Writings

[2640]
In order to be of lasting value, the Rules of an Institute which is to train apostles for primitive and non-believing peoples must be based on general principles. If they were too detailed, either necessity or the desire for change would soon undermine the foundation of their structure, and they would become a heavy and unbearable burden for those bound by them.
[2641]
Since the field in which the candidate must carry out his activity is exceedingly wide and varied, he cannot be limited to certain specific duties as is the case in the Religious Orders; rather, those general principles must so inform his mind and heart that he is able to make decisions for himself, by applying them intelligently and with discretion to the times, the places and the most varied circumstances in which his calling may place him.
[2642]
Consequently, in order to achieve the purpose of the new Institute for the Missions of Africa, only those fundamental principles are given here which constitute its true nature; these will provide the students with a measure by which they may make their own judgements, in full uniformity and that equality of spirit and exterior conduct which identify the members of the same family.
[2643]
The Rules given here have their origin in the very nature of the Institute for which they are intended. They are the result of serious reflection, of long study, of careful consultation and of full knowledge of the situation in question. Nevertheless, since they deal with a great and formidable mission which is altogether new and special, it will be useful to await the results of the practical experience that time will provide.
[2644]
In the meantime they will be submitted for approval to the wise judgement of the Supreme Pontiff and the Sacred Congregation of Propaganda Fide. Although these Rules do not of themselves require obedience under pain of even venial sin, it is certain, however, that anyone of humble spirit, who loves his vocation and wants to be generous with God, will keep them with all his heart. He will think of them as the way mapped out for him by Providence, as the manifestation of God’s will for him. He will know that by keeping them he will merit a crown in the next life through self-denial and abnegation. Whether he understand the reasonableness of them or not, he will not feel the slightest desire to go against them or have the courage to criticise them.
[2645]
May the Lord bless these Rules and make them bear fruit in the hearts of the children of his love, through the practice and the merit of the virtues dearest to him, and establish them so firmly that they may be their guide everywhere and at all times.



Chapter I
Nature and purpose of the Institute

[2646]
The Institute, or College for the Missions of Africa, is a union of Clerics and Coadjutor Brothers who, while not being bound by vows or renouncing their property or being bound by special rules, are nevertheless under the absolute authority of legitimate Superiors and dedicate themselves to the conversion of Africa, and especially of the poor black peoples, who still languish in darkness and the shadow of death.
[2647]
The purpose of this Institute does not go beyond the limits of strictly priestly duties: its purpose is the carrying out of the command given by Christ to his disciples to preach the Gospel to all nations, the continuation of the apostolic ministry through which the whole world has shared in the indescribable benefits of Christianity. The special aim of the Institute is the regeneration of the black African peoples who are the neediest and most abandoned in the world.
[2648]
This Institute, then, becomes like a little Cenacle of Apostles for Africa, a centre of light sending to the centre of Africa as many rays as are the Missionaries who go out from it. These rays of light, bringing warmth as well as illumination, cannot but reveal the nature of the Centre from which they spread out.
[2649]
The Institute is consecrated to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus and is under the protection of the Immaculate and Blessed Virgin and her most chaste spouse, the Patriarch Saint Joseph, as well as of St Michael the Archangel, the Magi, the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, Saint Francis Xavier, Blessed Peter Claver, Blessed M. Alacoque and all the African Martyrs and Saints.



Chapter II
Organisation of the Institute

[2650]
By its very nature, the Institute in the first place is dependent on the Supreme Pontiff and is entirely and absolutely subordinated to him and to the Sacred Congregation of Propaganda Fide. Any substantial modification or alteration of anything in omnibus et quoad omnia that regards the Organisation and Rules of the Institute pertains exclusively to the supreme authority of the Holy See.
[2651]
The immediate Superior of the Institute is the Bishop of Verona, who is represented by a Rector, normally chosen from among the Missionaries of the main Institute who already have some experience in the African apostolate. The Bishop of Verona is assisted in his task by a body composed of the most capable and distinguished clerics and lay people of his diocese. He is president of this body which is known as the Central Council of the Work for the Regeneration of Africa.
[2652]
The Rector of the Institute is definitively nominated by the Bishop of Verona, after the latter has consulted the Head of the African Missions entrusted to the Institute and after he has submitted the nomination to His Eminence the Cardinal Prefect General of Propaganda for approval.
[2653]
The Bishop of Verona or the Rector of the Institute must present a full five-yearly report to the Sacred Congregation of Propaganda on the total situation of the Institute in all its aspects. It is the Bishop of Verona who has the authority to accept candidates, both clerical and lay. No cleric will be admitted to the Institute who is not in possession of a written document attesting to the consent of his Ordinary and who has not received his Ordinary’s blessing on the application.
[2654]
No cleric or layman will be admitted to the Institute who is not considered ready to consecrate himself totally and until death to work for the regeneration of Africa and who does not intend firmly and resolutely to die to his own will and to profess perfect obedience to the lawful Superiors.
[2655]
Any person who works as Master of piety or who teaches theological or scientific subjects in the College at Verona or who collaborates in whatever way in the Institute in the preparatory work in Europe aimed at training Missionaries for Africa, is just as really consecrated to the regeneration of Africa as the one who is dedicated directly to the conversion of the non-believers in Africa itself. In line with this, therefore, the Bishop of Verona will take into account the special vocation and tendency of each candidate in assigning him either to the Institute of Verona, or to other Colleges, or to the Missions of Africa.
[2656]
No cleric or layman will be admitted to the Institute who, for good reason, does not enjoy esteem and a good reputation or who has been convicted of a crime. Anyone who has belonged to a religious Order or Congregation will only be admitted as a member of the Institute with great difficulty and in the case of obvious utility to the Institute.
[2657]
The period of probation of a candidate in the Institute lasts from one to three years. Since, however, these candidates are selected from among people of great virtue, it is a matter for the conscience and judgement of the Bishop alone to reduce the training period of a candidate to assign him to the Institutes established along the African coast. These are organised in such a way as to make them, too, formation and probation centres where the candidates’ attitudes may be fully ascertained and where their special vocation for the difficult Missions of Central Africa may be allowed to mature.
[2658]
It pertains to the Bishop of Verona to give the final judgement as to whether a candidate is suited for the work to which the Institute is dedicated, and also to fix the candidate’s date of departure for the Institutes in Africa.
[2659]
The candidate who, after a definite period of probation, remains steadfast in his willingness to dedicate himself for life to serve the work of the Regeneration of Africa, is a full member of the Foundation Institute.
[2660]
It lies within the competence of the Bishop of Verona to confer full membership of the Foundation Institute on any person who has, over a period of two years, dedicated himself fully to the work of the College in Verona, even though he may not aspire to go to the African Missions.
[2661]
A candidate sent immediately to Africa only becomes a full member of the Foundation Institute after one or two years of residence in the Institutes or Missions of Africa. The judgement on his suitability for membership of the Foundation Institute pertains to the Head of the African Mission, who must send a copy of the document of acceptance to the College in Verona for the approval of the Bishop-in-charge.
[2662]
When a candidate is declared a full member of the Foundation Institute, either, in the case of those dedicated to the Work in Europe, by the Bishop of Verona, or, in the case of those dedicated to the Work in Africa, by the Head of the African Missions, that candidate becomes a son of the Foundation Institute, which accepts responsibility for him for the rest of his life.



Chapter III
Concerning those who cease to be Members of the Foundation Institute

[2663]
Should anyone cease to be a member of the Institute, the following factors must be taken into account: whether this takes place in the College in Verona or in the Institutes in Africa; and whether he withdraws of his own free will or whether he is with good reason dismissed.
[2664]
If a member of the Institute in Verona considers that he has good grounds for withdrawing from the Institute, he will at once bring this to the attention of the Rector, who will examine the case together with the other members of the College. If the reasons are found to be good, and if for one year the member persists in his desire to leave the Institute, he will submit the matter to the Bishop of Verona. The latter, having taken whatever steps he considers appropriate to enable him to come to a correct decision, will grant the petitioner permission to leave the Institute. He will thus cease forever to be a member of the Institute and will never be readmitted for any reason whatsoever.
[2665]
Should a member of the Institute in Verona render himself, by bad behaviour, unworthy to remain so, the Rector will consult the other members and will submit the matter to the Bishop of Verona. The latter will, according to his conscience and judgement, either put the offender on probation, or dismiss him immediately and forever from the College.
[2666]
Regarding the members of the Foundation Institute who are Missionaries in Africa, the following considerations should be borne in mind. Although the sacrifice they have made of themselves from the time of their training as apostles in Verona is by its very nature total and irrevocable, and although that sacrifice supposed a willingness on their part to undergo any trial or danger and even the cruellest of deaths, nevertheless it is not rare that a Missionary who has laboured much for the glory of God and for the salvation of the poor Africans, is reduced to such a state of physical and spiritual exhaustion as to need complete rest. It may also happen that, despite all the care taken by the Institute, someone might have made a mistake in choosing this particular walk of life; for such a person to remain a member of the Institute might be more of a hindrance than a help to the African Missions.
[2667]
There might be other pressing reasons to suggest the necessity of a return to Europe. In all these cases it is important to follow these guidelines: That a member should, or would be better to, return home is a matter entirely for the judgement of the Superiors. It is also their responsibility to decide, having considered the matter before God, whether members who so return have earned the right of help from the Institute or not. There is no appeal against their decision in this matter. If the Superior judges that a member has lacked the spirit of sacrifice, this is sufficient reason to consider him not to have earned the right of help. If, however, neither this nor any other reason to deny assistance exists, the Institute will provide for those who return to Europe in the following manner:
[2668]
I. The Foundation Institute needs veteran Missionaries to share the light of their experience with the aspirants in training and to help this holy work in all sorts of other ways. Thus any member who returns to the Foundation Institute because he cannot continue his apostolic ministry owing to his health or for any other good reasons, permanently remains a full member of the Foundation Institute under the orders of the Superiors.
[2669]
II. Should, however, the Missionary who returns with the permission of the Superior, not continue to belong to the Institute as a full member, either because the Institute does not allow it or because the member does not wish it, the authorities of the Institute will recommend him to his Ordinary, in order that, if possible, he may be provided with the means to exercise his ministry in his home country.
[2670]
Should a Missionary who is a member of the Foundation Institute render himself unworthy to remain so by bad behaviour or for other serious reasons, he will be excluded forever from the Mission; and should he be unable to pay his fare back to Europe, the Superior will provide the money, but only after obtaining from the offender a correctly drawn up letter, in which the latter states his obligation to reimburse, within one year, the Rector of the Institute in Verona with the specific amount granted to him for his return to Europe.



