e) A CATECHISM FOR ALL

"A manual of the faith for all"

Today, more than ever, the most separated and distant countries have been brought closer together and have merged, as it were, due to so many roads and such easy and varied means of transportation.  Besides, either for lack of work or the desire for enrichment or in hopes of a better future, many people move from city to city, from province to province, and from country to country without ever having a fixed residence.  Never like today was the number of emigrations and emigrants so great.

What does this all mean?  Unfortunately, it means that children, in whose hearts it is necessary to sow the seeds of Christian virtues early on, are forced to follow their parents and, as a result, are often deprived of the religious formation they would get at home and are hardly ever instructed in the things of the soul.

Listen to me.  Some of these people often emigrate from their native country to another country with a different language and thus have to face two problems: the first one from the difference in language, the second from the lack of uniformity in the teaching method of the doctrine to be learned.  Others move from one diocese to another, where the language is the same, and this happens practically every day.  But everybody can see then how the diversity of texts confuses and upsets these simple souls.

It is true that the same truth can be expressed in different ways without changing its substance.  But children and the unlettered do not understand this.  In fact, experience shows that their memory is mechanical.  That is to say: in their mind it is not things that suggest words but words that suggest things.  Nay, we see that for them, if the words change, things also change because, in their simplicity, they cannot tell the difference between substance and accidents.  If they listen to the same teaching expressed in a different way from the way they already learned it, they think

they are also being taught a different doctrine.  And so the confusion, the annoyance, and the thought of having to make new efforts dishearten and humiliate them and turn them away from the school of catechism, with the obvious danger that they will never learn their catechism.

There is also a problem for the person who has to teach catechism to children from another diocese, because the teacher must overcome their reluctance and guard them against the scandal they might experience when they hear the explanation of a doctrine which, according to them, is so different.  The teacher may also have to start catechism all over with these children, with much effort and loss of time, to the detriment of the other children.  Oftentimes this time and effort are time and effort wasted.  Besides, there are children who have to follow the fortunes of their parents, as I have said, and so, after some time, in the middle of the program, are forced to cut it short and go to other provinces where the text changes once again and where they will have to face new and harder problems.

Finally, we all know how much the correct understanding of the divine mysteries depends on the accurate choice of words.  Leaving aside the variety of catechisms for the moment, it is so easy in the course of time for the faith of the Christian people to suffer as a result of this, especially now that the faith is being undermined on all sides.  And so I ask: what will happen to the new generation, already so poorly prepared and so ignorant of the things of the soul and of God?

These, it seems to me, are the main drawbacks stemming from a variety and multiplicity of catechisms, drawbacks that could easily be removed if there were one identical catechism for the whole Catholic world.

What great benefits would accrue to the Church!  I can think of three: integrity of Catholic doctrine; a stronger and wider unity among all the faithful; a deeper attachment and greater devotion to the Apostolic See whence light radiates and diffuses unto the ends of the earth and whence charity, which is the bond of perfection, and the infallible Magisterium, which rules over us, have always emanated.

Indeed, a manual of faith, once approved, promulgated and sanctioned by the supreme and universal Head of the Church, would be a precious and marvelous handbook, one that would also frighten the enemies of the faith.  To this manual could be added the same morning and evening prayers for all, especially the acts of faith, hope, charity, and contrition, plus all the acts the faithful should perform before and

after Holy Communion.

So we fervently long for the day when, with the coming of peace, the reigning Pontiff will be free to turn his attention to such a salutary project.  How I wish such glory and honor would crown the already illustrious pontificate of Leo XIII.⁵³

3. THE DEAF-MUTES

An apostle of the Word and the catechism could not be indifferent to the drama of those who do not have the gift of speech and cannot communicate with others through this "marvelous medium."

