xt7q5717mm89 https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt7q5717mm89/data/mets.xml David, John Baptist Mary, 1761-1841. 1864 books b92-262-31849941 English Webb and Levering, : Louisville : Contact the Special Collections Research Center for information regarding rights and use of this collection. Retreats. Meditations.Spalding, M.J. (Martin John), 1810-1872. Spiritual retreat of eight days / by the Right Rev. John M. David ; edited, with additions and an introduction by M.J. Spalding. text Spiritual retreat of eight days / by the Right Rev. John M. David ; edited, with additions and an introduction by M.J. Spalding. 1864 2002 true xt7q5717mm89 section xt7q5717mm89 SPIRITUAL RETREAT OF EIGHT DAYS. BY THE RIGHT REV. JOHN M. DAVID, D. D. FIRST COADJUTOR OF BISHOP FLAGET. EDITED, WITH ADDITIONS, AND AN INTRlODUCTION, BY M. J. SPALDING, D. D., BISHOP OF LOUISVILLE. LOUISVILLE: WEBB AND LEVERIiNG. MDCCCLXIV. Entered according to the Act of Congress, by WEBB AND LEVERING, in the United States Court, for the District of Kentucky, in the year of our Lord, 1863. Stereotyped by Hills, O'Driscoll & Co. No. 141 Main St., Cincinnati. PREFACE. TWENTY ONE years have elapsed since the pious death of the saintly BisIIop DAVID, the founder of the ecclesiastical Seminary, and of the Sisterhood of Nazareth, in the Diocese of Louisville. Besides these living monuments of his devotion and successful zeal, he left behind him a considerable amount of writings, chiefly on spiritual and ascetic subjects. The most important of these, besides his Prayer Book, entitled True Piety, and his Cate- chism, which have been already published, are his Eight Days' Retreat, and his Manual for the Sisters of Nazareth. TEhe latter was never completed, death having, it would appear, surprised him in the midst of this, his last (iii ) i PREFACE. labor of love. Of the Four Parts of which it was to be composed, only the First and a small portion of the Second were written. As the First Part, however, is complete in itself, and contains much useful instruction on the religious life, which may be profit- able to other religious communities, whether of males or females, besides that of Naza- reth, I here publish it in an Appendix. Of the twenty four Meditations which were to be embraced in the Eight Days' Retreat, three are wanting, all belonging to the last Week. These I have supplied from "AlaJn- resa, or the Spiritual Exercises of' St. Ignatius for general use," a valuable London publica- tion. From the same source I have freely borrowed whatever seemed to be necessary for rendering the present little work a more complete and practical Manlual for the per- formance of the Spiritual Exercises; such as the practical advices, or Additions, of St. Igna- tius to those who wish to make a Retreat iv with fruit, his methods of Prayer, and of Examination of Conscience, both general and particular, and Considerations for eachl day of the Retreat. I have also thought it well to prefix to the publication a brief biographi- cal sketch of the saintly BisiioP DAVID, to- gether with his short but admirable Method of Mental Prayer. I could have wished that some one more skilled in the science of the spiritual life had undertaken to edit this work. But having failed in my efforts to induce some member of the Society of Jesus to perform the task, I decided to do the best I could myself under the circumstances; and for this purpose I drew on my notes of Retreats which vwere preached to the Students of the Propaganda College in Rome, about thirty years ago, by some of the most eminent disciples of St. Ignatius, including the late General of the Order. This I have attempted to do in the Introduction, in the preliminary remarks at the beginning PREFACE. v vi PREFACE. of each Week, and in the general ordering of the Exercises. Many pious persons, both in Kentucky and elsewhere, have already used the Medita- tions of the good BISHoP DAVID with much relish and fruit. In publishing them for gen- eral use, I have merely endeavored to furnish a not wholly unsuitable frame for a picture of great and solid merit. All that I ask of those who will use this little work is, that they will strive to profit by its contents, and will have the charity to breathe forth occasionally a short prayer for the unworthy Editor. CONTENTS. PAUK. Preface.-iii Biographieal Notice of Bishop David. INTRODUCTION.. 35 I. The Nature and Objects of the Spiritual Exercises ---- 36 II. How are we to Perform the Exercises with Fruit---- -- 47 METHOD OF MENTAL PRAYER. Chapter I.-Of Mental Prayer in General .53 Chapter I.-Of the Preparation 53 Chapter 11.-Of the Meditation 56 Chapter IV.-On the Conclusion 59 Chapter V.-Of some Advices Concerning Mental Prayer----- 60 Chapter VI.-Of the Impediments to Mental Prayer 61 Ten Additional Recommendations 63 CONTEMPLATION, or Manner of Meditating on Sensible Objects . 65 I. Before the Contemplation .66 II. During the Contemplation .66 III. After the Contemplation- 66 OF DIVERS MANNERS OF PRAYING. First Manner 67 Second Manner .68 Third Manner.. 69 Method of Particular Examination 70 Observations.. ---.