THE CONGREGATIONS OF THE ORATORY

AND THE CONFEDERATION

 

HISTORIC NOTES

 

           

                                                IMPRIMATUR

                                                                             Edoardo Aldo Cerrato dell'Oratorio

 

During the Jubilee year of 2000, the Congregation of the Oratory of Rome has organized a meeting, for Oratorians residents in Rome or just visiting, on 26^th  of every month. These “Notes” come from a conference delivered by Fr. Edoardo Cerrato in one of the meetings.

 

 

I. How Many Congregations Have Been Throughout The Centuries?
II. From The Absolute Autonomy To The Institutum Oratorii And The Confoederatio Oratorii

1. The Difficult Times
2. A Brief Explanation of a Complicated History
3. The Apostolic Visitor
4. Visitator seu Delegatus Sedis Apostolicae pro Congregationibus et oficiis Generalibus Instituti Oratorii S. Philippi Neri
5. The Procura Generale

I. How Many Congregations Have Been Throughout The Centuries? 

Because of the regime of absolute autonomy that was characteristic of the Congregations until 1933, when the Procura Generale was instituted, there is not a General Archive with documentation before that year. Therefore, the news we find in other places are precious, like MARCIANO's work, Memorie storiche, 5 vol, Naples. 1693-1702; the archive of S. M. in Vallicella; some lists we find in many Congregations and which have an almost "official" values, like the one printed in Rome (cfr. Appendice 1); in 1744 or another one, consider classic, which is kept in some archives of Congregations, like the ones of Guanajuato and Leon, that were founded in 1794 and 1838 respectively.

Among the most recent publications on this topic, some of them are worthy to be mentioned, like C. GASBARRI, Lo spirito dell 'Oratorio di S. Filippo Neri, Brescia, 1949, or by the same author, L 'Oratorio Romano, Rome, 1963; ADDINGTON. The Idea of the Oratory, London. 1966.

From July 15^th 1575, when Pope Gregory XIII erected the Roman Oratory with the bull Copiosus in misericordia, until our days, it's possible to list a total number of around 240 Congregations (although some authors list more of them, even 300): 15 of them were born in the 16^th century; the great majority were born in the 17^th  and 18^th  centuries: around 10 of them were born in the 19^th century and just a few in the 20^th  century before 1933.

From that year, when the Holy See instituted the Visitatio Oratorii and the Procura Generale, there was a real recovery, although it was slow at the beginning and only after 1960 it became really significant with the foundation and the pontifical approval of 29 Congregations in Europe, America and Africa. Most of them were born after 1966 as that year there were 53 Congregations and today there are 74.  (cfr. Appendice II)

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II. From The Absolute Autonomy To The Institutum Oratorii And The Confoederatio Oratorii

 

1. The Difficult Times

A great number of the Congregations of the Oratory disappeared in Europe, especially in the southern countries, because of the Napoleonic storm, in the same way it happened to many other ecclesiastic institutions. In Italy, for instance, when some Congregations were recovering from it, the anticlerical laws of the Risorgimento destroyed some others. In fact, Fr. Gasbarri writes that, at the end of the 18^th century, because of all that Masonic and anticlerical governments, "the number of Congregations shrunk in a few years from 182 to 56. Another reason was the juridical structure of autonomy that isolated every house from others, with just a few and poor communications" (GASBARRI, o. c, p. 205). "Was precisely because of the crisis of the Roman Oratory and the call from Provost Scaramucci in 1881 (cfr. Appendice III) (the first documents are dated in 1895) that many generous Oratorians started to think in that federation, juridical and moral, that eventually saved so many houses that were dying and has brought great hope in a better future" (ibid.)

Besides, Meriol Trevor recalls the fact that, at the time when J. H. Newman was staying in Rome during his novitiate at Santa Croce, Fr. Carlo Rossi was seriously thinking in that union "to have more power and influence" (M. TREVOR, Newman, 1962, pp. 418-419). 

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 2. A Brief Explanation of a Complicated History 

In 1893 Fr. Giulio Castelli, who had gone to Rome from Turin to help the Roman Oratory, founded in 1893 an Oratorian college in order to “provide vocations to the Congregations in need". In this task he had the support of the Sacred Congregation of Regulars and of the Oratorian Card. Capelcelatro; the same Pope Leo XIII had encouraged this initiative in a private audience on November 3^rd  that year.

Also Fr. Arista, from Acireale, shared the same concerns as Fr. Castelli. He thought a college wasn't enough, it was necessary to "make one body" with the different houses, yet keeping their autonomy. He thought that the incapacity of recovery of the Oratories, at a time when many other religious Orders and Congregations where growing again, was due to the "lack of union among the houses, that are proud of their autonomy". But not all Oratorians, agreed with this point of view.

