Preface
“Every man is a child of his own times.”
“No one can choose the canvas on which he will paint his life, nor can he take credit or blame for being born into particular historical circumstances.”
“It’s what you do with what you’ve got that makes the difference.”
“What sets the great personalities of history apart is their vital awareness of the possibilities that life holds out. They seize them and shape their destinies instead of behaving like puppets of circumstances.”
“Fr. Palau was no different from all men in being born a child of his times. What set him apart in that troubled age was his clear awareness, the eager way in which he studied the sign of his times, and his determined and creative response to them. He built for the future and built in ways that have stood the test of time. He fully realized his humanity and justly occupies a place among the great figures of the nineteenth century.”
Chapter 1: AN AUSTERE BUT LIVELY FAMILY (1811-1828)
SIGNIFICANT FACTS: Dec. 29, 1811 – Birth and Baptism of Francisco Palau y Quer in Aytona, in the Spanish province of Lerida; his parents were Jose Palau Miarnau and Maria Antonio Quer Esteve. He was the 7th of 9 children.
April 11, 1817 – Francisco Palau received the Sacrament of Confirmation at age 6
1824 – Francisco’s sister, Rosa married Ramon Benet
1824 to 1828 – Francisco lived with Rosa and Ramon in Lerida so he could continue his schooling
POINTS TO PONDER:
“An intense participation in parish life, frequent reception of the sacraments, and devotion to Our Lady formed the religious background against which Francisco Palau passed his childhood.”
“Although Francisco was still a child, he already wanted to be someone and to make something meaningful of his life.”
“Francisco thought long and hard about the education he was receiving: What was the purpose of it? What ideal should he follow.”
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS:
1) What were the characteristic traits of his family and the environment that influenced and helped him to develop his personality?
Ans. Palau y Quer Family Traits:
1) Large family
2) Lively children
3) Modest family living
4) Honest and honorable family
---Love, children, work
---Joy and peace of having enough to live on
5) Old fashioned Christians
---robust religious traditions
---exemplary conduct
6) Deep-rooted Christian faith
---an intense participation in parish life
---frequent reception of the sacraments
---devotion to Our Lady
Environment
a) The family had some fields in the fertile lowlands and plots in the hills: there was work for everyone but the fields produced barely enough to live on
b) Dangerous living because of political and social disturbances (French Invasion and War of Independence 1808-1814)
2) What were his preoccupations at this point of his life?
Ans.
a) He wanted to be someone and to make something meaningful of his life
b) He thought long and hard about the education he was receiving: What was the purpose of his education? What ideal should he follow?
3) Personal Reflection: How did your family life and environment influence you to be the person you are now?
4) How can you identify yourself with Fr. Palau in this chapter? In what way or context in this chapter you find a similarity with Fr. Palau?
Chapter 2: THE DICIPLINE AND ROUTINE OF THE SEMINARY (1828-1832)
SIGNIFICANT FACTS: September, 1828 – Francisco was given a full scholarship to meet the expenses of his priestly studies at the Seminary of Lerida upon the recommendation of JUAN CAMPS, the parish priest of Lerida.
1828 -1832 – Francisco completed 3 years of Humanities and Philosophy and 1 year of Theology
December 19, 1829 – Francisco was conferred the clerical tonsure, at only the beginning of his 2nd course in Philosophy.
1832 – Francisco had matured psychologically and spiritually. He saw that his vocation was not to the priesthood, nor was it to Christian matrimony. He was convinced that he was called to religious life.
POINTS TO PONDER:
“Francisco at 17 had and answer and a cause to serve --- He would dedicate his life to God and to the service of others in the priesthood.”
“By the standards of today, it would take a dose of heroism to survive the kind of life at the Seminary of Lerida. Study, common prayer, lessons, and group recreation passed in grim regularity. The early morning call cut deeply into the scant hours of sleep, and nourishment barely sufficed, and to top it all, they had to endure the acute and prolonged cold. Yet Francisco Palau accepted it all as implicit in his vocation and part of what he head to accept to fulfill his ambition and become a priest.”
“At 21, Francisco saw that his vocation was not to the priesthood, nor was it to Christian matrimony. He was convinced that he was called to religious life. He would later confess that he went to the cloister in search of a tangible love that would give meaning to his existence.”
