Spiritual Diary John Baptist Jordan (1848–1918) Fr. Francis Mary of the Cross Spiritual Diary 1875 – 1918 New English Language Edition Network Printers Milwaukee, WI 2011 USA Joint Committee on History and Charism Ms. Janet Bitzan, SDS, Chair S. Aquin Gilles, SDS* S. Carol Thresher, SDS* Br. Edward Havlovic, SDS S. Nelda Hernandez, SDS* Fr. Thomas Novak, SDS* Fr. Daniel Pekarske, SDS* S. Barbara Reynolds, SDS Fr. Thomas Perrin, SDS Mrs. Patricia Spoerl, SDS *members of the editorial team Published privately with permission of superiors. Fr. David Bergner, SDS, Provincial, SDS-M S. Carol Thresher, SDS, Provincial, SDS-W Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 2011 i Contents Introduction to the Spiritual Diary ............................. v (“Preface to the Facsimile Edition,” DSS XXII, abridged) Introduction to the New English Edition ................ xiv Abbreviations of Languages Used in the Text ......... xvii First Section .................................................................1 John Baptist Jordan’s education prior to beginning his Spiritual Diary: June 16, 1848, to June 1875 Second Section (Spiritual Dairy I/1-16).......................5 Jordan as a student of theology and philology in Freiburg im Bresgau: July 1, 1875, to September 1877 Book I of the Spiritual Diary (1875 – 1894) ...............11 Third Section (Spiritual Diary I/17 – 109) .......................23 Jordan’s life in St. Peter’s Seminary until his diaconal ordination. September 1877, to March 1878 Fourth Section (Spiritual Diary I/110 – 145) ....................95 Ordinations as deacon and priest; journey to Rome: March to October, 1878 ii Fifth Section (Spiritual Diary I/146 – 159) ....................128 Study in Rome and Journey to the Middle East: October 1878, to September 1880 Sixth Section (Spiritual Diary I/160 – 199) ....................155 The decade of founding the Society: September 1880, to the end of 1889 Seventh Section (Spiritual Diary I/200 – II/32) ..............194 Spiritual formation of the confreres and expansion of the two religious branches: Early 1890, until December 1901 Book II of the Spiritual Diary (1894 – 1909) ...........212 Eighth Section (Spiritual Diary II/33 – III/37) ...............234 A time of testing and trial: January 1902, to April 1915 Book III of the Spiritual Diary (1909 – 1915) .........294 Ninth Section (Spiritual Diary IV, 1 – 39) .....................317 Jordan’s final years in Fribourg and Tafers. May 7, 1915, to September 8, 1918 Book IV of the Spiritual Diary (1915-1918) ............321 The Spiritual Testament of Father Jordan ..............346 iii Appendix I: Selected Authors Cited in the ...............348 Spiritual Diary Appendix II: Important Dates in the Life of ............360 Father Jordan and the Salvatorians Appendix III: Scriptural Citations in the ..................364 Spiritual Diary Appendix IV: Themes in the Spiritual Diary ............376 v Introduction to the Spiritual Diary from “Preface to the Facsimile Edition,” DSS XXII, abridged John Baptist Jordan was born on June 16, 1848, in Gurt- weil at Waldshut near the German border with Switzer- land. In 1875, during his studies in Freiburg im Breisgau, he began to keep a diary. Some years later, in 1881, he founded in Rome the Apostolic Teaching Society, later to become the Society of the Divine Savior, and the Congre- gation of the Sisters of the Divine Savior (both popularly known as Salvatorians). Members of both religious soci- eties are still working apostolically throughout the world to this day. This Spiritual Diary (SD), located in Rome in the Postulation Archives, was for many years unavailable to the members. However, due to an increased interest during the last twenty years, it was translated into vari- ous languages. The text of the Spiritual Diary provides an intimate insight into the spiritual development of Father Francis Mary of the Cross Jordan, who died September 8, 1918, in Tafers near Fribourg, Switzerland. The Spiritual Diary of Father Jordan Spiritual diaries as a literary genre must be distinguished from factual diaries or memoirs, especially from those which are intended to be published while the author is still alive or after the author’s death. Father Jordan never thought about the possible publication of his Spiritual Diary. It served him as an aid and a compass on his way vi to holiness and must be read as a revelation of his heart and a modest “story of a soul.” For this reason we do not find here many historical facts but rather notes of a spiri- tual nature defining his personal relationship with God. On his deathbed Father Jordan stated that his Diary con- tained “only things between the dear God and himself ” (Salvatorianer-Chronik, 3 (1919), No. 2, p. 182, as quoted in Postu- lation Press, No. 10, July 1998, p. 26). The Spiritual Diary we have today contains abundant deeply felt thoughts, inspirations, reminders, proposals and prayers, which