
 and bestowed on him all the attentions that 
 hospitality demands. They had long known 
 the Prelate, as he had been there to give a 
 mission, and administer the sacrament of 
 confirmation. He had deservedly acquired 
 the esteem of all the inhabitants, and the 
 principal persons of the town hastened on 
 his arrival to visit him and show marks of 
 respect to the missionaries who accompanied 
 him. 
 
 On the following day all the priests en- 
 joyed the consolation of saying Mass in the
 
 168 Life of 
 
 parish church, which had long been with- 
 out a resident pastor. Father Don Dona- 
 tian Olivier (who died at the Barrens in 
 February 1841, at the age of nearly ninety- 
 three years, ) came every Sunday to celebrate 
 the holy sacrifice, administer the sacra- 
 ments, and preach. For this purpose he 
 had to come from Prairie du Rocher, fifteen 
 miles distant. "As this venerable priest," 
 writes Bishop Rosati, "came to the place 
 as usual on the Sunday which occurred 
 during our stay, he was kind enough to 
 accompany us to St. Genevieve, another 
 French village, situated on the opposite 
 bank of the river, about seven miles above. 
 "The parish-priest of St. Genevieve, the 
 Rev. Henry Pratte, came to meet us with 
 several of the parishioners, and as they all 
 knew Bishop Flaget, who had given a 
 mission in that place, he was received with 
 many demonstrations of joy. Some of us 
 were quartered in the house of the pastor, 
 others in good Catholic families. On the 
 following Sunday Father De Andreis sang 
 high Mass and Bishop Flaget preached. 
 He spoke of the object of our mission, 
 which caused several of the principal in- 
 habitants to assemble on two occasions, 
 when they testified their earnest desire that 
 we should remain among them ; but one of
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andrei s, C. M. 169 
 
 their number, a worthy old man, told them 
 plainly that they need not hope for that. 
 'St. Louis,' said he, 'will have the pre- 
 ference, and we shall be obliged to yield;' 
 such, in fact, was eventually the case. 
 
 "At length, on the ijth of October 1817, 
 we arrived in the city of St. Louis, which 
 at that period had no pastor ; it was at- 
 tended every three weeks by a priest from 
 the other side of the river. The Bishop 
 and the missionaries went to the presbytery, 
 which was an old stone building almost in 
 ruins, divided by planks into two portions, 
 one of which, the smaller of the two, served 
 as a sleeping-room, and the other was, ap- 
 propriated to the parochial and municipal 
 assemblies. In this tottering house Bishop 
 Flaget determined to take up his residence, 
 and as there was no bed in it, some of the 
 inhabitants prepared one for him. Father 
 De Andreis and his companions had to 
 sleep on buffalo skins spread on the floor, 
 in the same room or the one adjoining. It 
 is true that the citizens were very willing 
 to offer their own houses, but the missiona- 
 ries concurred with the bishop in thinking 
 that it was better to be satisfied with a poor 
 but independent abode, rather than accept 
 the offer of any private individual. The 
 parish church, situated very near the pres-
 
 17 Life of 
 
 bytery, was in no better condition; it was 
 small, poor, and falling into ruins. In a 
 word, wherever the eye turned, nothing 
 could be seen, but poverty and desolation. 
 Who would have thought then, that in the 
 space of a few years there would arise on 
 the same spot a vast, well-built, and well- 
 furnished cathedral ! Who would have 
 thought that the population, then consist- 
 ing of four thousand persons only, would, 
 in 1840, have increased to the number of 
 thirty-four thousand !*) 
 
 "As soon as Bishop Flaget arrived at St. 
 Louis, he interested himself in the affair 
 entrusted to him by his fellow -laborer, 
 Bishop Dubourg. Having assembled the 
 principal heads of families, he spoke to 
 them of the approaching arrival of their 
 own bishop and the missionaries he was 
 bringing with him to fix their residence in 
 that place. He proved to them that they 
 should feel very grateful for the choice that 
 had been made of their city ; for, in con- 
 sequence, it would rapidly become not only 
 the centre of the extensive country around, 
 but the centre of all religious and literary 
 instructions, whence they and their families 
 would derive immense benefit. He also 
 
 *) And, in the year 1900, to about six hundred 
 thousand, with sixty Catholic churches.
 
 Very Rev. Felix T)e Awdreis, C. M. 171 
 
 told them, that since the bishop's residence 
 among them would confer so many advan- 
 tages on their city, they ought, on their 
 part, to co-operate in his views, and cheer- 
 fully give him all the help they could. He 
 then began to speak of what it was most 
 requisite to do first, and mentioned particu- 
 larly the preparation of a suitable residence; 
 and, as all these arrangements could not be 
 considered in the first meeting, he held 
 several general assemblies, at which he 
 begged eveiy one to express his own opin- 
 ion. During one of these meetings a cer- 
 tain Mr. L arose, and addressing 
 
 himself to the bishop and his fellow-citizens, 
 said : 'I am far from disapproving the 
 choice that Bishop Dubourg has made of 
 this city for the place of his ordinary resi- 
 dence. He is a bishop, and is, therefore, 
 at liberty to fix his abode in whatever part 
 of his diocese he may think proper to 
 select ; but, inasmuch as it concerns the 
 inhabitants of St. Louis, I see no particular 
 reason why they should contribute to the 
 expense that he will consequently incur. 
 The expenses of a diocese should be divided 
 among the whole population ; it is not just 
 that they fall on us alone. We have a 
 parish-church ; we will give our pastor a 
 proper salary ; this will be quite enough for
 
 1 72 Life of 
 
 our share. If the church is going to ruin, 
 it is our duty to repair it ; and, though we 
 have no pastor at present, let one be sent to 
 us and we will cheerfully receive him; but, 
 as to the bishop, we are not obliged to do 
 anything, because his permanent residence 
 belongs alike to all.' " 
 
 Such were the arguments he advanced, 
 but his words made no impression on the 
 assembly, because every one knew that he 
 was not actuated by genuine zeal for the 
 public good. He was a Catholic only in 
 name, who scarcely ever entered a church, 
 attended instructions, or approached the 
 sacraments ; consequently, his words pro- 
 duced no effect on those who heard them. 
 On the contrary, all manifested sentiments 
 of an entirely opposite nature, and willingly 
 offered to contribute, both by labor and 
 money, to whatever the projected establish- 
 ment would require. 
 
 Meanwhile there arrived at St. Louis 
 two deputies from St. Mary's of the Bar- 
 rens, a parish situated about eighty miles 
 from the above-named city, and eighteen 
 from St. Genevieve. They were sent by 
 the parish - priest, Father Dunaud, (the 
 last Trappist then remaining in Missouri,) 
 and, in the name of all the other inhabi- 
 tants, amounting to thirty-five families,
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andrvis, C. M. 173 
 
 they came to Bishop Flaget, telling him 
 that they were sent to beg him to be their 
 intercessor with Bishop Dubourg on his 
 arrival, that he might choose their parish 
 for the foundation of his future seminary. 
 They assured Bishop Flaget that this was 
 the unanimous and urgent desire of all, and 
 that they proposed to purchase, for the pur- 
 pose of realizing it, six hundred and forty 
 acres of land, the whole of which they would 
 offer to their bishop. The worthy Pre- 
 late and the missionaries received this gen- 
 erous deputation with all possible kindness, 
 and gave them every reason to hope that 
 the general wish of the inhabitants of the 
 Barrens would be gratified on the arrival 
 of Bishop Dubourg. 
 
 At length it had to be decided, whether 
 or not the people of St. Louis would set 
 about preparing a dwelling for the bishop 
 and his priests, for the time of their arrival 
 was drawing near. Bishop Flaget, seeing 
 that every one was well disposed, returned 
 to his own diocese with Father Rosati. As 
 the bishop passed through St. Geuevieve, 
 he left Father De Andreis there, and sent 
 the Rev. Mr. Pratte to St. Louis, so that, 
 by his presence, he might hasten the work, 
 superintend the laborers, remove any diffi- 
 culty that might arise, and see that the
 
 174 Life of 
 
 undertaking was completed in a skilful and 
 orderly manner. 
 
 The parish of St. Genevieve was then 
 the first scene of the Apostolic labors of 
 Father De Andreis in the diocese of New 
 Orleans, for which he had left Rome. The 
 parish was extensive, "and it was inhabited 
 by two thousand Creoles , or French Cath- 
 olics. They were all well instructed and 
 attended by the indefatigable vigilance of 
 their excellent pastor. The zeal of Father 
 De Andreis, on taking the direction of the 
 parish, was no less ardent. He was assidu- 
 ous in hearing confessions, instructing the 
 children, visiting the sick ; on festivals, he 
 celebrated two Masses, and preached several 
 times with much success. His explana- 
 tions of the gospel were so pleasing, that 
 those good people never grew weary of 
 listening to him, and endeavored to put in 
 practice all he said. Even yet, a grateful 
 remembrance of him is preserved among 
 them, as they call to mind what their an- 
 cestors told them of his uniform mildness 
 and his other saintly virtues. 
 
 While continuing to employ himself in 
 this holy manner, the servant of God had, 
 near the end of 1817, the greatest consola- 
 tion he could desire. His Bishop, accom- 
 panied by Bishop Flaget, arrived at St.
 
 Very Rev. lelix De Andreis, G. M, 175 
 
 Genevieve. Bishop Dubourg did not bring 
 the band of ecclesiastics who came with 
 him from Europe, having left them in Ken- 
 tucky to learn English and become ac- 
 customed to the manners of the country. 
 Father De Andreis accompanied the two 
 bishops to St. Louis, where they made their 
 formal entrance on the feast of the Epi- 
 phany, 1818, and were received with ac- 
 clamations of joy. Here the servant of 
 God took his post as vicar-general of the 
 diocese, the functions of which office he 
 discharged, principally whenever the 
 bishop, on account of his frequent missions, 
 or his pastoral visitations, was obliged to 
 leave St. Louis. But the office of parish- 
 priest was peculiarly his own, and he daily 
 devoted himself to it, performing, in the 
 best manner, all its duties, as he had done 
 at St. Genevieve. The people of St. Louis, 
 who had been so long deprived of a pastor, 
 seemed to appreciate his merits as soon as 
 they began to know him, and to experience 
 the effects of his paternal solicitude ; most 
 assuredly they could hardly do otherwise. 
 Meanwhile the servant of God, before ad- 
 vancing any farther in the sacred ministry, 
 thought it his duty to write to the vicar- 
 general of the Congregation of the Mission 
 at Rome, to give him a particular account,
 
 176 Life of 
 
 not only of what concerned himself per- 
 sonally, but also of the state of the mission. 
 These details are to be found in his letter to 
 Father Sicardi, written from St. Louis on 
 the 24th of February, 1818, about forty 
 days after his arrival in that place. It is 
 as follows : 
 
 "I thank Almighty God for the consola- 
 tion afforded me by the letter of our worthy 
 visitor, Father Ceracchi. It was trans- 
 mitted to me from Kentucky by Father 
 Rosati, and I was delighted to receive such 
 good news of our Congregation in Italy, 
 and especially to hear of their friendly feel- 
 ing towards the American mission ; again 
 I humbly thank our Lord for the kind re- 
 membrance in which we are held. Al- 
 though I have lately written two long let- 
 ters, one to Father Oiordana to apprise him 
 of our arrival at our destination, and 
 another to Father Giriodi, I think it ad- 
 visable' to add something to Father Rosati's, 
 as so many letters are lost, and also to 
 make up for anything that he may chance 
 to have omitted. 
 
 "I write you this from the very ends of 
 the earth, on the banks of the Mississippi, 
 only a few weeks journey from the Pacific 
 Ocean, which separates us from China. 
 The country lying between here and the
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 177 
 
 Pacific is inhabited only by wild beasts, 
 and savages, whose state is not unlike 
 theirs. Though the climate ought to be 
 rather warm, our latitude being only 39, 
 the cold is so intense, that I never ex- 
 perienced anything like it. We cannot 
 remain very far from the fire, though we 
 often put one coat over another ; the cold 
 is so piercing, that it seems to reach the 
 brain, and almost makes one giddy. I 
 have very frequently found nothing but ice 
 in the chalice while at the altar, and had 
 some difficulty in melting it by means of 
 fire, which had to be brought to the spot ; 
 and even then, in consuming the sacred 
 species, I was compelled to make use of 
 my teeth. This extreme cold proceeds from 
 the north winds, which, descending from 
 the icebergs of Greenland, and passing over 
 the frozen, lakes of Canada, come here to 
 freeze us to death. We can say, with St. 
 Paul, 'Blessed be God in f rigor e^ though 
 not in nuditate, for we are but too well pro- 
 vided for. 
 
 "I am transported beyond myself, when 
 I consider the admirable care of Divine 
 Providence in favor of this mission, and 
 overcome by gratitude on the one hand, 
 and confusion, by reason of my unworthi- 
 ness, on the other, I can only exclaim : et
 
 178 Life of 
 
 wnde hoc mihi! .... Junes ceciderunt mihi 
 inpraeclaris! it is not merely difficult, but 
 impossible to describe what I feel. The 
 most ardent zeal would here find an ample 
 field for its labors, and we have already 
 many bright prospects of success. This 
 diocese covers an immense extent of coun- 
 try, and the labor that it will require will 
 soon render it expedient to divide it ;*) 
 cities, towns and villages are growing up 
 before our eyes with marvellous rapidity; 
 emigrants are arriving in crowds from all 
 parts of the United States, as well as from 
 Europe. Ireland, Germany, Switzerland 
 and France send multitudes to people the 
 smiling and fertile plains of Missouri, and 
 in a few years the country will become so 
 flourishing, that Europe will no longer ex- 
 cite envy. The chief part of the popula- 
 tion is French, (or Creole as they call it,) 
 and consequently Catholic, but without 
 any religious culture, on account of the 
 long period during which the place has 
 been destitute of clergymen and of every 
 means of instruction. One of the most re- 
 spectable citizens said to me: 'If Bishop 
 
 *) What Father De Andreis predicted in 1818 is 
 now more than verified, five archdioceses and twenty 
 dioceses being formed in the territory then com- 
 prised in the single diocese of New Orleans.
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andreis y C. M. 179 
 
 Dubourg had not come in time to our relief, 
 the last spark of faith would have been ex- 
 tinguished in our country. ' But the French 
 part of the population will soon be ab- 
 sorbed by the American and the English, 
 among whom only a small portion are 
 Catholics, but these are generally very fer- 
 vent; the greater part are Protestants of 
 various denominations. We have also both 
 French and English infidels, who call them- 
 selves Nullifidians, that is to say, without 
 any religion whatever. 
 
 "Let us now proceed to the numerous 
 Indian tribes ; there are among them fifty 
 different nations ; they acknowledge one 
 only God, wtyom, in their language, they 
 call Chissemenetti, which means 'Father of 
 Life' ; to him they address their prayers and 
 offer the first fumes of their pipe. To 
 please this god, they treat themselves most 
 cruelly; indeed their whole religion con- 
 sists in these practices, some of which are 
 too horrible to relate. They live like the 
 very animals of which they are constantly 
 in pursuit ; their chase provides them with 
 food and scanty clothing, (for they go al- 
 most naked,) and enables them to trade 
 with the white people, who, in exchange 
 for furs and venison, give them powder, 
 spirits, paint to decorate their bodies and
 
 i8o Life of 
 
 silver rings for their ears and nostrils. 
 Their aspect is frightful, and one feels al- 
 most inclined to doubt if their reasoning 
 powers be fully developed. I have seen 
 several, and have conversed with them by 
 means of an interpreter; in general, the}' 
 regard priests with great respect, calling 
 them Mecate-o-coriatte, which means Black 
 Gown ; they also call them 'Fathers of 
 Prayer. ' Some few among them are Cath- 
 olics, and, in spite of the efforts made by 
 Protestant missionaiies to imbue them with 
 false doctrine, they constantly refuse to 
 adopt it, objecting that the true 'Fathers of 
 Prayer' have no wives and children like the 
 Protestant ministers, but that they devote 
 themselves wholly to God and the salvation 
 of souls. Notwithstanding the difficulties 
 attending the work of their conversion, I 
 am convinced that, when the first obstacles 
 are overcome, it will be almost easy. The 
 chief impediment is the language, which 
 is not the same among the various tribes, 
 though the dialects are very much alike, 
 a<nd the Indians of different nations under- 
 stand one another. With the assistance of 
 an interpreter, I have made some attempts 
 to arrange their principal language accord- 
 ing to grammatical rule. It is a difficult 
 undertaking, as my interpreter, knowing
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 181 
 
 nothing of such laws, cannot translate word 
 for word, nor supply me with equivalent 
 expressions for every idea ; however, I 
 have begun a small dictionary, and made 
 some translations. Their scarcity of ideas 
 renders their language poor in words. They 
 are consequently obliged to express them- 
 selves with the aid of circumlocution, 
 especially on the subject of religion. As 
 some curious person may be glad to meet 
 with a specimen of their language, I will 
 here insert the Pater Noster as I translated 
 it by means of periphrasis, for they have no 
 word to express either scwctificetw, reg- 
 mim, dimitte or tentatione.*) 
 
 "Bishop Dubourg, our worthy Prelate, 
 arrived in his diocese on the 29th of De- 
 
 *) "Nossak Peinenke, chilaape, ceckimitouseig- 
 nia te para quissolimi, chiriah debehere tams-cane- 
 cecki nironan, chirah cehecke deberetau onahe 
 Aposi pemenke. Inoke micipeueh miricane oueni 
 pera chiro cehecki ineteo ackeek chiritoingh ra- 
 pini-ira ui oueni piraki cehecki inereo-ackeek ni- 
 voesittacu. Callanossa deboe tavichcane mereo 
 ackeek checoa sitojangh. Cecki merce mereo 
 ackeek paquitarno cane pervi mionan." To express 
 Amen, they have "Ouajak deboataouiakann." 
 
 They have a great many aspirations, which they 
 articulate slowly, sing their words, and gesticulate 
 a good deal in order to compensate for the poverty 
 of their language. Some, but very few, can speak 
 English and French. The dialect, of which I have 
 given the above specimen, is spoken by nearly all, 
 and may serve as a key to the others.
 
 1 82 Life of 
 
 cember, the feast of St. Thomas of Canter- 
 bury. I was then officiating as parish- 
 priest at the village of St. Genevieve, about 
 sixty miles below. Accompanied by some 
 forty of the principal inhabitants, I went 
 on horseback to receive him, and we con- 
 ducted him in triumph, under a canopy, to 
 the church, the bells ringing all the time, 
 amidst the universal joy of Catholics, and 
 even of many belonging to the Protestant 
 part of the population. After he had taken 
 possession, by a pontifical high Mass, we 
 went, on the feast of the Epiphany to the 
 capital, in order to perform the same cere- 
 mony. Everything went off admirably, 
 thanks be to God. The mere presence of 
 the Bishop, (who with us is just the same 
 as we knew him at Monte Citorio,) his 
 kindness, benignity, and suavity of manner 
 have dispelled the storm, dissipated in a 
 great measure every prejudice, and cap- 
 tivated all hearts ; so that the plan of a 
 cathedral, to be built of stone, is already 
 traced, and will soon be carried into execu- 
 tion. When this is done, we will begin to 
 think of the other buildings ; it is but just 
 that we should commence by the church, 
 for we have nothing now to serve the pur- 
 pose of one, but a miserable log-cabin, open 
 to every wind, and falling to pieces. The
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 183 
 
 bishop has, however, bestowed upon it a 
 splendid temporary decoration, chiefly com- 
 posed of the ornaments he obtained while 
 in Europe. The population being a mix- 
 ture of English and French, we must exer- 
 cise the holy ministry in both languages. 
 The bishop has truly donum sermonis, and 
 is perfectly master of both. I crawl after 
 him, as well as I can ; we have every 
 reason to predict great things for the future, 
 and to trust that we may be able to see all 
 united in unum ovile et unum pastor. 
 
