Rome: First Journey – 1833
Background to the Journey
Seventeen years passed from the time of the Fourvière Promise in 1816 and Colin’s first visit to Rome in 1833. During that time some important developments had taken place.
A. The Dispersal
Despite their initial fervour, in the years following the promise made in the chapel of Fourvière most of the aspirants did not in fact persevere with the Marist project. Among those who did persevere were Courveille, Champagnat, Colin, Terraillon and Déclas. We shall follow the fortunes especially of the first three given the significance of their contribution to the project. These three—Courveille, Champagnat, and Colin―could hardly have been separated further in the first years after their ordination. Courveille was appointed to a parish at the western extreme of the Diocese; Champagnat at the southern extreme; and Colin at the north-east extreme.
Champagnat arrived in the parish of La Valla in 1816. It was here that he was called to the bedside of a dying boy who had no knowledge of God or of the faith. The experience confirmed Champagnat’s long-held conviction about the need for teaching Brothers: “Il faut des frères! – We must have Brothers!” Almost immediately he gathered around him the first group of Brothers. Then, in rapid succession, he set up schools in Marlhes (1818), Le Bessat (1819), Saint-Sauveur (1820), Tarentaise (1821) and Bourg-Argental (1822).
Courveille was sent to Verrières in 1816 but soon after was transferred to Rive-de-Gier (1817), and then to Epercieux (1819). His efforts to attract women from existing religious associations to the Marist project caused division in the parishes and brought the disfavour of the Vicar General, Bochard.
Colin was appointed to the parish of Cerdon in 1816 where his brother Pierre was parish priest. They were joined by Jeanne-Marie Chavoin and Marie Jotillon in 1817. Things developed slowly in Cerdon, but eventually a lay group emerged. Jeanne-Marie Chavoin wrote: “Had they [the brothers Colin] remained there, the whole parish would soon have been like a religious community: already a fervent group of 30 men used to meet in the presbytery.” (Recorded Narratives Doc.101)
During these early years Courveille was still regarded as the centre of the group. Those who remained part of the project, however, did not see him as the religious superior; nor, certainly did the diocesan authorities.
The group had hoped to establish itself at Le Puy. At this time, however, the diocesan authorities of Lyons had promulgated an automatic suspension for any cleric who left the diocese without permission. Since such permission was virtually impossible to obtain, the only recourse open to the Marist aspirants was to appeal to a higher authority. Thus, a letter was sent to Pope Pius VII in February 1819 but it received no reply. In November of the same year, another letter was sent to Rome, this time to Cardinal Macchi.
A further letter was sent on 25 January 1822. A reply came on 9 March 1822 inviting the aspirants to visit the Papal Nuncio in Paris. Jean Claude Colin travelled to Paris where he visited Mgr Macchi, Mgr de Quelen (Archbishop of Paris), Mgr Frayssinous (Chancellor of the University), Fr Duclaux (Superior General of the Suplicians) and showed them the Rule he had drawn up. Colin returned to Paris in the spring. The Suplicians had examined the Rule and judged that it was “made for angels rather than men”.
B. The Branches of the Marist Project
In 1822 the vast diocese of Lyons was divided thus creating the new diocese of Belley. As a consequence the group of Marist aspirants was now not only separated by distance but also by ecclesiastical boundaries; Colin in the diocese of Belley, and the others in the diocese of Lyons. The future of the Marist project looked bleak since the Marist dossier had been given to the new bishop of Belley, Mgr Devie. Desiring to revive the faith in this new diocese, Devie had good reason for wanting to contain the group and to restrict its ministry to his own diocese.
It is from this ecclesiastical background that we will look briefly at the development of the branches of the Marist Project until the time of Colin’s visit to Rome in 1833.
1. The Sisters
Bishop Devie warmly approved the plan to form a group of Sisters in the diocese of Belley and The Congregation of Mary was begun in Cerdon on 8 September 1823. Three months later, on 8 December 1824, nine women took the habit and Jeanne-Marie Chavoin was elected Superior. When the priests left Cerdon in 1825 the Marist Sisters moved to Belley where they took their first vows on 6 September 1826.
