Last Will and Testament: Of Saint John Eudes

Of Saint John Eudes

(1671) Jesus, Mary In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, and in honor of and union with the last will and testament made by my Jesus on the final day of His mortal life on earth, I am drawing up this will solely for the glory of my God, and in the following form:

1. I bequeath myself with all my heart to my Saviour, that I may unite myself with the perfect faith of His most Holy Mother, His Apostles, His saints and the entire Church; and in union with this faith, I protest before heaven and earth that I wish to die as a child of the Holy, Catholic, Apostolic and Roman Church, and in the belief of all the Christian truths she teaches; and I offer myself to my God so that I may suffer, with the help of His grace, all imaginable torments and all possible deaths to that end.

2. With all my heart do I bequeath myself to the infinite love through which my Saviour died on the Cross for me and for all men; and in union with this love, I accept and embrace my death, whenever and however it may please Him to send it, in honor of and thanksgiving for His holy death and that of His glorious Mother. I most humbly beseech Him, by the Holy Heart of this Blessed Mother, and by His own adorable Heart broken and shattered for love of us and by the sorrows of the Cross, to grant me the grace to die in His love, through His love and for love of Him.

3- Prostrate in spirit at the feet of all my brethren and all those persons to whom I have given any dissatisfaction or bad example, I ask pardon of them with my whole heart, entreating them to forgive me for the love of Our Lord, and to beg Him to show mercy to me.

4- With all my heart I bequeath myself to that boundless charity which prompted m y Saviour, while He was hanging on the Cross, to offer this prayer to His eternal Father for those who were sacrificing Him: Pater, dimitte illis, non enim sciunt quid faciunt.(1) And in union (1). Luke 23, 34.

with this same charity, I say to my heavenly Father from the very bottom of my heart for all those who have offended me in any way whatsoever, provided, of course, it were at all possible to offend a wretched sinner like me: Pater, dimitte illis, non enim sciebant quid faciebant.

5. I declare that it is my intention to receive Holy Viaticum and the Sacrament of Extreme Unction. I beseech my dearest brethren to administer them to me while I still have the use of reason, and I give myself to my God in order to unite myself with all the holy dispositions with which any of the saints have ever received them. And should it come to pass that I am deprived of the last sacraments, I implore my most benign Redeemer to accomplish in me the purposes for which He instituted them, and to do so for His sole glory.

6. Should it happen that I lose my use of reason and exterior senses, I concur with my whole heart in all the acts of faith, hope, charity, humility, resignation, contrition and others which may be said for me, whether on earth or in heaven; and I beseech my dear brethren, my guardian angel, St. Michael, St. Gabriel, all the other angels, St. Joseph, St. Joachim, St. Anne, St. John the Baptist, St. John the Evangelist, St. Lazarus, St. Mary Magdalen, St. Martha, all the holy Apostles, martyrs , priests and virgins, all the holy innocents, all the saints in paradise, and in particular, my Blessed Mother, the most Holy Virgin, to supply my deficiencies, discharge all my duties toward God and perform for me all that will be most pleasing to His Divine Majesty. I also implore them to protest that I wish every throb of my heart and veins, and every breath, to be as so many acts of contrition, resignation, praise and love for my Creator and Saviour.

7- With all my heart do I will myself to the infinite love through which my Jesus gave His holy soul to His Father with these words: Pater, in manus tuas commendo spiritum meum;(2)and i n union with this same love, I bequeath my own soul to the Father of mercy, the God of all consolation, with the same words: Pater, in manus tuas commendo spiritum meum. I place it also in the most amiable Heart of Jesus and Mary, that fiery furnace of eternal love, entreating them most (2). Luke 23, 46.

humbly to embrace, consume and transform it into a very pure flame of that divine love.

8. If I had any desire, I should wish my body to be interred in our church at Caen, which i s consecrated to this same Heart of Jesus and Mary. But I abandon both my body and soul completely to the divine will, submitting myself most willingly to all it may be pleased to ordain in time and i n eternity, joyfully consenting that my body be reduced to a powder, and that each grain of dust from i t be a perfect act of adoration and praise for the mystery of the burial of my Saviour and His most Holy Mother.