 "From the time we left Bordeaux, the 
 Bishop gave me the patent of vicar-general, 
 and, in case any accident might befall me, 
 he also gave one to Father Rosati. Called 
 as I am, in virtue of this office, to share so 
 largely in the solicitude of a pastor, especi- 
 ally in our present beginnings, and having 
 so few subjects for the ministry, it will be 
 very difficult for me to place the house that 
 we are going to erect, on the same footing 
 with those in Italy. In this country we 
 must be like a regiment of cavalry, or flying 
 infantry, ready to run wherever the salva- 
 tion of souls may require our presence ; 
 making ourselves all unto all, to gain all to 
 Jesus Christ, for whom we came, that he 
 might be known, loved and served. A 
 missionary country, and one like this, must
 
 184 Life of 
 
 needs be an exception to the general prac- 
 tice, strict adherence to which would, in 
 our case, be prejudicial to the greater glory 
 of God and the welfare of souls. I believe 
 that the Congregation is for the Church, 
 and not the Church for the Congregation. 
 However, I will do all in my power to 
 establish, as soon as possible, all the offices 
 customs and exercises, as prescribed by our 
 institute. In a short time we shall all be- 
 gin, according to our regulations, to take 
 our turn in the missions. For this reason, 
 besides the discharge of our daily duties, 
 we are obliged to labor not a little to trans- 
 late our sermons into French and English. 
 Our greatest difficulty is not in writing, but 
 in speaking and pronouncing the language. 
 I perceive that I am almost too old to learn 
 a language, and Father Rosati succeeds 
 better than I do. Father Acquaroni will 
 do an immense deal of good with his 
 French. His health, however, has been 
 somewhat delicate, but Father Rosati has 
 enough for himself and plenty to give 
 away, and I am, without any comparison, 
 better than when I was in Rome. We need 
 whole colonies of missionaries, with con- 
 siderable pecuniary resources, in order to 
 make rapid progress in these immense 
 woods. But I remain tranquil, limiting
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 185 
 
 my desires to what God has called me to 
 do. Were they but to save a single soul, to 
 prevent one sin, the toils, money and trials 
 of a thousand missionaries would be amply 
 repaid. God only is great, and happy is 
 the man who lives but for Him. If I do 
 not become a saint, with so many excellent 
 opportunities of practising acts of the most 
 noble apostolic virtues, it may be said with 
 truth that I am an inveterate and incor- 
 rigible sinner. I am more and more deeply 
 convinced that I am, have always been, 
 and shall always be good for nothing, if 
 God does not perform, a miracle by en- 
 lightening, strengthening and sanctifying 
 my blind, weak and perverse nature. This 
 is my constant prayer ; do me the charity 
 to render it efficacious by your intercession, 
 and obtain for me also the prayers of fer- 
 vent souls. Prayers, prayers, these are 
 what AVC most need. My respects to all, in 
 which my companions unite. 
 "I remain, etc. 
 
 "FELIX DE ANDREIS." 
 From this letter we may infer how vast 
 and difficult was the field presented to the 
 servant of God on his arrival in St. Louis ; 
 he had to deal with uncivilized Indians, 
 open unbelievers, professed heretics, but 
 few Catholics, and those few leading so
 
 1 86 Life of 
 
 corrupt a life, that they could hardly be 
 distinguished from infidels themselves. As 
 he had come to Louisiana for all, he would 
 have wished, in his ardent zeal, to enlighten 
 and convert all ; he was prepared to endure 
 any fatigue, and would have been happy, 
 had he been able to devote his whole life 
 without intermission to this holy work. 
 Touched by his sanctity, all eagerly 
 crowded to hear his sermons and instruc- 
 tions, and no one left the church unmoved. 
 In conversation he delighted them by his 
 gentleness and the affability with which he 
 received every one, so that they were not 
 only led to love him as a father, but almost 
 to revere him as an angel sent to them from 
 Heaven. It was, therefore, no wonder that 
 thousands of Catholics were converted, that 
 heretics abjured their errors, and that in- 
 fidels earnestly begged to receive baptism. 
 We prefer, however, to relate these details 
 in his own words, (letter of December yth, 
 1818, addressed to Father Baccaria, Vicar- 
 General of the Congregation of the Mission: ) 
 "Religious affairs wear a very favorable 
 aspect, and promise much for the future ; 
 meanwhile the good that is actually done is 
 not little, though to my confusion I must 
 acknowledge myself to be nothing but a 
 sterile plant et igni devoranda.
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 187 
 
 "One of the Indian interpreters having 
 fallen sick, I went to visit him ; he made 
 his confession, and gave himself entirely to 
 God. He now frequents the sacraments, 
 and is helping me to translate into the In- 
 dian language a catechism, which will be 
 of great use in our future apostolic labors. 
 The harvest is great, and the laborers ex- 
 ceedingly few in comparison to the im- 
 mense extent of this diocese. We are 
 nearly all employed in preparing the other 
 ecclesiastics, of whom about forty have re- 
 cently come from Europe. We are trying 
 to revive faith in the doctrines of Catholi- 
 city among the people, who for the most 
 part know nothing of them but the name. 
 We meet with many persons, far advanced 
 in age, who are completely ignorant of 
 God and of religion ; who have never made 
 their first communion, who live in con- 
 cubinage, and have no vestige of Christi- 
 anity about them. Some do not know how 
 to make the sign of the cross, or recite the 
 "Our Father;" while the religious ideas of 
 others have become so confused, that they 
 believe there are three gods, that Jesus 
 Christ began to exist as God at the moment 
 he was born of the Virgin Mary, and other 
 similar errors without end, especially with 
 regard to morals. In visiting the sick,
 
 1 88 Life of 
 
 they have frequently expected me to bap- 
 tize them without water, thinking that this 
 could be done without any difficulty. There 
 are a great number, (particularly among 
 the Anglo-Americans, ) who call themselves 
 "Nuttifickans;" they profess no religion. 
 Others are constantly wavering between 
 different forms of belief, unable to make up 
 their minds to embrace any. We gain over 
 a great many of both kinds, especially 
 when they are at the point of death. 
 
 "Although we are here almost dead to 
 the world and buried in loco horroris et 
 vastae solitudinis, we are pleased to receive 
 now and then news of our dear fellow- 
 laborers in Italy. F tines ceddenmt mihi 
 in praeclaris ! Truly it is a noble destiny 
 to be employed in assisting the most desolate 
 portion of the flock of Christ in an unfruit- 
 ful land, which unites all the inconvenien- 
 ces of extreme cold and excessive heat ; a 
 land which produces none of these numer- 
 ous little comforts that are within the reach 
 of every one in Europe. Here we have 
 neither wine, grapes, figs, oil, nor oranges, 
 etc. But we look upon all these little pri- 
 vations with the eye of faith, and then 
 every sacrifice becomes precious, and calls 
 forth our gratitude. If we had done 
 nothing else than baptize a single person,
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 189 
 
 wlio was on the point of dying without 
 baptism, or bring back one soul, hitherto 
 lost in the mists of ignorance and vice, all 
 our privations and sacrifices would be amply 
 repaid. Through the divine mercy such 
 cases are not of unfrequent occurrence, and 
 they fill us with the utmost consolation." 
 In another place he adds : "I attribute in a 
 great measure the rapid success of our 
 labors to the prayers of our good brethren 
 in Europe. Conversions are numerous, 
 especially among Protestants and unbeliev- 
 ers, of whom many become very fervent 
 Catholics. In all niy life I never performed 
 so many baptisms, nor attended so many 
 dying persons, as in this place within one 
 month. Not long ago I was called up in 
 the middle of the night to visit a sick man 
 who professed no religion ; I instructed and 
 prepared him as well as I could ; I then 
 baptized him, and he died in the most 
 beautiful sentiments. Similar cases occur 
 frequently ; this very day I baptized a con- 
 siderable number of adults. I stood god- 
 father (for the first time in my life) to a 
 Jew, who was baptized by the bishop, and 
 who is now a most fervent Catholic. A sin- 
 gular circumstance, worthy of mention, 
 took place during the ceremony. At the 
 very moment that the baptism was per-
 
 190 Life of 
 
 \ 
 
 formed, a swarm of bees covered the roof of 
 the church, an incident so remarkable, that 
 the children ran with loud cries from the 
 street, to chase them away. Scarcely was 
 the ceremony concluded when the bees dis- 
 appeared and were no more seen afterwards 
 than they had been before. This favorable 
 augury, of which we have many examples 
 in ecclesiastical history, seems already as if 
 about to be realized in the wonderful zeal 
 which our neophyte displays. I receive 
 from time to time most beautiful letters 
 from him ; they show how much grace is 
 working in his heart. He is preparing to 
 publish an account of his life and conver- 
 sion ; it will be a means of salvation for 
 many others. The touching ceremony of 
 the boys' First Communion was the im- 
 mediate occasion of his own change. 
 
 "That you, Reverend sir, as well as 
 others who are interested in our behalf, 
 may be enabled to form a correct idea of 
 the situation of this country, with regard to 
 the three most important objects of our 
 mission, I will enter into some details con- 
 cerning each class with whom we have to 
 deal, namely Catholics, Protestants, and 
 savages. 
 
 "As to Catholics, who are here those 
 domestici fidei, who have the first right to
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 191 
 
 the zeal of the missionaries, on account of 
 their ignorance and indolence, the neces- 
 sary consequences of having remained so 
 long without any spiritual guidance or as- 
 sistance they present to the zeal and 
 vigilance of the evangelical laborer a sight 
 similar to that formerly beheld in spirit by 
 the prophet Hzekiel, a vast plain covered 
 with dry bones, devoid of life. This is a 
 spectacle fit to discourage the most active 
 zeal, for really one knows not where to be- 
 gin. On account of their constant inter- 
 course with sectarians and infidels of every 
 kind, their ideas of the first and most essen- 
 tial points of Christianity have become dis- 
 torted ; and, unfortunately, they show very 
 little inclination to reform them. For ex- 
 ample, I happened to be in a place, where 
 a rich merchant, who enjoyed the credit of 
 being the principal supporter of Cath- 
 olicity, treated us with all possible atten- 
 tion and kindness ; but one evening that I 
 went to visit him, he began, while we were 
 at supper, to assert that one can be saved 
 in any sect, provided only, he be an honest 
 man. And he held so tenaciously to his 
 opinion, that it was but with the greatest 
 trouble I convinced him that out of the 
 Catholic Church there is no salvation. 
 Another missionary told me that while he
 
 192 Life of 
 
 was staying in the house of one of the best 
 Catholics, whose wife was said to be the 
 most excellent Christian in these parts, this 
 fervent lady told him one day that she 
 highly esteemed the custom of assisting at 
 Mass and hearing sermons, but as to con- 
 fession, it was, she said, a most abominable 
 practice ! We meet with others of the 
 same description who are not well con- 
 vinced of the existence of hell, and who are 
 ignorant of the most essential points of 
 religion. It is pretty hard work to remove 
 their prejudices. We can do the most good 
 with the youth of both sexes, who really 
 are a consolation to our hearts. They make 
 their first communion with admirable fer- 
 vor, and afterwards continue to frequent 
 the sacraments and attend catechism. The 
 young girls, especially, delight me by their 
 candor and simplicity; they are lilies of 
 purity, angels in human form, and their 
 piety will do much good among the rising 
 generation, r Others are caught on their 
 deathbed, at the latest ; we have some of 
 every nation, even Italians, who know how 
 to pay compliments, but who are in reality 
 perhaps more estranged from religion than 
 any other people. The Irish are generally 
 very fervent, and show no mercy towards 
 Protestants. As the government tolerates
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 193 
 
 every form of belief, those who feel the 
 greatest antipathy towards Catholics can 
 proceed to no open measures against them, 
 though they contemptuously denominate 
 them "Papists." Our separated brethren 
 are, however, very well disposed, and not 
 unfrequently whole families of them em- 
 brace Catholicity. 
 
 "As to the savages, it is rather a more 
 difficult task. These poor creatures seem 
 incapable of forming any idea of spiritual 
 and divine things. They know that there 
 is a God, and they begin all their employ- 
 ments by an act of worship ; (a fact which 
 should make many Christians blush with 
 shame!) When they come to trade with 
 the white people, they begin to smoke, and 
 directing the first cloud on high, they say : 
 'Anaregare Mi ohakanda, which means : v > 
 'May this ascend to the Divinity.' But 
 these notions only concern the present life ; 
 they believe that God has given them a 
 religion different from ours, and if they are 
 told of a future life they understand nothing 
 
 about it With patience and time, 
 
 however, something will be made of them." 
 
 In the midst of so many occupations for 
 the spiritual advantage of his flock Father 
 De Andreis never neglected the particular 
 attention, which, in his capacity of super-
 
 194 Life of 
 
 ior, lie owed to the Missionaries, whom he 
 had left in Kentucky. He wrote them 
 several letters in which he exhorted them 
 to observe, as faithfully as circumstances 
 would permit, the rules of St. Vincent, as- 
 suring them that his most ardent desire was 
 to see them all once more gathered together 
 in an establishment belonging to the Con- 
 gregation. Father Acquaroni was the first 
 whom he called to St. Louis ; but, only a 
 few days after his arrival, Father De An- 
 dreis was obliged to relinquish his services 
 in favor of three parishes, namely : St. 
 Charles, Dardeune, and Portage des Sioux, 
 where he was obliged to send him. Father 
 Rosati had another destination. A short 
 time after Bishop Dubourg's arrival at St. 
 Louis, there came from the Barrens, (a 
 place about eighty miles distant, ) a certain 
 number of deputies offering to give the 
 bishop a parochial establishment. The pre- 
 late accepted their proposal, in favor of the 
 Congregation of the Mission, so that the 
 Missionaries might build in that place their 
 first house and seminary. But we will speak 
 more fully on this subject in the next chapter; 
 here it will suffice to mention that Father 
 Rosati was sent to the Barrens as superior 
 of the house and seminary to be erected. 
 However, as the novices could not be ac-
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 195 
 
 conmiodated, nor properly trained there, 
 the servant of God directed them to come 
 to St. Louis, where he himself superin- 
 tended their exercises. Before they had 
 completed their time in the novitiate, 
 Father De Andreis was often obliged to 
 send them wherever the urgent wants of 
 the diocese demanded their presence. 
 Others arrived from Europe ; these also he 
 trained, habituating them to the many 
 wants and privations which they were 
 obliged to undergo, until they were provided 
 with a suitable abode. Besides the Bar- 
 rens, the good bishop had assigned them 
 another residence on some uncultivated 
 land within the precints of the city of St. 
 Louis. It would be hardly possible to 
 believe, or even imagine, how many hard- 
 ships were endured by Father De Andreis 
 and his companions, had he not left us an 
 account of them in the following words : 
 (Letter to Father Baccaria of the igth of 
 September. ) 
 
 "I wish I could give you some idea of 
 our establishment, which covers about one 
 square mile of land, seemingly uncultivated 
 sinc<j the time of Adam. Our house will 
 be habitable next November ; the expense 
 of building is enormous in this country, 
 though we are as saving as possible, and
 
 K/I Life of 
 
 every one does his share of the work. 
 Father Cellini labors like any hired work- 
 man, and the bishop himself does not 
 shrink from helping to carry the lumber ; 
 he remains the whole day in the heat of the 
 sun, spurring on the workmen and super- 
 intending the undertaking. I hope to be 
 able to enclose you a sketch of our plan. 
 
 "Meanwhile our seminary is located in 
 a miserable cabin, made of logs roughly 
 put together, or as they say here, a 'log- 
 house.' We have introduced into it the 
 regular observance of our rule, and the or- 
 der of our daily exercises, with as much 
 exactitude as our situation will permit. 
 Our fare is exceedingly poor ; ill-baked 
 bread, fresh water instead of wine, meat 
 only now and than, potatoes, cabbage, and 
 other vegetables. Our supper is composed 
 of bread and milk, this being our choicest 
 food. We sleep crowded together in the 
 best way we can, and we have plenty to do 
 in the labors of our holy ministry and in 
 teaching. In this country the cold and heat 
 are both extreme, and the soil which is so 
 unproductive of fruits and eatables, abounds 
 on the contrary with insects of every de- 
 scription, which trouble us considerably. 
 I have counted no less than ten different 
 species of insects, which attack us during
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andrew, C. M. 197 
 
 the night, and will not let us rest. It 
 seems almost incredible, and yet it is per- 
 fectly true that, in one night, I killed as 
 many as one hundred large bugs. There is 
 especially one insect here, quite unknown 
 in Europe ; it is called the Tick. When it 
 succeeds in burying itself in the flesh, (as 
 it always seeks to do, ) it makes one suffer 
 agonies. I have been told that a person 
 died from the impossibility of having it 
 extracted from the place where it had 
 lodged itself. It can never be removed but 
 by making a wound and extracting it 
 piecemeal. The best way to destroy it, is 
 to crush it with an iron. 
 
 U I must apologize for entering into so 
 many details, but I wished thereby to 
 satisfy the curiosity of those who like to be 
 informed of everything ; besides, by giving 
 a few particulars in each letter, I shall, in 
 time, tell you all. I assure you that when 
 I think of Italy, it appears to me an earthly 
 paradise, in comparison with America ; and 
 I cannot conceive how so many Europeans 
 undergo such privations and trials, for a 
 miserable worldly gain. I know that were 
 it not for the glory of God and the salva- 
 tion of souls, I would not stay where I am 
 for all the gold in the world." 
 
 Through this motive alone Father De
 
 198 Life of 
 
 Andreis endured with intrepidity every 
 hardship, and even appeared to become 
 daily more desirous of fresh sufferings. 
 Besides the labors already noticed, the ser- 
 vant of God was obliged to undertake an- 
 other no less fatiguing occupation, namely 
 of teaching the ecclesiastical sciences. 
 Bishop Dubourg had founded in St. Louis 
 a college for clerical students, and a school 
 for seculars, in which, all being well in- 
 structed and trained, might afterwards, 
 each one according to his vocation, diffuse 
 the light of the gospel among others. 
 Father De Andreis was chosen by the 
 bishop to be the director of both establish- 
 ments. He was entrusted, in a special 
 manner, with the instruction of the clerical 
 students, and of those young priests who 
 had not yet concluded their regular course 
 of stud}' in theology and the Scriptures. 
 He fulfilled this office with the greatest joy, 
 and with that excellent judgment, which 
 enabled him to explain clearly all that 
 serves to make a perfect theologian. 
 
 It is difficult to understand how one per- 
 son could discharge so many different em- 
 ployments, each of which was enough to 
 require all the talent of a perfect clergy- 
 man ; and yet it is a fact that he fulfilled 
 them all with diligence and accuracy. The
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 199 
 
 duties of one never interfered with those of 
 another, but on the contrary, he performed 
 each one with as much perfection as if it 
 alone were the object of his care ; and all 
 this he did constantly without ever seeming 
 to be busy or anxious. In this we must 
 again acknowledge, as we had occasion to 
 do elsewhere, that he was abundantly gifted 
 with uncommon talent and light, which 
 rendered him skilful in every science, and 
 apt to discharge properly any employment, 
 however unexpectedly he might be required 
 to fulfil its duties. He was also endowed 
 with extreme facility in writing on any 
 subject ; and his zeal was such, that he 
 seemed insensible to any amount of labor, 
 however multifarious his occupations might 
 be. Neither did he confine himself to 
 these ; he found time (we know not whether 
 during the day or night,) to write a prodi- 
 gious number of letters, some to his fellow- 
 missionaries to encourage them in their 
 apostolic functions, others to secular priests, 
 who, aware of his learning, had recourse to 
 him as to an oracle, to obtain his decision 
 in intricate or difficult matters ; and these 
 were of very frequent occurrence. He like- 
 wise found time to compose discourses, or 
 translate his former ones into English and 
 French, making in them many alterations
 
 2oo Lift' of 
 
 that circumstances of time and place 
 rendered necessary. He also noted down 
 on paper the particular inspirations which 
 he received from God in his daily medita- 
 tions ; and he wrote and dictated every- 
 thing with so much precision and rapidity, 
 that it might be said of him with truth : 
 Lingua mea calamus scribae velociter scri- 
 bentis. He often dictated his compositions 
 or explanations, because his frequent infir- 
 mities kept him in bed, in which, when 
 unable to rise, he kept class, wrote letters, 
 and settled the affairs of the parish. In 
 one of these attacks he became so sick that 
 it was necessary to give him the holy viati- 
 cum, his life being completely despaired of. 
 When Bishop Dubourg, accompanied by- 
 several ecclesiastics, who were shedding 
 tears, came to give him the last sacraments: 
 "Come now, Father De Andreis, he said 
 to him : I want you to pray for your re- 
 covery." In obedience to this command 
 the invalid prayed, and was immediately 
 cured. 
 
 As soon as he was restored to health, he 
 resumed all his accustomed duties, in re- 
 ference to which, writing to his superior in 
 Rome, he says: "You tell me, Reverend 
 sir, in your letter, that I am burdened 
 beyond my strength. Perhaps I am, but
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andreis, C. M' 201 
 
 this is only because of my weakness. But 
 I must tell you something which redounds 
 to the glory of God, to whom alone it is 
 due : the number of adult baptisms is very 
 great. I have sometimes baptized whole 
 families at a time, during high Mass, ex- 
 plaining meanwhile, one by one, all the 
 baptismal ceremonies to a crowd of people. 
 Sometimes we have savages to be baptized, at 
 others, persons of every sect and nation. We 
 always have catechumens in course of in- 
 struction, sick people to be visited, who 
 often become converts at the point of death, 
 and all this, with our other duties, keeps 
 us constantly employed. Besides the class 
 of theology, the confessional may be called 
 our daily task. We are obliged to preach 
 very often, as no marriage nor baptism 
 takes place without a sermon. We have 
 also to preach at funerals, so that without 
 taking into account our regular sermons in 
 French and English, we are often obliged 
 to preach several times a day in both 
 languages." 
 
