Memoir of Fr Chevalier, written after his death by Brother Jan van Heugten MSC, Fr. Chevalier’s valet
MANUSCRIPT, BY BROTHER BERNARDIN
(Jan van Heugten msc)
On a winter evening towards the end of 1905, when everybody, Father Chevalier included, was getting ready to go to bed as usual, I was suddenly informed that there was a fire in the chimney of his office that we had just left. Without getting upset, the good Father went quickly to bed. I hastened to have a look and especially to try to stop the fire, but this was not so easy, for there was really a very big fire in the chimney, so much so that neighbours, firemen and soldiers came around without delay.
In the meantime I heard the ringing of the little bell of Father Chevalier, as loud as possible; I had of course not thought any more of the good Father, and even less of bringing him his cup of milk which he usually drank before going to bed. Going up to his room I thought that he was going to blame me for not telling him about the situation of the fire, but no, the first thing he told me was: “What are you thinking about? Bring me quickly my cup of milk, so that I can go to sleep.” I thought: that is strange; he does not even mention the fire. I answered him: “But Father, that was not just a small fire in the chimney of your room downstairs; our neighbours, the firemen and the soldiers even came to help us.” He just repeated: “Bring me my cup of milk, so that I can go to sleep.” And he added: “That fire will soon go out by itself; it is not the first time that this happens. The only thing we can do is to let it burn; tomorrow morning it will have gone out. Just bring me my cup of milk.”
I was surprised that he was so calm. When he had drunk his milk, he told me: “It would be good to watch a bit so that they will not put everything in my room in disorder. Close the room afterwards, and tomorrow morning we will see.”
After working almost the whole night, in the morning the fire went out almost completely as the Father had told me, but the furniture and the parquet floor were in an awful state. After a few days things were repaired.
During spring a year later, on April 12[1], the good Father entered his 81st year, a year that was remarkable for its many sufferings and its merits before God. Several hemorrhages succeeded one another so that his general condition, which for his age was very good, started to decline very much, and notwithstanding the indefatigable care of his good and dedicated doctor, who tried the best medicines to make him overcome such a great weakness, his sickness became ever more serious, and everybody who saw him in that stage — except two: he himself and his dedicated doctor — thought that his precious life was in great danger. A swollen state appeared, first his legs and soon his whole body.
In that critical state – one could even say: between life and death – the good Father did not worry about his sickness but led a very active life as if he was in good health. He never failed to say his breviary and his rosary, he received people, answered many letters, and often, I think, he forgot his own sufferings to dedicate himself completely to others.
While the Very Reverend Father suffered so much and seemed to forget himself, many others thought of him and prayed for him. Fervent prayers and novenas have doubtlessly done violence to heaven. How many religious communities have offered their good works, their mortifications and their merits to obtain the recovery of the good Father; some even offered the heroic sacrifice of their life to save his life. After so many prayers and good works God permitted that the good Father was soon out of danger, even almost suddenly. Especially his swollen state disappeared in two or three days, to the great surprise of the doctors.
Soon Father Chevalier resumed his former occupations: he started to say Mass, first in his room, where he had a nice little chapel and he had the permission of the Holy Father to say Mass there, but his zeal was not satisfied, soon he wanted to go to the parish church to hear confessions there and to preach. I still see him before me: he walked, happy to meet his dear parishioners. What a joy this was for him, but also for everybody else, for who did not know Father Chevalier? Even those who were most hostile towards religion, and the poor. They were happy to meet him on his way to or from the church, for to meet him at home was not always easy. I have often noted that he gave without measure; when he found a coin of five cents, or of one or two francs, he gave what he happened to lay his hands on, often without looking how much he gave; the poor knew it very well.
The good Father continued his ministry, but God knows how it tired him. His vicars were very willing to lighten his work, especially regarding the Sunday mass, but he accepted their offer rarely; only when he was absolutely unable to do it; he considered the ministry of the mass for the parish as his personal duty, and he wanted to do it till the end.
Soon other trials followed. The anti-religious law directed its hatred not only against the churches and their cult, but also against the parish priests, and after having seen them make an inventory of the parish church – against which he protested as much as he could – some time later he had to leave his presbytery also.
Sent by Tim Brennan
[1] Fr Chevalier was born on March 15th; April 12th was the feast of St. Jules, his name-day.