Chapter IV
Influence of the Institute on the Missions and on the Missionaries in Africa

[2671]
The relationship that exists between the Foundation Institute in Verona and the Institutes and Mission of Africa entrusted to it is exactly the same as that which exists between the members of one body.
[2672]
The Foundation Institute in Verona is the centre of communication for the Institutes and Missions of Africa. It provides the bond that unites them, the foundation which supports them. It is the legal and permanent Organisation which concerns itself with the general and particular interests of the African Missions and of the Missionaries who work there, in all that concerns the Holy See and Europe. The Head of the African Mission, once he has been appointed by the Holy See to the onerous task of governing the same, will indicate to the Administration of the Foundation Institute in Verona, as soon and as honestly as he can, the names of the Missionaries that he feels in conscience capable of succeeding him in his office, in case of his death. In drawing up the list of these names he will secretly consult the most experienced members of the Mission. In thus proposing one or more members, greater consideration will be given to the virtue and ability of the candidates than to their age.
[2673]
The Administration of the Foundation Institute will treat in the utmost confidence all that the Head of the African Missions might deem it useful to communicate regarding the Missionaries. Use will be made of this information only in dealings with the Sacred Congregation of Propaganda so that the successor nominated by them may be, as far as possible, one of the members indicated by the Head and other Superiors in Africa.
[2674]
The Superiors of the Institutes and Missions in Africa will keep the Administration of the Foundation Institute in Verona informed about the conduct and potential of each and every Missionary and about the progress of all the works of the Missions entrusted to the Institute.
[2675]
The Head of the African Missions will inform the Foundation Institute of the Rules of each Institute in his Mission as well as of all the innovations that practical experience on the spot may cause him to introduce, so as to provide the Rector with guidelines in his work of preparing the Candidates for the African Apostolate.
[2676]
The Foundation Institute will, as far as it is able, take care of the temporal interests of alumni of the College during the period of their ministry in Africa. Although the Institute must never assume the administration or management of such interests, it will, should the member concerned so wish, see to it that the manager or administrator legally appointed has such terms of reference as to provide the Administration of the Institute with the right and the means to supervise and protect the proper development of the business involved.



Chapter V
The internal Mission of the Institute

[2677]
The Institute admits, in accordance with fixed regulations appropriate to its aim, Priests and Theology Students suitable for the apostolic ministry, as well as laymen of proven piety and character. The latter are admitted with the principal purpose of training them as coadjutor brothers, catechists, instructors, and teachers of the arts and crafts that are necessary and useful in Africa. It is thus that the following mission falls to the Institute:
1. Carefully to test the vocation of the candidates for the African Missions.
2. To foster in its students the dispositions needed to respond to such a sublime vocation. The rules and discipline of the Institute have their origin principally in the spirit of such a sublime and important Mission.



Chapter VI
On testing the Vocation

[2678]
The first and most important mission of the Institute is the right choice of the workers accepted for the apostolate in Africa. On this depends its successful beginning, its progress and its survival. This is, therefore, a matter of supreme interest to the Institute, as well as to the Missionaries themselves and to the souls entrusted to them. Accordingly, the Bishop of Verona, the Rector and all those involved in this work both within and outside the Institute will treat with the greatest seriousness and zeal possible the most important task of testing vocations.
[2679]
This testing takes place at two different times:
1. When a person asks to be admitted to the Institute.
2. During the candidate’s stay in the Institute, once he has been admitted.



Chapter VII
General norms to be followed when a person applies to be admitted to the Institute

[2680]
Those who long to follow Jesus Christ in the ministries of the apostolic life and aspire to be admitted to the Institute of the African Missions must in the first place make their desire known to the Bishop of Verona or to his Representative, the Rector of the College, whose principal responsibility is to see to the discernment between a true and a false vocation in the persons who apply for admission. In this regard the Rector will not normally make a final decision the first time a candidate presents himself, but will always proceed slowly, until he has used all the appropriate means of clearly discovering the will of God.
[2681]
These means are:
1. Prayer. Before coming to a decision the Rector will make special prayers, will ask for God’s help in the Mass, will call on Our Lady of Good Counsel, St Joseph and the other Patron Saints. He will ask truly good and holy souls for their prayers and he will get the postulants themselves, the candidates and the members of the Institute to pray hard.
2. Instructions to the postulants. They will be warned of the special difficulties of the apostolic way of life to which they aspire and of the good qualities required for a prudent commitment to it. The first instruction to be given to the postulants will be to die completely to their own will and to sacrifice themselves until death by means of a perfect obedience to their legitimate superiors.

[2682]
The necessity of a most rigorous chastity should also be brought home to them, given the circumstances of loneliness in which the Missionary in Africa has to work and the dangers of the customs of the peoples of Africa, ignorant as they are of the basic rules of modesty. Although those called to this arduous ministry should have confidence in the special assistance of God and no one ought to be discouraged, and although people of a sensitive nature are the best suited to this apostolate despite their seeming less able to face dangers, it must nevertheless be explicitly pointed out that whatever the theologians have to say on the habit of purity as an essential condition for Holy Orders and for the religious profession of lay people must be understood in its strictest sense by people aspiring to the apostolic ministry. In a matter as delicate as this, generalised good resolutions would certainly not be sufficient for them.
[2683]
3. Questioning and information. As well as the Instructions, there should be, and this, if possible, personally, an equivalent questioning of the postulants; information should also be sought concerning the postulant, with the greatest care, from various sources of the most exact and conscientious kind. All this should be done, as far as is possible, in confidence. Sight should also be kept of the principle that those who do not know us intimately can only with difficulty identify a vocation and so the aspirants should be asked if they have discussed the matter fully with their spiritual director.
[2684]
4. Consultations. The Rector must, as far as he can, keep in touch with persons known for their prudence, experience and conscientiousness, so as to have their advice when he needs it and thus be in a position to render an accurate assessment of the postulant when presenting him to the Bishop for admission. He will also seek advice from the more mature members of the College, whom he normally consults on the most important matters of the Institute.
[2685]
The following are the general norms always to be borne in mind: According to the majority of the theologians, the vocation to the apostolate est actus Providentiae, supernaturalis, quo Deus, aliquos prae aliis eligit ad ministerium Apostolicum, eosque congruis dotibus praeparat ad ejusdem ministerii officia digne et laudabiliter obeunda.
[2686]
The vocation to the apostolic ministry is not always accompanied by a felt and irresistible inclination to such a sublime way of life, but it always requires a constant and generous willingness to sacrifice oneself to God along with a suitability for the task for which one is presenting oneself.
[2687]
Anyone who aspires to the difficult and demanding African apostolate must, therefore, have a real readiness, founded on faith and love, to dedicate himself to the conversion of the most abandoned souls in the world and to spread the kingdom of Christ in those vast and unknown regions.
[2688]
Although outstanding intelligence and knowledge are very much to be desired in the candidates, the mediocre are, nevertheless, not to be excluded. Working alongside the more able, they too, with self-denial and love may render an equally precious service to the poor souls of Africa.
[2689]
As to the question of health and physical strength, experience has indicated that in the African climate even the less robust can work extremely well and that the difference of climate may at times positively help the more delicate. Again, those willing to work in the African apostolate are so precious that no one who offers himself for this work should be ignored, provided he possess the essential qualifications, to which, rather than to physical strength, first consideration must be given. In accordance with these norms the Rector will decide whether or not to present a postulant to the Bishop of Verona for admission. If a candidate does not manifest the necessary dispositions for the ministry to which he aspires, he should be dissuaded from continuing and the decision not to admit him should be firmly adhered to. If he is considered suitable for admission, he is to be invited to present himself to the Ordinary of the diocese to which he belongs, in order to obtain the latter’s permission and blessing, after which he is admitted to the College.
[2690]
Should a candidate judged suitable for admission meet with strong opposition on the part of parents and relatives, the Rector will find out why this is so; and following as a norm that charity commanded by the Church, which dispenses even religious in solemn monastic vows when their parents’ need is sufficiently pressing, he will absolutely not accede to the request for admission and will persuade the aspirant to remain where Providence calls him. Where, instead, the serious need of the family is not clearly established and there seems simply to be a clash of interest or of human affection, the Rector will nevertheless insist that the aspirants act with all prudence and sensitivity, so that, while they obey God’s voice, they may also treat their relatives with the appropriate respect and esteem as befits well-bred children and may thus, wherever possible, receive the encouragement of their parents’ blessing.



Chapter VIII
General norms to be followed after the Candidate has been admitted and during his stay in the Institute

[2691]
Once the aspirant has been admitted to the Institute the presumption is always in his favour and, having in some sense entered into the possession of the way of life he has undertaken, he should have no doubts concerning it; and if there are no clear indications to the contrary, he should not reopen the discussion on his decision. This should be noted so as to alleviate the exaggerated uncertainties of candidates who are sometimes the most suited and whose vocation is of the clearest. They will thus not waste their spiritual strength and exhaust the power of their will in superfluous self-examination. Rather, considering the period of preliminary trial complete, they should apply themselves seriously to the development of those dispositions which are necessary for the apostolate.
[2692]
All this notwithstanding, in order that no means should be left untried in seeking more clearly to hear God’s voice, the following practices are to be followed:
1.Within two months from his entry into the Institute, the candidate will do a six-day Retreat to prepare himself properly for his training in his vocation; this is to be done if the College’s annual retreat is not soon to begin.
2. An eight-day retreat will be held every year, so that the spirit, more clearly enlightened and rendered more open to the counsels of truth and the inspirations from heaven, may the more readily be able to detect the illusions of the imagination and of the devil, if by chance it might have hitherto been led astray.
3. During the first week of each month the candidates will do a day’s retreat as a preparation for death.
4. Every candidate, although free within reason to choose his own confessor for ordinary confessions, will also have a Spiritual Director, whom he will keep fully informed of his behaviour and to whom he will make his general, annual and monthly confessions.

[2693]
Finally, the work of the Rector will be useful in this area and his decisions will be accepted with trust by the students. The Rector, after consulting the Bishop on the matter and with due regard to the conduct, character and all the qualities of the students, will reach a final decision before God and according to his lights on the question of the candidates’ vocation and will then submit the whole matter to the Bishop.
[2694]
If the Rector believes he has discovered in a candidate some defect that can be remedied, he will take whatever steps are necessary, in word and action, to correct it, and he will prolong the period of probation.
[2695]
If it proves impossible to correct the defect and the defect is incompatible with the apostolic way of life, the Rector, having consulted the Bishop, will arrange, as soon as prudence and charity permit and certainly within the first year of probation, for the candidate to be freed to go elsewhere and be better employed in some other ministry to which he will be called by God. If, however, the candidate is found suitable, the Institute will commit itself to develop in him the dispositions required for the African apostolate, preparing him more or less quickly according to the needs of the African Missions.



Chapter IX
Developing the dispositions of the Candidates
for the Apostolic ministry in Africa

[2696]
The community life and the good discipline of the Institute for the African Missions are not only helpful in binding together the Missionaries in a holy bond of brotherhood and in creating that uniformity of method and of spirit which is the strength of the Institutes and plays such a great part in preserving and perpetuating the fruit of good works; it also helps to increase and develop virtues and to provide the Missionaries with that store of special knowledge, experience and attitudes required by way of proximate preparation for so sublime a ministry. Therefore, seriously considering the spirit of the Institute, the following disciplinary norms will be helpful:
1. To develop the spirit and virtues of the aspirants for the African apostolate.
2. Properly to co-ordinate the studies and other activities designed to mature the intellect and the attitudes required for the practice of the apostolic ministry in Africa.
3. To care for the health and physical strength of the candidates for the missions of Central Africa.

[2697]
These regulations for the development of the dispositions required for the African apostolate will be followed by, and summed up in, the specific rule of the Institute, i.e. the timetable, or the distribution of the various activities of the Institute according to the various times and circumstances.