Deaf-mutes are among the most unfortunate and wretched of all people.  They are orphans in their own family, hermits in the midst of people, excluded from society, exiles in their own country.  Faith and love dictate that we not only help them but also admit them to civil and ecclesial society and that we do so through instruction that will help them communicate with people and, through human mediation, with God.  Priests are to be "a tongue for their muteness and an ear for their deafness."  Church and society must help the deaf-mutes "speak."

The Apostle of the Catechism, that is, the apostle of the communication of faith through language that can be understood and assimilated, becomes the Apostle of the Deaf-mutes in order to restore the basic human communication of language.  He becomes the Apostle to the Emigrants in order to restore the communication of human beings, isolated by emigration, with society and the Church.  One single thought drives him: "Go and teach."  He works for one goal: the communion of human beings among themselves and with God.

"There was born a family of deaf-mute girls"

It was the day before I was scheduled to bid a final farewell to my beloved birthplace and come to take possession of this beloved diocese.  How could I forget the dear deaf-mute girls who for several years had been the object of my care and of my sacred ministry?  So I paid them a visit to encourage them for the last time, to commend them personally to the goodness of God, and to give them my blessing.  I cannot describe that farewell scene.  Educated deaf-mutes feel an intense, passionate, undying gratitude to all those who love them.  Those good girls were used to seeing in me their spiritual guide, their catechist, the father of their souls, one of their protectors.  After having expressed their exquisite and marvelous sentiments to me, they ended their little speech this way: "We are sad unto death at your departure, but our sadness will turn at once into rapturous joy if you promise to promote, in your diocese, the training of our sisters sharing our affliction."  I promised and left in tears, determined to do all I could to keep my word.

I placed this institution under the protection of the Blessed Mother.  In 1880, on the feast of her Nativity, as you well know, I addressed an appeal to the priests and people of the city and diocese, asking my sons and daughters for help.  The word of the shepherd was blessed by God and, in part at least, achieved the desired result.  As he was dying, a man of charity directed his wife, the lone heir, to give me a sum of money to carry out several of his charitable projects, last but not least, the project for the deaf-mutes.  This was how I was able to buy this house and bear the considerable expenses for furnishing it.  Blessed be the holy memory of the pious gentleman, Giuseppe Rossetti!

At once, from all corners of the diocese we invited the adult deaf-mute women who were no longer capable of full training to come here.  We tried to teach them at least what they had to know to receive the sacraments and a few months later sent them back home, hopefully with good results.  God surely took into account our good will and theirs.

Here was born a family of deaf-mute girls who, although they have completed their formation, often do not know whom to rely on for support.  This is a charitable institution of sorts, where they live together almost like religious, praying and earning their bread with various kinds of work, especially producing church goods.

Here we began regular classes for the girls capable of receiving instruction.  Gentlemen, in a moment you will witness their progress.  Their achievements, with which I am already somewhat familiar, make me very happy.  At the same time, my heart bleeds at the thought that, according to statistics gathered at my request, there are some two hundred deaf-mutes in our vast diocese, most of whom have grown up with no training at all.

I conclude by thanking and saluting these good Sisters who, in the immensity of their hearts, would be willing to take them all.  I hope and pray that this Institute for the poor deaf-mutes may also prosper together with the many other charitable institutions enriching our city.  So, even in this field, Piacenza will no longer have to envy the many Italian and foreign cities where the deaf-mutes of both sexes are well trained and returned to their families as well educated members, to society as useful citizens, to the Church as loving sons and daughters, to God as faithful worshipers. ¹

"There is no greater tragedy than that of a deaf-mute"

There is no greater tragedy on earth than that of a poor deaf-mute.  Though blessed with the faculties divine Providence generously bestows on every human being, the deaf-mute is deprived of that marvelous instrument through which harmonies enter the soul, the dearest expressions of family affection are heard, the noblest sentiments of faith are nourished, and the doors are opened, as it were, to that shrine where one's conscience is sovereign.

Speech ‑- this power which is co-created with thought and reveals a world of ideas, this mysterious bond which unites the intangible with the physical, intellect to intellect, and heart to heart ‑- strikes his ear, but without a sound, like an arrow shot against a stone.

