ST. CLEMENT HOFBAUER AND STUDENTS

A Page dedicated to Redemptorist Fathers Kevin MacDonald and Kevin Murray and the Young Adult Clement Circles

THE CATHOLIC MOVEMENT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF VIENNA
FOUNDING OF THE KLINKOWSTROEM EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTE (1818)

(from St. Clement Maria Hofbauer: A Biography translated from the German original written by Rev. John Hofer, CSSR. Sub-Headings added by webservant)

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An anti-Catholic environment: the state's "Josephism" applied many anti-Catholic principles, the "Illuminati" rejected Catholic teachings

The Hofbauer Circle, by reason of the active part it took in solving the problems of the German Church, came very near assuming an aspect that was at once political and ecclesiastical. The Szechenyi Club, if we may be permitted to call this group by the name which the police-reports gave it, in consequence of its concerted action in the interests of religion, may indeed be designated as the first modest attempt at forming a Catholic political party in Austria, in so far as one can speak at all of distinct political parties at that time. 

For the formation of such a party, it was quite sufficient to band together such men of principle and energy as Schlegel and Pilat. Metropolitan Vienna, accustomed as it was to seeing religion scorned and flouted by the "Illuminati" and the supporters of Josephism, must have stood aghast with amazement on finding such men of rank and distinction stepping forth into the public arena as the champions of religious principle and the rights of the Church. 

It is not surprising, therefore, to learn that the flippant Metternich ridiculed the men who flocked about Hofbauer and Penckler as "ecclesiastical Chateaubriands." An interchange of letters between Gentz and Pilat during the year 1815, reveals very clearly what the learned circles of Austria generally thought of the ecclesiastical fervor of these men. Gentz was at this time with Metternich in Paris, taking part in the peace negotiations. Pilat had written to consult him upon certain questions of an ecclesiastical nature. Gentz showed the letter to Metternich, who merely pitied the religious eccentricity of Pilat. Gentz, however, frankly voices his apprehension. 

"When I consider how far you are driving these things," he writes, "and when I see that nothing else seems to interest you, I begin to have my serious fears for you. It is, I admit, a great blessing to have found a safe anchor to which the soul can cling in the midst of the wild waves and violent tempests of the world. Nevertheless, I fear that this blessing will ultimately prove a fatal misfortune for you; for so tenaciously are you clinging to that which should ennoble, sweeten, and sanctify life, that life itself not only must become a burden to you, but is evidently slipping away from you. Why trouble yourself continually with affairs that concern the Church? Do not misunderstand me. I am far from trying to tear you away from religion -- God forbid that I should! But it is none the less true, that the layman, no matter how religious he may be, should leave the Church, as such, in the hands of those whose duty it is to take care of it. . . . You are not in this world to spend all your energies for the Church, at least not for the visible Church. If the Church is to continue to exist, it will surely exist without you; all your efforts to support and preserve it will be vain and unnecessary. The fact is, that no one listens to your utterances, and your indiscretions are forever placing your friends in the painful alternative of drawing the veil over everything you say, write, or do in these matters, or of exposing themselves to ridicule and bitter contempt." 

Gentz was a freethinker; but what he here wrote is precisely the view-point which the educated Catholic with a leaning toward the tenets of the " Illuminati " took of things at that time. An incredible flouting of the essential visible character of the Church and of the authority of its Head, the Pope, especially among educated classes; crass ignorance of their own duties and of the purpose of their existence, while outwardly and nominally they adhered in a general way to the Christian religion -- these things appear to us to have been typical of those who passed for Catholics in the Josephist era. In trying to avoid this precipice Pilat may have exceeded the bounds of prudence in an opposite direction, as is frequently the case with fervent converts; beyond this, it is needless to comment further on the principles which Gentz here enunciates. 

Pilat was correct when he complained to the Countess Fuchs: "Gentz would gladly cling to religion in certain solemn moments, but thereafter cast it aside again for weeks and months. He thinks that nothing more than this is required. But this will not do. In this sacred matter more than in any other are those words true: 'He that is not with Me is against Me.' To regard religion as a festive garment which one wears an Sunday and then lays aside for the rest of the week, is the great misfortune into which so many persons fall even many who are naturally drawn to religion." 

A wholistic approach to Religion

No better proof than these words is needed to show that the ideal genuine Catholic life, as Hofbauer constantly strove to inculcate it, and as his friend Adam Mueller with admirable clearness and irrefutable logic defended it in the literary field, was beginning to be grasped by a small select group of the laity. That ideal, briefly, was: Religion must not be restricted to the sphere of the individual only, but must pervade and leaven everything and everybody -- the individual, the State, society, and mankind in general.

No detailed account of Catholic intellectual life in the Vienna of those days can pass over in silence the names of those who labored with Hofbauer; and no such account can ignore certain conditions that concurred toward the success of his undertakings. But unquestionably it was he that had the greatest part in starting the movement; while all such tendencies toward this movement as leaped into existence without his direct cooperation gravitated toward him as to their natural center. 

