How, after the first Bull, through many signs and witnesses, the Reform began to be recognised everywhere to be from God

254 Despite the opposition the Reform continues to spread 255 Some famous Friars join the Capuchins 256 Colpetrazzo comes with a companion 257 The admirers grow in number 258 A reply of Bartholomew of Spello 259 The good effects of the coming of John of Fano 260 Francis Tittelmans 261 John Zuazo

(254) After the first Bull was obtained the Lord God wanted this holy Reform to make it grow. For it had expanded into all the Provinces of Italy. Many came to the Reform and took the habit with such devotion that it was clearly known that the Holy Spirit called them. Many friaries were established. It was known everywhere that God was giving increase to the Congregation of Capuchins.

Hence, since there were in the Order many lax Friars who attacked the Reform of the Zoccolanti Fathers, these set themselves to uproot the Capuchin Reform with all their strength using all their ingenuity and favour. These were the ones who spoke every evil of the Capuchins to the simple and to those they thought wanted to join the Capuchins, in order to stop them and remove the idea from their minds. However the Holy Spirit had these understand that all those things were lies. The more weary they grew of hearing them, the more of them agreed to go to Rome and seek a Bull from His Holiness and they all joined the Capuchins. They did this because the lax said there was an excommunication and that none of them could go to the Capuchins. The obtained the Bull in order not to be excommunicated, even though this was not true. On the contrary the Capuchins had obtained the Bull but these didn’t know that. These were others than the five Friars of whom mention is made elsewhere.

(255) It pleased the Lord God that some came who before had greatly persecuted the poor Congregation. These were Religious of great authority and general renown. They were very gifted in letters and good bearing and enjoyed great credibility still in the Order. In a big way these shut the mouths of those who reproached the Congregation. For these ones discovered the truth for themselves when they were questioned by their secular friends who said to them, “What does it mean? You used to speak so badly of the Capuchins and now you have joined them.” As their excuse those venerable Fathers said, “Because in that state we were deceived by passion because of the great love we bore towards our Order. We were unaware that we were deceived and off the track, persecuting and reproaching Friars better than ourselves. Now the mercy of God has enlightened us and made us recognise that this is the true Reform and that the true observance of the Rule is in this Congregation. For this reason we have joined. And because we are certain that we have given scandal and bad example, kneeling we ask you forgiveness for all grumbling we have done against these servants of God. About these things it is quite true that we have trust that we have received the mercy of God for these things because we have done them ignorantly. We thought we were doing something good to help our Order. We didn’t know that the Lord God was preparing this holy Reform for us for our good. Now we have recognised this and are here by the mercy of God.”

When the seculars heard these words and it became known everywhere a perpetual silence fell upon those who lacerated the Reform. For from then on, when they heard such grumbling about the Reform, the people no longer believed that it came from those informed Fathers. They knew these Fathers were outstanding men who testified against themselves for having done wrong and who testified that the Congregation was holy. The seculars were very scandalised to hear evil said of the Capuchins. When news of the coming (to the Capuchins) of those venerable Fathers spread throughout the Order those who desired the Reform rejoiced over it greatly. Every scruple about excommunication was lifted from the simple and zealous Friars. And when the lax Friars spoke to them about it they didn’t believe them any more. Because of this, they also became dispirited.

(256) When I was a young cleric in the friary in Terni, Our Lady of Graces, I had a great desire to become a Capuchin. However because I had heard of an excommunication it deterred me. However one day I had a discussion with the Father confessor of the nuns. His surname was Pan’fresco, a Perugian Father and a very good man. I said to him, “Father confessor, because it is never said of the Capuchins, I wonder if they are a band of hypocrites.” That good Father replied, “O my son, do not say that. Already some of our main Fathers and holy men have let our Order.” I said to him, “I understood that so-and-so has left.” He replied to me, “And another one even more important has left.” When I heard this I was overwhelmed with joy. A little later I left for the Capuchins with a companion. We departed from that same friary.

(257) In this way the Congregation continued to grow and be consoled in the Lord. However, the opposition grew weaker. The majority of the Friars in the Order changed their minds. Although at first they would have detracted the Congregation, now they spoke well of it. And just as I saw with my own eyes, some whom no one would ever have thought because they were regarded as Friars of little spirit, said among themselves, “What are we going to do? This one and that one (and they recounted many) have gone to the Capuchin Reform. What are we waiting for except to go there ourselves? You know that it is from God, that it has been supported so much by His Majesty. It should never have made any progress because of all the opposition it received. God will judge us according to this because he has prepared for us this opportunity to observe the Rule to the letter and we stay here so as not to lose these bodily comforts.”

This kind of talk cut to the quick those lax Friars who earlier used to say as much evil as they could about us without any encouragement. Nonetheless when they heard these things they didn’t dare to speak about it any more. Instead they were detaching themselves from that faction. Truly it was a work of God that within a short time there were very few who remained who persecuted the Reform.

