The Mood of the Journey
The historical background helps convey something of the mood in which Father Colin set out on his first journey to Rome.
His purpose was to present a plan for something new and hitherto unforeseen in the life of the Church. He was coming with a sense of relief that, having fulfilled his vow, he could now leave all in the hands of God. And, not least perhaps, this visit touched a very deep chord in his own life of faith.
Mayet wrote, in 1845:
When he was a young cleric, when he thought of the Society, Fr Colin would say: Rome, Rome, Rome. That word alone made his heart beat and electrified him. To him, it was like the name of his country for the exile, like the name of the harbour for a lost ship, like the cry of deliverance for a prisoner.
It was in a mood of expectation and enthusiasm that Father Colin set out for Rome on the morning of Thursday 29 August 1833, along with Fathers Chanel and Bourdin.