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Letter 27 - To Louis Hoffer
Seminary of the Foreign Missions - 12 November 1846
My very dear Louis,
Now it is your turn; it is time for me to fulfill my promise. I will not speak to you about my arrival where God [...] first voyage, I don’t have much to complain about. I will only sketch for you in a few lines our schedule so that you, my very dear one, or another who would wish to come and join me, he will know what to expect. [...] We rise at 5:30 for prayer until 6:15, then the Holy Sacrifice, after that, study in one’s room until breakfast which takes place at eight o’clock. From 8:30 until 9:30, study in one’s room; at 9:30 [...] until 10:30. This holds for everyone; some, the less advanced attend an ethics class; the others, lectures on various subjects. From 10:30 until 11:45 [...], followed by private examination of conscience; at noon, dinner then recreation until 2 o’clock, then study until 6 o’clock for the more advanced; the othersgo to dogma class from 3 o’clock until [...], then they have study-hall until 7 o’clock; the [...] go to office at 6:15; at 7 o’clock, spiritual reading and prayer until 7:30, then supper, recreation until 8:45; then the rosary is said while walking. At 9 o’clock, prayer, then one can stay up until 10 o’clock. On Wednesdays after breakfast, we leave for a walk and go for dinner in thecountry town of Meudon, and we return around 6 or 7 o’clock. As to the spirit which reigns here, it is a spirit of love, of charity, of fraternity, and of humility, As soon as a new member arrives everyone is happy for him; we hug him, we offer him whatever he wants; we shower him with all kinds of attention. Oh!To have at least a few of you here, near me. I see many candidates who number 3 or 4 from the same diocese, and me? I am the only one here from mine. Oh, my God! Have you no generous [students - Ed.] among my friends? And would they not come to join [?] me — You have such a great need for workers.
Oh! My dear Louis; yes, there is need for workers, and they are needed everywhere: China, Tibet, and Japan — two new missions request [...], require a longermartyrdom: that of patience. In other locations, it is the same. You have heard that Father Melcher [? - not identified by Editor] came in search of candidates, and no one would respond insofar as [...] who are excellent. The archbishop of [...] is also here awaiting candidates. Everywhere, the harvest is ripe; it is simply a question of choosing. To be sure, there are some pains everywhere, but consolations as well.Oh, yes, my God! You do not abandon those who have given up everything to serve you. God should call you, my very dear Louis, no human consideration should restrain you. God surely knows how to take care of your dear parents. Oh yes!
My very dear and fond friend, there is a price to pay [by me also] to abandon everything; veryoften, I have felt my heart bleed, and it still bleeds. Nonetheless, with that, [...] that onefollows the will of his God who has suffered so much for us soon comes to awaken you [to that realization - Trans.]. Oh, yes! The thought of one’s parents, of friends, is a very powerful and very weighty idea on the very heart of the one who wishes to devote himself totally to God.. But my [...] is made up; now I must leave and if China or India are not meant to see me, at least I hope that I will be allowed to go labor in theungrateful land of America. Everywhere we are well, as long as we work for God, and are released from our parents who are the inimici domestici of whom St. Paul speaks2 . Courage, my very dear Louis. Oh yes! Courage. Pray that God will strengthen you in your vocation [...]; I am sure you have the vocation of missionary. If God calls you to the missions, come, my very dear friend; come very soon. It is time; there aremany here of your age who will become priests with me and who no doubt will leave with me. Once more, don’t allow yourself to be held back by anything, cut all your ties. You asked me to tell you how most of those here were able to leave their parents. Well! Here is the answer: they left without telling them anything. There are three here from the same locale all of whom left on one lovely night from their [...] without anyone being aware of anything. Three from the same locale; that is beautiful. Could not Phalsbourg do as much? I think so; I’m almost sure of it, especially if one were to shake things up somewhat.
