The Spiritual Writings of Raphael Cardinal Merry del Val

by Raphael Merry Del Val

Raphael, Cardinal Merry del Val, Secretary of State to Pope St. Pius X from 1903 to 1914, was born in the Spanish Embassy in London in1865, the son of a distinguished Spanish diplomat. His father's family was partly Irish, his mother's part Spanish, part English. Brought up and educated in England, Merry del Val remained devoted to the cause of the conversion of England throughout his life - writing the prayer for the conversion of England which Pope Leo XIII included in his encyclical of 1895 to the English people, Amantissima Voluntatis. When Merry del Val had gone to Rome in 1885 to complete his studies for the priesthood his potential was immediately recognized by Pope Leo XIII, who insisted that he be enrolled in the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy (for the formation of priests to serve in the papal diplomatic corps or the Secretariat of State). Merry del Val spoke and wrote faultless Latin, English, Spanish, French and Italian, while his studies at the Gregorian University and the Accademia were to give him qualifications in theology, philosophy and canon law. He was ordained priest in 1888. Cardinal Merry del Val also led a penitential, hidden life, and was a great director of souls, spending hours in the confessional, preaching retreats, receiving over forty converts into the Church in the period 1894-1904, and working tirelessly in the Sacred Heart Association he had founded for destitute boys in 1889, to protect and nurture souls. This collection of his spiritual writings focuses on his labours as a shepherd of souls; this is what he asked to have inscribed on his tomb in the crypt of St. Peter's - "souls, souls, give me souls, take all else away." The letters of direction he wrote to his penitents, converts and spiritual children demonstrate that he was a simple, practical, direct and effective shepherd and guardian of souls. These writings form a comprehensive guide to the spiritual life suitable to lay Catholics who are taking the call to personal holiness very seriously. The cause for the beatification of the Servant of God Raphael, Cardinal Merry del Val is ongoing. Harriet Murphy taught modern languages at London, Dublin, Cork and Warwick universities, publishing on Goethe and Elias Canetti, before she began research at the Secret Vatican Archives. A member of the Society of St Pius X, the Society of St Catherine of Siena, and the Latin Mass Society, she contributes to Christian Order and Mater Dei, specializing in the intersection between literature, theology and politics.

Genres: Catholic

136 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1953

About the author

1865-1930

Reviews

[Bo Majors · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a brief book with an excellent introduction to the life of Raphael Cardinal Merry del Val. The Spiritual writings are divided between prayers, of course there is the famous Litany of Humility, Letters, Speeches and Conferences; however, there is a Rule of Life which he writes to a lay person (woman suffering from sickness) and it is probably the best guideline for a Christian Rule of Life I have ever seen. St. Josemaria Escriva and others have pointed out the importance of having a rule of life when we are so very busy and I have ready a number of books and chapters of books and articles on this topic; however, this Rule of Life beats them all. The book is worth the purchase just for this chapter alone. I highly recommend this book and will continue throughout Lent to look at his Rule of Life so it becomes part of my heart.

[Jesús]

“That others may be employed and I set aside.”
—Litanies of humility.

[Noah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Before reading this book, I knew about Cardinal Del Val mainly from his authorship of the Litany of Humility and because a priest had mentioned him several times in reference to devotion to our Lady of Sorrows. There is about a 30 page introduction to the servant of God that gives background on his upbringing, priesthood, his duties serving the Vatican and certain devotional aspects of his life, along with a timeline of important dates in his life. The introduction was injured a bit by the author trying to connect Fatima, the 5th marian dogma and other topics that did not seem to flow naturally from the Servant of God (he never mentions Fatima once in the writings provided).

In the collection of writings I found the Rule of Life which is about 30 pages and addressed to a mother and wife in the world with poor health to be full of practical wisdom. The Rule he provides is much like the Rule of St Benedict: it's designed for a person working out their salvation, and takes into consideration human weakness.

I did not find this particular collection of letters as helpful as the Rule of life, however there was one or two that stood out, especially his reflection on the sanctuary lamps. What is most impressive was his manner of writing which appears to be full of kindness and genuine humility.

Then there are his various addresses to women's conferences, seminarians, novices and spiritual conferences. His thoughts on neo-paganism (a term he uses often) and the evils present in modern society are very helpful. Topics of devotion and obedience are honest and practical, for example: on needing to keep a supernatural view of things when superiors make mistakes and even commit injustices. The conference on Blessed Sacrament was most profound, but the conference on the Blessed Virgin Mary read more as a long colloquy.

The great dynamic in these writings is the kindly attention on the individual and the clear teaching on the impact of those personal decisions on society.

These writings proved most helpful to me, especially right now with what is happening in the Church and in the world. I hope to continue to learn from this humble Servant of God, as I reread his writings again in the future

[Pater Edmund · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful book. Merry del Val's spirituality is simple, intense, and luminous.

[Nana · Rating 5 out of 5]

January

[ShepherdsDelight · Rating 4 out of 5]

82/100 (= 4.7/6) ≈ 4 Stars