So, though growing up in the midst of society, this innocent child of adversity is almost a stranger to it.  The storehouse of common knowledge, from which all can enrich themselves, is shut tight to him.  The experience of past centuries does not speak to him, and his fund of knowledge is reduced to the little that his own needs, impressions, and experience have taught him.  He is like a primitive man in the forest who knows only what he observes around him.

Besides, if the condition of the deaf-mute is exactly like that of a primitive man when it comes to intellectual ignorance, he is infinitely worse off when it comes to anguish and distress of heart.

Someone has said that hunger for truth is no less vehement than hunger for one's daily bread.  How true this is!  For example, look at a child who has the gift of speech: he never gets tired of asking you questions, sometimes on this topic, sometimes on that.  In fact, he gets upset, makes a fuss and cries if he is not satisfied at once.

What then must be the deaf-mute's torment, feeling within himself the same hunger for knowledge, yet seeing himself deprived of even the chance to ask questions!  He sees others talking among themselves and ‑- depending on the conversation ‑- laughing, crying, or acting surprised, while the deaf-mute cannot figure out what is going on.  He passionately desires to understand and be understood, yet has no way of even making known this desire!  You understand that he will be in a state of constant agony, of painful exasperation.  How painful indeed!  You who often like to hold pleasant conversations with others, imagine what that day would be like when you would be forever condemned to absolute silence!  This is but one of the sufferings the deaf-mute

must bear all his life. ²

"A hermit in the midst of people"

For most people, an uneducated deaf-mute is a rational being that does not reason, an orphan in his own family, a hermit in the midst of people, a primitive man within civil society. For us in the Church of God he is, above all, a person who is going without the bread of life, an infidel when it comes to actual faith, one who does not know all the revealed truths, all the truths, even the most rudimentary ones he absolutely needs to know.  Oh, yes indeed, from this point of view, the deaf-mute's need is extreme.  What we are doing for him is not simply a charitable and humanitarian deed but an act of religion and justice.

The deaf-mute does not have any idea of God nor of the things of God!  If children blessed with hearing do not arrive at such knowledge without proper instruction; if we often see children who unfortunately so neglect the study of their catechism that they do not know the main truths of religion despite the fact they have heard them explained so often, then how can we expect the deaf-mute to get to know them, without any means, isolated as he is within his family and society, with perpetual night enshrouding his intellect and the silence of the tomb all around him? (...).

The natural world will just be a mystery for the deaf-mute, just as human existence is a mystery for him.  In fact, the terrible onslaught of suffering, the tears of virtue, the hypocrisy of vice, the dictates of duty, the power of contrition, the hope of forgiveness, the beauty of noble affections, the restraint of the passions, the martyrdom of poverty, the disagreements of false friendships, unjust persecutions: these cannot be understood without God.  What would the day of the final farewell be for us if the ray of immortality were not to shed its light on the grave?  Indeed, only religion can comfort the human heart in times of excruciating trials. 

But religion, as you know, is revelation and revelation is the word, because the divine intellect can communicate with the human intellect only by means of the word, that is, by means of the purest and least material of the forms compatible with human nature.  We listen to this word, calling blessed the poor, the persecuted, and those who weep, and promising them the kingdom of heaven: and our soul finds comfort

in God its Lord.  We listen to this word on every occasion, at all times and in all places, even on our deathbed: and our hearts are filled with the hope of the joys of heaven.  But for the unfortunate deaf-mute this is not so.  Unlike us, he cannot relate the present and the future, the visible and the invisible, nature and grace.  He is continually exposed to illusions, deprived of solace, condemned to live in this exile without guidance, hope, or love.  Here below, then, the deaf-mute leads a life of resentment, anger, depression, loneliness, tears, and envy.