Ah! Speak about it a bit, I beg of you, to those who have some interest in themissions, to get them to come. Is their vocation still undecided? Well! It will be strengthened here; what shame is there in returning to one’s family if one does not feel called? I don’t see any. One can for a moment have a vocation, and God can take it away [? -Ed.], sometimes for His greater glory. Work a bit on that, and especially pray a great deal — yes, a great deal — because it is by means of prayer that we arrive at overcoming everything, especiallywith constant prayer. Pray also for your poor friend Schoeffler who does not forget you in his prayers. May God deign to grant them. I don’t yet know when I will be leaving; I don’t think this will take place before a year, because as I have already told you, vocations need to be tested.. In a few weeks, I will send you a small package with relics [of our] martyrs Borie5, Cornay6 and others which I intend for [? - Ed.] my friends and relatives. I already have the relics but I have to set them in [? - Ed.] reliquaries, and then obtain documents of authenticity . Bishop Vérolles has not yet left; he continues to preach 3 h in France, and that, on orders from the Propaganda of Rome4. He must, however, complete his circuit and be back here for the feast of St. Francis Xavier. I am waiting to hear news from you soon, at least in two weeks, at the latest; let me know about the arrival of some missionaries because here [...] to send others more quickly; and they are going [?] to our missions. Please present my respects to M. L. [...], to all those who still think about me. Tell them to pray for me, because I have need ofprayers. [Margin of page 4] Pray for the one who embraces in the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and ofMary. Schoeffler. [Margin of page 1] Give me some news from Phalsbourg: what has taken place after my departure, and since; what is being done at Nancy; what your dear family is doing. I will also send it some holy cards [?] as a remembrance — something I forgot to dobefore my departure. [Margin of page 2] Please offer my greetings when you write to them. Tell me also how you are faring in your new assignment. If you are able to visit the sister of Father Philibert, at La Croix de Lorraine, tell her that I have indeed completed my errand .
1 The original is in the Archives of the University of Notre Dame, in Notre-Dame, Indiana, USA (Pressmark CZBL). This letter is part of a collection of four, enclosed in a silk packet with the embroidered letters: V.A.S. (Venerable Augustine Schoeffler?). The existence of the lot was pointed out by Professor B. Szczesniak of the University of Notre Dame in a letter addressed to the Foreign Missionsof Paris in 1950. Perhaps he has published a transcription? [Since all four letters are contained in this volume, the Editor has apparently forgotten that he has seen and transcribed them. - Trans.] He did err about the author of one letter. The lot includes: (1) an original letter addressed to Louis Hoffer, from Paris,dated 12 November 1846. [This Letter 27] (2) an original letter addressed to Louis Hoffer at Phalsbourg, with no mention of the place of mailing. But is from Paris,dated 8 September 1847, three pages (see Letter 47). (3) a copy of a letter addressed to Louis Hoffer, dated 24 May 1848, 16 pages (see Letter 64, from Hong Kong). (4) an original letter which the Professor dated 1847, andwhich is rather of 26 January 1849. It was sent from the Seminary of the Foreign Missions in Paris to “Dear Lady,” “My dear Angélique.” The author is a seminarian of the M. E., at this date when Augustine is in Tonkin. It couldonly have been written by Father Nicolas Krick, later a martyr. (See Appendix E, page 335 seq. Also Letter 65, footnote 17, p. 201) How did this correspondence get to Notre Dame in Indiana, when Louis Hoffer died at Louisville in Ohio?Addition: - To add to the mystery: After we, the Translators, obtained copies of these documents from the Archives of Notre Dame, we noticed that in fact there were five letters in the collection. The fifth letter, previously unnoticed and unrecognized, was written by Augustine to his friend Louis (Hoffer) from Paris[from internal evidence]; it is undated, but had to have been written before September 1847. See p. 339 , below, for text.
2 Words underlined in the original. This does not appear to be a quote from St. Paul but rather from Matthew 10:16, which repeats Micah 7:6 - “A man’s enemies are those of his household.” This is the harshest expression from Augustine to characterize his difficulties with his family.
3 Official document which guarantees the authenticity of the relics.
4 The Congregation of the Propagation of the Faith (De propaganda fidei), founded in 1599; in 1867, it became the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.Additions by Translators: -
5 Pierre Rose Ursule Dumoulin Borie (1808-1838): martyr; Vicar-Apostolic of Western Tonkin; born Beynat [Dept. 19, Corrèze; Diocese of Tulle]. He sailed for the Chinese missions in 1830, and in 1832 as transferred from Macao to Tonkin, where he was beheaded (24 November). His remains were transferred to Paris in 1843.
