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

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

A Brave New World : The Vincentians in Pioneer America

This article discusses the Vincentian mission in the United States from 1816 to the Civil War. The Vincentians came to America at the behest of the first bishop of Louisiana for the purpose of founding a seminary and giving local or parish missions. The history of Saint Mary’s Seminary is recounted. Until 1843, it was the Vincentians’ only canonical house in the United States and served many functions. After the mission became a province in 1835, the Vincentians were offered the direction of almost all the American diocesan seminaries, although this did not last. The Vincentians tried to give missions, but this was frequently impossible due to their workload in other apostolates and the geography they had to cover. They served in many parishes, particularly in Illinois and Texas and often categorized this as mission work. Obstacles that the missionaries faced are described, as are the adaptations they made to their apostolates to serve the American church

Pictures from the Past: Saint Vincent’s College, Los Angeles

The history of Saint Vincent’s College is recounted with a special focus on its problems with local bishops and the reasons leading to its closure. Eighteen images are included

Pierre Coste and Catherine Laboure: The Conflict of Historical Criticism and Popular Devotion

Pierre Coste’s analysis of Catherine Laboure and her visions serves as a case study in “the tension that can exist between the demands of a dispassionate historical criticism and those of popular devotion.” He did not believe in the visions and tried to prevent Catherine’s beatification. Publication of his research would not have been permitted, so he held one view publicly and another privately. Stafford Poole’s study uses two versions of Coste’s treatise, giving the publications and testimonies of the visions in chronological order and following each with Coste’s criticism. Among other things, he was troubled by the fact that Catherine refused to testify during the canonical inquiry of 1836 and that her own later reports of her visions had inconsistencies. Furthermore, she made no reference to prophecies accompanying the visions until after the supposedly predicted events had occurred. Coste thought that the cures attributed to the Miraculous Medal lacked causal relationships, were due to psychological factors, or were exaggerated. Finally, the Double Family had held that Catherine’s identity was a secret until her death and that she was beatified for her virtue. Coste showed that both assertions were false. This extremely detailed study gives a chronology at the end

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