Father Jordan had formulated him- self or read in books. They all show the simplicity, depth and sincerity of the religious personality of the Founder of the Salvatorians. Moreover, they also clearly show how seriously Father Jordan pursued holiness and struggled in his spiritual life, in his vocation and in his mission. The spiritual life of Fr. Jordan is not a single event; it is rather a long maturing process which can be divided into three periods: 1) the time of searching and looking for the will of God as regards the meaning of his life (1875-1880); 2) the time of establishing his foundations (1881-1915); 3) the last years of his interior maturing until his death (1915-1918). In Salvatorian tradition, this private record is rightly called his “Spiritual Diary.” The Text Languages: Father Jordan had a phenomenal talent for languages. As a young journeyman (1868-1870) and as a student (1874-1878) he nursed and deepened this tal- vii ent through international contacts and private study. His special interest in foreign languages is also reflected in his Spiritual Diary. In the four books of the Spiritual Diary there are entries in fourteen different languages. In addi- tion to German and Latin, there are entries in French (87), Italian (60), Spanish (54), English (42), Russian (10), Greek (9), Dutch (4), Portuguese (4), Arabic (2), Syrian (1), Hebrew (1) and Polish (1). After his ordi- nation (1878) he devoted himself to the study of orien- tal languages in Rome (1878-1880). From an account (November 22, 1879) he gave to his ordinary in Freiburg, Archbishop Lothar von Kübel (1823-1881), Jordan notes that during that period he had studied Armenian, Arabic, Hebrew, Greek, Coptic and Syrian. Subdivision into Four Booklets: The Spiritual Diary was written over a period of forty-three years (1875-1918). The first note is dated July 1, 1875. At that time Jordan was twenty-seven years old and studying philosophy and theology at the University Freiburg im Breisgau. The last entry in the Spiritual Diary was made on April 14, 1918, about five months before his death. The Spiritual Diary consists of four booklets. The first one contains 213 pages and was written over twenty years (1875-1894). The majority of notes stem from the time during which Jordan studied in the major seminary of Saint Peter in the Black Forest (1877-78). It is striking that there are no notes for the years 1881, 1882, 1884, 1889, 1890 and 1893. In the years 1892 and 1896 there is viii only one single entry each. Some important events in the life of Father Jordan and his work, such as the founda- tion of the First Degree of the Apostolic Teaching Society (December 8, 1881), are not even mentioned. The sec- ond booklet has 123 pages and covers fifteen years (1894- 1909). Both the first and second booklets were bound together into one single volume during Jordan’s lifetime. The third booklet has thirty seven pages and covers six years (1909-1915). Finally, the fourth and last booklet has only thirty nine pages and covers the last four years of Father Jordan’s life (1915-1918). Entries: Apart from the diversity of languages, the entries in the Spiritual Diary present certain difficulties. What is most striking is the lack of chronological continuity. Sometimes there is a gap of weeks, months, or even years between entries. The Spiritual Diary was not written sys- tematically. Because John Baptist Jordan understood the entries of his Spiritual Diary exclusively as private notes, we find abbreviations, repetitions, dashes or some spell- ing mistakes in the text. There are also partly inconsis- tent page numberings, crossings out and later additions as well as other signs which will be unfamiliar to the reader. Sentences are sometimes incomplete and not always free from stylistic errors. In Book 1 the date of the particular note is often missing; in Books 2-4 it is usually indicated. The numbering of pages 150-159 occurs twice in the first booklet. At one point Jordan removed several complete pages from Book 1 (pages 113-116). He then began Article I of a draft for his new work and then crossed it out. ix The entries of the Diary can be divided into three types. The first are personal thoughts of Father Jordan (about 20%). The second type consists of quotations from the Old and New Testaments (about 30%). A third type includes quotations from various spiritual authors (about 50%). Both of these last groups clearly show what great importance texts from Holy Scripture and the masters of the devout life were for Jordan. As regards the themes to be found in the Spiritual Diary, one can observe that some surface again and again. They are, among others: prayer and confidence in God, the apostolate and the salvation of souls, observance, humil- ity, love and peace, Mary, holiness and the will of God, the cross, death and suffering, as well as universality. These short key words become the key concepts of Salvatorian thought.