He is condemned by those who could provide him with religious instruction, but they neglect to instruct him out of laziness or on the false pretext of economizing. ³

"Society may not refuse him the blessing of education"

By law the people's education has become obligatory so that truth might enter and shed its light even in the workshop of the poor man or the craftsman.  We take such great pains to protect everyone's right to enjoy all the precious blessings society offers.  Why then do we exclude the deaf-mute from enjoying these blessings?  Is he not a human being and a citizen as well?  In fact, does he not have an even greater claim to our fraternal compassion and to the concern of society precisely because misfortune has dealt him such a cruel blow?  Society may not refuse him the blessing of education, since divine Providence imbued human nature with the ability and means to stamp out ignorance.  Society must not refuse him this education, because it has the serious obligation to make all its members fit for the common good.  Municipalities, Provinces and those in public office therefore have the duty to make every effort to provide education for the deaf-mutes and to help them not with empty compassion but with a concrete and practical love, a love that will allow them to enjoy the gifts and privileges of human beings and to be a part of society and active members of religion and country. ⁴

"A sad situation"

In 1879, 1 often found myself thinking of the sad story of these precious young deaf-mutes.  During that frigid winter a deaf-mute was found lost in the snow in the countryside around Carpaneto, half dead from the cold.  He was brought to the city.  But after administering first aid to his frozen hands and feet, the authorities did not know where to put him.  Do you know what they did?  They put him in prison, where he remained for several months.  A magistrate of that time read my pastoral letter about the deaf-mutes and immediately came to talk to me about the case, asking if I could do something about it.  "Yes," I answered.  "I shall keep him with me in my house."  So I kept him in my house for some time.  He did not know anything, nor could he understand anything.  Since he was already up in age and quite slow in learning, he did not profit very much from the little time I could spend instructing him.  Despite all investigations, we could not find out anything about him.  Oh, the poor mother who gave birth to this unfortunate manwho, from certain signs, did not seem to be of humble birth!  Oh, the poor mother who would perhaps die with the premonition of her son's misfortunes and miserable end, thus taking along to her grave a sorrow more cruel than death itself.  You who are mothers, you do understand me.  Was he Italian?  Was he a foreigner?  What a mystery lay hidden in that person!  Poor soul!  Had he been educated, had he been able to speak?  Who knows what a mystery of iniquity one single word might have revealed.  But he died without ever speaking that word! ⁵

"One cannot love without first knowing"

From the religious point of view, an uneducated deaf-mute is destitute of any solace.  Human beings are equally religious and perfectible: these two great truths go wonderfully hand in hand.  One confirms the other.  That is why the more a person perfects himself, the more he becomes religious; and the more a person becomes religious, the more he perfects himself (...).

Here we see a family gathered together in the intimacy of the domestic church.  The mother offers her children to Almighty God and the father blesses them.  The children give thanks to the Lord, whose

protective Providence they understand well and liken to their earthly parents.  A deaf-mute watches this scene, but his heart does not throb with emotion because his mind does not grasp the mystery.

We see an assorted crowd of people gathered in church.  Everybody is there, with soul and spirit intent on the same vision.  The concert of hymns bespeaks a concert of hearts (...).  All hearts reflect on their destinies, making ready for them in glorious hope.  All look forward with eyes fixed on the eternal center of good.  Everyone is rejoicing.  But the uneducated deaf-mute watches this spectacle of love with indifference, just as he watches the spectacle of life with disinterest.  Yes, to feel attracted to the beauty of religion, one must love; but one cannot love without first fully knowing the object that attracts him (...).

Is there some ray of light that will so enlighten the soul of the uneducated deaf-mute as to dispel the darkness of his ignorance, revealing to him the joys of righteousness and kindling in him the consoling hopes of the life to come?  Yes, there is: education.  And the new educational methods are, in fact, giving speech to the deaf-mute.  He reads your lips and he answers.  Of course, he answers as only a deaf-mute can, according to his special organic characteristics.  But he does answer, and the redemption of the deaf-mute prophesied by the Gospel is accomplished: "the deaf shall hear and the mute will speak." ⁶

"Others have to look after them"

After all I have said, is there anyone of you who does not see how much help these unfortunate people need?  The Gospel itself has some very eloquent passages in this regard.