Chapter X
Norms and directives intended to develop
the spirit and virtues of the students of the Institute

[2698]
Any man, who, in an absolute and final way, breaks off relations with the world and with those things naturally most dear to him, must live a life of spirit and of faith. The Missionary who lacks a strong awareness of God and a lively interest in his glory and the good of souls is without the right attitude for his ministry, and will end by finding himself in a kind of emptiness and intolerable isolation.
[2699]
His work will not always be graced by that devout attention, that atmosphere of approval and almost of applause, which is often accorded to the priest who works in the midst of intelligent souls and sensitive hearts.
[2700]
Such human comfort may indeed sustain a zeal that is little founded on God and on love. But the Missionary to Africa cannot and must not hope always to find such comfort for himself. He works among savages who are brutalised by the horrors of the most inhuman slavery, and who are reduced to the condition of beasts by the wretched condition into which they have been thrust by misfortune and the boundless cruelty of their enemies and oppressors. These unhappy Africans have become accustomed to seeing their children snatched violently from their bosom to be condemned to a deplorable servitude and they have no hope of ever seeing them again; often they see their dearest relatives and even their own parents mercilessly slaughtered before their very eyes. And since the wicked perpetrators of such horrible crimes are not generally of their own race but are foreigners, so these unfortunate savages, accustomed to being betrayed by everyone and mistreated in the cruellest of ways, sometimes regard the Missionary with distrust and horror because he is a foreigner. In this way the Africans may appear to him as barbarous, stupid, ungrateful and brutal. Consequently he must, rather than expecting to receive an encouraging response of affection, resign himself to hostile resistance, saddening inconstancy and dark betrayal. This is why he must often see the hope of results receding into a remote and distant future. On occasion he will have to be happy in sowing a seed with infinite labour and in the midst of a thousand privations and dangers, a seed that will produce fruit only for his successors in the mission. He will have to think of himself as just one unnoticed worker in a long line of missionaries, all of whom can only hope for results, not from their own personal work, but from the gathering together and continuation of efforts mysteriously guided and used by Providence.
[2701]
In a word, the Missionary to Africa will often have to reflect that he works in an undertaking certainly of the highest merit, but one that is, nonetheless, hard and difficult. He will have to understand that he is a stone hid under the earth, which will perhaps never come to light, but which will become part of the foundations of a vast, new building that only those who come after him will see rising from the ground, over the ruins of fetishism, a building which will grow to gather within it the more than one hundred million unfortunate descendants of Ham, who have been languishing for more than forty centuries under the rule of Satan.
[2702]
Completely emptied of self and deprived of every human comfort, the Missionary to Africa works only for his God, for the most abandoned people in the world and for eternity. He is moved by the pure vision of his God, and so, in all these circumstances, he knows how to sustain and nourish his heart abundantly, whether he gathers the fruit of his work either sooner or later, through his own work or by the hand of another. Further still, his spirit does not seek from God the reason for the Mission he has received, but rather acts on God’s word and that of his Representatives, as a docile instrument of his adorable will. In every circumstance he repeats with deep conviction and lively joy: servi inutiles sumus; quod debuimus facere fecimus, Lk. 17.
[2703]
On the contrary, woe to anyone who might be drawn to enter on this way of life by other motivations than those just described; woe to anyone who might begin because of a passing burst of enthusiasm or the attraction of exotic travel or the desire to distinguish himself in an unusual career! Besides certainly succumbing in times of darkness and discouragement, besides not being able to persevere in a life of continual hardships and privations, he would also experience in a particularly dangerous manner the onrush of the tendencies of fallen nature and he could become a victim of seduction and of the most ignoble passions.
[2704]
One should not, however, exaggerate or make facile generalisations about the quantity and the power of the dangerous occasions which surround the priest in his home country and the Missionary in Central Africa.
[2705]
It is fair to say that the prestige and flattery in the midst of which our priests in Europe live and the worldly atmosphere in which they must sometimes work may slowly corrupt them no less than the unprotected encounter with more blatant and formal dangers. One needs also to take account of the fact that, if the Missionary in Africa, alone in distant and savage regions, lacks much assistance and support, he is, nevertheless, for the same reason, bound to live a more austere way of life and obliged to think thoughts of a higher order. When the Missionary in Africa has a heart burning with the pure love of God, when he keeps his eyes fixed on the contemplation of the great goodness and sublimeness of the work for which he spends himself, then all the privations, the continuous hardships, the greatest trials become a paradise on earth for his heart; then the cruellest of martyrdoms and death itself become the dearest and most eagerly desired reward for his sacrifices.
[2706]
So the fears must not be exaggerated, even though one must note that the greatest safeguard for the Missionary in Africa is, in many cases, his conscience and his faith. For all these reasons and for many others which must often be the subject of meditation by the students of the Institute who aspire to the African apostolate, it is important and necessary that they should have solid dispositions of genuine zeal, of pure love and the fear of God and that they should maintain a firm control over their passions. To this end, while there should always be in the Institute a spirit of simplicity, cheerfulness and a lively atmosphere, there must also be a strong fervour for the things of the spirit, the study of the interior life and a lively desire for perfection.
[2707]
Over and above the annual retreat, the monthly day of retreat, sacramental Confession at least once a week, over and above an hour of mental prayer every morning, the examinations of conscience, spiritual reading, the visit to the Blessed Sacrament and to the Blessed Virgin Mary, and all the other daily prayers, the students must also become very familiar with the assiduous exercise of the presence of God so that it becomes all but second nature to them. They must also learn how to communicate with God in an intimate and childlike way by means of frequent and devout aspirations and this should become part of what they consider in their particular examination of conscience.
[2708]
The practices of exterior mortification are also most useful in supporting piety and the spiritual life, even though one must proceed with great care and have the full agreement of one’s confessor and spiritual director. According to the strength of each person, the latter will allow one or other abstinence or corporal penance, especially on Fridays and on the Vigils of the major feasts of the Church and of the Institute. However, no common practice in this matter is established in the Institute.
[2709]
What matters is that all these prayers and mortifications should not through habit become simply a formality. To avoid this, it is necessary often to reflect on the importance of a prayer that is meaningful and practical and of a life lived in spirit and truth, and this reflection should be done by each individual in private and also by everyone together, especially in spiritual conferences. In order to discern whether piety is genuine or superficial, it should be measured by the development of interior mortification, especially with regard to the two fundamental virtues of the interior and exterior life, humility and obedience.
[2710]
By faithfully co-operating with God’s grace, the candidates are to make every effort to empty their hearts of all pride and presumption, of all ambitious desires and pretences, so that there may instead take root there the holy disposition that makes us acknowledge that all we have comes from God and allows us to submit to him our intellect, will, energy, and in him and through him submit everything to those who stand in his place. Specifically the respect owed to the voice of God should be paid to:
1. The voice of the spiritual director, to whom one will disclose everything about one’s interior life and entire conduct. 2. The voice of the Bishop and of the Rector, of whom the students will seek to follow not only the orders, but also the desires and wishes.
3. The voice of the Rule and the signals of the Community, to which they will be attentive with the most scrupulous exactness and perfection.

[2711]
If the candidates nourish this spirit of genuine piety, of humility and of obedience so as to die spiritually to themselves in the most intimate areas of self-love, divine grace will help them to overcome and control all the other passions and to acquire all the other virtues.
[2712]
It would be indeed enough to follow these general norms of perfection. However, as a further help in this journey of the spirit it might be useful to pay some attention to the following detailed treatment of some of the virtues more specifically required by the apostolic ministry in Africa.
[2713]
1. Chastity. The interior of the College is closed to women. Visits from one’s female relatives and from other women who have to be admitted out of true need or the duties of one’s office or out of charity are to be received in the common room with all the caution of modesty and priestly propriety.
[2714]
This caution is to be practised also in the spiritual ministry, not only to remove any danger but also not to give cause for suspicion or gossip, even if this will sometimes mean omitting to do some good deed.
[2715]
In this regard the students will be so conscientious that, should the time come when they are in the midst of unavoidable dangers, they will have built up such a habit of modesty, of ready raising up of the heart to God and of effortless prudence as to enable them to seek the salvation of others, without any risk of injury or harm to their own soul.
[2716]
2. Charity. This should principally be practised within the College by means of a sincerely felt demonstration of priestly and Christian kindness, to the exclusion of particular friendships, rivalries, jealousies, quarrels and arguments as well as of excessive familiarity, which detract from one’s own dignity and the respect due to others. Everyone should make a point of asking forgiveness quickly and with humility from anyone he realises he has in someway upset. Additionally everyone should ask one of the others to point out his faults so that charity may triumph no less in bearing one another’s defects than in timely fraternal correction.
[2717]
As to persons outside the Institute, while the necessary atmosphere of recollection should be preserved by a prudent reserve, and thus unnecessary visits to very busy places should be avoided and even more so to private houses, nevertheless the members of the Institute should be trained in good manners, genuine friendliness and Christian cordiality. Above all, every member will strive to be an example in his behaviour and in his dress (which is that normally worn by good clergymen, always unaltered, and tidy both in the College and outside, and at all times of the day even in Summer); he will also strive to be exemplary in what he says, by avoiding all affectation and using the wisdom of the Gospel so as to bring his conversation, when possible, to some conclusion that is likely to be edifying and useful for souls.
[2718]
In the interests of the salvation of souls, the students will give life to their charity by exercising the spiritual ministry. They will be delighted to assume and to carry out with constant patience, care and love the very precious tasks of confessor, especially of the poor, of teaching catechism to the uninstructed and children, of teaching Christian doctrine and of preaching in church, though only at the invitation and with the approval of the Rector. In caring for the good of souls in all the various opportunities provided by these circumstances, they will strive to make their work resound with that apostolic fervour of which they must begin to show some sign.
[2719]
If they cannot in fact do much about this in practice, they will at least seek by prayer to do whatever the goodness of God allows. In all that they do, their minds and hearts will turn towards the wretched souls of the entire world and especially of Central Africa, who lie buried in the darkness of infidelity and error, and they will offer up for them whatever good they do, praying for their conversion in the Holy Mass, in their ejaculations and in all their prayers. Calling on the merits and the intercession of the Immaculate Blessed Virgin and of all the Patron Saints, they will say special prayers for the peoples of Central Africa and will do suitable acts of mortification and penance for the conversion of the infidels.
[2720]
3. The spirit of sacrifice. The constant thought of the great purpose of their apostolic vocation must engender in the students of the Institute the spirit of sacrifice.
[2721]
They will develop in themselves this most essential disposition by keeping their eyes fixed on Jesus Christ, loving him tenderly and seeking always to understand more fully the meaning of a God who died on the cross for the salvation of souls.
[2722]
If they contemplate and appreciate a mystery of such great love with a living faith, they will consider themselves blessed to be able to offer themselves to lose everything and to die for him and with him. The detachment from their families and from the world which they have already accomplished is only the first step: they will seek always to make this sacrifice more and more complete, giving up all human affection, accustoming themselves not to bother about their own comfort, their own little concerns, their own opinion and whatever else is theirs. Should even the finest thread remain, it could prevent a generous soul from rising up to God. They will make continuous practice of self-denial, even in small things, and they will often renew the offering of their whole selves to God, the offering of their health and even of their lives. In order to stir the spirit to assume these holy dispositions, in certain circumstances of special fervour they will all together make a formal and explicit dedication of themselves to God, declaring themselves ready, with humility and trust in his grace, even for martyrdom.



Chapter XI
Disciplinary norms to regulate the studies and other activities designed to develop the intellect and skills necessary in the exercise of the African Apostolate.

