VIANNEY'S WAY OT ORDINATION

VIANNEY’S WAY TO ORDINATION

          When Jean Baptiste Marie Vianney reached the age of 24 years he went to live in the local presbytery in Ecully under the close supervision of the pastor, Fr. Balley. He was the odd job man, altar server, sacristan, gardener, and accompanied the parish priest on his round of the families. Anxious to see this gangling youth ordained, Fr. Balley had him admitted in the minor seminary for the study of classics. Jean Marie Vianney received the tonsure (that famous shaven patch on the head for aspirants to the priesthood) on 29 May 1811. He was one step closer to the priesthood. Or so he consoled himself.

In 1812 he was sent to the minor seminary at Verrieres, near Montbrison. The building consisted of the combination of parish house and barn. With Napoleon ruling the roost in France, conditions were shabby for the Church. The seminarians, including Vianney, were summoned to the ranks of the army. (It’s hard to imagine raw recruit J. M. Vianney holding a gun; harder still firing it). But he escaped from barracks and joined the Institute Saint Irenee in Verrieres, which offered the sole one year of philosophy. Fr. Baron, the rector, placed him with the group under Professor Chazelles. Jean Marie was the seniormost student; even his professor was his junior! He could hardly manage the Latin, which was the medium of instruction and examinations, so he was detached with seven others to be taught in French. His abundant practical common sense and sound judgement helped him along where scholastic logic could not, but he “remained an exceedingly feeble student,” as his annual report showed. Jean-Marie did not relish the Philosophy of Descartes which he found cold, insipid and all but unintelligible. He was glad, therefore, to return to Ecully, where he found his old master, Fr. Balley, who was also happy to see him again. They spoke of the hope they both cherished and which seemed less remote. Once a priest, he would be able to breathe more freely. This year long vacation was the pleasantest that Jean Marie Vianney ever enjoyed, and, in fact, the only one in all his life. Without loss of time, Fr. Balley set himself to prepare his pupil for the major seminary that stood in the Place Crois-Paquet in the province of Lyons. During the Revolution it had been used as an armoury and military hospital. Whenever the Cardinal visited the seminary, he impressed upon the seminarians the importance of clerical deportment, of a neat and becoming outward appearance. He prescribed the use of powder for the hair and buckles for the shoes, and long cloaks for outdoor wear. It is not recorded how many baths, if any, he prescribed for the year!

Seminarian Jean-Marie was now 27 years of age: his whole person spoke of asceticism, penance, modesty, and recollection. He never even watched the occasional march past of the Swiss soldiers – the only diversion the seminary could afford.

 Fr. Gardette, the superior, must surely have taken special interest in him, for he assigned him a tutor in the person of Jean Duploy, one of the best students of the seminary. Vianney was less overawed by a fellow student, who questioned him in French, thus enabling him to return in the same tongue answers, which, besides being accurate, bore the hallmark of good sense. One of the professors, Fr. Miolard, was also kind enough to give him a few lessons, basing his explanations on a very clear French textbook, “Le Rituel de Toulon.” This was more within the grasp of Vianney.

Sadly, however, Latin was the official academic language for lectures and examinations, and Vianney was on the losing end of both. So, who could describe his anguish when, after a lapse of  some six months, he was asked to leave the seminary.

John Marie-Baptiste Vianney was dismissed!

Later on he would speak of his sufferings and trials, but would never allude to this dismissal. It was crushing. On his return to the presbytery at Ecully, Fr. Balley took in his old pupil and his sad story, but never ceased encouraging him to continue aiming at the priesthood. He resumed the private tuition in theology with the help of the same “Rituel de Toulon.” Vianney’s own piety sustained him, and one day he heard a voice telling him: “Be not anxious, one day you will be a priest.”

In the meantime the ordination date (common for all the candidates) was approaching. Fr. Balley was determined to put forward his favourite candidate, now aged 29 years. So after a gap of three months Jean Marie Vianney reappeared among his former companions who rejoiced to see him again. But now the horror of the exams! He had to face the most learned and distinguished priests of the diocese of Lyons. Jean Marie was in trepidation from the word “go”. He lost his nerve when he heard his name called, could not understand the Latin questions and was confused in his answers that were found unsatisfactory. The examiners were flummoxed. Should they definitely reject this poor candidate, so full of good will, or advise him to seek admission in another diocese, if the bishop would accept him? The eminent professors plumbed for the latter. Fr. Balley panicked at this prospect and hastily arranged that the Vicar General and the rector of the seminary come over to the presbytery and take Vianney’s exams on home ground. Their kind assent greatly reassured Vianney, so that, in their words, “he gave very good and satisfactory answers to all the questions put to him.” So, ultimately, it was Latin and lack of reassurance that were the blocks, not ignorance or cerebral deficiency.

As conscription to the army was getting closer, Mgr. Courbon, V.G., decided to ordain as priests all those in the first year of theology, Vianney included. Mgr. Courbon, besides, was not too particular about academic excellence, especially with regard to Jean Marie Vianney. “Is the Abbe Vianney pious?” “Has he a devotion to Our Lady?” “Does he know how to say his rosary?”

“Oh yes, he is a model of piety.”

“A model of piety!” “Very well, I summon him to come up for ordination. The grace of God will do the rest.”

Never in all his life was Mgr. Courbon better inspired!