It was Hofbauer that kept these tendencies and the whole movement alive, fostering, strengthening, and uniting them into one mighty impulse of uniform and concerted action. What Frederick Werner, who became a Catholic without Hofbauer's aid, said of himself -- "I became truly Catholic only through Father Hofbauer" -- may be said of the entire Catholic movement in those years. Laudable tendencies toward such a movement existed in Austria at the time; but it was Hofbauer that fostered and developed them and gave them the first fruits of success.

Awakening among some students

The Redemptorist, Father Kral, who studied at the University of Vienna at this time, writes in his reminiscences of Father Hofbauer: "The young men who during these years attended the University of Vienna evinced a singular desire to become thoroughly acquainted with the faith and life of Catholics."

In the ranks of the academicians incidents occurred which indicated how complete a change was taking place in religious ideas and sentiments. Quite a sensation was created, for example, when two Instructors highly esteemed in University circles, openly renounced freethinking and not only became believing Catholics, but even took up the study of Theology. These two savants were Dr. Emmanuel Veith, the Jewish Instructor in Medicine, and Dr. John Madlener, the Instructor in Mathematics. Neither of them has anywhere left us an account of the motives for his conversion. 

Madlener simply states that his conversion occurred in May, 18I5. Tradition has it (see Correspondence of the Associatio Perseverantiae Sacerdotalis, XIII, 1892, p.151), that the text from St. John's Gospel account, 20. 28, 29, was the occasion of his conversion. As he held that Christ was infinitely truthful, and as Christ did not reject the testimony of the Apostle St. Thomas -- "My Lord and my God" -- this fact convinced him of the Divinity of Christ.

Dr. Veith received the Sacrament of Baptism in 1816. One day in the spring of 1816, the Nuncio Severoli received a great surprise. Six or seven students of the University called at his palace and requested an audience. The spokesman of the party explained how, in endeavoring to find the truth elsewhere than in the Catholic Church, they had all been led astray by dabbling in false systems of philosophy. "I thus had occasion," writes Severoli, in his report to Consalvi, "to admire the wisdom and goodness of God, who attracts souls to Himself in ways that to us mortals seem not at all apt." 

One of these young men, before taking his departure, asked for a copy of the Life of Alphonsus de Liguori, who had just been declared Blessed. After a few months the Nuncio was able to state that the visit of these students did not represent a mere passing phase of religious enthusiasm. On November 20, 1816, he again wrote to Consalvi: "I know now that these young men not only are themselves persevering in righteousness, but are moreover drawing over their colleagues to the paths of truth and virtue, are openly taking issue with and refuting the falsehoods of modern philosophers, and are fearlessly combating the spread of pernicious books which are still being widely circulated."

The Nuncio remarks that he mentions this incident, because he knows it will fill the heart of the Holy Father with joy. He does not mention any names. Presumably this group was made up of a number of students who, according to a police-report of November, 1815, were wont to meet at the house of the widow Horny, where some of them lived and others took their meals. Leopold Horny, a son of the widow, had finished his philosophy, devoted himself for a time to higher mathematics, and, after escaping from the meshes of the philosophy of the "Illuminati," finally took up the study of Theology.

Another police-report praises him for his excellent knowledge of modern literature. From this same report we learn a number of other interesting facts: that Madlener, who also belonged to this group, in addition to being an accomplished mathematician, was passionately devoted to the positive religion of Jesus; that the litterateur Passy and others were members of this group; that neither Werner nor Hofbauer was connected in any way with these students, who could not bear the former and had no particular regard for the latter; that the members in their meetings often spoke of the sermons of both Hofbauer and Werner, at times praising and at times severely criticizing their discourses; that besides the members, others holding different views likewise met at Horny's, giving occasion to warm disputes, which, however, always ended amicably. Thus far the report.

Blessed be the moment we met in Hofbauer's Heart!

On September 2, 1821, a year and a half after the death of our Saint, Anthony Passy preached the festive sermon on the occasion of the First Holy Mass of Dr. Emmanuel Veith at Maria-Stiegen. Referring to the beginning of his friendship with Dr. Veith, the preacher cried out: 

"Blessed be that first moment when in our search for books from which we hoped to learn the truth, our paths in life met' Blessed be the moment when we met again in that circle which was misnamed 'learned ' and left us joyless and dissatisfied, so that we both yearned for an entirely different society -- a society, in which, as you yourself claimed, there should have to be more silent meditation than talking, and more prayer than brilliant conversation! Blessed be that moment when you said: 'I can no longer consider as my friend any one with whom I cannot pray,' a statement which you later corrected by saying, 'with whom I cannot pray to Mary! ' Blessed above all be that moment, the happiest of my life, when we met as in a sanctuary in the heart of him, who, an Austrian himself, drew so many Austrian youths to the feet of the God-man Jesus Christ, who dwelt within him ' --  that never-to-be-forgotten moment when we met in the heart of the deceased Clement Hofbauer, Reverend Vicar-General of the Redemptorists! "

These words admirably illustrate how these academicians who sincerely sought after the truth, finally found in the Director of the Church of St. Ursula's the spiritual guide destined for them by Divine Providence, and under his wise leadership reached to the portals of contentment and interior peace. Another disciple of Hofbauer, Father Kral, who was studying Theology at the time, similarly bears witness to Father Hofbauer's ability in calming the troubled waters of men's souls. He and his friends, he tells us, longed to learn from more convincing sources how to feel and think again as Catholics, but he adds that they found complete satisfaction nowhere. " Hofbauer," he declares, "was the only man who satisfied our wants."

