On the establishment of many friaries and many friars received the habit.

234 Spread of the Reform 235 The first friaries 236 The life they led 237 Numerous vocations 238 The glorious state of the Congregation 239 Tribulations

(234) It pleased the Lord God that when the Bull of the Reform of the Capuchin Friars was made public (as we said above), this new thing spread throughout all of Italy in a very brief time. In the Order it was the cause of great joy among the zealous Friars who desired the Reform. Some Capuchins appeared in all the Provinces of Italy and in a short time they established friaries. All those Friars who had desired the Reform for such a long time came to the Capuchins. The Congregation grew into a great number and it was necessary to increase the number of friaries.

(235) The first person to begin this work was the Duchess of Camerino. When she didn’t have a place at hand for the poor Capuchins she asked the Fathers of Saint Jerome who lent her one they had near Camerino. It was about three miles from the city at a place called Colmonzone. The poor Friars made some little cells and stayed there about four years until she could make the one nearer the city and where the Capuchins are today. This was the first friary of the Congregation. Later the Duchess didn’t really want to accommodate another little place for them called Saint Lucy in Montemeloni near Rancia. This was because the Lords of Camerino, since ancient times, had many possessions and lands there. Her Lady ship had her endowment relocated in those properties. For a part of each year she went to the country for a little relaxation without her Capuchins. She wanted them to start a friary there instead. She supplied for and provided for all their needs.

Being a judicious man Padre Ludovico knew that in the beginning many Friars would come to Camerino because it is the first Friary. For the comfort of the poor Friars he wanted to start a little place in Fabriano which would be used more as a hostel than a friary. A little church was accepted. Near the church was a little house. Later, because that wasn’t adequate, the poor Friars built a hut. This was by the providence of God because just as the prophecy says when it speaks about the Reform, ‘after the dispersion the Congregation of poor Friars will be in the third friary. They will be enlightened by God that this is the true Reform.’ Therefore this was the third friary, the one which was near Fabriano, above a little castle called Albacina. Later the poor men met in that third place and celebrated their first General Chapter. And according to the prophecy, all of them as with one mouth said that in that Chapter they had received a new light from God and were sure in their minds that this was the true Reform.

The fourth friary in the Marches was in the city of Fossombrone.

(236) When this fervour had passed few Friars came to the Congregation from 1528 until 1530. This was because at the time there were the greatest tribulations of wars, plagues and the worst famine. While earlier they had no houses and went about as fugitives in the mountains because of the grave persecutions, in that time the poor Capuchins were recollected in those little friaries with so much spirit. They gave themselves to holy contemplation with some much quiet that it seemed as though the era of the early holy Religious would be renewed in the world. Those Religious dedicated themselves with so much spirit and fervour to penetrate the harsh deserts that they looked more like Angels than men. That is what the great servant of God John Cassian wrote in his Conferences and in the Book on the Solitary Life, ‘They looked more like Angels than men.’ Some of them only lived on bread and water. Others lived on herbs. Many only ate fruit.’ So too the poor Capuchins. Because all their little friaries were far from cities and populated areas, they remained there continuously practising an unbelievable abstinence in such a way that there were some who fasted continuously. These ate a little bread once a day and drank water. Others sustained their poor lives with five ounces of beans or other fruit each day and by drinking water.

However, leaving aside those few who observed such a degree of austerity, speaking generally they were all content with bread, vegetables and herbs. They went four or five months when they not only didn’t eat meat, they didn’t even see it. Because they were so few and were happy with little, they were hardly visited by seculars. However when it was necessary for they to go out, the people from everywhere ran to see them and hear them speak of God. Although they were simple and uneducated, most of them spoke very highly about the things of God and of the great good and glory of the next life that they appeared like flaming Seraphim. They reduced to wonder all those who heard them. In this way they moved nearly all of Italy to devotion. It seemed this was the hand of God because many, on rethinking their situations, left their evil life for a good life. And the time itself demanded it because the world was full of tribulations. Everyone thought they were being punished and chastised by God because of their sins. The Lord God worked marvellous things through their preaching and it seemed that just to see the poor Capuchins produced awe filled wonder in those who gazed at them. Sighing, they all said, “Now what will become of us miserable sinners? All of them are holy and yet they do such harsh penance.”