2. The Brothers
In Lyons, the Archbishop’s Council encouraged Champagnat’s work with the Brothers. In 1824 Courveille joined Champagnat at the Hermitage, and a year later they were joined by Teraillon. The first crisis took place when Courveille attempted to establish himself as leader. The following year Courveille morally compromised himself with a postulant brother and subsequently left the community. Father Terraillon departed in March 1826, leaving Champagnat in a critical situation. Etienne Séon was sent to join Champagnat, who was working very hard to keep the group alive in the Lyons diocese. In 1828, Father Bourdin entered the Hermitage, followed in 1829 by Father Pompallier. By 1828 there were 96 Brothers, 16 novices, and 14 schools directed by the Brothers.
3. The Fathers
Progress was much slower in the Belley diocese. So far, the priests’ branch had not been able to get permission to form community. Colin, who was already emerging as leader in the group, worked hard during 1824 to be able to gather the priests in one place, preferably in the Belley diocese. In October 1824, Déclas joined the Colin brothers at Cerdon, and Pierre Colin wrote to the Bishop: “Today the little Society of Mary begins…” The group began their missions in the Bugey, an apostolate that was to continue for 4 years.
Meanwhile, in 1825, another group began to form around Champagnat at the Hermitage.
With the disappearance of Courveille in 1826, Colin began to emerge more and more as the focal point of the Marist group. The group from the Belley diocese were now living in Belley itself, and in 1829 Colin was appointed as Superior of the Minor Seminary. The Society’s second phase, education, was about to begin.
4. The Lay Branch
When Colin presented his “Summarium” to Rome in 1833, the Third Order was already clearly a part of the project in his own mind. Paradoxically, the only concrete outcome from this visit to Rome was three Briefs of Approval for the Third Order!
The precise details about the beginning of the lay groups are not very clear, but there is evidence that a group of lay people began to gather in Belley sometime after 1826. Colin wrote from Rome to the Marist Sisters: “Look after the members of the Third Order…” And Chavoin writes that “At the beginning of Lent, 1833, Fr Colin and Fr Convers gave a Retreat in our chapel to 10 ladies of the town. I made my Retreat with them.”
So, in Belley we see a group of laity forming round the Marists. Their first meetings are in the house of the Marist Sisters. Champagnat reveals that Colin is working on ideas for the laity in the Society. The project is thus recognised and owned by all the branches of the Society.
In Lyons the group of laymen known as the Tertiary Brothers of Mary were beginning to form themselves into a cohesive body. Already, in 1833, Pompallier was helping them as their chaplain. In the spring of 1833 they had rented the round tower house at Fourvière. This was the meeting place for the first real Third Order group in Lyons.
C. Colin elected Central Superior, 1830
By 1830—14 years after the Fourviere Promise—it was clear that the project needed a centre of unity, someone with the moral authority to co-ordinate the various groups. In September 1830 the Lyons group travelled to Belley, where Jean-Claude Colin was elected as central superior. It was also decided to have a provincial superior for the Lyons group, and Champagnat was elected to this position.
The two groups kept united by common retreats and so, by the time of Colin’s first trip to Rome, the group of brothers, sisters, priests and also laity in Lyons and Belley had not only an internal structure but also a real spiritual unity. Colin was at the centre, holding the various branches together and, in 1833, he obtained permission from the bishops of Lyons and Belley to travel to Rome to present the case for the Marist project. Colin was presenting not simply a plan or project but a working reality.
2. Reasons for the Journey
A. The Vow to go to Rome
Colin always insisted that his main reason for going to Rome in 1833 was to fulfil a vow he had made to present the whole Marist plan to the Roman authorities – not necessarily for approval, but for testing and for reaction. Father David describes the situation:
In 1832 (sic), in Rome, Fr Colin decided to submit to the Holy See the general but complete plan of the Society as he conceived it at that time, that is comprising four branches: the priests, the teaching brothers, the Marist sisters and the Third Order, all under one and the same superior. He wanted thereby to free his conscience of a vow he had made of attending to the foundation of the Society until its plan had been submitted to the very Holy Father. This was so as to fortify himself against a violent temptation of discouragement. (OM 887:7-8)
Father David makes several significant points: first, that Colin had made a vow to go to Rome; second, that he planned to present a broad outline of the Society; third, that he presented the whole Marist project; fourth, that he took the vow in order to strengthen himself against discouragement.
