CONGREGATION OF THE MISSION. —
A society of secular priests with private and perpetual vows, founded in Paris by St. Vincent de Paul in 1625. In France and also in Italy, the members of the C. are ordinarily called Lazarists, from the ancient priory of St. Lazarus; in America, Vincentians; in Spain, Padres Paules. The archbishop of Paris approved it on 24 April 1626. Urban VIII, with the bull Salvatoris nostri of 12 January 1632, gave the papal sanction to the new institute. On 8 January 1632 Vincent took possession of the priory of St. Lazarus, offered to him by the prior Adriano Le Bon, which became the mother-house and the center of Vincentian works.
I. ORGANIZATION
The new institute grew rapidly. Work multiplied and works expanded; but the precise form of the community was not determined, because the founder wished to have the sanction of experience, and twice, in 1642 and 1651, he convened the elder priests for this purpose. A fundamental point was always that the C. should not constitute a religious Order, since the missionaries had to be free from every tie in order to devote themselves to the apostolate. In this sense, it obtained from Alexander VII the approval of the vows (the three Evangelical Counsels, plus a fourth of dedicating oneself for life to the apostolic ministry) with the brief Ex commissio nobis of 22 October 1655. So that the nature of the community might never be changed, it also eliminated from its jargon and customs everything that might recall a religious Order.The novitiate (two years) was called the internal seminary (to distinguish it from the external or diocesan seminaries), the dress and manner of life were those of the secular clergy. No particular austerities were prescribed. The exercises of piety are those which a good priest performs every day to nourish his spiritual life. After thirty years of trial Vincent decided to promulgate the rules of the “Little Company.” He distributed the little book at the meeting of 17 May 1658. From these are derived the elements that characterize its life, spirit, and works.
The C. is composed of priests and laymen (coadjutor brothers) and has a threefold purpose: personal sanctification, preaching the Gospel to the poor, especially in the countryside (whence the motto Evangelizare pauperibus misit me, which, in the coat of arms of the C., surrounds the Saviour preaching), and the formation of the clergy. The missions, according to the founder, must be distinguished by the simple form of preaching and must be given gratuitously. For this reason Vincent did not wish to accept the founding of any house without sufficient capital, which would allow it not to be a burden on the populations evangelized.
The government of the C. is very simple. At its head is a superior general elected for life with four assistants from different nations, a procurator, and a general secretary. Several houses are united into a religious province under the direction of a visitor assisted by a council of four or five members and a procurator. Each house is presided over by a superior likewise assisted by his own council. The highest authority in the C. belongs to the general assembly (the “General Chapter” of religious Orders), which meets every twelve years, or more often according to needs, and is composed of the members of the central council, the visitors, and two delegates from each province. It is the duty of this assembly to elect the superior general and the assistants, and to take important decisions regarding disciplinary matters, etc. The decrees of the general assemblies are binding on the whole C. During the generalship of Renato Alméras (1661–72) the so-called “Great Constitutions” were drawn up, approved in 1668 by the archbishop of Paris, Harduin de Perfèxe. Alméras was also the author of the “Selected Constitutions,” completing earlier ones, approved by Clement X on 2 June 1670 with the brief Ex iunctu nobis. During the long generalship of Giovanni Bonnet (1711–35) fell the difficult period of Jansenism. The C. remained firmly attached to the Holy See, and when the heresy was condemned, Bonnet was unyielding. He expelled from the company men, otherwise distinguished, such as Himbert and Philopald, demanding absolute obedience from his own. The principles and rights of the Apostolic See were effectively defended by the superior of the seminary of Avignon, Vittorio Soardi, in the treatise De suprema Romani Pontificis auctoritate (1747).
Felicé Cayla, superior general from 1788 to 1800, as deputy of the clergy to the National Assembly in 1792 voted against the Civil Constitution, which earned him exile and persecution for his community. The missionaries remained, like the superior, faithful to the Church. The consequences were terrible. At the seminary of St. Firmin (the old college of the Bons Enfants) Giuseppe François and Enrico Gruyer were massacred (1792; beatified in 1926), Pier Renato Rogue (1796; beatified in 1934) and another ten were guillotined, seven died in prison, five were deported; all the houses were closed and the members (824) dispersed. Cayla took refuge in Rome, where he died on 12 February 1800.
