Passionist Saints

As Napoleon prepared for his great campaign into Russia he needed more and more young men to serve in his Grand Army. A young Italian shepherd of the hills outside of Viterbo waited anxiously, for posted on the door of the city hall amid the names of hundreds of others was the name "Dominic Barberi". At twenty-one he would be drafted if his number came up. The last thing Dominic wanted was to fight in Napoleon's army, for that evil tyrant had occupied the Papal States, exiled many bishops, closed all the monasteries, and even imprisoned the Holy Father.

Dominic had been born to a poor family of farmers in 1792, just as the Revolution had begun. Both his parents were dead by the time he was a youngster of eight. An uncle and aunt raised him in the town of Merlano. They sent him out into the pasture land to shepherd sheep. Since schooling was not necessary to become a shepherd, young Dominic did not attend school.

Life went on day after day. Dominic soon found time to pray as he tended the sheep. He also taught himself to read and write. When Napoleon closed all the religious houses Dominic became acquainted with several Passionists living in exile at Merlano. Among them was Father Joseph Mary Molajoni. Father Joseph invited Dominic to pray in the family chapel on his family's estate. In that chapel (now a shrine) he experienced mystical attractions to join the Passionists and one day to go to far-away England.

He had promised God that if he were not drafted he would become a Passionist. But when he escaped the draft at the public lottery he forgot his promise. Dominic's uncle and aunt had planned a marriage for him. Actually he tells us he found the girl quite attractive. Just being near her drove away all thought of the religious life. Dominic could not tell the young woman about God's call and his own plans. In fact he never did really face up to her. He just slipped away one day and entered the nearby Passionist monastery at Vetralla!

A few days after Dominic entered the Vetralla monastery he was kneeling in prayer before the altar of the Blessed Virgin. All at once he received an interior communication that assured him that one day he would be a priest and would go to England.

He entered the novitiate, took his vows and began his studies. Dominic studied eagerly, for he had a brilliant mind. Philosophy and theology came quite easily for him. During these years he had as his director, Father Anthony Testa. Over the years both men influenced each other very much. Dominic was ordained in Rome on March 1, 1821. For the next nineteen years he shared the life and ministries of the Passionists in Italy, but his heart was in England.

The congregation was quickly recovering from the suppression under Napoleon. Other young men like Dominic were joining the Passionists. The "observance" was being faithfully kept at home while the preachers were busy in conducting missions and retreats throughout the Papal States. This was a time of restoration and growth.

Once ordained Dominic became involved in the renewal of the congregation. He was assigned the task of teaching philosophy and theology to the young students. He was a good teacher for he also remained a diligent student. He read widely and intelligently. The superiors asked him to write a manual of philosophy for use in the schools of the congregation.

Dominic felt that the students should be formed into thinkers and philosophers, that they should be acquainted with the errors of the day and not simply those of the medieval period. He insisted that philosophy should take into account modern scientific advances. These were the goals he wanted to achieve in his manual.

The censors read his book and "condemned" it for not following St. Thomas closely enough and for departing from the "traditional" methods used in the seminaries. Today Dominic's book is seen as preparing for the Thomistic revival of Leo XIII.

During the restoration in France the Abbe Felicite de Lammenais won much acclaim by arguing that in Christianity and in the papacy the world could find an answer to the Revolution. Lammenais came to Rome to be hailed as a hero. Dominic had read Lammenais' writings. He wrote an article criticizing the philosophical basis of Lammenais thesis. He was silenced by the superiors.

Later when Lammenais endorsed "liberalism" and "democracy", Pope Gregory XVI condemned him. Dominic was vindicated! But as a recent scholar has pointed out, "Gregory XVI condemned the liberalism of Lamennais, but truly, it was not the liberal teachings of Lammenais that Barberi had attacked; it was his theory of tradition as the basis for certitude."

During all these years Dominic was ever aware of the earlier call to work for the return of England to the Church. Wherever he went he would encourage people to pray for the conversion of that country. He began to study the English language.

The Passionist Monastery and church of Sts. John and Paul on the Coelian Hill had been the Roman church of the English Cardinal, Nicholas Breakspear, later Adrian IV. Just about a block down the hill is the church of St. Gregory from which St. Augustine had gone forth on the mission to the "Angli" to become the first archbishop of Canterbury. Both churches attracted English visitors to Rome.

While teaching in Rome, Father Dominic would be called to the parlour to meet these visitors. He spoke to them of his prayers for their country. They in turn would tell him about the religious situation in England and the possibilities of its conversion to Rome. Dominic developed several close friendships with English Catholics in Rome. He waited for the day when he could fulfil his mission in England.