 Father De Andreis hoped that his novices 
 would one day be able to share his numerous 
 duties ; but this expectation proved vain. 
 Mr. Tichitoli fell sick ; his lungs became so 
 weak, that it was feared hr would soon die 
 of consumption. The physicians declared
 
 2O2 
 
 that he would not live long, unless he im- 
 mediately left the climate of Missouri, 
 where the cold of winter is extreme. It 
 was, therefore, judged expedient to send 
 him to a milder region in the southern part 
 of Louisiana, and, as he had already com- 
 pleted his entire course of theology, Bishop 
 Dubourg promoted him to the priesthood, 
 and sent him to Donaldson ville, in 1819, 
 in order that he might exercise the holy 
 ministry under the direction of Rev. Joseph 
 Bigeschi, the excellent pastor of that place. 
 Mr. Tichitoli deeply felt his separation 
 from his cherished guide and superior in 
 the novitiate ; and his grief was the more 
 acute, as he feared that his removal might 
 cause him to be excluded from the body of 
 the Congregation. But Father De Andreis 
 (himself much grieved to part from one 
 whose virtues rendered him estimable in all 
 eyes,) consoled him by telling him that, as 
 long as he continued to observe the rules of 
 the novitiate, he would always consider him 
 as a true son of St. Vincent ; and that when 
 the time of making his vows had come, he 
 would send for him to make them at the 
 seminary in St. Louis, as he eventually did. 
 Neither did Father De Andreis keep his two 
 other novices with him very long ; after six 
 months' novitiate, he was compelled to
 
 Very Rev. Felix DC Andreis, C. M. 203 
 
 part with Mr. Ferrari, who was sent to 
 Vincermes, then dependent on the diocese 
 of Bardstown, some idea being entertained 
 of founding a house of the Mission there. 
 By the same motive, and with similar in- 
 tentions, Mr. Dahmen was taken from the 
 novitiate. Brother Blanka had previously 
 left St. Louis for the seminary of St. Mary's 
 of the Barrens, where his services were ab- 
 solutely necessary. 
 
 The servant of God, thus separated from 
 all his novices and companions, though he 
 experienced great pain at so many pri- 
 vations, felt consoled by the thought that 
 his beloved children, scattered indifferent 
 places, were laboring with zeal in the vine- 
 yard of the L,ord. He heard of their fidelity 
 to the rule, of their perseverance in the 
 spirit of their vocation, and rejoiced par- 
 ticularly at the prospect of the speedy 
 establishment of his Congregation in the 
 United States. He witnessed with equal 
 delight the daily progress of the novitiate 
 opened at the Barrens, under the superin- 
 tendence of Father Rosati, and the arrival of 
 numerous Missionaries, whom Father Bec- 
 caria, superior of the Congregation after 
 Father Sicardi, sent to the aid of the Ameri- 
 can mission. The arrival of this little 
 colony, composed of one priest, some semi-
 
 I 
 204 Life of 
 
 narists and two lay-brothers, who were all 
 to remain under the immediate direction of 
 Father De Andreis, was a source of great joy 
 to him, and he gave them a most hearty wel- 
 come when they came to St. Louis to place 
 themselves under his orders. The last 
 consolation of the servant of God, was that 
 of re-opening the novitiate for new can- 
 didates for admission. Among them, a 
 certain Mr. Leo De Neckere, although very 
 young, was remarkable for his uncommon 
 talents and piety. He was afterwards 
 raised to the episcopal see of New Orleans, 
 where he soon fell a victim to his zeal for the 
 salvation of his flock. Only one spiritual 
 consolation was now wanting to Father De 
 Andreis, the one which he had in view in 
 leaving home, for which he undertook the 
 journey to America, and endured so many 
 hardships ; in a word, that which had ever 
 been the object of his most ardent desires, 
 of his fervent prayers ; this was the entire 
 consecration of himself to the conversion of 
 the Indians. He had met with several of 
 these poor people at St. Louis and else- 
 where, and had endeavored to make him- 
 self understood by a great many of them. 
 The sight of them did but increase his 
 desire to labor among them, while he com- 
 passionated from the bottom of his heart
 
 Very Rev. Felw De Andreis, C. M. 205 
 
 their unhappy state, deprived, as they 
 were, of the knowledge of God and re- 
 ligion. Still cherishing the hope of being 
 one day able to go among them, he studied 
 the dialect used by one of the Indian tribes, 
 trusting that this knowledge would be a key 
 to the language of the others. At length 
 he seemed on the point of attaining the end 
 for which he so ardently sighed, being re- 
 quired to accompany his bishop to those 
 immense forests ; already, in the transports 
 of his joy, he wrote to the seminary of the 
 Barrens in the following terms : 
 
 "Alleluia! Deogratias! At length we 
 are to commence a mission among the 
 savages. I am to have the happiness of 
 accompanying the bishop to visit these un- 
 fortunate people !" But these wishes were 
 the last sparks of that flame of charity 
 which burned within his heart ; for he was 
 soon to depart for heaven, for which he 
 constantly sighed, that he might be united 
 for ever with his God. Like St. Vincent, 
 who was not able before his death to behold 
 the establishment of his Missionaries in the 
 island of Madagascar, for which he so 
 ardently longed, and had made so many 
 sacrifices ; like St. Francis Xavier, who 
 had to stop on the very threshhold of China, 
 without entering the kingdom, because
 
 206 
 
 Life oj 
 
 God called him to himself ; so was Father 
 De Andreis to see the Indian tribes, and to 
 approach them, without having it in his 
 power to liberate them from the bonds of 
 their ignorance. God destined others, after 
 his death, to undertake this work.
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 St. Mary's Seminary of The Barrens. First House of 
 the Congregation of the Mission in the United States. 
 Father Rosati its first Superior. Opening of the 
 Novitiate in St. Louis. Father De Andreis as 
 Master of Novices. 
 
 IN the early days of the nineteenth cen- 
 tury a colony of Catholics settled at Perry- 
 ville in Perry County, Mo., about eighty 
 miles south of St. Louis. Nearly all the 
 land in this county was covered with tim- 
 ber, but a few spots of prairie were found, 
 here and there, in the woods. These spots, 
 barren of trees, but rich in productive soil, 
 received among the pioneer settlers the 
 name of "barrens." The term was soon 
 employed to designate the entire neighbor- 
 hood, which became known throughout the 
 surrounding country as "The Barrens." 
 Here was located St. Mary's Seminary, the 
 oldest institution of higher education west 
 of the Mississippi River. For half a cen- 
 tury St. Mary's shone like a beacon-light 
 of learning in the West, and gave celebrity, 
 which would never else have been accorded, 
 to the name of "The Barrens." 
 (207)
 
 2o8 Life of 
 
 The early settlers of The Barrens were 
 Anglo-Americans and came originally from 
 Maryland. During the persecutions against 
 Catholics, which were raised in that state, 
 they sought refuge in this part of Missouri. 
 At St. Genevieve, eighteen miles distant, 
 there was a resident priest who attended, 
 for a while, to their spiritual wants. But, 
 at the time of which we write, a Trappist 
 Monk, Father Joseph Dunaud, who lived 
 at Florissant, a hundred miles above, vis- 
 ited The Barrens whenever he could. 
 
 The people had built a small log church , 
 with a sacristy adjoining. Here the holy 
 mysteries were celebrated whenever their 
 pastor or any other priest came among 
 them. These good people were devotedly 
 attached to their faith, and they lived to- 
 gether in the most perfect harmony and the 
 most exact observance of the law of God 
 and the precepts of the Church. Their 
 most ardent desire was to have a pastor re- 
 siding among them, to instruct and direct 
 them in the ways of eternal life. When 
 they heard that Bishop Dubourg, accom- 
 panied by several priests, had arrived in 
 St. Louis, where he was going to fix his 
 residence, they began to hope for the 
 speedy fulfillment of their wishes. 
 
 The principal inhabitants held a meeting
 
 Very Rev. Felix DC Andreis, C. M. 209 
 
 and determined to make an extraordinary 
 effort to secure the presence among them of 
 one or more of the newly arrived priests. 
 They succeeded beyond their hightest an- 
 ticipations. They bought, and partly paid 
 for, a tract of land which they determined 
 to offer to the bishop, as an inducement for 
 him to send them a resident pastor. A 
 delegation was sent to St. Louis to wait on 
 Bishop Dubourg and to make known to 
 him the desires of the settlers, and the 
 steps the}' had taken ; and that they were 
 disposed to make still further sacrifices as 
 soon as circumstances and the poverty of 
 the neighborhood would allow them to 
 do so. 
 
 The Prelate was moved very deeply on 
 receiving these offers ; he admired the gen- 
 erosity of their hearts, their simplicity, and 
 the ardor of the faith which animated 
 them. Not only did he receive these good 
 men with the utmost cordiality, expressing 
 his willingness to accede to their pious de- 
 sires, but he further promised that he 
 would himself go to visit them, the better 
 to settle, on the spot, everything requisite 
 for the execution of their design. He went 
 there eventually, and found that they were 
 an industrious upright people. They greeted 
 him as their true father and pastor ; he
 
 210 Life, of 
 
 examined the quality of the ground which 
 was offered him, and found it of easy cul- 
 tivation ; the climate also was healthy, and, 
 having well considered the matter, he no 
 longer doubted that Divine Providence had 
 sent him this excellent location, as much 
 for the spiritual advantage of the colony, 
 as for the erection of a house of the Con- 
 gregation of the Mission. Father De An- 
 dreis, to whom on his return to St. Louis 
 the bishop gave a full account of the state 
 of the place, immediately gave his entire 
 approval to the plan ; he desired nothing 
 more ardently than to behold a house of the 
 Congregation established in these distant 
 regions, and now, to his astonishment, 
 much sooner than any one could have an- 
 ticipated, he beheld the arrival of the 
 happy time when the children of St. Vin- 
 cent were to be permanently established 
 amidst the woods and wilds of the New 
 World. He rejoiced in God ; but sank 
 lower still into the depths of his humility, 
 seeing that the Almighty had blessed his 
 desires and his manifold sufferings. With 
 delight he would have gone to clear away 
 the land with his own hands, instruct the 
 poor and honest people, "plan the proposed 
 building, and arrange all the most arduous 
 work that had to be done in the place, but
 
 Very Rev. Felix, DeAndreis, C. 31. 211 
 
 the bishop would never let him leave liis 
 post; so he had to make up his mind to 
 remain at St. Louis, whence he had 
 despatched suitable aid for the work. 
 
 His first and principal care was to recall 
 from Bardstown Father Rosati and his other 
 Missionaries whom he immediately sent to 
 The Barrens, for the double purpose of tak- 
 ing spiritual charge of the colonists, and of 
 superintending and aiding by their personal 
 labor, the building of the new house. They 
 went there as directed, and Father Rosati 
 rendered from the beginning to the end so 
 much assistance to the work, that he 
 deserved to be chosen its first head, director, 
 and superior. Bishop Dubourg, on his 
 part, sent there several other priests, one of 
 whom, Father de Lacroix, was skilled in 
 architecture, and drew the plan of the 
 church and house. The work was begun 
 without delay and prosecuted with vigor, 
 notwithstanding the difficulties of the un- 
 dertaking, the scarcity of means, and the 
 limited number of laborers. This happy 
 beginning was made with religious solem- 
 nity in the spring of 1818. The inhabitants 
 of The Barrens were enthusiastic, and most 
 generous with their time and labor. Some 
 cut down trees and cleared away the brush- 
 wood, others leveled the ground and dug
 
 212 Life of 
 
 the foundations, while others again em- 
 ployed themselves in sawing the timber or 
 planing the boards. A great many brought 
 materials, lumber, lime, etc. Even the 
 women were no less indefatigable than the 
 men, considering every burden light that 
 was to help to build the house of God or 
 that of his servants. Among these fervent 
 souls, Mrs. Hayden deserves particular 
 mention. She was the most wealthy of 
 the inhabitants and a generous-hearted 
 woman, who gave her own house as a 
 lodging for the Missionaries and for the 
 worship of God. The desires of all were 
 soon fulfilled, for, in 1820 part of the house 
 was habitable, and divine service could be 
 performed in the church. The latter was 
 blessed by Father Rosati, (in virtue of the 
 honorable charge conferred on him by the 
 bishop,) assisted by Fathers Bogna, Ac- 
 quaroni and Dahinen. Meanwhile Father 
 De Andreis rejoiced, at St. Louis, over the 
 success of their labors, and by his continual 
 prayers implored the blessing of Heaven 
 upon their undertaking. God had ap- 
 pointed him a special work, that of forming 
 the spiritual edifice, while others at The 
 Barrens were erecting the material one. 
 To give a correct idea of his labors, we 
 must mention that many of the priests
 
 Very Mee. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 213 
 
 wlioiu Bishop Dubourg had brought with 
 him from Europe wished, very soon after 
 their arrival, to enter the Congregation of 
 vSt. Vincent. They obtained the consent 
 of the bishop, and then earnestly entreated 
 the servant of God to receive them. Their 
 vocation was, most assuredly, inspired by 
 Heaven, since Father De Audreis and 
 Father Rosati, both equally faithful to the 
 injuntions of their holy Founder, had never 
 attempted to induce any subject to join 
 their community, no matter what good 
 they might hope to do among the people 
 by his instrumentality. They were very 
 much opposed to those crafty suggestions 
 which, in some measure, prevent or hinder 
 the inspirations of God, and which proceed 
 more from self-love than from any senti- 
 ment of humility. Therefore, no matter 
 how much affection for their own institute 
 might prompt them to act otherwise, the 
 Missionaries never moved one step, either 
 to gain proselytes or foundations. They 
 did not refuse, however, to receive them 
 when Divine Providence disposed things in 
 their favor. In accordance with these wise 
 maxims, ecclesiastics who desired to enter 
 the family of St. Vincent, were admitted 
 only after mature trial of their vocation. 
 Bishop Dnbourg gave up part of his house
 
 2i4 Life of 
 
 for a seminary, aiid the novitiate being 
 opened, Father De Andreis proceeded to 
 train, instruct, and edify them as well as 
 would have been done in the most regular 
 house of the Mission in Europe. 
 
 The name and country of these candi- 
 dates, their wonderful progress in virtue, 
 as well as the erection of the seminary at 
 The Barrens are amply described in a 
 letter written by Father De Andreis to his 
 superior, the Vicar-General, in Rome, the 
 Very Rev. Charles Sicardi, fc. M) This 
 letter is dated December 7th, 1818; we will 
 here insert a portion of it : 
 
 44 At length Father Rosati, with all our 
 seminary, has removed from Bardstown in 
 Kentucky, to a place about eighty miles 
 hence, called The Barrens. There our 
 house is in process of erection. Sufficient 
 land has been secured for the support of 
 the house, besides the tribute that these 
 good people voluntarily impose upon them- 
 selves. They are the best Catholics in the 
 diocese, all Anglo-Americans, and honest 
 industrious people. I have not enjoyed 
 the consolation of seeing Father Rosati for 
 more than a year, nor have I any prospect 
 of being soon able to do so ; for the ties that 
 bind us both to our respective duties are so 
 close, that they will not allow us to absent
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 215 
 
 ourselves under auy pretext. I have just 
 celebrated funeral rites, with great so- 
 lemnity, over the remains of one of our 
 companions who came from Europe with 
 us, a virtuous and able priest, about twenty- 
 eight years of age; he was a canon of Porto 
 Maurizio, and his name was Joseph Carretti. 
 I attended him in his long illness, which 
 was consumption, and he frequently men- 
 tioned to me his desire of joining our Mis- 
 sionaries. He died on the feast of St. 
 Francis Xavier, our great protector, at the 
 very moment that I left his bedside to re- 
 ceive into the novitiate his worthy com- 
 panion, a priest named Andrew Ferrari, 
 who was likewise from Porto Maurizio.*) 
 At the same time two others were received, 
 
 *) The compiler of this life remembers Fathers 
 Carretti and Ferrari, when in 1816, prompted by the 
 ardor of faith they left Porto Maurizio to accompany 
 Bishop Dubourg to America. They both belonged 
 to very respectable families, and deservedly enjoyed, 
 in their native place, the highest reputation. Their 
 relations opposed their departure with tears, while 
 their friends suggested to the former that his weak 
 constitution would not be able to undergo the 
 fatigue of the journey, and to the latter that he 
 could do much more good in his own country. But 
 no arguments, however powerful, could change 
 their determination. Father Ferrari, having be- 
 come a Missionary of St. Vincent, was truly an 
 apostolic man; he ended his life, a victim of charity, 
 in assisting those who were attacked by the yellow 
 fever.
 
 2i6 Life of 
 
 Rev. Francis Xavier Dahiuen, a deacon, 
 and Rev. Joseph Tichitoli, a sub-deacon. 
 Fathers Ferrari and Tichitoli were about 
 26 years of age; Father Dahmen was twenty 
 nine. They were all excellent subjects, 
 had postulated for more than a year, and 
 after the customary spiritual retreat were 
 admitted into our novitiate and seminary, 
 on the same memorable day, December 
 3rd. On the eve of the Epiphany, in the 
 following year, we were joined by Rev. F. 
 Cellini, a priest yet in the novitiate, and 
 two students, Mr. F. Borgna and another. 
 All came from Italy. 
 
 u According to the custom of the Ameri- 
 can missionaries, who give scripture names 
 to all holy places, we have named our 
 novitiate or seminary "Gethsemane," 
 which in Hebrew signifies oil press; for 
 we hope that neither the press of tribula- 
 tion, nor the oil of grace will ever be want- 
 ing to us ; [and as Gethsemane was for our 
 I/)rd the prelude of his passion, thus we, 
 etc J 
 
 "This novitiate consists of a room about 
 fifteen feet long by twelve wide ; it stands 
 alone and is built of brick. Within it is a 
 smaller apartment, two cupboards, a small 
 altar, a pretty good little library, three 
 beds, separated one from the other by blue
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 217 
 
 curtains, similar to those used for the uo- 
 vices in Rome. Each novice has a little 
 table, chair, crucifix, Rodriguez, Bible, 
 Roman Catechism, and Kempis, besides a 
 Compendium of the rules of the seminary, 
 which I have translated into French, and 
 which contains all that is most essential. 
 
 "There are many other excellent subjects 
 from various countries who desire admis- 
 sion among us, but our lodging is incon- 
 venient even for three, and for the present 
 I see no possibility of having any other. 
 Poverty is its only ornament, and fervor 
 reigns therein to such an extent that it both 
 confounds and delights me. 
 
 "We observe, even to the least point, all 
 the regulations that are customary in Rome 
 and elsewhere ; such as rising at four 
 o'clock, meditation, reading, visits, chapter, 
 colloquial conferences, asking for penan- 
 ces, comnmnications, strict silence, genu- 
 flexions on coining in and going out, office 
 in common, bodily exercise, etc. Every- 
 thing, including the reading at table, is 
 according to the same form as in Italy. I 
 have less need of the bridle than the spur ; 
 and like a blind guard, I tell every one to 
 be vigilant, fearing that the tree by being 
 transplanted, may lose something of its 
 vigor ; for in this soil we must count doubly
 
 2l8 
 
 Life of 
 
 on the excellence of the plant. However, 
 St. Vincent is already beginning to make 
 himself known and much good is done." 
 
 Such were the holy ideas in which Father 
 De Andreis trained his novices, and their 
 excellence was seen by the success which 
 attended his efforts. They became truly 
 apostolic men, who, following the maxims 
 and example of their director, were enabled 
 to form other worthy missionaries, and 
 found houses with the same good order, 
 thus propagating everywhere the spirit of 
 St. Vincent de Paul. 

 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 Death of Father De Andreis. Funeral honors. Trans- 
 lation of his remains to The Barrens. Testimony 
 rendered to his merit and virtues. 
 
 IN his letters to Rome, addressed to the 
 Vicar General of the Congregation of the 
 Mission, Father De Andreis frequently ex- 
 pressed his desire of being set free from the 
 bonds of earth, in order to rise and be 
 united with his God, the centre of all truth, 
 charity and eternal happiness. He spoke 
 thus, especially in his last letter written 
 from St. lyouis to Rome, and dated Sep- 
 tember 4th, 1820. In it he declares that he 
 ardently longs for the day which would con- 
 summate the total sacrifice of his life. That 
 day came soon enough less than forty 
 days after the date of his letter. 
 
 The health of Father De Andreis had al- 
 ways been weak and delicate. It was on 
 that account that he had been sent from 
 Placentia to Rome in 1806 ; but as he 
 labored indefatieaWy, .his sojourn in that 
 city, far from (ameliorating!, only served to 
 impair his condition. He concealed his 
 
 (219)
 
 220 Life of 
 
 infirmities, because he thirsted to suffer aiid 
 labor in the vineyard of the Lord. When 
 his departure for America was projected, 
 his superiors evinced no little opposition to 
 the measure, being convinced that an un- 
 dertaking of the kind required stronger 
 health than his. The hardships which he 
 endured in his journey, and those no less 
 considerable which he had to undergo 
 during his sojourn in Upper Louisiana, 
 joined to his continual and fatiguing labor, 
 eventually shortened his life. He was well 
 aware of this, but far from being grieved 
 at the thought, one would almost have said 
 that he awaited his last hour with im- 
 patience. With the most perfect confidence 
 in God he witnessed its approach. His last 
 illness though brief, was extremely painful, 
 but he bore it with heroic patience. He 
 received the holy viaticum with the utmost 
 fervor, and Bishop Dubourg, inconsolable 
 for such a loss, shortly after gave him ex- 
 treme unction. The few priests who stood 
 weeping around his bed were no less 
 afflicted, and they ceased not to offer to 
 God fervent prayers for his last journey. 
 
