Chapter 122 Second Martin Verga branch

That convent existed for many years in the Rue Piccubs until 1824, and it was a convent of the sisters of the Bernard Order belonging to the order of Martin Verga. Therefore, the nuns of the Bernard Order are different from the Bernard Brothers in that they do not belong to Minggu, but like the Benedictine monks, they belong to Sido.In other words, they were not disciples of St. Bernard, but disciples of St. Benoit. Anyone who has turned over some folios knows that Martin Verga founded a Bernardo-Benedictine order in 1425, with Salamanca as its seat and Alcalá as its seat. Club address. Branches of that order extended into all the Catholic countries of Europe.

It is not uncommon in the Latin Church for one order to be transplanted by another.The line of St. Benoit is involved here, and we will only talk about the situation of this line. Except for the one of Martin Verga, there are four religious orders in the same system, two In Italy, Monte Cassino and St. Justin de Padua, two in France, Cluny and St. Maur; nine other orders also belong to the same system, the Walloon Pelochacio Order of Gramont, Order of Zeles, Order of Camaldor, Order of Chartreuse, Order of the Lowly, Order of the Mount of Olives, Order of Sylvester and Cistercian for the Cistercian Order, though itself the origin of several Orders, was to Saint Benoit no more than a branch.The Cistercian order has existed since the time of Saint Robert, who in 1098 was abbot of the Abbey of Molesme in the diocese of Langres.The devil was expelled from the former site of the Temple of Apollo in 529. At that time, he had retired to the Subiaco desert (he was old, had he changed his ways?), he was originally through St. Saint Benoit was seventeen years old when he lived in the Temple of Apollo.

The Carmelites walk barefoot, wear a wicker around their necks, and never sit, except for the canons of the Carmelites, the Bernard-Benedictine nuns of the line of Martin Verga. Their canon is the strictest.They were all dressed in black, and according to the special regulations of Saint Benoit, the headbands must cover the chins.A serge gown with wide sleeves, a large wool mask, a headband that covers the chin and hangs squarely to the chest, and a headband that covers the eyes, this is their attire.Except for the forehead scarf which is white, the rest are all black.Beginners wear the same clothes, all white.The nuns who have made vows also have a string of rosary beads hanging beside them.

The Bernardine-Benedictine nuns of the line of Martin Verga, like those Benedictine nuns of the so-called sacramental mothers, practice perpetual rites, Benedictine nuns, this century At first there were two convents in Paris, one at the Temple and the other at the Rue Neuve Saint-Geneviève.But the Bernard-Benedictine nuns of Petit-Picbus, whom we are talking about, are by no means of the same order as those sacramental nuns who ordained at the Rue Neuve Saint-Geneviève and at the Temple. .There are many differences in canon and many differences in dress.The Bernardine-Benedictine nuns of Petit-Picbus wear black hoods, while the Benedictine nuns of the Rue Neuve Saint-Geneviève wear white hoods and a three-inch pendant on their breasts. High gilded silver or copper gilded host.The nuns of Little Piccubus never wear that kind of Eucharist.The abbey of the Little Piccubus and the abbey of the Great Temple have the same ritual of perpetual respect, but the two abbeys must not be confused on this matter.With regard to this ceremony, there is only an appearance between the nuns of the Holy Sacrament and the Bernard nuns of the line of Martin Verga, just as Philippe de Neri established the Italian scriptures and leather in Florence. The French chapel established by El de Belour in Paris was originally two distinct and sometimes even hostile orders, but in the study of the childhood, life and death of Jesus Christ and the various miracles of the Virgin Mary In terms of respect and eulogy, there are commonalities between the two orders.The Oratory of Paris predominates, because Philippe de Nelly is only a saint, and Bérour is a cardinal.

Let us return to Martin Verga's strict canons of the Spanish type. The Bernardo-Benedictine nuns of this branch are vegetarians throughout the year, fast on Lent and many other festivals designated by them, wake up after a short sleep at night, and begin to read the Sundays at one o'clock in the morning, Singing morning prayers until three o'clock; sleeping under serge sheets and straw all year round, never taking a bath or warming the fire, self-checking discipline every Friday, observing the rules of keeping quiet, talking only at recess, that kind of The rest, too, was very short, six months of brown tweed shirts every year, from the Feast of the Holy Cross on the fourteenth of September to Easter.And the six months were a kind of accommodation, the whole year was stipulated, but the brown duffel shirts were unbearable in the hot summer, and often caused fevers and nervous spasms, so the period of use had to be limited.Even with this kind of care, the nuns would have had a fever for three or four days in those shirts on the fourteenth of September.Obedience, poverty, asceticism, and stability in the monastery are their vows, but the canon distorts their wish into a heavy burden.