In a letter to Cardinal Litta, dated July 29, 1816, the Saint mentions about ten young men who had been followers of the modern philosophy, but who had now returned to more wholesome pastures, and were giving evidence of extraordinary zeal and fervor. Had they persevered in their errors, he says, they would have caused untold harm to themselves and to others; but now they do not blush to serve at the altar, they receive the Sacraments most devoutly, and they are bringing others also over to their own views. 

Some "disciples" of Hofbauer

Among the first to enter into closer relations with the Saint were Dr. Madlener and his friend, the jurist Francis Springer, of Strass, in Lower Austria. The latter had never fallen into any of the prevailing errors of the day, but on his arrival in Vienna had occasioned great grief to his pious family by abandoning the idea of studying Theology. He was held in the highest esteem both by his colleagues and by his professors. Because of his remarkable ability in argumentation he was actually feared in debate. 

Leopold Horny likewise became a disciple of Hofbauer's. These, with a few others, formed about Hofbauer the nucleus of a company of academicians which, though small in 1816, rapidly increased in number in the course of the next two years. One of them remarked that he could not understand why so many students and young men gathered about Father Hofbauer. It reminded him, he said, of the time of Christ, when each disciple brought another to the Messiah; for so did these students: as soon as one had learned to know Father Hofbauer, he could not rest until he had brought some friend or associate of his to the Saint. 

Confession with Father Hofbauer

Several were directed to Hofbauer by Werner. It is quite possible that many of them experienced what Anthony Guenther experienced, when as a student of law he came from Prague to Vienna. Guenther, who later gained renown as a philosopher, relates in his autobiography, that while still in Prague, he sought advice regarding his vocation from his Professor, Bernard Bolzano. His parents had set their hearts on his becoming a priest, but he could not make up his mind to do so, as he could not convince himself of the necessity of divine revelation. Bolzano finally confirmed him in his resolution to continue his study of law, remarking sadly that convictions cannot be changed. 

This veiled prediction of the Professor, Guenther found on his arrival in Vienna, was not to be fulfilled. "My friend Leopold Horny introduced me to Hofbauer," he writes; "and as soon as I looked upon this man of God, the thought flashed into my mind, 'this and no other is the man to whom you should reveal the history of your past life.' And I was not mistaken. As Horny remarked to me, Werner had said that he knew of only three truly great men then living: Napoleon, Goethe, and Hofbauer. I soon understood what Werner meant by Hofbauer's greatness. He was great in many things, but his real greatness showed itself as a Confessor for those prodigal sons of the Faith whom shame caused to hesitate and stammer when telling their sins in the Sacrament of Penance. In such cases he would simply say: 'Go on, I know what you wish to say.' 

I shall never forget the words he spoke to me in his exhortation before imparting the absolution: 'Always be mindful of the words of Our Lord: "There shall be joy in heaven upon one sinner that doth penance more than upon ninety-nine just who need not penance." (Luke 15,7) Rejoice with those that are in heaven, and you will in patience bring forth worthy fruits of penance. But remember that the greatest patience you will be called upon to practice will be patience with yourself; for, as Our Lord said, "the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh (is) weak"' (Mt 26,41) From that time forth until his death Hofbauer remained my adviser in all matters pertaining to my spiritual life."

Many others probably had experiences similar to Guenther's. It was a singular fact, that one's initial meeting with the Saint awakened the desire to open one's conscience to him, and whosoever yielded to this interior prompting and went to confession to him once, invariably clung to him thereafter.

In this way it gradually came to pass that fifty young men placed themselves under Hofbauer's special direction. Dr. Veith, who, since 1818, was also numbered among the Saint's disciples, himself admitted that he had acquired true fervor in his new-found faith only from him. 

Daily contacts; open house

The majority of these young men were University students, for the most part from the Law Schools. Their individual relations with Hofbauer naturally differed widely. Some of them came to him only in the confessional. There were, however, twenty or thirty who were linked to him in a more intimate friendship, and many of these visited him every day.

Closest to him were Madlener, Dr. Veith, Springer, and Don Pajalich, a young priest from Dalmatia, who was preparing for the Doctorate in Theology. Of these, again, Madlener, a childlike, devout, and ingenuous character, was his favorite disciple. Hofbauer's home in Seiler Place was always open to his young friends, whether he happened to be at home or not. As there were besides those of this youthful group many other persons who came to visit him, he willingly sacrificed the late, quiet hours of the evening to those who sought him out. The silence and solitude of his room were gone. 

Those dear "rascals!"

On his day of monthly recollection, as also during his annual Retreat, nothing remained for him but to betake himself to the church and spend a few restful hours there. At times he was even obliged to prepare his sermons in this noisy company. He would then throw a cloth over his head, in order to create a kind of solitude in which to gather his thoughts. On one occasion Werner complained bitterly to him, that he could no longer find him alone. "Those rascals are always here," he remarked. "Yes," replied the Saint, "and those rascals are dearer to me than you."

