Going back to the sources

I will betroth you to me forever; I will betroth you in righteousness and justice, in love and compassion. I will betroth you in faithfulness, and you will acknowledge the Lord. Hosea 2:19-20

For a long time now I have wanted to visit the chapel where, after having ended his morning prayer on the 19th July 1790. Fr. De Cloriviere "was seized with a thought that occupied his whole attention." He tells us that: "it was made known to me in the twinkling of an eye, and yet in fairly great detail a form of life about which I have already drawn the outlines. This vision was accompanied by a deep feeling that GOD would be glorified through it, and that He wished to use me in making it known to others."

On Saturday 25th February 2006, thanks to contacts made through our house of Rochebonne, M.Th. and I arrived at La Fosse-Hingant, filled with curiosity regarding every detail...

As we got out of the car we noticed that the chapel was slightly hidden by a recently built wall that reached to the main entrance, while to our right we saw an artificial pond - which did not exist at the time of Fr. De Cloriviere - giving an air of peace and calm to the whole property.

Walking along outside the surrounding wall we returned to the main road from where we got a view of the grounds of the manor thanks to a stately grill.

We were thrilled to find a little architectual gem on our right, an Italian curiosity dating from 1885, not at
All related to what we were searching for, but adding great charm to the place.

Returning to the white gate, and waiting for it to open, we continued to observe the chapel. As is the case with other Breton chapels, a Cross caps its bell-turret.

On the other hand the Monstrance engraved into the gable of the wall struck us. The date, 1790, would indicate that it might well be a votive offering placed there by Fr. de Cloriviere in the wake of the Inspiration of the 19th July 1790.

We were deep into our reflections when the Master of the Manor appeared at the gate. He is fascinated by the history of La Fosse Hingant, and by the inhabitants who lived there.

He has been researching that history and the fruit of his work will shortly appear under the title Les Roses de Lima. The title is chosen because Fr. De Cloriviere's maternal great grandfather apparently made a fortune in and around Peru.

I must mention that as DHM coming from Nancy, we were doubly welcomed because the Manor House we were about to enter was the home of Andre Desilles, 'Hero of Nancy', and nephew of Fr. De Cloriviere.

It was Jeanne Rose, the elder of Fr. de Cloriviere's sisters who inherited this property. She was married to Marc des isles de Cambernon.

They had 4 children, 3 daughters and one son named Andre, (and his name is spelt des iles, later Desiles or Desilles during the Revolution). His memory is still alive in Lorraine. His name can be seen within the Cathedral in Nancy where he was bured in October 1790, in the vault of the bishops.

The gate of the city where as a young officer aged 23 years, while trying to prevent an insurrection, he was injured having been hit by 15 canon balls, now bears the inscription Porte Desilles. And, the first monument one sees on entering the Musee des Beaux Arts celebrates his courage and victory.

One of Andre's sisters also suffered a violent death during the Revolution. Angelique, who had married Jean de la Fonchais in 1787, was arrested on March 2nd 1793, and was guillotined 3 months later in Paris at the age of 23 years, leaving behind her 2 young boys aged 3 and 4 years. I have learned that some of their descendents are living in Nancy...

On my return to Lorraine I picked up the little brochure on Fr. de Cloriviere and his family, edited by G. Hette and M. Barjon. Reading it again made me realize how much our Founder suffered through his family, who had been persecuted for political reasons.

He had only 1 brother, Michel-Alain de Limoelan, who was older by 1 year and who was a boarder with him at the English College at Douai when they were both teenagers. This well beloved brother was guillotined at the same time as his niece Angelique, on June 18th 1793, at the age of 59 years.

Their younger sister who became a Visitandine nun at the rue du Bac, and took the name Sr.Therese de Gonzague, missed the guillotine by a narrow shave: (see letter dated 10th May 1794, from Fr. de Cloriviere to Adelaide).

On the day fixed for her execution the driver of the truck lost his way and failed to arrived on time. That very evening, because of the death of Robespierre, executions were annulled.

As for our Founder, he spent 5 years in prison from 1804 onwards, due to the fact that his nephew and godchild, Joseph-Pierre de Limoelan, had been involved in an attack on the life of Napoleon on 24th December 1800. Looking through the situation one can see that the Cloriviere family had not been spared.

Michel-Alain, guillotined
Pierre-Joseph, imprisoned
Jeanne-Rose, lost her mind after the death of her son Andre
Therese, exiled, arrested and condemned

It would seem as if that enlightened morning of the 19th July 1790 had been a kind of Transfiguration experience preceding the Passion which awaited the Family.

Andre Desilles would be wounded on 31st August 1790. The agony that he suffered during the following six weeks prepared him to die "like an angel" (see Letter of Fr. de Cloriviere to his nephew Joseph-Pierre).

Never had I felt so deeply the extent of the suffering endured by that family over the space of 4 years, and I can say that going back to the Source has strengthen my faith.

For me that chapel at La Fosse Hingant is truly the place where it all began.

My spiritual roots are there in that little rural oratory.
My confidence in God has grown stronger.

I hear an echo in my heart of the words: "Why not in France? Why not throughout the whole world?"

Many faces of DHM set my heart aglow and call me to prayer. My thanks go out to those who have discreetly given their all because they know that only one thing is essential, namely the Covenant that they have made with Our Lord, and which they continue to live in the solidarity of a fraternal community.

(M.M=France-Suisse)