Notable Vincentians (7): Luigi Montuori

Luigi Montuori was one of the early Vincentian missionaries in Ethiopia. Although Montuori was impulsive and not very successful in his ministry, he “faced hardships and perils with the zeal and courage that marked him as a great missionary.” He was an associate of Justin de Jacobis

An Active and Energetic Bishop : The Appointment of Joseph Glass, C.M., as Bishop of Salt Lake City

Vincentian Joseph Glass was the bishop of Salt Lake City, Utah, from 1915 to 1926. He was appointed because he was considered “vigorous and competent,” and the diocese desperately needed that kind of leadership. His appointment was also due to the influence of Bishop Thomas Conaty of Los Angeles and the fact that Archbishop Patrick Riordan of San Francisco died “at a crucial point in the search” for a bishop for Salt Lake. Controversy during Glass’s career prior to his elevation, the problems of the diocese of Salt Lake, and the troubles surrounding other proposed successors to the bishopric are discussed at length. Events of Glass’s administration are summarized and an assessment of his effectiveness as bishop is included

Saint Lazare as a Prison

When the Congregation received Saint-Lazare in 1632, it was a house of correction. It held people who were mentally ill and “incorrigibles,” badly behaved young men sent there for reform by their families. It continued to serve this function under the Congregation, with additional other categories of prisoners. Vincent de Paul called them his “boarders,” believed receiving them was a holy work, and insisted that they be treated fairly. In the eighteenth century, Saint-Lazare held Huguenots to be converted, but incorrigibles constituted the majority of the inmates. They were to be reformed by brutal punishment and spiritual retreat. During the Revolution, thousands of prisoners were there. It was a women’s prison from 1850 until its demolition at the start of the twentieth century. Profiles some of Saint-Lazare’s most famous prisoners are included

The Formative Years of a Saint: Vincent de Paul: 1595–1617

This investigation of Vincent de Paul’s formative years reveals his humanity and shows his sanctity was achieved slowly, not as the result of dramatic events as tradition holds. The first part of this work covers the period between his schooling in Dax and his 1605 disappearance. The second explores the Tunisian captivity. The third consists of the time between his arrival in Paris and the mission at Folleville. The main assertions follow. Vincent probably was ordained earlier than the prescribed age of twenty-four. Such irregular ordinations were common at the time. Contrary to tradition, he did contest the possession of the parish of Tilh. The Tunisian captivity probably never occurred. The letters Vincent wrote describing it are genuine, but have many inconsistencies. Moreover, he never spoke about this time. He was distressed when the letters were rediscovered and attempted to get them back and have them destroyed. The embellishments, inaccuracies, and controversy surrounding this tradition are explained in detail. Finally, modern scholarship holds that Vincent had a gradual conversion. The stories about the false accusation of theft and the temptation against faith are untrue. The rebuttal to the first is given at length, while the one for the second is a summary

Brother Bertrand Ducournau

Brother Bertrand Durcournau is responsible for much of what we know about Vincent de Paul. He became Vincent’s secretary in 1645 and preserved as much as he could of what Vincent wrote and said. Durcournau urged the transcription of Vincent’s conferences and copied the transcripts. He saw to it that Vincent’s letters about his Tunisian captivity were preserved and copied. He gathered details about Vincent’s early priesthood and assisted Louis Abelly in writing Vincent’s biography

Pictures from the Past: The First University of Dallas

The history of the first University of Dallas, and particularly its financial and administrative problems, is recounted. It almost led to the ruin of the Western Province. Twenty images accompany the text

Notable Vincentians (8): Aloysius Meyer, C.M.

Aloysius Meyer was “one of the most respected and influential Vincentians in the United States in the nineteenth century.” He served in almost all of the Congregation’s traditional works. He was also president of what is now St. John’s University in New York and Saint Vincent’s College in Los Angeles. At St. John’s, he reduced the university’s debt and raised enrollment, and he raised standards at Saint Vincent’s. Meyer was offered the bishopric of Galveston, Texas, which he declined

Notable Vincentians (5): John Delcros

John Mary Delcros was one of the Vincentians working in the United States in the mid-nineteenth century. He spent most of his time in Louisiana, where he was an eloquent preacher, unafraid of speaking on controversial subjects. He was a spiritual director for Daughters of Charity and laypersons. He also successfully directed fundraising for the parish and seminary at Saint Stephen’s in New Orleans. He died as a result of a boiler explosion on the riverboat Pennsylvania, a tragedy that Mark Twain wrote about in Life on the Mississippi

The Legend of Jane Renfro

There is a story that a slave of Saint Vincent’s College in Missouri, Jane Renfro, was to be “sold down the river.” She was supposedly freed by a papal decree that no Catholic institution could sell slaves. There was no such papal decision. Starting in 1840, Saint Vincent’s sold all its slaves locally to comply with provincial John Timon’s policy of phasing out slavery. Renfro was probably sold to or placed with a nearby family named Burns

The Eventful Life of Vincente de Paul Andrade

Vincente de Paul Andrade played a major role in the controversy over the historical authenticity of the apparitions of Guadalupe. His family was responsible for bringing the Vincentians and the Daughters of Charity to Mexico. The work and problems of the Mexican province are described. Andrade was a member of the Congregation for seventeen years, but during much of that time he lived apart from the community in his own house. His conflicted career is recounted. Joaquin Garcia Icazbalceta, one of Mexico’s greatest historians, wrote a confidential “summary of the principle difficulties in the apparition tradition.” Andrade essentially stole a copy of it, translated it into Latin, and sent it to all the members of the Congregation of Rites, as well as other influential officials in Rome. He also published the Montufar-Bustamente interrogatory of 1556. All of this was to prevent a coronation of the image and the approval of a new office and mass for the feast. Even after the coronation, Andrade continued to publish antiguadalupan writings