A Modern Franciscan Being the Life of Father Arsenius Ofm

In his last Retreat Father Arsenius wrote: "Since in a very few days I am going to die. what need is there for me to study. to write letters. to occupy myself with business affairs? Nothing remains for me now but to prepare myself for eternity. At the moment of death what avail the offices we ha\\'e held in life, the honours we have enjoyed, the praise, the friendship and the esteem of men? So many we have known are now dead, yet of none of them has it been said: He is happy, for he was a man of lofty intellect; he is happy, for he was a deep philosopher. A deep theologian, No, but we have said: He is happy, for he was a true and holy religious."The idea of bringing out an English life of Father Arsenius was first suggested to me by my Dominican brother, Raymund. I willingly undertook the work, not only on account of the pleasure and encouragement that it gave to me personally as a member of the Order of which Fathcr Arsenius was so bright an ornament, but also because I had come to realize how many people were deprived of the example of this holy religious, simply on account of the absence of any English biography. My manuscript was submitted to an old confrere of Father Arsenius, and the fol lowing extract from his report may be of interest; "I have experienced real pleasure in reading over again the life of Father Arsenius, with whom I lived many years both in France and in England. He was truly such as the author of his life describes him to the reader -a religious exemplary alike for his piety, his unremitting activity, and his mortification; very austere, very hard with himself, and yet with all this, very affable and very charitable towards others ....Those in particular who had the privilege of knowing him will read his life with both interest and profit."