The lepers, the lame, the sick, and the blind themselves are aware of their wretched condition, but they can go looking for the divine Doctor or, if nothing else, are able to cry out when he happens to pass by: "Jesus, Son of David, have pity on us." Instead, none of the deaf-mutes can help himself in his tribulation.  None of them finds his way to the Savior by himself.  Hence others have to look after the deaf-mutes and lovingly lead them to Jesus.

But even after being led to Jesus, they do not recognize him and are unable to address any request to him.  So, while Jesus Christ expected a plea, an admission of misery, an act of

faith from all those who had recourse to him, he never had any such expectations of the deaf-mutes but wanted those who presented them to him to plead for them and

kindle faith in them. ⁷

"Tongue for their muteness and ear for their deafness"

One last word to you, venerable priests, my cherished co-workers in the Lord's vineyard.  Surely none of you will allow a boy or girl, afflicted with muteness and deafness, to grow up in your parishes without making every effort to prepare them for the sacraments of the Church through religious instruction.  Surely none of you wants to betray his ministry or be guilty before the Church and God of the loss of those souls entrusted to your care.  You cannot take care of them personally?  You can and should take care of them indirectly until you are morally certain of their salvation.

So search out these unfortunate souls among the families, where they are often kept hidden, and notify the Chancery Office, using the enclosed form.  Tell parents of their obligation in conscience to have them instructed.  Make them aware of the existence of this Institute (...).

In a word, consider yourselves ‑- as indeed you are ‑- the ones chosen by divine Providence to be, in the words of the Sacred Books, tongue for their muteness and ear for their deafness.

Venerable brothers, this is a new apostolate the Lord is offering you (...).  Divine Providence then does not abandon the deaf-mute to his pitiful misfortune.  God places him in the arms of the faithful, entrusts him to their compassionate hearts.  Clothing him with the precious mantle of divine sonship, God turns to all of us and says: what you do for the religious upbringing of this person so dear to me will show me how much you truly love me. ⁸

"They no longer live as outsiders in society or in their families"

Gentlemen, for me the deaf-mute is the most unfortunate of human beings.  In fact, the sense of hearing is not just an instrument whereby a fleeting sound enters the human spirit.  It is the mysterious vehicle for the Word that came down from heaven to lead humanity to its eternal destiny.  For an individual as well as for a nation, there is no moral life without a tongue.  Human thought looks

at itself through reflection, which, in turn, narrows down ideas and sorts them out through signs.  But the words of the mind, whereby the spirit dialogues with itself, need exterior words, as well as human interaction.  So, for an individual, the word is the main source of truth and knowledge; for nations it is the golden chain that ties together minds and hearts; for humanity it is the marvelous link that joins it to heaven.  What then is a human being without the word?  There is no heart, howsoever frigid, that can bear the sight of a deaf-mute abandoned to himself.  Like us, he too lives in the hustle and bustle of the world but does not hear himself or others.  An eternal silence envelopes him.  That ear which is forever closed to the gentle harmony of music; that eye that looks with awe and enchantment on the wonders of nature and seems to be eagerly searching out other worlds, another fatherland, other creatures and the supreme Maker of the universe; those lips sealed in silence ‑- all speak to us of the gloom and monotony that weigh down on him like an eternal punishment.  0 you most wretched of the wretched, you poor deaf-mute, are you not able to melt the hearts of those who look at you?

Seeing these children of misfortune, usually left to vegetate like plants, my heart would seethe with tumultuous emotions and desires.  Why, I would often ask myself, why did divine Providence not provide me with the means to rehabilitate the deaf-mutes, especially those of Italy who are not yet educated?  Here, where divine Providence has appointed me Father of a cultured and gentle people, may at least a humble shelter rise to house poor deaf-mute girls and women, exposed as they are to greater dangers and therefore more desperately in need of help.  May the deaf hear and the mute speak.  May Piacenza, too, behold in its midst this new miracle of Christian charity.  Gentlemen, this very morning you will have another modest sampling of it, modest indeed, because you must not forget that the institution is still a baby, if I may say so.  It was born just a few years ago.