The Vow
The fact that Colin had made a vow which involved going to Rome was part of early Marist knowledge. Mayet, Poupinel, Etienne, Séon, Convers, Maîtrepierre, Lagniet and David all make reference to it in various ways. (OM SH 224:2. 350. 351. 352.) Colin himself, writing to Champagnat, says that “the purpose of my trip was exclusively to consult with regard to our enterprise, and to fulfil a vow I had made a long time ago of working at the project until it had been submitted to the Sovereign Pontiff. (OM 307) In his letter to Archbishop de Pins, Colin goes further. He says: “Our intention, my Lord, has always been to submit the said project to our Holy Father the Pope; from the beginning we committed ourselves to that.” (OM 271:5)
Gaston Lessard, in a study of this question, puts forward a good working hypothesis which dates the vow as 1819. (cf. “Le voeu d’aller à Rome.” 1986) Lessard holds that Colin’s vow was to work for the Marist project until it was submitted to the judgement of Rome. Colin never thought he would be the one to lead the Marist enterprise but, for various reasons, he did consider that he must work at the project until it was presented to the Holy See. Then he would be freed of his responsibility. It is clear from the texts available that while Colin could have fulfilled his vow by writing to Rome, he regarded it as part of the vow to go there in person.
Presenting an outline of the project
For Colin the explicit purpose of visiting Rome was to present the broad plan of the Marist project to the authorities – not necessarily to seek approbation of the Congregation. He made it clear that he had no intention of presenting details nor of seeking approval for the project. Maîtrepierre wrote: “When Fr Colin went to Rome, he did not at all intend to have the Society approved.” (OM 752:38)
The Complete Project
“I knew very well that it was not very prudent to present such a gigantic project”, Colin said later, in 1853. In fact his suspicion was well based. When he looked back on the event, Colin said, “During my first trip to Rome, I presented the Society as a whole, with all its branches; people were dismayed… It seemed to me that everybody would laugh at me… It did not matter… I did not care… I wanted to know what Rome would think.” (Mayet 1:27) Colin’s decision was to submit the complete plan of the Society, comprising four branches: priests, brothers, sisters and Third Order, all under the one superior.
A struggle against discouragement
Fr David also says that a compelling reason for the vow was “to fortify himself against a violent temptation of discouragement”. One could imagine that this discouragement could have found its origin in two possible sources; one external to Colin, and the other internal. Colin’s own temperament would have furnished enough internal temptation to discouragement. But on top of that, he would have needed to be strengthened against the external pressures he was feeling from bishops who at first were not encouraging in their attitude to the broad-based project. Bishop Devie’s main concern was the renewal of his diocese. He had already released two priests from parish duties to form a diocesan missionary band based in Bourg, the largest town in the diocese. (OM 354) To Bishop Devie, the newly forming Marist team in Cerdon was very much what he had in mind. Colin, on the other hand, saw Marists as religious who would work in the local church for its renewal; but he also saw them as religious approved by the Pope for service in the Church anywhere in the world. Bishop Devie applied pressure on Colin to give up what appeared to be his grandiose ideas. That was when Colin took a vow that if ever the Society had 30 members, he would have three thousand Masses said. Devie then realised how serious Colin was. Colin had made it very clear that the Society of Mary would be universal or it would not exist. In the mean time, however, Devie was not making it easy for Colin. Maitrepierre wrote that the founder “had vowed to labour at the work of the Blessed Virgin until he had presented it to Rome, but it was impossible to obtain permission to go to the sovereign Pontiff; Bishop Devie even refused him permission to travel to Lyons.” Maitrepierre then adds an interesting comment: “But when the Society was at stake, he felt under the impulse of an authority that was above that of his Bishop. Since he could not obtain permission to leave for Rome to fulfill his vow, he wrote directly to the Pope.” (OM 752) The Founder felt the need to submit the whole plan to the Holy See, “for the sake of the progress of the enterprise…. Were it only to settle the ideas of our ecclesiastical superiors, some of whom at times want the Society one way, and others another way. (OM 268)
The letter to Rome was handled by Cardinal Macchi, who then wrote to Bishop Devie. Mayet relates the sequence: “The Bishop told Fr Colin: “So you want to go to Rome?” Father answered, “My Lord, I vowed that I would labour at this work until the Holy See had manifested what it thought of it.” The Bishop said, “Oh, you had made this vow. I did not know. Go to Rome.” (OM 819)