Hofbauer could invariably be found at home in the evening. This fact is mainly responsible for the formation of those famous evening socials, which imparted a singularly human touch and character to the last three or four years of our Saint's life. Oftentimes, when he came home in the evening, fatigued and worn out, he found his room already crowded with visitors. "You are a fine crowd," he was wont to say to them, as he hung his mantle on a nail; and as he turned about, they would one by one, approach to kiss his hand and receive his blessing. They had seen Sabelli and Stark do this as marks of reverence toward their Superior, and imitated them. 

Open Table

Each one received some slight refreshment, which no one was easily permitted to decline-- the rich were never allowed to refuse, for he wished them to practice humility by sharing the repast of the poor. In that ample cupboard of his there was always something to distribute among them -- fruit, cakes, cold meats, or the like. A number of poor students dined regularly with him, and any one that accidentally dropped in for a visit when they were at table, had to share the meal. Whenever he was at home, he himself served at table, while Sabelli and Stark and the guests enjoyed the meal in peace. As his portion he took the remnants, which he ate standing.

The principal feature of Hofbauer's method as a director of youth was well expressed by one of his disciples: "As Divine Providence governs all things sweetly, so did Hofbauer endeavor to attract others by mildness." He was averse to nothing so much as to that method which tries to urge young people by too much talk. He possessed in an unusually high degree that rare and precious gift of accomplishing wonders with a few well-chosen words. 

Werner once met a crowd of students just as they were leaving the home of the Saint, and perceiving that their countenances beamed with joy and enthusiasm, he curiously inquired what beautiful things Hofbauer had just been telling them. "Oh, nothing in particular," was the reply "he said merely, 'Be good!'" 

Faith and Works in Hofbauer's Approach: Head and Heart

Especially did he not set much store upon the direct refutation of the objections raised against Faith; nor did he believe much in the value of bandying words in philosophical subtleties, or in disputing about matters of Faith. He censured the Germans for going too far afield in seeking the truth which God had brought so close to man. It cannot be denied that Catholic Apologetics at the time was cast over with a gossamer of rationalism. Thus, when the zealous Father Frint, a priest at the Castle of Vienna, brought out his "Compendium of Religion," objections were raised against the work on the score that it made the young more acquainted with unbelief than with the Faith. 

The book, which was excessively diffuse, cost the poor students of philosophy the small fortune of thirty-six florins. The apologetic methods followed by Professor Bolzano in Prague were regarded as even more dangerous. Instead of lifting up the young men under his tutelage from the depths of rationalism to the healthy atmosphere of a strong and lively faith, they did just the reverse by leading them into the very subtleties of rationalistic doctrine. 

While Sailer was condemned for emphasizing the Catholic doctrine too little, Bolzano exposed himself to censure by following an equally unfortunate method in his lectures and exhortations. From a laudable desire to win the youth back again to religion, he made the mistake of modifying or minimizing the supernatural character of Christianity too much. Personally, however, Bolzano was not merely a Mathematician of rare ability and a thoroughly orthodox Philosopher, but a most worthy and exemplary priest as well, and there can be no doubt that he accomplished much good among the students. 

Many a one owed to Bolzano his salvation from the snares and pitfalls of vice, which his keen analysis and judgment knew so well how to dissect and stigmatize. In his Sunday exhortations he inveighed without mercy against the dissoluteness and debauchery prevalent among the students at the time, without being in the least concerned about the hatred which his scathing denunciations might enkindle. All this must be home in mind, when we attempt to pass judgment on Bolzano and his apologetic methods.

It is a singular fact of this historical era in Germany and Austria, that the men who, like Wessenberg, Boos, and Lindl, drifted entirely into error, or who, like Bolzano, went to extremes in orthodoxy, were all remarkably clever and well-meaning men. Even Sailer has been set down by Alban Stolz as a transitionist. 

This fact alone suffices to show the vital importance of the position which Hofbauer held and what he came to signify in an age, when even the finest intellects within the German Church were groping about for the truth, and even the Church itself, in its external organization, had fallen a victim to the universal disorder and confusion. 

Hofbauer stood above his time and its weaknesses. He was in no sense a transitionist; he was pre-eminently a Catholic genius, and his genius manifested itself in nothing else so strikingly as in the gentle wisdom with which he guided so many students out of the maze of doubt or even out of the night of unbelief back to the paths of safety and the full noontide splendor of Catholic faith.

Hofbauer, however, was neither narrow nor self-opinionated; hence, in following his own methods in directing these youthful minds, he did not underestimate the value of theoretical study as a means of confirming one's convictions in matters of Faith. It was owing primarily to Hofbauer's urging that that endless quibbler, Anthony Guenther, was prevailed upon, for his own further enlightenment, to undertake the study of Theology. Nor did the Saint evade controversy when occasion demanded, as is evident from this pregnant saying of his quoted by Emmanuel Veith: "He that endeavors to make people think rationally, will invariably make enemies of them; and yet they all wish to be considered intelligent beings." 

