The Practice of Christian Doctrine over the Centuries

As the Constitutions of 1667 state, “the purpose of the Congregation has always been and always must be to constantly attend to one’s own and others’ salvation, especially through the teaching of Christian Doctrine according to the Roman Catechism.” The Caput Summum of the aforementioned Constitutions at n. 1 specifies how this exercise of Christian Doctrine must be: “The exercise of our office is divided into three levels, or species of doctrines: small, medium and large doctrine. This method has not only been handed down and prescribed to us by the Founder but also approved and highly recommended by the Holy See.”

Over the centuries, according to the needs of the times and places, the activities that highlight the charism of the Congregation have changed: from small and occasional preaching, to missions, to schools… Everything that is needed to make Jesus Christ and Christian Doctrine known to every person is used by the Fathers. This conviction has entered the doctrinarie tradition, as demonstrated by the Caput Summum of the Constitutions of 1667: «In the development of discourses, controversies should not be proposed, nor difficult questions raised, nor doctrinal novelties touched upon; instead, comparisons and examples should be frequent, carefully chosen; sayings and deeds of pagan writers should not be cited except rarely and with the utmost prudence, as well as fables and other similar profane expressions; no citations should be made in Greek or Hebrew, few in Latin and nothing that is not immediately translated into the vernacular and, if it is about the Sacred Scripture, the strictly literal sense should be adhered to. Let us not use a flowery, refined and overly elaborate style, but a simple and familiar language, above all pious and suitable to inspire devotion. At the end, let us make a summary of the things said by topic and in everything let us follow the method of teaching that the Founder entrusted through his writings and his example and recommended with his words”. And in another part it is stated: “The Congregation took on the task of teaching not only in the Churches or Basilicas of the cities, but also in villages and rural chapels, in private homes, in the fields, on farms or in hamlets, on ships, in prisons, in hospitals, during journeys and walks, in visits to the sick and to friends; in short, wherever and in any case there was an opportunity to evangelize”.

Here are some areas in which the exercise of Christian doctrine, over the course of the centuries, has developed and found confirmation by the competent authority.

At the service of catechesis through the Compendium of Christian Doctrine, between the 17th and 18th centuries

Following the example of Father Caesar, who was convinced that the Catechismus ad parochos, desired by the Council of Trent, was written for priests and not directly for the faithful, to whom it had to be adapted, the doctrinaries also based their catechetical activity by carefully studying the Catechism of the Council of Trent and the way to propose it “tailor-made”, without losing its effectiveness. For this reason, they took inspiration from the things and events of the day to make people reflect on how to shape and enrich their lives in the light of the Word of God and His love. Here are two examples of doctrinaries who wrote Compendia della Dottrina Cristiana.

In 1704, Father Boriglioni was transferred to Rome, to the small House, with the annexed church of San Nicola degli Incoronati. This House also served as the House of the General Prosecutor of the Congregation from 1659 and was the only house of the Doctrinaries in Rome. It was especially in this period that Father Boriglioni wrote the Compendium of Christian Doctrine. Its structure is very simple. Christian doctrine is presented in four parts: faith, hope, charity and religion. Everything is presented in the form of questions and answers. This work had 14 editions, with great success, in different parts of Italy. With this work, Father Boriglioni inserted himself into the catechetical tradition of the Congregation of Christian Doctrine: simplicity in the exposition, addressing the simple people, formulation in questions and answers.

Among the catechistic works that the doctrinary of Sospello, Father Ottavio Imberbi, published, we recall the book “Christian Doctrine according to the method and practice of the Doctrinaries Fathers of Avignon”. It was printed in Viterbo in 1710 and dedicated to Cardinal Santacroce, bishop of that city. It had many editions at different times and in different cities. In 1862 there was the 23rd edition and in 1897 in Rome there was a reprint with the title “Compendium of Christian Doctrine”. The first time this “Doctrine” was printed it was honored by the wise reflections of Saint Giuseppe Maria Tomasi, a Theatine cardinal and was in use in all the public schools directed by the Doctrinaries.