Fr Colin’s account of the interview with the Bishop puts the whole question of the vow into its context. In 1842, Colin said to Jean-Marie Millot, “Before leaving, I told the Bishop: “If you refuse me permission to go to Rome, I will not go; but please, for God’s sake, do not refuse me.” “Go, since you want to, but you will obtain nothing.” “I am not going in order to obtain anything. I am going so as to meet an obligation in conscience, a promise I made to God, and, if I obtain nothing, to be free then and be able afterwards to do what I want.” (OM 524)
B. Presentation of the Summarium of 1833
It would be misleading to interpret Colin too literally. While he said that the purpose of the voyage was simply to “consult with regard to our enterprise”, without “seeking official approbation”, and that he “would present the rule later on” (OM 307), Colin did not intend to come to Rome empty-handed. Jean Coste suggests that “it is possible that, prior to the journey, the approbation of the Society was one of the basic reasons for under¬taking the trip, even though the Marist aspirant prudently refrained from saying that they hoped for approbation.” (Lectures. p.94) Colin had in fact been working on a Rule ever since the Cerdon days, and it was an outline of this that he was to work on in Rome and to present to the Congregation of Bishops and Regulars. He intended to lay before the authorities “the constitutions of the society of priests of Mary, almost completely touched up; we shall speak to you of a new congregation, already numerous, of religious women under the name of Mary, and of a body of Marist brothers, upon the model of the brothers of Christian schools, which already has eighteen establishments.” (OM 268)
This is not the place to present a history of the Rule (cf J. Coste “Studies on the Early Ideas of Jean-Claude Colin. I.” Maristica 2 p.16) but it is useful to remember three influences at work in Colin up until this time of his first visit to Rome.
- First was the experience of the Cerdon years, where Colin was helped by spiritual consolation to write down the early ideas of a Rule, working at night in the small closet at the foot of his bed. (OM 819:42 839:36) These notes were collected in a bulky notebook, of which nothing remains.
- The second influence was the experience of his years as a missioner in the Bugey. From this experience he wrote the “Instructions to Missionaries”. (OM 581:2 687 821:40) These are not preserved as such but the main ideas can be found in “A Founder Speaks” under “Missions”.
- The third influence was his experience in the College at Belley during which, in 1829, he drew up the “Advice to the Staff”. The riginal text has been preserved.
Between 1830 and 1833 Colin revised what he had written. While he was in Rome, following the advice of friends he had made in the Curia, he retouched the essentials and rewrote them in the form of the Summarium Regularum which he presented to the Sacred Congregation for Bishops and Regulars.
This first journey of Colin to Rome led him to three major “discoveries” regarding the Rule and Constitutions. First, he discovered the Constitutions of the Society of Jesus. Until this point Colin had had no guideline for writing the Constitutions, as he had often stated, other than his reflections on the early Church (FS 42:3 117:3 119:9). In subsequent years the Jesuit Constitutions were to become a major influence in his writing of legislation. Second, Colin discovered in the Roman Curia certain persons who would be of help to him, particularly Cardinal Castracane, Cardinal Fransoni, and Father Trinchant. Third, Colin discovered in Rome an openness and breadth of vision that he had not previously found in the Church in France. The Sulpicians, for example, encouraged him to make the Rule more suitable for human beings. It was probably this experience that lay behind his later remarks:
It was there (in Rome) that I learned the maxim, “Law was made for man.” If I cannot save him with the law, I shall try to save him without it. (FS 163:2)
I follow the same approach as they, the Romans, do. I am very fond of those principles: “All for souls” and “Salvation before law.” (FS 95:31)
3. The Mood of the Journey
The historical background helps convey something of the mood in which Father Colin set out on his first journey to Rome. His purpose was to present a plan for something new and hitherto unforeseen in the life of the Church. He was coming with a sense of relief that, having fulfilled his vow, he could now leave all in the hands of God. And, not least perhaps, this visit touched a very deep chord in his own life of faith. Mayet wrote, in 1845:
When he was a young cleric, when he thought of the Society, Fr Colin would say: Rome, Rome, Rome. That word alone made his heart beat and electrified him. To him, it was like the name of his country for the exile, like the name of the harbour for a lost ship, like the cry of deliverance for a prisoner.
It was in a mood of expectation and enthusiasm that Father Colin set out for Rome on the morning of Thursday 29 August 1833, along with Fathers Chanel and Bourdin.
4. The Voyage to Rome
The journey to Rome was itself a saga. After celebrating Mass at Fourvière, the three pilgrims left for Marseilles, probably by boat down the Rhône. Because of passport difficulties they missed the boat they had intended to take, and did not leave Marseilles until 4 September on the merchant ship “Notre Dame du Bon Secours”. The name was fitting, in view of subsequent events.
