Chapter X: Measures to Meet the Difficulty (2)

Monsignor Dillon had abundant opportunities of mixing with
the people of the country, and studying their feelings and
convictions. He tells us that he thinks no people could be more
devoted to their religion than they. His impression was that
the bulk of the people in the Roman States would gladly receive
back the temporal government of the Pontiff. Heavy burdens of
taxation and conscription have followed in the steps of the new
régime. It is, he thinks, by means of hired mobs and newspaper
correspondents that public opinion in England and France is
misled. The Italian people have obtained the reputation of
being formal in their religion, but Monsignor Dillon shows that
though they are fond of the beautiful ceremonies of the Church
their religion is far from being confined to externals.

“Long hours before the English visitors leave their hotel
beds the Italian population in cities and villages are up and
stirring, and up and stirring, too, simply because of religion.
As early as half-past four, even on winter mornings, the Church
of Santa Maria in Genazzano is crowded by a congregation of
people who desire to hear Mass before going to their daily
labour. With thousands in every city Mass is not confined to
the Sunday. The devout attend it every day. The works of St.
Liguori, which are very common, lead some millions in Italy to
practice without ostentation meditation, visits to the Most
Holy Sacrament, and works even of the highest perfection.”

The volume, which was printed at the Propaganda in Rome, and
contains four illustrations, will doubtless become a classic on
the subject which Monsignor Dillon has so happily taken in hand.

_From “THE AVE MARIA,” Indiana, U. S., November 1, 1884._

A most attractive volume. The learned author begins at the very
origin of the town of Genazzano, traces its history through the
times when it was the scene of the infamous orgies of heathen
worship, to the blessed dawn of Christianity, which purified
and consecrated its polluted walls and groves; and then through
the vicissitudes which followed the decline of the Roman Empire
in Italy, interesting alike to the archæologist, the historian,
and the poet. But most interesting among all events that have
occurred in that favoured spot is the coming of the miraculous
painting from Scutari to the church rebuilt by the devotion of
a poor widow, who lacked the means to complete the good work
she had begun, but whose faith and piety were rewarded by this
signal assistance from Heaven. Full particulars of the miracle
are given, and a detailed narrative of the event, illustrated
by drawings, of the ruined church in Scutari whence the
picture—a fresco painted on the wall—was conveyed by angelic
hands, after the final capture of Albania by the Turks. The
sworn testimony of witnesses, copied from the records, follows,
and a family tree of the principal Albanian witness, whose
descendants now reside in Genazzano, is given. Then follows
as perfect an account as could be found of the miracles since
wrought at the shrine, the records of which were imperfectly
kept, both on account of their great frequency and the expense
of the formalities which ecclesiastical law requires for the
verification of supernatural events, and also on account of
the troubled state of the country, and the frequent robberies
committed in the name of secular authority. These miracles
are extremely interesting, especially one that occurred under
the very eye of the author of the present work—the cure of
blindness and epileptic fits in a young girl who had been
given up by the physicians. They extend from the middle of
the fifteenth century to the present time—over four hundred
years of constant divine interposition. Following, we find
accounts of various miraculous copies of the original picture
of Our Lady of Good Counsel, piously venerated in different
localities. The volume itself is enriched with engraved copies
of the painting, the beauty of whose execution is what might
be expected from the Italian artists. Succeeding chapters give
an account of the devotion of many distinguished Popes and
many learned and pious men to this remarkable shrine; of the
pilgrimages that are constantly made to it; of the apostles of
this devotion, and in particular of Canon Bacci and Don Stephen
Andrea Rodotà; of the Proper Mass and Office granted as the
most distinguished mark of ecclesiastical approbation; of the
indulgences attached to the devotion; of the rise, progress,
and present prosperity of the confraternity known as the Pious
Union; of the present state of the church and sanctuary itself
of Our Lady of Good Counsel; and of the devotion of the Italian
people. A concluding chapter gives a full and dogmatic account
of the veneration due and paid by the Catholic Church to the
Blessed Virgin, with the blessings that have attended its
practice.

