Chapter 8

From The Death of The Founder To The Constitutions

(1539 - 1579)

During these years, which fall into three distinct periods, five papal breves and bulls were
addressed to the young order. The first two were:

1. Clement VII’s breve of February 18, 1533, “Vota per quae vos in humilitatis spiritu,”
which gave official approved to the order, followed by

2. Paul III’s bull “Dudum felicis” of July 24, 1535, sent to Zaccaria and Ferrari, which
granted a five year exemption from the Ordinary, confirmed the name Clerics Regular, and granted
permission to dedicate the order’s first church to St. Paul. It also granted all the privileges of the
Lateran Canons.
 HISTORY OF THE BARNABITES 77

I. 1539-1550

a) Fr. Morigia

Before the death of the holy founder, Fr. Morigia had assumed the governance of the order.
With great wisdom and determination he guided the congregation, inspiring all to greater spiritual
perfection.

Many young men asked to join the community at this time. From 1539 to 1542 he gave the
habit to such outstanding men as Paul Omodei, James Berna, John Paul Sacco, and John Peter
Besozzi.

The mission in Vicenza flourished under the leadership of Fr. Ferrari and also attracted
many to the order, such exceptional individuals as D’Aviano, Marta, Melso, and Tito degli Alessi,
among others.

b) Fr. Ferrari

On November 29, 1542, Fr. Bartolomeo Ferrari was

elected superior. His first official act was the inauguration
of a public chapel dedicated to St. Paul Decapitated.

After a solemn procession, the reverend fathers

exposed the Blessed Sacrament and for two days, morning
and evening, they preached to the people. They also
inaugurated the custom of the daily recitation of the Divine
Office. They made use of the pontifical privilege of
wearing, as a sign of poverty, the rochet instead of the
surplice. They also tolled the bells at 3:00 p.m. every Friday
to commemorate the death of Our Lord.

The novices were among Fr. Ferrari’s greatest

concerns. To determine whether or not they had the right
intention, he made them undergo extensive testing, and
entrusted their education to no one else but Fr. Morigia.

To ensure a more solid juridical foundation, a

petition was addressed to the Holy See in 1543, and so
78 CHAPTER 8 - From The Death of The Founder To The Constitutions (1539 - 1579)

3. on November 23, 1543, Paul III, in his bull “Pastoralis Officii,” made the five year
exemption from the Ordinary (granted in 1535) permanent, and allowed the order to
possess goods in common.

On July 14, 1543, they also obtained an imperial decree from the Emperor Charles V which
recognized the congregation as a juridical entity in the Holy Roman Empire, and exempted the
order from taxation.

Free to extend themselves beyond Milan and Vicenza, the reverend fathers brought their
renewal to the cities of Verona, Venice and Ferrara, and attracted many new members.

On November 25, 1544, Fr. Ferrari passed away, and Fr. Morigia found himself once again
elected to the post of superior.

His first concern was to conclude the deal for the purchase of St. Barnabas. Pope Paul III
officially approved the acquisition in a bull dated August 21, 1545. On October 21, the order took
possession of St. Barnabas.

In his last two years as superior, Fr. Morigia experienced the loss of Fr. Da Sesto and Fr.
De Caseis, and during Lent of 1546 he himself fell ill and died on March 31.

c) Fr. Besozzi

The following month, the general chapter elected Fr. John Peter Besozzi as superior. The
chapter took place in St. Barnabas. Two days later, holding aloft a cross, Fr. Besozzi led the
community in procession to the chapel of St. Paul Decapitated.

His first concern was to finish the remodeling of St. Barnabas so as to be able to
accommodate the expanding community. They took up residence in June of 1547, and eventually,
their nickname became the “Barnabites.“

Pope Paul III granted the request of Fr. Besozzi for a bull to regulate the office of the
superior but he died before promulgating it. This was left to his successor, Julius III.

4. To protect the congregation‘s property, Fr. Besozzi obtained another bull (Rationi
congrui) from Julius III on February 22, 1550, granting the election of judges who would
 HISTORY OF THE BARNABITES 79

protect the congregation and its property from any abuses from the outside, without
having to go to court.

5. Julius III on August 11, 1550 issued another bull (Ad hoc nos Deus) authorizing the
acceptance of new members into the order and the final profession of vows. It is the first
document to use the title “Clerics Regular of St. Paul Decapitated.“

II. 1551-1552

Upon the death of Anthony Zaccaria open conflict broke out between Countess Torelli and
Sister Paola Antonia Negri, which resulted in the latter gaining control of the Angelics, and the
Countess cutting her ties to the order. Following this, the Venetian Republic expelled not only the
order of the Angelics but also the Clerics Regular of St. Paul from its domain.

