Part 6 (2/2)

CHAPTER XI

DEATH OF FRANCESCA'S FRIEND AND DIRECTOR, DON ANTONIO--TROUBLES IN ROME AND ITALY FORETOLD BY FRANCESCA--DEATH OF VANNOZZA, FRANCESCA'S SISTER IN LAW--FOUNDATION OF THE CONGREGATION OF OBLATES OF TOR DI SPECCHI

THE extraordinary graces which had attended our Saint during her pilgri her in Rouide, Don Antonio Savello, had died during her absence Though she accepted this dispensation of God's providence with her habitual resignation, it cut her to the heart She had deeply loved and reverenced her spiritual father; he had instructed her in childhood; directed her ever since isdoreater to her than that of any other friend It occurred, too, at the very moment when she was about to carry out the Divine intiation, when difficulties were every where staring her in the face, and the want of a powerful and willing auxiliary e, but prayed fervently that God would inspire her choice of a director; andthis favour No doubt the selection she made was the result of these prayers; and one of the proofs that God's ways are not as our ways, nor His thoughts as our thoughts Her choice fell on Don Giovanni Mattiotti, the curate of Santa Maria in Trastevere, to whom she had already sometimes been to confession He was a uished piety, but of an irresolute and vaccillating disposition, easily disheartened; nor would he at first sight have appeared qualified for the direction of a person as far advanced in perfection as Francesca, on whons, and hom He chose to deal in such wonderful ways But the trials which Francesca had to endure from the irresolution of Don Giovanni; the patience hich she sub coht to recognise her sanctity, and to assist in carrying out her designs, tended in the end to the glory of God, and the praise of the Saint, whose very hus, and often of painful doubts Crosses of various kinds arose in connection with the undertaking Some of the monks of Santa Maria Nuova, for instance, took occasion, on the visits of a father inspector, to co the statutes, and going beyond his powers, in ades of their order; especially considering that several of these wo in the world But the visitor was a man of piety and prudence He closely examined into the question, and satisfied himself that the institution tended to edification, and was pleasing to God; and he sanctioned it accordingly, as far as was in his power, and proeneral

In the month of July of 1430 Francesca had a remarkable vision, which indicated to her the events that were speedily to follow, and which she prophesied with an accuracy, that, in the end, occasioned general astonish several hours in prayer, she saw a lurid light, through which a nu their torches, and rejoicing with dreadful glee over the i calaht the Lord to spare her unhappy country Then falling into ecstasy, she beheld the Infant Jesus in His Mother's arels, and St Peter, St Paul, and St John the Baptist in the attitude of prayer, pleading for mercy to the Eternal City, which they seemed to protect by their fervent supplications At the same time she heard a voice that said, ”The prayers of the saints have stayed the aruilty city if she repent not, for great afflictions are at hand” So fell simultaneously on the churches of St Peter, St Paul, and on the shrine of St John Baptist in the Lateran Basilica Francesca shuddered when she heard of it; she felt at once that the day of grace had gone by; and in thrilling words described to her confessor, and to several other persons that were present, the misfortunes that were about to fall upon Ro delayed, though nothing at the tiht The unwearied exertions of Martin V had succeeded in healing the wounds of Christendom In Rome he had repressed anarchy, recalled the exiled citizens to their hoovernment, to the administration of justice, to politics, to literature, to science, and to art He had worked hard to proy, and effected in many places the re-establishates whoree of union between the Christian princes, and preached a crusade against the Turks and the followers of John Huss

He had called together a council, which was first convened at Pavia, and afterwards removed, first to Sienna, and then to Basle But before he could him self join the asseable labours for the welfare of Christendoe, in the month of February of the year 1431

Gabriel Candalucero succeeded hienius IV The first Consistory which he held was marked by a fearful accident, which people chose to consider as an evil oave way, and in the midst of the confusion that ensued a bishop was killed, and rievously wounded A discontented monk put about the report that Martin V had died in possession of a considerable treasure; and the Colonnas, catching eagerly at this pretext, took up are Once ainst each other, and blood flowed in the streets of Rome The Colonnas were constrained to fly; and theconspired to deliver up the Castle of St Angelo to the rebels, and to get the Pope assassinated, was condemned to death and executed A teenius IV and the too powerful fahty and violent teht about a rupture They advanced upon Roement took place under the walls of the city, in which the pontifical troops had the upper hand, but many of the nobles perished in the affray

