DEATH AND BEATIFICATION OF THE BLESSED CURE.
IT was in the summer of 1859, that the venerable cure showed that his
energies were nearly spent. He was then heard repeatedly to exclaim:
"Alas, the sinners will kill the sinner."
On Friday, July 29th, after having as usual spent from sixteen to
seventeen hours in the confessional, he returned to the rectory
completely exhausted. He sank into a chair saying: "I can do no more."
The priest who saw him, immediately put him to bed. On the following
morning his illness was so pronounced that a fatal termination was
feared. In the village and among the numerous visitors to Ars the
greatest sorrow was felt. For three days the church was crowded with
the faithful, praying that their cure might not be taken from them.
The cure did not join his prayers to those of his people for he felt
that his last hour was approaching. On Friday evening he received the
last sacraments. He shed tears of love when the Holy Viaticum was
brought to him and as Extreme Unction was being administered. For the
last time he blessed all who were present as well as his whole parish.
On Wednesday morning he smilingly acknowledged the greeting of his
bishop, who had hurried to his bedside. On Thursday, Aug. 4th, at two
o'clock in the morning, while his friend and assistant, the Abbe
Monnin, was saying the prayers for the dying and had just uttered the
words: "May the holy Angels of God come forth to meet him and conduct
him into the city of the Heavenly Jerusalem," the loving soul left his
frail body to be received, as we may devoutly hope, into the presence
of the Divine Master, whom he had served so long and so faithfully.
The demise of the good cure was immediately made known to the
sorrowing community. On Saturday of that week the interment took
place. Almost six thousand persons, many of whom came from afar,
attended the funeral. Three hundred priests accompanied the remains to
the grave. The bishop of Belley, in his eulogy, selected his text from
the office of the feast of the Saints and Confessors: "Well done, thou
good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of thy Lord." All
present understood the sentiments which prompted the selection of that
particular text and trusted that their hope would not be disappointed.
Rarely has a process of beatification been set in motion so quickly as
was that of John Baptist Vianney. Hardly forty-five years had elapsed
since the remains of the deceased were laid at rest, under the pulpit
of his parish church, when the Holy See announced its decision
permitting the beatification process to be introduced.
As early as Oct, 3d, 1874, Pope Pius IX, after examining the various
writings and biographical notices relating to the deceased and
published by reliable contemporaries, conferred on the humble cure the
title "Venerable Servant of God." On June 21st, 1896, Pope Leo XIII,
presiding, the last session of the commission took place, which was to
pronounce upon the saintly merits of the venerable cure. The favorable
conclusion which everyone expected was announced by Cardinal Parocchi.
On Aug. 1st, of that year, Pope Leo XIII, issued a decree reciting the
honors paid to the humble cure of Ars and his own personal admiration
for his exalted virtue.
Seven years later, in 1903, the same Pope called a session of the
commission to consider the testimony and reports relative to the
miracles which had taken place at the tomb of the departed. This
session, however, was not held, for on the day which had been
appointed the venerable pope lay at the point of death and soon after,
viz., on July 20th, of that year, the Catholic world had to mourn the
passing away of its spiritual head.
The happy distinction, however, of being able to glorify the humble
country curate had been reserved by God for one who himself had been
formerly a plain country curate. On Aug. 4th, 1903, at the very hour,
when at Ars they were celebrating a solemn High Mass on the
forty-fourth anniversary of the death of John Baptist Vianney, another
solemn ceremony was taking place at Rome, viz., the election of the
former village cure of Salzano, later Cardinal Sarto, patriarch of
Venice, to the Papacy, who chose for himself the title of Pius X.
As early as Jan. 26th, 1904, the new supreme pontiff presided at that
session of the cardinals over which his illustrious predecessor had
intended to preside. Two cases in particular were presented for
examination. One was a question of the sudden cure of the youthful
Adelaide Joly, and the other, that of little Leo Roussat. The latter,
after a violent attack of epilepsy, in the year 1862, had to be
carried to the grave of the late cure. One of his arms hung crippled
at his side; his power of speech was gone, and his breathing so
difficult that he was unable to retain the saliva in his mouth. After
a short time spent in prayer at the grave of the cure he was removed.
The hand formerly crippled was now able to give alms to the poor and
the boy recovered the use of his limbs and walked about. At the
conclusion of the novena he was able to speak without further trouble.