9. I implore my dearest brethren to bury me in the little white habit of my loving Mother, including the white silk girdle and the heart bearing a red silk cross, as well as the alb I have marked for that purpose, together with the holy scapular, the holy rosary given me by Sister Mary des Vallées, the original of my last will and testament, of which this copy will survive, the Contract of Marriage that I made with the Blessed Virgin, and above all, the holy image which is fashioned in part from holy relics and is kept in a small niche of gilded copper.

to. To the fullest extent of my will do I give myself to that incomprehensible love through which my Jesus and my all-good Mother gave me their most amiable Heart in a special manner. I n union with this same love, I bequeath this Heart (3)as something which belongs to me, and of which I can dispose for the glory of my God-I bequeath it, I repeat, to the little Congregation of Jesus and Mary to be the portion, the treasure, the chief patron, the heart, life and rule of the true children of this Congregation. In like manner do I offer and dedicate our Congregation to this divine Heart, to be consecrated to its honor and praise for time and eternity. I beseech and urge all my beloved brethren to strive to render It and have It rendered all the honor within their power; to celebrate with the most fervent devotion possible its feasts and (3). This is noteworthy in view of the fact that St. John Eudes was the first to preach the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and to the Holy Heart of Mary. He considers the Heart of Jesus and the Heart of Mary as belonging to him "in a special manner" and therefore leaves them to his spiritual sons and daughters as a priceless heritage. Cf. The Sacred Heart of Jesus (New York, 1946), p. XX.

Offices on the days indicated in our Proper, and to give exhortations on this subject in all their missions; to strive to impress on their hearts a perfect likeness of the virtues of this most Holy Heart, and to look upon It and to follow It as the pristine rule of their lives and conduct. I entreat them to give themselves to Jesus and Mary in all their actions and exercises in order to perform them in the love, humility and all the other dispositions of their Sacred Heart, so that, by this means, they may love and glorify God with a Heart truly worthy of God, Corde magno et animo volenti, and that they may be like unto the Heart t of God and true children of the Heart of Jesus and Mary.

ii. I likewise bequeath this most precious Heart to all my dearest daughters, the religious of Our Lady of Charity, to the Carmelites of Caen, and to all my other spiritual children, particularly those who have a special love for their most unworthy Father, and whose names are written in the book of life. I give all of them, and each one individually, to this most kind Heart for the aforesaid intentions indicated in the preceding Article, and I promise them that, if my Saviour grants me forgiveness, as I hope from His infinite mercy and the incomparable charity of His Blessed Mother, I will take very special care of them in heaven. I hope that God may grant me the grace to assist them in their hour of death, in company with this most kind Virgin.

12. Prostrate at the sacred feet of my Jesus, Whom I adore as the Institutor, Founder, Superior and Father of our Congregation, as also at the feet of the Queen of heaven, whom I honor as the institutress, foundress, superioress and mother of that same Congregation, I implore them most humbly and earnestly, by their most benign Heart, and I ask all paradise to join in my prayer, to replace me with a man to govern it who will be pleasing to their Heart, make reparation for the incomparable mistakes I have made in its regard, and guide it in their spirit. And because I know better than anyone else the qualities and dispositions of the members of the Congregation, I beg m y dear brethren to approve of my telling them that there is no one indeed so well suited in every respect for this position as our dearest Brother . . .(4) (4). There is a blank in the original manuscript. Father Costil in Annales de la Congrégation de Jésus et Marie says that the Saint undoubtedly had Father Blouet de Camilly in mind. Cf. Boulay, Op. cit , Vol. 4, P. 460.

13. I also ask them to regard the Rules and Constitutions which I leave them, as well as all the Offices and prayers which are found in the Proper and Manual of our Congregation, not at all as something proceeding from me, but as being given to them by the hand of Our Lord and His most holy Mother. I beg them to observe and practise the rule conscientiously for the love of Jesus and Mary, for I declare to them that the Son and the Mother will love, protect and bless in every way those who do so, and that they will deal with them in this world and in the next as true children of their Sacred Heart; but that they will refuse to consider as children of their Congregation, either in life or i n death, those who despise or neglect these Constitutions or Offices.(5)

14. I bequeath my sacred, heart-shaped reliquary of silver, the one that I wear, to the sacristy of our house at Caen, to be inseparably attached to the image of the most Holy Virgin which i s exposed on the altar whenever her Litanies are sung.

