Celebrating the Anniversary of Jean-Pierre Médaille’s Birth

Today the global Joseph family pauses to celebrate with gratitude the life and legacy of our founder and spiritual father, Father Jean-Pierre Médaille. Birthdays are gift times to highlight and honour the nobility and grandeur of one human life.

“Have only one desire throughout your life:
to be, and to become,
what God wants you to be
in nature, in grace, and in glory,
for time and eternity.”

— Maxim of Love 10:6 | Jean-Pierre Medaille, SJ

IN NATURE:  Jean-Pierre was born on October 6, 1610, the eldest son of Jean and Phélippe Médaille in Carcassonne, France. While we have no photographs or biography of this time, we can presume from parish records, that his home life was very stable, economically secure, and spiritually alive. He and his two brothers, Jean-Paul and Jean attended the local Jesuit College which combined classical learning with cultural and religious experience. This strong and balanced Jesuit educational milieu marked Jean-Pierre’s childhood and early adolescence providing a discipline that grounded him for significant spiritual and social influence in the world. 

IN GRACE: Jean-Pierre Médaille was born with a destiny and unique purpose that he grew into and embraced wholeheartedly. Not yet 16 years of age, he entered the Jesuit novitiate in Toulouse, France. All throughout his formative years and up to his ordination of priesthood in 1637 (age 27), Jean-Pierre was described by his superiors as “having extraordinary talent”; “excellent, remarkable, penetrating, even sublime intelligence.” He was considered “wise, above average in everything, superior in philosophy and especially in theology.” Most of his four decades of apostolic ministry were spent travelling from diocese to diocese around south-western France preaching Parish Missions and promoting a spirituality that inspired the laity and engaged them on a path of holiness so much so that his obituary (Dec. 30, 1669) reported that “so great his reputation for holiness that here and there he was called the saint, the apostle.”

Under the inspiration of grace, with receptivity and astute psychology, he wrote the timeless wisdom of 128 Maxims of Perfection, 12 intimate Contemplations on the Life of Christ, and a profound Chapter on Transforming Union.  As a gifted spiritual director to some widows and young women in Le Puy, he nurtured their desire to dedicate their lives in consecration to God and service to the dear neighbour – witnessing the birthing of the Sisters of St. Joseph in October 1650. Then ten years later comes another moment of graced inspiration - a Divine revelation he wrote down - The Eucharistic Letter. Coming into rebirth these two past decades, its message speaks prophetically to those women and men today who are seeking small faith-share communities to embrace Gospel living in simplicity and joy.

IN GLORY:  During his lifetime he manifested in numerous personal relationships a pattern of self-emptying detachment and ever-deepening contemplation. The mantra, “Empty me. Fill me with your Great Love,” helped tame his egoic reactions. His receptivity to the flow of this transforming action of grace moved him so much that in his final contemplation on the mysteries of Christ’s life he concludes with: “This is the only desire of my soul. This is the most cherished expectation of my poor heart…” Having come to this heightened consciousness of the simplicity and unity of ALL at the centre, Jean-Pierre is already living in eternity. The One Thing necessary is Love. Jean-Pierre, the mystic, had found his heaven here on earth!  

WHAT IS YOUR GIFT TO FATHER MÉDAILLE ON THIS HIS BIRTHDAY?

“It is time to bring the ‘gifts of our lives” in celebration of our spiritual father and in thanksgiving for the spirituality he imparted to us.

What gift do you bring?
(e.g. I live by this maxim;
I aspire to grow in this virtue;
I love the ‘little way’….) ”

— Quote Source

If we were having a spiritual birthday gathering for our founder and spiritual father, what gift would each of us consider bringing? What would be our heart-sharing? What is the lasting memory of Father Médaille that lives on in you? The gift of our lives in the family of Joseph is what gives glory to God.

This year, I give thanks for the manner in which Father Médaille’s spirituality regards the dignity and destiny of every human person. He respects that there is “a particular way God calls each person.” He invites us to discern and discover that way. What serves me well these days, is his loving invitation and focused intention: “Rosemary, do what is yours to do.”

Happy Birthday Jean-Pierre, in the communion of saints!  

-Sister Rosemary O’Toole, CSJ

---

Historical quotes taken from Words For Life, A Spirituality Study Inspired by Jesuit Priest, Jean-Pierre Medaille, S.J., His Writings and Experiences, Book One.