In Feb., 1861, the girl Adelaide, owing to a malignant swelling of the
arm, had been given up as incurable by the doctors in the Lyons
hospital. Then one of her relatives who possessed a piece of linen,
which had belonged to the cure of Ars, laid it upon the affected arm.
In prayer they besought the intercession of the venerable servant of
God to obtain relief for the suffering girl. To the astonishment of
the doctors the swelling was suddenly reduced in a few hours and the
arm was restored to its normal condition.
After the counsel of cardinals had pronounced a favorable opinion in
respect to the miraculous nature of these cures, a papal decree, dated
Feb. 21st, 1904, declared these facts sufficiently established to
justify the beatification of the venerable man.
The Holy Father himself gave unrestrained expression to the joy which
he felt when he was enabled to admit into the ranks of the blessed one
who, according to his own words, had been for many years a shining
example to him.
LITANY AND PRAYER
IN HONOR OF
Blessed John B. Marie Vianney.
CURE OF ARS.
(FOR PRIVATE DEVOTION.)
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.
God the Father of Heaven, have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us.
God the Holy Ghost, have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us.
Holy Mary, pray for us.
Blessed John Marie, pray for us.
B. J. M., endowed with grace from thine infancy, pray for us.
B. J. M., model of filial piety, pray for us.
B. J. M., devoted servant of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for
us.
B. J. M., spotless lily of purity, pray for us.
B. J. M., faithful imitator of the sufferings of Christ, pray for us.
B. J. M., abyss of humility, pray for us.
B. J. M., seraphim in prayer, pray for us.
B. J. M., faithful adorer of the Most Blessed Sacrament, pray for us.
B. J. M., ardent lover of holy poverty, pray for us.
B. J. M., tender friend of the poor, pray for us.
B. J. M., penetrated with the fear of God's judgment, pray for us.
B. J. M., fortified by Divine visions, pray for us.
B. J. M., who wast tormented by the evil spirit, pray for us.
B. J. M., perfect model of sacerdotal virtue, pray for us.
B, J. M., firm and prudent pastor, pray for us.
B. J. M., inflamed by zeal, pray for us.
B. J. M., faithful attendant on the sick, pray for us.
B. J. M., indefatigable catechist, pray for us.
B. J. M., who didst preach in words of fire, pray for us.
B. J. M., wise director of souls, pray for us.
B. J. M., specially gifted with the spirit of counsel, pray for us.
B. J. M., enlightened by light from Heaven, pray for us.
B. J. M., formidable to Satan, pray for us.
B. J. M., compassionate with every misery, pray for us.
B. J. M., providence of the orphans, pray for us.
B. J. M., favored with the gift of miracles, pray for us.
B. J. M., who didst reconcile so many sinners with God, pray for us.
B. J. M., who didst confirm so many of the just in the way of virtue,
pray for us.
B. J. M., who didst taste the sweetness of death, pray for us.
B. J. M., who dost now rejoice in the glory of Heaven, pray for us.
B. J. M., helpful to all those who invoke thee, pray for us.
B. J. M., patron of the clergy, pray for us.
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, Spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, Hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, Have mercy on us,
O Lord.
Christ, hear us. Christ, graciously hear us.
_V._ Pray for us, Blessed John Marie,
_R._ That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
LET US PRAY.
Almighty and merciful God, who didst make the Blessed John Marie
admirable in his pastoral zeal and in his constant love of penance,
grant us the grace, we implore Thee, to win for Christ, by his example
and intercession, the souls of our brethren, and to attain with them
everlasting glory.--O, Bl. John Marie, incomparable laborer in the
field confided to thee, obtain for the Church the realization of
Jesus' desire. The harvest is abundant, but the laborers are few. Pray
to the Master of the harvest to send faithful laborers into His
vineyard. O, Bl. John Marie! Intercede for the clergy. May thy
patronage, and thy prayer multiply the real vocations to the
priesthood. May the Holy Ghost grant thee emulators; may He give us
Saints! Through Christ, our Lord. Amen.
NOVENA
IN HONOR OF
BLESSED JOHN BAPTIST VIANNEY.
FIRST DAY.--FAITH.
On this first day of the novena we shall consider the faith of this
holy man. A lively faith is necessary in order to please God. We
believe every word which God has spoken by His Holy Church. We must
practise this faith also in works. Faith without works is dead.