At first the reverend fathers “resolved to follow the order bowing their heads without any
opposition…Thus, having taken care of the things of the moment, they returned (to Milan) with
faithful readiness and trust in God…”

They proceeded to hold a collatio to deliberate on how best to profit from this persecution.
Fr. Soresina candidly exclaimed: “Let us be happy! Christ Crucified has a great love for us and
desires our service, since for years already He has made us suffer, and in this way He wants to
present us to the world through infamy, as already our Reverend Father Anthony M. Zaccaria had
predicted.”

Nonetheless they reached the decision to send Fathers Besozzi and Melso to Rome to
clarify the situation in Venice. No sooner had they reached Rome (January 1552), however, that
the Inquisition incarcerated them.

What the Inquisitors wanted to hear from them was not a justification of their actions in
Venice but rather a full reconstruction of the past 20 years of their religious experiences; that is,
to verify all those suspicions that had been surfacing here and there at the Roman Curia, and that
the bishop of Chieti, now a powerful Cardinal of the Inquisition, had never ceased to harbor against
Friar Battista, the Countess Torelli, and that singular community life hitherto unknown in the
tradition of religious orders.

The depositions forced upon the two reverend fathers only heightened their suspicions.
They heard of charismatic experiences, singular penances, radical abstinences, public humiliations
80 CHAPTER 8 - From The Death of The Founder To The Constitutions (1539 - 1579)

and other extreme ascetical practices. The Inquisitors understood that to clarify the source of the
theology and spirituality of this new form of religious life they had to delve more deeply.

A month after the two Barnabites were incarcerated, the Inquisitors agreed on the need to
prohibit Friar Battista’s works, especially his “Victory over oneself.”

On February 27, Fr. Besozzi was set free since he confessed what they wanted to hear,
namely, his doubts about Friar Battista’s teachings, and his condemnation of A. P. Negri, the
spiritual heir of that master!

By contrast, Fr. Melso was still in jail because of his unflagging defense of Friar Battista,
and this despite threats of terrible penalties. At last he, too, was released. The two Barnabites took
up where they had left off. They were granted an audience with the Pope, who received them
cordially as though nothing untoward had happened. They lodged with Basilio Ferrari.

Meanwhile a commission was established to examine more closely the teachings of the late
Friar Battista. After consulting with numerous theologians, the commission rendered their decision
to consign his books to the flames.

The Apostolic Visit

This sad event was not without its silver lining. To begin with, the Pontiff assigned the
Barnabites a Cardinal Protector in the person of Cardinal Alvarez of Toledo, who in turn sent
Bishop Leonardo Marini on an apostolic visit to both the Barnabites and the Angelics.

On November 17, 1552, Bishop Marini presented to the general chapter the breve he
carried with him from Rome. It included the following resolutions:

a) The monastery of the Angelics had to be kept separate from the one of the Barnabites;
only one reverend father would be available to them as their confessor.

b) Sister Paola Antonia Negri was to be stripped of her authority over the Angelics and was
to be confined for life to the monastery of St. Clare; the Angelic sister Paola Maria
Bonatta, a personal friend of Negri’s, was to be removed as prioress.

c) Henceforth the Angelics were to adopt a cloistered way of life.

d) The teachings of Friar Battista had to be repudiated by all.

 HISTORY OF THE BARNABITES 81

Bishop Marini concluded his mission successfully. He approved the first draft of
regulations (the Constitutions of 1552), which gave legal standing to the congregation and to its
official acts, like the final profession of vows.

Afterwards Fr. Marta, the intrepid superior during this stormy episode, wrote to the
Cardinal Protector: “Following the canonical visit we have been found to be Catholic…and
obedient members of the Roman Church, as we have always considered ourselves to be; and at the
present and for the future we are ready to shed our blood rather than to stain ourselves with such a
stain (as infidelity to the Church).”

Consequences

Some Barnabites who had entered the congregation motivated by the influence of the
banned Sister Negri tried by every means possible to rehabilitate her. When they failed, some
dozen of them left the congregation before professing their vows

Evil minded slanderers continued their persecution, most notably in Venice. In Cremona
and Ferrara the reverend fathers were accused of being rebels and heretics, while the Bishop of
Cremona started proceedings against the order.

Most difficult for Countess Torelli to accept was the dictum requiring the Angelics to
cloister themselves.

III. Twenty-five years of adjustments (1554-1579)

The storms of 1551-1552 had taught the first Barnabites that they could not survive unless

- they had more precise regulations;

- they left Milan to expand their work of renewal;
- they instituted a better formation of their novices;
- they disciplined the brothers together with the clerics.