As a rule, however, he was governed in his labors for others by the principle, that "The example of a life of practical, unwavering faith, expressing itself in deeds of Christian charity, does far more good than the most learned arguments." Times without number his own experience had convinced him of the truth of this. What effect his mere association with young men wrought upon their lives may be gleaned from the testimony of Frederick von Held. 

Vocations to the Priesthood

This eminent jurist tells us, that in consequence of his previous unprincipled education, he could not, even for a long period after joining the circle of Hofbauer's disciples, regard the vocation to the priesthood with anything but deep aversion; Hofbauer, perhaps divining his sentiments, not only never broached the subject of vocation to him, but on several occasions had positively forbidden others to hint at this subject in Held's presence. Gradually, however, a change was wrought in Held's attitude, for, in the course of the years, he assures us, "the example of this simple and modest priest, my constant association with him, the peace and holiness which radiated from his countenance, finally overcame my aversion entirely." Held eventually became not only a priest but a religious as well, and is remembered as one of the principal supports of the Transalpine Congregation of the Redemptorists.

The witness of history and of the Saints

Whenever Hofbauer sought to influence his disciples by arguments, he would draw those arguments chiefly from the history of the Church. The continued existence of the Church throughout the ages, its government, and its whole history must ever form the clearest and most potent of all the proofs in favor of its divine origin. To acquaint his disciples with the history of the Church, with the lives of the Saints, and with the achievements of the great champions of the Faith, was, in his opinion, of far greater importance than to make them masters in philosophical discussion. Nearly every evening, after his disciples had gathered at his home, there were public readings, and these readings were usually from the pages of Church History. Berault-Bercastel, or the " History of the Religion of Jesus Christ," by Count Stolberg, which had just been published, were the books from which these readings were made.

To sum up this matter in a few words, Hofbauer's endeavors were directed less against the philosophical objections urged against the Faith by the intellect, than against those most stubborn roots of doubt and infidelity -pride and sensuality. His chief aim was to instil humility and purity into the hearts of the young. How often was he not heard to say: "Be humble! otherwise the mysteries of Faith will appear to you to be mere fables." 

Let your light shine!

In like manner he set his face resolutely against that vain and complaisant spirit of vanity which prompts one to put one's self forward, and which is particularly in evidence whenever there is a large gathering of young persons from all classes of society. Similarly, human respect in all its subtle manifestations, found in him an uncompromising antagonist. Moreover, he insisted that his disciples make public profession of the religious convictions which they had recovered. 

The casual visitor to St. Ursula's Church might on any day of the year witness a spectacle never before seen there or anywhere else in the city: University students from the best families, who received the Sacraments every week or oftener, approaching to partake of the Bread of Angels; others serving at the altar with all the marks of deep devotion and most lively faith, and at least on the more solemn feasts, when Father Hofbauer carried the Blessed Sacrament in procession through the church -- accompanying their Eucharistic Savior with lighted tapers or torches.

A gentle director of youth

Hofbauer knew well, as Dr. Madlener relates, how to mortify the inordinate self-love of the young men. One day Hofbauer and Madlener escorted a party of friends to Mariazell. After securing rooms for their guests at the inn, Madlener tried to find a bed for himself. There was not another to be had. Hofbauer calmly said to him, "Do as I do," and without another word stretched himself on the floor in a corner of the room. There was nothing for the young doctor to do but to imitate him. 

Madlener often accompanied the Saint on his visits to Count Szechenyi's. On one occasion Hofbauer wished to take a second companion with him, but the carriage that came to fetch him had room only for two. After Hofbauer and one companion had stepped in, Madlener was about to proceed on foot. But the Saint called out to him: "Come here, you little fly! there will be room enough for you!" Madlener hesitated, for he failed to see how three could travel comfortably in the carriage. "Come in, then, as an act of obedience" the Saint called out again, and drawing him into the carriage, he took the astonished youth on his knees, and in this manner they drove off through the main street to Szechenyi's palace. 

On another occasion Madlener, speaking figuratively, remarked that he had seen beautiful clouds in Szechenyi's garden. For several days thereafter, Hofbauer kept on asking: "Madlener, what about those beautiful clouds in Szechenyi's garden? " Evidently, the foundation of that humility and simplicity of heart for which Madlener as a religious was later so conspicuous, was laid in this school.

Blessed are the pure of heart

In regard to the cultivation of chastity, witnesses assure us that a mere glance at the Saint sufficed to fill one with chaste sentiments and love for holy purity. He constantly reminded his followers that prayer and mortification are the chief weapons to be used in the struggle for the palm of holy purity. 

His disciples had frequently to pass through the streets at night; and in order to protect themselves against the dangers that lurk in a large city at such hours, they formed the habit of carrying a small rosary of one decade only, which they could recite unobserved.

Moreover, many of them, following his example and counsel, would deprive themselves of their breakfast, at least during Advent, so that they might give it to the poor. In the matter of fasting, however, he exercised the greatest prudence, and took into consideration the physical strength of his disciples. 

A heart of a mother

His solicitude for these students extended to their physical as well as to their spiritual well-being. Dr. Veith, himself an excellent physician, remarked that Hofbauer instinctively perceived also the bodily needs of others, and with all the certainty of a medical decision, prescribed remedies and taught others how to take care of their health. 

