Blessed Joseph-Marie Tommasi

The weakness of his health forced him to go and try the effect of his native air before beginning his course of ecclesiastical studies. He therefore returned to his family and stayed there for some time, edifying everyone with his habitual recollection and piety. As soon as his health permitted, he returned to Palermo, from where he was sent to Messina to follow a course of philosophy. He had already occupied himself with acquiring knowledge of the Greek language; he then resumed this study and devoted himself to it with such success that he was soon able to write it with ease. The climate of Messina not being favorable to him, his superiors sent him to Rome, then to Fe rrar Rome Birthplace of Maximian. a, and from there to Modena. In these different places, Tommasi pursued his studies with ardor and charmed his superiors as well as his peers by his modesty, his humility, and the exact fulfillment of his duties. Having returned to Rome, he began theology at the house of Sant'Andrea della Valle, which belonged to his congregation. He took great pleasure in this study, because he saw that it gave him a more intimate communion with the source of all justice and all truth; but his studies did not in any way hinder his religious exercises; on the contrary, he constantly sanctified them through vocal and mental prayer and through the austerities of penance.

While thus assiduously attending the schools, he still devoted a considerable part of his time to the study of Scripture and the works of the holy Fathers: he made long extracts from them which he arranged under different headings, and in this way formed an interesting collection which was later very useful for his work.

While Tommasi was devoting himself to study with such courage, the Lord tested him with a very sensitive sorrow. He learned of the death of his sister-in-law and received from his uncle, who was also a Theatine regular cleric, the express injunction to leave immediately for Sicily, in order to console his brother, who was plunged into deep grief. He obeyed without delay, and began this long journey in the month of January, a season which, because of the weakness of his health, was to make it more arduous for him. He did not stop at these difficulties, persuaded that he was fulfilling the will of God. Indeed, a particular disposition of Providence led him to his family at that time; for he had barely arrived in Palma when his brother, who was thinking of withdrawing from the world to embrace the religious state, fell ill, and after a few days of illness, in the flower of his youth, for he was only twenty-four years old, he died with all the strength of soul of a Christian hero. Tommasi himself showed extraordinary courage in this sad circumstance; not only did he perform the last duties for his brother, but being then a deacon, he wished to fulfill this function at the funeral ceremony. This action, which his faith inspired in him, caused admiration among the numerous people who were present.

The holy religious, having calmed the affliction of his desolate family and provided for the education of his young nephew, the only son of his brother, who was only two years old, left Palma and went to Palermo to complete his theology course there. He spent a year there among his confreres at the house of Saint Joseph. It was during his stay in this city that he wrote to Mr. Suarez, later Bishop of Vaison in Provence, a letter which is a monument to his humility. He complains to him of not yet having acquired the virtues of a deacon, such as they are marked in the Pontifical. How severe the servants of God are with regard to themselves!

Recalled to Rome by his superiors, he went to reside in the professed house of Saint Sylvester, which he did not leave until he became a cardinal. He was ordained a priest in 1675. His conduct at this time is described in this manner by the Bishop of Pozzuoli, who had been his confrere: "I had the opportunity in Rome to observe at leisure in Tommasi the strict observance of our rules, his life of abstinence, his mortifications, and that humility which often made him prefer the most menial tasks. We also see with what care he avoided being noticed." Aimable and modest, his manners commanded respect, to such an extent that any dispute ceased as soon as he appeared, and no reprehensible word was heard in his presence. He was in charge of supervising the youngest students; he edified them by his examples and had great zeal for their progress in virtue; but his zeal was tempered by affectionate manners, and his reprimands softened by tender charity. He suffered greatly from his poor health and a despondency of spirit which was its cause. What he felt then is expressed in a touching manner in his letters to his sisters; however, they are full of sentiments of Christian resignation which show how he knew how to make his sufferings meritorious in the eyes of God, through patience and submission to His holy will. The superiors relieved him of the duties of the pulpit and the confessional; but he continued to apply himself to theological studies with ardor and without respite. Since that time, it can be said that he lived in the libraries of Rome, constantly searching the archives and monuments of sacred antiquity with which they are enriched: he sought above all the vestiges of the ancient discipline and liturgies of the Church for the celebration of the Mass, the recitation of the Divine Office, and the administration of the sacraments. He read the Holy Scripture and its commentators assiduously. Soon he felt that his knowledge was insufficient for the in-depth studies to which he was devoting himself; he possessed Greek, but he was a stranger to the oriental languages. He therefore wanted to learn Hebrew and the various idioms related to it. He made rapid progress in this science with the help of a Jewish rabbi whom he had taken as a teacher. During this time, he recommended to his tutor the more important study of the foundations of the Christian faith. The rabbi at first appeared indifferent and sometimes even irritated by his efforts; but after a few years he converted, and admitted that the exemplary conduct of Tommasi had been, after God, the principal cause of his conversion.