----- ----------- 71 Method of the General Examination, to be made Every Day - -- 72 Prayer of St. Ignatius " Anima Christi,". - - - - - - . - - - - - - - - 72 Prayer of Oblation and Divine Love, By St. Ignatius .......... 73 ( vii ) viii CONTENTS. The Memorare, By St. Bernard .74 Praver of Union with Jesus in all our Actions 74 Union with Jcsus and Mary -.- 75 PREPARATORY EXERCISES. Meditation on Retreat.- 76 What God has Prepared for you in Retreat . - . - - - . - - . - - - - . 76 What God asks of you in this Retreat 79 EIGHT DAYS' RETREAT. FIRST WEEK. VIA PrRGATIVA. THE WAY OF PURIFICATION 83 FIRST DAY. First Meditation. On the End of Alan- 86 Consideration. The Principle of the Exercises.--.--.....--.--.90 Second Meditation. On the End of Creatures - -- -- 100 Third Meditation. On the difference between attaching ourselves to God, and attaching ourselves to Creatures . - - 105 SECOND DAY. First Meditation. On the Enormity of Mortal Sin from the Punishment thereof - 111 Consideration. The effects of Mortal Sin in the soul of the sinner.-- - 116 Second Meditation. On our own Sins .125 Third Meditation. On Hell .129 THIRD DAY. First Meditation. On Death .135 Consideration. On the Punishment of the Damned.-- -- -- -- -- 139 Second Meditation. On the Particular Judgment 148 Third Meditation. O th Prodigal 152 CONTENTS. SECOND WEEK. VIA ILLUMINATIVA. Ti1E WAY OF ENLIGHTENMENT T . 158 FOURTH DAY. First Meditation. Oll tle Following of Christ.--.-..-..-.- 160 Consideration. Oi the ieLlblic Lifc of Jesus Christ..........- 165 Second Meditation. On the Incarnation 172 Third Meditation, On thc Nativity of our Lord 177 FIFTH DAY. First Mceditation. On the Circumcision of Jesus Christ.----- IS2 Consideration. On Venial Sin.- 7- I S Second Meditation. Onl the 1Presentation of our Lord in the Temple 191 Third Meditation. On the Private Life of Jesus CGrist ....... 190 SIX'rH DAY. F irst Meditation. Onl the two Standards 201 Consideration. Onl the Discourse of our Lord aFter the Last Supper.- -- 205 Second Meditation. Of the three Classes.- - - - - -214 Third lMeditation. On the three Degrees of flumilitv- ---- ---- 218 TIIIRD WVEEK. VIA CONFIRMiTIVA. THE WAY OF STRENGTHI--.- -- ---- - 223 SEVENTH DAY. First Meditation. On our Saviour's Passion. 225 Consideration. On Marv our Mother 2- - ---- ---- ---- -- - - 231 Second Mleditation. Oil the ilssion of Jesus Christ: from the Garden of Olives to His Condemination. - - - 2 - - - - - - - - 237 Third Meditation. On our Saviour's Crucifixion.----- -- --- 242 ix I CONTENTS. FOURTH WEEK. VIA UNITIVA. THE WAY OF UNION BY LOvE . --------.- 248 EIGHTH DAY. First Meditation. On the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.--- 250 Consideration. On I)evotion to the Blessed Virgin Mlary, Mother of Gold.------------------------------------------ 258 -Second Meditation. On the Blessed Life of Jesus Christ in Heaven.- - 264 Third Meditation. On the Love of God.272 Appendix.-Bishop David's Manual of the Religious Life - -- -- 281 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICE OF THE RIGHT REV. JOHN B. DAVID, BISHOP OF MAURICASTR1JM. JOHN BAPTIST M. DAVID was born in 1761, in a little town on the river Loire, in France, between the cities of Nantes and Angers. His parents were pious, exemplary, and ardently attached to the faith of their fathers. Though not wealthy, they were yet blessed with a competence for their own support, and for the instruction of their offspring. Sensible of the weighty responsibility which rests on Chris- tian parents, they determined to spare no pains or expense, that might be necessary for the Christian education of their children. Young John Baptist gave early evidences of deep piety, of solid talents, and of an ardent thirst for lcarning. At the age of seven, he was placed under the care of an uncle, a pious priest. who willingly took charge of his early educa- tion. By this good priest he was taught the elements of the French and Latin languagcs, and also those of music, for which he manifested great taste. He was enrolled in the ( 9 ) BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICE OF number of ecfants de c7heezr, or of the boys who served at the altar and sang in the choir. At the age of fourteen, he was sent by his parents to a neighboring college, conducted by the Oratorian priests. Here he distinguished himself for regularity, close applica- tion to his studies, solid talents, and, above all, for a sincere piety, which soon won him the esteem and love of both professors and fellow-students. But what all admired in him most, was that sincerity and candor of soul, which tormed, throughout his long life, the distinctive trait in his character. From his earliest childhood, the young John Baptist had manifested an ardent desire to embrace the ecclesiastical state, that he might thus devote his whole life to the service of God and of his neighbor, in the exercise of the holy ministry. His parents were delighted with these dispositions of their son; and to second his purposes, they sent him to the diocesan seminary of Nantes. Here he entered with ardor