 Rev. Leo R. De Neckere, C. M., then a 
 young priest, but afterwards bishop of New 
 Orleans, was one of those who watched 
 near the servant of God during the closing
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andrew , C. M. 221 
 
 days of his life, and knelt beside him when 
 he was dying. Shortly before this sad 
 event, Father De Neckere wrote to Father 
 Rosati as follows : "After having embraced 
 you, in the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and 
 Mary, I must announce, with the deepest 
 sorrow, that our dear superior seems very 
 near his end. He is not able himself to 
 write, and hence he has commissioned me 
 to write for him. The bishop is, I believe, 
 writing also and he will give you details 
 much better than I can. Since Sunday 
 last Father De Andreis seems greatly im- 
 pressed with the thought of death, and he 
 asked for the last Sacraments, though the 
 physician and others did not think there 
 was much danger. His sufferings and 
 weakness have continually increased during 
 the week, and hence the bishop yesterday 
 administered the holy viaticum to him. 
 Yesterday our dear patient manifested a 
 great desire to see you. I never witnessed 
 anything more edifying and devout than 
 his transports of joy and overflowings of 
 heart, when the thought of death filled him 
 with the hope of an early union with his 
 Creator." 
 
 Years after his death the older inhabitants 
 of St. Louis used to tell how Father De An- 
 dreis, when he felt that he was dying,
 
 222 Life of 
 
 begged those around him to lift his emaci- 
 ated body from the bed and place him on 
 the bare floor of his poor abode, that as 
 Christ died, naked on the cross, so he 
 might die ou the naked floor, to resemble 
 as nearly as possible in death that divine 
 Master who had been his model during all 
 the actions of his life. 
 
 A little before his death Bishop Dubourg 
 proposed to him to bless all his fellow-mis- 
 sionaries, which he did, with the same af- 
 fection he had always evinced towards 
 them. His last act was to appoint Father 
 Rosati (who had always been his dearest 
 disciple and most effectual support,) his 
 successor as superior of the American mis- 
 sion ; then he expired with the calm joy of 
 the saints, on the feast of St. Theresa, 
 October I5th, 1820. No sooner was the 
 sad event known to the inhabitants of St. 
 Louis than all, even Protestants, gave 
 marks of the deepest sorrow, considering 
 his loss as a public calamity. Sobs and 
 tears, far more than words, expressed the 
 general affliction, so universally was he be- 
 loved. During his brief illness they not 
 only came to enquire after him, but the 
 principal citizens of the place waited upon 
 him, day and night, with the most devoted 
 affection ; nor could they speak of anything
 
 Very Rev. Felix DC Andreis, (7. M , 323 
 
 else but his virtues, particularly his meek- 
 ness and charity. Clothed in his sacerdotal 
 robes, he was laid out in a room of the 
 seminary, and thence carried to the church, 
 where the funeral rites were performed 
 with great solemnity. 
 
 There happened, at this time, certain 
 wonderful we might almost say miracu- 
 lous facts , " Which , ' ' writes Father Rosati , 
 afterwards Bishop of St. Louis, " we can re- 
 late with the utmost assurance, since their 
 occurrence tvas certain and undeniable." 
 
 A very pious widow, who had long be- 
 fore embraced the Catholic faith in the dio- 
 cese of Boston, and who at the death of 
 Father De Andreis was living at St. Louis 
 as Bishop Dubourg's housekeeper, had 
 often felt interiorly urged during the last 
 illness of the servant of God, to go and beg 
 his blessing that she might be cured of a 
 disease from which she had been suffering 
 seven years, without being able to obtain 
 from physicians any effectual relief. But 
 knowing how much he disliked to receive 
 women into his house, the pious widow 
 could not summon sufficient courage to 
 enter his room and recommend herself to 
 his prayers, fearing that she might there- 
 by cause him some displeasure. However, 
 after his death she entered, and approach-
 
 224 -Z>i/ e Qf 
 
 ing with lively faith the feet of the vener- 
 ated deceased, whose remains were laid out 
 in the house, she began to offer fervent 
 prayers to God for her cure. While so do- 
 ing she touched the feet of the corpse, and 
 immediately experienced an entire cessation 
 of all her pains ; her strength was renewed, 
 and she returned home completely cured 
 and joyful beyond measure. She spoke of 
 this cure to all, and as her previous suffer- 
 ings were well known, while every one 
 witnessed her entire recovery, no doubt was 
 entertained of the truth of the event. 
 
 "Bishop Dubourg mentioned it to me," 
 adds Bishop Rosati, "at the very time it 
 took place, as an indubitable fact, and six 
 or seven months after when I happened to 
 be at St. Louis, I saw the person in 
 question, a Mrs. Hearn, and begged her to 
 relate to me all that I had heard respecting 
 her wonderful cure. She promptly con- 
 sented to my request, and gave me a pre- 
 cise account of the event, with all ita cir- 
 cumstances." 
 
 "No less remarkable," continues the 
 bishop, "was another occurrence, witnessed 
 by nearly all the inhabitants of St. Louis, 
 and which was regarded as a public and 
 striking testimony given by Heaven, of the 
 sanctity of Father De Andreis. On the
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 225 
 
 morning of the i6th of October, precisely 
 at nine o'clock, when the body of the ser- 
 vant of God clothed in his sacerdotal vest- 
 ments, was laid out in the hall for the con- 
 solation of those who wished to see him, 
 while the day was serene and the sun shin- 
 ing with his usual splendor, a beautiful 
 large star suddenly appeared in the sky, 
 exactly over the spot where the body lay 
 exposed. Its brilliancy was visible to every 
 one for the space of three hours, and it dis- 
 appeared only at the moment when the 
 body, having been taken to the church, the 
 funeral ceremonies around the coffin were 
 concluded. 
 
 "All admired this prodigy, its position 
 ivas considered as an evident miracle, and 
 as it was the general opinion that Father 
 De Andreis was a saint, every one openly 
 declared that this beautiful star was the 
 soul of the servant of God, already resplen- 
 dent with celestial glory. The Rev. Father 
 Saulnier, now assistant priest of the cathe- 
 dral of St. Louis, and who was then a resi- 
 dent of the place ; Mr. Bovet, a native of 
 Canada, of exemplary piety and singular 
 probity ; Mr. de Hodiamont all worthy 
 citizens and excellent Catholics can be 
 referred to as witnesses of the wonderful 
 fact we have related."
 
 226 Lije oj 
 
 There is another event equally well 
 authenticated, namely a miraculous cure 
 performed by Father De Andreis during his 
 residence in Kentucky. The man whose 
 health was restored by means of the pray- 
 ers of the servant of God, afterwards resided 
 at The Barrens, a few miles from St. 
 Mary's Seminary, and Archbishop Odin of 
 New Orleans heard the fact from his own 
 lips. 
 
 Bishop Dubourg, a man of enlightened 
 wisdom and who was highly capable of dis- 
 cerning true and solid virtue, held the ser- 
 vant of God in the highest esteem and 
 would not allow his remains to be placed in 
 the common cemetery. Remembering how 
 much Father De Andreis had loved the 
 Missionaries, his companions, and how 
 much also he was beloved by them in re- 
 turn, the bishop granted them the privilege 
 of possessing his body. Accordingly, after 
 having celebrated with his entire clergy the 
 solemn obsequies in the cathedral church 
 in St. IvOiiis, he ordered that the venerated 
 remains should be conveyed with suitable 
 pomp to the seminary of The Barrens, 
 where Father Rosati was superior. 
 
 The bishop wrote to Father Rosati as 
 follows, on October 16, 1820: u God has 
 deprived us of your father, and my saintly
 
 Very Rev. Felix tie Andreis, C. M. 227 
 
 co-laborer, my dear friend. What can I 
 say to console you for this irreparable loss, 
 since I am myself overwhelmed with grief? 
 Sicut Domino placuit, ita factum est. Sit 
 nomen Domini benedicttim. I send you his 
 precious remains. They belong naturally 
 to you, but in parting with them I assure 
 you that I make a sacrifice for your sake. 
 Be pleased to inform your superiors of the 
 profound sorrow in which I am plunged. 
 Let this holy body repose in a place where 
 it can be easily disinterred when this may 
 be necessary. Bring the seminarians every 
 Sunday evening to his grave, and often call 
 the attention of the people of the parish to 
 the treasure they possess." 
 
 During this removal of the body of the 
 servant of God to The Barrens, eighty 
 miles distant, it was escorted by the most 
 distinguished citizens of St. Louis, who 
 voluntarily hastened to join the funeral 
 train. As the mournful procession pro- 
 ceeded on its way, many Catholics of the 
 parishes through which it passed joined 
 the inhabitants of St. Louis. They crossed 
 the river at Cahokia, were the coffin having 
 been taken to the church, Mass was chanted 
 and a funeral service celebrated, according 
 to the customary formalities. Rev. Father 
 Olivier, in his parish of Prairie du Rocher,
 
 228 Life of 
 
 performed the same charitable and religious 
 office for the illustrious deceased. At this 
 place the devout retiuue was increased, and 
 soon reached the parish of St. Genevieve. 
 Here the holy priest was universally la- 
 mented. The people remembered that they 
 had seen him full of life among them, that 
 he had been their zealous guide and in- 
 defatigable missionary, and all hastened to 
 pay him the last tribute of their respect, by 
 assisting at the funeral service performed 
 over his remains by their worthy pastor, 
 Father Pratte. Many of the inhabitants 
 joined the sorrowful train, and accompanied 
 the body to the seminary of The Barrens. 
 Father Rosati, being duly apprised of their 
 arrival, with all his clergy set out to meet 
 the procession at the entrance of the 
 church, and solemnly received the body ac- 
 cording to the formalities prescribed by the 
 ritual. His prayers were frequently inter- 
 rupted by sobs and tears, for how could he 
 restrain his grief for one who had been 
 both his beloved master and cherished com- 
 panion, a father whom he, more than any 
 one else, knew to be a truly apostolic man, 
 and on whose aid he had so long rested all 
 his earthly hopes? On the following day, 
 a solemn High Mass having been chanted, 
 after the recitation of the customary pray-
 
 Very Eev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 229 
 
 ers, the precious remains were laid in a 
 tomb of brick work, behind the church. 
 Here they were left until the month of 
 September, 1837. 
 
 Meanwhile the new and handsome church 
 belonging to the seminary having been 
 completed, Bishop Rosati, who had been 
 previously raised to the episcopal see of St. 
 Louis, of which he was the first bishop, 
 ordered that the body of Father De Andreis 
 should be removed to a more suitable rest- 
 ing place. The intentions of the bishop 
 were announced to the poeple, and they 
 came in crowds to the old church, into 
 which the coffin was brought. The Office 
 for the Dead was chanted, the most holy 
 sacrifice was offered with great solemnity, 
 and then the devout procession moved on 
 to the new church, were the body was laid 
 in a stone sepulchre, constructed by order 
 of the bishop. It was placed on the gospel 
 side, in the chapel of St. Vincent, directly 
 beneath the pavement. ^ slab, bearing 
 the following inscription in honor of the 
 deceased, was inserted in the opposite wall: 
 
 Hie jacet 
 
 Felix De Andreis, Congregationis Missionis 
 
 in America Primus Superior et Fundator, 
 
 Atque Diocesis Neo Aurelianensis Vicarius 
 
 Oeneralis ;
 
 230 Life of 
 
 Natus Demontii in Italia Subalpina, Prid. 
 
 Id. Decemb. MDCCLXXVIIL 
 ObiitSti Ludovici Idib. Oct. MDCCCXX. 
 Virapostolicisvirtutibus,ingenio,eruditione 
 
 et eloquentia maxima conspicuus. 
 
 Ne mortuus a fratribus corpore abesset 
 
 qui vivus illis fuerat corde quam maxime 
 
 conjunctus, mortales ejus exuvias sancto 
 
 I/udovico exportatas et in veteri 
 
 caemeterio primum tumulatas, 
 
 Fratres ejus in Christo amantissimi, 
 
 Episcopus Sancti Ludovici 
 
 Coeterique Congregationis Missionis sacer- 
 
 dotes decentiorem mine in locum 
 
 transtulerunt, 
 U_ IX Kal. Octob. MDCCCXXXVII. 3 
 
 Bishop Dubourg announced the death of 
 Father De Andreis to all the clergy of his 
 diocese by the following circular : 
 
 r U R. i. P. 
 
 "Jussu Revmi. Episcopi nostri mcestissimum 
 tibi nuncium facio OBITUS EEVDI. ADMODUM 
 D. FELICIS DE ANDREIS, Vicari.i-generalis, 
 necnon Congregationis Missionis, in hoc Ludo- 
 vicensi provincia moderatoris, viri sanctitate 
 seque ac doctrina prsestaniissimi, qui Octobris die 
 15, 1820, post duiturni morbi molestias admira- 
 bili mansuetudine toleratas, sacramentis munitus 
 et cceleatibus jam diliciis affluens, annos natus
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 231 
 
 circiter duo et quadraginta, meliorem ad vitam 
 evolavit. Defecit heu! Cleri nostri lumen et 
 decus, evangelii praeco potentissimus, pauperum 
 amator, Ludovisianse missionis spes et columen! 
 Pretiosam venerandi sacerdotis mortem inexple- 
 bili luctu prosequitur Episcopus, lugent et om- 
 nium ordinum homines. Utinam tot gemitibus 
 motus Deus totius consolationis, aliquos in nobis 
 excitat tantae virtutis haeredes ! 
 1 'Ad obsequia paratissimus, 
 
 "CAR. DE LACEOIX, 
 "Revmi. D. D. Episcopi Ludov., Secretarius." 
 
 For the benefit of readers not familiar 
 with the Latin, we will here give a trans- 
 lation of the foregoing circular : 
 
 "By order of our Right Rev. Bishop I 
 hereby make to you the most lamentable 
 announcement of the death of the Very 
 Rev. Felix De Andreis, Vicar-General of 
 this diocese, and superior of the Congre- 
 gation of the Mission in the province of 
 Louisiana. He was a man most renowned 
 for sanctity and for learning. He died 011 
 the 1 5th of October, 1820, after a long and 
 painful illness borne with admirable resig- 
 nation. Fortified by the sacraments, and 
 seeming to taste in advance celestial joys, 
 he passed to a better life, at about the age 
 of forty-two years. Thus alas ! has passed
 
 23? Life of 
 
 away a light and ornament of our clergy, 
 a most eloquent preacher of the gospel, a 
 lover of the poor, the hope and support of 
 our Louisiana Mission. The bishop la- 
 ments, with inexpressible grief, the pre- 
 cious death of this venerated priest, and 
 men of all classes mourn his loss. May 
 the God of all consolation, moved by so 
 many lamentations, raise up among us 
 many imitators of his great virtue ! 
 
 Your obedient servant, 
 
 Chas. De Lacroix, 
 Sec'y of the Bishop of Louisiana." 
 
 It was also thought proper that Bishop 
 Dubourg should send speedy information 
 to Rome of the sad event. This he did in 
 a letter of October igth, addressed to the 
 Vicar-General of the Vincentians. The 
 following is a translation from the French: 
 "Very Reverend Sir : 
 
 "God has just visited us with an afflic- 
 tion which my heart feels most keenly, 
 and which is also a terrible blow for this 
 mission. It is the death of Father De An- 
 dreis, which occurred on Sunday, the i5th 
 instant, the day on which we celebrated 
 the feast of the holy Guardian Angels, and 
 I doubt not that the prayers said for him 
 on that occasion were granted to their full 
 extent : Subvenite Angell Dei ct
 
 Very Eev. Felix De Andreis, C. M . 233 
 
 jubeas earn a sanctis Angelis suscipi, et ad 
 patriam Paradisi perduci. This death has 
 plunged, not only the city of St. Louis but 
 the whole diocese, into the deepest grief, 
 for every one considered him a saint. I 
 trust that God will glorify him by the testi- 
 mony of miracles, for there exists already a 
 very general readiness to believe in them, 
 a most beautiful star having appeared in 
 the heavens, in the middle of the day, at 
 the very moment of his funeral. A woman 
 of advanced age, employed in my service, 
 who had been suffering for three years was 
 immediately, and I trust effectually, cured 
 of her disease. I enclose you the account 
 in English ; also the Latin circular. 
 
 "This is indeed an irreparable loss. At 
 the moment of his death, Father De An- 
 dreis appointed Rev. Jos. Rosati as superior 
 of the Congregation of the Mission in Ame- 
 rica. He is the only one who can fill such 
 a post, for all the others are too young. It 
 is very necessary, sir, that you should send 
 us two subjects of mature age, of talent 
 and solid virtue, in order that the precious 
 foundation of the company in Louisiana 
 may be permanently secured. If Father 
 Rosati fail us, all will go to ruin. He also 
 will, without doubt, entreat you to do this; 
 allow me to unite my most earnest prayer
 
 234 Life of 
 
 with his. Besides the seminary which I 
 , have given to the Congregation, I intend 
 to make use of it for the establishment of 
 another house for the missions, in one of 
 the most populous localities of Lower 
 Louisiana. The good that these two estab- 
 lishments will procure is incalculable. 
 You have been already informed, Re- 
 verend sir, that you have here six novices, 
 nearly all priests, of whom the greater 
 number are remarkable for talent and 
 virtue. 
 
 "I have the honor to remain, etc. 
 
 "Louis William Dubourg, 
 
 * 'Bishop of Louisiana. 
 f"St. Lonis, Mo., U. S. of America, 
 
 Oct. 19, i820.'O 
 
 We will subjoin to the above letter an 
 extract from the Missouri Gazette. It is 
 as follows : 
 
 U ST. Louis, Mo., October 18, 1820. 
 
 "REGISTER OF DEATHS. 
 "Died in this city on the i5th of the 
 present month, after a painful illness, in 
 the forty-second year of his age, the Rev. 
 Felix De Andreis, Vicar-General of Loui- 
 siana, and Superior of the Congregation of 
 the Mission in America. This venerated 
 priest was born in Piedmont, Italy, of a
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 235 
 
 respectable and wealthy family. He em- 
 braced the ecclesiastical career at an early 
 period of his life. His youth was dis- 
 tinguished by perfect innocence and con- 
 tinual progress in virtue, thereby foretelling 
 what he was to be in after years, a man of 
 God, an apostle. The comforts of home 
 and the delights of family affection were 
 the first ties that the voice of heaven called 
 upon him to seVer, in order to devote him- 
 self to the lowly and toilsome duties of the 
 country missions, and the practice of the 
 evangelical counsels of poverty and obedi- 
 ence, in the truly apostolic Congregation 
 founded by St. Vincent, about two hun- 
 dred years ago. The different provinces 
 of Italy were, by turns, the theatre of his 
 zeal, and the stirring effusions of his almost 
 divine eloquence, brought to his feet 
 thousands of miserable sinners, who were 
 comforted and relieved by his tender chari- 
 ty. Being called to Rome, as the place 
 most suited to his noble talents and exten- 
 sive learning, he became, in a short time, 
 the oracle of this capital of the Christian 
 world, and excited the admiration of the 
 most eminent prelates. But his humility 
 was alarmed at the esteem he enjoyed, and 
 which opened for him a path to the highest 
 honors ; the city of Rome was too limited
 
 236 Life of 
 
 for his ardent zeal, and he sought a field 
 more vast and more abandoned. He had 
 long solicited the favor of being sent to a 
 foreign mission. \ China was the first object 
 of his desires, but Divine Providence 
 having frustrated his hopes in that quarter, 
 directed them towards America. He had 
 many obstacles to surmount in order to 
 attain his end ; his superiors, supported by 
 the most illustrious dignitaries of Rome, 
 strongly opposed his departure. It was re- 
 presented to the Sovereign Pontiff that his 
 presence in Rome was absolutely necessary, 
 and that his removal would be a public 
 calamity. It even appears that the Holy 
 Father was somewhat influenced by these 
 arguments, but he finally consented to the 
 desires of the humble priest, and imposed 
 silence on all who opposed his departure. 
 The holy man, therefore, left Italy for 
 America in 1816, being accompanied by 
 several members of his Congregation, 
 of whom he was, in due form, ap- 
 pointed superior; and after residing for 
 about a year in Kentucky, where he is still 
 remembered with esteem and affection, he 
 arrived in this city with our excellent 
 bishop, who, some time before had made 
 him his Vicar-General and the soul of his 
 councils. The three years of his residence
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 237 
 
 among us were entirely devoted to the most 
 active and charitable offices of his sacred 
 ministry, and were enough to immortalize 
 his gentle memory in the hearts of all 
 classes of our citizens. His fervent piety, 
 unwearied solicitude for the salvation of 
 souls, his tender and ingenious charity to- 
 wards the poor, will long be favorite topics; 
 while his pathetic and frequent exhorta- 
 tions from the pulpit will for ever remain 
 engraved on the hearts of his hearers, to 
 serve as a reproof to the negligent and ani- 
 mate the good to perseverence. His last 
 moments were those of the just man, who 
 every day of his life studies the great lesson 
 of dying a holy death. The announcement 
 of his approaching dissolution not only 
 found him resigned and contented, but it 
 further excited him to raptures of joy. All 
 the glory of heaven shone upon his pallid 
 countenance. His last words were in favor 
 of his spiritual children, whom he recom- 
 mended to the especial care of the bishop. 
 His death is universally lamented. Every 
 one seems to have lost in him a true father, 
 and the weeping crowd that accompanied 
 his final obsequies proclaimed him the be- 
 loved of God and man, one whose memory 
 will be forever blessed. His mortal remains 
 will be conveyed by pious escort to the
 
 238 Life of 
 
 seminary of The Barrens in Perry County, 
 which is directed by the priests of his Con- 
 gregation." 
 