_From “THE IRISH ECCLESIASTICAL RECORD,” October, 1884._

Devotion to our “Mother of Good Counsel” is not without being
cultivated in these countries, but it is cultivated to a far
less extent than it ought to be. “Good Counsel” is one of the
attributes that strikes us as specially becoming in her whom we
salute as the “Virgo Sapiens,” and to whom the Church applies
the words of the Holy Ghost “in me is Counsel.” Besides, we
feel assured that it is an attribute that is calculated to call
forth in a very special way the devotion of the faithful, who
are so trustful in the protection and guidance of the Mother
of God, particularly in times of doubt and difficulty. Yet
the picture of the “Virgin Mother of Good Counsel”—and it is
indeed a very distinctive and devotional picture—is not often
met with in our churches or oratories, nor is the invocation
of the Blessed Virgin under this sweet title so frequently on
our lips as the many other ejaculations that are so familiar
to us from childhood onwards. The real cause, however, of this
omission is to be traced to the fact that the people generally
had no knowledge of the devotion to the Mother of God under
this special form: at least we had no full history of its
origin and wonderful development in other countries. This want,
we are happy to say, is now admirably met by Monsignor Dillon’s
beautiful book.

Among the shrines of the Blessed Virgin, there is none,
perhaps, so ancient, and few more famous for its miracles, the
number of its pilgrims, and the extraordinary manifestation
of piety to be witnessed there from year to year, than the
shrine of the “Virgin Mother of Good Counsel.” This famous
shrine is at Genazzano, a picturesquely situated little town,
in the Sabine Ranges, some thirty miles from Rome, near
Palestrina, the old Praeneste capital of Latium. Here our
Mother of Good Counsel has been honoured under this beautiful
title from the earliest times, indeed from those far-off times
when the deserted pagan temples round Rome were taken up by
the Christians, and the abominations of idolatry replaced by
the pure worship of the true God. We are told that the first
sanctuary of our Lady of Good Counsel at Genazzano had been a
temple of Venus.

In course of time God manifested His pleasure at the great
honour paid to His Mother at Genazzano by a miracle of a kind
which reminds us forcibly of that other renowned sanctuary, the
holy House of Loretto. In the year 1467, a beautiful picture
of the Virgin, holding in her arms the Divine Infant, passed
miraculously from Albania when seized by the Turks, to the
shrine at Genazzano. This picture is preserved with jealous
care, and we have been told by friends, who were present on the
occasion of the annual Feast when the picture is uncovered,
that the piety of the people was such as to make even one who
had witnessed the enthusiasm of the pilgrims at Lourdes, to
marvel.

But we must send our readers to Monsignor Dillon’s highly
interesting book for a full history of our Lady’s Shrine at
Genazzano. The work is so complete and of so useful a character
as to merit the high commendation of Cardinal Simeoni; and even
the Pope himself has sent to the Right Rev. author, with his
blessing, a letter of praise and thanks.

If we may venture to make a suggestion to the Right Rev.
author, we would say to him to complete his splendid service
in spreading devoting to our Virgin Mother of Good Counsel by
publishing in due course a small popular Manual, embodying in a
concise form the history of this venerable and famous shrine,
with prayers and suitable devotions. Thus he will establish a
very strong claim to the reward he speaks of so earnestly and
lovingly, “Qui elucidant me, vitam aeternam habebunt.”