en his sacred studies, in which he made solid profi- ciency. In the year 1778, the eighteenth of his age, he received the tonsure, and, two years later, the minor orders, from the hands of the Bishop of Angers. In the Theological Seminary he remained for about four years, during which he completed his course of studies, and took with honor the degrees of Bachelor and Master of Arts. In the twenty-second year of his age he bound himself irrevocably to the sacred ministry, by receiving the holy order of sub-deaconship. M. David was ordained deacon in the year 1783; and, hbrving shortly afterwards determined to join the pious congregation of Sulpicians, he went to Paris, and remained for two years in the solitude of Issy, to complete his theological studies, and to prepare himself by retirement so JUrGOT REV. JOHN P. DAVID. 1 and prayer, for the awful dignity of the priesthood, to which hti was raised onl the 2tth of September, 1785. Earl y in the yer following his superiors sent him to the Theological Seminary of Angers, then unc-er the direction of the Sulpicians. Here lie remained for about four years, discharging, with industry and ability, the duties of Professor of Philosophy, Theology, and the Holy Scriptures-always enforcing his lessons by his good example. At length the storm of the FrenchP Revolution broke over Angers; and, late in the year 1790, the seminary was seized on by the: revolutionary troops, and converted into an arsenal. The professors and students were compelled to fly for their lives and AI. David took shelter in a private family. In this retreat he spent his time in study, and in constant prayer to God, for light to guide him in this emergency, and for his powerful aid and protection, to abridge the horrors of a revolution which was every where sacrificing the lives of the ministers of God, and threatening the very existence of the Catholic Church in France. After nearly two years of retirement, he determined, with the advice of his superiors, to sail for America, and to devote the remainder of his life to its infant and struggling missions. Ie embarked for America in 1792, in the company of 2.1IM. Flaget, Chicoisneau, and Badin. On the voyage, he applied himself with such assiduity to the study of the English language, as to have already mastered its principal difficulties ere he set foot on American soil. Very soon after his arrival in the United States, Bishop Carroll ascertained that he knew enough of, English to be of service on the missions; and he accordingly sent him to attend to some Catholic congregations in the lower part of Maryland. M. David had been but four months in America, when he preached his first sermon in English; and lie had 1,1 :lO()GltA1II[(JM, NOTICE OF' the consolation to find that he was not only well understoodl, but that his discourse made a deep impression on his hearers. For twelve years he labored with indefatigable zeal on this mission, in which he attended to the spiritual wvants of three numerous congregations. Ile was cheered by the abundant fruits with which God everywhere blessed his labors. Feeling that mere transient preaching is generally of but little permanent utility, he resolved to commence regular courses of instruction in the form of Retreats; and so great was his zeal and industry, that he gave four Retreats every year to each of his congregations. The first was for the benefit of the married men; the second, for that of the married women; the third and fourth, for that of the boys and girls. To each of these classes he gave separate sets of instructions, adapted to their respective capacities and wants. His discourses were plain in their manner, and solid and thorough in their matter. He seldom began to treat, without exhausting a subject. At first, but few attended his Retreats; but gradually the number increased, so as to embrace almost all the members of his congregations. But he appeared to preach with as much zeal mnd earnestness to the few, as to the many. He was often heard to say, that the conversion or spiritual profit of even one soul, was sufficient to enlist all the zeal, and to call forth all the energies of the preacher. Great were the effects and most abundant the fruits, of M. David's labors, in the missions of Maryland. On his As far as our information extends, he seems to have been the first clergyman in the United States who adopted a practice which has since proved so beneficial to religion. 