Conflicts of a stillnature now arose between the Pope and the Council of Basle Duke Philip of Milan availed himself of this opportunity to retrieve the sacrifices he had n with the Venetians He forged a decree which, purported to proceed froeneral of the Church in Italy; and armed with this assumed title, he despatched to the Roman States Francesca Sforza and Nicholas Fortebraccio, two famous adventurers in his pay The latter advanced upon Rohbourhood The Pope, wholly unprepared for defence, warded off the danger by sowing dissension between the two generals, which he effected by giving up to Sforza, for his lifetime, the possession of Ancona, and of the provinces which he had conquered in the states of the Church Sforza, in consequence, took part with Eugenius, and defeated Fortebraccio at Tivoli; but in the eneral insurrection broke out in Roe to the church of the Holy Apostles, where he had taken shelter, and frouised as a e first at Pisa and then at Bologna Roiven up for five months to all the horrors of anarchy, the pontifical palace pillaged, and new istrates chosen in lieu of those appointed by the Pope; the garrison of the castle of St Angelo alone ren Pontiff Weary at last of so much disorder, the city of its own accord subate, who in so peace; but he hi a council, ith to oppose the irregular decrees of that assembled at Basle

These events, which spread over several years, are related in confirifts of Francesca, who accurately foresaw and foretold theed their occurrence At the tiinning of sorroas at hand, she was doomed to experience another of the heavy afflictions that life had yet in store for her Vannozza, her cherished companion, her sister, her counsellor, her bosom friend, was summoned to receive her heavenly crown; and she herself to add to all her virtues a more perfect detachment from all earthly ties They had been united by every link that affection, sy, tastes, and opinions can create between two hearts devoted to God, and through Him to each other Their union had not been obscured by the sether they had prayed, suffered, and laboured; and in trials and joys alike they had been inseparable Francesca had been warned in a vision of the approaching end of her sister-in-law; and at length, strong in faith, she stands by her dying-bed; and when the Evil One, baffled in life,soul, she prays for the beloved of her heart, sprinkles holy water on that much-loved form, reads aloud the history of the Passion of our Lord; and Vannozza, supported by those sacraraces which Satan cannot withstand, followed ale of life by that watchful tenderness which had been her joy on earth, sees the evil spirit retire before the el, and breathes her last in perfect peace The soul which had served and loved God so fervently upon earth was carried up to heaven in a form visible to the eyes of her friend; a pure flaht transparent cloud, was the syht into its kindred skies

The mortal remains of Vannozza were laid in the church of the Ara Coeli, in the chapel of Santa Croce The Roman people resorted there in crowds to behold once more their loved benefactress,--the mother of the poor, the consoler of the afflicted All strove to carry away so good; and during the three days which preceded the interment, the concourse did not abate On the day of the funeral, Francesca knelt on one side of the coffin, and, in sight of all the crowd, she was rapt in ecstasy They saw her body lifted froround, and a seraphic expression in her uplifted face

They heard her murmur several times with an indescribable emphasis the word, ”When? when?” (_Quando? quando?_) When all was over, she still remained is of prayer, and followed Vannozza's spirit into the realms of bliss At last her confessor ordered her to rise, and to go and attend on the sick

She instantly complied, and walked away to the hospital which she had founded, apparently unconscious of every thing about her, and only roused from her trance by the habit of obedience which, in or out of ecstasy, never forsook her

FrorewShe see those hours of els, and with the Lord of angels and of saints, to obtain supernatural lights which guided her in the foundation of her new congregation The Blessed Virgin revealed to her that St Paul, St