Just clear of the harbour, two ships in their convoy collided and were disabled. Their own boat sprang a leak. The pumps refused to function, so the boat headed for La Ciotat, between Marseilles and Toulon. There, they lost five days while waiting for repairs to be made. When they put out again, a violent storm drove them to seek shelter along the coast of Elba. After this second break in the voyage, they ran into another storm, and with difficulty they reached Santo Stefano, along the coast of Tuscany. Here, they were becalmed, and more time was lost. Hugging the coast, they continued on to Civitavecchia, where they were able to go ashore after sunset. It was too late to find accommodation in the town, so they had to spend the night in the open. They intended to take the road for Rome the next day, but then learned that the ship was quarantined for fear of the cholera which was raging in France at the time of their departure. Fortunately, the Cardinal Governor intervened, and they were allowed to continue their journey without further delay. They travelled by coach down the Via Aurelia, and entered Rome by the gate of San Pancrazio. Their journey from Marseilles had taken 11 days.
Their first appointment was with Cardinal Macchi. They gave him the dossier on the plans for the Society. Macchi took this to the Papal audience on 17 September. The Pope sent it to the Prefect of the Congregation of Bishops and Regulars, but the Curia was on holiday till November. Colin was to have his first experience of the leisurely pace of Roman bureaucracy. He wrote to Fr Convers:
People here are not in a hurry. Besides, the Congregations are overloaded with work, and those who come to Rome for three months sometimes stay three years. However, with the help of your prayers, I hope to stay less… (Cardinal Odescalchi) is a good man, and speaks French very well, but he is overburdened with work; sometimes four or five trips are needed before getting an audience, the crowd is so long in his waiting room. So as you can see, I have here in Rome also a chance of exercising the little patience I possess. We Frenchmen want to get everything done in one day; that is what the Italians tell us, and they never tire of repeating: “Pazienza! Pazienza!” (OM 295:3,4)
Given this situation, the three decided that Chanel and Bourdin should return soon to France, and that Colin should wait in Rome until the Congregation had made some decision. The three were at this time living near San Luigi dei Francesi, probably in the Via della Scrofa. (OM 644) They toured the city the Basilicas of St Mary Major, St Peter, St John Lateran: the Catacombs of St Sebastian: the Mamertime Prison, the Roman College, the Gesù, the Scala Santa, the Colosseum, and so on. Chanel records that he spent many hours in exploring the riches of the Vatican library and museums.
The three had an audience with the Pope on September 28th.
On October 1st, they left for Loreto, arriving there on the 5th. Shortly afterwards, Chanel and Bourdin left for Belley. Colin stayed in Loreto for a week. He returned to Rome on the 6th and took up residence in the Monastery of the Holy Apostles, opposite the Odescalchi Palace where the Cardinal lived. Colin spent a lot of time in prayer in the Church, and often went to pray before the Madonna dell’Archetto nearby. From now on, though, he was busy with work on the Society. He wrote to Cholleton:
I can tell you practically nothing about Rome. At the convent of the Holy Apostles I am living practically like a hermit, and hardly go out except for my business. (OM 298:3-6)
Colin was working on the outline he was to present to the Curia. He had already asked several members of the Curia to examine the Rule. He wrote to Convers:
I want to consult men who are competent in the matter (of the Rule) and benefit from their advice. The notebooks have already been read by several people and they seem to take an interest in the work: they regard it as important. People are convinced here that the Church of France would need some religious bodies. Finally, our Rules are too abbreviated, and I shall have to develop them more. That’s what I’m working on now. (OM 292:4)
Colin followed the advice he was given to provide an outline of the Brothers’ and Sisters’ rule as well as that of the Priests. This work took the whole of November. The result of all this was the Summarium Regularum with which we are familiar. In his presentation, Colin requested four things: (1) permission to receive new members, (2) permission to elect a Superior General, (3) permission to take vows, (4) indulgences for the Third Order.