In 1895, in occasion of the III Centenary of Saint Philip's death, there was in Rome a Gathering of Provosts, in which Fr. Arista and Fr. Castelli spoke about their opinions. Some time after, Fr. Arista sent a letter to the Congregations speaking about a "moral union of the oratorian houses". All kind of initiatives -some in favor, others against followed to this letter in the next years until, at last, on February 8^th , 1901, a letter was sent to the Pope asking for the Oratory something similar as he had done with the Benedictines, the Cistericians, the Franciscans or the Ursulines. The Pope answered on March 13, inviting Oratorians to present a project according to their desire.

A long debate followed until 1918, when the I Congress of Italian Provosts took place, with the attendance of 16 Provost (of a total of 19). In that meeting, besides Fr. Arista and Fr. Castelli, also Fr. Timpanaro spoke strongly about the union. At the end, just a few decisions were taken, among them the commitment of having a Congress every 3 years.

In 1921, the II Congress decided to work in the idea of a union with a representative in Rome and for that task was elected the Provost of the Roman Oratory. But it didn't resolve the problems of many Congregations, including Rome itself.

Precisely for the difficulties at the Vallicella, the Pope appointed an Apostolic Visitor, who would be also in charge of any other matters concerning the Oratorian communities as the Delegate of the Holy See. For that office Blessed Alfredo Ildefonso Schuster, OSB, Abbot of St. Paul Outside the Walls, was appointed. He presided the III Congress in 1924, summoned this time by the Holy See, and open to all the Congregations, although only attended 17 houses from Italy, 2 from Spain (that represented other 2), 2 from Poland and 1 from Mexico. The Congress decided to start the revision of the Constitutions, according to the new Codex Juris Canonici (Fr. Castelli and Fr. Timpanaro were appointed for this task) and confirmed the decisions of other Congresses about the representative in Rome.

At that time, an Oratorian from Bolonia, Fr. Cesare Nanni was in charge of the Roman Oratory. In 1925 he was elected Provost that Oratory and started a new experience of unification of some Italian houses (Fork, Verona, Ripatransone, Roma-Garbatella, San Benedetto del Tronto), but there was a strong opposite reaction in the oratorian world, that included Abbot Schuster, as he was permitting it. Because of that storm, the Sacred Congregation for Religious sent in 1927 a canonical visitation to the Roman Oratory and the same Schuster was appointed for it. The results were the condemnation of Fr. Nanni's activities about the union of the houses and an invitation to come back to the traditional Oratorian Observance. In 1928 Abbot Schuster was appointed Archbishop of Milan and nobody succeeded him in his office regarding the Oratory.

In 1931, the "translatio corporis" of Fr. Castelli -who had died in 1926 with reputation of holiness­- gathered many Italian Provosts. In that occasion Fr. Giulio Bevilacqua was suggested as new representative of the Congregations in Rome (waiting, anyway, for the confirmation of that choice in the Congress of 1934), but Fr. Bevilacqua refused the job from the beginning and Fr. Carlo Naldi got it, starting to work in February 1933.

Through tat office, Fr. Naldi met in Roma Fr. Arcadio Larraona, C.M.F. an Spanish Claretian, very devoted of St. Philip, who was a famous canonist, a teacher at the Lateran University and a consultor of the Sacred Congregation for Religious. Regarding the Oratory, Fr. Larraona insisted in the following points: the official institution of the Procura Generale, the actualization of the Constitutions, the celebrations of a General Congress and the request, to the Holy See, of an Apostolic Visitation of all the Congregations. 

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3. The Apostolic Visitor 

On March 21^st 1933, Pope Pius XI started the General Visitation of all the Congregations, appointing Fr. Arcadio Larraona "General Apostolic Visitor". Fr. Larraona confirmed Fr. Naldi as Procurator and appointed Delegate for the Visitation of the Congregations. (cfr. Appendice IV and V) From 12 to 16 September was summoned in Rome by the Visitation the I GENERAL CONGRESS, attended by around 30 Congregations of Italy, Spain, England and Germany.  In that meeting a supplement to the chapter IV of the Constitutions was prepared, which eventually would become the General Statutes.

Fr. Larraona worked for the Institutum Oratorii S. Philippi Nerii until 1951, when he was appointed for other more important tasks in the Roman Curia. Eventually, he was created Cardinal by Blessed John XIII. In his office as Visitor was appointed Fr. Enrico di Santa Teresa (Romolo Compagnone), O.C.D., ho left it in 1958 and became Bishop of Alatri. 