Without works it would be only an empty assertion that we believe. In
a firm unflinching faith Blessed Vianney lived and died and became a
saint.
PRAYER FOR FAITH.
Pour into my soul, O God, through the intercession of the Blessed
Vianney, pastor of Ars, a deep lively heartfelt faith! That faith will
be my salvation, as it was the salvation of all the saints who are now
in Heaven. Amen.
[Then is said the Litany to the Blessed Vianney and the prayer. In
these days of frequent Communion, it were well if Holy Communion could
be received at the beginning of the novena and also at the end. Better
still, if it could be received every day during the novena.]
SECOND DAY.--CHRISTIAN HOPE.
Consider the blessings of Christian hope. It is a trust in God, in His
Providence, a lively, filial, trustful submission to the will of God,
knowing that God will ordain things to His greater glory and to our
spiritual benefit. What consolation is found in a Christian hope! How
sweet it is! We cannot be disappointed if we trust in God, Who cannot
deceive. Hope is our spiritual life and the principle of our active
perseverance in it. How dreary is the world without hope! How glorious
life becomes with hope! God puts hope into our hearts.
PRAYER FOR HOPE.
Give me, O Lord, that hope which raised the spirit of Blessed Vianney,
that hope which gave him patience in long suffering. He did all with
the hope that Thy glory would be enhanced. Infuse into my heart the
desire to do good work for Thy sake.
[Here say the litany and prayer to the Blessed Vianney.]
THIRD DAY.--THE LOVE OF GOD.
On the third day we shall consider the love of God. We must love God
above all things, live in love, continue in love unto the end. Love
the Son of God, Jesus Christ, love the Church, the Spouse of our Lord.
The love of God will bring us to Heaven. God will give us everything
if we love Him. It is so reasonable to love God; in fact, man is a
fool if he does not love God. It is our religion, our happiness and
our supreme blessing. It is our very Heaven, here upon earth. The
happiness of Heaven, commenced in this world even imperfectly, will be
continued for all eternity, if we persevere to the end.
PRAYER FOR THE LOVE OF GOD.
O my God, I love Thee with my whole heart, and above all things
because Thou, O God, art the Sovereign Good and for Thine own infinite
perfections art most worthy of all love.
[Litany and prayer to the Blessed Vianney.]
FOURTH DAY.--THE LOVE OF OUR NEIGHBOR.
This day will be given to the consideration of the love which we
should have for our neighbor. Let us impress the love of our neighbor
deeply on our mind. It is so very important. It is second only to the
love of God. You cannot do anything pleasing to God unless you do it
out of a motive for the love of God or for our neighbor. Those have
been the greatest human beings who loved God above all things and
their neighbor as themselves.
PRAYER TO OBTAIN THE LOVE OF OUR NEIGHBOR.
My dear Jesus, lover of all mankind, teach me to love my neighbor as
Thou didst love even Thine enemies. Blessed Vianney was Thy faithful
follower in the practice of this virtue. He loved the souls of men.
Let me also imbibe, from a devotion to him, the same love for souls.
[Litany and prayers to Blessed Vianney.]
FIFTH DAY.--HUMILITY.
The great virtue of our blessed saint was humility. Let us try to
imitate and understand this virtue. We will find some good souls who
never think much of themselves. They want to be always in the
background. They do not want to be considered at all. Nevertheless
they are always doing good. These are precious in the sight of God.
PRAYER FOR HUMILITY.
O sweet and humble Jesus, give me also the precious virtue of
humility, which Thou didst give so abundantly to Thy servant Vianney,
so that I also may be pleasing in Thy sight and pleasing before man.
No virtue is so attractive as humility. Thou, O Lord, exaltest the
humble. To be great in Thy sight and approved by Thee is the object of
my desire.
[Litany and prayers to Blessed Vianney.]
SIXTH DAY.--LOVE OF POVERTY.
Love of poverty is an active sincere love. The lack of possessions,
the desire not to have any, giving to the poor what we have, or what
we do not need, is poverty. Practice self-denial. Save to give to the
poor, to build hospitals, orphan asylums, churches. Have Masses said
for the poor suffering souls in Purgatory.
PRAYER FOR POVERTY.
Thou hast said, O Lord, "Blessed is he who understands the poor." Let
me have that knowledge. It is the practical way to show my love for my
neighbor in distress. Let me also, like Thyself, be a good Samaritan,
doing good and relieving want. Not only should I be poor in spirit,
but I must also love to be poor in fact, for the poor are the brethren
of Christ.