Now it is your turn; it is time for me to fulfill my promise. I will not speak to you about my arrival where God [...] first voyage, I don’t have much to complain about. I will only sketch for you in a few lines our schedule so that you, my very dear one, or another who would wish to come and join me, he will know what to expect. [...] We rise at 5:30 for prayer until 6:15, then the Holy Sacrifice, after that, study in one’s room until breakfast which takes place at eight o’clock. From 8:30 until 9:30, study in one’s room; at 9:30 [...] until 10:30. This holds for everyone; some, the less advanced attend an ethics class; the others, lectures on various subjects. From 10:30 until 11:45 [...], followed by private examination of conscience; at noon, dinner then recreation until 2 o’clock, then study until 6 o’clock for the more advanced; the othersgo to dogma class from 3 o’clock until [...], then they have study-hall until 7 o’clock; the [...] go to office at 6:15; at 7 o’clock, spiritual reading and prayer until 7:30, then supper, recreation until 8:45; then the rosary is said while walking. At 9 o’clock, prayer, then one can stay up until 10 o’clock. On Wednesdays after breakfast, we leave for a walk and go for dinner in thecountry town of Meudon, and we return around 6 or 7 o’clock. As to the spirit which reigns here, it is a spirit of love, of charity, of fraternity, and of humility, As soon as a new member arrives everyone is happy for him; we hug him, we offer him whatever he wants; we shower him with all kinds of attention. Oh!To have at least a few of you here, near me. I see many candidates who number 3 or 4 from the same diocese, and me? I am the only one here from mine. Oh, my God! Have you no generous [students - Ed.] among my friends? And would they not come to join [?] me — You have such a great need for workers.
Oh! My dear Louis; yes, there is need for workers, and they are needed everywhere: China, Tibet, and Japan — two new missions request [...], require a longermartyrdom: that of patience. In other locations, it is the same. You have heard that Father Melcher [? - not identified by Editor] came in search of candidates, and no one would respond insofar as [...] who are excellent. The archbishop of [...] is also here awaiting candidates. Everywhere, the harvest is ripe; it is simply a question of choosing. To be sure, there are some pains everywhere, but consolations as well.Oh, yes, my God! You do not abandon those who have given up everything to serve you. God should call you, my very dear Louis, no human consideration should restrain you. God surely knows how to take care of your dear parents. Oh yes!
My very dear and fond friend, there is a price to pay [by me also] to abandon everything; veryoften, I have felt my heart bleed, and it still bleeds. Nonetheless, with that, [...] that onefollows the will of his God who has suffered so much for us soon comes to awaken you [to that realization - Trans.]. Oh, yes! The thought of one’s parents, of friends, is a very powerful and very weighty idea on the very heart of the one who wishes to devote himself totally to God.. But my [...] is made up; now I must leave and if China or India are not meant to see me, at least I hope that I will be allowed to go labor in theungrateful land of America. Everywhere we are well, as long as we work for God, and are released from our parents who are the inimici domestici of whom St. Paul speaks2 . Courage, my very dear Louis. Oh yes! Courage. Pray that God will strengthen you in your vocation [...]; I am sure you have the vocation of missionary. If God calls you to the missions, come, my very dear friend; come very soon. It is time; there aremany here of your age who will become priests with me and who no doubt will leave with me. Once more, don’t allow yourself to be held back by anything, cut all your ties. You asked me to tell you how most of those here were able to leave their parents. Well! Here is the answer: they left without telling them anything. There are three here from the same locale all of whom left on one lovely night from their [...] without anyone being aware of anything. Three from the same locale; that is beautiful. Could not Phalsbourg do as much? I think so; I’m almost sure of it, especially if one were to shake things up somewhat.