In 1833 Dominic was a delegate to the general chapter. He requested the chapter to send missionaries to England. The request was not granted but the idea had been planted. Even when Dominic was made rector of the new monastery at Lucca and then provincial, he and others kept in close contact with the "new" Catholics in England.

In 1836 a new pope was elected, Gregory XVI. He had been the prefect of the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith. Now as pope he promoted missionary work throughout the world. He looked to religious orders to advance this missionary apostolate in non-Christian areas.

By the time of the 1839 general chapter the congregation was ready to move. There had been an increase of vocations during the past twenty five years. Some of the capitulars, especially Father Anthony Testa, remembered Dominic's suggestion at the previous chapter. The chapter recommended that the new general send several religious to England.

The new general superior was the energetic, charismatic Father

Anthony Testa. He had been Dominic's vice-master and student director. He knew Dominic well, but he hesitated at first to send him to England because of his health.

By April of 1840 Father Anthony Testa decided that Dominic should go. He sent him with three companions to Belgium to make a foundation in that country with the hope that from Belgium the mission to England could be realized. The three companions were Father Peter Magagnotto, Father Seraphim Giammaria, and Brother Crispin Cotta.

The four missionaries had hardly arrived in Belgium when Brother Crispin died. Dominic wrote to the General: "Before he died, he assured me that in heaven he would intercede earnestly for the congregation and in particular for this foundation...He was scarcely dead when we began to experience marked effects of the loving providence of God".

Dominic established the first Passionist monastery outside of Italy in 1840 at Ere in Belgium. In November of that year he made a brief visit to England to survey the situation. He wrote on November 26: "Here I am on the eve of my first visit to England, if God should allow me to get there. A few moments ago I saw for the first time the coast of the island from the top of a lofty church. If I die now, it will be the death of Moses - but no! I shall not die but live to narrate the works of the Lord. Amen. I am dressed in secular clothes. If you saw me you would laugh! Still I'm sure that God recognizes me easily enough even in this get-up!"

Dominic's visit to England was brief. He still had work to do in Belgium before he could return to England for good. One of the first problems confronting Dominic was the type of formation to provide for candidates from northern Europe. Dominic insisted that the conditions in north Europe called for adaptations. The novice master, Father Seraphim Giammaria, wanted to form them by means of the Italian practices he and Dominic and all Passionists had been formed by. Thus from almost the very first year the question of adapting Passionist life outside of Italy was raised, and demanded an answer.

The response of the general, Father Anthony Testa, deserves our attention if we are to understand a problem that would vex the Passionists for more than a century. "He (Paul of the Cross) intended that there should be French Passionists, English Passionists, Flemish Passionists, Russian and even Laplander....Those who intend to keep the Order inside Italy are opposed to the mind of the founder and do not have the Spirit of God." The general continues: "Intending that there be Passionists in every country in the world, did he intend that in each nation they adopt Italian ways and customs? That they eat Italian foods? Think like Italians? Speak Italian? Act like Italians? Certainly not!...You will fail if you intend to make only Italian Passionists. You will never make them Passionists at all!"

Finally, the time came to establish the first Passionist residence in England. Father Dominic and a companion went over to England and obtained a house at Aston Hall in Staffordshire. One of his first ministries was the celebration of the 1842 Holy Week services.

As soon as possible Dominic began giving parish missions in England. He was assisted by Gaudentius Rossi who quickly acquired a rather fluent use of English. Many of the Catholics they preached to were the newly arrived Irish immigrants who in England were working long hours in hard labour. Father Gaudentius realized that the method of giving missions should be adapted to the needs of the Catholics in England whether they were 'old' Catholics, Irish immigrants or recent converts. The methods used in Italy were not always suitable. Dominic feared that the Passionist method would be lost if too many changes were made. Eventually necessary adaptations were made.

Another problem arose in England in regard to undertaking parish ministry. St. Paul of the Cross, aware of the abundance of priests in the Italy of his times, did not make parish work one of the major apostolates of his new community. In mid-nineteenth century England the situation was entirely different. There were few priests. The ever growing number of Irish immigrants to England made parish work more and more necessary. Bishops expected the Passionists to accept parishes, especially when a new foundation was being made. Dominic himself accepted parishes, even though as he wrote in the introduction to the Life of St. Paul of the Cross "it would be to be wished that they should not have the care and responsibility of any particular congregation (parish), so that they might be free at all times to go wherever they are called; but in the present circumstances of this country it may easily be understood that it would not be possible for them to decline this charge" of caring for a parish. This would become a serious problem for many years in the English province and elsewhere in the congregation.

