SOURCE MATERIAL FOR ST. PAUL OF THE CROSS

1.  THE SPIRITUAL DIARY OF ST. PAUL OF THE CROSS

This is the oldest preserved document of St. Paul of the Cross, written at the behest of his former confessor and spiritual director Bishop M. Gattinara, Bishop of Alessandria.  In it the saint recorded his interior lights and insights that occurred during a retreat in a cell near the sacristy of the church of St. Charles in Castellazzo between the dates of November 23, 1720, and January 1, 1721.

Although the original manuscript was unfortunately not preserved, a reliable handwritten copy of the diary is kept in the Passionist archives in Rome.  Published in 1867 for the first time, it has since been republished and translated into other languages.  Worth mentioning are the Italian editions of Fr. Stanislao, which included a detailed commentary and appeared in Torino in 1926; E. Zoffoli’s critical edition of 1964, with its German translation of 1976; and three English translations.

Since, on the one hand, the diary is one of the most important sources providing insight into the doctrine of St. Paul of the Cross and since, on the other hand, its original text has not been preserved, it is necessary to relate something about the copy’s origin and reliability.

Paul turned the original manuscript over to Bishop Gattinara, who in turn left it in the possession of Canon Sardi, a young friend of the saint. Two or three weeks prior to Paul’s death, the Passionists asked Sardi to send the diary and other writings of the founder to Rome.  In a letter dated October 14, 1775, Sardi replied that he hesitated to send the desired documents to Rome for fear they be lost in the mail (the documents included not only the diary but also many letters written by the saint to Bishop Gattinara and to Sardi himself).

Some time after the founder’s death, Fr. John Mary of St. Ignatius again asked Sardi to send Paul of the Cross’ writings to Rome.  Sardi first deliberated with his friends, the Earl of Canefri and Fr. John Baptist Stortiglioni and decided to send the diary along with four or five letters of the saint (addressed to Bishop Gattinara) to the Capuchin Fr. Cherubino da Voghera, who was preaching in the cathedral at Todi. Fr. Cherubino was to deliver the papers to the Passionist bishop of Todi, Thomas Struzzieri, who was then to take the documents to Rome on his next occasion to travel there.

Fr. Cherubino, however, never received the documents.  Inquiries and investigations at the post offices of Alessandria, Bologna, Narni, and Todi were to no avail.  The original manuscript of Paul’s spiritual diary and some of his letters had been lost en route.

Fortunately, Canon Sardi was a very prudent man, and he himself had made a handwritten copy of these important papers.  In a written statement, confirmed by oath, Sardi testified that the respective copy was written “in his own hand” letter by letter in conformity with the original, except for superfluous errors made in the course of transcription. Later this copy became the property of the Passionist Generalate in Rome, where it is preserved today.

This is the oldest preserved document of St. Paul of the Cross, written at the behest of his former confessor and spiritual director Bishop M. Gattinara, Bishop of Alessandria.  In it the saint recorded his interior lights and insights that occurred during a retreat in a cell near the sacristy of the church of St. Charles in Castellazzo between the dates of November 23, 1720, and January 1, 1721.

Although the original manuscript was unfortunately not preserved, a reliable handwritten copy of the diary is kept in the Passionist archives in Rome.  Published in 1867 for the first time, it has since been republished and translated into other languages.  Worth mentioning are the Italian editions of Fr. Stanislao, which included a detailed commentary and appeared in Torino in 1926; E. Zoffoli’s critical edition of 1964, with its German translation of 1976; and three English translations.

Since, on the one hand, the diary is one of the most important sources providing insight into the doctrine of St. Paul of the Cross and since, on the other hand, its original text has not been preserved, it is necessary to relate something about the copy’s origin and reliability.

Paul turned the original manuscript over to Bishop Gattinara, who in turn left it in the possession of Canon Sardi, a young friend of the saint. Two or three weeks prior to Paul’s death, the Passionists asked Sardi to send the diary and other writings of the founder to Rome.  In a letter dated October 14, 1775, Sardi replied that he hesitated to send the desired documents to Rome for fear they be lost in the mail (the documents included not only the diary but also many letters written by the saint to Bishop Gattinara and to Sardi himself).

Some time after the founder’s death, Fr. John Mary of St. Ignatius again asked Sardi to send Paul of the Cross’ writings to Rome.  Sardi first deliberated with his friends, the Earl of Canefri and Fr. John Baptist Stortiglioni and decided to send the diary along with four or five letters of the saint (addressed to Bishop Gattinara) to the Capuchin Fr. Cherubino da Voghera, who was preaching in the cathedral at Todi. Fr. Cherubino was to deliver the papers to the Passionist bishop of Todi, Thomas Struzzieri, who was then to take the documents to Rome on his next occasion to travel there.

Fr. Cherubino, however, never received the documents.  Inquiries and investigations at the post offices of Alessandria, Bologna, Narni, and Todi were to no avail.  The original manuscript of Paul’s spiritual diary and some of his letters had been lost en route.

Fortunately, Canon Sardi was a very prudent man, and he himself had made a handwritten copy of these important papers.  In a written statement, confirmed by oath, Sardi testified that the respective copy was written “in his own hand” letter by letter in conformity with the original, except for superfluous errors made in the course of transcription. Later this copy became the property of the Passionist Generalate in Rome, where it is preserved today.
 

Read the Spiritual Diary of St. Paul of the Cross here