Around this time, a long and edifying correspondence was established between Tommasi and his four religious sisters, on various points of Christian perfection. One sees there that Tommasi still suffered greatly from the dejection of his spirit, but that he always endured his ailments with patience. Sometimes, however, his discouragement went to such a point that he thought of abandoning his literary enterprises and burying himself in solitude, to occupy himself there only with penance and prayer. Fortunately for sacred literature, he abandoned this project and continued his work. Several works that were the fruit of it have enjoyed, from their first publication to our day, universal esteem.

In 1679, he published a small work entitled: the Speculum or Mirror of Saint Augustine, which contains the rules of Christian life, extracted mainly from the Holy Scripture and the works of this Father. The following year appeared the Collection of ancient liturgies, inserted in other works or found in manuscripts: they had not until then been gathered together in this way. He added a learned introduction, where the charm of his mind and the richness of his erudition are equally displayed. The famous Mabillon, who knew him during the trip he mad e to Rom Mabillon Benedictine monk and historian, author of the Annales benedictinae. e in 1685, and who received marks of affection from him, gave great praise to this work: he calls the author his friend, adding that his science was embellished by his modesty and his piety. Tommasi then brought to light, in 1683, the Psalter. In a learned preface, he shows what the main differences were between the texts of the Psalter, and what use Christians made of the psalms in the first centuries of the Church. Other works followed this one successively: all drawn from little-known sources. These diverse writings have earned the esteem and approval of scholars and pious persons. The most renowned men in Europe for their knowledge, even Protestants, such as Cave and Basnage, manifested the high opinion they had of the breadth of his erudition and the accuracy of his criticism.

Despite his reputation, Tommasi remained a simple religious, refusing all the honorable positions that people wanted him to accept, whether within his congregation or outside it. In 1697, Innocent XII, who had read and admired his writings, expressed a keen desire to see him. Pope pape Clément XI Pope who authorized the public cult of Salvador of Horta. Clement XI chose him as his confessor and wished for him to be among the consultors of his Congregation. This title imposed upon him the obligation to pronounce judgment on the capability of those among his confreres who were destined for offices. This duty alarmed his humility; but it gave him frequent opportunities to show his rare qualities. The decision of an extraordinary case was one day proposed to him: a poor widow asked him that after her death her remains be buried in the Theatine church, and she offered as the price of this favor to cede a vineyard to the community. If the offer had been accepted, her son would have thus lost his inheritance. Tommasi was of the opinion that the mother should have the tomb, and the son the vineyard. They submitted to this disinterested decision.

Soon he became a theologian of the Congregation for the Discipline of Regular Orders. The same employment was given to him in the various Congregations of Rites, the Holy Office, and Indulgences. Thus opened for him a vast field, in which he frequently had occasion to exercise his natural talents and his acquired knowledge. The cardinals who presided over the assemblies of these Congregations often bore witness to his profound science and his great humility. "In giving his opinion," said Cardinal Casini, "he was always modest, opposing no one unless the authority of the councils or the sentiment of the holy Fathers made it necessary; and such was his admirable gentleness that he infallibly brought the minds of his listeners to the opinion he defended."

