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PARIS In the steps of Blessed Nicolas Barr

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WHAT IS LEFT Nicolas Barr lived in Amiens for 21 years in Rouen for 13 years and spent the longest period of his life 31 years in Paris But what is left of the three large Parisian Minim convents What remains of Nicolas Barr himself Nothing or almost nothing the handkerchief that wiped the sweat from the forehead of this man when he was a missionary and when he was ill and the rosary beads that glided through his fingers To walk in the footsteps of Father Barr in Paris is to face this reality nothing remains except US WE can visit the places the neighbourhoods the churches where he went about doing good WE can recall in these places what was essential to his life and what inspired him when he saw the realities of his time WE can bring his message alive today 3

PASSY CHAILLOT Places The Church of Notre Dame de Gr ces 10 rue de l Annonciation 75016 the former parish church of the village The Wine Museum 5 Charles Dickens Square in rue des Eaux M tro Passy 1640 As a young postulant of 19 Nicolas came to the Minim Convent in Nigeon It was situated on the small hill of Chaillot quite near Paris in what is today the 16th arrondissement and where you will find the Radio Broadcasting House and Chaillot Castle His novitiate lasted one year The population at that time consisted mostly of people in the bleaching trade market gardeners labourers and vineyard owners This was an important convent for the Minims because its foundation in 1493 dated back to the time of St Francis of Paola Francis died in Tours in 1507 It extended from the Seine to the rue des Eaux It was also the residence of the Provincial Superior The Minims there were known as The Good Men of Chaillot and rue Beethoven was known as The Mount of the Good Men The monks cultivated a few vines inside the enclosure the street name rue Vineuse still recalls this fact Within the depths of the hill they discovered old quarries that they turned into wine cellars for the Abbey There were also hot springs with iron and sulphur minerals that were discovered in Fr Barr s time The street name rue des Eaux Waters Street is a reminder of the springs The Church of Notre Dame De Gr ces This Church was known then as Our Lady of the Annunciation Nothing remains now except for the pillars of the nave It did not belong to the convent It was built in 1666 while Nicolas Barr was in Rouen and it became a parish church in 1672 That was the year Fr Barr came back from Rouen to the convent of his novitiate where he was named superior He stayed there for two years The Wine Museum Rue des Eaux 5 square Charles Dickens 75016 Paris In the restaurant of the Wine Museum you can see frescoes showing the Minims cultivating vines 4

Rue Vaneuse Mus e du Vin M Passy Rue de l Annonciation We can stroll around this area and pray in the parish church While we pray perhaps we can think of our own vocation at baptism and the important decisions and significant choices we have made in our lives We can recall our youthful dreams and what became of them In Nicolas Barr s case his life did not turn out at all as he had imagined in the dreams of his youth but those dreams were fulfilled in ways far beyond what he could ever have imagined 5

VINCENNES Place The Lake of the Minims M tro Ch teau de Vincennes then by bus 114 or on foot After his novitiate the young Minim studied for one year in the convent in Vincennes The convent was close to the beautiful castle of Vincennes to the east of Paris It was the residence of the king until Louis XIV had Versailles built The names of various places recall the presence of the sons of Francis of Paola The Avenue of the Minims The Minim Stadium at the edge of Vincennes on St Mande Common and the Lake of the Minims This lake was where the religious farmed the fish that were necessary for their meatless diet There was wine from Nigeon fish from Vincennes and vegetables from here and there 6

Chateau de Vincennes Lac des Minimes You can go for a boat trip on the lake or sit in silence on the bank As you contemplate the beauty of nature around you meditate on this saying of Nicolas Barr The beauty of the universe lies in the different beauties of each thing If a tree wanted to have the brilliance of gold or if gold wanted to be decked out in green with the leaves flowers and fruits of the tree it would mean confusion and destruction of all of nature In the same way each soul must stay in its own place without wanting to follow the ways of another and without desiring to have any of their graces and particular gifts It would be to spoil everything and to lose oneself It is said of each saint there was never another like them 7