Benedict, and St Mary Magdalene were to be its protectors; and that Don Giovanni Mattiotti, her director, Fra Bartolommeo Biondii, of the order of St Francis, and Don Ippolito, of the Olivetan Obedience, were to co-operate with her in its establishe was sent to confir the work, and to warn hiement from the hts which it was given her to see in those long ecstasies, during which her soul seemed to absent itself from her all-but spiritualised body Sometimes a speechless contemplation held all her faculties in abeyance; at others, in burning words, she described what passed before her ht At times her motionless attitude almost wore the semblance of death; while often she moved about and performed various actions in connection with the subjects of her visions In the churches which she frequented,--in Santa Croce in Gerusaleels in Santa Cecilia, in her own oratory,--she is favoured with the presence of celestial visitants The various ecclesiastical feasts of the year bring with theous revelations; she spends her time in the cave of Bethlehem and the house of Nazareth, on the ured, where He agonised, and where He died She adores with the shepherds and the wise men; she listens to His voice with the disciples and the devout multitude; she suffers with the Mother of sorrows, and weeps with the Magdalene at the foot of the Cross The beauties of the New Jerusaleht flowers, the precious stones, which typify the glories of the world to come, are spread before her in those mystic trances Deeper and more mysterious revelations are vouchsafed, wonderful secrets disclosed to her under expressive syions where he was ravished in spirit while still, like her, an inhabitant of earth One day that she was in ecstasy a voice of more than common sweetness addressed to her these words--”Thy path is streith thorns, Francesca, and many an obstacle will stand in thy way, ere thy little flock can be gathered together in our abode But remember that hail does not always follow upon thunder, and that the brightest sunshi+ne often breaks through the darkest clouds”

Encouraged by this intian in earnest to consider of thea short absence which her husband made fro ht repast, she asse effect: ”My dear coether in order to ihts which I have received froation For seven years we have been especially consecrated to her service, and have bound ourselves to live in chastity and obedience, and to observe the rules prescribed to us; and I have long thought that as we have been united in spirit and in intention, so ought we to be in our outward ht only be the result of my maternal affection for you, and of my solicitude for your advancement But the Lord has at last revealed to me that it is His will that I should found a new spiritual edifice in this city, the ancient stronghold of religion and of faith It will form an asylum for those persons of your sex and of your rank who have conceived the generous resolution of forsaking the world and its allureed of the Lord to select for His purpose one less unworthy than er withstand the manifestation of His will I a; but without you, my sisters what can I do? You are the foundations of the building, the first stones of the new spiritual house of His mother You are the seed fro Earthly cares, the teer take up your time He summons you to a retreat, where you will live in His presence, imitate His example, and copy the virtues of Mary, where you will pray for Rouilty city Have you not heard hoo years ago the thunderbolts fell on her sacred towers? Do you not see how every day freshon the devoted heads of her people? But God is full of mercy; when most incensed at our sins, He casts about for souls that will appease His anger He has turned His eyes upon us

He bids us unite, and stand in the breach between Hi sinners who each day defy Hier? why further delay?

The arin are wide open to receive us Shall we draw back from her embrace?--No, rather let us fly to her feet”

As she pronounced these last words Francesca fell into an ecstasy, which lasted for so which she pleaded with God for those ere to belong to the new institute Her coazed upon her with silent veneration; and when she came to herself, all with one accord, and with tears of joy, professed theht require of them, and to adopt the est But their assent was only a preli It was necessary to find a house suitable to their purpose, to obtain the consent of the still existing parents of some of the Oblates, to fix in a definitive manner their rule and constitutions, and finally to procure the sanction of the Holy Father, and his approval of the new order Francesca attended in turn to each of these objects To the first place she consulted her three coadjutors on the choice of a house; and difficulties without number arose on this point The priests were alar would produce, and were quite at a loss to find iven away almost all that she possessed What little remained was devoted to works of charity which could not be abandoned, and all agreed that she was on no account to have recourse on this occasion to her husband or to her son While they were deliberating, Francesca was favoured with a vision, in which the divine assistance was promised to the Oblates, and their protectors (Don Giovanni in particular) exhorted to perseverance Encouraged by these assurances, they looked out for a house adapted to the requireious community; and after many researches Don Ippolito proposed to Don Giovanni a building in the Campitelli district, on the spot where the old tower, known by the name of ”Tor di Specchi,”

used to stand, directly opposite to the Capitol, and not far from the Santa Maria Nuova Various obstacles arose to the purchase of this house, which was neither as large nor as convenient as ht have been wished; but they were finally overcome, and the acquisition completed towards the end of the year 1432 This house, which was at first considered only as a temporary residence, was subsequently added to, and has remained to this day the central house of the order; and in the pontifical bull the congregation is designed by the naed, Francesca succeeded in dissipating the objections raised by the parents of soer Oblates, and to reconcile thehters' mode of life It was doubtless a trial to her that while she was re all the difficulties in the way of the more perfect life which her companions were about to lead, she herself could only, like Moses, look on the promised land of spiritual seclusion which they, her disciples and her children, were entering on, and after which she had yearned from the days of her childhood But she never hesitated as to her line of duty; it was clear before her Lorenzo had released her fro in his house and watching over his old age His infir, and her attentions indispensable to his comfort No one could supply to him Francesca's care She offered up to God the daily self-denial of her existence; and by fresh tokens of His favour He rewarded her obedience

