How from 1526 until 1528 there were opposing views in the Order about whether or not the Capuchin Reform was the true one, which according to the prophecies, had to be done

206 Disagreement caused in the Order by the Capuchin Reform 207 Why it was judged to be the true Reform 208 Five Friars obtain another Brief 209 Archangelo da Matelica 210 Fra Tomaso Romito 211 He advises the General of the Observants not to disturb the peace of the Capuchins 212 Difficulties the Reform met among the Zoccolanti

(206) There was never such a great disagreement, so to speak, between the Scribes and Pharisees about whether Christ was the true Messiah as there was in the Order about whether the Capuchin Reform was the true one or not. Was it the one that had to be done, in accordance with the prophecies of holy men? The majority, almost all, believed not and that in a short time it would go up in smoke. Hence a great disturbance emerged between the lax Friars and those zealous Friars who wanted to observe the Rule. Some of the lax Friars spoke just like the Scribes and Pharisees did when our Lord performed miracles on the Sabbath, “This man is not from God because he does not observe the Sabbath.” This is how those lax Friars spoke, “This Reform is not a good thing. We all know that leader of theirs who used to be with us. Although he is a good man nevertheless he is not really a man of great spirit, as would be needed to carry out a Reform?” Others said, “You are deceived because the prophecy says that the true Reform will be carried out simple, uneducated persons without human endorsement. Precisely who will have begun the Reform will be even less clear. This is because God wants the honour for it.”

It began in 1525 but it didn’t increase until after the dispersion. This was in 1527 when the Duke of Bourbon took Rome and sacked it on the 17th May and all Italy was topsy turvy. After this dispersion Fra Matteo and Fra Ludovico appeared. With a band of barefoot men they set the whole world abuzz. The whole Order became confused. This is because the Lord our God never fails anyone who commends himself to Him faithfully. The zealous Friars desired the Reform for a long time but a way to bring it about could never be seen since lax Friars fought against it so pitilessly. Now to me this now looks to me like a miracle of God: we were so deeply divided among ourselves that we no longer agreed on anything, however the Reform was carried out in our hearts before we separated ourselves physically. Don’t you see now that the Reform was done when God moved the hearts of all those whom He wanted in the Reform so that when they saw that pointed cowl they would go to that Reform? It is not possible to remain silent about this for I am one of those, just as there are many others in all the Provinces. We decided to go without hesitation. There you see how the Reform happened. There can be no mistake, because it is done so as to observe what we have promised to God. Nor would God allow us to be deceived so that such a multitude, moved by zeal for the observance of the Rule, should come to grief. So with the Reform already done, not much time passed before the good Friars joined this Reform. Please God, even if I was the first, at least I was not be the last.

That is what the great servant of God Brother Bernard of Offida said.

(207) At the time in was impossible to remain calm about it. No one talked about anything else. The zealous Friars were so enthusiastic that they said openly, “Won’t the day ever come when I may leave behind so many transgressions and do penance for my sins?” They confused one another, because the lax Friars said, “You are mad. Even if this be something good you will not be able to persevere there because they live like shepherds who remain out in the field. How is it possible to guide an Order in such austerity? You’ll go there but last three days before you return. You have never tried to sleep in stalls, hospices, caves and under trees like those madmen do. They are barefoot and threadbare and have nowhere to come together.” Wonderful God! Instantly those servants of God began to weep inconsolably. With a loud voice they said, “This is the true Reform and this is the thing that most inspires me to join it: it is founded on suffering and on the cross of Christ. What else does it mean to reform if not to return to the holy Order’s proper shape given it at the beginning? Now can’t you see that nothing makes it clearer to us that this is the true Reform than to see it conform in everything with Father Saint Francis and all those first Fathers who dwelt in such poverty in huts, caves and the poorest places? With all the Reforms that have been done, has the Order ever returned to that original state as these poor fellows have done? It has to be said that it is the true Reform.”

(208) When they saw how much disquiet these rumours produced within the Order the Superiors, with all their ingenuity, sought a way to respond to the situation. The leading Fathers consulted together about a possible remedy. It was ordered that His Holiness be approached. He might want to provide a remedy with a Brief so that no more Friars would leave. This would be the last resort should His Holiness not want annul outright the Brief he had granted to Padre Ludovico. His Holiness kindly granted that no more Friars might join. However he did not want to annul that Brief. Under this shadow gossip arose that all the Capuchins had been excommunicated. Many holy men who wanted to join (the Capuchins) were impeded by fear of excommunication. On the other hand many of them, no longer able to do violence to the spirit, went off to Rome and sought a Brief to be able to join the Capuchins. That is what happened in September 1528 with five very fervent Friars who were unaware that Fra Ludovico had obtained the first Bull from His Holiness. They were Padre Fra Bernardo da Offida, Padre Fra Pietro da Appignano, Padre Fra Antonio da Pennabilli, and Padre Fra Paolo da Collamato. Despite threats from the Superiors they agreed among themselves and took the habit in the above-mentioned way. They persevered most fervently until their death. Almost all of them did miracles.