 The saintly Mother Duchesne, first superi- 
 or of the Sacred Heart Nuns in America, 
 enjoyed, for a short time preceding his 
 death, the happiness of having Father De 
 Andreis for her confessor and spiritual direc- 
 tor. Until she met him, she seemed to have 
 found no one in this country who properly 
 understood her, or who could satisfy her in 
 the direction of her conscience. In one of 
 her letters she wrote: "I have no longer any 
 consolations; my heart longs for some sup- 
 port, and finds none but in God. In my 
 aqxiety for spiritual aid I thought of Mgr. 
 Flaget, the bishop of Bardstown, but he 
 never came; and then again, of the holy 
 Father De Andreis, the provincial of the 
 Lazarists, but he is ill. So I must remain 
 with God alone, my soul never having been 
 able to open itself to any one since I left 
 France." (Life of Mother Duchesne, p. 198.) 
 
 The pastor of Florissant, Mo., a few miles 
 from St. Louis, was also the chaplain of the 
 Sacred Heart community , which Mother Du- 
 chesne had established there. As this priest 
 was obliged to be absent for a considerable 
 time during 1819, Father De Andreis was* 
 sent by the bishop to take his place, to the
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 239 
 
 great delight of Mother Duchesne and her 
 companions. His short residence at Floris- 
 sant was yet long enough to have been full 
 of the greatest consolation and benefit to 
 these heroic religious who, in the midst of 
 poverty and suffering, practiced the most 
 heroic virtues and laid, deep and strong, the 
 first foundation of the Sacred Heart Society 
 in the New World. Madam Duchesne was 
 herself dangerously ill during the last sick- 
 ness of Father De Andreis. As soon as she 
 was able, she wrote to her superiors in 
 France, saying: "The bishop, and we too, 
 have suffered a great loss, that of Father De 
 Andreis, the superior of the Lazarists and 
 Vicar General. He was great, both in sanctity 
 and learning, and with singular gifts for the 
 care of souls. A malignant fever carried him 
 off just as I was getting better. All the popu- 
 lation of St. Louis, Protestants and Jews in- 
 cluded, followed him to the grave, with the 
 most sincere grief. He is supposed to have 
 already wrought several miracles." (Idem, 
 p. 208.) 
 
 As Mother Duchesne is a candidate for 
 beatification, the evidence of her holy life 
 and heroic virtues being now under exami- 
 nation by the Congregation of Rites in Rome, 
 her testimony to the virtues of her holy direc- 
 tor is of more than ordinary importance.
 
 240 Life of 
 
 Till the day of her death, she kept, as a 
 most cherished relic, a copy of the Imita- 
 tion of Christ, which had been used by 
 Father De Andreis. 
 
 When the news of the death of Father 
 De Andreis was announced to his friends 
 at a distance from St. Louis, many of them 
 expressed by letter their great veneration 
 for him, and their deep grief over his un- 
 timely departure. From these letters we 
 will give just a few selections here. Rev. 
 Father Portier, afterwards first Bishop of 
 Mobile, wrote from New Orleans to Father 
 Rosati in the following terms, on Decem- 
 ber ad, 1820: 
 
 "We realize, my dear friend, the great 
 loss which you, and all of us, have sus- 
 tained in the death of our saintly Father De 
 Andreis. It is a general affliction for all 
 the Missionaries, but it is a very special 
 one to me, who had hoped to find, for a 
 long time to come, in his lights and his 
 sanctity the direction which my conscience 
 demands and will continue to demand. But 
 what consoles me is, that the saint who is 
 dead will become our protector, by his 
 merits and his prayers, and that the 
 memory of his holy example will long sur- 
 vive amongst us, to reanimate us in the 
 trials of our career. We celebrated here 
 three solemn Masses for the repose of his
 
 Very Eev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 241 
 
 soul, but I do not doubt that it found re- 
 pose in the bosom of God, at the very in- 
 stant when it was separated from his 
 body." / 
 
 Bishop David, co-adjutor of the diocese 
 of Bardstown, held Father De Andreis in 
 the highest veneration. When the news 
 of the death of the servant of God reached 
 him, he wrote from the seminary of Bards- 
 town to Father Rosati, expressing his great 
 sorrow. His letter is dated December 12, 
 1820. "I share with you as far as pos- 
 sible," he wrote, "the great loss which has 
 lately befallen you. I knew the merit of 
 Father De Andreis well enough to ap- 
 preciate him. His death is not only a loss 
 to you, but to the diocese of Louisiana and 
 to the entire Church. But what should 
 console us all is the assurance we have, 
 that if a faithful priest has been taken from 
 us, an intercessor has been given us in 
 heaven, who will be not less useful to us 
 by the graces he will obtain for us, than he 
 would have been by the exercise of his 
 ministry amongst us, if his life had been 
 prolonged. ' ' 
 
 And the saintly Bishop Flaget, who 
 knew Father De Andreis so well and loved 
 him so tenderly, was overcome by grief 
 when he heard of the death of his dear
 
 242 Life of 
 
 friend. The admiration of these two holy 
 men for each other was mutual. Mother 
 Duchesne said of them: "They are both 
 universally looked upon as saints, and God 
 visibly blesses their ministry." During 
 their residence together in the seminary at 
 Bardstown, for nearly a year, they came to 
 know each other intimately. The letters 
 of Father De Andreis, given in preceding 
 pages, sufficiently testify his great esteem 
 for the bishop, while the following words 
 of Bishop Flaget, written to Father Rosati, 
 November 6, 1820, are valuable evidence 
 to the sanctity of the great priest whose life 
 we are writing. 
 
 "I feel most deeply," says Bishop Flaget, 
 "the irreparable loss you have sustained by 
 the death of the wise, the amiable, the 
 saintly Father De Andreis. I knew and 
 appreciated his great merits, though I was 
 not able to imitate his virtues. Heaven 
 grant that he may not rise up some day to 
 condemn my laxity and lukewarmness. 
 The Bishop Mauricastro, my co-adjiltor, as 
 well as those here who knew the virtuous 
 Missionary, join with me in my sorrow and 
 desire me to express to you their sincere 
 condolence. It was the afternoon of All 
 Saints Day, when we were about to cele- 
 brate the second vespers of the feast and the
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 243 
 
 first vespers of All Souls, that the afflicting 
 news reached us ; and, as we recalled the 
 simplicity, the kindness, the piety and fer- 
 vour of the holy priest, we were puzzled to 
 decide whether we should invoke him as a 
 saint or pray for the repose of his soul. 
 But, however this may be, he will certainly 
 see God for all eternity ; and no matter 
 how valuable he may have been to us dur- 
 ing this life, he will be still more so now, 
 after his happy death."
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 Interior Life of Father De Andreis. 
 
 WE mean by interior life that constant 
 duty to which 'the servant of God so 
 thoroughly applied himself to remove from 
 his soul every imperfection, for the one ob- 
 ject of becoming completely agreeable to 
 God. This holy exercise he called his in- 
 terior life, because he labored with pious 
 ingenuity to conceal it from the eyes of 
 others. He had himself traced out its 
 plan shortly after his arrival in Rome. The 
 following were the rules which he proposed 
 to observe faithfully the whole time of his 
 life: 
 
 "i. In the morning, as soon as I awake, 
 I will excite myself to holy joy at the 
 thought that God grants me another day to 
 do penance for my sins and merit heaven, 
 drawing hence many devout affections. 
 
 14 2. While celebrating Mass, studying, 
 or taking my meals, I will conduct myself 
 in a spirit of sacrifice, universal abnegation 
 and entire submission to God, as if I were 
 in the very act of offering him a perfect 
 holocaust. 
 
 (244)
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 245 
 
 u. 
 
 '3. On those days in which I have to 
 undergo the greatest humiliations, contempt 
 and suffering, I will exult interiorly with 
 transports of holy joy, striving to excite 
 them by motives of pure love. 
 
 "4. But, when everything has gone on 
 smoothly, I will humble myself and strive 
 to awaken within my heart feelings of sor- 
 row; this also through motives of pure love. 
 To this interior exercise I will add the fol- 
 lowing regulations respecting my exterior 
 conduct. 
 
 "5. I must endeavor, on every occasion, 
 to make myself all unto all, seeking, with- 
 out waiting to be asked, to console, assist 
 and serve others, always acting and speak- 
 ing in such a way that all this may proceed 
 from a solid foundation of humility, charity 
 and meekness : disregarding, in every cir- 
 cumstance, all repugnance, self-love, or 
 coldness ; waiting until I am alone, to sub- 
 due any interior trouble and revolt that this 
 manner of acting may occasion me. I must 
 do this the more earnestly, as it is what 
 God requires of me. It shall be the object 
 of the present retreat, and the end of all my 
 meditations, examinations, reading, and 
 other spiritual exercises. I will, for this 
 purpose, read attentively the life and works 
 of St. Vincent de Paul and of St. Francis 
 de Sales.
 
 246 Life oj 
 
 "It cannot be denied that the exercise 
 now proposed will require stronger virtue 
 than that which I have hitherto, though 
 imperfectly, practised. What virtue I pos- 
 sessed, was comprised in silence and in- 
 action, in refraining from following the im- 
 pulse of my passions, in practices of a 
 merely negative nature such as to avoid 
 bringing myself forward, to refrain from 
 excusing myself, from complaining, and 
 many other similar acts, the minute detail 
 of which would be too lengthy. Now that 
 something more positive is proposed, I shall 
 have to fight continually, and shall never 
 be able to flatter myself that I have ob- 
 tained the state of pure love, if I do not be- 
 gin from this point ; to expect it by any 
 other means would be mere rashness. 
 
 "I acknowledge that too frequently I 
 have been guilty of this rashness, from 
 neglecting to follow the advice of our 
 Divine Redeemer : Recumbe prius in novis- 
 simo loco, and go not higher until it be said 
 to thee : ascende superius. I blush for 
 having, too often, been presumptuous 
 enough to aspire to a kiss from the divine 
 lips ; namely to the state of pure love, 
 whereas I have not, as yet, sufficiently 
 practiced the kissing of the feet ; namely, 
 the virtues of humility and affability. I
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andreis, C. M . 247 
 
 ask pardon for my presumption, and will 
 devote myself to this practice, acknowledg- 
 ing that the repulses which I have received 
 are very well deserved. He who wishes to 
 mount higher, deserves to be sent back to 
 the lowest seat, and I should indeed have 
 known this after reading so many lives and 
 words of the saints. I will then learn to 
 humble myself, and never think that I am 
 too much lowered. I will endeavor to 
 , parry the specious arguments of self-love 
 by this golden advice of St. Francis de 
 Sales 'Excuse and bear with thy neighbor, 
 with much meekness of heart ; do not phi- 
 losophize on the contradictions thou mayest 
 meet with ; look not at them but on God, 
 in all things, without any expectation ; 
 and acquiesce with simplicity in all his de- 
 signs.' 1 
 
 Father De Andreis frequently examined 
 himself on this rule of life, and, as he per- 
 ceived that he did not always follow it ex- 
 actly, he formed new and vigorous resolu- 
 tions of putting it more perfectly into prac- 
 tice. On February 24th, 1808, he took the 
 following determination : 
 
 "This morning a faint glimmer of light 
 pierced the thick darkness and anguish of 
 mind which had oppressed me. It revealed 
 to me, in my conduct, an excessive tender-
 
 248 Life of 
 
 ness of self, which, almost imperceptibly 
 gaining ground, makes me forget, under 
 various artful pretexts, the holy practices 
 of meekness, mortification and humility, 
 and is in a fair way of reducing me to a 
 merely animal life. I strive to avoid, as 
 much as possible, suffering of any kind. I 
 yield to weariness, and grow angry, at least 
 interiorly, at the smallest offence that I 
 seem to receive. Without being aware of 
 it, I have nourished a certain amount of 
 self-esteem. Meditation and examination 
 of conscience have become a mere exercise 
 of the mind ; and hence it is that I am so 
 molested by scruples and interior pains. I 
 pray to be freed from them, but my prayer 
 is not heard. I therefore acknowledge this 
 to be an admirable arrangement of the love 
 of Divine Providence, who permits me to 
 remain in these and similar infirmities, that 
 they may serve to counterbalance my pride, 
 which otherwise would grow to a frightful 
 extent ; and, though it seems to me that I 
 refer all to God, I unconsciously and too 
 frequently, become vain in prosperity, and 
 let this be seen in my intercourse with 
 others. It is true that Our Lord might re- 
 medy this evil in some other way, but who 
 am I to dare prescribe laws to the Al- 
 mighty? May his most holy will be done
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 249 
 
 in all and everywhere. I therefore resolve 
 to be more vigilant and faithful, remember- 
 ing : Tantum pro fides, quantum tibi ipsi 
 vim intuleris . ' ' (Kempis . ) 
 
 "I copied to-dajr, March i5th, 1808, a 
 most useful passage from the Life of Father 
 Peter Consolini, a beloved disciple and per- 
 fect imitator of Saint Philip Neri. I fail 
 very often in one of his fundamental max- 
 ims which is this : 'True humility teaches 
 us to avoid as much as possible, all scien- 
 tific or spiritual conversations, because such 
 topics generally increase our vanity and 
 raise us in the esteem of others. Our self- 
 love feeds on this, and though some may 
 say, that in order to benefit our neighbor 
 we should discourse on spiritual things, it 
 may be replied that it is at the foot of the 
 crucifix, by means of prayer, tears, and 
 penance, not with fine words, that we can 
 do good to the soul of our neighbor.' And 
 this he said especially for the young. Any 
 one who is truly humble, will speak little 
 of himself or of anything that might gain 
 him public esteem. 
 
 "In the present retreat of 1808, I have 
 by the grace of God and with much trouble 
 discovered in the hidden recesses of my 
 heart, lurking beneath a thousand folds of 
 plausible reasoning, a secret spirit of am-
 
 250 Life of 
 
 bition, which tries to gain the ascendancy 
 and very often makes me utter words which 
 are calculated to draw upon me esteem and 
 consideration. It also causes me to aspire 
 after distinctions, and makes me feel dis- 
 turbed when I am not gratified. In spite 
 of my full conviction that whatever good I 
 have is entirely the gift of God, and that 
 of myself I am but a miserable wretch un- 
 worthy of anything but contempt, still I 
 wish to be thought much of and am sad if 
 I do not obtain what I desire ! miseria ! 
 
 praesumptio nequissima unde creata es! 
 'Sunt multafusis illita } quae luce pur gentur 
 tua: tu vera lux celestium vultu sereno illu- 
 mina. ' Hymn Laud. fer. IV. 
 
 "Besides this, I have noticed several 
 times that, when an opportunity of per- 
 forming an act of humility presents itself, 
 
 1 feel that I am deprived of the courage 
 that I need in order to overcome myself. 
 It appears as if all would be lost were I to 
 perform that act ; so that I not only abstain 
 from it, but even sometimes yield to the 
 opposite vice. I have, however, found two 
 reasons for my want of fidelity in practising 
 the holy resolutions which I took in my 
 former retreats. 
 
 "The first is want of light in the under- 
 standing to discover the subterfuges of
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 251 
 
 pride ; the second, want of fortitude in the 
 will, to overcome my repugnances. Full 
 of confidence in God, I now feel inspired to 
 resolve upon the ten following articles : 
 
 u i. To show great respect, both in word 
 and action, towards every one, according to 
 his position. 
 
 ' ' 2 . To humble myself sincerely in every- 
 thing, and rejoice when I see myself 
 despised by others. 
 
 4 '3. To approve of everything in our 
 Lord, praise every one, especially the ab- 
 sent, and be sincerely benevolent and kind 
 to all. 
 
 "4. To forget myself and be silent on all 
 things that concern me ; however, if neces- 
 sary, I will speak of them as matters of no 
 consequence and not worth mentioning. 
 
 "5. To be sincerely compassionate and 
 merciful towards others ; for true justice 
 shows compassion, but false justice only in- 
 dignation. 
 
 4 '6. Ever to be rigid and austere towards 
 myself. 
 
 "7. To excuse others, and never accuse 
 them but in cases where prudence requires 
 that superiors should know their faults in 
 order to admonish them. 
 
 "8. Always to accuse, but never to ex- 
 cuse myself, unless my conscience tells me
 
 252 Life oj 
 
 that it is necessary, in order to remove a 
 cause of scandal ; and then I will do it 
 with moderation. 
 
 "9. Should I happen to experience great 
 reluctance in the practice of any of these 
 acts, I will have recourse to God, and con- 
 tinue to pray and supplicate until I become 
 entirely victorious. 
 
 "10. In order that these resolutions may 
 never escape my memory, I will frequently 
 meditate upon them, especially when I do 
 not rise at the usual hour, or for any other 
 reason I make my meditation privately. 
 These ten points shall then be the subject 
 on which I will meditate. 
 
 "I should frequently consider that man's 
 esteem is nothing ; that if it were some- 
 thing, I do not deserve it ; and even should 
 I deserve it, I ought to renounce it for God. 
 For unless I do so, whatever good I may 
 effect, being tainted with such venom, my 
 unbridled pride would snatch it out of my 
 hands." 
 
 "To overcome this pride," adds the ser- 
 vant of God in another place, U I must be 
 well convinced that those who blame me, 
 rather flatter me because they do not know 
 the whole extent of my malice ; they are 
 perhaps mistaken with regard to some 
 things which they lay to my charge, but if
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 253 
 
 they knew liow many and how much worse 
 things there are within me ; if they knew 
 that in spite of so many lights and graces, 
 I still remain in the midst of my infidelities, 
 they could not do otherwise than consider 
 me as a monster of ingratitude, as one un- 
 worthy to live in the house of God in the 
 midst of his servants, and they would even 
 do me a favor by expelling me from it as I 
 deserve ; because a raven should not dwell 
 with doves, nor a wretched ass among 
 steeds richly caparisoned. Oh ! how great 
 is my misery. The more abundant the 
 talents and gifts that a person receives from 
 God, the greater the difficulty which he 
 finds in bridling his self-love, which im- 
 putes these heavenly presents to itself, ap- 
 propriates them and even makes of them a 
 bulwark, wherein it fortifies itself and holds 
 out against every attack. If it be van- 
 quished on one side, it defends itself on the 
 other ; if it cannot conquer in one way, it 
 tries new artifices, and, making trophies of 
 its defeats, endeavors to convert into gains 
 its very losses themselves, determined not 
 to die until it compels the soul to bend to 
 its will ; or, at least it continues to weary 
 and harass her in such a way as to leave 
 her completely worn out and enervated. 
 How much, then, do we not need patience 
 and the mercy of God."
 
 254 
 
 Life of 
 
 It was in these trials or rather conflicts 
 that the whole interior life of the servant 
 of God consisted. It was completely veiled 
 from the eye of man, and we should know 
 nothing of it, had he not, for his own 
 guidance, described some of the divine 
 operations which God performed in his 
 soul, to detach him from the smallest affec- 
 tion to sin, and thus lead him through the 
 most painful trials, to the pure love of his 
 Creator.
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 Theological Virtues practised by Father De Andreis. 
 
 The reader has been able to form some 
 idea of the sanctity of the servant of God, 
 both from the letters we have transcribed, 
 and the testimony of enlightened priests, 
 who knew him intimately and for a con- 
 siderable length of time. But, as we wish 
 to give here a slight sketch of his virtues, 
 we will add that our holy missionary was 
 endowed, in the highest degree, with all 
 the theological and moral virtues, the as- 
 semblage of which constitutes those great 
 saints who have so brightly adorned the 
 Church of God. 
 