5. The Results of the Journey
The full story of the “Summarium” and the results of Colin’s request about the Rule belong to another study. What follows is a brief outline of the facts. The “Summarium” was given to Cardinal Odescalchi, Prefect of the Sacred Congregation of Bishops and Regulars on 9th December 1833. Four days later Colin had an interview with the Cardinal, and was advised that the scheme was too vast. Odescalchi deputed Cardinal Castracane to take charge of the dossier. Castracane received Colin well, but found it difficult to take the vast enterprise seriously — and he told Colin so, in the scenario we know so well. After some discussion and reflection on the interview, Colin decided to ask only that the priests of Lyons and Belley be allowed to elect a Superior, and that Indulgences be granted to the various branches of the Society.
Castracane’s report to the Curia was scathing. He said that so many religious organizations were rising in France that they would end by injuring one another. What advantage to the Church would there be, he said, in approving this “new thing of the Marian Brothers” which had the same goal as the Brothers of the Christian Schools, and no other difference except in name? As for cloistered Marian sisters, there were already so many congregations of women in France that it was hard even to count them. He went on to say that a four-branched society as presented was “unheard of”, and in fact was “a monster”. Colin’s idea of a universal Third Order of laity was “alien” and “outlandish” because it set aside the authority of the Bishop in order to give power to the “man who holds the key post in the whole Marian Society”. The report stated: “It is a propos at this point to consider the suspicion that will be aroused in Kings by a confraternity of this kind, ruled by a single head.” (OM 304)
Out of pity, however, Castracane recommended that two of Colin’s requests be granted: (a) permission to elect a Superior, and (b) permission for indulgences but only for the priests. The minutes of the meeting record that “by unanimous vote they judged the proposed plan of the Marian Society did not fall into the category of an Institute of the Church, and could not be approved under any aspect.” The Congregation gave approval for the two points requested, and decided that letters should be written to the bishops of Lyons and Belley informing them of the decision.
At this point, events become complicated but, simply put, the letters, though drafted, were not sent. When something was eventually sent, it was not Indulgences for the priests’ branch, but three Briefs of Indulgences for the Third Order, even though the letters to the Bishops had not been sent at all. This apparent “confusion” has signs of human intervention, and during the course of our first pilgrimage through Rome we may be able to track down this person.
It was now late January, and Colin’s stay in Rome was coming to an end. Before he left, he wrote two letters which are significant for us. One was to Cardinal Odescalchi, requesting a papal audience for Jeanne-Marie Chavoin. He wrote:
Already, in the course of last summer, she made known her wish to His Lordship, the Bishop of Belley, and he will place no obstacle if His Holiness deigns to accord her this favour. She is not yet bound to the cloister. I venture to have recourse to Your eminence to obtain this favour. From childhood grace has gone before Sister; in 1817, on the advice of her directors, she left her family and, together with a companion, began the Congregation of the Sisters of Mary, now already numerous. The Lord has given her light on a number of occasions concerning the Society and the virtues of Mary. She wishes to open her heart to the common Father of Christians. (OM 302)
The second letter, written to Fr Convers on 30th January 1834, captures something of Colin’s mood during this stay in Rome and provides a convenient place to end this account of his first visit.
At last I can almost glimpse the moment when I shall be able to return to France. I hope to be able to leave Rome between the 20th and the 30th February. I shall probably go by sea; two weeks or even less will be enough to get to Belley. Next week I hope to have the Congregations’ reply to our business. I asked for the reply to be sent to the Bishop of Belley. I foresee it will be quite simple, limited to some advice on the plan of the Society, which in general they find too vast. It is the great extent of the plan which causes most difficulty. Had we only presented the body of priests with a complete rule, we should now have been a good part of the way towards approbation. But then I should not have attained my principal aim, which was to present the plan of the Society as a whole so as to obtain advice, and to know whether we should build on that plan. Our little manuscript has passed through all the stages of a most serious scrutiny. On that score I could wish for nothing more and I have already got advice which will be of the utmost usefulness for the rest of my life. This journey has been one of the greatest graces God has given me since I began working at the Society. Henceforth it will contribute to my tranquillity, and enable me to move more surely in my endeavours to forward the word. (OM 303)
Fr Colin departed from Rome during the first week of February 1834, and arrived in Belley on the 21st February 1834.
Having placed ourselves in the context of Fr Colin’s first voyage to Rome, we are perhaps better able to set out and visit the places where Colin stayed or carried on business while he was in Rome; and the places where he visited as a pilgrim during this voyage.
Reading
Coste, J. Lectures on Society of Mary History, pp 51-68, 92-101
Hosie, S. Anonymous Apostle, pp 111-134
Kerr, D. Jean-Claude Colin, Marist, pp 259-278