I will say no more here about Padre Fra Bernardo da Offida because I am writing down all his life. However I would like to say a few words about Padre Frate Antonio da Pennabilli. I met him in 1534 in the old friary at Foligno. That friary was being built when this holy man was passing by with Padre Fra Bernardino da Montolmo. When that servant of God saw we had so much work in his great charity he decided to stay with us five or six months. He worked so faithfully that he made all the cells of lattice and mud with his own hands. It was amazing. He fasted the entire forty days of the Benedicta mostly on bread and water. Nonetheless he worked hard all day. He spent a large part of the night in the church pouring out his tears. In all that time I was never aware of any idle word escape from his lips. He did all his work in silence. Later he returned to the Marches and there he died a very holy death.

I do not much about the others except this. I know they all had a holy death in our Congregation.

(209) There were some others who came at the same time like Frate Arcangelo da Matelica. He was in the Province of Saint Francis for some years. I was in the same fraternity with him for about a year in the friary at Narni. I saw the holy life that this servant of God led. In particular he was very zealous about poverty. He so surpassed strictness regarding the necessary things that he with great effort could barely endure it. In his garb he never wanted anything else but old clothes. He wore so few clothes that everyone was amazed that he didn’t perish from the cold. As for food he rarely ate anything other than bread and uncooked greens. Most of the time he fasted. A speech impediment gave him a lot of trouble while saying Mass. The poor fellow often felt afflicted because he felt unable to pronounce the words adequately. This was a deep humiliation for him, so much so that he thought he was the vilest creature in the world. He returned to the Marches and, as he told me, he was the first to weave the cloth of the Friars in the Province of the Marches. He was very happy about this because it seemed to him that manual labour was part of the observance of the Rule.

I will say nothing about Padre Fra Silvestro, who was very motivated, and about others whom I knew who came at that time for the reasons mentioned above. The disquiet caused by the lax Friars so abounded that it was not possible for the zealous Friars to stand up to it. When the lax Friars used to meet they would do nothing else but denigrate the Reform, saying it would not last.

(210) And so a certain General of the whole Order was passing by the town of Gubbio. He went in personal to visit Fra Tommaso the Hermit to ask him what he thought about the matter and to ask that he commend him to God and if His Majesty would reveal to him whether this was the true Reform and if it would last. This Hermit was a man famous for his holiness. In the beginning of his conversion his spirit had been nourished by Blessed Archangelus who was at Santo Ambrosio. I heard this from his own mouth because I have spoken at length with him many times and he told me his whole life story. This Hermit was staying in Saint Nicholas where the Capuchins are today. There he had a cell that was well accommodated so as not to hear either the bells of the town or any other loud noise. He had had arranged a table where he ate so that when he had finished he removed it and his cell appeared to be empty. He used to sleep on the same table. The Duke of Urbino provided for all his needs. He fasted thirty years on bread and water and the fame of his holiness spread everywhere. He received many revelations. On one occasion he saved the Duke of Urbino and his entire army from death. He had had a vision and immediately sent a runner to warn the said lord who was thus saved.

(211) So the Father General went to this Hermit. After praying he received a revelation from God and reported it to the General. “Know my Father that the Capuchin Reform is from God and it will go ahead despite your antagonism because your Order has very become lax. Father Saint Francis has begged this reform from God. Therefore be at peace. Do not persecute it, because you are offending God.”

(212) Those words helped calm that poor Father very much. From then on he was more circumspect. During the General Chapter he strove to enjoin the Reform of the Zoccolanti Fathers and during his time the Bull was obtained from Clement VII. The hope that this Reform would go ahead held back many holy Friars who did not join the Capuchins. Once the General was passing through the Province of Saint Francis and was in the friary at Foligno. Padre Fra Battista da Norcia asked him for permission to join the Reform. The Provincial Minister wanted to use him as confessor for the nuns of Santa Lucia in Foligno and asked the General not to send him to the Reform. The General replied, “I want him to go to the Reform or otherwise he might go to join the Capuchins.” And so it happened. The order was given for Padre Fra Francesco da Iesi go to Rome to obtain the Bull for the Reform of the Zoccolanti Fathers. He returned from Rome thinking that the Reform was as good as done. The lax Friars imprisoned him. The Bull was scorned to the degree that the zealous Friars completely despaired of ever being able to carry out the Reform. Padre Iesi and Padre Fra Battista and an almost countless number from all the Provinces came to the Capuchins. This was a main reason that the profile of Congregation grew. To the praise of Jesus Christ. Amen.