_From “THE DUBLIN REVIEW,” October, 1884._

In a very handsome volume of over 600 pages, printed with
extreme clearness and wonderful correctness at the Propaganda
Press in Rome, Monsignor Dillon, of Sydney, sets forth
with great detail and with pious warmth the history of the
miraculous image of Our Lady at Genezzano. Many of our readers
will know that this widely venerated effigy is said to have
appeared suddenly on the wall of an unfinished church at
Genezzano, now more than four centuries ago. A short time
afterwards there came to the sanctuary two strangers from
Albania, who declared that the image was no other than one
which had been venerated from time immemorial in Scutari (not
Scutari on the Bosphorus, but the Albanian town), and which
had disappeared precisely at the time they left their native
land. This double tradition Monsignor Dillon undertakes to
substantiate. That there is a celebrated Madonna at Genezzano,
and that many graces and miraculous favours have been received
there, no Catholic would think of disputing. And whoever goes
carefully through this elaborate work, will easily convince
himself that there was a miraculous apparition in 1467.... As
to the sacred image itself, as now venerated, it is a fresco,
painted (if it be painted) on thin hard mortar, as if it had
been detached from the surface of the wall. It is stated by
those who have seen it to be still altogether detached from any
wall or backing. Its existence in this state for upwards of 400
years is by itself a wonderful fact. Representations of the
sacred image are not uncommon, and there are probably few who
have not looked on the most characteristic face of Mary, and
on the Divine Infant, lovingly leaning His cheek against hers,
with one little arm round her neck and the hand of the other
grasping her robe at the throat.... Genezzano is not far from
Rome, in a land rich with Christian shrines and memories of the
past. We cannot doubt that this charming book, written with the
leisure of an antiquarian and the piety of a true Catholic,
will not only send many pilgrims to Our Lady of Good Counsel,
but will increase her glory and promote devotion to her in all
English-speaking lands.

SUFFERINGS OF THE NUNS OF ITALY.

Catholics are already aware that by the laws of Italy the whole property, real and personal, of all religious orders, both of men and women, was confiscated in that country. A very small pension, heavily taxed and not always satisfactorily paid, was allowed to the older members—the younger ones getting nothing, or next to nothing—perhaps two-pence a day to live upon. For this the Government took their lands, their funds, their house property, their Convent buildings, their very churches, cemeteries and all the furniture, sacred and secular, they possessed. They were disbanded, prevented from receiving novices, or, as religious orders, even educating children. Sometimes public feeling forced their persecutors to give them a few rooms in their old homes, or to huddle several communities into one large barrack. In cases where a part of their Convent only was allowed them, the rest was used as Government offices, or very generally for soldiers’ barracks. It thus became a kind of living death for these poor religious. They mostly, however, held together with wonderful tenacity, and as the old inmates died out the younger ones, with but a few half-pence a day to live on, grew on in years and weakness and want. Many of these—indeed all the choir sisters—brought fortunes, which were placed in the common funds of their several institutions, and so found and taken by the mean-spirited Freemasons now in power in Italy. The consequence is that these poor nuns, long absent from the thoughts of relatives, die in great numbers and in much want. The present work and that on Our Lady of Good Counsel have been given over by the author for their relief. He has just received the following letter from Monsignor Kirby, who lays out, with every care and judgment, all he can get together for the benefit of these suffering spouses of Christ.

“I received the alms you kindly forwarded from their Lordships
the Bishop of Leeds and the Bishops of Aberdeen and Dunkeld, in
aid of the poor nuns in the Papal States. May God reward them
for their charity.

“But what shall I say, my dear Monsignore, for your own
generous offerings for these suffering Spouses of Jesus Christ?
Through your assistance I have been able to relieve many holy
suffering communities in Frascati, Viterbo, Foligno, Assissi,
Monte Falco, and other localities, not forgetting the nuns you
specially mentioned for relief in Rome. They suffer terrible
privations, but their charity and patience would do honour to
the early Christians. They pray constantly and earnestly for
those who assist them in their bitter need....”

Still more touching descriptions of the destitution of these poor servants of God may be obtained from the _Divin Salvatore_ of Rome, which devotes many of its columns to the service of the collection made in favour of the despoiled nuns.