Her next anxiety was the forovern the infant congregation; and in frequent conferences with her pious coadjutors the subject was discussed Afterwhich they could arrive at no conclusion, it was agreed that the matter should be laid before God in prayer; and their hope was not deceived In a series of visions,--in which St Paul in the first instance, and on other occasions the blessed Virgin and St

John the Evangelist, appeared to Francesca,--directions were given her so ahters were to follow, that there remained no room for hesitation The several fasts which they were to observe; the length of time which they were to devote to prayer, to work, and to sleep; the manner in which their actions were to be performed; the vocal prayers they were to recite; the solitude, the silence they were to keep; the poverty, the cooods which they were to practise; their dress, their occupations, their separation from the world, their detachment from all earthly ties of interest and kindred which they were at all times to be inspired with; the precautions to be taken in procuring the consent of parents, and securing the free action of the Oblates who reatest precision; and instructions were transhten theation The miraculous manner in which the Saint had often read their hts, the miracles they saw her perform, and the admirable tenour of her life, in which the most active virtues were combined with the deepest humility, and supernatural favours received with the most profound self-abaseenuineness of her revelations, the substance of which, condensed and reduced into a series of rules, are to this day observed by the Oblates of Tor di Specchi

CHAPTER XII

PROGRESS AND TRIALS OF THE YOUNG COMMUNITY--IT IS CONFIRMED BY THE POPE--TROUBLES IN ROME AND THE CHURCH TERMINATED THROUGH FRANCESCA'S INTERCESSION AND THE COUNCIL OF FLORENCE

It was on the 25th of March, the Feast of the Annunciation, in the year 1433, that the Oblates, ten in number, met in the church of Santa Maria in Trastevere, where their holy foundress had so long been in the habit of resorting They all heard Mass, and went to communion with the utmost fervour, and then in procession proceeded to the house they were henceforward to inhabit That house, which now-a-days is thrown open during the Octave of the Feast of San Francesca, where young women come with their little children, and point out to them the room which they inhabited in their own childhood, when under the gentle care of the Oblates of Mary It is no gloomy abode, the Convent of Tor di Specchi even in the eyes of those who cannot understand the happiness of a nun

It is such a place which one loves to see children in; where religion is co that pleases the eye and recreates the nificent orange-trees; the open galleries, with their fanciful decorations and scenic recesses, where a holy picture or figure takes you by surprise, and ious prints and ornaenious toys, testify that innocent enjoyed and sli that speaks of Rome and its thousand charms On Holy Thursday no sepulchre is more beautiful than that of Tor di Specchi

Floithout end, and bright hangings, all sweet and costly things, do ho imprisonment

But on the day when Francesca's co very fair or beautiful to greet theh they earned there, however, in their hearts, froht and love; and to the eyes of faith the scene ed then ordinary dress for that which the rule prescribed: Francesca alone stood aarb, but the truest nun of all, through the inward consecration of her whole being to God Agnese de Sellis, a relation of hers, and a wouished for virtue and prudence was elected superior of the house There was a truly admirable spectacle presented to the people of Rome; these women were all of noble birth, and accustomed to all the comforts and conveniences of life Most of the; and for the love of God they had given op every thing, and made over their possessions to their relations; for it was not to lead a life of ease, of religious quietude, of holy contemplation alone, that they had separated themselves from the world It was to imitate the poverty of Christ, to place in the common stock, as the first Christians did, the little they had reserved, and to endure all the privations incident on poverty Their exact and spontaneous obedience to the gentle Agnese was as remarkable as the sweetness and humility hich she ruled Seldom seen abroad, their hours were divided between prayer, , and works of mercy (Footnote: The rule which they then adopted remains the same to this day The Oblates of Tor di Speechi are not, strictly speaking, nuns: they take no vows, and are bound by no obligations under pain of sin; they are not cloistered, and their dress is that which orn at the period of their established to be absent from them in body, was ever present with them in spirit She was the tenderest athered under her sheltering wing:the the the weak, and confir