Appendix 1: About the beginning of the Congregation of Capuchins Chapter

As appears in the Chronicles of the Order, in the Legend of the Three Companions and in the Book of Conformities, instructed and enlightened by the Holy Spirit Blessed Bernard prophesied that the Order founded by the Seraphic Father should decline up to the seventh degree. In these degrees the Order should do something new and always begin some Reform. He prophesied that the first Reform would not achieve the perfection of those first holy Friars who began the Order with the Seraphic Father Saint Francis. The perfection of the Holy Spirit was manifested in them. Nor will the second Reform arrive at the perfection of the first until it comes to the seventh degree in which the true Reform will be done. Although the Friars of the seventh Reform and seventh degree will not appear to be perfect because charity will have cooled, which makes the Saints act perfectly, nonetheless they will not be deprived, rather they will benefit from the merits of the first Saints. Attacked from within and without by evil spirits, they will suffer great opposition. There will be so much scandal and bad example from bad Friars and so much opportunity to do wrong that those Friars who remain strong in the true observance of the Rule will be greatly loved by God and have many greater merits before God that will not be appreciated. This Reformation will be different to the beginning of the Order in this. The Order was given a Leader and Founder. However simple, uneducated persons will do this Reform. It will be given its holy Leader at the end.

Hence we can know clearly that the Order has already fallen through these degrees, as what the first degree was appears in the Book of Conformities, in the Chronicles and in other places.

Blessed Peter Provenzale who was General of the entire Order before Blessed John of Parma. When the holy man saw the Order slacken he did all he could to reform it with other very holy, zealous and learned men; that is, with Blessed Brother John of Parma, Brother Ubertino of Casale and many others. However when the General, Brother Peter, died this Reform was persecuted very much and any of them died in prison. Saint Anthony of Padua (who was still alive) also suffered very much helping the Reform. Blessed Cesarius of Camerino received holy martyrdom. Blessed Brother John of Parma was imprisoned and later confined. Finally that Reform, although they were men of great authority, did not arrive at the perfection of the first state.

The second was at the time of Saint Bonaventure. With great sweetness and almost without any din he reformed the whole Order. However the Order had increased so much that he could do a little. There were not the divisions and discord that usually happen during Reforms. In that time (as can be seen in the Chronicles of the Order) the Order was full of men of letters and great learning. The Church exalted many to various Prelacies. This favour and great reputation lasted until Pope John XXII. Under him the Order did something else very new. His Holiness deposed Brother Michael of Cesena who was General of the entire Order. By his authority His Holiness gave the Order another General. Consequently the whole Order divided in two. One part wanted the General of the Pope and the other part followed Michael of Cesena. Then the cappuccio disappeared because His Holiness wanted all the Friars who obeyed him and his General to round off the cappuccio. He imposed excommunication and so the whole Order took up the founded cappuccio. The Order also slackened very much. Because of this many good spirits unable to suffer such a lax and dissipated life began the third degree of doing something new and tried to reform. The Leader of this Reform was the Blessed Brother Angelo Clareni along with many other very holy men. It was called the Reform of the Clareni because the first house of that Reform was built in the Marches near a river that was called the Clarino River. The persecutions and opposition were such that this Reform did not prevail. It did not go ahead nor arrive at the perfection of the second degree.

In the fourth degree the Order did something new in the Reform of the Zoccolanti in which there were many very zealous, holy and learned men who favoured it and glorified it such as Saint Bernardine, Blessed Brother John Capistran, Blessed Brother James of the Marches. Quite a few others of the Order also approached that Reform although a certain holy lay friar called Brother Paul of Foligno started it. The first house was at Brugliano in the mountains of Foligno near Colfiortio.

The fourth (sic) degree was at the time of the Conventual Fathers. Some very zealous Friars arose who did the Reform. Its leader was the holy man Brother Francis of Montepulciano. It was very much attacked, although it went ahead quite well. However, when he saw so many opponents, the holy old man withdrew into parts of Puglia. He stayed five years in a cave and very few knew where he was. There he led a very strict life, occupying himself continuously at holy contemplation. Then when he emerged be began to preach with such fervour and with such a fruitfulness of souls that he moved almost all of Italy. I was in Assisi in our house of the Carcerelle. It was winter and I was standing by the fire Master Francis Birrelli came with another honoured old citizen to that house. In the presence of Brother Francis of Imola and many other Friars I heard the old man say, “Thanks be to God, because today we have seen the prophecy of Brother Francis of Montepulciano fulfilled. For when I was a boy that holy man was preaching in the square of Assisi. While I was sitting with the other boys on the steps facing the pulpit I heard him say these words. Turning towards us boys, his face totally afire, he said with a loud voice, “I tell you boys, you will see Saint Francis raised up. I am not saying you will see him raised up in person, but you will see his habit, just as the Seraphic Father wore it. You will see his life and the true observance of his Rule . I am not saying all of you will see this, but some of you boys will see these things. Therefore,” the old man added, “to the praise of God I have deserved to see it, by his grace. He is the habit of our father Saint Francis that we all see raised up.”

Soon after this Father Baptist of Norcia told me that on the day of Corpus Christi he was present because he had gone to the procession. In the square at Perugia where there were more than ten thousand persons present, the holy man preached. When he had finished his sermon, with his arms like a cross he began to exclaim and cry, “Jesus!” so that the entire multitude was so moved to tears that it seemed as though the passion of our Lord was ruined. Then he came to Borgo San Seplocro where he preached with such fervour that he seemed to be an Angel of God. Many holy and devout persons saw three stars shining over his head. He arrived at the city of Florence. There he preached with great spirit and fervour and predicted many things to them that have been mostly fulfilled. He occasioned no small wonder and amazement. So the Dean sent to ask him where he got these prophecies. Did he say them to instill terror or did the Holy Spirit reveal them to him? He asked to have eight days before making a reply, “and if it is the will of God I will tell you.” He died before the eighth day. He was buried in Holy Cross and they made him an epitaph of the three stars that were seen above his head when he was preaching. I have seen these with my own eyes above his tomb.

The fifth degree was not in all the Order but in parts of Spain. It was started by many holy men, just I heard from the holy man Brother John the Spaniard who had been in that Reform for fourteen years. It is still to be seen today. However because of the grave persecutions and opposition, since they had taken up the cappuccio like us, they were made to remove it. They were all confined and restricted to two or three Provinces. Although there had been many holy men in that Reform, none the less it declined little by little.

In the sixth grade the Order did something new for the Reform. Father Bernardine of Asti and the holy man Brother Francis of Iesi were the one who obtained the Bull of the Reform from His Holiness Pope Clement. I have read it and have been well informed completely by these Reverend Fathers. Unable to accomplish their plan because of the many kinds of opposition, it pleased the supreme Creator to begin the seventh degree. What it was unable to do through so many very holy men, as we have seen above, the divine Mercy wanted that a simple little man without learning or many natural gifts do it. Just as the Church was founded on simple fishermen and the Order on the humble and simple Francis. This man was Brother Matteo da Bascio. The divine Mercy wanted it this way so that it would be recognised that the work was of God and not of man. It was in this way which will be described below.