The 19th century saw the revival and expansion of the C. throughout the world, especially through the work of Giovanni Battista Etienne, superior general from 1843 to 1874, one of the most eminent figures and almost a second founder.
II. DIFFUSION OF THE C
At the death of the founder (27 September 1660) the C. had in France 23 houses, 53 at the end of the 17th century, rising to 78 in 1792. After the Revolution, which destroyed them, life gradually resumed. In 1816 the C. had already reopened 16 houses, which soon rose to 57. Despite the hard blow inflicted by the anti-clerical laws of 1903, today it is flourishing both in its homeland and in the Foreign Missions.In 1646, at the desire of Innocent X, St. Vincent sent his missionaries to Ireland, but Cromwell’s persecution in 1648 paralyzed their activity and dispersed them. Ireland, Scotland, and England saw the priests of the Mission again in the 19th century. At the request of Queen Louise Marie Gonzaga, St. Vincent in 1651 sent his sons to Poland, where they opened several houses. The various partitions of the country repeatedly disrupted the organizational structure and apostolic activity of the missionaries, so that in 1866 only the houses of Cracow and Culm remained. Today the Polish province is one of the most flourishing, with about forty houses in Poland, Romania, Brazil, the United States, and China.
In Spain they were called by Cardinal Benedetto de Sala, bishop of Barcelona. Progress was rapid, so much so that in 1774 the constitution of an autonomous province was required. Dispersed in the Revolution of 1835, they returned after the Concordat of 1850. Again suppressed in 1868, they resumed life seven years later. In the Revolution of 1936 the C. gave about forty martyrs. Today the “Padres Paüles” have more than fifty houses, and every year supply a good number of apostolic workers to England, to the diocese of Cuttack in India (1922), to the United States, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, and Honduras.
The other European provinces are those of Belgium (1856), which supports the mission of the Congo (1926); of Yugoslavia (1852); of Germany (1853), from which, because of the Kulturkampf laws in 1872, the missionaries were exiled as “allied to the Jesuits” and shortly resumed (as today after the recent war) their apostolic work with indomitable courage; of Austria (1853); of the Netherlands (1850), largely engaged in the mission of Java, in the diocese of Yougipfù in China, and in various residences in Brazil; of Greece (1887); of Hungary (1898), where the Sons of St. Vincent have organized a magnificent network of charitable works; of Romania (1902); of Denmark (1903); of Czechoslovakia, recently founded (1929), and already full of vitality despite political-religious difficulties; of Albania (1940), a mission once so flourishing and then crushed by the expulsion of the missionaries in 1945.
The Foreign Missions occupy a place of privilege in the Congregation of the Mission.
St Vincent sent missionaries to Barbary in 1645 and to Madagascar in 1648. The latter was abandoned in 1674, but the missionaries returned in 1866, assuming the direction of the vicariate of Fort Dauphin, which they still hold today. Not a few missionaries gave their lives in Barbary: some as martyrs for the faith, others exhausted by their work and hardships, yet the mission was never abandoned.
In 1656 St Vincent, urged by Rome, sent missionaries to Lebanon, from where they later extended their work into Syria, Palestine and Egypt.
In 1841 Persia, thanks to the efforts of Eugène Boré (later Superior General), opened its doors to the Vincentian apostolate. The Superior of the Congregation from 1840 to 1875 also held the title of Apostolic Prefect, and from 1875 to 1918 that of Apostolic Delegate. The last Vincentian to hold this office was Monsignor Sontag, who was killed by Kurds along with three fellow missionaries on 27 July 1918.
The first priest of the Congregation to go to China in 1697 was Luigi Antonio Appiani. He was joined by Giovanni Mullener (1673–1742), and both settled in Sutchuen. In 1710 Teodorico Pedrini arrived, a skilled musician who rendered great service to the mission at the court of the Emperor. The work of penetration gained greater momentum after 1773. Today the Vincentians administer 12 dioceses. Several missionaries became renowned for their virtue and intelligence. Armand David (1826–1900) distinguished himself through his discoveries in natural history. The travel books of Evariste Hue (1813–60) and Giuseppe Gabet (1808–53) on Tibet have become classics. Two among the martyrs, François Régis Clet (1748–1820) and Jean-Gabriel Perboyre (1802–40), have been raised to the honours of the altar. In 1780 they took charge of the seminary at Goa, where they remained until 1830. In 1922 they accepted the mission at Cuttack, which was elevated to a diocese in 1938. More recent foundations include the flourishing mission in Java (1928), and the beginnings of those in Annam (1938) and Japan (1948).