So then in the time from 1528 until 1543 the Congregation grew very much in Friars and friaries. However, when the Ochino left us in about 1545, all the persecutors rose up again. If they ever thought to be victorious over the Congregation and to dispose of it, at they time they felt certain, especially since they knew that His Holiness Paul III was very angry against the poor Congregation. However, according to the growth in the number of persecutors, on the other hand our Lord God showed greater miracles. The more it seemed that the Congregation would go to ruin, the more God lifted it up. Many important persons who supported the opposition went to His Holiness to persuade Him to remove this Congregation from the face of the earth. As they said themselves afterwards, God turned the words around in their mouths. For when they began to speak they saw that His Holiness was not very pleased when ill was said of the Reform. They said, “Even I have been of the opinion and I was determined to annihilate them completely. Now the Lord God has changed my heart. It is quite enough to punish the one who errs and to preserve the good.” That personage confirmed what His Holiness said and he greatly commended the poor Congregation to him. And he said, “Holy Father, forgive me. I came to tell you the complete opposite. Now I am compelled to praise them.” The Pope replied, “Oh didn’t I tell you that they have God on their side?”

In general there still would be one who would detract them. But for each of those found, you would have found one hundred who spoke well of the Capuchins. They were very sympathetic and instead blamed the part of the opposition, saying that this was a persecution. “If Brother Bernardino (Ochino) fled,” they said, “he has fled so that he does not have to die in a prison.” This general comment favoured us very much because His Holiness and all the holy Prelates of the Church kept an eye on not making a disturbance when they saw the Congregation enjoy such approval. Rather those holy Prelates discussed the case and all took the side of the Congregation. Finding the Congregation purged of the wicked doctrine of Brother Bernardino, the supported it more than ever. However, because I talk about this in another place, I will not say any more here.

(258) To return to the original point, our Congregation went from strength to strength. Hence Brother Bartholomew of Spello went with a companion to Our Lady of the Angels. I heard this from his own mouth. Because of his devotion he remained there in the Church a long time at prayer. As it pleased God, he was recognised by one of the Fathers there who was very fond of Father Bartholomew and wanted very much to speak with him. He appeared at the grill and made a sign that he wanted to talk with him. This Friar was the venerable Father John Baptist of San’ Severino. There was no more educated a man of holy life in the whole Province. He was publicly rumoured that the Mother of Jesus Christ often appeared to him and had reassured him of his salvation. He always read cases of conscience and did the disciple every night, even when he was old.

As this Friar spoke with Father Bartholomew he said to him, “My Father, many things are said against you here. I do not believe them and when I have heard them I have been very saddened. You know I have always liked you and I am certain you would never tell me lies. Is it true that you are excommunicated?” Father Bartholomew answered, “I am much amazed at Your Paternity since, being the man that you are, that you give credence to lies such as these that in this austerity we would want to lose both body and soul at the same time, being bound under excommunication. Our Congregation has never been excommunicated. Rather everything we have done we have done it with the authority and good grace of His Beatitude. First a Brief was obtained and now, by the grace of God, a Bull has been obtained to be able to wear this habit, to receive Friars of any kind as well as seculars, to establish friaries and all that is necessary for the welfare of our Congregation. Rather, I tell you that His Holiness and all the Roman Court have known that this is the true habit which Father Saint Francis and the whole Order wore for more than a hundred year. And I say to you that the Congregation still is growing. The life that the Order led in the beginning has been resumed. It has been ordered that poor friaries be built according to what Father Saint Francis wanted.”

With many tears that venerable Father then embraced Father Bartholomew. He said to him, “You are blessed. Continue, sons, because you have taken the right road of observing before God what you have promised him. It is clear that the Order is very lax. Father Saint Francis has pleased God so much that he has merited this particular gift, that after so many years, when it has become lax, that it reform just as we have seen it reformed many times. I have not looked forward to anything else except that one day such a Reform come about because it was very necessary. May God be blessed, and our Father Saint Francis, because now I see it. And I am certain that this is the true habit of Saint Francis. This can be seen from the habits kept as relics in our friary at Alverna.” Kissing the habit he said again with great tenderness, “May God forgive my incapacity. If I were not so old I would join you right now.”

From that time on when that holy man heard evil said of the Congregation he reprimanded them and said to them, “These are all lies. I am convinced that this is the true Reform.” He exhorted everyone very much to join that Reform. This was no small benefit because when the simple heard the words of this venerable Father many of them came and took up the habit. They no longer believed the lies.

(259) The conversion of Father John of Fano was no small benefit and support to our Congregation when, after persecuting the Congregation so much, he took up the Capuchin habit.

He was preaching in the city of Brescia in Lombardy when he was in the Zoccolanti habit. In the middle of his sermon he saw two Capuchins enter and kneel down. He immediately fixed his eye on them and enumerated the list of their crimes. He called them hypocrites, false Religious, vagabonds and the like. The poor fellows remained kneeling with their heads lowered, listening to the crimes humbly and with great patience. Their humility was such that they edified all the people. When he had finished fulminating against them they say down to listen to the rest of the sermon. Father John then turned to the people and said to them, “When you find some of these hypocrites make the sign of the cross and cry ‘mercy!’ because they are all devils.”