12S 1R I(tIIT REV. JOHN B. DAVNID. arrival among them, he found his congregations cold and neglectful of their Christian duties ; he left them fervent and cxemplary. Piety everywhere revived; the children and servants made their first communion; the older mem- bers of the congregations became regular communicants. Few that were instructed by him could ever forget their duty, so great was the impression he left, and so thorough was the course of instructions he gave. To the portion of Maryland in which he thus signalized his zeal, he bequeathed a rich and abundant legacy of spiritual blessings, which was destined to descend from generation to generation: and the good people of those parts still exhibit traces of his zeal, and still pronounce his name with reverence and gratitude. In the year 1801, Bishop Carroll found it necessary to recall M. David from the missions, in order to send him to Georgetown College, which was then greatly inr need of his services. The good missionary promptly obeyed the call, and for two years discharged in that institution the duties of professor, with his accustomed fidelity and ability. In 1806, the Sulpicians of Baltimore expressed a wish to enlist his services in the Theological Seminary and the College of St. Marys, under their direction in that city. M. David belonged to that body, and he promptly repaired to the assistance of his brethren. He remained in Baltimore for nearly five years, discharging various offices in the institutions just named, and devoted all his leisure time to the duties of the sacred ministry. He labored with so great zeal and constancy, that his constitution, naturally robust, became much impaired. Still he was not discouraged, nor did he give himself any rest or relaxation. A pure intention of promoting the honor and glory of God, and a constant spirit of prayer, sustained him, and hallowed his every action. 14 IiIO( ifAI'lPI(CAL NOTICE OF' In the year 1808, the new Diocese of Bardstowvn weas formled, emblriacing within its limits tile States of Kentucky and 'lennessec, although the delegakted( jurisdiction of the Bishop was to extend over the whole Northwest, as far as the Mississippi river. IRumor had fixed the appointment to the burdensome office of bishop for the "'-Far West," on Fatther David; but the choice of the Holy See fell on his intimate friend, Al. Flaget. Surprised at the news of this unexpected elevation, Al. Flaget hastened to Baltimore, to hear thc sad intelligence either contradicted, or, if it proved to be true, to use every possible effort to shake off a responsibility which lie believed to be entirely above his strength. 'T'lxe first personl he met on the steps of the Seminary, was M. 1)avid, who, embracing him, confirmed the news, and, with tears in his eyes, added " They told inC that I was to he the Bishop of Bardstown; I did not believe it. But I determnined, that, should this happen, I would invite you to accompany me. But the case being happily reversed, I tender you my services without reserve." Owing to the long persevering unwillingness of M. Flaget to assume the heavy, burden of the episcopal office, he was not consecrated till the 4th of November, 1810, and it was only in the month of May following, that he was enabled to set out from Baltimore lor the new field of his apostolical labors. On the 22d of May they embarked from Pittsburg in a flat-boat, chartered especially for the purpose. It contained, beside the Bishop and Father David, Mr. Fen- wick, M. Savine, a Canadian priest, a sub-deacon-MI. Cha- brat, and a student. Father David had previously been appointed Superior of the Seminary; and though I; his health was in as bad a condition as the Bishop's purse," yet he presided over all the spiritual exercises which were carried on as in a regularly organized seminary. " The boat 15 on which we descendled thc (hio"-hc subsequently wrote to a friend-" lbecirn thc cradle of our seminary and of the Ch(iur' in Kentubcky. (ur cabin was, at the same time, chapel, dormitory, stiudfy-roorn, and refectory. An altar was erected on the boxes, so far a.s circumstances would allow. 'lThe bishop prescribed a regulation, which fixed all the exercises, and in which each had its proper time. On Sunday, after prayer, every one went to confession; then thc priests said M1ass, and the others went to communion. After an agreeable navigation of thirteen days, we arrived at Louisville, next at Bardstown, and finally at the residence of the vicar-ceneral." 'Ilhis residence wlas an old log, house, now converted into the " EJpiscopal Palace; W whilst arothier cabmn harbored the seminarians, and Father David oeccupied a smnall addition to the principal buildiiig. 'lhere the seminary was con- d(iited b! hirn for five months, when in November, 1811, it was removed to the present farm of St. ThomLas, which a piOIs Catholic, Thomas Iloward, had bequeathedi to the Church. Five vears later the present neat church of St. Tholas was erecteld, and a, brick building, iintended for a Seminary, put up. The life of a Seminarian, in those days, was rather fuller of hardships and privations, than it is at present. It is well described in a letter of Father Badin. " The seminarians made bricks, prepared the mortar, cut wood, etc., to build the church of St. Thomas, the seminary, and the convent of Nazaretlh. The poverty of our infant eistablishments compelled them to spend their recreations in labor. Everv day thev devoted three liours to labor in the garden, in the fields, or in the woods. Nothing could be more frugal than their table, which is also that of the two bishops, and in which water is their ordinary drinkl; nothing, at the same time, could be more simple than their dress." 