In Africa, besides the missions in Barbary and Madagascar, the name of Blessed Giustino de Jacobis (1800–60) is linked to Abyssinia, where he arrived with other confreres in 1839 and spent his entire life. Among his disciples was a martyr, Blessed Ghebre Michael (1788–1855). At his death he left behind flourishing Christian communities and magnificent works, including the seminary of the Immaculate Conception at Guala and a fine group of indigenous priests. The mission continued amid alternating fortunes and enormous difficulties, and today, besides preserving the tomb of De Jacobis at Hebò, it has houses in various parts of the Ethiopian Empire. Another flourishing mission in Africa is the Belgian Congo (1926).
Another Italian is associated with the origins of the Congregation in America: Felice De Andreis (1778–1820), who arrived in 1816 with other confreres and settled in St Louis. Today there are two provinces in America, with over 40 houses and 600 members, who are engaged in the direction of 12 seminaries, 3 universities, about thirty parishes, missions and retreats. Canada received Vincentian missionaries from Venice in 1933. After the persecution of 1926, Mexico shows signs of a secure revival. In the last century, the Daughters of St Vincent have been widely welcomed throughout Latin America: Cuba (1847), Guatemala (1862), Puerto Rico (1873), Costa Rica and Panama (1877), El Salvador (1898), Honduras (1910), Nicaragua (1935); in addition Brazil (1819), with about 50 houses, Chile (1853), Peru (1858), Argentina (1859)—where the famous national shrine of Our Lady of Luján is entrusted to the missionaries—Ecuador and Colombia (1870), Paraguay (1880), Uruguay (1884), Venezuela (1932), Bolivia (1933). Finally, the Philippines (1862), where the Venetian missionaries direct the vast majority of the seminaries; Australia (1855) and New Zealand (1934).
III. THE CONGREGATION IN ITALY
The first missionary sent by St Vincent to Italy in 1638 was Luigi Lebreton, entrusted with obtaining papal approval for the Congregation, for which he opened the first house in Rome in 1641. As their numbers grew, the missionaries spread through the dioceses around Rome, bringing about a remarkable revival of religious life. Thanks to the generosity of the Duchess of Aiguillon and Cardinal Bagni, a “House of the Mission” was established at Montecitorio in 1659 for clergy retreats, especially for ordinands. Alexander VII encouraged them and in 1662 prescribed that no ordinand could be admitted to Sacred Orders without having made a retreat of at least ten days at the “Mission.”Innocent XII in 1699 extended the obligation of a three-yearly retreat to the parish priests of Rome. From 1659 to 1814 the Vincentian missionaries had the spiritual direction of the College of Propaganda Fide, and from 1703 to 1738 they directed the Academy of Ecclesiastical Nobles. In 1646 Stefano Blatiron (1614–57) founded the house in Genoa at the request of Cardinal Stefano Durazzo. Through the efforts of the Marquis of Pianezza, first minister of Piedmont, the missionaries settled in Turin in 1655, and thirteen years later, at the initiative of Fr Giovanni B. Balsamo, in Naples.
Foundations in Italy continued to grow rapidly in the following centuries, reaching a total of 80. In Piacenza, Cardinal Giulio Alberoni founded in 1732 the Alberoni College for the diocesan seminarians, which still continues the munificence of its founder. From 1703 the single Italian province was divided into two: Rome and Lombardy; after 1815 the province of Naples was added with 40 houses. The house in Rome, since 1840 the seat of the Pontifical Liturgical Academy, promotes the study of liturgy through the journal Ephemerides liturgicae (founded in 1887 by Calcedonio Mancini); Piacenza contributes to the knowledge of philosophy and theology with Divus Thomas (founded in 1880). These works are complemented by the Foreign Missions: the diocese of Kian in China, the mission of Tigray in Ethiopia and that of Korçë in Albania. The Italian provinces also have various houses in the United States of America for the assistance of Italian emigrants.