He who humbles himself shall be exalted. We have seen to what important positions the humble Tommasi had been called. Pope Clement XI, who had consulted him before accepting the papacy, for which he felt the greatest reluctance, conferred upon him the dignity of cardinal on May 16, 1712. The humble religious wished to refuse it, and it was only through obedience to the Pope's orders that he accepted it. In the domestic arrangements that his new situation required, he took as his model Saint Charle saint Charles Borromée Saint who executed donations in favor of orphans. s Borromeo, whose cardinalatial title had been the church of San Martino Saint-Martin-aux-Monts Titular church of Cardinal Tommasi and his burial place. ai Monti, which then became his own; his servants were poor, infirm, and crippled people. He also followed this great model in the fulfillment of the duties that his dignity imposed upon him. He regularly attended the divine office in the church of his title, preached often, and took great pleasure in catechizing children, especially the children of the poor. He would have liked to revive some practices of the ancient discipline, but time did not allow him to succeed in this project; his efforts met with opposition, and a storm seemed to form against him. His humility and his aversion to pomp, which had at first been applauded, were then turned into ridicule. But ridicule and slander rarely reach their goal, and perhaps never succeed against those who, like Tommasi, place their cause in the hands of God and abandon to Him the care of defending them.

He reserved a small sum from his income for his maintenance and distributed the rest to the poor, of whom he was on every occasion the advocate. It is impossible to describe the charity he had for them; he feared making the slightest expense for himself, for fear of diminishing his alms, and his doctor declared that he did not take sufficient nourishment. One day, he was served a fish a little larger than those usually placed on his table; he inquired what price had been paid for it. This price was not high, but the Blessed one found it too expensive, for when his cook told him how much it cost, the holy man turned toward the crucifix and cried out while groaning: "Lord, was I made a cardinal to eat fish of this price, when there are so many poor who are dying of hunger?"

The Theatine brother who had long served Tommasi, and who had lived with him since his promotion to the cardinalate, reported that, while finding himself with this servant of God in a quarter of Rome, a poor man came to ask them for alms. Tommasi, absorbed in contemplation, did not hear him at first, and the brother, tired of the solicitations of this beggar, told him a third time with a little harshness that he would have nothing. The holy cardinal, who was ahead, retraced his steps, gave the brother a reprimand, and forbade him to treat the poor in this manner in the future.

This tenderness of Tommasi for the suffering members of Jesus Christ had its source in the spirit of faith with which he was animated; this fundamental virtue was his guide throughout his life. It was faith that directed him in his studies, and it was to show the perfect conformity of the belief of the Roman Church with the primitive Church that he published his learned works on ecclesiastical antiquities. He would have liked to go and preach this holy faith to idolatrous nations, and one day, seeing missionaries of his congregation ready to leave for India, he expressed to them the regrets he felt at not being able to accompany them. His faith was manifested above all when he celebrated the holy Sacrifice, and when it concerned the worship of the august Sacrament of our altars. He spent a great deal during the short time he was a cardinal to adorn the church of which he was titular.

Although this great servant of God had always led a very holy life, he had been tormented by anxieties and other interior pains, but his hope was strengthened in the very midst of these pains; he often repeated these words of David: "Lord, I have hoped in you, I shall not be confounded forever!". He sought to strengthen this virtue in others, and when he saw someone discouraged, he would say to them: "Do not be afflicted; the less help you have from men, the more the Lord will lend you assistance and support".

Tommasi had manifested from his earliest youth his ardent love for God, by generously sacrificing to Him all the temporal advantages to which he could lay claim; he preserved all his life with extreme care this feeling of tenderness towards his divine Master. He had a lively horror of sin, less from fear of punishment than from that of offending the sovereign Majesty. Constantly occupied with God, he sought to unite himself to Him by frequent ejaculatory prayers. Everything that could nourish his piety inspired his interest; and this scholar, whose erudition Europe admired, esteemed all the practices of devotion approved by the Church and observed them with fidelity. He was found one day in ecstasy before an image of the holy Virgin. He recommended confidence in this holy Mother of God, and he himself gave the example of it.

It is thus that, placed in an eminent rank, Tommasi gave the example of all virtues; but heaven soon seemed to envy him to the earth. On Christmas Eve 1712, he felt an indisposition which, however, did not prevent him from going to the papal chapel and attending all the evening and night office there. Returned home on the morning of the feast, he felt his indisposition increase. The illness making progress, he received the last sacraments. When the holy Viaticum was brought to him, his face appeared all inflamed, and the eagerness he showed to receive communion made known with what ardor he united himself to his divine Master. On December 31, he dictated his will, which is a new monument to his piety. The fever having redoubled, he felt that his end was approaching. He himself wanted to look in the Ritual for the prayers that were to be recited during his agony; he soon fell into it and it was very peaceful. An air of joy spread over his face, and his eyes fixed towards the wall made one think that he had a vision. Finally, this holy man, having tenderly kissed his crucifix and placed his arms in a cross on his chest, rendered his soul to his Creator on January 1, 1713, at the age of sixty-three.