While still in Belgium Dominic read in the Paris paper L'Universe an article by a scholar of Oxford on the relationship of the Church of England with the Church of Rome. Dominic was deeply moved, for the Oxford Movement seemed almost ready to bear fruit in a reunion of the two churches. He sat down and wrote a long letter to "the Gentlemen of Oxford." He responded to their questions, discussed their positions, clarified the teachings of the Church.

But he did more. He opened his heart to them, told of his years of prayer for his English brothers. Above all, he treated them with respect. He dealt with them as sincere men. He showed them he loved them. While many Anglicans were condemning these men of Oxford for being disloyal to their mother church, and many of the "old" Catholics cast doubt about their sincerity, this poor Italian monk treated them with respect and love.

When the sensitive John Henry Newman became aware of this letter, he at once felt attracted to this foreigner. Newman had left Oxford and was living a community life of prayer, penance and study at Littlemore. What he was looking for now was some appreciation of the predicament he was in as a sincere Anglican. He also wanted to see sanctity in the Roman Church. He had written: "If they want to convert England, let them go barefoot into our manufacturing towns, let them preach to the people like St. Francis Xavier - let them be pelted and trampled on, and I will own that they do what we cannot...Let them use the proper arms of the Church and they will prove they are the Church". Dominic's letter and example solved Newman's last hesitations.

The author of the Oxford letter was John Dalgairns who soon joined Newman at Littlemore. When in June of 1844 Dominic was near Littlemore he called on Dalgairns and met Newman for the first time. He spent about a half hour with Newman. Neither man ever forgot this first visit. In July Dominic wrote to the general: "I was received with every token of cordiality and sincere regards by Dr. Newman and by his disciples. We talked of various matters of religion. I left them several of my polemical tracts" Newman mentioned this brief visit to his friends when he later wrote of his reception by Father Dominic.

John Dalgairns continue to keep in touch with Dominic and in mid- September of the following year wrote to Dominic that he wanted to be received at Aston Hall. Afterwards, Dalgairns invited Dominic to stop at Littlemore on his way to Belgium. When Newman heard that Father Dominic would be stopping at Littlemore he felt that this was the external sign he was looking for. He would ask Father Dominic to receive him into the church.

Dominic arrived late at night, dripping-wet for he had been sitting on the top of the coach exposed to the continual rain. On entering the house he went at once to the fireplace to dry himself. The door opened quietly and Newman entered. In a moment he was at Dominic's feet, praying for admission into the Catholic and Roman Church! That very night he began his confession.

"What a spectacle it was for me to see Newman at my feet! All that I have suffered since I left Italy has been well compensated by this event. I hope the effects of such a conversion may be great." Thus did the humble, joyous Dominic write to Father Anthony in Rome.

On the following Sunday Newman and four companions went to the Catholic Chapel of St. Clement's at Oxford for Mass. All England soon knew that they were now Roman Catholics.

The news of this great conversion re-echoed throughout the world. Masses of thanksgiving were offered, and "Te Deums" sung in the churches of Rome, France, Germany and Belgium. Pope Gregory XVI sent the papal blessing. It was the beginning of "the second spring!"

From Rome the Father General, Anthony Testa, shared his joy and own feelings with Dominic: "First of all, I thank the Lord for the conversion of Newman and his companions, and that of the other Oxford men...These are all works of God, and to Him let us give the glory. I pray that these may be the first fruits of an abundant harvest. For our part we must be very humble if we do not want to place an obstacle in the path of divine mercy, and if we are to be used as His instruments in the gathering in of the harvest."

Father Anthony also reminded Dominic that if they are to fulfil their mission in England they needed, not Italians, but English vocations: "I am more and more convinced that success requires nationals, who have a command of the language. Foreigners will be able to do something, if they have a good reputation; but they cannot gain or win the people by their speech. This reason, together with the fact that it would not be easy to send many Italian subjects, makes it desirable that God should send us English vocations."

For a while Dominic had been asking the general to send Father Lawrence Salvi to England. Lawrence was a good superior and zealous missionary. He had a special devotion to the Child Jesus and promoted this devotion on his missions. Dominic had lived with him and wanted him in England. Anthony refused. Lawrence was beatified in 1989.

The problem of English vocations continued for many years. Father Anthony for a long time felt that the wearing of sandals was a deterrent to vocations. For years Father Anthony and Father Dominic exchanged their views on the question of whether the religious should wear sandals in Belgium and England. In this case the general was willing to allow the use of shoes, especially during the winter months. Dominic wanted to retain the use of sandals. Perhaps we should remember that in England religious did not wear the habit (and sandals) in public. So Passionists in England would be going out in the cold in secular attire (including shoes). In Belgium, as in Italy, religious wore the habit in public. This would mean that even in the damp Belgian winter they would be wearing sandals outside.