[2723]
There is among some an exaggerated idea on the breadth of knowledge and intellectual culture required in a Missionary. Others would wish to find in an Institute like ours an academy of the sciences and the arts, a school teaching all the languages. So that anyone who expects such academic structures should not be surprised, and, more importantly, to encourage in the students a special care for recollection, humility and a better direction of their spirit towards that point which matters more than any other, it will be useful here to proclaim the great principal of the greatest of Missionaries to the unbelievers, St Paul the Apostle: the greatest wisdom, indeed the only truly necessary wisdom is that which concerns Jesus Crucified.
[2724]
Non enim, writes the Apostle to the Corinthians, judicavi me scire aliquid inter vos, nisi Jesum Christum et hunc crucifixum. 1Cor.2:2.
[2725]
So the students should take note of this principle and should make it the keynote of the spirit in which they study, and they should be careful never to study with such intensity as to take time away from their prayers or make them less inclined to pray. They should also be careful that success at study does not make them proud, and remember to pray during the time of study especially by means of devout aspirations. Once all this has been respected, however, the students will attend to their studies with every possible care and will also, before God, consider the importance of their studies. They will think of how they will have to be able to stand up to the Protestant Missionaries, to the various groups of Oriental heretics, to the rationalists and sceptics of every nation, to the Moslems and idolaters, both during their long journeys and in the field of their apostolic labours. They will reflect on the credit and prestige gained by a religion which is preached with ability and culture, on how they will have to offer ready solutions to difficult problems, without any means of consulting authorities on the subject or the possibility of lengthy study.
[2726]
Further, since experience has shown how Providence may make use, in the conversion of the nations, even of the purely human scientific expertise of the Missionaries and of practical skills, and even of their hobbies, they will consider nothing that concerns this point useless, while following the guidance of the Rector. They will consider nothing unworthy of their attention or of their commitment, provided it can be used to the glory of God and for the good of the souls with whom they will come in contact in the future.
[2727]
In order to determine with some accuracy the kind of studies indispensable for the candidates for the African Missions the following is laid down:
1. The students for the priesthood will attend the school of Theology at the nearby Diocesan Seminary and will be present with diligence and attention at the lectures on all the subjects taught there, bearing in mind that the assessment that will be made concerning their apostolic vocation will depend a great deal on the commitment with which they carry out this most important duty. During the summer holidays they will fit in with the directives laid down for the priests, except for those modifications which the Rector deems suitable to their special situation.
2. For the students who are already priests, there are set out in a special document the subjects, order and system of study by which they will prepare for the apostolate,

[2728]
In general, the students will concentrate on the studies of first importance for the practical exercise of their priestly ministry, and they are to dedicate most of their time and effort to acquiring a good grounding in catechetics, in the knowledge and methods required to oppose fetishism and Islam and to refute the systems and sophistry of all the heresies of the Orientals and of the Protestant and rationalist sects. This study of apologetics, supported by that of Holy Scripture and of Church History, form the principal concern of the Institute.
[2729]
As for the study of languages, a command of French and familiarity with the rudiments of Arabic will be sufficient; students with more time and ability will study some of the many languages of the Central African ethnic groups, such as Dinka and Bari. Experience indicates, however, that the students should not waste their time in difficult exercises which often prove useless, since the languages of the non-Christian peoples ought generally to be learnt on the spot.
[2730]
Since there is a lack among the great ethnic groups of Africa of personnel who care for the health both of the foreigners or of the indigenous peoples, some priests and coadjutor brothers with greater aptitude will apply themselves to the study of practical medicine, surgery, phlebotomy and pharmacology, under the guidance of an able and experienced teacher on the basis of a textbook by Antoniacci. They will also study astronomy, agriculture and similar sciences. All this will contribute considerably to the effectiveness of the Apostolate of the Missionaries among the Africans.
[2731]
However, so that these studies may not be too difficult and thus all the more stimulating and fruitful, they will be conducted by means of informal but well organised daily lectures. While all the students involved are to progress at the same speed and are to study the same text, each of them is to bring with him a written summary of the chapter he has studied. Then, without superfluous comments and useless digressions, he is to present the difficulties he has encountered and to seek a fuller explanation of any point that has remained unclear. Further, since it is useful for each student to seek according to his individual ability, to make progress in whatever he is studying, especially by means of reading well-written and well-thought-out studies besides the basic textbook, the students ought in class to report on these individual studies to the advantage and instruction of all.
[2732]
The Rector of the Institute is normally to be present at the lectures and when he is prevented from doing so he will delegate someone else to take his place. He directs the studies and lays down the rules that are to be followed in this area, after consultation with the Bishop-in-charge.
[2733]
As to the method to be used in study, fragmentation is to be avoided, since this would dissipate the students’ effort over too many disparate subjects. Instead each of the major topics is to be treated one at a time until it has been completed.
[2734]
To aid the practical application of what they are learning, the students will draw up some written instruction in religion for lay people, which they will submit to an expert and then deliver as an exercise in the College chapel and, at the Rector’s direction, in churches and public oratories. The students will be trained to teach Christian Doctrine with clarity, accuracy, simplicity and kindness both to children as well as to adults, since this is the principal and most important work of Missionaries among non-believers. They will also be trained to explain the Gospel and give instructions on moral matters. Especially with children and the uninstructed they will practise giving informal instructions and devout exhortations, even in a spontaneous form.



Chapter XII
Disciplinary norms for the care of the health and physical strength of the students of the Institute for the African Missions

[2735]
The practice of mortification and a readiness to bear privations are required in the life of those preparing themselves for the apostolate in Africa. On the other hand, great care must be taken of the health and energy of the students, especially those of a less robust constitution. Given all this, the first thing to be remembered in the matter of health-care is to make a prudent choice of those acts of mortification which are not harmful to their health and, better still, of those which actually promote it.
[2736]
The students will have the opportunity of satisfying their enthusiasm without damaging their health:
1. By being ready and punctilious in their keeping of the Institute’s rules. In fact, while the rule provides frequent opportunities for self-denial, it also does not overlook the question of health-care, by alternating activities which require physical effort with others which involve only the spirit.

[2737]
2. By developing charitable relationships with one another. Since they are going to be living among the least developed nations and will have to accustom themselves to practices, conventions and characters of the greatest variety, they will get good practice in this even in their College days by deciding to adapt to the opinion, the dispositions and the character of the others. This will certainly provide them with many precious opportunities to do many small and unobserved acts of mortification which will not damage their health.
[2738]
3. By their concern for that courtesy, cleanliness and good conduct which will be very useful in gaining the good-will of the people, from every nation and religion, with whom they will come in contact in the future. This constant care over themselves, their manners, their speech, their dress and their room, will demand of them an uninterrupted stream of small sacrifices and victories over that laziness which is intrinsic to human nature. Additionally, there will be opportunities for self-denial and at the same time for developing health and strength:
[2739]
1. Regarding the care and moderation required by a reasonable sobriety in the consumption of food and drink, but also in application to studies and commitment to things that are both good and laudable. For the sake of their health, the students must learn to temper in no uncertain way the blind zeal and excessive impetuosity, the uncontrolled impulse and anxiety, with which they sometimes act. They must learn to be masters of themselves. Nothing could be more useful than to grow in the habit of being calm and orderly, of proceeding with serenity and dignity, because this means that the spirit is able to do good without confusion and rush, and it also means that the individual does not risk that tension and exhaustion which oppress his spirit and body.
[2740]
2. Some practice in agriculture and in helping with building and restoration work would be very helpful and useful, since it would at one and the same time provide the students with positive relaxation and also with instruction suited to the needs of the African Missions, where they will have to start from scratch. Every day there should, besides, be some free time for recreation, such as a game of bowls or some such enjoyment, and especially for a walk in the evening. On certain special holidays and in the summer, the students should get practice in going on long walks; special outings are to be organised, and short journeys into the country or to some shrine in our area.




Last Chapter

Special regulations of the Institute:
timetable or distribution of the various activities according to times and circumstances.

[2741]
Even today a mysterious darkness still covers those distant expanses which go to make up the immensity of Africa. It is undoubtedly true that civil governments and private institutions have directed their energies to dispel, even for a moment, that oppressive gloom with the merest glimmer of the civilisation of which Europe is so proud. Yet all the efforts of so many selfless men, their very great sacrifices, have been brought to nothing before the insuperable barrier by which nature seems to have striven to separate those inhospitable lands from the culture of the rest of the world. At various times expeditions have been organised; they were inspired by the hope of compelling nature, even in those limitless regions, to unlock, for the benefit of the human family, the unsullied treasures produced by her in such abundance. Yet the countless initiatives of those great-hearted heroes came to grief on the rocks of risk and hindrance; their energies were exhausted, they became discouraged and their progress was halted.
[2742]
The Catholic, who is used to judging things in a supernatural light, looked upon Africa not through the pitiable lens of human interest, but in the pure light of faith; there he saw an infinite multitude of brothers who belonged to the same family as himself with one common Father in heaven. They were bent low and groaning beneath the yoke of Satan, and they were placed on the threshold of a most terrible precipice. Then he was carried away under the impetus of that love set alight by the divine flame on Calvary hill, when it came forth from the side of the Crucified One to embrace the whole human family; he felt his heart beat faster, and a divine power seemed to drive him towards those unknown lands. There he would enclose in his arms in an embrace of peace and of love those unfortunate brothers of his, upon whom it seemed that the fearful curse of Canaan still bore down.
[2743]
Here we can only make passing reference to the many and varied ecclesiastical Societies and religious Orders who, in past centuries, with the blessing of the Vicar of Christ and the good wishes and prayers of all right-minded people, took
the way of the desert and went down into the burning wastes which the Africans inhabit. Their purpose was to raise the standard of the Cross among those unlettered and brutalised peoples who were living in the most abominable and degrading fetishism. Nearer to our own day, his Holiness Gregory XVI of happy memory, towards the close of his pontificate, set up the Vicariate Apostolic of Central Africa, the largest Vicariate in the world, taking in, as it does, twice the area of our enlightened Europe. The immortal Pius IX, still gloriously reigning, being no less zealous for the sublime works of the apostolate, confirmed the decrees of his predecessors and sent out Missionaries. They travelled by way of the Nile and it was in 1848 that they penetrated the new Mission entrusted to their zeal. Indeed they almost reached Latitude 2 degrees North.

