Be holy, and urge all your confrères to be holy (…). Be holy as Jesus was holy; it is the one and only means of redeeming and sanctifying souls. Let the Spirit of Jesus animate all your actions; let Him shape every sentiment of your soul; let Him soften and moderate every impulse of sharpness in the mind, every harsh or rigid feeling of the heart — in a word, everything passionate or disordered within the soul (…). May He communicate to your heart the gentleness and humility of which the divine Master has given us the example.

François Libermann (N.D XIII, 143-144)

1828 | Senegal

Blessing of the Cathedral at Saint-Louis. The Prefect Apostolic is L’Abbé Girardon.

1870 | East Africa

Spiritans open a noviciate for local sisters at Bagamoyo, to be run by the Daughters of Mary from Reunion.

1903 | France

A letter from Emile Combes, the Minister of the Interior and of Religion, informs Mgr. Le Roy, the Superior General, that the authorisation of 12 Spiritan houses in France has been refused. Le Roy writes to the confreres; “By this letter, 12 of our houses have been close simultaneously. This means that 300 priests and brothers, of whom 100 are old or sick, and 1,500 children and young people are suddenly without a home”.

1930 | Makurdi

Bishop Charles Heerey of Onitsha introduces the German Spiritans to the Catholics in Makurdi town and celebrates Mass to officially inaugurate their work.