In Fr. Champagnats mind, there is a double motive for this request: the first, as he states, is the need to have a second assistant for the spiritual direction of the many young people at the Hermitage, whom Fr. Servant can no longer take care of by himself; but he also wants to draw one more vocation into the Society of Mary, with which he is still vitally concerned as regional superior.

The original of this text bears no indication of either date or addressee. There can be scarcely any doubt that the latter is the archbishop of Lyons, on whom Fr. Décultieux depends. As for the date, it certainly cannot be before the reopening of school in 1834, since before that date the Institute did not yet have twenty-nine schools. Moreover, Fr. Décultieux left Pélussin towards the end of 1835 (cf. biographical sketch and OM, IV, pp. 262-263). Finally, the text itself specifies that it was written at the beginning of Lent.

My Lord,

Your very fatherly goodness towards us brings me to Your Grandeurs feet to explain my situation, so that you may lend me a hand if you judge it opportune. All our brothers join me, in the sweet names of Jesus and Mary, in giving you this brief presentation.

Our house is visibly growing; every day we receive new subjects and new requests. I do not dare refuse those who come to us; I consider them as having been led here by Mary herself. We are nearly two hundred at present. Twenty-nine establishments. Four thousand children attend our schools. I am obliged to be constantly on the road to visit them. My health is growing weaker by the day; Fr. Servant, who is my helper and deserves a great deal of praise, stays in his room from morning till night, working on his sermons, preaching, and missions; at the moment he is preparing to preach the Lenten services in St-Chamond. The parish priest of St-Pierre, who asked for him very earnestly, is pleased with his style of preaching.

It is true that I have some brothers who help me with various tasks: a good master of novices, a capable brother to direct the brothers class, another for the novices, and an econome. What we still need is someone who can supervise, animate and direct everything in my absence, who can meet and deal with those who come to the house; someone who loves, who realizes the importance and benefits of such a position, a director who is pious, enlightened, experienced, prudent, firm and constant. Fr. Déculthieux, the curate in Pélussin, who has all those qualities, has shown me several times how much he admires our work, by the subjects he has sent us, by his eagerness to have an establishment in Pélussin, and because he has told me himself that he would willingly dedicate himself to a such a task if the superiors would allow him. He asked me to write to you about it.

Edition: Translation from: Lettres de Marcellin J. B. Champagnat (1789-1840) Fondateur de l?Institut des Frères Maristes, présentés par Frère Paul Sester,1985.

fonte: Daprès la minute autographe, AFM, LC. 1, 177-178, éditée dans OM 334