Blessed Edouard Poppe: a Priest Forever
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| "I would rather die than serve God half" |
The life and work of this beloved Belgian saint belongs to the vast family of saints and blesseds surrounding the Wounded and Sacred Heart of Jesus. Bl. Edouard’s motto was: "I would rather die than serve God half,” conveying how his spirituality was serious, masculine, and throughly evangelical. Edouard Johannes Maria Poppe was born December 18, 1890 in Temse, Belgium to Désiré and Josefa. As the third child of eleven (and eldest son), Edouard was meant to succeed his father in their baking business but at an early age he sensed the call to the priesthood to which his parents gratefully consented. From his mother, grew a natural sense for prayer and kindness, while from his father developed a manly strength and love for hard work. Edouard learned theological life in the heart of his own family, where the prayers of the parents and their living charity endowed him with a special sensitivity for the poor & a deep sense of sacrifice, justice, and human dignity.
When Edward was 9 years old Pope Leo XIII issued the encyclical letter Annum Sacrum, in which he decreed that the entire human race be consecrated to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. This public consecration took place on June 11, 1899, spurred on by the request of Our Lord to Blessed Maria Droste Zu Vischering (Maria of the Divine Heart). On March 20, 1902, Edouard made his First Holy Communion and received confirmation at the age of 12. Four years later Edward entered the St. Nicholas Minor Seminary in Waas. Upon commencing his formal journey to the priesthood, Edouard’s joy was unbounded and, as he wrote to his sister, he resolved to become a priest after the Heart of Jesus. Shortly after entering the minor seminary, his father died suddenly when Edouard was just 16. While he considered it his duty as eldest son to carry-on the family business, his father had made his mother uphold their promise to allow Edouard to answer God’s call to the priesthood. Twice Edouard was summoned to military service in the midst of World War I, interrupting his seminary studies and depriving him of regular reception of the Sacraments. Placed among faithless young men who subjected Edouard to derision because he wanted to be a priest, he better understood the strength and courage Catholic men needed in the military, drawn from regular reception of the Eucharist and like-minded friendships. This experience prepared him for his later ministry as chaplain to Catholic seminarians and religious conscripted for their mandatory service. Finally, in 1915, Edouard obtained an exemption from Cardinal Mercier, Bishop of Malines, to withdraw from active military duty and resume his seminary training.
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| Poppe, top row, rightmost |
As a seminarian, Edouard is reminded that the priest is called to actively participate in the sufferings of Christ in a vocation of generous love and self-sacrificial abandonment. Consecrating himself to the Heart of Jesus, Edouard accepted all that the will of God deigned for his life. Writing to his sister in religious life, he said “knowing that I will be crowned with thorns, that a spear will pierce my heart, that I will be hurt and humiliated both corporally and spiritually ... I will not give up my vocation, but I'm counting on your maternal help. Make me another Christ.” On May 1, 1916, Edouard was ordained to the holy priesthood and consecrated his entire ministry to the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus as a victim soul for sinners so that, in the celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, he would practice what the Angel of Fatima was requesting at nearly the same time. In the second apparition, the Angel of Fatima implored the children to “offer sacrifice to God in reparation for the sins by which He is offended, and in supplication for sinners.” Father Poppe knew that it was "by prayer, sacrifice and communion” that that we can “bring the Divine Heart of Jesus to triumph over the world”. This constant desire of his was in harmony with the Honor Guard of the Sacred Heart which desires to love, honor, and console Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament by the offering of one’s life of prayer, penance, and charity.
Father Poppe radiated a simple and modest interior, whereby his joy and empathy were revealed in a face full of intelligence and kindness. He loved living a simple and modest life, depriving himself of his possessions in order to aid the poor of his parish of St. Coleta, even to the extent of pawning away his beloved violin to help a needy woman while her husband was imprisoned. Writing to a brother priest, Father Poppe said:
“Let us ourselves be examples and expect everything from the sacrifice of ourselves! Without this personal sacrifice , we will never be able to pour on the souls the graces of the Sacrifice of Jesus. Our life is very short and we have to be so penetrated with the Spirit of our priesthood, that our life is nothing less than a life of victim, all consumed for souls… it can cost what it wants, ‘Paratum cor meum'; my heart is ready”.