The Brothers

Until 1542 only priests and candidates for the priesthood had been admitted into the
congregation. All the house chores, therefore, were done by these men.

In that year a young man, Andrew Scaglioli, asked to be accepted only to carry on the
humble menial works of the house. He and those who followed his example did not receive a
82 CHAPTER 8 - From The Death of The Founder To The Constitutions (1539 - 1579)

special name or a habit. In 1554 it was decided to give these men a habit and to refer to them as
the “converted,” which meant that they would profess vows and be expected to observe the
Constitutions. They would only be barred from taking part in community meetings. The first to
receive the habit of a “converted” was Innocent Cermenati, who had served in St. Barnabas for
three years.

Pavia

The chapter meeting of April 16, 1556, elected Fr. Marta as superior. At last the
congregation was experiencing a time of tranquility and order. Membership was limited to the
community of St. Barnabas and there seemed to be little reason to expand beyond it.

In 1556, however, the reverend fathers were offered the church of St. Mary’s in
Canepanova, Pavia. It was judged a golden opportunity to minister to students at the local
university, and also to further the education of the Barnabites themselves. On February 9, 1557, it
was decided to send “Fr. Besozzi as superior, together with Alexander Sauli to give some sermons,
and Paul M. Omodei to teach Christian life.” At Pavia Father Omodei developed a very efficient
catechesis, while Fr. Sauli founded a special club for university students. In 1560 the chapter
approved the establishment of the congregation’s first house of studies.

Fr. Melso

In April of 1558 the chapter elected Fr. Paul Melso as superior. Soon afterward he received
an invitation from Rome to take over the Confraternity of Pilgrims with the church of the Holy
Trinity, but the chapter rejected the offer. He made an attempt to see if the Venetian ban against
the Barnabite order could be lifted, but the time was not yet ripe.

Fr. Melso was instrumental in opening a kind of minor seminary, the first of its kind, to
educate poor young men who otherwise would not have been able to pursue a religious vocation.

In the chapter meeting of April 6, 1559, Fr. Melso obtained extensive authority for the
vicars in the various missions outside the community, to absolve them from having to turn to Milan
(St. Barnabas) for every decision. This allowed the Pavia mission to go ahead with the necessary
remodeling of their church and residence under the helm of Fr. Peter Paul D’Alessandro.

At the end of July 1559, Fr. Melso, together with Fr. Battista Soresina, traveled to Genoa
on business. Unfortunately Fr. Melso succumbed to a virulent fever and passed away on August
3. Fr. Marta took over the governance of the congregation.
 HISTORY OF THE BARNABITES 83

Meanwhile Cardinal Alvarez, protector of the congregation, died on May 31, 1557,
succeeded by Cardinal Serbelloni of St. George. He was to be the last assigned protector.

Internal development and St. Charles Borromeo

On August 29, 1564, Borromeo inaugurated the diocesan synod with a solemn procession.
The Barnabites were invited to participate, and indeed this was the first time they appeared in
public as an ecclesial body. (Fr. Sauli too was present on that day, having been called to Milan
from Pavia.) This participation caused a minor variation in the Barnabite mode of dress: instead of
the round biretta, they now conformed to the square one.

At the general chapter of 1566 it was decided to elect a member to preside over the chapter
that convened prior to the election of a new superior general. The first to be elected to this position
was Fr. Besozzi, who, however, became the new superior general on May 4. Probably it was on
this occasion that Fr. Sauli met Charles Borromeo for the first time, who tried in vain to have him
transferred permanently to Milan.

The following year Fr. Sauli was elected president of the general chapter and eventually
superior general, necessitating his move to Milan. Under Sauli’s leadership, the number of
members swelled (19 new professions in three years), and soon the order expanded to Cremona,
Casale, Monza, Vercelli and even Rome.

It was at this time that Borromeo attempted to convince the Barnabites to join forces with
the Congregation of the Humiliates, a proposal wisely rejected by Superior General Fr. Sauli. The
Humiliates were officially suppressed on February 7, 1570.

Fr. Omodei and the new Constitutions

In 1570, the general chapter called upon Fr. Paul Omodei to become Superior General
succeeding Fr. Sauli, who became the new bishop of Aleria in Corsica.

The congregation by now was accepting many new recruits, so it became imperative to
tackle the demanding task of revising the Constitutions to accommodate the needs of a larger and
growing community. A commission composed of Frs. Asinari, Bonfanti and D’Alessandro
addressed this urgent matter.