Hardly had he expired than his whole house burst into grief. "Our father is dead!" they all cried, "the father of the poor! It is a Saint who is leaving the world". The people flocked to the palace in crowds, and joined their praises to those that the servants gave to their good master.

The fame of his virtues was not long confined to Rome or his homeland. Many persons of distinction, in Italy and other countries, requested that his name be inserted in the catalogue of Saints, which for several centuries has only been granted after long formalities. They were begun the very year of his death: his works were submitted to a severe examination in different Congregations established for this purpose; his whole life was examined and discussed, as well as the miracles performed by his intercession. The proceedings, suspended for some time, began again in 1723: they were interrupted again, then resumed in 1729. A decree of Urban VIII ordered that fifty years should have elapsed since the death of the person whose canonization was being solicited, before one could pronounce the decree. In 1753, Benedict XIV, who had known Tommasi personally, who admired his virtues, his talents, and was very tenderly attached to his mem ory, derog Benoît XIV Pope who beatified Jerome Emiliani. ated in his favor from the law that one of his predecessors had established, and during the years 1757, 1759 and 1760, the proceedings were continued. In 1761, Clement XIII formally declared that it was proven that the servant of God, Joseph-Marie, Cardinal Tommasi, had been singularly gifted with faith, hope, charity towards God and towards his neighbor, prudence, justice, fortitude and temperance. In the years 1802 and 1803, the Congregation continued to examine the miracles that had been submitted to it, and two were declared sufficiently proven. Finally, on June 5, 1803, the decree for the beatification was pronounced by Pius VII, with the unanimous consent of the Congregation of Rites.

The body of the blessed Tommasi is preserved in Rome, in the beautiful c hurch o Pie VII Pope who authorized the cult of Blessed Rainier. f Saint-Martin-aux-Monts, which was his cardinalitial title. This venerable body, placed in the tomb of the altar of a side chapel, is covered with a glass that allows it to be seen. It has been preserved without corruption, and those who have seen his portrait easily recognize the features of his face.

The works of Bl. Tommasi have been republished since his death. We shall make known the titles they bear.

## NOTICE OF THE WORKS OF BL. JOSEPH-MARIE TOMMASI.

14. Short instruction on how to assist with fruit at the holy Sacrifice of the Mass, in Italian. 1710. 15. Daily exercise for the house, in Italian. 1712. We also have from him: 16. Constitution of the Benedictine nuns of the diocese of Girgenti, in Italian. 1670. 17. Prisci fermenti nona expositia: et de fermento quod dubatur Subbato ante Palmas in consistorio Lateranensi, in two dissertations printed with the treatise of Ciampini de Asymorum usu. 1688, in-4°.

Cardinal Tommasi left in manuscript a few other works: 1. Brevoculus aliquot Monumentorum veteris moris quo Christi fideles ad seculum usque decimum utebantur in celebratione Messarum, etc. 2. De primato ecclesiasticorum officiorum Breviario extra chorum. 3. Memorialis indiculus veteris et probatæ in Ecclesia consuetudinis concedendi indulgentias.

At his death, he was working on an edition of the true Sacramentary of Saint Gregory, Pope, purged of all the additions that were made to it in later times.

Fr. Ant.-François Vezzosi, Theatine, provided, in 1747-17 54, in 7 vol. in-4°, an P. Ant.-François Vezzosi Theatine who edited the complete works of Tommasi. edition of all the works of Cardinal Tommasi, augmented with unpublished pieces.

The same religious published, in 1769, Institutiones theologicæ antiquorum Patrum, 4 vol. in-4°, of which the first two contain the opuscula included in the three volumes in-8° indicated above at no. 13, and the other two contain some works of Saint Augustine and other Fathers, which the venerable cardinal had intended to publish to complete the Theology of the Fathers, and which he himself indicated in his Indicatus addressed to Fr. Mabillon, cited at no. 12. He placed at the head a life of the cardinal, and the catalogue of his writings.

(Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs, etc., new edition by Ram. Brussels 1854.)