There is no tongue that could express the degree of veneration in which everyone held them. The poor men went around barefoot and ashen in the face. They were like exhumed corpses. The evoked more stunned wonder the less they were seen. When they stayed in their friaries they observed perpetual silence. Nothing was ever said except in a lowered voice. The all ate together with great silence. They said the Divine Office and then retired some into the church, others to their cell and some into the woods. In those friaries it seemed as though there was no one there because they were all busy, each by himself in some necessary task or in holy contemplation. In this was the beginning of the true religious life in the holy Reform. These were the first fruits that the poor Capuchins gave to the Lord God. They consecrated themselves to God so ardently that it was done with the greatest effort human frailty allowed. Since then the poor Congregation, either in general or in particular has never been able to match those true servants of God. For they strove in all and through all to conform to Father Saint Francis and his companions. Nor do I believe that the friaries taken up by Father Saint Francis were poorer than those were that the Capuchin Friars took up in the beginning. Nor did Father Saint Francis and his companions dress as poorly nor with cloth as lowly as the poor Capuchins did. This is obvious in their habits which are kept as relics. For the entire Congregation dresses in arabesque, the worst cloth you can find. Nor did they want to dress in any other kind of cloth. For among themselves they would have regarded using a comfortable cloth a great disgrace and it would have shown little spirit when all the others dressed so poorly. We read about Father Saint Francis and his first companions who in the beginning stayed in the place of Rivo Torto, in the Carcere of Assisi, in Farneto, in the Speco di Sant’Urbano, in the Hermitage at Cesi and other old places. We read about how they put aside all the ceremonies and other things that occupied them and applied themselves to nothing else apart from holy contemplation. That is how it was with those poor Capuchins. When they read the Legend of the Three Companions, where one can see the way of life which Father Saint Francis’ led, they strove to imitate him and dedicate themselves to the contemplative life, the goal and perfection of religious life.

(237) It pleased the Lord God that in 1530 the wars, plagues and famine ceased. In this time a great number of Friars came to the holy Reform from the order – not only simple and uneducated ones but a great multitude of the most learned and holy men that were in the Order. So then the poor Capuchin Congregation could lift its head in the world because the coming of these great men and their preaching made the Congregation very celebrated throughout the world. This was especially so among the Prelates of Holy Church who conceived such devotion towards the Capuchins that they revered them like Apostles of Christ. Removed and knocked down therefore were all the bad opinions and murmuring of the adversaries, of those who defamed and detracted the holy Reform with pestiferous tongues. With great support from the Prelates of Holy Church the poor Capuchins were able to obtain from them whatever they desired.

(238) In this time many friaries were started in all the Provinces. Many Provinces were added where previously the Capuchins had no friary at all. Many nobles and ordinary men came from the world to receive the Capuchin habit. The Congregation never had such glory before the world as in this time up until 1543 when it received a great mortification in the departure of Brother Bernardino Ochino. It was such a blow that everything was about to be completely ruined. Many considered that the by his departure the Congregation received great harm.

Comparing the state of the Congregation from 1528 until 1533 with the period 1533 until 1543, the latter was the more glorious. I was in the Congregation at that time. On rethinking it carefully I say that the more glorious period that ever was in our Congregation was between 1528 and 1533 because it was more in conformity with the beginning of the Order and with the time of Father Saint Francis. I do not deny that the second state of the Congregation until 1543 was more glorious before the world. Nor do I deny that there was a great number of more learned Friars and great preachers. However since the Order of the Seraphic Francis is founded on humility, poverty, despising oneself and on holy and perfect contemplation, the Congregation was never more conformed to those things they call perfection as it was in that first period. There it truly renewed the first state of the Order with every degree of perfection. The habit, life, humility, despising of the word and the true contemplation which Francis had with his companions were all made present in the world.

That prophecy is verified which says, ‘In the last days a Reform will be done in the spirit of the Founder. The Holy Spirit will call the novices who come in that day. They will be without guides and teachers.’ This was because they were so few in numbers that they had no novitiates or other ceremonies that are sought after. Nonetheless they were so edified by the very good example that they received from all those servants of God that it was quite enough to give the religious form of living and form them in all fair conduct. Therefore the prophecy says, “Although this Reform will not appear in their works of perfection, nonetheless they will not be deprived of merit of the early saints. For in that time charity will have cooled, that charity which made those early saints so fervent. Nonetheless they will suffer the greatest tribulations because they will be greatly attacked inwardly by the demons. They will suffer the greatest temptations. They will be persecuted outwardly also and experience tribulations from wicked men. But those who persevere in that good and holy ideal and die in the holy Order will receive from God the glory like that which those holy Friars received who, comforted by charity, walked with great delight and finished gloriously in the holy Order.”

(239) To this day there has never been a Reform so impugned and persecuted by men, as was the poor Congregation of Capuchins. No other Order or Reform ever had such opportunity or facility to be able to leave suffering and turn its back on it as much as the Congregation of Capuchins. Not only was it easy to leave the Congregation, but there were all the persecutions also. These could have taken the Friars and have them lead a lax life. They were very tempted by this because those who stayed by their own wish or for the love of God, and not for other reasons, died in the holy Congregation. Therefore their deeds were the more meritorious as they were done with a more tried will. This made them deserve the glory of the first saints of the Order who with all their hearts despised themselves in the perfect observance of the Rule. To the praise and glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.