Dominic feared that a relaxation in this matter would lead to other mitigations and the English Passionists would not image the sanctity and austerity the English were looking for from the Roman Church. He remembered what Newman had written earlier at Littlemore. Many Englishmen, as had Newman, were looking for this penitential austerity from religious of the Church of Rome.

English vocations were few, but Dominic was deeply consoled by the arrival of Father George Spencer who received the habit on January 5, 1847. Spencer was a convert of some years and already ordained when Dominic came to England in 1841. Now as a fellow Passionist, known as Ignatius Spencer, he proved a great comfort to Dominic and the Passionists. Interestingly, also, is the fact that he is a member of the Spencer family as is the present Princess of Wales, Diana.

In 1847 a plague struck England, due to a great extent to the vast throngs of starving Irish poor from potato-famine stricken Ireland. Living conditions were dreadful in the industrial towns of England. The cholera spread rapidly. The Passionists assisted the sick and dying, supplying for the secular priests who were overworked and falling victims to the plague. At one point a report went forth that Father Ignatius Spencer had been stricken. Fortunately, this was not the fact. Later at Father Dominic's death Ignatius was put in charge of the English vicariate until the chapter of 1851.

In the final years Dominic was able to begin a foundation in London at Poplar House. Ultimately the London foundation would be at Highgate, near the cemetery in which Karl Marx is buried. It is interesting to reflect that both men were in London at the same time, one to bring the English into full communion with the Catholic Church of Rome, the other to lay the foundation for atheistic Communism! Like Dickens, both saw the plight of the poor in the factory towns of England.

In August, 1849, Dominic was returning to Aston Hall from London. He was accompanied by his cousin, Father Louis Pesciaroli, who has just returned from the disastrous Australian venture. About five miles from Reading, Dominic got desperately sick. He was taken off the train to be attended by a doctor. There was not a room for him at the small station of Pangbourne. Father Louis put him back on the train for Reading. There he expired from violent heart spasms at 3:00 p.m., August 27, 1849.

Dominic had dreamed a dream. Only part of it was fulfilled, for he did come to England. But even the conversion of Newman did not bring about the reunion of Canterbury with Rome. The reunion of Christians would require a long, painful journey on the part of many. Dominic had paid the price of the first steps.

Dominic had dreamed of working with the English, but he soon found himself engaged in ministering to the Irish immigrants. Many of his followers would come from these Irish families. Their deep faith and piety would shape the spirit of the Passionists for years to come. Perhaps Dominic's mission in Dublin at St. Audeon's, High Street, was a sign of what the future would hold for Passionists in the British Isles. This mission was given April 29 - May 20, 1849. It was Dominic's last mission. For years the Passionists would look to Ireland for young men to join in the work to be done in England among both the English and the Irish immigrants there.

From England Dominic's sons would spread to Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. English Passionists would establish the order in Australia. Father Gaudentius Rossi, the parish missionary in England, would cross the Atlantic to the United States to begin Passionist parish missions in that country. After the Second World War English Passionists would go to Sweden. Irish Passionists would be in Africa. And, of course, Dominic had founded the Passionists in Belgium. From Belgium they spread to The Netherlands, and France, and eventually to Zaire, Brazil, Israel, Bulgaria and Indonesia.

In the tradition of Blessed Dominic (he was beatified by Pope Paul VI), Passionists would be aware that ecumenism is an essential part of their heritage. At the time of the Second Vatican Council, Passionists would accept with joy the call to engage in ecumenical ministries. The "renewal" of the congregation in the spirit of Vatican II would challenge the modern Passionist to this ecumenical mission.

Blessed Dominic Barberi, perhaps together with Cardinal John Henry Newman, must have looked with favor upon the Passionist scholar among those participating in the Vatican-Anglican dialogue. For in 1981 Queen Elizabeth II of England, the Defender of the Faith, at the request of the Archbishop of Canterbury, bestowed the Order of St. Augustine of Canterbury upon the American Passionist, Father Barnabas Mary Ahern, for his outstanding work in the dialogue.

