Born
in 1814, Alphonse Ratisbonne was from a family of wealthy, well-known
Jewish bankers in Strasbourg, France. In 1827, Alphonse’s older brother,
Thèodore, converted to Catholicism and entered the priesthood, thus
breaking with his anti-Catholic family whose hopes now lay in the young
Alphonse. At 27, Alphonse was
intelligent and well mannered. He had already finished his law degree,
and decided to travel to Italy before marrying and assuming his
responsibilities in the family business. However, God had other plans
for him.
While in Rome, Alphonse visited works of
art, and strictly out of cultural curiosity, a few Catholic churches.
These visits hardened his anti-Catholic stance, and nourished his
profound hatred for the Church. He also called on an old schoolmate and close friend, Gustave de Bussières.
Gustave
was a Protestant and several times had tried, in vain, to win Alphonse
over to his religious convictions. Alphonse was introduced to Gustave’s
brother, Baron de Bussières, who had recently converted to Catholicism
and become a close friend of Father Thèodore Ratisbonne. Because of the
Baron’s Catholicism and closeness with his turncoat brother, Alphonse
greatly disliked him.
On the
eve of his departure, Alphonse reluctantly fulfilled his social
obligation to leave his calling card at the Baron’s house as a farewell
gesture.
Hoping
to avoid a meeting, Alphonse intended to leave his card discreetly and
depart straight away, but was instead shown into the house. The Baron
greeted the young Jew warmly, and before long, had persuaded him to
remain a few more days in Rome. Inspired by grace, the Baron insisted
Alphonse accept a Miraculous Medal and copy down a beautiful prayer: the
Memorare. Alphonse could
hardly contain his anger at his host’s boldness of proposing these
things to him, but decided to take everything good-heartedly, planning
to later describe the Baron as an eccentric.
During Alphonse’s stay, the Baron’s close
friend, Count de La Ferronays, former French ambassador to the Holy See
and a man of great virtue and piety, died quite suddenly. On the eve of
his death, the Baron had asked the Count to pray the Memorare one
hundred times for Alphonse’s conversion. It is possible that he offered
his life to God for the conversion of the young Jewish banker.
A few days later, the Baron went to the
church of Sant’Andrea delle Fratte to arrange for his friend’s funeral.
Alphonse reluctantly went with him, all the while making violent
criticisms of the Church and mocking Catholic practices. When they
arrived, the Baron entered the sacristy to arrange the funeral while
Alphonse remained in the church.
When the Baron returned just a few minutes
later, the young man was gone. He searched the church, and soon
discovered his young friend 
kneeling
close to an altar, weeping. Alphonse himself tells us what happened in
those few minutes he waited for the Baron: “I had only been in the
church a short while when, all of a sudden, I felt totally uneasy for no
apparent reason. I raised my eyes and saw that the whole building had
disappeared. Only one side chapel had, so to say, gathered all the
light. In the midst of this splendor, the Virgin Mary appeared standing
on the altar. She was grandiose,
brilliant, full of majesty and sweetness, just as she is in the
Miraculous Medal. An irresistible force attracted me to her. The Virgin
made a gesture with her hand indicating I was to kneel.”
kneeling
close to an altar, weeping. Alphonse himself tells us what happened in
those few minutes he waited for the Baron: “I had only been in the
church a short while when, all of a sudden, I felt totally uneasy for no
apparent reason. I raised my eyes and saw that the whole building had
disappeared. Only one side chapel had, so to say, gathered all the
light. In the midst of this splendor, the Virgin Mary appeared standing
on the altar. She was grandiose,
brilliant, full of majesty and sweetness, just as she is in the
Miraculous Medal. An irresistible force attracted me to her. The Virgin
made a gesture with her hand indicating I was to kneel.”
When de Bussières talked to Alphonse, he no longer found a Jew, but a convert who ardently desired baptism. The
news of such an unexpected conversion immediately spread and caused a
great commotion throughout Europe, and Pope Gregory XVI received the
young convert, paternally. He ordered a detailed investigation with the
rigor required by canon law, and concluded that the occurrence was a
truly authentic miracle.
Alphonse
took the name Maria Alphonse at baptism, and, wishing to become a
priest, was ordained a Jesuit in 1847. After some time, and at the
suggestion of Pope Pius IX, he left the Jesuits and joined his brother
Thèodore in founding the Congregation of Our Lady of Sion, dedicated to
the conversion of the Jews. Father
Theodore spread his congregation throughout France and England, while
Father Maria Alphonse went to the Holy Land. In Jerusalem, he
established a house of the congregation on the plot of land where the
praetorium of Pilate had formerly stood.
The two brothers died in 1884, both famed and well-loved for their exceptional virtues.
By Armando Santos
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