The dean's term is three years, and is elected by the nuns. The nuns who participate in the election are called "counselor nuns" because they have a say in the religious affairs meeting.The dean can only be re-elected twice, so the maximum term of a dean can only be nine years. They never saw the presiding priest, and there was always a seven-foot serge between them and the presiding priest.They pulled down their veils over their faces when the preachers went up to the altar to preach.They had to speak in low voices at all times, and they had to keep their heads down and keep their eyes on the ground when they walked.Only one man may enter the monastery, the archbishop of the diocese.

There was indeed another man, the gardener, but the gardener must be an old man, and a bell was hung on his lap so that he would live alone in the garden forever, and that the nuns might avoid him in time. They are absolutely obedient to the dean.This is the kind of obedient sacrifice that the canon requires.It is like accepting the order of Christ (ut voci Christi), observing words and actions, knowing what to do (ad nutum, ad primum signum), being quick, cheerful, persevering, and absolutely obedient (prompte, hilariter, perseveranter, et coeca et quadam obedientia), like in the hands of a worker file (quasi limam in manibus fabri), neither can read nor write anything without express permission (legere vel scribere non adiscerit sine expressa superioris licentia).

Each of them had to take turns performing what they called their "Rite of Atonement."Atonement is a prayer to atone for the world from all faults, all mistakes, all disturbances, all violence, all injustice, and all crimes.The nuns who hold the "atonement" have to kneel on a stone slab in front of the Eucharist for twelve consecutive hours, from 4 o'clock in the evening to 4 o'clock in the morning, or from 4 o'clock in the morning to 4 o'clock in the evening. When the rope is too tired to support it, the whole body will lie on the ground, face the ground, and stretch out the arms in a cross shape. This is the only way to rest.In such a posture, the nun prays for all sinners in the world, which is almost magnificent.

This ceremony was performed before a wooden pillar, on top of which a white candle was lighted, so they called it at will the "Rite of Penitence" or "The Kneeling Pillar."The nuns, out of inferiority complex, prefer the second term, since it implies suffering and humiliation. "Performing the ritual of atonement" requires full concentration.The nun in front of the pillar would not turn her head to look even if she knew that there was thunder and fire falling behind her. In addition, there must always be a nun kneeling before the Eucharist.Kneel for one hour per class.Like soldiers standing guard, they take turns changing shifts.This is the so-called eternal respect.

Almost all the deans and nuns have to take a particularly significant name. These names are not derived from the life experience of the saints and martyrs, but from certain events in the life of Jesus Christ, such as the birth of the nanny, the beginning Mother of Pregnancy, Mother of Dedication, Mother of Suffering.But it is not forbidden to use the name of the saint. When people meet them, they only see their mouths.Each of them had yellow teeth.A toothbrush never entered the door of this convent.Brushing your teeth is the highest level of soul-destroying sins. They never say "mine" to anything.They don't have anything that belongs to them, and they don't have anything to be reluctant to part with.They say "ours" about everything, our masks, our rosaries, and if they talk about their shirts, "our shirts."Sometimes they also fell in love with small objects, a book of daily lessons, a relic, a blessed medal.As soon as they find themselves getting a little attached to something, they have to give it away.They often recall the words of St. Teresa: A lady said to her when she joined the Order of St. Teresa: "My mother, please allow me to send someone to find a Bible. Hate it."

