Context on the third key document
This paragraph 20 is part of the Postulatum sent by Alphonse Cozon to the first session of the 1880-84 Marist Fathers’ General Chapter. It makes a statement, a synthesis of Colin’s main idea of the Confraternity. Cozon was a young Marist Father living at Sainte-Foy novitiate, Lyon, and was responsible for the Coadjutor Brothers (SM Lay Brothers, attached to the Fathers’ Branch and distinguished from the Marist Brothers of the Schools [FMS] founded by St Marcellin Champagnat). When Colin visited Sainte-Foy from 5 February to 10 February 1872, to attend the closing of the second session of the 1870- 72 General Chapter, which took place on 6 February, Cozon visited him on 9 February to ask advice regarding the care of the Brothers. After they discussed various points, Colin gave Cozon the mission of drafting a work on the Brothers. Then he said, “And when you have accomplished this mission, I’ll have another one to give you”.
Cozon made a Retreat at La Neylière in October 1873, saw Colin (who was living in retirement there), and arranged to send him the treatises he had written about the Brothers. On 12 October 1874, Cozon returned to La Neylière. Through Br Jean-Marie, Colin’s secretary, and his own brother, Jean Cozon, who had been at La Neylière for a pre-ordination Retreat (he was ordained a Marist priest at Belley, 9 July 1874), he had received messages that Colin wanted to see him. Cozon had delayed out of fear and apprehension that the Founder was going to ask him to do something beyond his strength and ability. On 13 October 1874, he met with Colin, who handed him the recently completed Constitutions of the Third Order of Mary and told him to familiarise himself with their contents; then they would talk. On 14 October Cozon asked Colin to give him one more day to study them. He made a copy of them because Colin had instructed him “to take [them] away and meditate upon [them]”.2
On 15 October, the conversation took place, as recorded in LM Doc 335:43- 58. The importance of this whole Document, which contains the notes that Cozon wrote in his personal diary about the Founder’s remarks (between 9 February 1872 and 27 September 1875) is that a great deal of it is quoted or paraphrased in the Postulatum to the General Chapter of 1880. In the interview on 15 October Colin gave Cozon the “mission” of writing A Christian’s Religious Exercises for this Confraternity — that is, a new Manual, using Colin’s Constitutions as a guide.
Colin said clearly that the Confraternity was one of the earliest ideas of the Society. He referred to the Summarium, examined in Rome in 1833 by Castracane, and reported the Cardinal’s reactions. He said that “the Third Order was not an order, but a society, sodalitas, Confraternity — a work of the Society, but outside the Society”.3 He spoke of the need for it to be a diocesan work, but with the spirit of the Society, Mary’s spirit.
Cozon was not to write a Rule, but “A Christian’s Spiritual Exercises” and to take what was suitable from the present Third Order Manual, published first by Jacquet in 1857. Colin spoke of the three Briefs for the Belley Third Order from Gregory XVI and of writing the Constitutions as a curate at Cerdon, but he did not mention the approbation, obtained through Eymard’s efforts, which came from the Pope in Rome in 1850 and was authorised by de Bonald, Archbishop of Lyon and Vienne. He encouraged Cozon, spoke of the necessity of guidance by the Holy Spirit and the Blessed Virgin through prayer, of being small, humble and doing what was possible at this stage. Colin also spoke of the future growth of the work, saying God would raise up the one to do it, before giving a special blessing to the young priest.
The next day, 16 October, Colin called him back to his room and gave further important comments4 regarding the director who was to keep the Registers with the members’ names, but would not be the Superior. He spoke also of the role of parish priests. To Cozon’s reply that there would not be any unity, Colin answered: There will be uniformity in the spirit, but not in the practices. Each director will take those that are more suitable. Unity will be in the name and the spirit. The aim is to maintain fervour. If you take care to consider yourself as the Blessed Virgin’s pen, she will suggest thoughts to you, she will give you the Holy Spirit. Then, in great simplicity, Colin said he had prayed for Cozon all through Mass, “asking my guardian angel to encourage you. I told my guardian angel to speak with yours.”6 He encouraged him to make haste slowly and, when Cozon was leaving the following day, told him again to be humble, and that God directs, but does not prevent one from seeking advice (during the first conversation, Colin had suggested Jeantin, Chapel, Epalle — one of them or all — to help him). Then he blessed him. On 3 January 1875, Colin sent word to Cozon through Jeantin that he had heard of his good ideas, so obviously Cozon had sought advice and shown his work to this priest who, at Colin’s request, had written the Latin draft of the Constitutions of the Confraternity, using Colin’s words and “oral explanations”.
On 27 October 1875 Cozon went back to La Neylière and, in their interview, Colin told Cozon to get Father David to work with him in the “definitive form of the printed text”,7 as Colin’s age and infirmities made it impossible for him to continue. He also told him to seek advice from Jeantin, but not from everybody, as that would be too confusing. Cozon showed Colin the summary of the General Plan, which Colin approved, and then the rough draft papers to be blessed by the Founder.
Colin was very pleased with it all and gave him a blessing to help him finish the work and also one for his brother, Father Jean Cozon, and a sick friend, Mr. Beaudenom. Finally, Colin spoke of confidence in the power of the Blessed Virgin. Among other things, he said, “The Blessed Virgin used to say to me: ‘You will always be healthy enough to do God’s will’.”8 In less than two months, Colin died, 15 November 1875.
Cozon presented his Postulatum, based on these interviews with Colin, to the 1880-84 General Chapter. In the reflective commentary, I will deal with what happened at the Chapter and afterwards.
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