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4. Visitator seu Delegatus Sedis Apostolicae pro Congregationibus et oficiis Generalibus Instituti Oratorii S. Philippi Neri 

On 24 September 1958, the Sacred Congregation for Religious issued a Decree creating the figure of the VISITATOR ORATORII S. PHILIPPI, who had to be elected by the General Congress and confirmed by the Holy See. (cfr. Appendice VI) The General Congress of 1958, still summoned by the Apostolic Visitation elected as Visitor Fr. Edward Griffith (who was at that time the Procurator General) and was confirmed by the Holy See. In that Congress, Pope Pius XII, concluding already his pontificate, delivered a precious speech to the Oratorians, full of personal memories. (cfr. Appendice VII)

Fr. Griffith had to resign for health problems and shortly after passed away. In 1959 the Permanent Deputation elected Visitor Fr. Ugo Oggè, from the Oratory of Mondovì, who was in charge until the following Congress in 1969, the one that started the revision of the Constitutions and the General Statutes, changed the name of the Institutum for the one of Confoederatio Oratorii S. Philippi Nerii and elected new Visitor Fr. Paul Turks, from Aachen, whose charge was renovated by the following Congress, in 1975. That Congress decided also to shorten the terms of the Visitor to 6 years, instead of 10, following the normal praxis in the Code.

The next Congress in 1982, celebrated one year after it was supposed to according to the established rhythm, elected Visitor Fr. Michael Scott Napier, from London, who was reelected in the following Congress in 1988. In 1994, the Congress, elected Visitor Fr. Antonio Ríos Chávez, from Mexico-La Profesa. 

General Congresses

 

Summoned by the Apostolic Visitation:

1933: Revision of the Constitutions based on a "Schema correctionum ac variationum".

1942: Approval of the Constitutions and General Statutes.

1948: First elections for Procurator, Postulator, Permanent Deputation.

1958: Msgr. Compagnone presented the Decree from the Holy See instituting the canonical Visitor as its representative for the Oratory.

 

After the end of the Apostolic Visitation:

1969: Started the revision the Constitutions and General Statutes after the Vatican II.

1975: It had a pastoral character (about prayer, preaching, vocations, common life, etc) although it dealt with some points of the General Statutes.

1982: Continued the work on the new legislation

1988: Continued the work on the new legislation, after the publication of the new Codex. A Decree of the Holy See approved on 21 November 1989 the new Constitutions and the General Statutes.

1994: Approved the Directory under the title of "Spiritual Path".

2000: It has a pastoral character, about the Secular Oratory in the III millennium. 

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5. The Procura Generale 

It was born in 1933, as mentioned before, by a decision of the General Congress. In that meeting a draft of the General Statutes of the Institutum Oratorii was presented, including also the tasks of the Procurator General. In the letter sent on 19 March 1934 by the Visitor Fr. Larraona, he described the figure of the Procurator: "Representative of all the Congregations and a aid for them, as a necessary connection for the unity of the Institute (velut naturale vinculum unitati Instituti necessarium); besides the tasks that are proper to all the Procurators General in the religious Institutes before the Holy See, he has special tasks, the ones included in the General Statutes".

The Statutes, approved by the General Congress in 1942, were confirmed by Pope Pius XII ex audentia SS.mi in 1943. On §3 of the Statutes we read that "in order that the Congregations of the Oratory might help each other preserving faithfully their autonomy and might be represented before the Holy See, a kind of Confederation among them was created with Apostolic Authority, according to these Statutes, which is legitimately called institutum Sancti Philippi Neri".

The General Statutes approved by the Holy See in 1989, after having declared that "the Congregations of the Oratory, united to one another by the bond of charity, are bound together into a Confederation"(§1) "so that the Congregations might help each other effectively, while preserving their original autonomy", describes the figure and tasks of the Procurator General in §§54‑62. "The Procurator General legally represents the Congregations and their members, together with the Confederation of the Oratory, before the Apostolic See and all curial Congregations. To this general office, other special tasks are added" (§54), that are included in §57. 

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Procurators General  

P. Carlo Naldi	1933-1942 He was the first, elected "ad interim".
P. Arcadio Larraona	1942-1948 Apostolic Visitor, was in charge "ad interim".
P. Edward Griffith	1948-1958 First Procurator General elected by the Congress.
P. John Nedley	1958-1971 Elected by the Congress 1958; reelected in 1969, he Resigned in 1971.
P. Walter Oddone	1971-1978 Appointed by the Perm. Dep. in 1971; elected by the Congress in 1975, he resigned in 1978.
P. Luigi Romana	1978-1982 Appointed by the Perm. Dep. in 1978, was in charge until 1982.
P. Antonio Dario	1982-1994 Elected by the Congress in 1982, reelected in 1988.
P. Edoardo Cerrato	1994-2000 Elected by the Congress in 1994.

 

Appendice I
Appendice II
Appendice III
Appendice IV
Appendice V
Appendice VI
Appendice VII