Chapter 12 : The Eleventh Star or Splendour of the Crown of Excellence of the Mother of God
Continuing our translation of the 1845 reprint of Fr François Poiré's Triple Crown of the Mother of God (1643 French edition).
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Notre Dame des Grâces, Cotignac.(Poggi, 2020)
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She has been and is still recognized and called blessed by all generations in the world
§ 7. How she was recognised and honoured in the Regular Orders
The Cistercian Order
5 Two hundred years after the Order of Cluny had been restored to its former vigour, Robert, Abbot of Molesmes, withdrew with twenty of his Religious and, having a similar plan in mind, he built a monastery in the midst of the woods at Cîteaux[1], where he and his monks began to live a pure and simple life like that of Angels. The Church and the Abbey at Molesme were dedicated to the MOTHER OF GOD and when they set out from there it was with her inspiration and guidance. Accordingly, it was ordained that all future foundations built under the Cistercian[2] rule would have the Holy Virgin as their Patroness and all who were admitted as Religious would recognize her as their beloved Mother. It is worth noting how wonderful it is to witness the sweet affection towards the Holy Virgin, whom the Monks and Nuns of this Order take as their spouse when they receive their habit. Concerning this very point, I recall what a devout and virtuous writer of this Order recounted about a fellow brother, a most fervent and deeply spiritual man[3].
He says that one day he was raised up in the spirit to Heaven where he saw an almost infinite number of saints arranged in various ranks and wearing various, different habits; but he could not see his own habit anywhere and he was somewhat troubled by this. Having no surer refuge than the Queen of Angels, he spoke to her sorrowfully as follows:
“Holy Virgin, what can this mean when I see the Blessed here coming from all conditions and backgrounds, but without seeing a single one from thy Cistercian Order, even though they honour thee in such a special way and cherish thee so tenderly?”
To which our gentle Mother replied:
“My son, thou hast no need to be astonished any longer, for my dear children who come from thine Order are always under my wings and close to me.”
So saying, she opened her Royal cloak and then he saw a very great number of his brothers and sisters, held in Our Lady’s embrace.
If any readers desire to learn in greater detail just how the MOTHER OF GOD lavished her affection and blessings on several Saints of this great order, and how many times she has protected and preserved it, they will have to satisfy their holy curiosity by reading the book I quoted earlier[4].
Footnotes
[1] Cæsarius, lib. I, c. 1, statuit ad an. 1098.
[2] Cistercian: from Cistercium, the Latin word for Cîteaux.
[3] Cæsarius, lib. VII, c. 11.
[4] Cæsarius, lib. VII.
The Carthusian Order
6 I brought forward our discussion of the Cistercian Order because of its connection with Saint Benedict, even though the Carthusian Order predated it by around a dozen years[1]. From its very beginning, this Order promised great things. Before Saint Bruno (who founded the order) came to Grenoble, and before he had chosen for his foundation the vast wilderness of Chartreuse, Saint Hugh (Bishop of Grenoble) had already received a revelation concerning his arrival. He had seen God’s Majesty coming down into this wilderness where the Holy Virgin quickly made known to blessed Saint Bruno, patriarch and father of so many children, and to his companions, that it was she herself who had led them there. The enemy of all things good had very much wanted to turn them away from such a holy resolution, giving them hundreds of attractive excuses to do so, including that it was an undertaking beyond human power to achieve – shutting themselves away whilst alive in little cells just as though they were enclosing themselves in tombs.
Their loving Mother promptly came to their rescue by sending the Apostle Saint Peter, whom she ordered to tell Saint Bruno on her behalf that they simply needed to take courage, that they should remember that she had received them into her protection and that for as long as they recited daily her Office, she would never abandon them. For their part, they observed this request and she in return fulfilled her promise so faithfully that this Order, through the special help of their Mother most bountiful, has enjoyed a privilege not accorded to any other: to have continued now for 560 years in its springtime vigour. They remain so committed, moreover, in their devotion to the Holy Virgin that you will never find a single one of their churches that has not been not dedicated to her. Anyone who wishes to take the time to study this devotion in detail will find enough material to write an entire treatise. It will be enough for now to recall the tender-hearted exercise that the devout Carthusian Lansperge ordained for each of his brethren – namely, that every time they entered or left their cells, they should remember to greet the Holy Virgin as their guardian Protectress and their unique hope after God himself[2].
Footnotes
[1] Cæsarius, lib. I, c. 1, statuit ad an. 1098.
[2] Cistercian: from Cistercium, the Latin word for Cîteaux.