Fr Aidan Troy CP Fr Gary Donegan CP Fr Myles Kavanagh CP Fr Salvian Maguire CP Tel: +44 2890 748231 Fax: +44 2890 740340 Email the parish Submit a newsletter item Holy Cross Church Crumlin Road Belfast BT14 7EA Northern Ireland	Dominic Barberbi As Napoleon prepared for his great campaign into Russia he needed more and more young men to serve in his Grand Army. A young Italian shepherd of the hills outside of Viterbo waited anxiously, for posted on the door of the city hall amid the names of hundreds of others was the name "Dominic Barberi". At twenty-one he would be drafted if his number came up. The last thing Dominic wanted was to fight in Napoleon's army, for that evil tyrant had occupied the Papal States, exiled many bishops, closed all the monasteries, and even imprisoned the Holy Father. Dominic had been born to a poor family of farmers in 1792, just as the Revolution had begun. Both his parents were dead by the time he was a youngster of eight. An uncle and aunt raised him in the town of Merlano. They sent him out into the pasture land to shepherd sheep. Since schooling was not necessary to become a shepherd, young Dominic did not attend school. Life went on day after day. Dominic soon found time to pray as he tended the sheep. He also taught himself to read and write. When Napoleon closed all the religious houses Dominic became acquainted with several Passionists living in exile at Merlano. Among them was Father Joseph Mary Molajoni. Father Joseph invited Dominic to pray in the family chapel on his family's estate. In that chapel (now a shrine) he experienced mystical attractions to join the Passionists and one day to go to far-away England. He had promised God that if he were not drafted he would become a Passionist. But when he escaped the draft at the public lottery he forgot his promise. Dominic's uncle and aunt had planned a marriage for him. Actually he tells us he found the girl quite attractive. Just being near her drove away all thought of the religious life. Dominic could not tell the young woman about God's call and his own plans. In fact he never did really face up to her. He just slipped away one day and entered the nearby Passionist monastery at Vetralla! A few days after Dominic entered the Vetralla monastery he was kneeling in prayer before the altar of the Blessed Virgin. All at once he received an interior communication that assured him that one day he would be a priest and would go to England. He entered the novitiate, took his vows and began his studies. Dominic studied eagerly, for he had a brilliant mind. Philosophy and theology came quite easily for him. During these years he had as his director, Father Anthony Testa. Over the years both men influenced each other very much. Dominic was ordained in Rome on March 1, 1821. For the next nineteen years he shared the life and ministries of the Passionists in Italy, but his heart was in England. The congregation was quickly recovering from the suppression under Napoleon. Other young men like Dominic were joining the Passionists. The "observance" was being faithfully kept at home while the preachers were busy in conducting missions and retreats throughout the Papal States. This was a time of restoration and growth. Once ordained Dominic became involved in the renewal of the congregation. He was assigned the task of teaching philosophy and theology to the young students. He was a good teacher for he also remained a diligent student. He read widely and intelligently. The superiors asked him to write a manual of philosophy for use in the schools of the congregation. Dominic felt that the students should be formed into thinkers and philosophers, that they should be acquainted with the errors of the day and not simply those of the medieval period. He insisted that philosophy should take into account modern scientific advances. These were the goals he wanted to achieve in his manual. The censors read his book and "condemned" it for not following St. Thomas closely enough and for departing from the "traditional" methods used in the seminaries. Today Dominic's book is seen as preparing for the Thomistic revival of Leo XIII. During the restoration in France the Abbe Felicite de Lammenais won much acclaim by arguing that in Christianity and in the papacy the world could find an answer to the Revolution. Lammenais came to Rome to be hailed as a hero. Dominic had read Lammenais' writings. He wrote an article criticizing the philosophical basis of Lammenais thesis. He was silenced by the superiors. Later when Lammenais endorsed "liberalism" and "democracy", Pope Gregory XVI condemned him. Dominic was vindicated! But as a recent scholar has pointed out, "Gregory XVI condemned the liberalism of Lamennais, but truly, it was not the liberal teachings of Lammenais that Barberi had attacked; it was his theory of tradition as the basis for certitude." During all these years Dominic was ever aware of the earlier call to work for the return of England to the Church. Wherever he went he would encourage people to pray for the conversion of that country. He began to study the English language. The Passionist Monastery and church of Sts. John and Paul on the Coelian Hill had been the Roman church of the English Cardinal, Nicholas Breakspear, later Adrian IV. Just about a block down the hill is the church of St. Gregory from which St. Augustine had gone forth on the mission to the "Angli" to become the first archbishop of Canterbury. Both churches attracted English visitors to Rome. While teaching in Rome, Father Dominic would be called to the parlour to meet these visitors. He spoke to them of his prayers for their country. They in turn would tell him about the religious situation in England and the possibilities of its conversion to Rome. Dominic developed several close friendships