"Ah! You still have something you are reluctant to part with! If that's the case, you don't have to come to us!" No one is allowed to shut herself alone in a house, nor is she allowed to have a "her environment", a "room".They live with the doors open.When they came into contact with each other, one said: "May the Most Exalted Host on the altar be admired and adored!" The other answered: "For ever." The same ceremony was used when they knocked on other people's doors.Before the door had knocked much, the soft voice in the room was hastening to say "Forever!" This, like all other actions, becomes mechanical when habitual, and sometimes this one "For ever" had already blurted out, and the other party hadn't had time to finish the rather lengthy sentence "May the most sublime host on the altar be praised and adored!" The nuns of the visiting congregation say "Praise Mary" when they enter someone's house, and the people who greet them in the house say "be well-mannered".This is their way of saying goodbye to each other, and it is indeed very graceful. Every hour the clock in the chapel of the monastery strikes three more times.After hearing this signal, the dean, nuns in council, vowing nuns, serving nuns, novice students, and preparatory students should put down all their talking, doing, and thinking, and everyone should get together... If it is five o'clock, then Say in unison: "At five o'clock and every o'clock, may the Most Exalted Host on the altar be admired and adored!" If it is six o'clock, say: "At six o'clock and every o'clock..." For other times, follow the hour and so on. This habit, designed to interrupt the mind and direct it to God at all times, has been practiced in many churches, though the formula is different.For example, in the Congregation of the Son of Jesus it is said: "May God's favor lift my heart at this hour and at every hour!" Fifty years ago, when the Bernardo-Benedictine nuns of the Martin Verga lineage in the hermitage of Petit Piquebus sang the Office, they sang hymns in a deep voice, The plain chant, and had to be sung from the beginning to the end of the class with full voices, but where the asterisks were printed on the missal, they stopped singing and just whispered "Jesus— Mary-Joseph".When performing sacrifices for the dead, their voices are lowered, almost beyond the reach of female voices, which can produce a mournful and moving effect. The nuns of Petit Piccubus once built a crypt under their altar, intending it to be a place for the monastery to place coffins.But the "government"...that's what they say, forbids coffins in the cellar.So they died and got out of the hospital.They were distressed by the incident, as if they had been unlawfully interfered with, and were constantly disturbed. They had the meager consolation of being buried at a certain hour and at a designated time in the former Vaugirard cemetery, which had belonged to their convent on a piece of land. on the corner. The nuns had to say High Mass, Vespers, and all the other daily services on Thursday as on Sunday.Besides this, they were bound to strictly observe all the minor festivals, almost unknown to outsiders, which had formerly prevailed in the French churches, but now only in the Spanish and Italian churches.They are at the altar all the time.To illustrate how many times they prayed and how long each prayer lasted, it would be best to quote an innocent remark made by one of them: "The prayers of the trainees frighten people badly, the prayers of novice scares people even more, and the prayers of vowing nuns It scares people even more.” They meet once a week, presided over by the Abbot, and attended by the Councilor Sisters.One by one, the nuns went to kneel on the stone slab, and in front of the public, loudly confessed the big and small mistakes she made during the week.After listening to a man's confession, the councilors exchanged opinions and loudly announced the method of punishment. In addition to the fault of loudly confessing, there is also the so-called penance ceremony for making up for minor faults.To perform penance was to fall before the Abbot during the Office of the Office, until the Abbess—they called him at all times "Our Nurse" and nothing else—was in her presence. You can stand up with a light tap on the prayer mat.Penance for a trifle, breaking a glass, tearing a visor, being a few seconds inadvertently late for the daily service, missing a note in a chapel, and the like would suffice. Penance.The act of penance is entirely spontaneous, and it is up to the sinner — etymologically, the word is appropriate here — to reflect on himself and punish himself.On holidays and on Sundays, there are four Sisters singing hymns with the Office at the four music stands on the choir.One day a Sister Sisters was singing a hymn that began with "Behold," but instead of "Behold," she sang the three words "Do, si, so" aloud. A note, because of this oversight, she performed a penance that started and ended with the daily service.The reason why her mistake was serious was that all the nuns present laughed. When the nuns were called into the parlor, even the Superior, we remember, had to put down his mask, leaving only his mouth exposed. Only the dean can talk to outsiders.The rest of the people can only meet their closest family members, and there are very few opportunities to meet.In case an outsider wanted to visit a nun whom she had met or liked socially, she had to ask for it.If it was a woman, it was sometimes permitted, and the nun would come and talk to her through the shutter, which was never open except when mothers, daughters, and sisters saw each other.Men come to visit, of course, all refused. This is the canon laid down by Saint Benoit, but it has been made more severe by Martin Verga. The nuns here, unlike the girls in other orders, are not at all lively and ruddy.They were pale and gloomy.From 1825 to 1830, three went crazy.