2 RIGHJIT RJEV. JOH1N BS. DAVID1. BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICE OF The young seminarians, indeed, corresponded well with the parental solicitude of their good superior. They caught his spirit, and entered heartily into all his plans for their spiritual welfare. They united manual labor with study. They cheerfully submitted to lead a painful and laborious life, in order to fit themselves for the ministry, and to prepare themselves for the privations they were destined to endure on the missions. As superior of the seminary, Father David was a rigid disciplinarian. Both by word and by example he enforced exact regularity in all the exercises of the house. He was himself always amongst the first at every duty. Particularly was he indefatigable in discharging the duty of instructing the young candidates for the ministry in the sublime maxims of Christian perfection. He seemed never to grow weary of this occupation. A thorough master of the interior life himself, it was his greatest delight to conduct others into the same path of holiness. Ile was not satisfied with laying down general principles; he entered into the most minute details, with a zeal equaled only by his patience. He sought to inspire the young seminarians with an ardent desire of .aspiring to perfection, and of doing all their actions for the honor and glory of God. To arouse and stimulate their zeal, he often dwelt on the sublime grandeur of the ministry, which he delighted to paint as. a cooperation with Christ for the salvation of souls. A favorite passage of the Holy Scripture with him, was that containing the words of our blessed Lord to his apostles: "I have placed you, that you may go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit may remain;" as also this other decla- St. Jobnxv. 16. 16 RIGHT REV. JOHN B. DAVID. ration of the Saviour: "I have come to cast fire upon the earth, and what will I but that it be kindled " The first fruits of his seminary he reaped on the 10th of May, 1818, when two of his pupils, natives of Kentucky, who had gone through the whole course of their studies under his direction, were raised to the dignity of the priesthood; although others, who came from Europe, had previously been ordained at St. Thomas's-among them several Lazarists, belonging to the Diocese of New Orleans, who stayed nearly two years in the seminary of M. David, whomn, on that account, we may justly style the Futher of the Clergy of the West. Though he sometimes rebuked faults with some severity, yet he had a tender and parental heart, which showed itself on all occasions. For all the seminarians he cherished feelings of paternal affection. It was his greatest happiness to see them advance in learning and improve in virtue. He rejoiced with those who rejoiced, and wept with those who wept. No one ever went to him for advice and con- solation in vain. As a confessor, few could surpass him in zeal, in patience, in tenderness. But what most won him the esteem, confidence and love of all under his charge, was his great sincerity and candor in every thing. All who were acquainted with him not only believed, but felt, that he was wholly incapable of deceiving them in the least thing. Ile was always even better than his word: lie was sparing of promises, and lavish in his efforts to redeem them when made. If he rebuked the faults of others, he was free to avow his own; and more than once have we heard him publicly acknowledging his imperfections, and with tears St. Luke xii. 49. 17 1I8 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICE OF imploring pardon of those under his control for whatever pain he might unnecessarily have caused them. Ile was in the constant habit of speaking whatever he thought, without human respect or fear of censure -from others. This frankness harmonized well with the open character of the Kentuckians, and secured for him, in their bosoms, an unbounded confidence and esteem. Those under his direction could not fail to profit by all this earnest zeal and devotedness to their welfare. They made rapid advances in the path of perfection, in which they were blessed with so able and laborious a guide. Even when he was snatched from their midst, they could not soon forget his lessons, nor lose sight of his example. We may say of him what lie so ardently wished should be verified in others: that he " has brought forth fruit," and that " his fruit has remained." He has enkindled a fire in our midst. which the coldness and neglect of generations to come will not be able to quench. He has impressed his own earnest spirit on the missions served by those whom his laborious zeal has reared. Such are some of the fruits pro- duced by this truly good man, with whose invaluable services God has pleased to bless our infant diocese. But these were not all, nor even one-half, of the fruits which he brought forth, and cultivated till they were ripe for Heaven. His zeal was not confined to the seminary, the labor of superintending which would have sufficed for any one man. He devoted all his moments of leisure to the exercise of the holy ministry among the Catholics living in the neighborhood of St. Thomas. He was