Vespers for the Birth Anniversary of Father Medaille posted on The Upper Room Home of Prayer website

Anniversary of Jean-Piérre Medaille

On the day that you were born … October 6, 1610…

Jean-Pierre was welcomed into the world by his parents, Phélippe and Jean Médaille on October 6, 1610 in Carcassonne, a medieval walled city in southwest France. The Médaille family belonged within the local bourgeoisie, so they would have enjoyed many cultural and religious events. He was the eldest son and had two brothers, Jean and Jean-Paul. When he was fifteen years old, upon completion of his studies at the local Jesuit College, Jean-Pierre left the prosperity of his family to enter the Jesuit Novitiate in Toulouse on September 15, 1626. From the beginning, Father Médaille’s superiors recognized him as a person of remarkable intellect and apostolic zeal. They also judged him “healthy but fragile”. Despite these cautions, his superiors wrote that he was “born for the missions” and preaching. So many wonderful hopes and dreams for this young gifted Jesuit … and then came the outbreak of the bubonic plague…

What was your experience of living through a pandemic? Well, it was hard. I was an eighteen-year-old seminarian at the time and I lived through four years of outbreaks of bubonic plague (1628-1631). This plague, as you know, was one of the deadliest bacterial infections in human history and it caused an estimated 50 million deaths in Europe during the Middle Ages when it was known as the Black Death. Our Jesuit life was not a comfortable refuge from the storms of life. When the plague broke out in Toulouse in 1628, many of us novices wanted to go out and serve the sick and suffering. However, our youth and zeal for service were curtailed when our novice master took us off into solitude at Lardenne. He wanted to remove us from exposure to the deadly plague so we stayed in this “place of refuge” for a couple years.

How did you and your brothers in community cope with the lockdown and isolation? To be truthful, it was not always easy and some of the brothers struggled more than others with the restrictions placed upon us. At times there were tensions amongst us but as followers of Ignatius, we tried to “find God in all things”. Over time, and with the wise counsel of our novice master, I believe we learned a delicate discernment lesson needed for the entirety of our spiritual lives. He cautioned us to be aware that the world will always present itself to us with an urgency and demand for some form of service to the dear neighbour, but care and discernment must be present to preserve the interior life of charity, the soul of any apostolate. He counseled us that impulsive, over-eager and rushed decisions made in the face of pressing needs, are not always God-inspired choices. In his wisdom, he saw vaster fields of missionary service for us courageous young men. At Lardenne, we were encouraged to spend more time in prayer and study. Years later, I wrote this maxim to remind me of the wisdom learned in those early days of my vocation.

“Never go ahead of grace through imprudent eagerness but await its moment in peace, and when it comes to you, follow it with great gentleness and courage” (M. P. 6:9).

““sufferings accepted well are like the wood which serves to kindle the fire of love… and to sustain a great love for God throughout life it is necessary to endure great sufferings” (M. P. 5:2).”

What was stirring in your heart as you learned of the ravages of this disease? My heart swelled with compassion for the poor and the suffering. Our Order took many precautions throughout this plague period, but from time to time, messages arrived that told us of more deaths. “Such precautions notwithstanding, the plague struck all age groups of the Society of Jesus and decimated the ranks of the Toulouse province. Between 1628 and 1631, ninety-seven Jesuits died, reducing the population of the province by one third.”1 I grieved the loss of so many fine professors and brothers who had given their lives to the Lord so generously and succumbed to the ravages of this dreadful disease. In my contemplative prayer, I offered our sufferings in union with Jesus’ suffering on the cross and actually experienced a greater love grow in my heart. I pondered how it could be true that “sufferings accepted well are like the wood which serves to kindle the fire of love… and to sustain a great love for God throughout life it is necessary to endure great sufferings” (M. P. 5:2). This prolonged solitude became my teacher of mysteries my heart longed to embrace.

Did any special gift come to you during your time of staying in place? For sure, God was gracious and kind to me knowing I needed friendship and support as I carried this awakening dream within my heart. I consider my time at Lardenne, in our place of refuge, my best school of prayer for the missions. If I was to be God’s instrument, I longed for soulful conversations with like-minded brothers. It was here I met Father Jean-François Régis, then a philosophy student. As fellow Jesuits we exchanged ideas and inspired one another with our growing vision of a possible spiritual revitalization emerging in our own homeland. As we spoke, it seemed that we shared an ideal of being contemplatives-in-action. How beautifully God led us, his chosen instruments, to be brought together for some mutual encouragement and clarification of our vocation calls. After my two year Novitiate period, I made profession of simple vows at Toulouse on September 16, 1628. It was only as the years evolved, that I came to realize that I was born for these times! I was God’s instrument as I preached all those Missions throughout the parishes of southern France at the time of its great spiritual/mystical awakening. Gratefully, my “fragile health” sustained me for over forty-three years of Jesuit ministry until I had to retire to our residence in Billom in the fall of 1669.