One stormy night, Dr. Veith relates, the Saint would not permit him to return to his home, as he lived in a distant suburb, but made him remain with him for the night. Dr. Veith, like many of the other young students, oftentimes arrived in the early afternoon, without having even tasted any food that day. On his arrival Hofbauer immediately made inquiries, and on learning that the doctor had not broken his fast, would at once send some one to the neighboring inn " Zur Katz," to get him a bowl of good soup. 

A newly-ordained priest once dined with him on the day of his Ordination. Perceiving that the young man was very delicate, the Saint detained him and obliged him to take a half-hour's siesta after dinner. "In your condition," Hofbauer remarked, "a little sleep will do you good." He himself prepared the bed for the young priest, and when the half-hour had expired, woke him and took him out for a walk in the city. 

This careful attention to even the most ordinary and trifling details, such as is usually found only in a mother's heart, explains to a great extent why the young felt themselves so irresistibly drawn to the Saint. Sometimes he would go to welcome his visitors with open arms and clasp them affectionately to his heart. The younger Pilat, a student of Polytechnics, who relates this, adds, that this embrace always left in his heart a feeling of peace and the warmth of divine love.

Some tares among the wheat

His disciples were, for the most part, deserving of the love of so good a master. There were, of course, a few exceptions. Some wore the mask of discipleship, and represented themselves as hungering and thirsting after justice, merely to share in the Saint's abundant alms. Usually it was not long before he saw through their hypocrisy, but out of compassion for them he did not dismiss them. 

Joseph Wolff, who was as fickle as he was gifted, and who was constantly wavering between the Church and Protestantism, was a source of great worry to the Saint. So long as he was in Hofbauer's company, he was fully in accord with him.

Thomas Lederer, a student of medicine and a blustering advocate of unbelief, acted in similar fashion. He had hardly been introduced to Hofbauer, when he veered entirely about. He now wished to become a missionary, and of course was nothing loath to predict that as such he would render more service to the Church than a hundred others. To the sorrow of the Saint, however, he soon reverted to his former sentiments. . . 

Some are apostles.... 

But, as has already been remarked, these were only the exceptions. On the whole, Hofbauer had every reason to be proud of the young men he had gathered around him. Indeed, he once wrote to Sophia Schlosser, that there were some among them who would have been an ornament to the Church in the first centuries of Christianity. "I can say with all truth," he writes, "that some are veritable apostles; for they seek out those that are in error and endeavor to lead them back to the path of truth and righteousness."

A few passages from the letters of Francis Kosmaczek, a medical student, who, in 1818, came from Bohemia to Vienna and there made the acquaintance of Hofbauer through Madlener, will serve to show the spirit that animated this select group of young men. In Vienna Kosmaczek found a new world revealed to his eyes. On November 5, he wrote to his father: 

"I have found here good, loyal, and disinterested people, friends who are molding my character, cheering me on, and making me truly happy by their example and companionship. What I hoped to find here, I have actually found -- friends who are an ornament to human nature, and of whose friendship I am as yet wholly unworthy. If you can form a mental image of an ideal human being, you need only come here to discover in reality what your imagination pictures to you so beautifully. Unaffected simplicity, a salutary fear of God, genuine humility, and unusual wisdom are the outstanding virtues of these noble people with whom Divine Providence has cast my lot. 

I thank God that I came to Vienna; and I beg Him to keep me ever grateful to Him for leading me here; for that which I had always desired but never dared to hope for as attainable, Providence has bestowed upon me in so singular a manner that I cannot but recognize its possession as a remarkable evidence of the divine goodness. Until I know these good people more intimately, I shall picture them to you as truly and as clearly as I can, so that you also, please God, may derive pleasure and profit and edification from them." 

The first few weeks wrought a wonderful change in the soul of this medical student. Scarcely one month later, he frankly acknowledged to his father: 

"In early youth I had little religion, and that little I lost in the course of my studies. I entered upon devious ways, falling from one precipice to another, blundering into the labyrinth of doubt, whence in my ignorance I knew not how to find my way out. I willingly make an open confession of having, through the reading of corrupt literature, books professedly learned but none the less infidel, through having consorted with witty and so-called educated men of our enlightened times, and above all through a blind intellectual pride, made shipwreck of the faith of my soul, the peace of my heart, and the purity of my will...

And now, I quite as readily confess that by cultivating the inspiring companionship of saintly men and by the reading of pious and elevating books, I have been converted from the error of my ways. With eyes streaming tears and with bleeding heart I have gone through the fight, and I hope that God will now lead me on to complete victory over myself. In my soul I have crushed the head of unbelief, which like an expiring monster is now racking my heart with anguish." 

He now endured severe struggles regarding his vocation. "Surrounded by the stillness of the night," his thoughts turned to the choice of a state of life. He felt himself drawn strongly to the priesthood, but sensual desires and pride made the victory difficult for grace. Oftentimes he felt like evading the issue; "but no one," he says, "can flee from God." 