15. I bequeath my crucifix, which is filled with holy relics, to my successor, with the request that every morning and evening he perform the acts of devotion to the crucifix which are given in The Kingdom Of Jesus.( 6 )

16. I also leave to him the disposal of the other holy relics which I wear, and of those contained in the little chest in my room, near the window which overlooks the garden of the Reverend Jesuit Fathers, together with some medals which are kept there and in the drawer of my desk. Through his hands I bequeath them to whomever he distributes them.

17. I urge him, as well as all his successors, not to fail to pay an annual visit to all the houses of the Congregation, either in person, or through others when he cannot do so himself, and to observe in them everything that is indicated in the Constitutions.

18. I also request him to see that my Sermons are not scattered, but to have them bound i n order to preserve them for the Congregation; and if there should remain some of the books I have written for the (5). In Boulay's Vie du Vénérable Jean Eudes, V01. 4, P 460, Article in has been replaced by Article 13, and vice versa. (6). Part V, P. 238.

good of souls, to have them printed, and even to arrange to have all my writings printed in one volume.

19. I beseech all the superiors of the Congregation to study and practise conscientiously the rules of their office, to speak unceasingly to their subordinates through their works and examples, and to guide them with all possible charity, meekness and kindness. And I conjure all true children of the Congregation always to pay their superiors all the respect, affection and obedience due those who represent Our Lord Jesus Christ. For from these two duties of superiors and subordinates depends the preservation and entire happiness of the Congregation.

20. Having received outstanding aid in all my exterior needs for many years from our dear Brother Richard Le Moine,(7) I beg all my dear brethren, particularly him who will succeed me, to have toward him the same charity that they would have for me, if I were still of this world.

21. In conclusion, I bequeath myself with my whole heart to my dearest Jesus, that I may unite myself with all the holy dispositions with which He, His most Holy Mother and all the saints died, embracing for love of Him all the pains of mind and body which may be mine during my last days, protesting to Him that I wish my final breath to be an act of purest love for Him, and imploring Him to accept and reserve for my hour of death all the sentiments and acts of religion indicated in this paper.

This is my last will and testament. I very humbly implore my most amiable Saviour and His good Mother, by their most benign Heart, to be its executors, and to see that all the Articles contained herein are carried out in whatever way is most pleasing to the most adorable will of my God.

Amen, amen. Fiat, fiat. Veni, veni, veni, Domine Jesu.

Dated at Paris, this 24th day of April, 1671.

JOHN EUDES, missionary priest of the Congregation of Jesus and Mary. (7). Richard Le Moine: a lay brother who died in 1722.

Supplement

I should not wish to be guilty of extreme ingratitude toward my dearest daughter in Our Lord, and my eldest daughter, Anne Le Haguais, Madame de Camilly. It was she with whom our dearest brother, Father de Than, associated himself in the foundation of our house at Caen, and very justly so, for God gave her a maternal affection for the whole Congregation, and particularly for that house which she benefited in every way possible. Therefore I implore all my dear brethren to regard and honor her in that capacity, and to render her, during her lifetime and after her death, all that is due the foundress and mother of a Congregation. I am giving her something which is very precious to m e - a small image of the Blessed Virgin that I wear around my neck in a little silver case, which also contains a fragment of die true Cross. This image was given me from the same Virgin as a token of the special union which she granted me the privilege of forming with her.

Dated at Paris, this Ist day of May, 1672.

JOHN EUDES, missionary priest.

Donation of his Heart and Revocation

St. John Eudes had requested that his heart be given, after his death, to the house of Our Lady of Charity; and in addition to having indicated this desire in his last will and testament, he had entrusted to the nuns a document on this subject signed by his hand, the text of which follows:

In the year 1678, on the 13th day of January, I gave my heart to my beloved daughters in Our Lord, the religious of Our Lady of Charity who are established at Caen, to be interred in their monastery there. Such is my will which I desire to be carried out, and I request the priests

of our seminaries to do so. In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature, JOHN EUDES, missionary priest of the Congregation of Jesus and Mary.

He revoked the aforesaid donation by crossing out that Article in his will and leaving to the seminary the following statement:

I hereby revoke the gift which I made of my heart to the religious of Our Lady of Charity, desiring that my body and heart be interred together in our church of the most amiable Heart of Jesus and Mary. Dated at Caen,.this 18th day of September, 1678.

JOHN EUDES, missionary priest of the Congregation of Jesus and Mary.