[2744]
The Missionaries who laboured in the midst of immense privations in this vast field, now laid open to the love of the Gospel, were three sons of St Ignatius and many worthy priests from Austrian and Bavarian Germany, especially the German Tyrol. They were recruited by the distinguished Committee of the Association of Mary and through the enthusiastic interest of the praiseworthy Professor Mitterrutzner. On the banks of the majestic Nile, which flows between the Tropic of Cancer and the Equator, they succeeded in founding four very important mission stations and chose as their centre of communication the capital of the Egyptian Sudan, the political conditions and geographical position of which destined it to be the forward base for Europeans who ventured into those distant lands. Even the tiny Institute founded in Verona by that generous priest Father Nicholas Mazza, whose name is a blessing for Christ’s Church, strove also to bring the mite of its charity to those wretched brothers of ours. The names of the students of this Institute, who gave their lives as a peace-offering on the altar of their love, are written on the tombs provided by the African sands and they will always be remembered with gratitude by those who now follow in their footsteps. Finally, the numerous Franciscan family, perhaps more prepared by the spirit of their vocation than any other to face the greatest privations life can offer, entered upon the work of caring for this abandoned vineyard.
[2745]
Yet it must be admitted that, even though the efforts and labours of these courageous champions of Jesus Christ certainly equalled the greatest that had gone before, the results achieved were so poor as to amount to nothing. And, perhaps like the footprints they left in the sand, which were blown away by the desert storms the few shoots that sprang up, watered by their sweat and blood, were scorched by the searing force of those passions, more ferocious than the tropical beat, in whose grip poor Africa is held.
[2746]
We, too, were a member of those apostolic expeditions and we were, by God’s mercy, among the very few to survive, of the hundred and more who threw themselves into that daunting undertaking. We have carefully studied the nature, customs and social conditions of those distant tribes and we have concluded that, in terms of apostolic zeal, the Mission of Central Africa is like a fortress prepared for war, which cannot be taken by storm but must rather be conquered by siege. And indeed, even when, again and again, very well-equipped Catholic expeditions have tried to take it by storm, the end has always been simply the sacrificial death of the intrepid soldiers. We must, therefore, prepare with energy to use the tactics of a siege, and begin by consolidating secure positions which may serve as redoubts and fieldworks such as are necessary for the purpose.
[2747]
For any mission whatsoever to be guaranteed continuity, it must have a stable centre from which there may incessantly issue a spirit of vitality which spreads vigorously through the whole organism, assuring its continued existence and assisting its ministry. This living centre would administer and make possible the annual recruitment of new missionaries, from among whom it would be possible to reinforce the band of missionaries in the field, continually reduced in number by the harshness of the climate, the extremely hard work and martyrdom.
[2748]
Such a centre of vitality is generally advisable in the Institutes and Seminaries of Europe which exist for the benefit of the missions in Asia, America and Oceania. This is so because between Europe and these three continents there exists a certain similarity of temperament and of customs. At the very least, between the one and the others there exits a potential for intercommunication and a readiness continually and lastingly to receive the fascinating impressions of life which the spirit of the Gospel usually impresses on the structures of human society. Such a useful centre, sending out the spirit of vitality so very necessary for the preservation and continuity of the foreign mission, would not, however, if it existed in Europe, be helpful and effective in the matter of the conversion of the Africans. Experience has clearly shown that European missionaries cannot do the work of redemption in those burning regions of the African interior, because the conditions are ruinous for their health, and also that they cannot bear the weight of the exertions, the multiplicity of the discomforts or the harshness of the climate. In the same way, experience has shown that in Europe Africans cannot receive a complete Catholic education which enables them subsequently to be dependable, in body and soul, in promoting in their native land the propagation of the faith. This is because either they cannot live in Europe or, by the time they return to Africa, they have become unsuitable for that continent because of the European habits which have become almost second nature to them, habits which become repugnant and harmful in the conditions of African life.
[2749]
We, who in those dangerous wastes were often smitten and exhausted by harsh diseases which brought us to the very threshold of the grave, have seen with our own eyes how fatigue, privation and the fatal African climate have brutally cut down even the most physically robust of missionaries. There were indeed those who survived the dangerous journey down the White Nile and who prepared themselves to preach the Gospel to the brutalised savages by learning the language of the tribe among whom a Catholic mission had been established. Yet, hardly had they done so, than they quickly succumbed and soon died, thus rendering fruitless their work for the conversion of the Africans who, because of the continual decimation of the missionaries, still lie in the power of the most degrading fetishism.
[2750]
Further, Propaganda, which is acquainted with all the institutions which have undertaken the education in Europe of individuals of the African race, is well able to confirm the ineffectiveness and inadvisability of the creation of an indigenous clergy, educated in our countries, yet destined to evangelise Central Africa.
[2751]
Faced by the facts of experience, the Sacred Congregation of Propaganda Fide has been deeply concerned, and reduced, in spite of itself, to the hard necessity of abandoning the important mission of Central Africa, if no way can be found of assuring a more effective conversion of the Africans.
[2752]
The heart of every good and faithful Catholic, inflamed as it must be by the spirit of the love of Jesus Christ, will surely be deeply wounded and grievously stricken by the appalling idea of seeing the Church suspend, perhaps for many centuries, her work on behalf of so many millions of souls still languishing in the shadow of death. So the path so-far-followed must be altered, the old system must be changed and a new plan must be drawn up which will lead more effectively to the desired end. This will serve to strengthen the superhuman virtue of Christian love, and it will expunge forever from the mind of the Catholic philanthropist the distressing thought of leaving those vast and populous regions cloaked in unbelief and barbarity, when they are clearly the most needy and abandoned in the world.
[2753]
On this important subject we said to ourselves: “Would the conquest of the tribes of unhappy Africa not be better effected by siting our centre of operations in a place where Africans can live without changing and Europeans can live without succumbing?” Our thought has become set on this great idea; and the regeneration of Africa by Africa seems to us the only programme to be followed in bringing about so dazzling a conquest. This is the reason why, in our weakness, we have thought it permissible humbly to suggest a way along which the lofty goal may more probably be reached. On this goal every thought of our life will be centred and for it we would be happy to pour out the last drop of our blood.
[2754]
We hardly dare in all reverence to rise from our lowliness to engage in the discussion of so Catholic a problem, which has perhaps taxed the minds of the deepest thinkers. Yet we shall be forgiven if the impulse of our heart, where we feel most strongly the cry of misery directed towards us all by those unhappy sons of Adam who are our brothers, should carry our mind away from the path of truth and certainty. Perhaps the Plan, which flashed before us as we sighed most ardently for those unhappy regions, when put into effect, would not have the advantage of achieving its purpose with great speed, while in other missions the apostolic workers are already harvesting the fruits of their labours. Yet, nevertheless, it is towards this goal that it unfailingly tends and, for its complete execution, it needs only the shortening of the days which God, seated on his eternal throne, has decreed for its accomplishment.
[2755]
Not only the inhabitants of the African interior, but also those peoples who live along the coast and in all the other parts of the great peninsula, although divided into thousands of different tribes, have more or less the same temperament, habits, tendencies and customs, well-enough-known to those who have concerned themselves with them over a long period. It seems to us, therefore, that the love of the Gospel may offer them similar remedies and help, such as to be effective in communicating to the great family of the Africans the precious advantages of the Catholic faith. We would consequently consider it opportune, and indeed almost necessary, that among the many ideas that could be put into effect for the regeneration of the Africans, that one ought to be chosen which unites in itself an absolute unity of conception together with a general simplicity of application. And this would seem to us to be the case with the plan which we have developed for the conversion of the Africans, a plan which, although vast in its extension and very difficult to put entirely into effect, nevertheless, seems to us both one and simple in conception and application.
[2756]
This new plan would, therefore, not restrict itself to the old-established borders of the mission of Central Africa, which have been proved unsuccessful for the reasons outlined above, but it would, rather, include the whole African race; it would consequently extend and develop its activity over almost all the countries of black Africa.
[2757]
Now, although the Holy Apostolic See has never succeeded in planting the faith with stability among the huge tribes of Central Africa, it has, nevertheless, been profuse in its loving concern for the islands and coastal regions which surround the great African peninsula, and has founded there twelve Vicariates Apostolic, nine Prefectures Apostolic and ten Dioceses which flourish more or less splendidly. These in fact are:
[2758]
In the north the Vicariate Apostolic of Egypt entrusted to the Friars Minor of the Observance, and the Vicariate of Tunisia entrusted to the Capuchin Fathers; the two Prefectures Apostolic of Upper Egypt and of Tripoli entrusted to the Friars Minor of the Reform, and the Prefecture of Morocco entrusted to the Friars Minor of the Observance of the Province of St James in Spain.
[2759]
In the west the three Vicariates Apostolic of Senegambia, of Sierra Leone and of Guinea, entrusted to the Reverend Fathers of the Holy Ghost and of the Sacred Heart of Mary, and the Vicariate of Dahomey entrusted to the Seminary of the African Missions of Lyons; the Prefectures Apostolic of Senegal and Congo entrusted to the Reverend Fathers of the Holy Ghost and of the Sacred Heart of Mary; the Prefecture of Annobon, Corisco and Ferdinando-Po entrusted to the Reverend Fathers of the Society of Jesus.
[2760]
In the south the two Vicariates Apostolic of the East and West Districts of the Cape of Good Hope entrusted to the Missionaries of the United Kingdom, and that of Natal entrusted to the Congregation of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate from Marseilles.
[2761]
In the east the Vicariate Apostolic of Madagascar entrusted to the Reverend Fathers of the Society of Jesus; the Prefecture Apostolic of Zanzibar entrusted to the Reverend Fathers of the Holy Ghost and of the Heart of Mary; the Prefecture of Nossibé, St Mary and Mayotte entrusted to the Reverend Fathers of the Society of Jesus; the Prefecture of the Seychelles Islands entrusted to the Reverend Capuchin Fathers of the Savoy Province.
[2762]
In the north-east the Vicariate Apostolic of Abyssinia entrusted to the Reverend Fathers of the Congregation of the Mission and that of the Galla entrusted to the Reverend Capuchin Fathers of the French Province.
[2763]
Among the ten Dioceses, particularly flourishing are, in the north, Algiers, in the east, Port Louis on Mauritius, and St Denis on Réunion Island in the Indian Ocean. It is therefore natural that, in order to put the suggested plan into effect, these Vicariates, Prefectures and Dioceses, already established around Africa, will have to be asked to help and co-operate. They witness at especially close quarters the distressing misery and extreme need of the vast populations of the interior, populations on whom the bright star of the faith has not yet shone. Accordingly, they will be able validly to contribute with their authority, advice and work in assisting and facilitating the great undertaking of the regeneration of the vast and numerous tribes of the whole of Africa.
[2764]
The plan, therefore, which we propose is: the creation of innumerable Institutes for both sexes to surround the whole of Africa. These would be carefully situated at the least possible distance from the interior of the continent, in stable and fairly civilised areas, in which both Europeans and Africans could live and work.
[2765]
These men’s and women’s Institutes, each situated and set up according to the regulations of the canonical provisions, would admit young African men and women with the aim of educating them in the Catholic religion and in Christian civilisation and of thus creating a group for men and one for women, destined each in its own way, gradually to advance and to spread into the African interior, there to plant the faith and civilisation they have received.
[2766]
To the direction of these Institutes would be called the religious Orders and the Catholic Institutes of men and women, as approved by the Church, or recognised or permitted by the Sacred Congregation of Propaganda Fide, with the permission of the latter and the mutual consent of the Heads and Superiors General of those Orders and Institutions.
[2767]
These Institutes would be placed under the jurisdiction of the already existing Vicariates and Prefectures Apostolic on the African coast, or of such Vicariates and Prefectures as the Sacred Congregation of Propaganda Fide might decide to set up, as the work of the new Plan develops.
[2768]
The personnel in charge of these Institutes would direct their African students according to the rules and spirit of their own Societies, suitably adapted to the requirements of the African interior. Their special aim would be the direction and successful organisation of the Institutes for African men and women, without, however, neglecting to promote and effect, as far as possible, the good of the country where the Institutes are situated.
[2769]
Small colleges for the African missions will be set up in Europe with these aims: to train groups of European Missionaries to direct the African Institutes on the lines described above, to undertake new missions among the African peoples, and to open a way to the African apostolate for all the secular priests of the Catholic countries who might be called by God to such a sublime and important mission.
[2770]
While fully respecting the system of every male and female religious Congregation and Order and their freedom to educate the natives in accordance with their own ideas and to form some of them as religious, we dare humbly to express our opinion, which is that, in general, the education to be given to all the individuals of either sex who belong to the Institutes surrounding Africa must be characterised by the following goals: to impress and plant in their souls the spirit of Jesus Christ, integrity of behaviour, firmness of faith, the principles of Christian morals, a knowledge of the Catholic catechism and the basic elements of necessary human knowledge. Besides this, all the men will be instructed in the practice of agriculture and in one or more skills of first importance; and every woman will be similarly educated in the most necessary of women’s skills. Thus the former will become honest, virtuous, useful and active men and the latter virtuous and capable mothers and wives. We believe that this active application to work, in which we want all the members of the African Institutes to be involved, will have a powerful influence for the moral and spiritual good of the individual Africans, who are especially inclined to laziness and inaction.
[2771]
Once the religious and civil education has been completed in the Institutes, the Administration will do everything in its power for the benefit of an individual student of either sex who leaves the jurisdiction of his or her Institute, giving help and advice so that they may be enabled to keep to the healthy religious and moral principles which were impressed on them through the teaching imparted to them.
[2772]
From each of these Institutes surrounding the great African peninsula there will be formed groups of men and women destined gradually to transfer themselves into Central Africa with the aim of initiating and consolidating there the saving work of Catholicism, and of setting up Mission Stations from which will shine out the light of religion and civilisation.
[2773]
The group of young African men, made up of those individuals judged to be most suited for the great purpose, will be composed of:
1. Catechists to whom will be given a broader knowledge of the sacred sciences.
2. Teachers who will receive every possible instruction in the most important sciences adaptable to the countries of the interior.
3. Craftsmen, to whom will be given a practical knowledge of the necessary skills most useful in the central regions, to make them into virtuous and capable farmers, doctors, phlebotomists, nurses, pharmacists, carpenters, tailors, tanners, blacksmiths, builders, shoemakers, etc. This group of craftsmen will also become honest and virtuous merchants who will promote and participate in the trade of home-produced and imported goods. This trade will gradually create and introduce a source of that prosperity which will raise the black peoples from their abject poverty and powerlessness to the condition of the civilised nations. From all these elements of indigenous industry there will be produced the material means to maintain the development of the Catholic missions in the African interior.