With the appreciation of the Catholic Church that had been awakened within his soul, the Sacred Priesthood suddenly appeared supremely desirable. The following sentiments expressed in a letter to his father, were probably only the echoes of those evenings spent at Hofbauer's in reading and discussing questions of Church History: 

"The Religion of Jesus Christ has now endured in all its splendor for 1818 years. Neither the storms of time nor the malice of men has been able to destroy it; nor shall our unbelieving, proud age be able to move it from its firm foundations. It stands there in glory, the virgin crowned with the stars, the ever-changing moon beneath her feet, clothed with the sun. . . . I feel quite incompetent to tell you anything about the surpassing beauty and the divinity of our holy religion, the religion of Jesus Christ." 

He leaves this last task to Count Stolberg, from whose works he here quotes a number of passages for his father. A most remarkable enthusiasm for the Faith, sincere gratitude for the happiness of soul he had recovered, and truly apostolic zeal shine forth in the letters of this new convert. Kosmaczek, like Held, became one of the ornaments of the Redemptorist Congregation.

These individual cases of converts suddenly aware that their new-found spiritual life had blossomed forth into a vocation to the Priesthood, were not the only cases of the kind. There were others. Francis Springer, who under the stress of pecuniary difficulties had fought his way through the whole course of jurisprudence, now took up the study of Theology. 

Father Clement shows the Church's beauty

In fact, so many of Hofbauer's disciples successively abandoned the professional studies they had chosen and went over to that of theology, that parents grew alarmed as soon as their sons began to visit Hofbauer regularly. Hofbauer, as has been remarked, did not intend this. It so happened of itself, and was almost inevitable in the ordinary course of events at that time. Vocations to the priesthood and to the religious state are always plentiful; but at times there is no one to awaken them and foster them, and so they are lost. 

This was especially the case during the period when the " Illuminati " held sway. In Austria the restraint placed upon the Church by Josephism supplied what was yet lacking to make aspiring youth disgusted with the priesthood and to render the priestly state contemptible. The scarcity of vocations to the priesthood had been the cause of much anxiety even to the Austrian Bureaucracy; but the means employed by the Government to remedy the evil only made matters worse. 

How simply did not Hofbauer remedy the evil! He removed the debris which iniquity had cast up about the Church, and revealed to the eyes of astonished youth the Church without spot or wrinkle as Christ had established it in all its resplendent glory! And the result of this revelation -- the happy, spontaneous awakening of vocations to the priesthood and to the religious life among the Catholic youth at the Universities -- was the most decisive victory that Hofbauer gained over Josephism and Josephism's chief protagonists, the " Illuminati."

If only he had been suffered to put this magnificent work of fostering vocations upon a firm footing! In his letter of May, 1818, to Sophia Schlosser, from which we quoted above, he complains bitterly of the difficulties he has to encounter. If he were given a free hand, he says, he would find it a comparatively easy matter to effect an astounding change in the student-body. "The young people are disgusted with what they are taught at the University," he writes; "and yet, one is obliged to do in secret whatever good one can do, as if we were living in a heathen land."

As will become evident farther on in this narrative, it was precisely this influence which he exercised in academic circles that soon enkindled against him an opposition so bitter as to jeopardize all his future activities in Vienna.

Solidifying the Catholic Movement

This apostolate among the young men, upon which Hofbauer had imperceptibly entered, may have been the occasion that inspired him to revert to the project once before attempted by Mueller, of establishing a Catholic Educational Institute for boys of the higher classes of society. Only by this means could the work he had begun among the young men be placed upon a broader basis and be continued after his death. 

This time the undertaking met with immediate success. The direction of the Institute devolved, not now upon Adam Mueller, but upon Frederick von Klinkowstroem. For several years Klinkowstroem had lived in retirement and in modest circumstances. Far superior as an educator to his learned friend Adam Mueller, he ensured the success of this new project by happily avoiding the mistakes that Mueller had made. The Archduke Maximilian d'Este sponsored the project and brought it for approval before the Emperor. The devout Prince had made a vow to God, that in the event of the success of his efforts, he would for the rest of his life abstain from taking sugar in his coffee. This vow he faithfully kept.

In October, 1818, the Institute was opened in a house on the " Wieden." Hofbauer, however, was not satisfied with the building and its limited surroundings. He therefore prevailed upon Klinkowstroem to purchase the spacious "Scheiblauer House." One day toward the end of May, 1819, Klinkowstroem accompanied Hofbauer on a walk to the Alser suburbs. Hofbauer suddenly halted in front of the "Scheiblauer House" and, interrupting the conversation, said to his friend: "Look at that house! It is quite suitable for an educational institution. It can easily accommodate fifty boys!" And raising his hand, he blessed the house as he said: "Buy that house!" And when Klinkowstroem remonstrated: But you know my circumstances very well," the Saint replied, "Yes; but you will buy the house." 

And he really did. Through the unexpected aid of a disinterested stranger, a Protestant Baron, Klinkowstroem succeeded in procuring the house on easy terms. From the very beginning God's blessing rested in a visible manner on the undertaking. With the opening of the following scholastic year the Institute was in its new home. A former pupil has left us an interesting description of the place. 