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS:
1) What were the reasons that made him decide to join the Seminary? What were the events and circumstances that enable him to pursue his plans?
Ans. Francisco, at 17 years old, thought that he would dedicate his life to God and to the service of others in the priesthood. Supported by favorable reports of his conduct on on the recommendation of Juan Camps, the parish priest of Lerida, Francisco was given a full scholarship at the Seminary of Lerida.
2) What new options did he discover in the Seminary?
Ans. He saw that his vocation was not to the priesthood, nor was it to Christian matrimony. He was convinced that he was called to religious life.
3) Personal: Share an experience where you had to give up your own plans in favor of the new options offered to you?
4) How can you identify yourself with Fr. Palau in this chapter? In what way do you find a similarity with him?
CHAPTER 3: THE FLEDGLING CARMELITE (1832-1835)
SIGNIFICANT FACTS:
Summer, 1832 – Francisco decided not to return to the Seminary of Lerida and gave up his scholarship.
October 23, 1832 – Francisco left from Lerida to Barcelona to enter the Teresian Carmel
November 14, 1832 – Francisco began his novitiate as Francisco of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. Investiture of the Discalced Carmelite habit and the initiation of his noviceship in the convent of San Jose, Barcelona
November 15, 1833 – Francisco made his solemn religious profession of vows and consecrated himself to God as a Discalced Carmelite in Barcelona.
1833-1835 – Francisco continued his priestly studies in obedience to his superiors at the Community of San Jose in Barcelona.
December 21, 1822 – Francisco received the minor orders and the subdeaconate
February 22, 1834 -- Francisco was ordained deacon.
July 25, 1835 – Rabid crowds attacked the convents of Barcelona and set fire to them.
POINTS TO PONDER:
“When Francisco took the religious habit as a Discalced Carmelite, he was aware that religious life in Spain and throughout Europe faced hard times, but he had no doubts about his vocation. Neither was he frightened by the risks he incurred. Fear never played a role in the life of Francisco Palau, not even when everything was at stake, including his life. His ideal was clear, his vocation definite and brought to maturity by suffering.”
“When I made my religious profession, the revolution already had in hand the firebrand for burning all the religious establishments. I was not ignorant of the oppressing peril to which I exposed myself nor of the rules of foresight that would have saved me from it. Nevertheless, I dedicated myself by solemn vows to a state whose rules I believed I could practice until death, independently of all human events.”
“Francisco confessed that when his superiors told him that he would have to accept priestly ordination, he did so, firmly convinced that such a dignity would in no way alienate him, from his religious profession.”
“Though he was aware of the responsibilities that had been conferred upon him and maintained a gravely serious attitude, he could barely hide the joy he felt in wearing the liturgical vestments.”
“I was a youth of 23 years when the revolution came and burnt my cloister. So great were my desires to see the object of my love without veils, face to face, that I took no care to leave unhurt from among the flames. My beloved came, gave me her hand and I came out unhurt from beneath the ruins of my convent.”
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS:
1) What drew him to Carmel? Did it give meaning to his life? In what way?
Ans. He knew about the life of the Discalced Carmelites in Lerida. The image of the Prophet Elijah filled him with enthusiasm, as did the deeds of St. Teresa, and the contemplative silence of St. John of the Cross.
Yes, it did. These became the stuff of his dreams and the embodiment of his ideals. These were the initial seeds of his vocation.
2) In the midst of turbulent and risky circumstances, what inspired him to opt for Carmel?
Ans. The Rules of the Carmelite Order inspired him to practice his vocation …”until death, independently of all human events.”
3) What kind of Carmelite formation did he undergo? How did he profit from it?
Ans. He studied the Teresian-Elijan zeal and the Sanjuanist contemplatives silence during his novitiate year and would later make them his own. He underwent a regular rhythm of study, religious observance, apprenticeship in the ministry and intense prayer. Through all these, he gained fortitude and was ready to accept martyrdom rather than give up his religious profession.
4) Personal: What were your motivations when you entered Carmel. What sustained you to go on living your life today?
5) How can you identify yourself with Fr. Palau in this Chapter? In what way do you find a similarity with him?