[2774]
The group of young African women, similarly formed from those individuals most suited for the great purpose, will be composed of:
1. Instructresses, to whom will be given the most complete education possible in religion and Catholic morals, so that they may spread these principles and their practice in the degraded African female society on which, as is the case among us, almost entirely depends the regeneration of the great family of Africans.
2. Teachers and housewives who must promote the education of women in reading writing, keeping accounts, spinning, sewing, weaving, caring for the sick and practising all the domestic skills most useful in the countries of Central Africa.

[2775]
These small groups will be gradually transferred from each of the different Institutes which surround Africa to various points in the countries of the interior. While each individual member will work to propagate religion and civilisation, as he has been trained, and to develop agriculture in those unspoiled and unoccupied lands, he will remain free to embrace whatever state of life he feels inclined towards.
[2776]
From the group of catechists formed by the young African men, there will be chosen a group composed of those individuals who most distinguish themselves for their holiness and knowledge and in whom there appears to be the readiness to enter the clerical state. These will be directed towards the priesthood. In the training of this special group the great variety of subjects which seminarians in Europe are obliged to study will be avoided. The teaching will be limited to those theological and scientific subjects that are of first importance, such as are sufficient for the requirements and needs of those countries. Also, given the quick physical and intellectual development of the Africans, we would not wish this training to be prolonged to the twelve or more years usual in Europe. We would consider six to eight years sufficient, as might be judged advisable in each case. However, the peculiar instability and weakness which characterises the African race must mean the use of the greatest caution in deciding when aspirants to the priesthood may be allowed to proceed to Holy Orders. We are fully convinced that it is absolutely necessary to lay down that they must not be allowed so to proceed until after several years of proven constancy in the principles learned, spent in a strict and irreprehensible celibacy in the already-existing missions of the African interior. We consider the same circumspection necessary in the formation of native religious of either sex for any Order whatsoever.
[2777]
From among the young African women who do not feel inclined to the married state will similarly be chosen the group of the Virgins of Charity, made up of those individuals who have most distinguished themselves by their holiness and in the practical teaching of the catechism, of languages and of feminine skills. This special section will constitute the élite of the women’s group and will be entrusted with the direction of the girls’ schools, with carrying out the most important tasks of Christian charity and with exercising the ministry of the Catholic woman among the savage tribes of Africa.
[2778]
In this fashion, through the most important ministry of the indigenous clergy and of the Virgins of Charity, assisted by the good work of the catechists, teachers, craftsmen, instructresses, women teachers and housewives, many Catholic families will gradually be formed, and flourishing Christian associations will be founded. Our holy religion will spread its saving influence over the African family and will gradually extend its wholesome sway over the vast expanses of the unexplored regions of the whole of Africa.
[2779]
Experience has shown that it is only a long and continuous stay in the countries of the interior, and not a temporary stay, which is dangerous and even fatal for Europeans. Accordingly, the setting up of Missions and the founding of Christian communities in the countries of Central Africa will be personally begun and set in motion by European missionaries, commissioned by their respective Vicars and Prefects Apostolic. These European missionaries must be substituted by others every year, or within two years, in the on-the-spot direction of the central missions, until such time as experience indicates that it is possible safely to entrust native priests or catechists of proven suitability with the permanent direction of the Missions and Christian communities of the interior, once they have been founded and set in motion by the European Missionaries.
[2780]
On the other hand, the statistics of the African Mission show that European women, given their advantageous physical flexibility, the character of their moral life and their social and domestic habits, withstand the harshness of the African climate much longer than European men. Accordingly, with the approval and permission of the respective Vicars and Prefects Apostolic, European women’s religious Institutes may be set up in the countries of the interior less fatal to the life of the Europeans, so as more effectively to offer the marvellous and important services of the Catholic woman to the work of the regeneration of the great African family.
[2781]
Since the temperament and character of the African race is very changeable and inconstant, we think it wise and necessary for the Sacred Congregation of Propaganda Fide to authorise the Vicars and Prefects Apostolic to organise frequent apostolic visitations to the missions and Christian communities of those parts of the interior within their legitimate jurisdiction. The purpose of such visitations would be to correct, confirm and improve the conditions of Catholicism in those dangerous areas, where base selfishness and the fanatical fury of Islam often corrupt and devastate the work of the Christian priesthood, and where the tenor of life, the climate and other special circumstances contribute to weaken both the body and the spirit, and to enfeeble ecclesiastical discipline, putting the faith at great risk. Suitable European missionaries should be commissioned to undertake such visitations and, without any risk whatever to their lives, as we have explained above, they can carry out their important mission to the great advantage of all.
[2782]
In order to develop the gifts of the most able members of the indigenous clergy, and to train them as able and enlightened leaders of the Christian communities of the interior of Africa, the Association in charge of directing the new plan will, as its great work progresses, found four great African theological-scientific universities at the most important points in Africa. These could be, for example, Algiers, Cairo, St Denis on Réunion Island in the Indian Ocean and one of the more important cities on the Atlantic coast.
[2783]
In these university centres, as in other important places on the islands and along the coast of Africa, may in due course be founded little centres of specialisation in craft studies. These would be for the young African craftsmen found most suited to a more advanced training. Thus, by means of the introduction of these crafts which would improve the material conditions of the immense African tribes, the missionaries would find it easier to introduce the faith in a deeper and more stable way.
[2784]
To put the new Plan into effect and to direct it, an Association shall be set up, composed of individuals of intellectual ability, of generosity and of great action.
This Association will take the name of the ASSOCIATION OF THE SACRED HEARTS OF JESUS AND MARY FOR THE REGENERATION OF AFRICA, under the patronage of THE IMMACULATE VIRGIN, ST JOSEPH HUSBAND OF MARY, AND THE PRINCES OF THE APOSTLES.

[2785]
The special Mission of this Association will be to deploy and call to action the total strength of Catholicism on Africa’s behalf, Hence it would lie within the Association’s competence to:
1. Communicate with the Sacred Congregation of Propaganda Fide and to deal with matters concerning each of the most important of the new Association’s undertakings.
2. To conduct dealings with the generalates of the Orders and men’s and women’s Congregations, to agree on the personnel necessary for the foundation of the African Institutes or the establishment of new Vicariates and Prefectures Apostolic in Africa.
3. To deal with the pious Association for the Propagation of the Faith, and with the other Associations which have the same aim, in order to secure the financial and material means required by the Missions and Institutes which will be started in Africa with the authorisation of the Sacred Congregation of Propaganda Fide.
4. To provide the financial and material means for the setting up and maintenance of the preparatory stages in Europe, which aim at training the personnel for the African Missions.

[2786]
5. Gradually to set up little colleges for the African Missions in the most suitable centres of the various Catholic nations, to open up a way into the African apostolate for all those members of the secular clergy called by God to so sublime a ministry; and then to set up little centres of craft studies to train suitable individuals to introduce the teaching of the necessary and generally useful skills in the African Institutes.
[2787]
6. When the Association has the necessary personnel at its disposal for the foundation of an Institute in Africa and when the special aid for that Institute has been guaranteed by the pious Associations for the Propagation of the Faith, the Association will, with the agreement of his Eminence the Cardinal Prefect General of the Sacred Congregation of Propaganda Fide, refer to the Vicar or Prefect Apostolic of the African Mission in whose territory and under whose jurisdiction the Institute is to be founded, in order to obtain the necessary authorisation.
7. The Association will communicate directly with the Vicars or Prefects Apostolic of all the African Missions to inform itself, as far as possible, on points of topography, on the customs of the African peoples and on the results of their practical experience in the apostolic ministry. This will enable the Association to provide a better preparation for the most suitable students so that they may participate with greater effectiveness in developing, on as wide a front as possible, the work of Catholicism among the tribes of Central Africa.

[2788]
8. Finally the Association, studying and putting into effect the most effective methods of executing the new plan, will summon up and deploy all those elements of Catholicism, of which at present the regeneration of Africa is in need, and will revitalise and reinvigorate those which already exist. Thus deploying all the power of Catholicism on Africa’s behalf the Committee’s work will generate new ideas, new institutions, new plans, such as are likely to lead to a wider and more effective development of the evangelical ministry in the vast and unexplored regions of the whole of Africa.
[2789]
This, then, is our Plan which is, as we have mentioned, laid out like a battlefield, prepared for the siege on the formidable fortress of Africa. Ordinary attacks have always proved without effect and have always ended with the death of the intrepid soldiers, and so we have adopted the strategy of a siege. Our institutes, set up around the periphery of the great African peninsula, are like the redoubts and fieldworks necessary for this purpose.
[2790]
Our soul is full of the dearest hope that the new Plan for the Regeneration of Africa which so well pleased our Most Holy Father, the immortal Pontiff, Pius IX, and was received with utmost favour and enthusiasm by so many illustrious Prelates and Bishops of the Catholic Church and the most notable and sublime civil and ecclesiastical intellects in the world, will receive the co-operation of all those holy institutes which have until now concerned themselves with, or sought to further, the spiritual advantage of the African race. We also hope it will be protected and assisted by those pious Associations which provide the financial and material means for the Holy works set up for the Propagation of the Faith and trust that it will at the same time find an approving echo, support, favour and help in the hearts of the Catholics of the entire world, clothed and filled as they are by the spirit of that superhuman charity, which embraces the immense vastness of the universe and which our divine Saviour came to bring to the earth.
[2791]
We hope, yes we indeed hope, that the Holy Church, echo of the Eternal Word of the Son of God across the centuries, destined to reign over all the nations of the world, will mercifully spread its glorious mantle over this part of its inheritance. We hope, too, that her glorious sons will hasten with concern from every corner of the earth to offer their work, to bring Catholicism and civilisation to the wandering African tribes, scorched by the fiery summer’s heat, but not yet, after forty years, enlightened by a ray of the true light. The apostles who will march out to the great victory will not carry back to Europe the spoils gathered from the vanquished; but they will rather bring to the vanquished the treasure of the Catholic faith and of European civilisation. Unlike triumphant soldiers, they will not enslave these peoples as vanquished tribes, but following the example of the Divine Pastor, they will remove the yoke of oppression from their shoulders and bring these wretched creatures into the free and joyful flock of the Church, so that the vanquished, not conquered by force, but rather victorious over themselves and their savage nature, will have won for themselves the true religion and the great benefit of civilised life.