Ah! Speak about it a bit, I beg of you, to those who have some interest in themissions, to get them to come. Is their vocation still undecided? Well! It will be strengthened here; what shame is there in returning to one’s family if one does not feel called? I don’t see any. One can for a moment have a vocation, and God can take it away [? -Ed.], sometimes for His greater glory. Work a bit on that, and especially pray a great deal — yes, a great deal — because it is by means of prayer that we arrive at overcoming everything, especiallywith constant prayer. Pray also for your poor friend Schoeffler who does not forget you in his prayers. May God deign to grant them. I don’t yet know when I will be leaving; I don’t think this will take place before a year, because as I have already told you, vocations need to be tested.. In a few weeks, I will send you a small package with relics [of our] martyrs Borie5, Cornay6 and others which I intend for [? - Ed.] my friends and relatives. I already have the relics but I have to set them in [? - Ed.] reliquaries, and then obtain documents of authenticity . Bishop Vérolles has not yet left; he continues to preach 3 h in France, and that, on orders from the Propaganda of Rome4. He must, however, complete his circuit and be back here for the feast of St. Francis Xavier. I am waiting to hear news from you soon, at least in two weeks, at the latest; let me know about the arrival of some missionaries because here [...] to send others more quickly; and they are going [?] to our missions. Please present my respects to M. L. [...], to all those who still think about me. Tell them to pray for me, because I have need ofprayers. [Margin of page 4] Pray for the one who embraces in the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and ofMary. Schoeffler. [Margin of page 1] Give me some news from Phalsbourg: what has taken place after my departure, and since; what is being done at Nancy; what your dear family is doing. I will also send it some holy cards [?] as a remembrance — something I forgot to dobefore my departure. [Margin of page 2] Please offer my greetings when you write to them. Tell me also how you are faring in your new assignment. If you are able to visit the sister of Father Philibert, at La Croix de Lorraine, tell her that I have indeed completed my errand .
[Margin from page 3] ... and that I await her visit to Paris. Tell her also to offer my greetings to the whole family; ask her when she will be arriving; write to me as soon as cyou can, in two weeks at the latest.
1 The original is in the Archives of the University of Notre Dame, in Notre-Dame, Indiana, USA (Pressmark CZBL). This letter is part of a collection of four, enclosed in a silk packet with the embroidered letters: V.A.S. (Venerable Augustine Schoeffler?). The existence of the lot was pointed out by Professor B. Szczesniak of the University of Notre Dame in a letter addressed to the Foreign Missionsof Paris in 1950. Perhaps he has published a transcription? [Since all four letters are contained in this volume, the Editor has apparently forgotten that he has seen and transcribed them. - Trans.] He did err about the author of one letter. The lot includes: (1) an original letter addressed to Louis Hoffer, from Paris,dated 12 November 1846. [This Letter 27] (2) an original letter addressed to Louis Hoffer at Phalsbourg, with no mention of the place of mailing. But is from Paris,dated 8 September 1847, three pages (see Letter 47). (3) a copy of a letter addressed to Louis Hoffer, dated 24 May 1848, 16 pages (see Letter 64, from Hong Kong). (4) an original letter which the Professor dated 1847, andwhich is rather of 26 January 1849. It was sent from the Seminary of the Foreign Missions in Paris to “Dear Lady,” “My dear Angélique.” The author is a seminarian of the M. E., at this date when Augustine is in Tonkin. It couldonly have been written by Father Nicolas Krick, later a martyr. (See Appendix E, page 335 seq. Also Letter 65, footnote 17, p. 201) How did this correspondence get to Notre Dame in Indiana, when Louis Hoffer died at Louisville in Ohio?Addition: - To add to the mystery: After we, the Translators, obtained copies of these documents from the Archives of Notre Dame, we noticed that in fact there were five letters in the collection. The fifth letter, previously unnoticed and unrecognized, was written by Augustine to his friend Louis (Hoffer) from Paris[from internal evidence]; it is undated, but had to have been written before September 1847. See p. 339 , below, for text.
2 Words underlined in the original. This does not appear to be a quote from St. Paul but rather from Matthew 10:16, which repeats Micah 7:6 - “A man’s enemies are those of his household.” This is the harshest expression from Augustine to characterize his difficulties with his family.
3 Official document which guarantees the authenticity of the relics.
4 The Congregation of the Propagation of the Faith (De propaganda fidei), founded in 1599; in 1867, it became the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.Additions by Translators: -
5 Pierre Rose Ursule Dumoulin Borie (1808-1838): martyr; Vicar-Apostolic of Western Tonkin; born Beynat [Dept. 19, Corrèze; Diocese of Tulle]. He sailed for the Chinese missions in 1830, and in 1832 as transferred from Macao to Tonkin, where he was beheaded (24 November). His remains were transferred to Paris in 1843.
6 Jean-Charles Cornay (1809-1837): martyr, originally slated for China; missionary in Tonkin; born in Loudun [Dept. 86, Vienne; diocese of Poitiers]; after his capture, he was confined to a cage, wore a yoke on his shoulders, and was frequently caned mercilessly before being beheaded and his body hacked to pieces.
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