CHAPTER 4: HOPING AGAINST HOPE (1835-1840)
SIGNIFICANT FACTS:
Ciudadela of Barcelona – Where Francisco, together with other religious were imprisoned
August, 1835 – Francisco was freed and returned to Lerida
St. Antolin Parish of Aytona, Lerida – where Francisco served as a deacon
Cave in Aytona – Where Francisco retired in solitude
March 9, 1836 – the government decreed that the religious were prohibited from returning to their convents or from wearing religious habit in public.
April 2, 1936 – Francisco was ordained a priest by Bishop Santiago Fort y Puig in Barbastro, Huesca.
February 22, 1837 – the Holy See appealed to alleviate the religious situation in Spain
1838-1840 – Fr. Palau’s apostolic activity in the Diocesis of Catalonia
January-Februay, 1840 – Fr. Palau was granted the title of Apostolic Missionary
July, 1840 – The Carlists were finally defeated
POINTS TO PONDER:
“Francisco conformed himself as best as he could to the rules of his religious profession. He did so by alternately helping in his native parish of St. Antolin as a deacon and retiring to the solitude of a cave 2 kilometers from Aytona.”
Pastoral Ministry and Contemplative Isolation are the complementary poles of his Teresian Carmelite vocation and it is around them that his life from then on was to revolve.”
“Fr. Palau accepted the priesthood without in any way renouncing his vocation as a Teresian Carmelite. He believed that a vocation, if genuine and solid, should be relevant in all circumstances.”
“In order to live in Carmel, only one thing was necessary: a vocation. I was as convinced of it then as I am now that…I did not need edifices that would soon fall down…, nor could I think that religious life would cease to be recognized by the Universal Church and b y its members.”
“Faithful to these principles, he dedicated himself generously to fulfilling whatever his vocation asked of him in his concrete circumstances.”
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS:
1) In such adverse situation, what moved him to be faithful and true to his Carmelite vocation?
Ans. It was his clear understanding of his vocation that moved him to be a faithful and true Carmelite.
2) Expelled from the cloister and just newly ordained, how did he direct his life?
Ans. He accepted the priesthood without in any way renouncing his vocation as a Teresian Carmelite. He realized that a vocation, if genuine and solid, should be relevant in all circumstances. So that in order to live in Carmel, only one thing was necessary: a vocation. He believed that he did not need edifices to fulfill his vocation. He also believed that the religious life would not cease to be recognized by the Universal Church and its members. Faithful to these principles, he dedicated himself generously to fulfilling whatever his vocation asked of him in his concrete circumstances.
From then, he placed himself at the disposition of the Bishops of the Catalonian Subdelegation and gave himself with enthusiasm and singular zeal to the preaching of the popular missions in the dioceses.
3) Personal: Share an experience wherein you were challenged to decide to prefer your Carmelite ideals versus attractive choices.
4) How can you identify yourself with Fr. Palau in this Chapter? In what way do you find a similarity with him?
CHAPTER 5: THE BITTERNESS OF EXILE (1840-1851)
SIGNIFICANT FACTS:
July 21, 1840 – Francisco, his brother, Juan, and eight companions, crossed the French Border at Prats-de-Mollo.
1840-1851 – Exile years in Franch because of political turmoil in Spain
1840 -1842 – Francisco served in the Diocese of Perpignan
1842-1851 – Francisco served in the Diocese of Montauban
Teresa Christia – depended on Francisco for Spiritual Direction
Cave of Galamus – where Francisco retired in solitude
Caylus (Near the Marian Shrine of Livron and the Castle of Mondesir) – where Francisco settled when he transferred to Montauban
Juana Gratias – was under Fr. Palau’s direction at Livron
1846 – He returned to Spain for a short time until March, 1847
POINTS TO PONDER:
“Two things gave meaning to his life: the apostolate and the solitary or contemplative life. He was able to integrate them into his life in a perfect unity in which they alternately found expression with a certain singular naturalness.”
“Fr. Palau became father, master, and guide among groups which formed spontaneiously around him, in spite of their precarious situations.”
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS:
1) What were his attitudes as he faced an unknown future in a foreign land with few alternatives and with definite priorities in mind?