“Use this precious time of solitude and “staying in place” as a God-given grace. ”

Do you have a word for us in these pandemic times? Yes. Use this precious time of solitude and “staying in place” as a God-given grace. In your “places of refuge”, you too are able to gather over phone, email or Zoom for soulful conversations and friendship support. Be generous and forthright as you exchange ideas and foster dreams of the ‘something new’ God is bringing into your world of the 21st Century. As you keep sharing hearts, you will deepen your understanding of what consecrated women religious might be called to embrace now and into the evolving future. To help maintain your peace of heart, pray this maxim:

No matter what disagreeable things happen to you, never see them as obstacles but as profitable and necessary to your daily life. If you consider them as effects of the tender and loving providence of God, your Father, you will love them tenderly and accept them willingly (M. P. 7:3).

As your founder and spiritual father, I want to encourage all of you in the family of Joseph to embrace your times of contemplative prayer and spirituality study with renewed fervour and attention. As always, I am fond of reminding the small communities of Little Design to abide in your “homes like the tabernacle” and “leave them only to devote yourselves to activities which advance the glory of God” (E.L. par. 38).

Thank you, Father Medaille. Today, on the 410th anniversary of Jean-Pierre Médaille’s birth, may we deepen our belief and trust that our daily contemplations will bring forth conversations and choices that foster a genuine spiritual revitalization affecting global transformation. What a faith-marvel if this ‘dark night’ is truly God’s gift, hidden within a 21st Century global pandemic crisis. Jean-Pierre Médaille, pray for us. Walk the way with us.

-Sister Rosemary O’Toole, csj

---

1 Anne Hennessy, CSJ, In Search of a Founder, The Life and Spiritual Setting of Jean-Pierre Medaille, S.J., Founder of the Sisters of St. Joseph, PhD thesis (Berkeley: Graduate Theological Union, 1988) 78.

WORDS FOR LIFE

A SPIRITUALITY STUDY INSPIRED BY

JEAN-PIERRE MÉDAILLE, S.J.

HIS WRITINGS AND EXPERIENCES

The journey from Writings of Jean-Pierre Médaille, S.J., 1610-1669 to Words for Life has been a wonderful exploration.

My story begins some four decades ago. On Holy Saturday 1981, I had an important discernment visit with Sister Cecilia, my General-Superior in Peterborough. That September I would be leaving my thirteen years of teaching ministry and entering the solitude of Lebh Shomea House of Prayer for a lengthy stay. During our visit, she gave me the newly published Writings of Jean-Pierre Médaille, S.J. book (Toronto) and encouraged me to take it with me. Today I realize how that graced action of one woman and one book may have changed the course of my life and my vocation.

The writings of Jean-Pierre Médaille have grounded me in a spirituality that steadied me in times of growth and challenge as the contemplative dimension of my life evolved into a permanent lifestyle at The Upper Room Home of Prayer in Ottawa. Over the past thirty five years, it has been my privilege and joy to study and share this spirituality series using the writings of Jean-Pierre Médaille. It began as a popular ten month Correspondence Course that soon evolved into a ten week teaching series at various local parishes and eventually climaxed in a fifty-two week Médaille Online Course (2008-2009). Now, ten years later, in this moment of grace, and with the assistance of a generous local publisher, I invite readers to embrace anew the inspiration and wisdom found in Father Médaille’s writings.

My present congregational leader, Margo Ritchie, CSJ, writes in her message of gratitude and hope for these Words for Life as they go forth now into the world:  

Although the spirituality she writes about rose up in the 17^th century, Rosemary has known over many years of research and reflection that this spirituality carries a wisdom and sustenance that cuts across centuries, across world crises and diverse cultures. There is a deepening hunger in our day which usually surfaces in the throes of chaos and disruption. She explores the energy of Love as what can carry us personally and collectively in this 21^st century. She incorporates the insights of psychology to talk about the True Self as a continual releasing the grip of ego and a moving toward wholeness. Into the 400-year-old original writings, she lets the spirit of evolutionary consciousness shine new light. She has brought forth a gift which will sustain seekers and contribute to the unfolding wisdom of these inspired writings of the 17^th century.

For over 360 years this Médaillan spirituality has nurtured the lives and ministries of countless Sisters of St. Joseph and lay associates around the world. My sincere hope is that these four volumes will become an integral part of our spiritual legacy benefitting many persons who long for “the more” in their lives. Médaille’s writings have proved to be timeless.

ROSEMARY O’TOOLE is a Sister of St. Joseph in Canada. For the past thirty-five years she has been co-director with Evelyn McGovern, CSJ at The Upper Room Home of Prayer in Ottawa, Canada, offering spiritual direction, contemplative retreats and programs in spirituality. She authored eight mini books on core spiritual themes in a Future Full of Hope series. The creation of Words for Life over the past year has been a labour of love, supported by poets and artists, researchers and reviewers. To place an order, please email upperroom@sympatico.ca