The following items, taken from a current number of that journal, will give an idea of the need existing. The Editor says:—

“On the 7th of March we received the following letter from a
venerable religious, who has the care of a parish and of a
monastery:—‘The letters you sent me have arrived, as so many
angels of comfort, with your charity. The Mother Abbess did
not know what to do in the future. She had to withdraw the one
plate of nourishment hitherto given daily to the religious.
My heart is afflicted, because I know that if they have not
food the choir cannot be sustained, and already some of them
are prostrated, from weakness of the stomach, in need of
ordinary food.’ The day after the Prioress of a Dominican
Convent writes:—‘Our misfortunes are at their height, and it
seems that everything conspires against us. The very old and
helpless sisters must be deprived of the lay sisters’ help,
whom we took into the religious life, but who must now leave
us for want of food. The aged will have to die for mere want
of necessaries. We do not ask the Government for anything to
maintain lay sisters, but these are now not even permitted to
us. For charity pray to God that some may be moved to pity us.’
Four days ago a Benedictine Superioress thus commenced her
letter to us:—‘The day before yesterday, having shed many tears
before the Image of Most Holy Mary, beseeching Her to send me
some help, because I had at last arrived at extreme necessity,
your letter arrived with alms. Ah, so great was my joy, that
before opening it I carried it before the sacred Image to
thank Our Lady, and have called the nuns, who did the same.
My Father, believe me, that in order to exist together, we
suffer much want indeed.’ Five days after another Superioress
writes to us:—‘The moment I received your most valued letter,
I exclaimed, Oh, my dear St. Joseph, how much I thank you who
hast given to that good Father the inspiration to help me in my
present agony. I cannot describe to you the sorrowful condition
in which I find myself. As many farthings as you have sent me,
I pray that they may become so many precious graces, which may
fill with benediction the families who give such blessed help
to us poor abandoned religious.’”

Not long after another Superioress wrote:—

“Do you then discharge our duty to the kind and pious
benefactors who do not forget the suffering spouses of Our
Lord in times when so many hate and illtreat them, and seek
new means to render them, if that were possible, unhappy. But
that can never happen, because it is our greatest felicity
to be hated by the enemies of Jesus Christ. At present we
are prohibited to receive young-lady boarders, who, by their
payments for education, might help us not a little in our
misery. But we confide in the good, generous hearts who come to
our assistance.”

On the 17th of May, from the ends of Italy, the following letter came to us:—

“On Tuesday I received, as a consoling angel, your letter with
the bountiful alms it contained. What my joy was on that day
I cannot tell you. I seemed like one confounded to such an
extent that my nuns understood that some extraordinary grace
had been given me by our great Patriarch St. Joseph. When I
told them what had been given they were in jubilee at it, and
I cannot tell you how many prayers and fervent communions will
be offered, and have indeed been offered already to God for
those who have been so kind to us. Oh, my Father, if you but
knew what my sorrow had been that day. An implacable creditor
pressed me, and I had not on that day one loaf of bread to take
the hunger away from my poor community. My Father, I cannot
tell you what terrible hours I passed. During certain days I
felt as if a knife had pierced my heart. I wept scalding tears,
and almost lost confidence. Ah, Father, do not forget us, for
charity sake, I beseech you, with all my heart.”

A few days after this (for we take the letters at hap-hazard as they come to our hand) we received another, which thus commences:—

“Oh, my Father, how much am I obliged to you. You have called
me to life again. I went to ask the Archangel Raphael to be
mindful of us, poor deserted sisters, and the holy Archangel
heard me! Wherefore may God be blessed, and thanks without end
for your charity and that of our benefactors. See how wanting
in discretion I am, my Father, the more you are mindful of us,
the most distressed of all. I do not wish to be importunate.
That would not be well. But our misery surpasses perhaps the
misery of other convents. All my poor lay sisters are long
barefooted, and I cannot get them shoes, for I have no means to
buy leather. We, the choir sisters, wear clogs of wood, which,
when once made, last very long; but our poor lay sisters work
very hard, and wear away their clothing very much.”

Another letter comes from a Benedictine Abbess in Tuscany. She says:—

“Reflecting on our sad circumstances, and knowing by experience
your charitable heart, I have at last determined to ask you
for some charity, for the love of Jesus. We are twenty-five in
community, without a morsel of bread in our house, and deprived
absolutely of the means to obtain it; the Lord having permitted
that we should be abandoned by all, because we are all in great
distress and tribulation. Your Reverence by these words may
understand my internal affliction and the nature of the sword
that pierces my heart.”