Ans. He conducted himself as a simple priest, but he considered himself to be a religious more than anything else. He fulfilled his obligations of his vocation by alternating a moderate apostolate with diligent solitary prayer. He exercised his apostolate mainly among his exiled compatriots and among the religious communities of Perpignan, especially the Poor Clares. He would seek retirement in solitary places.
2) Describe the varied reactions evoked by his presence.
Ans. He had many admirers and followers. Neighboring parish priests asked his help in reviving the practices of the Christian faith. People came to his cave in search of a living witness of faith, in search of spiritual direction, or simply out of curiosity. Groups formed spontaneously around him in spite of the precarious situation. Some parish priests regarded him and his disciples with envy and jealousy. They lodged accusations and denunciations with church authorities.
3) What were the Carmelite characteristic traits deeply and intensely lived by the Fr. Founder. What were the new insights and projects he was aware of?
Ans. The apostolate and the solitary or contemplative life was integrated into his life in perfect unity. His new insights included: Helping admirers and followers achieve an integrations of apostolate and contemplative life. To form a religious group who would join Fr. Palau in his work and hermit lifestyle which was modeled on the Carmelites.
4) Personal: What are your attitudes and reactions when faced with difficulties, uncomfortable situations, and uncertain future?
5) How can you identify yourself with Fr. Palau in this Chapter? In what way do you find a similarity with him?
Chapter 6: THE SWEET TASTE OF VICTORY (1851-1854)
SIGNIFICANT FACTS:
Before going back to Spain, Fr. Palau arranged with Sr. Juana Gratias and Sr. Maria Dolores Llorens, the organization of communities in Lerida and Aytona, respectively. They were not religious in the strict sense, they lived a community life, and were known as Sisters of the Cross. (Letters)
March, 1851 – The Holy See and the Spanish government concluded a religious treaty.
April, 1851 – Fr. Palau went back to Spain. Bishop Jose Domingo Costa y Borras, a friend during his seminarian days in Lerida, incardinated Fr. Francisco as a priest in the Diocese of Barcelona.
May-July, 1851 – Fr. Palau retired into the wilderness of Montsant in order to meditate on his future and plan his life.
July-August, 1951 – Fr. Palau went to Lerida and Aytona to visit his family, friends and disciples, the Sisters of the Cross.
September, 1851 – Fr. Palau was back in Barcelona and at the disposal of his Bishop. He was in charge of the spiritual direction of the seminarians there. He also helped the old parish priest of the central church of St. Augustine.
November 16, 1851 – Fr. Palau founded the School of Virtue, which commenced regular operation on the First Sunday of Advent in the Parish of St. Augustine.
March 31, 1854 – The School of Virtue was accused as instigator and cause of the labor strikes. The military authorities then decreed the forced closure of the school.
April 9, 1854 – Fr. Palau was condemned to exile on the island of Ibiza
POINTS TO PONDER:
“Within months of beginning pastoral work in Barcelona, he has an in-depth understanding of the religious state of the city. It was plagued by evils that called out for more effective remedies than the ones traditionally offered. There was a need for a broad, deep renewal of pastoral a action. He set to work.”
“He saw that there was a need for adequate religious or Christian instruction and drew the battle line in the fight against skepticism and bigotry in the field of education.”
QUESTIONS AND ANWERS:
1) How was he able to perceive the in-depth religious state of Barcelona and discover the remedy for the existing evils?
Ans. Fr. Francisco Palau was able to perceive the in-depth religious state of Barcelona by doing pastoral work assigned to him by Bishop Jose Domingo Costa y Borras. As a priest in the Diocese of Barcelona, Fr. Palau took charge of the spiritual direction of the seminarians there. He also helped the old parish priest of the central church of St. Augustine.
2) How did he envision the School of Virtues?
Ans. Fr. Palau envisioned the School of Virtues to answer the need for adequate religious or Christian instruction and drew the battle line in the fight against skepticism and bigotry in the field of education.
What was its destiny?