PLACE DES VOSGES previously PLACE ROYALE Place la rue des Minims and La Place des Vosges Metro Chemin Vert or St Paul Rue des Minimes At 22 years of age Nicolas Barr arrived at the convent in La Place Royale where he was to live for two different periods of his life 1643 1657 and 1675 1686 He arrived having already acquired a reputation for being a great intellectual He taught theology to his confr res assumed responsibility for the library and was busy with preaching and confessions For more than half a century the public image of this monastery up to then modest was to be turned upside down and even the humble Minims were affected Father Mersenne who was a scholar mathematician and philosopher and a friend of Descartes and Gassendi an astronomer who gave his name to a lunar crater attracted intellectuals and scientists from all over Europe The convent became a meeting place for high society The convent built on part of the former gardens of La Maison Royale des Tournelles dated back to 1609 The chapel was richly ornamented and contained the tombs of the Duke of d Angoul me the illegitimate son of Charles IX and of the Colbert de Villarceaux family among others The Entrance Door had been built by the renowned architect FRAN OIS MANSART Because it enjoyed the favour of the kings and the elites the convent became a target for the revolutionaries The church was destroyed in 1798 Today it is a police barracks The library of 20 000 volumes both printed and manuscript was scattered Nicolas Barr then in his second stay at the convent was the prime mover of a return to an authentic Minim life in the convent at La Place Royale He died there on the 31st May 1686 Wrapped in a simple shroud he was buried under the altar of the church In the rue des Minims there are some remains of old houses It is not known if they were part of the convent La Place Royale Place des Vosges was built from 1605 to 1612 It is a model of classical urbanisation being one of the centres of social intellectual and fashionable life in the Capital The square is composed of 36 mansions 9 on each side One house was owned by the king another by the queen and they were built first The square quickly became the fashionable place to live and 8

the courtiers also had houses built for themselves in this neighbourhood of Marais You may like to sit in the Place des Vosges or walk to the Church of St Paul or to the Manoir de Clisson see the following pages Call to mind the difficult period that the young religious went through in the convent where he had begun his religious life at the age of 23 It was a meeting place for scholars and people of the world a place of rivalry between the parish priest and the neighbouring convents a place favoured by generous foundations from the elite making it difficult for the convent to keep its independence Pray with all those who are discouraged and who suffer in situations that have been bitterly disappointing for them Think of those who work for renewal and the return to origins in the life of the Church Remember what Nicolas Barr lived through and what he learned in those circumstances He said his feelings towards people who came from noble birth were no different from how he felt towards people of humbler origins He eluded and avoided mixing with and directing people of noble rank fearing he used to say that it would take up too much of his time He affirmed that he gained much more from being with simple people than with the elite and the scholars so he never made any distinction between people except perhaps to prefer the poor the less important and the more timid Life of Nicolas Barr by P Raffon 1697 It would be better that the schools exist only ten or fifteen years without endowments preserving all their fervour than to exist for a long time while degenerating into a lax spirit as you can see happened in many established institutes If you accept endowments the Institute will crumble One could also call to mind the words of Nicolas Barr before his death referring to the teachers of the Charitable Schools Their Institute is a little body in the Church I will ask the Holy Spirit to be the One who animates it always It is a school I will ask Him to always be the Master It is a squadron that I expose to its enemies I will ask Him to be the One who always leads them forward 9

Church of St Paul St Louis 9 rue Saint Antoine Metro St Paul or on foot from La Place des Vosges The church was built by the Jesuits and financed by King Louis XIII between1627 and 1641 on the plans of the Church of Gesu in Rome Jean Jacques Olier priest of St Sulplice and Mme de Sevign were baptised there At that time it was the place where the famous Jesuit Bourdalque and Bishop Bossuet preached The then parish priest Abb Mazure a lawyer took legal proceedings against the convents of his territory and in particular against the Minims The convents by celebrating funerals and administering the sacraments took revenue away from his parish This conflict went on for years Manor House of Clisson 58 Rue des Archives Metro Temple or on foot from la rue des Minimes This was the home of Marie de Lorraine Duchess of Guise She had a considerable fortune at her disposal All plans for her to get married failed and she remained single She supported Fr Barr s work in Paris from the time of his arrival there and she offered him her private residence situated in the parish of St Jean en Gr ve as a place where the children could be welcomed She founded the first training centre for girls who would be sent to teach in charitable schools in her estate in Guise Hirson Liesse department of L Aisne Nothing remains of the Manor House today except the entrance door and two small towers 10

Rue des Archives Saint Paul Saint Louis Rue des Minimes In this church of St Paul we can recall how Nicolas Barr recommended that we work within the Church avoiding all rivalries A lot of people even good Christians make separations within their heart dividing up the love of Jesus whereas it is all one and indivisible Some greatly admire the clergy and look down on the religious others give great honour to the religious and feel nothing but indifference for the ecclesiastics Nothing comes of all that We must be catholic that is one and universal linked to Jesus with all those who belong to him As we go to the old home of Marie de Lorraine let us think of the people who are associated with the educative or pastoral missionary projects with which we are involved 11