with English Catholics in Rome. He waited for the day when he could fulfil his mission in England. In 1833 Dominic was a delegate to the general chapter. He requested the chapter to send missionaries to England. The request was not granted but the idea had been planted. Even when Dominic was made rector of the new monastery at Lucca and then provincial, he and others kept in close contact with the "new" Catholics in England. In 1836 a new pope was elected, Gregory XVI. He had been the prefect of the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith. Now as pope he promoted missionary work throughout the world. He looked to religious orders to advance this missionary apostolate in non-Christian areas. By the time of the 1839 general chapter the congregation was ready to move. There had been an increase of vocations during the past twenty five years. Some of the capitulars, especially Father Anthony Testa, remembered Dominic's suggestion at the previous chapter. The chapter recommended that the new general send several religious to England. The new general superior was the energetic, charismatic Father Anthony Testa. He had been Dominic's vice-master and student director. He knew Dominic well, but he hesitated at first to send him to England because of his health. By April of 1840 Father Anthony Testa decided that Dominic should go. He sent him with three companions to Belgium to make a foundation in that country with the hope that from Belgium the mission to England could be realized. The three companions were Father Peter Magagnotto, Father Seraphim Giammaria, and Brother Crispin Cotta. The four missionaries had hardly arrived in Belgium when Brother Crispin died. Dominic wrote to the General: "Before he died, he assured me that in heaven he would intercede earnestly for the congregation and in particular for this foundation...He was scarcely dead when we began to experience marked effects of the loving providence of God". Dominic established the first Passionist monastery outside of Italy in 1840 at Ere in Belgium. In November of that year he made a brief visit to England to survey the situation. He wrote on November 26: "Here I am on the eve of my first visit to England, if God should allow me to get there. A few moments ago I saw for the first time the coast of the island from the top of a lofty church. If I die now, it will be the death of Moses - but no! I shall not die but live to narrate the works of the Lord. Amen. I am dressed in secular clothes. If you saw me you would laugh! Still I'm sure that God recognizes me easily enough even in this get-up!" Dominic's visit to England was brief. He still had work to do in Belgium before he could return to England for good. One of the first problems confronting Dominic was the type of formation to provide for candidates from northern Europe. Dominic insisted that the conditions in north Europe called for adaptations. The novice master, Father Seraphim Giammaria, wanted to form them by means of the Italian practices he and Dominic and all Passionists had been formed by. Thus from almost the very first year the question of adapting Passionist life outside of Italy was raised, and demanded an answer. The response of the general, Father Anthony Testa, deserves our attention if we are to understand a problem that would vex the Passionists for more than a century. "He (Paul of the Cross) intended that there should be French Passionists, English Passionists, Flemish Passionists, Russian and even Laplander....Those who intend to keep the Order inside Italy are opposed to the mind of the founder and do not have the Spirit of God." The general continues: "Intending that there be Passionists in every country in the world, did he intend that in each nation they adopt Italian ways and customs? That they eat Italian foods? Think like Italians? Speak Italian? Act like Italians? Certainly not!...You will fail if you intend to make only Italian Passionists. You will never make them Passionists at all!" Finally, the time came to establish the first Passionist residence in England. Father Dominic and a companion went over to England and obtained a house at Aston Hall in Staffordshire. One of his first ministries was the celebration of the 1842 Holy Week services. As soon as possible Dominic began giving parish missions in England. He was assisted by Gaudentius Rossi who quickly acquired a rather fluent use of English. Many of the Catholics they preached to were the newly arrived Irish immigrants who in England were working long hours in hard labour. Father Gaudentius realized that the method of giving missions should be adapted to the needs of the Catholics in England whether they were 'old' Catholics, Irish immigrants or recent converts. The methods used in Italy were not always suitable. Dominic feared that the Passionist method would be lost if too many changes were made. Eventually necessary adaptations were made. Another problem arose in England in regard to undertaking parish ministry. St. Paul of the Cross, aware of the abundance of priests in the Italy of his times, did not make parish work one of the major apostolates of his new community. In mid-nineteenth century England the situation was entirely different. There were few priests. The ever growing number of Irish immigrants to England made parish work more and more necessary. Bishops expected the Passionists to accept parishes, especially when a new foundation was being made. Dominic himself accepted parishes, even though as he wrote in the introduction to the Life of St. Paul of the Cross "it would be to be wished that they should not have the care and responsibility of any particular congregation (parish), so that they might be free at all times to go wherever they are called; but in the present circumstances of this country