Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 11.djvu/306

 ORATORY

274

ORATORY

Periodica Mensuale (Uomc, lsy4-5); aee aUo works cited in pref- aces to translation of Hacci, ed., Antrobus (London, 1902).

H. BOWDEN.

Oratory, French Congregation of the, fountlofl at Paris at the boginning of the seventeenth century by Cardinal Pierre de B<5rulle (q. v.), who, in I5o.ssuet's words, "made glisten in the Church of France the purest and most subhnie Hghts of the Christian priesl- hood and the ecclesiastical lil'e". It was precisely to work more effectively towards the rehat)ilitation of the ecclesiastical life that Cardinal de Herulle founded (in 1611) the new congregation, which he named after that of St. Philip Neri, adopting also in part the rules and constitutions of the latter. To meet the special needs of the Church in France at the period, however, and because of the tendency toward centralization which "especially from this period forms one of the dominant characteristics of the French national spirit" (Perraud), he made one very important modification; whereas in the Italian congregation the houses were independent of one another, de Bfirulle placed the government of all the houses in the hands of the supe- rior-general. On 10 May, 1613, Paul III issued a Bull approV'ing the new institute, which now made great progress. During the lifetime of its founder, more than fifty houses were either established or united to the Oratory; subsequently there were more than twice this number, divided into four pro\'inces. As St. Philip had wished, so also the French Oratory was solely for priests; the members were bound by no vows except those of the priesthood, and had for sole aim the per- fect fufilment of their priestly functions. The Con- gregation of the Oratory is not a teaching order; Ora- torians have directed many colleges, notably de Juilly ; but neither this nor instruction in seminaries was ever the sole object of the congregation, though it was the first to organize seminaries in France according to the ordinances of the Council of Trent. The congrega- tions of I\I. Bourdoise, St. Nicolas du Chardonnet, Saint-Sulpice, and Saint-Lazare were all inspired by the ideas of Cardinal de Berulle. The definite aim and characteristic of the French Oratory is in the words of Cardinal Perraud "the pursuit of sacerdotal perfec- tion".

The supreme authority of the congregation is vested in the superior-general (elected for life) and in the general assemblies convoked regularly every three years — or extraordinarily immediately on the resignation or death of a general. These assemblies are composed of members who have been seven years in the congregation and three in the priesthood; the number of members is one out of every twelve Orato- rians thus qualified, and they are elected by all Orato- rian priests three years in the congregation. The gen- eral assemblies appoint all the officers — a superior general (if necessary), his three assistants, the visitors, the procurator general, and the secretary general. They also examine and decide upon all questions of any importance concerning the congregation in gen- eral; the general and his assistants, in the interval be- tween the assemblies, exercise only ordinary adminis- tration. The founder, who died at the altar in 1629, was succeeded by Father Charles de Condren, who, like J'ather de Berulle, w-as imbued with the spirit of the Oratorians from his youth. Even during his life, Saint Jeanne de Chantal wrote of him that "it would seem that Father de Condren was capable of teaching the angels"; St. Vincent de Paul was wont to say that "there had never been a m.an like him". Father de Condren governed the Oratory most wisely, complet- ing its organization according to the intentions of its founder. Among his works must be specially remem- bered the part he played in the institution of Saint- Sulpice, whose founder, the saintly and celebrated Olier (q. v.), was under his direction. He died in 1641; his remains, recovered by the present writer in 1884, are now preserved in the choir of the chapel of the col-

lege of .Juilly. The succeeding generals were: Fran- cois Bourgoing (q. v.; 1041-62); Francois Scnault (1602-72), a celebrated preacher; Abel-Louis de SainttvMarthe, who resigned in 1696, only to die the foUoW'ing year. During his generalship the congrega- tion was greatly disturbed by the tmublcs of Jansen- ism (see A. M. P. Ingold, "Le pretcndu jansenismedu P. de Ste-Marthe", Paris, 1882). There was the same disturliance inider his successor. Father Pierre d'Ard- ri'z de la Tour (1096-1733), who began by appealing against the Bull "Unigenitus", with the Archbishop of Paris and a large part of the French clergy. Later, however, having a better knowledge of the facts, he revoked his appeal, and also obtained the submission of Cardinal de Noailles — which shows that his difficulty was not a doctrinal one, but arose rather from consid- erations of discipline and ojiport oneness. Many Ora- torians have been caluminated on tliis point by preju- diced or ignorant historians, as the present writer has endeavoured to prove in several publications. Father d'Ar6rez de la Tour was one of the most esteemed spiritual directors of his time. The seventh general was Father Thomas de la Valette (1733-72); the eighth. Father Louis de Mulv (1773-9); the ninth, Father Sauve Moisset (1779-90).

On the death of this last, at the height of the French Revolution, the congregation was unable to meet in a general assembly to elect a successor, and was soon engulfed in the revolutionary storm, which over- whelmed the Church in France; but, in dying, the Oratory again attested to its faithful attachment to the Chair of Peter. If some of the Oratorians at this time supported Constitutionalism, the great majority remained faithful to the Catholic Faith, and a certain number among them paifl for their fidelity by their lives (cf . Ingold, ' ' L'Oratoire et la Revolution ", Paris, 1885).

It was only in 1852 that the French Congregation of the Oratory was restored by Father Gratry (q. v.) and Father Petetot, the latter, who was earlier pastor of Saint-Roch de Paris, becoming first superior-gen- eral of the revived institute. In 1884 he resigned and was replaced by Father (later Cardinal) Perraud. Father Pet^'tot died in 1887. Father Perraud's succes- sor, Father Marius Nouvelle, still governs the congre- gation, which, greatly weakened by the persecution which reigns in France, numbers only a few members, residing for the most part in Paris.

The French Oratory at various stages in its history has given a large number of distinguished subjects to the Church; preachers like Lejeune (q. v.), Massillon (q. v.), and Mascaron; philosophers like Malebranche, (q. v.); theologians like Thomassin (q. v.), Morin (q. v.); exegetes like Houbigant (q. v.), Richard Simon, Duguet. One must note, however, that the last two were forced to leave the congregation where they had been trained — the former on account of the rashness of his exegesis, the latter in consequence of his Jansen- istic tendencies.

Naturally, the Oratory of France exercised little di- rect influence in foreign countries, except through its houses, St. Louis-des-Frangais in Rome, Madrid, and Lisbon. In connexion with England, Father de BcruUe's mission with twelve of his confreres at the court of Henrietta of France (1625), wife of the unfor- tunate Charles I, must be remembered. Among the Oratorians were Father Harlay de Sancy, Father de Balfour, the latter of an old English family, and Fa- ther Robert Philips, a Scotchman and theologian of great merit, who entered the Oratory in 1617 after having been tortured for the Faith in his own country. When" Protestant intoleranc<' forced the other Orato- rians to leave England, Father Philips remained as con- fessor to the queen, and in 1644 returned with her to France, where he died in 1647. Later other English ecclesiastics joined the Oratory. Among the best known are: Father William Chalmers of Aberdeen (d. about 1660), who entered the Oratory in 1627, author