It pleased the Lord God to put into the heart of the venerable Father that if he did not restore their good name by joining them he could not be saved. The Lord God did not want such a good and worthwhile man to perish. For after receiving the habit from Padre Ludovico he was sent to establish the Provinces of Lombardy. He preached in Verona with great acceptance. Having established a friary there he came immediately to Brescia. When he appeared in the piazza with his companion there was a gentleman there who was his great friend. He had had him in his house when Father John was preaching in the Zoccolanti habit. He was present when Father John had fulminated against the Capuchins from the pulpit. When he saw Father John appear in the piazza, with great amazement he cried out “Mercy!” three times and made the sign of the cross. Everyone heard this and the people ran to see who it was. Father John remembered what he had said in the pulpit. He thought that the gentleman and all the people were scandalised by him. Hence the venerable Father immediately threw himself upon his knees and with many tears admitted his fault to him and to all the people. However the gentleman embraced him and said to him, “Father, forgive me. I did not cry out because of the words you said in the pulpit but because I knew that you were so inimical of this habit and now you are dressed in it too.” Taking him by the hand he led him to his house with great joy. He wanted him to preach. While speaking with those gentlemen with whom he was so familiar, to tried to show them that taking up the Capuchin habit had not been a light matter but because he was goaded by his conscience for having persecuted them so much. “I could not see how I could save myself if I did not restore their good name. Furthermore I was certain that this is a Reform sent to us by God for our salvation.”

Thus it spread even among the secular in favour of the Capuchins. These and many other examples about which I could write about but won’t so as not to be too long made it clear to everyone that the Congregation and Reform of the Capuchins was a work of God.

(260) By way of confirmation of what has been said, the coming of Father Francis Tittelmans was no less an authority. He was one of the very learned men in the Order in his day and was cherished by it. He was a Reader and, in a manner of speaking, a patron of the Order. He was in his Province in Flanders where he had written many books and had them published. Many of them still remained to be printed. Enlightened by God, nonetheless, he left all these opportunities and came to Italy. He became a Capuchin in our friary in Rome. He did this with such fervour that not long after being clothed he asked the grace of the Father General to serve the sick in the Hospital of the Incurable. He stayed there some months and if the Father General had not shifted him he would have finished his life in that work.

He was the cause of such wonder that he was visited by many ultramontane Fathers who had known him when he was so honoured in the Order. Now they saw him deprived of books like a simple friar, barefoot and dressed in a habit of rough wool. He served those poor sick people with such love. In wonder they said to him, “O my Father, how have you been able to put aside study completely?” The servant of God answered them, “I have undertaken that task which the Seraphic Father taught me. Know that I have exchanged all my Augustines, Jeromes and Chrysostoms for these. These are my collections of books – to serve these poor people so commended to us by the Lord God. Books teach us to do good and the completion of the lessons is to do what they teach us. The Rule of Father Saint Francis has humility for its foundation. The one who is humble observes the Rule better than anyone. I do not consider it less a good thing that God may have called me to the Order and called me to this Reform. I have been unable to resist the many inspirations and stinging prompts that I had while among those comforts. It pleased the Lord God to lead me to this state and if I were able to bring this Reform to Flanders I would die content. This is what has moved me more than anything else.”

When the Court in Rome came to know about this servant of God it gave great support to our Congregation. His holy life closed the mouth of anyone who saw such a worthy man go continuously barefoot and give himself so much to the despising of himself. He wanted so much to live by his own work. I have it from his own mouth, that the Rule may be observed badly without observing the Testament of our Father Saint Francis. He gave himself to making baskets in order to give them then to seculars so as to receive part of his food from them. Because many other Friars worked and received bread for it that servant of God ate it so joyfully that it seemed as though the bread had come down from heaven. He used to say, “Now I am observing the Rule and Testament in the precept about working.” He was so adamant that when weren’t busy in matters of obedience or indeed in saying Masses, Offices, prayers and study that as a spiritual exercise and for the sake of holiness they should spend all that time in physical work. When he was adorned with so many miracles after his death all the Friars knew that his doctrine about working was good and pleasing to God.

The example of this servant of God moved many ultramontane Friars to come and take up the Capuchin habit. And when there was murmuring about our Congregation in those parts, they answered: “If the Reform was not good, the great and learned Brother Francis Tittelmans would not have entered it. These serious men honoured our Congregation everywhere and made it celebrated throughout all Christendom.

(261) The arrival of Brother John from Spain was of no less benefit. By hearsay and reputation he was regarded as a holy man and the revelations he received from God endorsed his holiness. However what was important was to have received holy martyrdom. Preaching the Christian faith in Cairo he and his companion flew away to heaven with the palm of holy martyrdom.

It would a big task to want to tell of those things that the Lord God showed by way of confirmation that this was his work. Therefore may this be enough. May anyone who reads it be able to consider the great things that happened in the beginning.

To the praise and glory of our Lord Jesus Christ and his most sweet Mother and of our Father Saint Francis. Amen.