It was this general chapter that decided to free the superior from responsibility for each
individual community, which could henceforth elect its own superior.
84 CHAPTER 8 - From The Death of The Founder To The Constitutions (1539 - 1579)

In August, Portuguese Bishop Anthony Brandao asked the Barnabites to open a house in
Portugal, having obtained all the necessary papers and permits from Rome. But when the proposal
was presented before the general chapter, it was rejected for “lack of qualified candidates.“ It was
an unfortunate refusal! Fr. Premoli commented:” Probably the young members, together with Fr.
Asinari, were in favor of the project. But the young abound with generosity more than prudence,
while the old, like Fr. Besozzi, often, and most likely on this occasion, lack generosity, relying on
a prudence which is all too human.” Outside of the congregation the refusal was not well received.

With the suppression of the Humiliates, Charles Borromeo handed over the church of All
Saints in Monza to the Barnabites, but the reverend fathers asked to move to a larger one, the
church of St. Mary al Carrobiolo, a request that was granted. It was to be used as their new
novitiate. When the project became a reality in 1579, Borromeo himself nominated Fr. Gabrio
Porro as the new master of novices.

Meanwhile the new set of “Rules for Novices” was completed. The general chapter of May
8, 1568 had entrusted this task to Frs. Alexander Sauli, Peter Michiel, and Paul Sacco, under the
supervision of Fr. Omodei. The actual author of the rules was Fr. Asinari.

First house in Rome

In 1572, the aging Fr. Besozzi was elected superior for the fourth time. He was
instrumental in moving the theology department from Pavia to St. Barnabas, and providing the
best teachers available, like Bernard Guenzio and Fr. Augustine Tornielli. He also composed the
“Rules for studies” which would be included in the Constitutions in 1579.

Fr. Besozzi initiated the custom of reverend visitors, who would pay a visit to the various
communities and report on them to the superior. This innovation too will be codified by the 1579
Constitutions.

On May 1, 1572, Pope Pius V, a dear friend of the Barnabites, breathed his last. As the new
pope, Gregory XIII, was unknown to them, it was decided to open a house in Rome to establish
pastor of St. Blaise all’Anello, offered his church to the Barnabites. A papal bull approved the
deal, and so the reverend fathers took possession on March 25, but not before they obtained an
audience with the Pope to express their gratitude.

That summer they began renovating the building, and in October 1575 they inaugurated
their apostolate. Fr. D’Alessi wrote at this time: “So many people are coming to our church, both
from the city and beyond, that if all the confessors from St. Barnabas were here, they would have
more than enough to do. They do not allow us time to rest!... May the Lord be praised.”
 HISTORY OF THE BARNABITES 85

The new and final Constitutions

In 1576 Fr. Timothy Facciardi became the new superior. (The title “superior general”
would not be in use until after it was codified in the new Constitutions three years later.) At this
time the congregation was composed of 45 priests, 15 professed students, and 21 brothers.
Unfortunately many of them fell victim to the pestilence which devastated Milan in 1577. That
year the chapter meeting was cancelled.

In 1578, Fr.
Besozzi, 75 years old and
bed ridden, was again
elected Superior General
so that the project of the
Constitutions would be
carried out to its
conclusion. Already in
1576 the first draft had
been circulated among the
members for objections
and suggestions. In July
1578, Charles Borromeo
was officially delegated to
preside over the work of
the Constitutions.

On November 7,
1579, Gregory XIII issued
the Breve “Cum, sicut
accepimus” approving the
new Constitutions.

The approval of the Order of the Clerics Regular of St. Paul,

known as Barnabites (1533) and its Constitutions (1579) ,
promulgated in the presence of St. Charles Borromeo. (F.L.
Barelli, Memorie…. Della Congregazione, ect., 1703).
86 CHAPTER 8 - From The Death of The Founder To The Constitutions (1539 - 1579)

APPROVALS OF THE CONGREGATION

February 18, 1533 August 25, 1535

Clement VII’s Breve Paul III’s Bull
“Vota per quae” “Dudum felicis recordationibus”
Approval of the Order Diocesan exemption for 5 years
To the “Presbyters of Title “Clerics Regular of St. Paul”
Milan and Cremona” Permission to dedicate first chapel
to the Apostle Paul

November 23, 1543 August 11, 1550 February 22, 1550

Paul III’s Bull
“Pastoralis Officii”
Perpetual exemption
Possession of goods
in common
Julius IIIs Bull
conservative
Protection of the Order’s
the Order’s possessions
Julius III’s Bull
“Rationi congrui”
Authorized to accept new
Members & Profession of vows
1st Pontifical document to use
“Clerics Regular of St. Paul
Decapitated”

November 7, 1579
Gregory XIII’s Breve
“Cum sicut accepimus”
Approval of the Constitutions