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THE CHURCHES AND THE PARISHES Having returned to Paris from Rouen Nicolas Barr helped by Abb Servien de Montigny who had followed him there as administrator was to inspire the birth of small schools in a number of Parisian parishes and train both male and female teachers His brother Minims opposed these audacious enterprises His superiors resisted at first before becoming his collaborators and defenders Saint Laurent 68 Bld Magenta 75010 Metro Gare de L est In 1641 this church numbered Vincent de Paul and Louise de Marillac among its parishioners In 1660 Louise de Marillac was buried there Her tomb was in the church until 1755 Twelve girls from the Charitable Schools returned to the churches of St Jean en Gr ve which no longer exists today and St Laurent They give free charitable instruction there with great edification It was probably from this small group that Marguerite Mancel set off for Canada Saint Nicolas des Champs 254 rue St Martin 75003 Metro R aumur S bastopol or Arts et M tiers This parish was at the heart of the spiritual renewal of XVII century France It was there that Louise de Marillac had the religious experience that enlightened her about her vocation The small school of St Jean en Gr ve was transferred here at the request of the parish priest in 1683 Saint Eustache rue du Jour 75001 Metro Les Halles Built between 1532 and 1640 it is one of the most beautiful churches in Paris renowned for its architecture and the works of art housed there This parish served by the Oratorians since B rulle was situated in a working class neighbourhood The district had a large food market Les Halles and each street specialised in its own form of business 14

Saint Roch 296 rue Saint Honor 75001 Metro Pyramides Work on this church began in 1653 and finished in 1722 the construction being interrupted several times At the time the teachers of the Charitable Schools were appointed there the area was expanding rapidly Most of the works of art that decorate this church date from the XVII century onwards Saint Gervais Place St Gervais 75004 Metro H tel de Ville A school was opened in this parish in 1676 and in 1678 a seminary formation house for the De La Salle brothers The majority of the young men did not continue in the work This new profession of educating poor children was not highly regarded at the time The decoration of the Church was inspired by themes close to the heart of the French School of Spirituality Saint Louis en l Isle 19 bis Rue St Louis En L Isle 75004 Metro Pont Marie The whole neighbourhood of L Ile de St Louis was built up in the XVII century The foundation stone of the existing church was laid in 1664 and it was consecrated in 1676 During the lifetime of Father Barr a small school welcomed the female servants and the daughters of the domestic staff Saint Etienne du Mont Place Sainte Genevi ve 75005 Metro Cardinal Lemoine This church contains the tomb of St Genevieve the patron saint of Paris In the corridor outside the sacristy on the right there is a plan of the area in 1860 A school of the Sisters of St Maur on rue Mouffetard is marked on it 15

We can walk around these churches or stop in one or the other taking time to admire the XVII century works of art that give expression to the spirituality of the time Incarnation The Holy Spirit the Church Consider the daring of our precursors going from parish to parish as the need arose and beginning by making do with whatever was available In St Laurent especially we can pray in communion with all the sisters of the Institute who have been or who are foreign missionaries The pioneers who set out for Canada of whom we have lost all trace The sisters who offered to leave for Siam following the visits of the Ambassador of Siam to Versailles in 1684 and 1686 The first sisters who embarked on the perilous journey to Asia in 1852 The sisters who answered the call of Vatican II 1962 1964 and set off on a new venture to the peoples of Madagascar Peru and Cameroon a response that has since been followed by missions to other countries 16

God communicated to R F Barr a very apostolic man the design he had to make use of him to educate young women and to train them giving them a good solid foundation and then to send them wherever Divine Providence called them either in France or in the most distant countries even to the ends of the world if the greater glory of God required it Servien de Montigny circular letter 1693 17

THE MOTHER HOUSE and the surrounding area Metro S vres Babylone or Vaneau Mother House 83 rue de S vres 75006 At the time this neighbourhood was called le Faubourg St Germain It was the biggest most densely populated and poorest part of the Capital Located there were The Hospital for Incurables which became the Laennec Hospital and The Hospital of the Little Houses where the Bon March now stands for children who suffered from mental illness or skin disease In 1678 a small building was rented in rue St Maur today rue de l Abb Gr goire The Statutes of the Institute forbade the purchase of property F Barr had refused all requests to seek recognition by letters patent It was to become a place of formation for the young women teaching and holding catechism classes in Paris Nicolas Barr recalled Marie Hayer from Guise to be responsible for its management In 1700 the house was bought under the name of the Tiberge family Two sisters of this family were in the Institute and their brother Superior of the Missions trang res in Paris was the spiritual director from 1700 to 1740 The archives of the whole Institute are kept in the Mother House with the first editions of writings of Nicolas Barr His handkerchief and rosary are in the chapel The paving stones at the lodge door of 8 rue de L Abbe Gr goire are of the period Nearby an old well surmounted by a statue of the Infant Jesus recalls a tradition there was a statue of The Child Jesus or of Jesus Adolescent in the grounds of the house where the sisters had their mission while in the chapel in front of the altar another statue represented the Nativity At the corner of rue de l Abbe Gregoire and rue du Cherche Midi the old name of the street is engraved on a stone the word Saint having been removed during the Revolution 18