Still, I am happy to tell you that, besides those receiving a regular education, as many as sixty other deaf-mute girls so far have left this place with some instruction.  With some instruction, I say, because after a few months we had to send these deaf-mutes back to their families, as some were up in age and others were not capable of learning.  But we were satisfied with having tried to kindle in their hearts Christian and social sentiments.  God surely took into account our good will and theirs.

Our little family is made up of another group, namely, the deaf-mute girls who have no father or mother, or do not have support and

sustenance, or feel called to a religious life of sorts and love to spend their days here, though they are always free to leave.  At the moment, there are eight of them.  They wear a special habit and live a secluded life, in recollection, prayer, and work.

Gentlemen, we have a third group that deserves all your attention: the group of young deaf-mute girls that have just been presented to you.  These are the deaf-mute girls that are capable of regular education.  Some, admitted just a few days ago and hence still unable to speak a word, will appear before you in all their misery and almost untamed condition.  The other girls can't wait to show you that they too have a heart and mind, that they have opened up to the light of truth and the most godly sentiments, that they, too, can understand you and make themselves understood.  Gentlemen, these are the results of the formation they are receiving here.  In this way, they no longer live as outsiders in society or in the family but become a great boon and blessing to both. ⁹

"We made them talk"

Gentlemen, it is always a marvelous and deeply moving experience to watch these girls, thirsting and hungering for knowledge, as they hang for long hours from the lips of their patient and devoted educators; to watch them, often with tears in their eyes, with joy on their faces, and with enthusiasm and gratitude in their hearts, as they receive religious instructions from their tutors; to watch these girls as they seriously try to mend their ways, to love and help each other, to live the Gospel, and to practice the faith that sustains and strengthens them.

I have often heard parents and relatives tell me that their deaf-mute girl, now capable of speaking, is the joy, the consolation, and the moral support of their families.  When the deaf-mute girls themselves write to me, they often tell me how much they bless the Institute "especially for having enabled them to speak," because now they find themselves restored to family and society, more respected, their work more appreciated and better paid.  As a result, they enjoy not only a more peaceful life but one that is less destitute as well. ¹⁰

"I founded the Institute for Deaf-mute girls"

In this city, about twenty-two years ago, I founded the Institute for Deaf-mute girls.

The Institute has a building where the deaf-mute girls reside and an estate with a large and beautiful country villa where the poor girls go for their health during certain months of the year.

I personally contribute 1,500 lire a year for the support of the deaf-mute girls, a subsidy that will continue even after my death.  Another 1,000 lire come from the girls' room and board and an equal amount from the girls' manual work.  Divine Providence, which sees everything and provides for everything, will do the rest.  And, in fact, divine Providence has seen and provided whatever we needed.

The annual budget is between 11,000 and 12,000 lire.

At this time, we have fifty female deaf-mutes, young and old.  With their work, the older ones are able to cover some of the expenses for their support.

The young girls are trained by special teachers, chosen from among the Daughters of St. Anne, who staff the Institute.  The girls are taught religion, reading, writing, arithmetic, house work, and whatever they need to know about taking care of a family or, if necessary, earning a living.

In a word, the main task of the teachers is to impart to the deaf-mute girls that store of knowledge that the law on compulsory education calls for.

We know these poor girls have profited from their education because all the girls who finished the course of instruction and left the Institute, either to devote themselves to their families or to work in other people's homes, have done very well.

I also have the pleasure to tell you that in a few months I will see one of my fondest dreams come true: the opening of an Institute for the male deaf-mutes of our diocese and province.  I am convinced that everybody will give the new institution the necessary support.  God's help will surely not be lacking. ¹¹