At the service of catechesis through popular missions

The General Chapter of the Congregation of 1711 recognized the experience and success acquired by Father Badou in his way of conducting doctrinal missions and charged him with drawing up a plan for the Missions that could serve the entire Congregation to make the missions more uniform and useful in the service of the Church and the people to whom they were directed. In 1716 Father Badou published a very successful book, “Spiritual Exercises with a Catechism and Songs to Help the People Benefit from the Missions.” The book is a manual for the use of the Missionary; in it one finds everything that needs to be done, there is a collection of prayers, songs, instructions for the use of the faithful and above all a kind of “Mission Journal.” His book is a living mission; in the preface Father Badou states: “I publish it as I teach it.” Each mission was made up of four or five doctrinaries, one of whom was called the “head of the Mission.” The Instructions essentially concerned two objects: Penance and the Eucharist. In 1823 the “Biographie Toulousaine” presented Father Badou as the most illustrious and saintly Missionaries of his time.

At the service of catechesis in schools

In 1706, in preparation for the entry of the Doctrinaries into Civitavecchia, a memorial on the Congregation was given to Cardinal Santacroce. It states that the purpose of the Congregation is “to establish a college for the education of youth and the instruction in Christian Doctrine. The institute consists in the education of youth in colleges, where they teach all the sciences; in training ecclesiastics in seminaries; in instructing and exciting the people to piety in the missions and in teaching everywhere and to all kinds of people the Christian Doctrine with such an easy, familiar and fruitful method that is unique to their Congregation and with that happy success that the Lord God gives them by spreading abundant blessings upon it.”

In 1854, Father Meloccaro, on the occasion of his re-election as Superior General, wrote a letter to all his brothers focused on the importance of the practice of Christian Doctrine for every doctrinaire and stated: «Our Constitutions strongly demand that if in our colleges and in our schools in accordance with our assumed commitments the sciences must flourish, the first and principal concern of the Preceptors must be that of Religion and morality. It is for this reason that the same have wisely established that in each school lessons and explanations of the catechism take place every day…». And continuing on in the letter, referring to the fact that the Founder wants us to be a “living catechism”, he states that an important characteristic for every doctrinaire must be simplicity in speaking. In this way all listeners are reached, in imitation of the Founder, whose style was familiar and simple, “his well-connected, judicious and gracefully delivered speeches were listened to with pleasure and profit not only by the common people, but also by learned people”. Father Meloccaro continues by saying that the doctrinaries, in addition to guiding the people of God with the teaching of Christian Doctrine, must also exercise all the ministries inherent to the priestly state, such as preaching, hearing confessions, directing Seminaries, parishes, Missions.

School teaching does not prevent Doctrine, on the contrary it is a privileged opportunity. The Italian colleges continued to follow the tradition imported by the French fathers: the time reserved for catechism teaching is greater than in the colleges of other institutes; the discipline is more indulgent; the teachers are open, balanced and human.

At the service of catechesis in parishes and catechism schools

In 1725 the Congregation was entrusted with the pastoral care of the parish of Santa Maria in Monticelli in Rome. It is interesting to note that the doctrinaries of Santa Maria, in addition to taking care of the parish, ran a school and taught catechism in St. Peter’s Basilica; in fact, every Sunday five Fathers went to the Basilica to make their charism available to the population. This practice lasted until 1900.

The travails of the early 1900s and the restart

In the first decade of the 20th century, the Congregation of the Fathers of Christian Doctrine was experiencing such a difficult period that it had induced the Congregation of Religious to send an Apostolic Visitor. He called together the entire Community and said that on behalf of Cardinal Vives-j-Tuto, Prefect of Religious, he was handing over the direction of the Congregation of the Fathers of Christian Doctrine to Monsignor Angelo Struffolini, former Secretary General of the Doctrinaries, Bishop of Ascoli Satriano, who, for this reason, was renouncing the leadership of the diocese of Ascoli Satriano to return to the service of the Congregation full time. He immediately got to work, presenting the list of the General Council and the Superiors of all the Houses, which were approved by the Prefect of the Congregation of Religious. The first thought of the new General Prepositus was to increase the Formation House and the Novitiate Houses. He favored the organization of the Fathers to do “the exercise of Christian Doctrine” in various Roman Churches. Pope Benedict XV, in a private audience, wanted to know from Monsignor Struffolini how his work in favor of the Congregation was developing and was pleased with the initiative of the Catechisms and the new House of Formation. The Father General also favored the centrality of Rome and of the House of Santa Maria in Monticelli by establishing a Catechetical Center. In agreement with the Vicariate of Rome, he opened the Catechetical Schools that operated in San Giovanni in Laterano, in San Sisto Vecchio, in Quo Vadis and in the Church of the Crucifix at Ponte Quattro Capi. The “rebirth” of the Congregation had as its priority formation and catechesis.