Perhaps we can go to the chapel and allow ourselves to be carried by the Holy Spirit who breathed through our centuries of history and who still keeps the initial inspiration alive or we can let ourselves be guided by the symbolism of these places Also remember that this house went through the stormy times of the 1789 Revolution and the secularisation of the early XXth century Recall the words of Nicolas Barr The Institute of the Charitable Schools is like the Church It will always go forward in the midst of persecutions agitations and contradictions And everything that seems to destroy it is what will establish it and strengthen it more We must always abandon ourselves to God s design and confidently expect all things from him We must live in total abandonment to God s ways and those of Jesus and live with an attitude prepared to see all our work collapse when it pleases God and Jesus We must however pray and trust in him strongly hoping against all hope and when all hope fails we must go forward still hoping and say Even if it kills me I will trust in Him 19

Missions trang res de Paris 128 rue du Bac This apostolic society came into being little by little from 1660 onwards so that French Bishops could send volunteers to Asia to found local churches and train indigenous priests From 1700 the spiritual directors of our Institute following F Tiberge were chosen from this Society It would also play a major role in the appeal made to the Infant Jesus Sisters to go on mission to Asia in the middle of the XIX century to Malaysia in1852 and Japan in 1872 Chapel of St Vincent de Paul 95 rue de S vres 75006 In the chapel of the Vincentians the Congregation of the Mission founded in 1625 by Saint Vincent de Paul there is an ornate cask sculptured in silver containing the body of Monsieur Vincent 1660 He was also with Louise de Marillac and Marguerite Naseau the founder of the Daughters of Charity 140 rue du Bac St Sulpice Metro St Sulpice This chapel existed from the XII century as a parish church for the inhabitants of the domain of the Abbey of St Germain It was enlarged from 1646 onwards by the parish priest at the time Jean Jacques Olier 1608 1657 Founder of the Company of St Sulpice and of the first seminary for the formation of priests Monsieur Olier was one of the most important creators in France of the Sacerdotal Spirituality of the XVII century It contributed to the growth of the missions in the country areas of France and to the sending of the first missionaries to Canada This parish was a focal point of the missionary renewal of the second half of the XVII century It included eight houses that offered hospitality to the little charitable schools two in rue St Dominique two in La Grenouilli re two in rue de Seine and two in rue St Placide 20

These places remind us of a whole network of people who knew each other and worked together for the renewal of Christian life and the transformation of the society of their era These were men and woman who were passionate innovators totally dedicated to finding some kind of cure for the great evils of their time Their witness challenges us today Esteem and respect for our neighbour ought to be full of love and this love is both sanctifying and crucifying When our heart truly loves something it thinks of nothing else and desires nothing more There is no limit to which it will not go to provide the best possible good for the beloved It rejoices in their successes and is saddened by their pain It seems to live only for that person and is ready at all times to sacrifice even life itself for their interests Have we these sentiments and these feelings for Jesus and for his Mystical Body his Church Don t we often pretend to love Jesus when we do not love him at all if in fact we do not love his members and do not cherish our neighbour when even the most ignored is in his image What wouldn t someone who has reached true love of neighbour not do for another She prays she groans she fasts she gives alms she mortifies herself she keeps vigil she torments herself she works with all her strength to find some cure for such great evils And when Jesus Christ sees that for love of him we are committed to serving our neighbour and to working for his her good he takes it upon himself to look after our salvation and our spiritual growth 21

Personal Notes 22

These words that speak to us Do not look for cherries on a plum tree each tree must bear its own kind of fruit Work at promoting the good rather than trying to destroy the bad Be in the hand of God like a paintbrush in the hand of the painter God who is so great still takes pleasure in getting close to little ones A little love makes everything easy This night is an excellent day In it we see all without seeing anything We know all without knowing anything We possess all without fear Whatever happens remain in peace always and trust in God It will be done to you according to your faith your hope and your love and even beyond 23

www nicolas barre cef fr Sisters of the Infant Jesus Nicolas Barr 83 rue de S vres 75006 Providence Sisters of Rouen 6 rue de Neuvillette 76240 Le Mesnil Esnard 24