(Read Part I)
The Secret Enlightenment for Catholics in France, Italy, Spain, and the Netherlands during the 16-17th Centuries
Research into the Catholic Counter-Reformation is believed to have begun with The Council of Trent [1545-1567] and ended at the close of the Thirty Years War in 1648. This reformation was different than in England as it was made up of four major elements:
* an ecclesiastical or structural reconfiguration
* resurgence of religious orders
* spiritual movements
* political dimensions
These reforms included the foundation of new seminaries and convents for the proper training of priests and religious sisters in the spiritual life and the theological traditions of the Catholic Church. There was also a reform in religious life by returning orders to their spiritual foundations. An example of this was the Discalced Carmelite movement in Spain under the direction of St. Teresa of Avila. There were also new spiritual movements focusing on the devotional life and developing the interior life and an intimate union with the Blessed Trinity. This teaching focus was for clergy, religious, and lay Catholics at every stage of life and income level. The concept was largely created by the angelic bishop St. Francis de Sales and later took the name of Salesian Spirituality after him.
This enlightenment movement included the Spanish mystics like St. Teresa of Avila, and St. John of The Cross, as well as another group later called The French School of Spirituality which included St. Francis de Sales, St. Jane de Chantal, Madame Barbe Acarie, St. Vincent de Paul, and St. Louis de Montfort among others. There was also a mission within the movements to try to reconvert areas such as Sweden and England that were deeply Catholic in their faith at one time. This effort was covered in Part 1.
The enlightenment movement in France, Spain, Italy, and the Netherlands was unique and different than in England. There were numerous French nobility leading the silent movement in which The Holy Ghost seemed to be touching religious and lay Catholics to spontaneously see the truth. St. Francis de Sales would talk openly about these truths to hundreds of people with a strong desire to be close to God, Our Lord, Mary, and The Holy Trinity. Yet, remember there was little to no way for others to see the big picture as there was no instant media system describing news events in the world at that time. Behind the scenes was Pope Paul III, 1534-1549, who is considered to be the first pope of the Catholic Counter-Reformation as well as initiating The Council of Trent from 1545-1563.
The Council rejected all compromise with the protestants, restating basic tenants of the Roman Catholic Faith. The veneration of The Blessed Virgin Mary was strongly reaffirmed as a spiritually commendable devotion.
In France, Catholic refugees from the North, in The Netherlands, came to relocate in Cologne, France [Cologne is now in Germany since WW II] and Douai, France where they developed a more Tridentine identity.
There is little to no teaching to Catholic children K-12, nor adults on how important the Catholic Counter-Reformation was in restoring help for humanity. Yet, as I see it, it was due to people like St. Francis de Sales. He published books, gave outstanding sermons on the Catholic Faith all over France, especially in the region of Burgundy. Northern France has traditionally been very close to England in sharing royal family lineages, and the people remained Catholic. The people of this region flocked to hear St. Francis de Sales speak to packed churches, reconverting back to the Catholic Faith thousands from Protestantism. He is credited with converting 72,000 people back to the Church. Little did St. Francis know what he was being called to start. St. Jane de Chantal was closely following St. Francis’s sermons and became converted to a deeper faith of Catholicism through him. So much so that she became a co-founder with him of a new order of nuns called The Visitation of Holy Mary in 1611. She began over 80 convents in France, Switzerland, Italy, and Poland in over a 30-year period. This movement of religious orders was unprecedented and would later be termed as a major part of The Catholic Counter-Reformation movement in France.
Simultaneously, Spain and England were also a part, but each was different as mentioned earlier. Such events are slow moving and not easily discernible at the time. It would only be a century or so later that this could easily be glimpsed and fleshed out. It had to be miraculous and sent by God, an enlightenment to save many souls.
St. Francis de Sales, as Bishop of Geneva, Switzerland developed Salesian Spirituality as a practical, everyday method to live the Catholic Faith in the modern world. This was accomplished with learning the teachings of the Bible through understanding the Virtues and Vices that God recognizes as good and evil, the 10 Commandments, prayer, and showing reverence to Our Lord by attending holy Mass as often as one can. Then applying the methods during the day and sharing them with others. St. Jane de Chantal was taught by St. Francis de Sales as her Spiritual Director for 18 years before his sudden illness and death in 1622.
He taught this method of devotion that follows an expression as a way to journey in the spiritual life as we embrace the duties of “our state in life” in response to the universal call to holiness by the term “bloom where you are planted.” It is a spirituality of the heart as relevant today as it was in the time of St. Francis and St. Jane de Chantal. It is an all-embracing down-to-earth spirituality for everyone. The essence of this spirituality can be found in his book, Introduction to the Devout Life for those just beginning. For the more advanced, then his book, Treatise on the Love of God among others are excellent. St. Francis de Sales was canonized a saint in 1665, declared a Doctor of the Church in 1877. His body was incorrupt for many centuries. St. Jane de Chantal was canonized a Saint in 1767 and also had an incorrupt body for many centuries. Sister Margaret Mary Alacoque, in response to Our Lord appearing to her, established the devotion to The Sacred Heart of Jesus. She was canonized a Saint in 1920. Her body was incorrupt for many years as well. Saint Claude de la Colonbiere, priest and confessor to St. Margaret Mary was canonized a Saint in 1922 and also was reported to have an incorrupt body. He served as the priest for the Sisters at her Visitation of Holy Mary Convent at Paray-le-Monial, France. This evidence alone shows a high enlightenment period full of truth and God’s blessings as a way to travel a road to Heaven.
[To be continued with Part III in February]
References:
The First English Translation of the Life of Mother Anne-Seraphine Boulier 1628- 1683: Religious of the Visitation of Holy Mary Monastery, Dijon, France with Notes About The Mother Marie-Dorothée Desbarres 1637-1721 by Teresa Farris-Dacar, Nov. 2015; The Catholic Counter-Reformation [also called Restoration] Wikipedia; St. Francis de Sales, Wikipedia; St. Jane de Chantal, The First English Translation of Records of The Monastery of Dijon, France, 1611-1790 by Teresa Farris-Dacar, 2016; The First English Translation of A Biography of Madame Acarie, 1566-1618, by Teresa Farris-Dacar, 2020.
About the Author:
Mrs. Teresa Farris-Dacar has an M.A. in History, M.Ed. Clinical Counseling, M.Ed. Curriculum Design, B.A. Humanities, a major in Journalism, and has published the books listed below. They are available from the author by e-mailing her at ForGodandKing@att.net or placing a special order at Barnes & Noble or Books A Million. All books published by Ingram Publishing Company.
From England – To Barbados – To Carolina;1670-1700: The Founding of Charles Towne;
For God and King [a Christian historical novel];
Heaven Bound by Wearing The Brown Scapular of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel;
3 books translated from French into English for the first time:
- The Life of Mother Anne-Seraphine Boulier (written in 1683),
- Records of the Monastery of Dijon,1611-1789,
- Biography of Madame Acarie, 1566-1618.