 With regard to faith, he possessed it in 
 so high a degree, and had received from 
 God so much light, that he would willingly 
 have given his life to enkindle it in the 
 hearts of those who were, unfortunately, in 
 doubt, or who were ignorant of the divine 
 mysteries. He did not think himself 
 worthy of martyrdom, but his heart burned 
 with the desire of suffering it, by dying for 
 
 (255)
 
 256 Life oj 
 
 the defence of religion in some obscure cor- 
 ner of the world. With what zeal did we 
 not see him, in Rome, preach the truths of 
 faith in those unhappy days, when the 
 sovereign pontiff, Pius VII., having been 
 expelled from his Apostolic see, the holy 
 city witnessed within her walls the ravages 
 of error, heresy and unbelief, propagated 
 by wicked men who, by their words as well 
 as by their infamous writings, professed to 
 believe nothing themselves and sought only 
 to pervert others. Father De Andreis im- 
 mediately endeavored to counteract their 
 efforts by invincible arguments, whereby 
 he cautioned his auditors against these 
 erroneous doctrines ; and he composed an 
 excellent catechism, in which the truths of 
 faith were clearly demonstrated. For no 
 other end than the greater extension of the 
 faith, Father De Andreis entirely re- 
 nounced his country, his parents, his 
 favorite studies, all his holy employments, 
 even Rome itself, so dear to his heart, and 
 started for North America where he knew 
 that thousands of his fellow creatures were 
 deprived of the light of the gospel, and 
 consequently immersed in the shadows of 
 death. And how great was the zeal which 
 devoured him, when at length, in the midst 
 of innumerable dangers, he arrived among
 
 Very Eev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 257 
 
 those savage nations, and saw them with 
 his own eyes, living almost like the animals 
 of their native forests. We may truly say, 
 that his heart throbbed with sorrow and 
 tenderness, like that of St. Paul, who on 
 his entrance into the Areopagus perceived 
 that the Athenians were no less superstiti- 
 ous than the most idolatrous barbarians. 
 
 The ardor of the servant of God was 
 such, only because of the extraordinary 
 gifts with which God had so profusely en- 
 dowed him. "The lights which I receive," 
 says he in his private memoirs, "are so 
 numerous, vivid and extensive, the senti- 
 ments and emotions which I experience so 
 certain, although interrupted, that I can 
 truly say, that I scarcely ever have need of 
 faith in order to believe, because I not only 
 clearly perceive the things of faith, but 
 seem to touch them. Our Lord vouch- 
 safes to act thus with me on account of my 
 extreme weakness, knowing that with faith 
 alone I should have done no good. I must 
 then in consideration of all this, 
 
 "i. Think much less of myself than of 
 those who proceed onward by the guidance 
 of faith alone, without these extraordinary 
 aids. 
 
 "2. I must renounce all this, and trust 
 to faith alone ; for what," adds the servant
 
 258 Life of 
 
 of God, "is all human and even angelic 
 knowledge in comparison to the divine in- 
 spirations of faith? This is a sun whose 
 splendor eclipses all minor luminaries, and 
 prevents their brightness from being seen. 
 O how wise it is to rely entirely on faith, 
 and to despise thoroughly all the uncertain 
 opinions and researches of human know- 
 ledge ! The animal man perceives not the 
 invisible government of God, who orders 
 and prepares all things^ with admirable 
 economy, only discernible" -to the eye of 
 faith. And, O what a spectacle is this, for 
 one who is capable of admiring its gran- 
 deur ! What peace and contentment does 
 it not produce amid the vicissitudes of life, 
 the various civil and political commotions 
 which agitate kingdoms, cities and families! 
 What joy it is to know that all is arranged 
 by God, for his greater glory and the good 
 of his elect !" 
 
 Such was his hope of eternal salvation 
 through the merits of Jesus Christ, that he 
 appeared to have a certain foresight of his 
 future happiness in heaven. Thence pro- 
 ceeded his reluctance to linger still on 
 earth, where, to use his own words, he did 
 not wish to see even his shadow; that com- 
 plete detachment, which he felt from all 
 creatures and his indifference to the honors
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andreis, (7. M. 259 
 
 aud praises which he received from men ; 
 his ardent desire to accelerate, indeed it 
 might be said to consummate, the sacrifice 
 of his life, that he might ascend to heaven 
 and there contemplate the wisdom, truth, 
 and glory of God ; thence, in a word, pro- 
 ceeded those interior emotions which at- 
 tracted even his bodily senses to the in- 
 effable beauties of his Creator and L,ast 
 End. 
 
 This hope became an absolute reliance 
 on God, and a total abandonment of every- 
 thing to him. He thus expresses his feel- 
 ings : "After all, I can draw but this con- 
 clusion : all the lights and inspirations 
 which I have received and the trials which 
 I have experienced admirably terminate in 
 this : that I should always, and in every- 
 thing, abandon myself with sincere, total, 
 and filial tenderness, into the hands of my 
 good God, my father, my loving spouse, 
 my life, my all ; that I may be guided as 
 he chooses, and as it seems best to him, 
 without seeking to know what it is to be, 
 or when, or how it is to be ; without asking 
 why this, or why that/ since numquid po- 
 testis cogitantes adjicere ad staturam 
 vestram cubitum unum? I am the property 
 of God, I am much more his than my own, 
 and even what I call mine, and the very
 
 260 Life of 
 
 faculty of speaking thus, is his. He created 
 me in order that I might be saved, and he 
 knows how to lead me securely to this end ; 
 he can, and will do it; while I, on the con- 
 trary, through my ignorance and malice, 
 neither know, nor can do anything ; I am 
 only fit to spoil the work. What then re- 
 mains for me to do but to abandon all to 
 him? I know not what he requires of me, 
 nor by what paths he desires to lead me, 
 what are the things he expects of me, nor 
 those he does not wish me to understand. 
 The ways of God are most holy and just, 
 admirable and worthy of love; but they 
 are, in general, secret, hidden, ineffable, 
 and incomprehensible.! Secretos Dei, says 
 St. Austin, intentos debet facere non adver- 
 sos. j_ I much need to adopt and reduce to 
 practice the maxim of our holy founder, St. 
 Vincent, who spoke thus: 'I have a strong 
 attraction to follow Divine Providence, step 
 by step, without ever going before it. Con- 
 sequently, seeing in all the holy will of 
 God, I ought to be indifferent to every- 
 thing, whether suffering or delights, rest or 
 labor, to do this or that, remain in one 
 place or go to another, treat with this per- 
 son or with that other; acting only in ac- 
 cordance with the manifestations of the 
 divine will in my regard. This is to be my
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 261 
 
 polar star, and I must keep the magnet of 
 my heart ever turned towards it; so that 
 spiritual advantages, life or death, and even 
 eternity itself, shall be desired by me, only 
 in as much, and in the manner that God 
 wills them.'* 
 
 "Oaltitudo divitiarum sapientiae et sd- 
 entiae Dei! How great is my blindness 
 when I want to understand all that con- 
 cerns me, and see whither I am led by the 
 Lord, grieving when this is denied me! 
 My God ! what folly! as if nothing were to 
 be attributed to the incomprehensibility of 
 divine justice and the mystery of its ways! 
 As if I ought not to trust entirely to thee ! 
 how absurd to imagine that the helm would 
 be better in my own hand, and to wish thee 
 to account to me for every move that thou 
 makest either to the right or to the left! 
 What no one would think of with an 
 earthly pilot, I too often presume to do to- 
 wards the great guide of my soul, the Holy 
 Spirit. It is true that the hidden judg- 
 ments of God cause in my soul, fear, and 
 even very great fear, because I know that 
 God could make of me a terrible example 
 of the way in which monsters of pride and 
 ingratitude, like myself, are punished by 
 divine justice. But, if this fear is accom- 
 panied, (as it should always be,) by
 
 262 Life of 
 
 humility and submission to the divine will, 
 it will give rise to tender confidence which 
 will keep my soul in peace, even in the 
 midst of the thickest darkness and the most 
 frightful confusion." 
 
 Charity, the most sublime of the three 
 theological virtues, was deeply grounded in 
 the soul of Father De Andreis. We could 
 not give a better proof of this assertion than 
 by transcribing some of his own words in 
 reference to it. "At length," says he, "a 
 light shone around me which dispelled my 
 darkness, and pointed out to me, with cer- 
 tainty, the happiness of my state, which is 
 rapidly advancing towards its end, that of 
 completely purifying me. Very clearly did 
 I understand that, instmam te in via Jiac 
 qua gradieris . . . and those other words, 
 quid mihi est in coelo et a te quid volui 
 super terramr\ I saw that when I concen- 
 trate myself wholly in God, I enjoy great 
 light and peace. It is only when treating 
 with my neighbor, on indifferent subjects 
 that do not refer immediately to God, that 
 I feel, in a manner, estranged and be- 
 wildered ; that I surfer unspeakable anguish 
 of mind, which only those who have un- 
 dergone similar trials can understand. It 
 is something like what one must feel in 
 being plunged headlong into a fathomless
 
 Very Eev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 263 
 
 abyss. . . . All in God, for God, with God, 
 according to the views of God, and nothing 
 more! 
 
 "It would be delightful to dwell in some 
 corner of the house, forgotten and as if 
 dead, being resolved to enjoy no other com- 
 pany than that of Jesus Christ, the sweet 
 spouse of my soul, resigning myself com- 
 pletely into his hands, devoting entirely to 
 his service my tongue, mind, and heart, 
 my body, life, time, and everything that is 
 mine." 
 
 During the retreat that Father De An- 
 dreis made in 1810, he examined, with the 
 utmost diligence, all the affections of his 
 heart ; he thus concludes: "It appears to 
 me that I am, through the Divine Mercy, 
 in this disposition, that if I knew there 
 were in my heart a single fibre not entirely 
 belonging to God, I would tear it out, even 
 should it cost me my life : confirma Deus 
 hanc voluntatem." To this he adds: "God 
 alone is great, to God alone be all honor 
 and glory, God alone, and nothing else !" 
 Again, he says, on the 3rd of November : 
 "I have, during the past days, received 
 from the Almighty a most admirable grace, 
 which consists in a gentle, yet very strong 
 desire to divest myself, once for all, of all 
 my failings and imperfections, to clothe
 
 264 Life of 
 
 myself with Jesus Christ ; and I burn with 
 divine love, in such a manner as to inflame 
 the hearts of others / flammescat igne cari- 
 tas accendat ardor proximos." 
 
 Such, as he himself describes it, was the 
 flame that, day and night, consumed him. 
 It was perceptible in his words, which had 
 the power of moving, even to tears, the 
 most hardened sinner. It shone upon his 
 countenance, which, though naturally of a 
 pallid hue, assumed a vivid glow whenever 
 he spoke, either in public or in private, of 
 the truths of faith or the mysteries of 
 our holy religion. It could be seen in his 
 abhorrence of the smallest fault, in his 
 prayers, his zeal for his sanctification, his 
 solicitude in forming good subjects for his 
 Congregation ; in fine, in his unwearied 
 anxiety to gain souls to God. All this pro- 
 ceeded from the intensity of his love for 
 God ; and with reference to this he wrote, 
 May ist, 1814, some secret aspirations , (for 
 it was thus he called them). But it will 
 be better to give his words, as we find them 
 in his own hand-writing. 
 
 "SECRET ASPIRATIONS OF LOVE. 
 
 "i. I resolve, now and forever, to abhor, 
 detest and avoid every sin, both mortal and 
 venial, and even the slightest imperfection
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 265 
 
 that might in any way be contrary to the 
 maxims of Jesus Christ ; which might tend 
 to strengthen the influence of self-love or 
 any other passion, or draw my heart to seek 
 rest in creatures. And as soon a I perceive 
 anything of this, I will immediately turn 
 my heart to God by a simple act of implicit 
 love, an interior impulse of the soul. I 
 will do this with God's aid which I humbly 
 implore and confidently expect ; for, with- 
 out his help I am capable of nothing but 
 sin, in which I might exceed the greatest 
 criminals. 
 
 "2. I am resolved, at the very first ap- 
 pearance of any temptation whatever, to 
 cling as closely as possible, by an interior 
 motion of the heart, to the holy and loving 
 law of God in its full extent, disavowing all 
 the repugnance of my wretched concupis- 
 cence and protesting against it with all my 
 heart. 
 
 "3. In all my undertakings, but especi- 
 ally in discharging the functions of the 
 holy ministry, I purpose to have in view 
 the sole glory of God, and the salvation of 
 souls, caring nothing for human respect, 
 and really desiring to be, on that account, 
 derided, ridiculed, and persecuted in every 
 possible way. 
 
 '4. I purpose to remain always united 
 
 < .
 
 266 Life of 
 
 to God, resigned to his holy will in all the 
 events of life, looking upon everything as 
 ordered by his loving providence for my 
 greater good, having received so many 
 positive proofs of his beneficent care over 
 me. Therefore, disregarding all human 
 things, I will neither wonder nor rejoice 
 nor be grieved, except in God or for God. 
 
 "5. I purpose, henceforward, to trample 
 under foot all the judgments and sayings of 
 men, going to God with simplicity and full 
 liberty of spirit ; I care not who may 
 choose to call me severe, scrupulous, 
 melancholy, ignorant, a hypocrite, a fool, 
 a fanatic, an enthusiast or any similar term. 
 Let them seek to humble, ill-treat me, or 
 do me the greatest injury, I will only cling 
 the closer to the cross J and exulting in God, 
 will exclaim: Christo confixus sum cruci . . . 
 mihi absit gloriari nisi in cruce Domini 
 Nostri Jesu Christi. 
 
 "6. I resolve neither to think, wish, say, 
 nor do anything, whether directly or in- 
 directly, for my own satisfaction ; but, if I 
 can, without transgressing the law, I will 
 always endeavor to act against my natural 
 inclination, and hope to do all this by the 
 grace of God. (Taken at the foot of the 
 Crucifix. ) 
 
 "To attach myself still more firmly to
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 267 
 
 the cross, I firmly resolve to renounce all 
 spiritual delights even unio death; in the 
 following sense however: i. I do not mean, 
 hereby, to make any vow, or bind myself 
 by anything beyond a mere promise. 
 2. I mean that I will neither seek, desire, 
 nor in any manner aspire to it, believing 
 myself, in all sincerity, quite unworthy of 
 such favors. 3. I will, on the contrary, 
 beseech Divine Goodness to give me in its 
 stead, an increase of light, that I may 
 know what I should do, and strength to 
 execute his will, always in view of himself 
 alone. 4. If God, who is so good, should 
 deign to bestow upon me this spiritual 
 sweetness, I must humble myself and be ex- 
 ceedingly confused thereat ; thank him for 
 it, and endeavor to find an opportunity of 
 suffering, and of humbling myself, in pro- 
 portion, if possible, to the pleasure I have 
 enjoyed. 5. I must not think much of this 
 sensible fervor, but conceal it with great 
 care, attaching my heart more and more to 
 suffering and humiliation." 
 
 Finally, in the retreat which the servant 
 of God made in 1814, he thus speaks in 
 confirmation of the preceeding resolutions: 
 "I now resolve to reserve every species of 
 enjoyment and repose for paradise, and in 
 this life, to seek nothing but suffering,
 
 268 Life of 
 
 fatigue and contempt, and to do this al- 
 ways and to the best of my ability. My 
 life must be one continual sacrifice, and I 
 must desire to suffer, labor, and be despised, 
 ever more and more, as long as life may 
 last. I shall avoid enjoyinents^epose and 
 human esteem, each day endeavoring to 
 detach myself still more from all creatures, 
 however good, amiable and virtuous they 
 may be, in order that I may concentrate all 
 my faculties on the pure love of God." 
 
 When Father De Andreis speaks of 
 longing after still greater labors, he refers 
 to the spiritual advantage of his neighbor, 
 because charity towards our neighbor pro- 
 ceeds from the same source as love for God. 
 Properly speaking, these two virtues are 
 but one, which makes us act in different 
 ways, like a tree with two branches, one of 
 which rises towards heaven while the other 
 leans towards the earth. Now, our fervent 
 Missionary has very frequently shown that 
 the works he undertook for the good of his 
 neighbor were all prompted by his love for 
 God, but he mentions this expressly, in the 
 following terms : 
 
 "I am resolved to consider in my neigh- 
 bor the living image of the one triune God, 
 to look upon all as his adopted children, 
 the spouses of Jesus Christ; and I will seek,
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 269 
 
 by every means in my power, to promote 
 their salvation and perfection. How then 
 could I refrain from being anxious to com- 
 fort, edify, instruct, serve, and assist them? 
 To succeed in a proper manner, I resolve 
 to adoptt with all indiscriminately! the 
 most efficacious means, namely humility, 
 respect, and kindness, both in word and 
 deed ; seeking after nothing myself, unless 
 it be very clearly the will of God that I 
 should do so. I will think well of all, ex- 
 cuse, compassionate, esteem all, and wish 
 well to all. I will never stop to reflect on 
 suspicions or hear-say, but will treat them 
 as things of no consequence; and, being 
 well convinced of the infirmities and weak- 
 ness of human nature, I will generously 
 exclaim: "I am the worst of all! 11 
 
 The desire of accomodating himself to 
 others made him, like St, Vincent, reflect 
 on his exterior deportment, in order to 
 divest it of whatever might seem too seri- 
 ous or reserved. 
 
 "The Lord," he writes, "has revealed 
 to me during this retreat, that it is now 
 time to abate somewhat of my habitual re- 
 serve; and, this matter having been men- 
 tioned to my superior, in communication, 
 he also thinks that it should be done. 
 
 "Learn then, O my soul, to make thy-
 
 270 Life of 
 
 self all unto all, by the constant practice of 
 active, meek, simple, cordial, mortified and 
 zealous humility, making of this a par- 
 ticular study in thy meditations and exam- 
 inations of conscience, purposing to follow 
 the example of Father De Petris. And, al- 
 though the time of recreation is for thee a 
 kind of torture, thou must bear it, and con- 
 quer thyself by the thought that our voca- 
 tion requires us to be affable and cheerful 
 in our demeanor. 
 
 If thou art not gentle with thyself, thou 
 wilt never be so towards others. However 
 much thou mayest study to wear a pleasant 
 and cheerful countenance, thy manner will 
 reveal that it is really for show. Thou 
 wilt unconsciously discover the interior 
 disturbance of thy heart, and even shouldst 
 thou make efforts to conceal it, these very 
 efforts will appear constrained and affected j 
 error pejor priore. And, as we generally 
 act, according to the Angelic Doctor, ex 
 hdbitu praeconcepto , (though unknown to 
 ourselves,) thou wilt, in spite of all thy 
 care, now and then, when interiorly dis- 
 turbed, let something of this disquietude be 
 perceptible in thy manners, by being taci- 
 turn or sarcastic in conversation. Come 
 then, my soul, let us take courage, etc."
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 Simplicity, Prudence, Fortitude, Humility, and Meek- 
 ness of Father De Andreis. 
 
 THE virtue of Christian simplicity leads 
 man directly to God, with the pure and 
 straight-forward intention of glorifying 
 him, while seeking to avoid all duplicity in 
 dealing with the neighbor. This was the 
 virtue inculcated by our Saviour when he 
 said, "Be ye simple as doves." This being 
 the first virtue that St. Vincent recom- 
 mends to his children, Father De Andreis 
 made it the chief object of his most earnest 
 efforts. "I have found out by experience," 
 he writes November 3d, 1811, "that there 
 is nothing better in the ways of God, than 
 to simplify all our intentions by directing 
 them towards God alone. Once, the joy I 
 experienced in suffering, made me imagine 
 that it was well to desire, and even to ask, 
 to remain in a state wherein continually 
 floret ilia dulcedo, without which I thought 
 that human weakness could not stand in 
 the midst of the toils and thorns of the 
 ministry. But I now see that still more is 
 requisite ; namely, to suffer without enjoy - 
 
 (271)
 
 272 Life of 
 
 ing any sensible consolation, and to learn 
 to say: 'The cross, the cross, always the 
 cross, and God alone!' I should, at least, 
 like to know what is the inspiration that 
 leads me on without revealing itself fully 
 to my mind ; but it is the will of God that 
 I renounce even this satisfaction, and that 
 my will, memory, and understanding, all 
 be resigned into his hands | while I repeat 
 these words of the Psalmist: Dominus regit 
 me, etc., adding, ut jumentum factus sum 
 apud te et ego semper tecum. The cross in 
 all its nudity, pain and ignominy, this shall 
 be my only portion. 
 
 "Now I understand what the goodness of 
 God operated within me, sixteen years ago, 
 at the time of my novitiate. Then I could 
 not describe, neither could I comprehend, 
 how solitude, silence, privation, reserve, 
 interior death, and annihilation, were so 
 pleasing to me. O Infinite Goodness! God 
 alone in everything! He only shall be my 
 aim. In speaking and treating with men, 
 I will constantly strive to repress any 
 secondary motive that might arise. I will 
 likewise rejoice if, by thus acting simply in 
 the view of pleasing God, I chance to be 
 scorned, derided or mocked; though I will 
 never act purposely for that end. O beau- 
 teous, lovely simplicity! Thou goest directly
 
 Very Rev. Ifelix De Andreis, C. M. 273 
 
 to the very heart of God ! I will never 
 abandon thee, however much the infernal 
 serpent may seek to entice me into his 
 winding pathways~ I will say continually, 
 Quid mihi est in coelo, etc. Donee deficiam 
 non recedam a simplicitate mea. My heart, 
 following its secret inspirations, sought to 
 make God known*) to a blind crowd, and 
 Assur sine causa calumniatws est eumQSo 
 beautiful a resemblence to the Man-God do 
 I perceive in this, that it transports me 
 beyond myself; et unde hoc mihi!" 
 