Fr Daniel Comboni, Apostolic Missionary



[Of the PLAN, we publish the 1st manuscript of 1864 and this latest version as a documentation of the changes which were made until this edition]

[2792]
His positis, I would be of the opinion that Your Excellency might develop the following ideas in answer to good Fr Callisto, referring him to Propaganda should he wish to implement his African projects immediately.
[2793]
"I am very pleased that you are set on the idea of launching the French Trinitarians into the apostolate of the poor Africans, and I would like to support you with all my strength in this initiative. However I cannot at the moment for the following reasons:
1. Due to the consequences of the war, neither the Propagation of the Faith in Lyons or Paris, nor the small Association in Cologne are giving the support they used to for my Institutes in Cairo; which is why I have had to send Fr Comboni to various cities to find supplementary offerings, and it is only with great efforts that the Institutes are able to go ahead.
2. After my experience with two Camillians, who had a Papal Rescript, I no longer feel like accepting Regulars in my Institutes in Egypt without having first reached a full agreement with their respective Generals, because I would risk giving serious displeasure to those concerned and to Propaganda itself, which likes all things to be in order.
3. Furthermore, if my Institutes were founded at all, I owe it to the special authorisation of the Apostolic Delegate in Egypt. It would not be expedient to ask him for permission to accept the Trinitarians now, before having first properly consolidated my Institutes, which cannot be done until the tempest of so many upheavals has ceased, calm has returned and the pious offerings of the Societies of benefactors have become regular again.

[2794]
That is the situation for the time being. When we are a little calmer, and I have obtained from the Holy See a vast mission for my Institutes with its own direct jurisdiction, which will not be long in coming about, then we shall be able to agree on the appropriate and legal way to satisfy your holy wishes. In the meantime, you will have the time to see to the preparation of the good Religious in France which is so fertile in vocations to works of zeal. By succeeding in such an important matter, you will see that your Superiors in Rome will decide to support your magnanimous projects.
[2795]
I enclose a copy of the answers to your 5 questions sent by Fr Comboni, who sends you his warmest greetings".
7. If it should please the Bishop of Verona, the head of the Work, to receive the Trinitarians among us in Egypt, it will please me too; should it not please His Most Reverend Excellency, nec mihi hoc placebit.
2. I believe it is better for the Trinitarians in Egypt to be dressed like us. Their habit, for the purpose of the Redemption of slaves, stands out too much and could irritate our enemies and generate fatal consequences for the Work.
3. It is best for the French to leave from Marseilles. Anyone who does not have papers from Propaganda and the Austrian Embassy is only given a small discount in Trieste, which does not cover the travel expenses from France to Trieste or Brindisi.
4. The Council did nothing for Africa because it was suspended ante tempus. However the Pope accepted the Postulatum pro Nigris Africae Centralis, agreeing that it should be included in the section de Missionibus Apostolicis.
5. It is essential for the Trinitarians to be armed with papers from their Superiors in Rome, already in agreement with Propaganda.
Asking for your blessing and kissing your sacred ring, I remain in the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary

Your most humble and unworthy son


Fr Daniel Comboni, Apostolic Missionary

[2796]
The Bursar in his bounty and wisdom (he has a good heart and his head in the right place) has inspired the good nun from Padua, of whom you spoke, to consecrate her life to the Holy Work for Africa, so I went to fetch her and settled her with another postulant in the house at Montorio Veronese, near Verona. It would therefore be good if the postulant I saw in Brescia could come immediately.
[2797]
I will soon be coming to Brescia and we will discuss our concerns at length. In the meantime remember what I told you. In a word, in this case it is right that the two of you, turning your eyes to heaven in one of those ardent impulses of good works by which the soul exalts and humiliates itself, divide Europe and Africa between yourselves, like work to be done in the fields, one of you taking charge of the Work of S. Angela Merici and the other unfortunate Africa.
While I am most busy, as you are, I wish you very happy new year. Send me the worthy postulant I saw in your house.
May the Lord cover you with his blessings. With these wishes, I remain

Your most devoted and respectful

Fr Daniel Comboni

[2798]
1. President General – His Most Rev. Excellency Mgr. Luigi Marchese di
Canossa Bishop of Verona
2. Vice-President – The Right Reverend Mgr. Luigi Perbellini Canon and Archpriest of the Cathedral of Verona
3. Director General – Father Daniel Comboni Superior of the Institutes for the Africans in Egypt
4. Vice Director General – Father Antonio Squaranti Rector of the Institute for the Missions of Africa in Verona
5. Secretary General - Father Tommaso Toffaloni Director of the Propagation of the Faith in Verona

COUNCILLORS
6. The Most Reverend Mgr. Stefano Crosatti, Chamberlain of the Holy See and Vicar General of Verona
7. The Most Reverend Dr. Mgr. Giuseppe Codognola Canon Penitentiary of the Cathedral
8. The Very Reverend Father Pietro Dorigotti Rector of the Diocesan Seminary of Verona
9. His Grace the Marchese Ottavio di Canossa
10. His Grace the Marchese Francesco Fumanelli
11. The Marchese Giuseppe Fumanelli
12. The Very Reverend Agostino Mosconi Administrator of the Church of Saint Claire in Verona.



THE INSTITUTE FOR THE AFRICAN MISSIONS IN VERONA

CHAPTER I
PURPOSE AND NATURE OF THE INSTITUTE


[2799]
The ultimate purpose of the Institute for the Missions of Africa is especially the conversion to the Catholic Faith of the poor black peoples of Central Africa, who are the poorest and most abandoned peoples in the world, crying out as they do from the deep darkness of unbelief.
[2800]
The immediate purpose is to prepare and send into those regions apostolic men, who, with charity, education and the other means of the Apostolic ministry, consecrate themselves to the regeneration of these same Africans in Central Africa, without excluding any other people who might by chance offer themselves in the same regions.
[2801]
This Institute, which declares itself always bound to be subject, in the first place, to the Vicar of Jesus Christ, the Roman Pontiff, and to the Sacred Congregation of Propaganda Fide, is a Seminary dedicated to admitting, educating and perfecting in the Apostolic ministry those individuals called by God to this arduous Mission. It is presided over and governed by the Right Reverend Bishop of Verona with the title of President General, and by a Council composed of members, both clerical and lay, chosen by the Bishop from among the most distinguished people of his Diocese. This Council is called the Central Council of the Work for the Regeneration of Africa and assembles under the presidency of the Bishop to deal with the spiritual and material interests of the Institute.
[2802]
The Institute is entirely directed by a Superior with the title of Rector, normally chosen from among the veteran Missionaries, by a Master of Novices and spiritual director, by a Bursar for the administration of the temporal goods and by a Professor of foreign languages, all chosen by the Bishop. The last named individuals form the Rector's Council and he is obliged to consult them in relevant matters.
Since the Institute is attached to the Diocesan Seminary, it will avail itself of the work of the seminary professors for the theological and scientific instruction of its students.



CHAPTER II
MEANS TO ACHIEVE THE PURPOSE OF THE INSTITUTE


[2803]
The means to achieve the purpose of the Institute are of two kinds: formal and material; first we shall speak of the formal means, by which term is intended the persons to be sent to the Missions.
The persons who aspire to become members of the Institute may be either ecclesiastics, that is, clerics or priests, or simply laymen; both the one and the other group coming from the secular state.


First Article
Qualities of Aspirants for admission to the Institute

[2804]
The qualities required in the aspirants to the Institute for the Missions of Africa are as follows:
1. Every aspirant must have a strong constitution, be of sound mind and of at least average ability.
2. He must be at least sixteen years of age and not more that thirty-five.
3. If he is a cleric or priest, he may not be admitted without the permission of his Ordinary; and if he is a minor, he may not be admitted without the consent of his parents or their representatives.
4. He must have a good name both for piety, integrity and seriousness of character and behaviour.
5. He must be firmly resolved to consecrate himself to God for the regeneration of Africa in the tasks which will be given to him by obedience, and that until death.

[2805]
The Rector of the Institute is obliged scrupulously to investigate the aspirant's qualities; and where these are sufficient, he must propose the admission of the candidate to the Right Reverend Bishop, on whom alone admission depends.
NB. Concerning the age, and if the aspirant comes from the religious state (properly freed by his Order or Congregation), where there are extraordinary qualities or circumstances, the Bishop as President General may dispense.


Second Article
Norms to be followed by the Rector in the admission of Aspirants

[2806]
Whenever an aspirant is to be admitted to the Institute, the Rector is always to have before his eyes the glory of God and the good of souls, without regard for recommendations, or qualities of state or reports on the aspirant: and since the well-being of the Mission depends on the right choice of the workers, he will use the greatest diligence in examining each aspirant to see whether he has the qualities required by the preceding Article.
[2807]
Therefore, after having fervently recommended himself to God, and asking others to pray to Him for the light necessary to make the decision, he will tell the aspirant all about the arduous and sublime enterprise to which he wishes to commit himself, about the difficulties and privations to which he will have to submit himself, about the risk to his life to which he will often be exposed, the total isolation in which he will not rarely find himself and, even more, the dangers to which, without robust virtue and a constant and spotless habit of chastity, his soul would be exposed by the customs of those peoples.
[2808]
He must further warn the aspirant against allowing himself to be guided in his ambition by any ulterior motive, such as the desire for worldly glory or being curious to see new lands, telling him that he will never do anything in the missions if he is not ready happily to take the last place, that he will often have to act, to work and to sweat without anyone knowing, apart from God, what he does, and without there remaining any remembrance of what he has done. He will tell the aspirant that sometimes, because of the unrewarding environment in which he works, he may not receive the slightest response from the Africans, who are always suspicious and understandably distrustful of foreigners, and because of all this he will be so depressed and desolate that he will be tempted to abandon the undertaking. If, though, he dedicates himself to the Missions for God's sake alone, he will be comforted by him with such interior consolations as to render every burden light, every trial sweet and the facing of every difficulty easy.
[2809]
The Rector will then seek the most precise information about the aspirant and assure himself that he has all the qualities required by the Institute.
He must also consult the members of his Council, and other persons with expertise in this regard, to hear whether, having pondered the whole matter, they feel in conscience that the postulant may be admitted to the Institute.
In the case of a young aspirant who still has to finish a good part of his studies, the Rector must warn him not to think of joining the Institute simply to have the means to continue his studies for a career, whether secular, regular or merely ecclesiastical, without wishing to consecrate himself to the Missions, because in such a case he would be obliged to refund to the Institute the maintenance paid for him contrary to its purpose.
Where everything is in order, it will be the duty of the Rector to consign the whole matter to the President General, so that, if he wishes, he may give permission for admission.


Third Article
Education of the candidates of the Institute

[2810]
During the first month after the candidates' admission to the Institute they must do a ten day retreat and they must make a general confession to the Confessor appointed by the Superior; after this they enter the Novitiate, which lasts two years, which period will be dedicated to forming the spirit of the candidates, accustoming them to prayer, mortification, recollection and to that spirit of renunciation of their own will which will make them ready for every sacrifice, an essential disposition for the missionary to Africa .
[2811]
Regarding the method with which to educate and lead to perfection the Novices, especially in spiritual matters, the Master will in general adhere to the Rules observed in the Novitiate of the Society of Jesus.
Having completed the Novitiate in a praiseworthy manner, and still persevering in the vocation, each of the candidates makes the profession of faith and the vow of obedience in the hands of the Bishop, to him and to his successors and representatives both in Verona and in Africa. This vow must be renewed every two years in the hands of the Superior of the respective House.