Among other things he stresses the fact that "the Institution was complete in every respect, satisfying the strictest demands that could be made upon an institution intended to supply home-training, not only as to general educational facilities, but also as to sanitary housing and reasonable recreation. But what particularly characterized Frederick von Klinkowstroem's Institute and distinguished it from all other private schools, and also from most public institutions at the time, was the object it sought to attain above every other -- to place, not merely the instruction of the intellect, but also the moral training of the heart, on a strictly Catholic basis. 

Toward this end all its directive and disciplinary measures were primarily aimed, and in this way it sought to instill into the minds and hearts of the young such religious ideals as would lay the solid foundations of a truly manly character, and serve them at once as a shield against the dangers and allurements of the world and an unfailing guide in working out their eternal salvation. The teaching, discipline, and management of the house were conducted along these lines and permeated with this spirit. 

At the same time proper care was employed lest by subjecting the students to any form of ascetical compulsion, boys of a naturally mirth-loving disposition be converted into religious hypocrites. For this reason, too, the religious exercises were confined to morning and evening prayer, grace before and after meals, daily attendance at Holy Mass, and the fulfillment of the Easter precept. The frequent reception of the Holy Sacraments was left for the most part to the devotion of the young people themselves. On the other hand, that cheerfulness which is characteristic of youth and harmless in itself was fostered in every way. 

Von Klinkowstroem and the Professors of the Institute often directed the various games which the students played in common, and not infrequently they themselves participated in them. Dramatic entertainments, too, were staged from time to time. Thus there was no lack of amusement and healthful exercise. The spirit of concord and the tone of refinement which were everywhere in evidence at the Institute, as well as the good results which were there achieved, were due in the main to the eminent educator to whose leadership the welfare of the Institute was entrusted, and who gave himself to this difficult task with unreserved, self-sacrificing devotedness. 

His own thorough education, his knowledge of the world and of men, the experience he had gathered in the course of his long and checkered career, rendered von Klinkowstroem eminently qualified to direct the intellectual and moral training of these youngpeople. He fully understood how to temper severity with kindness, and, as occasion demanded, to apply both with tact and justice. 

His very appearance and his whole personality were such as to inspire respect and love. He was tall of stature; his countenance, usually wearing an earnest expression, could as easily transform itself into an expression of the most winning kindliness; his keen, gray eyes, whose penetrating gaze one under reproof could hardly endure, at other times beamed benevolence and invited confidence; in a word, his whole being bore the unmistakable impress of a soul as strong as it was humble, -- a soul imbued with the spirit of a true Christian, endowed with a resolute will, and blessed with an abiding peace. His relations with the students were those of a kind, loving, and interested father." (Baron von Brenner Felsach)

Even though this school had a comparatively short-lived career, the mere fact that a strictly Catholic educational institution had been called into being in the Vienna of those days, could be looked upon as a signal victory for religion. Hofbauer, of course, was obliged to remain in the background; and therefore, secular priests, and not the Fathers of his own Congregation, were appointed to fill positions at the Institute as Instructors in Religion and as Professors.

This Institute was one of the sweetest joys of our Saint's declining years. He saw its beginning and its early development. He was a frequent visitor there. For a number of years now, he had been the spiritual director of the Klinkowstroem family. The third son, born toward the close of the Congress of Vienna, received at baptism the name of Clement. The Saint himself administered the sacrament, and insisted that all those present, irrespective of creed, impose their hands on the child. 

The next son born of the Klinkowstroems was given the name of Alphonsus at the sacred font. Madame Klinkowstroem, an ideal housewife, directed the affairs of the entire household. Dr. Veith, who frequently visited there, remarked that it was difficult to decide which of the two deserved the palm of excellence -- Louisa, or her sister Madame Pilat: "for," he says, "more noble, pious, refined, and intellectual German women could hardly have been found anywhere. It was most refreshing to behold how prudently they managed affairs in the household, how wisely they educated the children, and how cheerfully and wholeheartedly they bestowed their services wherever and whenever their services seemed to be required." This is high praise indeed; yet it does not appear to be overdrawn. Hofbauer himself was wont to say of Louisa, whenever reference was made to this happy, cheerful, lovely woman: "Hers is a singularly beautiful soul; this woman could remove mountains with her faith."

During the sixteen years of its existence, there were, in all, two hundred and ten pupils who attended the Institute. Klinkowstroem never accepted more than fifty, because he claimed that a larger number could not be taken care of properly or trained successfully. That the majority of these pupils happened to be sons of the aristocracy, was no part of Klinkowstroem's plan. After the Emperor had spoken in praise of the institute on one occasion, it leaped into favor with the nobility. Most of the pupils, in later life, entered the diplomatic or military service. The great majority of them, too, remained true to the ideals they had formed and the principles they had imbibed at the Scheiblauer House. 

The Liberalist, Count Anthony Auersperg, who later gained renown as a poet under the nameof Anastasius Gruen, was one of the few exceptions. The defection of such former students as these, however, was amply compensated for by the subsequent careers of many others, who, like Baron von Stillfried, rose up manfully in an age arrayed against faith and truth, and fearlessly championed the Catholic cause.

For more on this Saint and Apostle on this website see:

St. Clement's Perpetual Mission at St. Benno's in Warsaw

St. Clement as Preacher of God's Word

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