 Animated by such sentiments as these, 
 he was always truly simple in his affections, 
 intentions, words and actions, in such a 
 manner that he knew not how to disguise 
 his thoughts, nor artfully to conceal his de- 
 signs. His conversation was frank and 
 sincere ; he was incapable of assuming a 
 semblance of mystery, or of saying one 
 thing for the purpose of finding out an- 
 other. His sole aim was to please God and 
 help his neighbor, if he could ; this kept 
 him constantly employed, both in public 
 and in private. He set forth the truths of 
 the gospel in the clearest light; and, no 
 matter how well or ill others listened to his 
 words, he never gilded his discourses or 
 dissembled his doctrine. He cared not 
 
 ") By means of his Catechism.
 
 274 Life of 
 
 whether his auditors were the wise or the 
 ignorant, subtle critics or profound reas- 
 oners; and thus he pleased all; for it was 
 evident that he knew not the wiles of 
 policy, nor that insidious manner of modify- 
 ing the gospel to please the rich, and gain 
 popular applause. According to the evan- 
 gelical precept, he united prudence with 
 simplicity; and this prudence was ad- 
 mirably displayed in his care to avoid that 
 false zeal, which is so often concealed un- 
 der the specious pretext of charity, causing 
 us to seek ourselves, our own esteem or 
 gratification, while apparently we labor 
 solely for the salvation of souls. This is a 
 fatal illusion, against which Kempis warns 
 us when he says: Interdum passione move- 
 mur et zelum putamus. Ardently desiring 
 to avoid the snares of this false zeal, the 
 servant of God resolved, "Never to court 
 the society of any one, but to receive all 
 with the utmost cordiality," thus making 
 himself all unto all, though he cautiously 
 refrained from undertaking any employ- 
 ment, unless at the command of his super- 
 iors, or when some evident necessity re- 
 quired it. 
 
 u By laboring assiduously at the work of 
 my own perfection," he adds elsewhere, 
 "I shall do more good to others than by a
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 275 
 
 thousand sermons and missions^ Hdbe ergo 
 zelum primum supra te ipswrij et tune juste 
 zelare poteris super olios, as Kempis 
 teaches." 
 
 He was entirely averse to carnal pru- 
 dence of which he speaks thus: "The 
 demon makes use of the tongue of many 
 prudent persons, to withdraw others from 
 the way of the cross and the practice of 
 mortification, under pretence of preserving 
 health; whereas it prospers far better be- 
 neath the shadow of the cross than else- 
 where. I therefore resolve to resume my 
 former custom with regard to the evening 
 refection and the siesta during the day." 
 Elsewhere, he speaks in the following 
 terms : 
 
 "Oh ! how easy it is to be led away by 
 the current, and relax the evangelical doc- 
 trine, in order to adapt it to the views and 
 customs of the world ! If we be not more 
 than commonly vigilant, we become ene- 
 mies of the cross of Christ, and reduce the 
 gospel to a mere natural system, wherein 
 we grant a sort of precedency to some 
 shadow of religion ; or rather, we seek to 
 serve two masters by trying to associate 
 religion with the world. Under the pre- 
 text that God is good and that Jesus Christ 
 came into the world for the salvation of
 
 276 Life of 
 
 sinners, vice is pampered, and certain 
 maxims of carnal prudence, which were 
 unknown to Jesus Christ, the Apostles, and 
 the holy fathers, are coined and circulated. 
 The world calls for unprejudiced teachers, 
 declaims against rigorism and fanaticism, 
 (for thus it denominates detachment, hu- 
 mility, and sanctity j) and brands with the 
 epithet of Jansenist any one who desires 
 firmly to uphold the truths of the gospel. 
 
 unfortunate times! what fortitude is re- 
 quisite that we may not be compelled to 
 exclaim, verba vmquonmi prevaluerunt 
 super nos! 
 
 It will gratify the reader to hear these 
 other words of his, on the same subject : 
 
 1 'On the 24th of June, 1814, the feast of 
 St. John the Baptist, while reflecting on 
 the fortitude and constancy displayed by 
 this great saint, it struck me that the un- 
 easiness which I experience in hearing con- 
 fessions, proceeds, in a great measure, from 
 a certain want of firmness in adhering to 
 the cause of truth and justice. I want 
 every one to yield at once to the attractions 
 of this beauteous sun, and, not meeting 
 with the desired success, I become sad and 
 discouraged as if everything depended on 
 me, or as if I exercised immoderate rigor, 
 in comparison with others who are more 
 indulgent.
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 277 
 
 "But, good God ! in the confessional our 
 business is, not to accommodate truth and 
 justice to the liking of the penitents who 
 come to us, but rather to subject them to 
 the maxims of truth and justice. These 
 are the unchangeable rules to which men 
 must submit in order to be just ; and how 
 can they be so if they be not conformed to 
 justice, which alone can render them just ! 
 God can never be allied to a heart that 
 loves sin. Of what use is it then to absolve 
 one who is still plunged in the abyss of sin, 
 or in whom we can discover no mark that 
 he is detached from his faults, and sincerely 
 converted to the side of justice ! Would it 
 not be to betray souls, to delude them with 
 a false and pernicious semblance of peace? 
 And, would this not be an insult offered to 
 justice? Let all then be blind ; let the 
 world clamor loudly against me ; call me 
 rigorist, Jansenist, as much as it pleases, 
 (though I heartily detest anything that 
 savors of rigorism and Jansenism;) let it 
 outrage and calumniate me, let millions of 
 easy confessors break loose against me; 
 they only prove that they have not a cor- 
 rect idea of Christian justice; that, content- 
 ing themselves with certain inconclusive 
 appearances, they absolve without knowing 
 why. But all they can do or say shall
 
 278 Life of 
 
 never induce me to betray truth and justice, 
 and the interests of those poor souls who 
 call upon us to give them aid. Constancy, 
 then, and firmness, because mundus transit 
 et concupiscentia ejus et veritas Domini 
 manet in aeternum." 
 
 Instructed in the school of St. Vincent, 
 who was the declared enemy of anything 
 like precipitation, his prudence prompted 
 him to avoid haste in his plans and delib- 
 erations. On this account, whenever 
 necessity did not compel him to act im- 
 mediately, the servant of God took time in 
 order to mature his opinion, by considering 
 the matter on which he had to pronounce, 
 under all its different aspects. Though 
 very learned himself, he consulted men of 
 wisdom and experience, and had recourse 
 to God by means of fervent prayer and 
 penance. After all these precautions, sure 
 of the will of God, he set to work without 
 hesitation, and labored with intrepid forti- 
 tude. 
 
 Father De Andreis especially manifested 
 this virtue of fortitude during the bitter 
 mental sufferings to which it pleased God 
 to subject him for so many years. Such 
 pains are but with difficulty understood by 
 those who have never felt them ; and, one 
 who is not liable to them, knows not how
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 279 
 
 to describe such sufferings. Nearly all trie 
 saints have undergone similar trials, but 
 especially St. Theresa, St. Mary Magdalen 
 of Pazzi, St. Veronica Capucina, and St. 
 St. John of the Cross. St. John has left us 
 a frightful picture of his suffering in his 
 Dark Nights, wherein he represents the 
 dense gloom in which his mind was im- 
 mersed, the agonizing dryness and interior 
 desolation which made him feel as if his 
 soul were delivered up to all the powers of 
 hell. Father De Andreis had to suffer the 
 same excruciating pains, and their inten- 
 sity was such that his constitution was 
 affected, and his health was never after- 
 wards the same. Yet he struggled against 
 this torture, so that no one ever knew from 
 what source his infirmities proceeded. He 
 often repeated with Job : etiamsi Occident 
 me, in eum sperabo; post tenebras spero 
 lucem. 
 
 In fine, the character of this great ser- 
 vant of God was fully revealed in his mis- 
 sion to America. The terrible fatigue of 
 so long a voyage, danger of shipwreck, 
 severity of the climate, hunger, thirst, al- 
 most extreme want of the very necessities 
 of life, his habitual infirmities, all these 
 trials never weakened his constancy, which 
 seemed to become only the more vigorous
 
 28o Life of 
 
 when assailed by the most violent mis- 
 fortunes. The reader must have noticed 
 this in many circumstances which we have 
 detailed; therefore it will be quite enough 
 to recall them to his mind. We must not 
 be silent with regard to his humility, that 
 virtue which, according to the holy fathers, 
 is the foundation of all others and the basis 
 on which we must erect the spiritual edifice 
 of our sanctification. Once more we will 
 repeat his own words, which are far more 
 expressive than anything we could say. 
 They are as follows: ''Meditating on hu- 
 mility, and considering how many efforts I 
 had made to acquire this virtue, and always 
 without fruit, I became inwardly cast down 
 and was almost yielding to despair, when 
 our most merciful God enlightened my 
 mind with an opportune inspiration, which 
 showed me at a glance the origin of all my 
 spiritual infirmities. I at once perceived 
 that by grieving so much, and giving way 
 to such excessive disquietude, I manifestly 
 fail in my resolution of relying completely 
 on Divine Providence. 1 saw this sadness 
 to be a clear sigri that I put too much con- 
 fidence in my own strength, and very little 
 in the power of grace. This morning too, 
 when I was meditating on meekness, it was 
 shown me that I shall never become mild
 
 Very Eev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 281 
 
 and affable with others, unless I learn from 
 the very first to be so with myself. My 
 God ! how much evil is caused by that ex- 
 cessive care and anxiety to which I am so 
 prone ! In the first place, this cannot pro- 
 ceed from God, whose spirit is one of peace 
 and mildness. It comes then either from 
 the human spirit, always too hasty and im- 
 petuous, or more probably from the demon, 
 who by this means attains more surely his 
 own ends, namely: First, to destroy the 
 peace of the heart by innumerable troubles, 
 scruples and fears. Secondly, to prevent 
 free communication between the soul and 
 God, by hindering it from following the 
 attraction of grace, and making it act ac- 
 cording to his own liking. Thirdly, to 
 keep alive the spirit of pride, making one 
 believe that he is effecting much good, and 
 that the soul can rely on its own powers, 
 thus enticing it to fly without wings. 
 Fourthly in fine, besides other numerous 
 dangers, it exposes us to that of never at- 
 taining our own perfection; and also makes 
 us run the risk of committing, through 
 pride and discouragement, some great fault. 
 False humility has often served as a pre- 
 text for neglecting the advice which we 
 receive on this subject. Ah ! poor blind 
 creature, if thou hadst reflected ever so
 
 282 Life of 
 
 little, thou wouldst have seen that this was 
 not humility, but the most refined pride. 
 Come then, my soul, let us take courage; 
 even St. Vincent, in some of his retreats, 
 found it necessary to take resolutions on a 
 point somewhat similar to this. Be not 
 troubled at thy failures, but follow the doc- 
 trine of St. Francis de Sales, who says, 
 'Take courage, my soul, God requires this 
 of thee. Only place no obstacle to the im- 
 pulses of grace, and endeavor, on the con- 
 trary, to co-operate with them.' 
 
 "Inspirations which I received at the feast of 
 Pentecost, and on which I should reflect 
 every morning in meditation. 
 
 "i. God absolutely wills me to become a 
 saint. 
 
 "2. I shall never be this, unless I am 
 humble. 
 
 "3. I shall never be humble, if I do not 
 seek humiliations, if I fear and shun them, 
 or, what would be much worse, if I seek 
 my own elevation. 
 
 "4. I shall never succeed in flying honors 
 and loving humiliations, unless I make 
 daily practice of these acts. 
 
 "5. I shall never practise them well, if 
 I do not foresee them in my morning medi- 
 tation,
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 283 
 
 "Three Classes of Particular Acts, on which I 
 should insist. 
 
 FIRST CLASS. 
 
 "i. Acknowledge before God my own 
 nothingness, both in order of nature and of 
 grace, saying for example, Substantial meet, 
 tanquam nihilum ante te. 
 
 U 2. Avow myself unworthy of associat- 
 ing and conversing with my companions, 
 on account of my faults and numerous in- 
 fidelities, and strive, on this consideration, 
 to produce acts of wonder and surprise, that 
 they should support me with so much 
 meekness and charity. 
 
 "3. Acknowledge my own unworthiness, 
 at the very time that I do not feel these 
 sentiments within my heart/ saying with 
 St. Augustine, quid miserius misero, non 
 miserante seipsum, adding the invocation, 
 noverim te, noverim me, etc. 
 
 SECOND CLASS. 
 
 "i. Watch attentively over all the 
 thoughts of pride and vanity which arise 
 in my mind, suppress them immediately, 
 renouncing for the time all the most 
 plausible pretexts that self-love may sug- 
 gest, because the heart gladly feeds on this 
 kind of poison,
 
 284 Life of 
 
 (< 2. Never speak of myself, either well 
 or ill, without real necessity. 
 
 "3. Always choose the lowest place, 
 office or employment, striving to love to 
 be unknown, forgotten, despised and dis- 
 regarded. 
 
 THIRD CLASS. 
 
 u i. Willingly speak in praise of others, 
 particularly the absent, and more par- 
 ticularly in favor of those towards whom I 
 may feel any inward aversion. 
 
 U 2. Never excuse myself without real 
 necessity, .but when I am accused, I ought, 
 on the contrary, to acknowledge that I am 
 guilty of much more, and give myself a 
 still lower place than the one assigned me 
 by my accusers ; humble myself interiorly, 
 and avow that I am deserving of these 
 humiliations. 
 
 "3. Shun, as much as possible, everything 
 tending to raise me in the esteem of others, 
 while I embrace with joy every opportunity 
 of humbling myself ; I should even be in- 
 genious in seeking occasions of humilia- 
 tion. 
 
 "If I find any difficulty in the practice of 
 these acts, I must not, on that account, 
 lose courage; but on the contrary, make 
 more strenuous efforts to overcome it in 
 prayer, deploring my ignorance and weak-
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 285 
 
 ness, while I am confounded at the example 
 of the saints and of Jesus Christ, the true 
 son of God, who humbled himself so much 
 for my sake. 
 
 "I should not flatter myself on account 
 of the favors that I have received from 
 God. Who was ever more favored than 
 Saul, Solomon, or Judas? and yet what was 
 their end? I know not if the very person 
 that I despise be not very great in the sight 
 of God, while I cannot tell if I am even in 
 his grace. And, could I know for certain 
 that I stand well with God, and that this 
 person has forfeited his favor, cannot things 
 be reversed? I know not, quid cogitaverit 
 de illo Dens. Therefore, for my greater 
 security there remains to me nothing better 
 than to humble myself, ever taking the 
 lowest place, in order to make no mistake. 
 For, were I to prefer myself before only 
 one, such a mistake would be fatal; where- 
 as it could only be to my advantage were I 
 to put myself below one who is really less 
 than I am. Thus shall I learn to imitate 
 the great model of our souls, Jesus Christ, 
 qui venit ministrare et non ministrari, and 
 who appeared on earth as the last of men 
 and the refuse of the people. 
 
 "Substantia mea tanquam nihilum ante 
 te. How necessary is this annihilation!
 
 286 Life of 
 
 In order to keep it ever present to my 
 mind, I should be well convinced that I am 
 but a vessel of abomination ; that it is not 
 others who are troublesome to me, but I, 
 who am on the contrary, a subject for the 
 constant practice of patience, mortification 
 and every other virtue, on the part of my 
 companions. I must then be careful to re- 
 ject every idea contrary to this belief. It 
 is clearly evident, that of myself I can do 
 nothing. God has closed against me every 
 path but this I must annihilate myself 
 completely, so that the work of God may 
 be more visible, acting as it does on a 
 barren tree, a vessel of weakness and im- 
 purity. Thus all the glory of the work 
 will redound to Himself without the sub- 
 traction of even the smallest particle. I 
 must then rejoice, whenever I meet with 
 an opportunity of appearing stupid, foolish, 
 ill-disposed, good for nothing; and I should 
 tremble with fear, when I am ever so little 
 esteemed. 
 
 "Salva me ex ore leonis. To-day, God 
 has shown me clearly, to my very great 
 horror, the monster of my self-love still 
 living in the depth of my heart. It is like 
 a voracious animal, which, with jaws ex- 
 tended, is ready to devour whatever I do. 
 From the difficulty I experience in strug-
 
 Very Rev. Felix i)eAndreis> C. M. 287 
 
 gling against it, I perceive how firmly this 
 monster has established its dominion Over 
 me, and how great is the mercy of the Al- 
 mighty in permitting that this vexation 
 which has been troubling me for nearly a 
 year, should finally be manifested. This 
 gives me a chance to know myself and 
 escape this frightful peril. No wonder, 
 such being the case, that I experience con- 
 fusion when I am scoffed or derided. I am 
 but a vessel of abomination, and however 
 much I may try never to yield the victory 
 to self-love, the greedy monster has ac- 
 quired such empire over my heart, that, 
 from time to time, it will steal some secret 
 morsels; and, if I am not prompt in snatch- 
 ing them out of its mouth, they are soon 
 swallowed. O my God ! Salva nos, peri- 
 mus! 
 
 * "Spiritu oris sui interficiet impiuml This 
 same Jesus Christ, who by his omnipotent 
 command will at the end of the world de- 
 stroy Antichrist, can, I doubt not, destroy 
 the Antichrist that lives within me, 
 namely my self-love; though it is so rooted 
 and implanted in my soul, that the effort to 
 kill it seems to threaten my very life. To 
 the all-powerful physician* 1 ' nullum vulnus 
 incurabile. Many times have I renounced 
 its despotic rule, and I now once more
 
 288 Life of 
 
 renew my protestations. I am determined 
 never to give up as conquered ; for the rest 
 I trust to the physician who, so long ago, 
 undertook this cure and successfully works 
 at it, sparing neither knife nor fire. He 
 who persecutes me, in reality does me a 
 favor, so I cannot complain ; I deserve to 
 suffer." 
 
 To the practice of humility Father De 
 Andreis joined its inseparable companion, 
 meekness. This virtue cost him long and 
 generous efforts. Possessing as he did, a 
 most sensitive disposition, and accustomed, 
 as he himself relates, to have everything 
 his own way, esteemed, applauded, caressed 
 by every one; and, at the beginning of his 
 spiritual life, favored by God himself with 
 so much sweetness, contradiction impressed 
 him very strongly f so much so that his 
 health would feel the effects of it. Yet so 
 well did he overcome himself, that he suc- 
 ceeded in finding his greatest delight in the 
 very things that had been to him subjects 
 of the most painful agitation. His chosen 
 soul was not spared by God, who makes 
 use of trials to spur on certain minds and 
 lead them to become detached from all, and 
 seek their nourishment in the hard bread 
 of tribulation. Meekness enabled Father 
 De Andreis, first to support with resigna-
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 289 
 
 tion and then with calm and even pleasure, 
 these touches of the finger of God. His 
 first trials where pains, anguish of mind, 
 fears, doubts, dejection, darkness and aban- 
 donment; after which, the virtue of meek- 
 ness led him to a state of perfect calm, the 
 tranquil peace of the saints, which made 
 him desire still greater trials and crosses. 
 
 "God," he says in one of his Soliloquies, 
 "leads me through a gloomy and frightful 
 path, beset with thorns; such are the pains 
 and trials of every description to which I 
 am subjected, without being able to find 
 any mode of escape from them. From time 
 to time he sends me flashes of light which 
 dispel the surrounding gloom, remove the 
 trouble of my soul, and refresh me with 
 consolation, too delicious to be described. 
 Then do I clearly perceive the happiness of 
 my state, and the inestimable value of the 
 effects produced in my soul by all these 
 trials, and I exclaim : O this is truly to 
 live! .... To trample everything else un- 
 der foot, and seek but God alone! The 
 more I mortify my senses, the more I 
 humble myself and become divested of all 
 attachment to creatures, the nearer I ap- 
 proach my God. At the very time that I 
 strive most earnestly to deny myself, in 
 fact totally to forget my own satisfaction,
 
 290 Life of 
 
 at that very time it is, that I enjoy the 
 most heavenly delight; and, Oh! si per- 
 ficeritur in me! . . . But immediately after 
 I find myself as miserable as before. It is 
 then an ineffable effect of the love God 
 bears us, thus to fill our present life with 
 sorrow and trouble, so that we may find 
 rest but with him alone." 
 