[2812]
Having made the vow of obedience, the seminarians continue their studies by attendance at the Diocesan Seminary, and the Priests, when they have no need of further studies, are sent to the daughter house in Egypt, where the seminarians will also be sent as soon as they have completed their theological studies.
NB. In the case of a vocation which presents extraordinary characteristics either of proven virtue or of the exercise of the priestly ministry, in such extraordinary cases, the Bishop, having heard the opinion of the Central Council of the Work for the Regeneration of Africa, may dispense from a considerable part of the Novitiate, so that, after a few months' probation, candidates having such a vocation may be sent to the daughter house in Egypt.

[2813]

Fourth Article
Daily Timetable of the Clerics and Students who have finished the Novitiate

Morning
5.00 - Raising of the mind to God, sign of the Cross, and rise. Bed-making, cleaning of room and personal toilette, all in silence.
5.30 - In Chapel short morning prayers, the Angelus, the Psalm Laudate Dominum omnes gentes, then in the individual's room Meditation on the points suggested the evening before. Then reflection on the meditation.
6.45 - Mass, then withdrawal to room until breakfast. Whoever receives Communion at Mass must stay in chapel for a quarter of an hour afterwards. When the priests have finished their meditation, they will celebrate the Mass in the order and at the time and place assigned to them by the Rector, seeking to fulfil this duty with the greatest recollection and devotion, preparing for it by a quarter of an hour's prayer and making a quarter of an hour's thanksgiving afterwards; after this they have breakfast.
7.30 - Breakfast for the students, laymen and novices; afterwards recreation and free time.
8.00 - The students apply themselves to study and then go to their respective classes at 9 o'clock in the Diocesan Seminary until 11.30. The novices will then occupy themselves with the various tasks, which, according to their various conditions, will be assigned to them by the Rector or Novice Master, who, in keeping them occupied all day, will follow the method of the Society of Jesus.
After celebrating Mass, finishing breakfast and a little recreation and the recitation of the Canonical Hours, priests will apply themselves to study, especially of languages, for all the time up to 11.30.
11.30- Students, novices and priests have a quarter of an hour of recreation.
11.45 - General and particular examination of conscience in one's room.
12.00 - The Angelus in chapel, then lunch with the reading of a chapter of the New Testament and lives of the Martyrs and Saints, of the most famous Missionaries, of the Annals of the Propagation of the Faith and of similar works, chosen by the Rector. Then visit to the Blessed Sacrament and recreation.

Afternoon
1.45 - In the winter, study (in Summer, an hour of sleep or rest) until the time for school for the students. Immediately after school a walk; after the walk visit to the Blessed Sacrament in chapel, spiritual reading and five Decades of the Rosary; then study until supper.
In summer, the visit and spiritual reading are done in chapel after sleep or rest, then study until school-time. For the priests the school-time is used for: an hour of study, and the last hour in a conference with the Rector during which they will give a report on what they have studied.
8.00 - Supper, Visit to the Blessed sacrament in chapel and then recreation until 9.
9.00 - In chapel, general and particular examination of conscience, reading of the points for the following day's meditation, then withdrawal to rooms.
9.45 - Sleep.

[2814]
Regarding the timetable for Sundays, feasts and holidays, the Rector, following the system and spirit of the above, and according to the Bishop's judgement, will make those changes which are suited to the various circumstances.
Besides being extremely vigilant that the spiritual acts here prescribed are carried out with exactness and in the proper spirit by all, the Rector will ensure that every Sunday the Novice Master will give a sermon to the novices and members of the Institute. In this sermon he will instruct them in the duties of the new state they have chosen, and in the perfection towards which they must strive with all their strength; he will especially encourage them to die completely to themselves, to grow in deep humility, the foundation of all the virtues, an ardent charity that is ready to make every sacrifice for the salvation of souls, and a blind and ready obedience, allowing themselves to be governed by the sound of the bell and by the suggestions of any Superior whatsoever, as by the voice of God. In this way they will gladly do what they are instructed to do and they will always be happy even with the last place, and always certain that they are doing God's will. He will also set out, step by step, the special nature and the conditions of the arduous missions of Africa, and how the students must be ready to live and to die without seeing the results of their apostolic labours, content to work on the foundations of a building which only those who come after them will see rising from the ground. He will seek above all to accustom them to die completely to themselves and to work only for God and for the consolation that he gives.

[2815]
As well as the above-mentioned activities the students will have an annual ten day retreat according to the Ignatian method and a monthly day of retreat. They will go to confession at least once a week to the ordinary confessor of the Institute. During their retreat and the triduum of preparation for the renewal of the vow of obedience, they will be assigned an extraordinary confessor. The students will do the novenas of Christmas, the Epiphany, the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Sacred Heart of Mary, the Immaculate Conception, the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, St Francis Xavier, as well as the triduums to the patron saints, and will celebrate May as the month of the Virgin Mary and March as the month of St Joseph. Every Friday they will do the Stations of the Cross, and other devotions at the discretion of the Rector.
[2816]
Regarding the education of the lay brothers destined to be catechists and teachers of arts and crafts and to help the missionaries in whatever way possible, there should be followed in everything the guidelines laid down for the education of the lay brothers in the Society of Jesus.


Fifth Article
Daughter House in Egypt (See the Report to the Sacred Congregation of April, 15th, 1870)

[2817]
The purpose of the Institute in Cairo is as follows:
1. The Missionaries from the Institute in Verona exercise their first Apostolate there especially in favour of the black Africans living in Egypt, and with the help of God they learn to be true missionaries in practice.
2. In the Institute training is given to members of the indigenous clergy, and catechists and teachers of arts and crafts are trained so as then to become apostles of faith and civilisation among their fellow countrymen.
3. The Missionaries and the coadjutor brothers from Verona become acclimatised, learn the languages of the tribes of the interior and learn the oriental customs, etc.
4. In the Institute the Missionaries equip themselves for those ministries and services of charity necessary in the Mission that the Sacred Congregation of Propaganda Fide will assign in the African interior to the Institute of Verona.
5. The house serves to offer hospitality to Missionaries exhausted by their apostolic labours in Central Africa.

[2818]
In the Institute in Egypt the Missionaries coming from Verona are subjected to a second period of probation or novitiate to establish their vocation to the missions of the interior and to mature in those apostolic virtues which are eminently necessary for that difficult and laborious undertaking.
[2819]
This house is governed by a Superior to whom are responsible all the missionaries and the women's houses which help the mission; it is further presided over by a Vice-Rector who represents the Superior in his absence and runs the administration of the house and administers the offerings sent to help the Mission, always remaining answerable to the Superior.
[2820]
Once the Sacred Congregation of Propaganda Fide has assigned our Institute a special Mission in Central Africa, the Superior of the house in Egypt will be proposed by the Bishop of Verona to the Sacred Congregation as the Head of the whole Mission, and once appointed by the Sacred Congregation, he will direct the whole Work and will be responsible for the choice of which members to send to the various regions, for choosing the areas to be worked in, the method of work and everything else.
[2821]
He is obliged to keep in continuous touch with the Institute of Verona, to keep it informed about the whole Mission, and, in a confidential manner, to inform the Bishop President of the behaviour of each and every missionary, both those living in Cairo and those distributed throughout the African interior, giving a full report on all of them. This will allow the Bishop to present his five-yearly report to the Sacred Congregation of Propaganda Fide on the state of the Mission and on the development of the Institute and of the whole Work.
[2822]
In informing the Bishop of Verona concerning his subjects, the Head of the Mission must suggest one or two of them as suitable, in his judgement, to succeed him in the case of his death.


Sixth Article
How the students become full Members of the Institute and how they cease to belong to it

[2823]
After the novitiate, the students of the Institute may be either in the Institute in Verona continuing their apostolic education or occupied with ministries connected with it, or they may be in the African Missions.
[2824]
The students who, after their novitiate, remain in the Institute, provided that they correspond with their vocation, will be declared full members of the Institute three years after taking the vow of obedience. The students who have gone to the African missions will be declared full members after two years, provided that they have given good proof of their vocation. The Rector of the Institute in Verona and the Superior of the Mission in Africa must propose the individual students, with the necessary information concerning them, to the Bishop of Verona, so that they may be declared full members by him. Of such full members the Institute is obliged to take complete care, even should they become unable to exercise their ministry, until death, provided that they persevere in the Institute.
[2825]
The full members of the Institute may cease to belong to it either of their own will or because of some demerit of their own.
Any full member who wants to leave the Institute must make his request, if he is in the Institute at Verona, to the Rector, or, if he is in Africa, to the Superior, setting out the reasons why he no longer feels he wishes to continue in the career he has undertaken. If the Rector, having consulted his Council, considers the reasons just, he makes a report on the matter to the Right Reverend Bishop, who gives the petitioner permission to leave, dispensing him from the vow of obedience if the two-year period has not yet expired, and grants him the means to return home. Similarly, if the Superior of the Mission considers the reasons given by the petitioner to be just, be makes a report on the matter to the Bishop, who gives orders for him to be sent away and that the house give him all the expenses for his journey. Should the respective Superior not consider the reasons to be sufficient, he will seek to dissuade the member from taking this decision by every means at his disposal; but should this not avail in dissuading him and should he persist in wanting to leave, in that case, the report is made to the Bishop, and with his permission, the member will be allowed to go.

[2826]
There is also the case of a full member who by his bad behaviour, despite warnings from the Superior, is damaging the pious work and hence deserves to be dismissed, whether he is in Verona or Africa.
[2827]
If he is in Verona, the Rector will make a full report to the Bishop, and with the latter's permission, will dismiss him. If he is in Africa, the Superior, having pondered the whole matter well before God, and having heard the opinion of his Council composed of his most outstanding missionaries, will be authorised to dismiss him even immediately, when the character of the case requires it, and to send him home to Europe, giving a full report to the Bishop of Verona. Should it be possible to consult the Bishop before dismissing the member, the Rector is bound to await his decision.



CHAPTER III
MATERIAL MEANS TO ACHIEVE THE PURPOSE OF THE INSTITUTE

[2828]
Besides the property of residence and establishment, the Institute is furnished with those resources indicated in the letter of the Bishop of Verona to His Eminence the Cardinal Prefect of the Sacred Congregation dated February 1, 1872.

[2829]
Many matters have prevented me from going to Rome: but now I have finished and will be leaving tomorrow. By Thursday or Friday, I hope to be able to pay you my respects and bring you the Rules, which have been immensely useful to me and which I know almost by heart.
On my return from Rome I shall either pass through Milan or advise you by mail, because I shall be leaving for Egypt 15 days later. I am very happy to be able to satisfy your wishes fully concerning the matter we discussed. You must dispose of me as if I belonged to you, in omnibus et quoad omnia. If the Bishop were here he would insist that I send you his warmest greetings; but he left two hours ago. Give my regards to everyone in the house; I again send you my warmest thanks for your limitless charity, and remain with deepest respect,


Your most humble Fr D. Comboni

[2830]
I will send you the letter for the Most Reverend Fr Nicola Negrelli from Rome, because at the moment 1. He is in Bavaria. 2.1 am swamped with things to do until my departure, so I have been unable to write to him. But since I have the matter of the adoration on my mind night and day, and since God must help you and your holy sisters in this sublime Work which is so useful to the Church, I am certain not to forget; for which reason I have asked my secretary to remind me. Writing to Fr Negrelli is like writing to the Empress. However you must also prepare a petition to the Empress to be enclosed with mine, which I will send you open from Rome, and pray and have prayers said, and you will obtain all because Christ is a man of his word and he said petite et accipietis, and at St Clare's your holy daughters really do pray.
I send my regards, please pray for

Your most devoted and humble servant

Fr Daniel Comboni