[Litany and prayers to Blessed Vianney.]
SEVENTH DAY.--MORTIFICATION.
This day shall be devoted to the virtue of mortification. Put away the
comforts of eating and drinking, the extravagance of living, personal
luxuries. Live simply and like a poor man. Be simple in dress, but be
well dressed. Be abstemious at your table. Especially guard against
over indulgence in drink. Abstemiousness in drink is a very
commendable virtue. Deny yourself many things that are unnecessary. Do
not yield to all the promptings of the appetite. Be temperate.
PRAYER TO OBTAIN THE GRACE OF MORTIFICATION.
Thou hast commanded the mortification of the flesh from the beginning,
O Lord. From the beginning, the desires of the flesh have been the
bane of a good life. When shall Thy grace, O Lord, inspire me with
some degree of that firmness and faithful adherence to Thee. Suffer
not my heart to be overcome by that inconstancy which is so natural to
it, nor allow my life to be a perpetual succession of evil practices
and infidelities. Grant that my heart may be all Thine, at all times
and forever. And that by mortification I may merit eternal happiness.
[Litany and prayers to Blessed Vianney.]
EIGHTH DAY.--PRAYER.
We must pray all the time. Every act must be a prayer. The spirit of
prayer must be in our whole Christian life. We must pray if we want to
do anything great in the spiritual life. A life without prayer is a
most barren period of time. Prayer is the intimate converse with God.
Our Saint was always intimately united to God in prayer. Blessed
Vianney never ceased praying.
PRAYER FOR A TRUE SPIRIT OF DEVOTION.
How sweet, O Lord, to breathe only Thy love and to say to Thee with my
whole heart: My God and my all! Grant that words may enter into my
soul! do then, impress them upon my mind and my heart so that I may
understand and practice them. Let me be devoted to prayer. Make it a
delight to converse with Thee. Let me pray for everything I need and
before every undertaking, so that with prayer every work may begin and
with prayer be happily ended. Thou art my Saviour. May I possess Thee
in prayer here on earth and mayest Thou be my portion for all eternity
in Heaven.
[Litany and prayers to Blessed Vianney.]
NINTH DAY.--DEVOTION TO MARY.
On the last day of the novena we must try to learn and begin to
cultivate a devotion, which appeals to the heart of every Catholic,
that is, the devotion to the Mother of God. What is a Catholic life
without love to Mary! How dark and dreary is a life without the
spiritual consolation of the Communion of the Saints! In short, have a
great devotion to Mary. Pray to her with confidence like one that has
a right to be heard and a right to address her. Love Mary with the
sincerest affection. Let not a day pass without having said a prayer
to her. Say your beads every day. Wear the scapular in her honor. Go
to Confession and Holy Communion on her feast days. Perform many
little acts of religion from the motive of love to the Blessed Virgin.
PRAYER TO MARY.
My dear Saviour, Jesus Christ, Son of the Virgin Mary, grant me the
grace to love Thy mother. This grace is such a distinction, a grace of
salvation, which I must have by all means. Hail holy queen, Mother of
Mercy, our life, our sweetness and our hope. To thee do we cry, poor
banished children of Eve. To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning
and weeping in this valley of tears. Turn thou, most gracious
advocate, thine eyes of mercy towards us, and after our exile show
unto us the fruit of thy blessed womb, O most loving, most pious and
sweet virgin Mary. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God, that we may be
worthy of the promises of Christ.
[Litany and prayers to Blessed Vianney.]
PRAYER TO BLESSED VIANNEY.
I thank Thee, my God, for the grace of this novena to Thy blessed
servant, Vianney. I beg of Thee, first, that I may learn the singular
virtues of this blessed man--his piety, mortification, poverty, love
of God and our neighbor. Let me become, in this way, a useful member
of the human family. I have, O Lord, prayed to Thy blessed servant
Vianney, that he may pray for me and my intention. (Here mention the
intention.)
Many graces have been known to have been granted to those who have
prayed with this spirit. Even miracles have been wrought by Thee, O
God, in approval of this devotion. Encouraged by the merits of the
life of the Blessed Vianney, I beg Thee, O Lord, to obtain for me the
grace and favor of this novena, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
_Conclusion of the Novena._