for several years the pastor of this congregation; and, besides the church, he. attended to several neighboring stations, on Tbhurs(days, when his duties did not require his presence at the seminary. Ile also visited the congregation at Bardstown once a RTGIIT REV. JOHN B. DAVID. month. Constant labor was the atmosphere he breathed, and the very element in which he lived. l-ie was most happy, when most occupied. During his long life, he, perhaps, spent as few idle hours as any other man that ever lived. Besides attending to the seminary and to the missions, Father David set about laying the foundation of another institution which was afterwards to become the ornament and pride of the diocese, and which wvas admirable even in its rude beginnings. We allude to the establishment of the Sisters of Charity in Kentucky, who justly look up to him as their father and founder. The foundation of the Sisters of Charity in Kentucky dlates back to the year 1812; one year and a half after the arrival of Bishop Flaget in his new diocese, and about twelve months after the Theological Seminary, under charge of Fathier David, had been removed from St. Stephen's to the farm of St. Thomas. At this time, the excellent supe- rior of the seminary, with the advice and consent of Bishop Flaget, conceived the idea of founding a community of religious females, who, secluded rirom the world, might devote themselves wvholly to the service of God and the good of their neighbors. So soon as the intentions of the bishop were known in the congregations of his diocese, there were found several ladies who professed a willingness to enter the establishment and to devote their lives to the objects which its projectors proposed. In November, 1812, two pious ladies of mature age, Sister Teresa Carico and Mliss Elizabeth Wells took possession of a small log house, contiguous to the church of St. Thomas. Their house consisted of but one room below and one above, and a cabin adjoining which served as a kitchen. They commenced their work of charity by 19 2BIOGRAPHTICAL NOTICE OF manufacturing clothing for those belonging to the seminary of St. Thomas, then in its infancy. On the 21st of January following 1813, another member was added to the community, in the person of Sister Catha- rine Spalding. On the same day, the superior, Father David, presented to them the provisional rules which he had already drawn up, unfolding the nature, objects, and duties of the new society. On the same occasion, he also read, and fully explained to those presept, an order of the day, which he had written out, for the regulation of the exercises of the community; and this was still further organized by the temporary appointment of the oldest mem- ber as superior, until the society should be sufficiently numerous to proceed to a regular election, according to the provisions of the rule. In June of the same year, the sisters, being then six in number, made a spiritual retreat of seven days, under the direction of Father David ; and at the close of it, proceeded to the election of a superior, and of officers, of their own body. Sister Catharine Spalding was chosen the first Mother Superior, Sister Harriet Gardiner, Mother's Assistant, and Sister Betsey Wells, Procuratrix. At this first election ever held in the society, there were present, Bishop Flaget, Father David, and Rev. G. I. Chabrat. On that occasion the bishop made the sisters a very moving exhortation on the nature of the duties they were undertaking to perform, and on the obligations they contracted in embracing the religious life. The ceremony was closed with the episcopal benedic- tion. For two years the sisters continued to observe their provisional rule, patiently awaiting the decision of their bishop, and of their reverend founder, as to what order or society they would associate themselves. 20 RIGHT REV. .JOHIN B. DAVID. 21 At length it was determined that they should embrace the rules of the Sister.s of (Gharitv, founded in France nearly two centuries before, by St. Vincent of Paul. A copy of these rules had been brought over to the United States. from France, by Bishop Flaget, at the request of Archbishol Carroll ; and they had been already adopted, with some modifications to suit the country, by the religious society of Sisters of Charity, then lately established at Emmittsburg, Maryland. Upon nature reflection, it was decided that the regulations of this excellent institute were more con- formable than any other to the views and intentions Of the bishop and of Father David, as well as to the wvi.hes and objects contemplated by the members of the new society. Father David continued to be the superior of the society for twenty years, when age and infirmity compelled him to retire from its management. He had watched over the infancy, and he lived to be cheered by the rapid growth and extended usefulness of the sisterhood. Bishop Flaget cultivated so intimate a friendship with Father David, and found his services so indispensable for the welfare of his diocese, that he suffered the greatest anguish of soul whenever he had reason to fear tha