it may easily be understood that it would not be possible for them to decline this charge" of caring for a parish. This would become a serious problem for many years in the English province and elsewhere in the congregation. While still in Belgium Dominic read in the Paris paper L'Universe an article by a scholar of Oxford on the relationship of the Church of England with the Church of Rome. Dominic was deeply moved, for the Oxford Movement seemed almost ready to bear fruit in a reunion of the two churches. He sat down and wrote a long letter to "the Gentlemen of Oxford." He responded to their questions, discussed their positions, clarified the teachings of the Church. But he did more. He opened his heart to them, told of his years of prayer for his English brothers. Above all, he treated them with respect. He dealt with them as sincere men. He showed them he loved them. While many Anglicans were condemning these men of Oxford for being disloyal to their mother church, and many of the "old" Catholics cast doubt about their sincerity, this poor Italian monk treated them with respect and love. When the sensitive John Henry Newman became aware of this letter, he at once felt attracted to this foreigner. Newman had left Oxford and was living a community life of prayer, penance and study at Littlemore. What he was looking for now was some appreciation of the predicament he was in as a sincere Anglican. He also wanted to see sanctity in the Roman Church. He had written: "If they want to convert England, let them go barefoot into our manufacturing towns, let them preach to the people like St. Francis Xavier - let them be pelted and trampled on, and I will own that they do what we cannot...Let them use the proper arms of the Church and they will prove they are the Church". Dominic's letter and example solved Newman's last hesitations. The author of the Oxford letter was John Dalgairns who soon joined Newman at Littlemore. When in June of 1844 Dominic was near Littlemore he called on Dalgairns and met Newman for the first time. He spent about a half hour with Newman. Neither man ever forgot this first visit. In July Dominic wrote to the general: "I was received with every token of cordiality and sincere regards by Dr. Newman and by his disciples. We talked of various matters of religion. I left them several of my polemical tracts" Newman mentioned this brief visit to his friends when he later wrote of his reception by Father Dominic. John Dalgairns continue to keep in touch with Dominic and in mid- September of the following year wrote to Dominic that he wanted to be received at Aston Hall. Afterwards, Dalgairns invited Dominic to stop at Littlemore on his way to Belgium. When Newman heard that Father Dominic would be stopping at Littlemore he felt that this was the external sign he was looking for. He would ask Father Dominic to receive him into the church. Dominic arrived late at night, dripping-wet for he had been sitting on the top of the coach exposed to the continual rain. On entering the house he went at once to the fireplace to dry himself. The door opened quietly and Newman entered. In a moment he was at Dominic's feet, praying for admission into the Catholic and Roman Church! That very night he began his confession. "What a spectacle it was for me to see Newman at my feet! All that I have suffered since I left Italy has been well compensated by this event. I hope the effects of such a conversion may be great." Thus did the humble, joyous Dominic write to Father Anthony in Rome. On the following Sunday Newman and four companions went to the Catholic Chapel of St. Clement's at Oxford for Mass. All England soon knew that they were now Roman Catholics. The news of this great conversion re-echoed throughout the world. Masses of thanksgiving were offered, and "Te Deums" sung in the churches of Rome, France, Germany and Belgium. Pope Gregory XVI sent the papal blessing. It was the beginning of "the second spring!" From Rome the Father General, Anthony Testa, shared his joy and own feelings with Dominic: "First of all, I thank the Lord for the conversion of Newman and his companions, and that of the other Oxford men...These are all works of God, and to Him let us give the glory. I pray that these may be the first fruits of an abundant harvest. For our part we must be very humble if we do not want to place an obstacle in the path of divine mercy, and if we are to be used as His instruments in the gathering in of the harvest." Father Anthony also reminded Dominic that if they are to fulfil their mission in England they needed, not Italians, but English vocations: "I am more and more convinced that success requires nationals, who have a command of the language. Foreigners will be able to do something, if they have a good reputation; but they cannot gain or win the people by their speech. This reason, together with the fact that it would not be easy to send many Italian subjects, makes it desirable that God should send us English vocations." For a while Dominic had been asking the general to send Father Lawrence Salvi to England. Lawrence was a good superior and zealous missionary. He had a special devotion to the Child Jesus and promoted this devotion on his missions. Dominic had lived with him and wanted him in England. Anthony refused. Lawrence was beatified in 1989. The problem of English vocations continued for many years. Father Anthony for a long time felt that the wearing of sandals was a deterrent to vocations. For years Father Anthony and Father Dominic exchanged their views on the question of whether the religious should wear sandals in Belgium and England. In this case the general was willing to allow the use of shoes, especially during the winter months. Dominic wanted to retain the use of sandals. Perhaps we should remember