Italy has produced men of outstanding virtue and apostolic zeal. Besides Blessed Giustino de Jacobis, mention should be made of Giuseppe Rosati, Felice de Andreis, Marcantonio Durando, Vincenzo Spaccapietra and, more recently, Giovanni B. Manzella, the “apostle of Sardinia.”
**GIOVANNI BOCCARDI**
A special mention must be made of Giovanni Boccardi, astronomer, born in Castelmaurò (Campobasso) on 20 June 1859, died in Savona (where he had retired since 1923) on 21 October 1936; he entered the Congregation of the Mission (C. della M.) in 1879. Shortly after his ordination to the priesthood (1884), he was sent to the East to teach mathematics in the colleges of Salonica and Smyrna. It was during this time that he began his first studies in astronomy. Returning to Italy (1892), after a few years of teaching in Acireale, he moved to the observatory of the Collegio Romano (1897) to learn the practical calculations of planetary orbits; in 1898 he was added to the Vatican Observatory. Two years later (1900), to further his studies, he went to the *Bureau des Longitudes* in Paris and to Berlin. On 10 November of the same year, he was appointed assistant and head of the section of the observatory in Catania. In 1903, with his appointment as director of the observatory and professor of astronomy at the University of Turin (1903–1923), the period of his greatest scientific activity began. He renovated and transferred the old observatory from Palazzo Madama to Pino Torinese (1910–1913). Among his most important discoveries are: the observation of the phenomenon he called the "equation of transparency"; the tidal effect on the Earth's crust due to lunar attraction; the diurnal variation of latitude; and new methods for solving the transcendental equations of Kepler and Gauss. Moreover, he compiled 30,000 celestial observations, two star catalogues, 14 volumes, and 409 memoirs, notes, and scientific articles. From 1905, he worked on the *Annuario astronomico*, which brought Italy into the work of astronomical ephemerides. He was the first Italian to become a member of the *Bureau des Longitudes* in Paris (1921) and of the *Washington Academy of Sciences* (1928). In 1906, he founded the *Società astronomica italiana* and the *Rivista di astronomia*; but when these two institutions, due to the intrigues of Freemasonry, deviated from their scientific purpose, he abandoned them and founded (1911) the society *Urania* and the journal *Saggi di astronomia popolare*, which he directed until 1917 (cf. *Annali della Missione*, 44 [1937], pp. 37–48 and 475–504, with a list of his works).
The C. oversees several notable and important associations, such as the Daughters of Charity and the Daughters of Mary Immaculate, among others. Directly linked to the C. is, by institution sanctioned by papal authority, the Company of the Daughters of Charity, whose superior is the same as the superior general of the C.
As of 1 January 1949, the C. is divided into 37 provinces with 456 houses, 5,209 members, 105 seminaries, 90 retreat houses, 170 parishes, and 150 schools.
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**CONGREGATION OF THE RESURRECTION OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST**
It began in Paris on 17 February 1836 through the efforts of Bogdan (Adeodatus) Janski, a Pole who, having abandoned his earlier adherence to Saint-Simonianism, devoted himself to apostolic work among his compatriots, living in community with Piotr Semenenko, Hieronim Kajsiewicz, and other disciples. Semenenko and Kajsiewicz were sent to Rome in 1837 to study theology, and Janski himself went there in 1840, dying there on 2 July of that year. His companions and disciples continued his work, and on 27 March 1842, the day of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, after the rule had already been compiled, Semenenko was chosen as the first superior general, and the first religious vows were made in the catacombs of St. Sebastian.
The Congregation, which spread to Poland and other countries, received a decree of praise on 9 October 1860 and was approved on 10 March 1888. Its constitutions were definitively approved on 5 March 1902. Its purpose is apostolic ministry in parishes and colleges, permeating teaching with religious truths and informing the entire moral and civil life of youth. Notable members include Fr. Piotr Semenenko, as a theologian and ascetical writer; Fr. Kajsiewicz, as a preacher; Fr. Kalinka, historian of Poland; Fr. Pawlicki, historian of philosophy and apologist; Fr. L. Funken, as an educator; Fr. E. Funken, as a poet; and Fr. Smolikowski, as a historian of the Congregation and ascetical writer. The Congregation, present in Italy, Poland, Switzerland, Bulgaria, and America, today has 41 houses with over 600 religious.
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