Ans. To answer the need for a broad, deep renewal of pastoral action in Barcelona, Fr. Palau opened the School of Virtues on November 16, 1851. The School of Virtues became a model for child and adult catechetics. In just over a year of the school’s opening, Fr. Palau was able to establish a permanent chair of higher education in religion The school quickly made its presence felt in the cultural, religious, political, and social environment of the city. It quickly provoked the opposition of the anticlerical and revolutionary elements of Barcelona which were in no mood to lose ground to their rivals especially among the new proletarian classes. In March, 1854 when Barcelona was torn by labor strikes, the school was denounced as the instigator and cause of social revolt. It was alleged that the school was a hotbed of reactionary political activity. On March 31, 1854, the military authorities, with inexcusable haste, gave credence to the calumnies, and decreed the forced closure of the School of Virtues.
3) What steps did he take to pursue his foundational wishes?
Ans. Fr. Palau would retire into the wilderness to pray and meditate on his future and plan his life before he would act on any undertaking. Fr. Palau gave his attention to and planned for every detail in organizing the School of Virtues. He mobilized around the school all the religious forces in Barcelona, including the press. Later, he was planning schools for other major Spanish cities. When the School of Virtues was closed, Fr. Palau, as Director, protested and sought to clarify the misunderstandings.
4) During difficult moments, Fr. Palau was greatly helped by a friend, Bishop Costa y Borras. In what way was he helped?
Ans. Bishop Jose Domingo Costa y Borras assigned Fr. Palau as a priest in the Diocese of Barcelona. Fr. Palau’s pastoral assignments were to be the springboard to success because within months of work, he was able to see the religious state of the city. He recognized the need for a broad, deep renewal of pastoral action. From there, he set to work and established the School of Virtues.
5) In any undertaking or endeavor, Fr. Palau’s own formula was:
PRAYER ---------------PLAN--------------------ACTION
Have you personally made this formula in your life? In what way?
6) How can you identify yourself with Fr. Palau in this Chapter? In what way do you find similarity with him?
CHAPTER 7: STARTING OVER (1854-1860)
SIGNIFICANT FACTS:
1854-1860 – Fr.Palau’s six years of exile in Ibiza
Cave of Es Cubells ( A few kilometers from the town of San Jose) – where Fr. Palau made his first dwelling
Ramon Espasa and Gabriel Brunet – some of his intimate friends and spiritual disciples
Shrine of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, Es Cubells, Ibiza – was the first home of Fr. Palau’s group in Ibiza where a small chapel was built.
December, 1957 – Fr. Palau returned to Barcelona
March, 1858 – Fr. Palau was arrested in Barcelona and sent back to Ibiza
Islet of El Vedra – where he had mystical and prophetic visions
May, 1860 – Fr. Palau was granted general amnesty by the central government of Madrid
POINTS TO PONDER:
“Fr. Palau was not a man to give way to discouragement and dejection. Once again, he gave himself to contemplative solitude and to apostolic service and then again to retirement and silence. These activities became the poles of his existence during his exile in Ibiza. They were after all, the natural coordinates of his Carmelite vocation.”
“He spent endless hours in silence and meditation or went on interminable walks through the woods and fields.”
“His life in Ibiza centered on prayer, work, and retirement.”
“He found himself driven by questions like: What is the meaning of my life? Whom and what does it serve?”
“The stormy nights which he passed in that profound solitude resembled the darkness which he had felt spiritually during all those long years of fevered searching. But the dawn was not far off which would flood him with light and bring about his radical transformation. The vision of his supreme love, the figure of the Church in all her reality, was gradually taking shape. But he needed the final catalyst of immediate contact with the brethren, with the living members of the mystical body.”
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS:
1) Describe the feelings and sentiments of Fr. Palau as he steps down the boat as an exile in Ibiza.
Ans. Fr. Palau felt alone and abandoned but he was not a man to give way to discouragement and dejection.
2) Specify the activities of Fr. Palau during this period and see how he was able to integrate the salient features of our Carmelite Vocation.
Ans. Fr. Palau once again gave himself to contemplative solitude and to apostolic service and then again to retirement and silence.
3) What did “El Vedra mean to him? What does it mean to us?
Ans. El Vedra to Fr. Palau was the Patmos of apocalyptic revelations. It was where he received inspirations and intereior graces.
4) Have you discovered your own “Vedra”? Share.
5) How can you identify yourself with Fr. Palau in this chapter? In what way do you find a similarity with him?
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