Along with the reigning Pontiff - Pope St. Pius X - Father Poppe devoted much effort to the sanctification of children through catechetical instruction and Eucharistic devotion. Within a year of his ordination, he founded the League of Communion of Children for the purpose of loving Jesus, sanctifying oneself, and setting a good example for others. The Eucharistic Heart of Jesus was the fount of grace for this movement and, by June of 1917, Father Poppe’s parish saw piety flourish and the League increase to 90 children. Ever attuned to the integral link between the Heart of Jesus and the Eucharist, Father Poppe had the joy of giving first communion to 21 children on the Feast of the Sacred Heart, 1917.
After two years of fervent priestly ministry in the parish of St. Coleta, Father Poppe suffered the first in a series of heart attacks on May 11, 1919, which necessitated that he be given an assignment where he could receive more rest and care. As spiritual director to the Sisters of Charity in Moerzeke and chaplain at their home for the aged, sick, and orphaned, he continued to suffer serious relapses and was often bedridden. Despite his illness, Father Poppe spent much time in Eucharistic adoration and established the Belgian branch of the Eucharistic Crusade of Pope Pius X from his sickbed. His priestly heart saw a profuse outpouring of spiritual concern for souls from which came a large number of articles, books, and letters concerning evangelization in the face of rising secularism, Marxism, and materialism. He was a man of deep prayer, living always in the presence of Our Lord, while also feeding his mind with books on theology, Mariology, spirituality, and the lives of the saints. Indeed, a turning point in Edward’s spirituality was his visit to the tomb of St. Thérèse Martin in 1920 where, according to his own testimony, he received “the greatest grace of his life” - the Little Way of the Little Flower. A few years later, as his health stabilized, Father Poppe was re-assigned to be spiritual director to priests and seminarians fulfilling their military service as nurses in the army. Father Poppe enjoined them always to "comfort Jesus. Take your crucifix and kiss the Five Wounds in reparation. Above all, embrace the Heart that has suffered so much from the sins of today.”
It was Bl. Marie Deluil-Martiny, a fellow Belgian and foundress of the Congregation of the Daughters of the Heart of Jesus, helped establish the Association of Victim Souls, among whom was counted Father Poppe. He saw his priesthood inseparable from his victimhood, seeking to sanctify his own life and aid in the sanctification of his parishioners and fellow priests. He wrote:
“I burn for the coming of the reign of God in priestly souls. I burn, but I am so poor that I will be consumed before the coming of the desired reign.”
Father Poppe developed a special relationship and friendship with the Daughters of the Heart of Jesus at Berchem, whose charism was to promote devotion to the Sacred Heart and pray for priests. In one letter to the sisters he wrote:
“I implore you, then, in the name of the entire priesthood, the mystical Heart of Jesus: be generous, come to our aid.”
The cult of Eucharistic devotion and the Sacred Heart have common characteristics which are preeminent in each devotional movement. In the Belgian church, the all-male League of the Sacred Heart (Ligue du Sacre Coeur) was a driving force for the promotion of frequent, devotional reception of the Eucharist in reparation for the sins of mankind which wound the Sacred Heart. Father Poppe’s bishop, Cardinal Mercier, was an ardent supporter of this movement throughout the First World War, wherein empathy and sympathy could be found for the war-torn country in the suffering Heart of Jesus.1 In 1917, Father Poppe wrote the following words reflecting both his love for the Blessed Sacrament and the Sacred Heart:
"That Host is my God, my Creator…My Master… My Bridegroom! He sees me...He thinks about me. . . He loves me...What else could He do? For God is love. I may not be worthy of it, but He is love!"
For this young priest, every liturgical action was a sacred moment, by which the priest allows others to see God's love present in him and thus experience it themselves. Father Poppe’s own nation of Belgium holds the blessed distinction of being the first country to be consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus on December 8, 1875. That year the cornerstone of the Sanctuary of the Sacred Heart was laid in Berchem-lez-Anvers, Belgium and was solemnly dedicated in 1878. During the lifetime of Father Poppe, Belgium was again consecrated to the Sacred Heart by Cardinal Mercier, in the presence of the King and Queen, after the ravages of World War I. Father Poppe lived and preached with a loving zeal for the souls entrusted to his paternal care. Urged to reawaken the waning faith, hope, and love of his countrymen, he prayed earnestly:
"O my Jesus! Where are You still loved? My poor Jesus, where do You still find a heart to rest Your tired head? My poor Savior, I seek souls that console You, souls that delight You: alas! they leave You, while You are there waiting for them, Your hands full of mercy.” He hoped that many would become "consolers of the pierced Hearts of Jesus and Mary. They are so unloved.”