 A man thus accustomed to consider all 
 things in God and from God, and to resign 
 himself completely to his guidance, could 
 not but rise superior to any ill-treatment 
 however malicious, on the part of others, 
 and he did this, not through any feeling of 
 haughtiness or contempt, but from motives 
 of resignation to the will of God, and the 
 most tender charity towards all men. Let 
 us hear him reveal the secrets of his heart 
 with regard to this lovely virtue. In his 
 53d Soliloquy he speaks thus: 
 
 u Thou shouldst, O my soul, keep the eye 
 of thy mind far removed from the sayings 
 and doings of men, and immovably fixed 
 on the loving designs of God. . . . Accustom 
 thyself to consider every one as better than 
 thou art, and thyself as capable of no good, 
 but on the contrary, inclined to every evil. 
 Thou shouldst promptly reject any malici- 
 ous thought with regard to the conduct of 
 others towards thee, and ascribe charitable
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andrew, C. 31. 291 
 
 motives to all their actions, believing that 
 thou art under many obligations to others 
 for the patience with which they bear thy 
 
 defects Sometimes, (Soliloquy 34th,) 
 
 by the permission of God, the demon ar- 
 ranges things in such a way that the most 
 pious and charitable persons cannot refrain 
 from judging, falsely, or at least dubi- 
 ously, it is true, but not rashly, and there- 
 fore without sin. And they join with 
 others to oppress the afflicted soulf.who can 
 say, hominum non liabeo opprobrium vicinis 
 meis valde. They take a wrong view of 
 everything, and the unhappy soul, how- 
 ever 'unwilling, cannot but perceive it, and 
 suffer from it. f In eo dum convenirent 
 simul adversum me, accipere animam meam 
 consiliati sunt.l Sometimes, during re- 
 creation, it seems that one is the mark of 
 every look, of every word and conversation, 
 etc. f Ego autem in te speravi Domine, 
 dixi: Deus meus es tu, in manibus tuis sor- 
 tes meae.3 This is the only Consolation of 
 the soul. One flash of this light suffices to 
 restore her peace. 
 
 )"Noli ergo vinci a malo, sed vince in 
 bono malum. (No. 71.) May God be 
 praised ! how great dost thou show thyself, 
 in all that thou hast permitted to befall me! 
 It was for the purpose of trying me, and
 
 292 Life of 
 
 grounding me thoroughly in that charity 
 wich was the distinctive virtue of St. Vin- 
 cent de Paul and St. Francis de Sales a 
 virtue which I needed so much, though, 
 unfortunately, I was not aware of my de- 
 ficiency. . . . Yesterday we celebrated the 
 feast of St. Vincent. I will also be Vin- 
 cent; I am determined to conquer as he 
 did, but truly with no other arms than 
 these three Humility, Charity and Meek- 
 ness. 
 
 1 ' Vincenti dabo manna absconditum et 
 nomen novum. Most delicious manna! Most 
 desirable refreshment! But it is given only 
 to conquerors. And let us not be deceived 
 with regard to the meaning of this word. 
 It is a well-known fact that the world un- 
 derstands things in a very different manner 
 from the gospel; and in this matter, we 
 must take the gospel meaning and not that 
 of the world. To conquer, according to 
 the world, is to triumph, to heap confusion 
 on a rival, to glory in his defeat. But, ac- 
 cording to Jesus Christ, it is a very different 
 thing; he tells us that we conquer only, 
 when, being contemned by others we abase 
 ourselves still more; when we are calumni- 
 ated and utter no word of justification; 
 when we return good for evil, and con- 
 ciliate our rivals by means of humility,
 
 Very Eev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 293 
 
 charity, and mildness. 'Be careful then of 
 thy business,' as St. Chrysostom says in 
 his 24th Homily on St. Mathew. 
 L? l Quamdiu ovesfuerimus vindmus, etiam- 
 si mille drcumstent lupi; quod si lupi fece- 
 rimus, vincimur. Tune enim a nobis pas- 
 toris auxilium recedit, qui non lupos, sed 
 oves pascit.' Meditate then frequently on 
 
 Although Father De Andreis was en- 
 dowed with so much gentleness, forbearance 
 and condescension towards his neighbor, 
 he never yielded so far as to approve evil, 
 or to abet it through weakness. On the 
 contrary, he was like an invincible bul- 
 wark in opposing the slightest infractions 
 of the rule or the spirit of his state, as may 
 be seen more clearly in his Resolutions. 
 (No. 76.) 
 
 "Qui in verbo non offendit, perfectus est 
 vir. After much reflection, I find that the 
 best plan for me, during recreation, is to 
 speak very little; first, because it is not my 
 place, young as I am, to introduce a sub- 
 ject of conversation ; secondly, because 
 among the subjects that are generally dis- 
 cussed at that time, there are some about 
 which I know so little that I could scarcely 
 say one word on the matter; thirdly, 
 because I have had to repent very often of
 
 294 Life of 
 
 saying that one word. I will, therefore, 
 appear as cheerful and pleasant as I can ; 
 if I am questioned, I will answer with 
 modesty, and endeavor to draw the recrea- 
 tion within the limits which the rule pre- 
 scribes. However, I will joyfully consent 
 to remain forgotten in a corner of the room, 
 as if I were dead, being resolved to take 
 pleasure in no other conversation than that 
 of Jesus Christ, the sweetest spouse of my 
 soul. I must resign my whole self into his 
 hands, reserving for his service alone my 
 tongue, mind, heart, time, body, life, and 
 everything else." 
 
 In fine, Father De Andreis made use of 
 this virtue of mildness in order to bear 
 patiently his own defects; for the more he 
 advanced in the love of God the more they 
 became insupportable to him, and there- 
 fore he never flattered them. St. Francis 
 says that a soul who aims at perfection, 
 stands more in need of meekness towards 
 herself than towards others; because the 
 further a soul advances in a spiritual life, 
 the more numerous are the faults which 
 she perceives in herself. 
 
 "Here I am, at length," writes Father 
 De Andreis, in the retreat of 1813, "weary 
 with trying to find my God. I behold 
 nothing but myself and my own poverty,
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 295 
 
 and am in great need of grace, though un- 
 worthy to obtain it. I know that sanctity 
 does not consist in having this or that 
 grace, but in being whatever God requires 
 of us; in attaining that degree of virtue 
 that God has appointed us, neither more 
 nor less. I should desire nothing but that 
 for which God, from all eternity, has in- 
 tended me. I know not what it is; but I 
 must follow him, step by step, as he makes 
 known to me the designs of his providence, 
 pray that his holy will may be done in me, 
 and accomplish it without desiring either 
 this or that gift j ipse dividit singulis prout 
 vult."
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 His Mortification and Zeal. 
 
 WE may truly say, and all those who 
 knew Father De Andreis most intimately 
 can bear witness to our words, that the 
 continual business of his life was to die to 
 himself by means of the most severe and 
 universal mortification, so that he might 
 attach himself the more closely to the cross 
 of his Lord. His resolutions were constantly 
 directed to discover in his heart the 
 slightest disorderly tendencies, and to over- 
 come them by means of holy mortification. 
 It will suffice here to give some of these re- 
 solutions; they will enable us to gain some 
 idea of the extent to which he possessed 
 this virtue. 
 
 "Considering my conduct up to the pres- 
 ent moment, it appears to me that the little 
 good I do is adventitious. I seem to have 
 no inward fervor, and am like a tree on 
 which are hung flowers and fruits that do 
 not belong to it, because it has not suffici- 
 ent vigor to produce them from its own 
 sap. I do good as if by compulsion, and 
 
 (296)
 
 Very Eev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 297 
 
 not from any interior energy. In one word, 
 I see plainly that the old Adam is living, 
 like an immense giant, within me, while 
 Jesus Christ is but a mere child, if he is in 
 me at all. I must then combat valiantly 
 against this old Adam, exterminate, de- 
 stroy him, so that Jesus Christ may abide 
 in me. Tantum proficies quantum tibi ipsi 
 vim intuleris.'" 
 
 The following are some resolutions which 
 he took on the feast of Corpus Christi: 
 
 ' ' RESOLUTIONS. MOTIVES. 
 
 u i. God has frequently called me to the 
 dignity of union by making me experience 
 the delights of his divine love, so that I 
 may be entirely detached from myself; and, 
 seeing that I have not yet fully resolved to 
 do away with my self-love, and embrace 
 mortification, which is the foundation of 
 this union, he permits me to be assailed by 
 truly frightful temptations, which, like so 
 many scourges of his love, forcibly impel 
 me to do what he desires. . . . O how great 
 is his goodness! 
 
 "2. In order to divest myself fully of all 
 these imperfections, experience has thaught 
 me that there is no better means than to 
 put on a spirit of universal mortification. 
 
 4 '3. To succeed in the sacred functions
 
 298 Life of 
 
 of our ministry, and to overcome those de- 
 fects which I know are innate in my heart, 
 a high degree of divine union is absolutely 
 necessary, which cannot be attained with- 
 out this mortification. 
 
 1 '4. Having placed myself last evening 
 unreservedly at the feet of the most Holy 
 Virgin, asking her to show me a path by 
 which I might escape from the darkness 
 around me and save my soul, it seemed 
 that she laid the cross upon me and said : 
 'Attach thyself to this and never leave it.' 
 
 "I resolve then and purpose that it shall 
 be the principal end of this retreat, to em- 
 brace this virtue of mortification, and to 
 place myself upon the cross in such a 
 manner as never to descend from it during 
 my life. But, to enter into particulars, I 
 especially resolve upon the following ar- 
 ticles : 
 
 "MORTIFICATION OP THE IMAGINATION 
 AND MEMORY. 
 
 "i. To attend carefully to the presence 
 of God, but without anxiety or constraint; 
 to reject every useless, foolish, or curious 
 thought, or any idea which is not of evident 
 utility. 
 
 1 '2. In prayer, and particularly while re- 
 piting the Divine Office, I will exactly exe-
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 299 
 
 cute the resolutions which I took in the 
 retreat of 1811. 
 
 "THE JUDGMENT AND UNDERSTANDING. 
 
 "Avoid all curious investigation, and 
 submit cheerfully to the opinion of others 
 whenever my conscience does not require 
 me to act otherwise. Submit especially to 
 the judgment of my superiors, and prin- 
 cipally with regard to what I am told in my 
 communications about despising those in- 
 terior troubles to which I am liable. 
 
 "THE WILL. 
 
 "Observe minutely every point of the 
 rule; above all, what is said in Art. 3, 
 Chapter 2, on Conformity to the will of 
 God. 
 
 "THE TONGUE. 
 
 "i. Love silence, and never speak but 
 when the rule prescribes it. 
 
 U 2. Even in time of recreation avoid 
 much talkativeness. 
 
 "3. Never speak of myself but through 
 necessity and then with humility and such 
 caution, that self-love may lose more than 
 it gains by what I say. This refers par- 
 ticularly to anything concerning country, 
 friends, relations, and similar subjects,
 
 3 Life of 
 
 "4. Never make a display of learning 
 by speaking on scientific or religious sub- 
 jects without necessity; and when it is re- 
 quisite to do so, act in such a manner that 
 humility will not be the loser by it. 
 
 "5. Never despise or accuse any one; 
 but, on the contrary, esteem and excuse all, 
 reserving contempt for myself alone. 
 
 "THE TASTE. 
 
 u i. Refrain entirely from any kind of 
 food for which I may feel excessive liking; 
 this is to be understood, also, of everything 
 else towards which my natural inclination 
 might lead me with too much ardor. 
 
 U 2. Never empty a plate unless it be 
 through real necessity. 
 
 "3. Make a little offering of some of 
 those morsels which are most pleasing to 
 the taste, with the interior disposition to 
 deprive myself of the whole, if it were the 
 holy will of God. 
 
 "THE HEARING, SIGHT AND SMELL. 
 
 "Deny myself any satisfaction not ab- 
 solutely necessary, or at least useful; and 
 even then direct my intention to God. 
 
 "THE TOUCH AND BEHAVIOR. 
 
 "i. Sleep upon straw, and maintain a 
 modest position while sleeping.
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 301 
 
 U 2. Bridle any natural impetuosity, and 
 endeavor to walk and act with gravity, 
 modesty and humility, seeking always the 
 last place. 
 
 "3. Bear patiently the molestations of 
 insects which are so troublesome to me, 
 and consider that they are to take the place 
 of hair-cloth. 
 
 "4. Always find some means of remain- 
 ing on the cross, either in one way or an- 
 other, and seek a subject of mortification in 
 everything. 
 
 "These resolutions are difficult, but I 
 hope to find them easy in practice; it is 
 God who has inspired them ; it belongs 
 then to him to give me the grace to execute 
 them, and the most holy Mary will ask this 
 for me. On my part, I will make use of 
 the following means : 
 
 "i. To meditate on them frequently, 
 and read the lives of those saints that are 
 most likely to inspire me with love of mor- 
 tification. 
 
 "2. To examine myself very often on 
 these points, and allow no fault to go un- 
 punished. 
 
 "3. To pray to our Lord that he will 
 vouchsafe to strengthen me to carry my 
 cross, and not permit me to live another 
 moment according to the suggestions of 
 nature. Fortis est nt mors dilectio."
 
 of 
 
 Although this practice of mortification 
 traced out by Father De Andreis might 
 seem, to a less fervent soul, incapable of 
 receiving any increase, he nevertheless car- 
 ried it out still further by renouncing those 
 very delights which are sometimes felt, 
 and very often sought after, in the things 
 of God. Let us see what he writes on this 
 subject: 
 
 "I must also remove from my mind an- 
 other illusion, which consists in imagining 
 that I can enjoy, in this miserable life, 
 such permanent love and affection for good 
 works, that I shall meet with no obstacle in 
 the performance of them, but on the con- 
 trary, experience great pleasure. If such 
 were the case, those words of our Saviour, 
 that we are to take up our cross and carry 
 it every day, deny ourselves, and, by means 
 of great suffering, enter into the kingdom 
 of God, would be false. 
 
 "Certain delights belong to heaven, and 
 Divine Goodness gives some of them to us 
 at times in this life, as a fortaste of celestial 
 joy, and that we may be incouraged to 
 suffer. To wish that perficiatur in te, is 
 to desire what can only be fulfilled in para- 
 dise. Ever to pray, and to mortify oneself 
 unceasingly, these are the means which 
 render virtue and the practice of good
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 303 
 
 works easy. Leaving all, however, to the 
 will of God, I have taken, as it seems to 
 me by his inspiration, a strong resolution : 
 
 "i. As the desire of spiritual delights 
 and the loss of the same cause much per- 
 turbation in my soul; 
 
 U 2. As they are sometimes snares set by 
 self-love and pride, accompanied with 
 much risk of illusion; 
 
 "3. As they produce in me a certain 
 spiritual concupiscence, which, not being 
 satisfied in the spirit, sometimes seeks 
 other delights, and is transformed into con- 
 cupiscence of the flesh, which gives me 
 much trouble; 
 
 "4. As the sweets of God are not God 
 himself, and, when too much sought after, 
 prevent one from saying with truth, Deus 
 meus et omnia, and from being united with 
 God alone; 
 
 "5. As the renunciation of these delights 
 will render me less sensitive to those of an 
 inferior kind, and will bind me more closely 
 to the cross; 
 
 "I have resolved: To relinquish all 
 spiritual joys even unto death. I mean that 
 I will not seek after them, desire, or ask 
 for them, nor aspire to them in any way 
 whatsoever, believing myself to be totally 
 unworthy of such favors."
 
 3^4 Life o* 
 
 The end that Father De Andreis had in 
 view by so much mortification, was solely 
 to become more surely and intimately 
 united with God, and to acquire that ardent 
 charity which cannot exist without com- 
 municating its flame to others, and promot- 
 ing their salvation by the complete sacrifice 
 of self ; so that one may say with the 
 Apostle, Optdbam ego ipse anathema esse a 
 Christo pro fratribus meis. Rom. ix. 3. 
 
 "Truly," he writes in 1814, "no one is 
 more ready to love his neighbor, as he 
 should, purely through charity, as one who 
 considers himself tanquam mortuus a corde 
 hominum. Under the specious pretext of 
 charity, the desire to oblige, politeness, 
 civility, how much chaff of secondary 
 motives lies concealed! (No. 8.) In order 
 that the flame which burns within my 
 breast may inflame the hearts of others, it 
 must first consume and purify my own ; fire 
 never spreads, but merely sends forth some 
 little heat, until it has devoured all the 
 materials which immediately surround it. 
 I must then co-operate with this flame and 
 help it to destroy the old man, by removing 
 everything that might serve to strengthen 
 his empire." 
 
 If we judge him by his own descr ption 
 of the flame of the love of God, wo may
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 305 
 
 truly say that it was strong within him, as 
 he was enabled to spread it among so many 
 souls who were total strangers to it. "Any 
 one whose vocation it is to labor for the 
 salvation of others," says Father De An- 
 dreis in his 44th Number, "must be like a 
 ray that is reflected from another body ; the 
 heart should first proceed directly to God, 
 and from him return to mingle with 
 creatures, by conversing with them, preach- 
 ing to them and counselling them in their 
 difficulties. Then it is that one works 
 securely, with purity of intention, zeal and 
 success, because the blessing of God accom- 
 panies him, according to those words of the 
 Psalmist : Beatus vir cujus voluntas in lege 
 Domini; omnia qaecumque faciet prospera- 
 buntur.'" 
 
 Such being the principles that actuated 
 Father De Andreis, it is easy to understand 
 how he renounced, not only all his wordly 
 expectations, but those likewise which the 
 Congregation offered him, and found him- 
 self happy in the midst of labor, sacrifices, 
 infirmities, and even persecutions. "Esteem, 
 honor, (No. 33,) food, rest, etc., all these 
 things should be for me arbitror nt stercora 
 ut Christum lucri fadam. I must not, for 
 one Tioment, allow my mind to rest on 
 them, as they do not concern me in the
 
 306 Life of 
 
 least. Quid ad te? tu me sequere. This is 
 what I have to do : follow Jesus Christ iu 
 the sublime ministry to which it has 
 pleased him to call me ; considering as ad- 
 dressed to myself those words which he 
 spoke in the gospel to one, who, before 
 following him, wished to bury his dead 
 father ; relinque mortuos sepelire mortuos 
 suos, et tu vade et annuntia regnum Dei. 
 O my God! what a glorious destiny! to 
 traffic for souls, enter into partnership with 
 the incarnate son of God, in his own 
 especial calling ; to extend the kingdom of 
 God and destroy that of the demon and sin; 
 to convert souls to God, enlighten and bring 
 them back into the paths of virtue and sal- 
 vation ; to guide them to their first principle 
 and last end! O my God! et unde hoc 
 mihi! How much has the Almighty ac- 
 complished in my soul, to render me fit for 
 so noble an employment! Would it not be 
 a shame if one called to so sublime a min- 
 istry were to give himself up to vanity and 
 worldly enjoyments? if he were to seek 
 earthly honors, weep over the death of 
 butterflies, or amuse himself by breaking 
 spiders' webs! Due in altum, due in altum, 
 et laxate retia vestra in capturam non in 
 capturam auri vel argenti, vel vanitatis, sed 
 in capturam animarum."
 
 Very Rev. Felix De Andreis, C. M. 307 
 
 Hence we can also understand how, in 
 spite of weak and delicate health, he was 
 able to support while he was yet young, as 
 a student and a priest, so much application 
 and toil; how he endured so much danger 
 and fatigue, which seemingly would have 
 cost him his life. "Fortis est ut mors di- 
 lectio. Love is not satisfied until it meas- 
 ures itself with death. Self-esteem and 
 pride are more closely united to the soul 
 than the skin is to the flesh which it covers. 
 Perfect spiritual detachment is no less pain- 
 full than bodily excoriation. Everything 
 must die." And, in No. 97, he adds: 
 "Mille anni ante oculos tuos sicut dies 
 hesterna quae praeterit. non contem- 
 plantibus nobis quae videntur: quae enim 
 videntur, temporalia simt; quae autem non 
 videntur, aeterna. mundus transit et 
 concupiscentia ejus; qui autem facit volun- 
 tatem Dei, manet in aeternum. These words 
 should be the three lenses which serve to 
 form the truthful telescope, through which 
 the Christian should judge of everything, 
 especially the labors, misfortunes, honors, 
 pleasures, and delights of this fleeting life. 
 O happy indeed is he who can plunge his 
 thoughts into the blessed eternity ! there he 
 will learn to say: pati ant mori pati et 
 non mori. There he will form a correct
 
 308 Life oj 
 
 judgment of all here below, and learn to 
 live tamquam advena et peregrinus in lioc 
 mundo; to sigh continually after the joys of 
 Heaven; to think nothing of what will pass 
 away with time, and to remain cheerful 
 under whotsoever may befall him, because 
 quod aeternum non est, nihil est." 
 
 We should never end were we to repeat 
 all the sentiments of purest zeal which 
 breathe throughout his writings, for ex abun- 
 dantia cordis, os loquitur. We will con- 
 clude then by giving two extracts relating 
 to the qualities which he purposed to give 
 his zeal : 
 
 "I have considered that this virtue 
 should keep an even path, far removed 
 from the two extremes of human respect 
 and excessive severity, so that it may be 
 firm and magnanimous, without harshness 
 or asperity ; mild and gentle , without 
 cowardice or pusillanimity 
 
 "Anger and natural impulse are always 
 evil counsellors in matters were zeal is con- 
 cerned. I therefore resolve never to speak 
 or act when I feel strongly impelled to do 
 so, without first thoroughly consulting 
 charity and humility; so that these virtues 
 may temper the effects of my zeal. O! 
 what holy ingenuity is suggested by hum- 
 ility; how strong is the ardor inspired by 
 charity!"
 
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