that in England religious did not wear the habit (and sandals) in public. So Passionists in England would be going out in the cold in secular attire (including shoes). In Belgium, as in Italy, religious wore the habit in public. This would mean that even in the damp Belgian winter they would be wearing sandals outside. Dominic feared that a relaxation in this matter would lead to other mitigations and the English Passionists would not image the sanctity and austerity the English were looking for from the Roman Church. He remembered what Newman had written earlier at Littlemore. Many Englishmen, as had Newman, were looking for this penitential austerity from religious of the Church of Rome. English vocations were few, but Dominic was deeply consoled by the arrival of Father George Spencer who received the habit on January 5, 1847. Spencer was a convert of some years and already ordained when Dominic came to England in 1841. Now as a fellow Passionist, known as Ignatius Spencer, he proved a great comfort to Dominic and the Passionists. Interestingly, also, is the fact that he is a member of the Spencer family as is the present Princess of Wales, Diana. In 1847 a plague struck England, due to a great extent to the vast throngs of starving Irish poor from potato-famine stricken Ireland. Living conditions were dreadful in the industrial towns of England. The cholera spread rapidly. The Passionists assisted the sick and dying, supplying for the secular priests who were overworked and falling victims to the plague. At one point a report went forth that Father Ignatius Spencer had been stricken. Fortunately, this was not the fact. Later at Father Dominic's death Ignatius was put in charge of the English vicariate until the chapter of 1851. In the final years Dominic was able to begin a foundation in London at Poplar House. Ultimately the London foundation would be at Highgate, near the cemetery in which Karl Marx is buried. It is interesting to reflect that both men were in London at the same time, one to bring the English into full communion with the Catholic Church of Rome, the other to lay the foundation for atheistic Communism! Like Dickens, both saw the plight of the poor in the factory towns of England. In August, 1849, Dominic was returning to Aston Hall from London. He was accompanied by his cousin, Father Louis Pesciaroli, who has just returned from the disastrous Australian venture. About five miles from Reading, Dominic got desperately sick. He was taken off the train to be attended by a doctor. There was not a room for him at the small station of Pangbourne. Father Louis put him back on the train for Reading. There he expired from violent heart spasms at 3:00 p.m., August 27, 1849. Dominic had dreamed a dream. Only part of it was fulfilled, for he did come to England. But even the conversion of Newman did not bring about the reunion of Canterbury with Rome. The reunion of Christians would require a long, painful journey on the part of many. Dominic had paid the price of the first steps. Dominic had dreamed of working with the English, but he soon found himself engaged in ministering to the Irish immigrants. Many of his followers would come from these Irish families. Their deep faith and piety would shape the spirit of the Passionists for years to come. Perhaps Dominic's mission in Dublin at St. Audeon's, High Street, was a sign of what the future would hold for Passionists in the British Isles. This mission was given April 29 - May 20, 1849. It was Dominic's last mission. For years the Passionists would look to Ireland for young men to join in the work to be done in England among both the English and the Irish immigrants there. From England Dominic's sons would spread to Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. English Passionists would establish the order in Australia. Father Gaudentius Rossi, the parish missionary in England, would cross the Atlantic to the United States to begin Passionist parish missions in that country. After the Second World War English Passionists would go to Sweden. Irish Passionists would be in Africa. And, of course, Dominic had founded the Passionists in Belgium. From Belgium they spread to The Netherlands, and France, and eventually to Zaire, Brazil, Israel, Bulgaria and Indonesia. In the tradition of Blessed Dominic (he was beatified by Pope Paul VI), Passionists would be aware that ecumenism is an essential part of their heritage. At the time of the Second Vatican Council, Passionists would accept with joy the call to engage in ecumenical ministries. The "renewal" of the congregation in the spirit of Vatican II would challenge the modern Passionist to this ecumenical mission. Blessed Dominic Barberi, perhaps together with Cardinal John Henry Newman, must have looked with favor upon the Passionist scholar among those participating in the Vatican-Anglican dialogue. For in 1981 Queen Elizabeth II of England, the Defender of the Faith, at the request of the Archbishop of Canterbury, bestowed the Order of St. Augustine of Canterbury upon the American Passionist, Father Barnabas Mary Ahern, for his outstanding work in the dialogue.	Passionists on the web: www.passionist.org Passionist Saints: St. Paul of the Cross, Mother Mary Crucified Constantini, St. Vincent Mary Strambi, St. Gabriel Possenti, Caesar Silvestrelli, St. Gemma Galgani, You can get a web page translated here. If you know of another AA site email us.	Home How to find us Parish History Parish Council Parish Groups Contacts Bulletin Music Pages Readers' Rota Parish Programmes Baptism Programme First Communion Confirmation Marriage Links St. Gabriel's Boys' College Holy Cross Girls' School Holy Cross Boys' School Mercy Primary

	Holy Cross
	Roman Catholic Church, Ardoyne, Belfast served by the Congregation of the Passion (CP)