Here is a letter from a holy Prioress of Augustinian nuns, driven out of their convent and obliged to rent a house:—

“I reply, with deep gratitude, to your precious letter, and
thank you infinitely for the alms sent in it. I thank the Giver
of every good, and after Him all those who have concurred to
aid us, and you who are the head of the good work, so full of
charity, as is that of assisting us poor creatures reduced
to extreme necessity. For as this necessity is all the more
increased as we, most unfortunate, have been driven out of our
convent, and with sorrow and fright, have been obliged to rent
this poor house at a sum beyond the possibility of our being
able to pay. May Jesus, our Spouse, be blessed for all these
misfortunes. There remains to us one only consolation. It is
that daily we have the holy Mass in a little chapel, and we
can remain with Jesus in the Eucharist. Where Jesus is there
is nothing that we can desire. They have at length taken our
convent from us, but of Jesus no one can deprive us.”

Another Superioress writes:—

“I am always more and more confirmed in the belief that your
reverence is inspired by God. Three days passed and I had not a
farthing to buy bread for my poor community. But I had recourse
to our sweet Mother Mary with loving confidence, that she would
give me the means of keeping life in my poor daughters. I wept
with emotion and exclaimed, ‘Blessed is he who confides in the
Lord.’”

Another letter, dated 24th of last October, is as follows:—

“My Father, how grateful I am. I found myself at the height of
misery, but seeing your gift my heart bounded with joy. Oh, I
can at least give a little to my dearest daughters who, poor
children, for the most part, are infirm and weak in stomach
because of long abstinence from nourishing food or drink of
any kind! But how can I help them? I cannot get boarders, and
benefactors there are none, because our relatives have to think
of their own families. My only resource is your charity. You
dry my tears. You console my heart in so many and such great
necessities.”

A Superioress of Tuscany, after having recommended a sick sister whom she called, “an angel of innocence and of goodness, and on the point of taking wing for paradise,” and having received some assistance, writes:—

“Jesus watches over His spouses. This morning I received
your offering for the sick sister, which the great charity
of your reverence sent me. I am confused in seeing myself so
benefited without any merit. The sick sister remains alive,
always the victim of her beloved Spouse Jesus. She wastes away
as wax before the fire. She suffers with heroic virtue, and
wishes that your reverence would bless her in order to have
greater strength to suffer more and more in union with Jesus
crucified, whom she has always before her eyes, and continually
kisses. I do not know how to describe her satisfaction at the
charity shown her, nor to tell you her gratitude. I will tell
you only that with all her heart she says to you, ‘May Jesus
reward him together with the benefactors.’ She is young, only
twenty-four years of age, and is in the monastery three years
and three months. The Lord has placed this beautiful flower
(she is called Rose) in His garden, and He will take it at His
pleasure. It seems that we are not worthy to possess it.”

The number of the _Divin Salvatore_, from which the above extracts are taken, has been selected almost at random from a file of that excellent journal. The editor very feelingly ends the record as follows:—

“We repeat that these few extracts from letters are given
solely as a sample of numberless other letters of the same
class, which might form many volumes. Ah, how many pages,
besides, would be necessary if we should have to narrate the
sufferings and the secret martyrdoms endured, during, now more
than twenty years, by so many thousands of Italian religious
ladies for the sublime love of that Crucified God, to whom
they were and are consecrated. But such pages are written in
characters of gold only in the book of eternal life, and from
this book it is not given to us to copy. Let it suffice to
know that these admirable creatures so intensely hated by the
world of the sectaries (Freemasons, etc.,) because guilty of
being models of virtue, flowers of purity, doves of innocence,
beings more of heaven than of earth, have won, and still win by
their undaunted perseverance, a most glorious victory over this
world, enemy as it is, of the Name and the Cross of Christ.”