The Premonstratensian Order
7 There were no more than twenty-two years between the beginnings of the Cistercian and Premonstratensian Orders, the latter being founded by St Norbert, Archbishop of Magdeburg[1]. There is little difference between the two concerning their devotion to the MOTHER OF GOD, to whom both owe their origins, their progress and their restoration. The very name Premonstratensian reveals how all the children of this Order belong to the glorious Virgin. Now I know the common view is that this name is said to come from the place where it was first established[2], as in the case of the Orders of Cluny, Cîteaux, the Carthusians and nearly all the ancient Orders. This opinion may have considerable evidence to support it but I would argue in support of something mentioned at the beginning of the Constitutions of the Order, namely:
Before St Norbert had made a decision concerning the habit he would choose for his Religious, an Angel was sent to him by an express commission of the Holy Virgin and told him to take his white habit for all those seeking acceptance into the Order. Because the habit was premonstrated[3] in this way before its institution, the Order received the name of Premonstratensian.
The lives of St Norbert and of a goodly number of his spiritual children, notably Blessed Herman de Steinvald (whom I shall have occasion to mention elsewhere), bear witness to the remarkable favours and blessings they received from their Mediatrix. This was true not only for them as individuals but also for the Order as a whole. Space, however, does not permit me to elaborate further.
Footnotes
[1] Fundatus an. 1120 ; Aub. Miræus, in Chronico Præmonstratensi, alii an. 1110.
[2] Prémontré, in the Aisne department in Hauts-de-France in northern France.
[3] premonstrate: to foreshow, portend; to point out or make known beforehand. [OED. 1562-]
The Order of Monte-Vergine
8 In the same year or (according to some) four years later, an Order was founded by St William of Vercelli, also known as William of the Corselet[1] because of the metal breastplate he wore, with his head left uncovered. This Order was born, so to speak, from the arms of Our Lady and was called the Order of Monte-Vergine[2] – after a mountain of the same name[3] where the first chapel and hermitage were built and dedicated under this name to the blessed Virgin.
Footnotes
[1] This may be a reference to a report that he went on a pilgrimage to St. James of Compostella, and, not content with the ordinary hardships of such a pilgrimage, he encircled his body with iron bands to increase his suffering. [Catholic Encyclop.] [2] Martyrol. Rom., 25 Junii.
[3] In the province of Naples, Italy.
The Order of the Trinity, or of the Ransom of Captives
9 Around the year 1197[1], the Order of the Trinity was founded. It is also known as the Order of the Ransom of Captives, but it is different from the one with the Knights of the same name which I described a little earlier. There are some who claimed that the founders of this order were two French anchorites, Jean de Matha, a gentleman from Provence, and Félix Valésien. Their praiseworthy plans, inspired by Heaven, received a sympathetic hearing from Pope Innocent III who approved them and the Order was established in the city of Rome, opening up the possibility for it to spread throughout Christendom.
They have since the beginning being under the special protection of the MOTHER OF GOD. Solemn proof of this was given when, during the general Chapter which was held in the convent of Cerfroi[2], in the year 1429, they confirmed an ancient ordinance obliging members of the order to recite every Thursday the Office of the Holy Trinity and every Saturday the Office of Our Lady, both containing nine lessons, (these being the two patrons of their Order). I cannot omit to mention that there was a Decree from the Royal Tribunal of Portugal popularly known as the Table of Conscience[3] which stipulates that on the chests of alms gathered by the religious of this Order for the ransom of poor prisoners, an image was to be painted of the blessed Virgin holding her Son in her arms, and at her feet on one side some prisoners laden with chains and manacles, and on the other a Religious of the Order holding with one hand the robe of the Mother of Mercy, and with the other pointing a finger to the captives, with words shown spoken from his mouth and addressed to the holy Virgin: Most worthy mother of God, do thou vouchsafe to cast off the shackles of prisoners. I shall not give details of the many Confraternities they have in honour of the Queen of Angels, for example that of the Scapular of their Order, that of Our Lady of Healing and other similar Confraternities of which one convent alone in Lisbon had seven. The history of this holy Order will reveal to anyone curious that the grace and favours received from their Mother most bountiful have not been less than the devotion they have always had and always will have to honouring the Holy Virgin.
Footnotes
[1] Sabel., lib. V Hist. Encad. 9 ; Lætius Zecchius, de Repub. Eccl., Tract. de Relig., c. 11 ; Gononus, ex Antiquis monu-mentis.
[2] Cerfroi (Cerfredum), location of the Order’s mother house in the Diocese of Meaux, France.
[3] Mesa da Consciência e Ordens (Table of Conscience and Orders), a royal tribunal created by King D. João III, in 1532.
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The Vladimirskaya Icon. >12th century. |
SUB tuum præsidium confugimus, Sancta Dei Genitrix. Nostras deprecationes ne despicias in necessitatibus, sed a periculis cunctis libera nos semper, Virgo gloriosa et benedicta. Amen.
Totus tuus ego sum
Et omnia mea tua sunt;
Tecum semper tutus sum:
Ad Jesum per Mariam.
© Peter Bloor 2024