Father Poppe, his state of health demanding further rest and convalescence, returned to his mother’s home in December of 1923, where he remained for the final 6 months of his short life. Undergoing subsequently more severe heart attacks, with brief interludes of improvement, Father Poppe suffered with great peace and confidence, especially in the loving care of Our Lady. His devotion to Mary was characterized by his understanding of her as a living monstrance for Jesus, by which she was the preeminent channel of God’s graces (the title, Mary Mediatrix of All Graces, being a special devotion of his). As Father Poppe’s fatal condition grew evident, many came to visit the invalid in his room, among whom was an elderly woman who besought from him some souvenir or image by which to remember him. The young priest, handing her the crucifix by his bed, said: “Here is my picture, pray that I will be like it!” On his sickbed, Father Poppe was plagued by doubts regarding his priestly ministry - whether he had done enough to advance the Kingdom of God on earth - but his steadfast living of the Little Way of St. Thérèse saw his confidence in God’s loving mercy never waver. Just before his death, Father Poppe was asked by a priest-friend whether he would like to live longer. With conviction, Father Poppe replied that he was offering himself as a victim “for you, for my spiritual sons, and for all the priests”.
A faithful servant of Jesus to the end, Father Poppe was received into the eternal embrace of that Heart he loved so much, imitated so dearly, and preached so ardently on June 10, 1924. His last earthly moments united him to his Eucharistic Lord in Extreme Unction and, with a look of loving surrender at the statue of the Sacred Heart nearby, he surrendered his soul to God at the age of 33. "I never asked the Lord that I might live to an old age," he said, "but only that men might love Him and that priests might become holy.’”
Beloved by so very many who mourned the death of this young priest and martyr for love, his Bishop, Cardinal Mercier, shared their grief, revealing that there were two people during his lifetime that had shone with profound holiness: Pope Pius X and Father Poppe. In an intimate and loving letter, Cardinal Mercier wrote to Poppe’s mother, saying:
”You could not have wished for a more amiable and more virtuous son. He bore Christ not only in his soul, but in his language and in his features; one could not enter into conversation with him without feeling better. May the Sacred Heart grant you the grace to accept your trial courageously. My condolences will naturally consist in sacrificing Holy Mass for his intention, but I will not hesitate to call in his intercession, because I am convinced that your beloved son was a saint and that the God of Peace already has welcomed him into glory.”
This warm tribute eloquently captured the essential qualities that had animated the life of Bl. Poppe: the Sacred Heart, the Holy Eucharist, the Sacrifice of the Mass, and the immolation of a life in love with Love Itself. For six days large crowds of devotees came to pray before the body of this holy man and recommend themselves to his prayers. Father Poppe was buried in his hometown of Moerzeke on June 16, 1924. The Diocesan process for his beatification was opened on December 12, 1945 and Papal approval was given for his beatification in 1959. A voluminous amount of testimony was received from ecclesiastical authorities and laity - including the King and Queen of Belgium - attesting to the extraordinary holiness of Father Poppe. The most eloquent homily of Father Edward is his own life. The effectiveness of Father Poppe's apostolate was rooted in a deep interior life, whereby the heart of this priest personally knew the merciful love of God and translated it into an effective love for his fellow man. The strength of his apostolate came from his contemplative love for the Eucharist, especially the celebration of the Holy Mass, where he participated intimately in the self-giving action of our Savior’s Sacred Heart.
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Resources consulted:
Piety and Modernity by Anders Jarlet
Don Edoardo Poppe, Eucaristía e Santità sacerdotale by Salvatore Raho
http://www.heiligen.net/heiligen/06/10/06-10-1924-edward-poppe.php
http://edouardpoppe.e-monsite.com/pages/vie.html
http://www.samuelephrem.eu/article-marie-deluil-martiny-115219400.html
http://crc-resurrection.org/liens-utiles/archives/carnets/avent-2015-avec-labbe-edouard-poppe/
http://www.clairval.com/lettres/en/2001/05/13/2160501.htm
https://www.tongerlo.org/2016/06/06/de-zalige-edward-poppe-1890-1924/
http://www.nrt.be/docs/articles/1963/85-7/2010-Le+serviteur+de+Dieu,+l'abbé+Édouard+Poppe.pdf
http://en-eduardpoppe.weebly.com/his-life.html
http://lesalonbeige.blogs.com/my_weblog/2014/09/vêture-ou-limportance-du-signe-de-croix-.html
http://vultus.stblogs.org/2009/06/a-young-priest-for-priests.html
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