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Venerable Pierre Toussaint—Apostle of New York
Biography of Venerable Pierre Toussaint Born in 1766, Pierre Toussaint, his family and grandparents were domestic slaves of the Berard family on the French island colony of Saint-Dominique (now Haiti ). The Berard family treated their slaves more kindly than most French colonists and encouraged young Pierre to read and to learn the violin. When it became clear that a revolt was imminent in the 1780’s, Jean Berard, his wife, Marie, and her two sisters emigrated to New York City . Pierre, his aunt and sister, Rosalie accompanied them. Once they settled into a three-floor, 21-year old Pierre learned English and did most of the family shopping. Mr. Berard arranged to have Toussaint apprentice to a hairdresser. In those days hairdressers went to the homes of their patrons. Women’s hairstyles in those days were quite elaborate. Pierre was popular and successful in his profession. He was known as a cheerful person, gifted with good sense, integrity and wisdom. “Most of the ladies would have been even more pleased if Pierre had dropped a morsel of gossip now and then. But he remained a master of evasion when he knew one patron was curious about another’s affairs.” (Pierre Toussaint, Apostle of Old New York, Ellen Tarry) In his conversations with his customers, Toussaint sometimes quoted scripture, explained Catholic doctrine and recited from memory lengthy passages from various religious books. “More and more Pierre found himself being requested to serve people who were prominent in local as well as international circles…. Pierre often wondered if his patrons had forgotten he was a slave, as he sometimes found himself being called upon to advise these prominent persons on matters of the strictest confidentiality. It was ironic to be engaged in an industry where his services were sought by persons from the highest walks of life, to be consulted even on matters of state, and at the same time to be the property of the family he was supporting. Over and over Pierre reminded himself that his saving grace had been the fact that he had never felt enslaved.” (Pierre Toussaint, Apostle of Old New York, Ellen Tarry) As well known and respected as he was, however, Toussaint walked to his appointments since blacks were not allowed to ride the public horse-drawn omnibuses. In 1789, however, tragedy struck the Berard household. Jean Berard journeyed to St. Dominique and asked Pierre to take care of everyone in New York . He promised to do so. While in St. Dominique, Mr. Berard died suddenly of pleurisy. A short time later, the New York firm in which the Berards had invested failed. They were left without any funds. Some of his friends advised Toussaint to abandon the Berards. He, however, was faithful to the promise he had made to Mr. Berard.. Pierre chose to support the entire household on his own earnings. Not only did he care for them financially, but he did all he could to bring joy and serenity to them. He also saved money to buy the freedom of his sister, Rosalie, and her friend, Juliette Noel, who worked in the Berard house. Finally, on her deathbed, the dying Marie signed the papers granting Pierre his freedom, saying, "You have done much more than your duty. You have been everything to me. There is no earthly remuneration for such services." In 1811, Pierre and Juliette married at St. Peter’s Church in Manhattan . Abandoned by her husband, his sisters Rosalie gave birth to a daughter, Euphemia in 1815. She and her daughter moved in with the Toussaints. Rosalie died of tuberculosis several months later. Pierre and Juliette adopted Euphemia, whom they cherished as if she were their own child. In all his trials Pierre was sustained by his faith in God. He began each day by assisting at the 6:00 a.m. Eucharistic Celebration of the Mass and became good friends with the pastor. Besides a long day of work and time spent with his family, he cared for the needy, raised funds to build a new church, open an orphanage and start a Catholic school for black children. During the yellow fever epidemics, he risked his own health by taking care of the victims. Cardinal O’Connor once said that he believed Pierre Toussaint would be canonized because of the suffering that he accepted, the sufferings that he united with the sufferings of Christ. Perhaps his greatest sufferings were the loss of the family that he deeply loved. His adopted daughter, Euphemia, died of tuberculosis when she was 14 years old. When his wife became gravely ill with cancer, Pierre took care of her and sought delicacies to please her. At night after he was sure she was comfortable, he would kneel at the prie-dieu in the alcove outside their bedroom and beg for God’s help. “Some nights when the dying woman could not sleep, she would weep at the sight of Pierre kneeling before the crucifix outside her room. The flickering flame from the lamp sometimes made a noise as it burned out and reminded Pierre that he had been kneeling for hours. He would tiptoe into the room where Juliette lay and kiss her forehead lightly. Once he made sure the shutters were secure so as to keep out the light, he would go to a nearby bedroom and try to sleep. (Pierre Toussaint, Apostle of Old New York, Ellen Tarry) (p. 331) His very beloved wife died of cancer in 1851. Toussaint gradually gave over his business to two young men he had befriended and trained. He continued his works of charity and went to Mass daily until his health began to fail and he was bedridden. Pierre Toussaint died in 1853. In 1968 Terence Cardinal Cooke of New York notified the Vatican regarding the sanctity and good works of Pierre Toussaint. Then on December 5, 1989 , John Cardinal O’Connor formally opened the cause for his canonization. Toussaint’s letters and writings were studied and various persons testified to their knowledge regarding his holiness. In 1990, Pierre ’s remains were exhumed from the cemetery of Old St. Patrick’s where his body had been buried. They were re-interred in a crypt beneath the main altar of St. Patrick’s Cathedral on New York ’s Fifth Avenue . On December 17, 1996 , Pope John Paul II bestowed the title “Venerable” on Pierre Toussaint, thus bringing him closer to canonization. Further Reading Internet Links Pierre Toussaint’s Spirituality in Practice Pierre’s Charity “There were more homeless black boys whose plight was brought to his (Pierre’s) attention. He would take them to 105 Reade Street (his home) and make sure they were fed and sufficiently clothed to protect them against the weather, which all of the Haitians found discomforting. Then he would give them chores around the house until he could find a job for them in some of the homes he visited. If the boys had no place to sleep, he would provide a pallet for them in the kitchen until other arrangements were made. Pierre often wondered why there were so many homeless black boys and so few homeless black girls. But the girls would have presented a different problem, and Pierre was grateful that it was only the orphaned boys he had to provide for. The females who did appeal to Pierre for help were usually French refugees whose pride prevented them from accepting public charity. The tactful manner in which Pierre had protected Madame Bérard’s reduced circumstances gave courage to other French ladies who found themselves destitute, and they found occasion to pen Pierre plaintive notes begging his understanding of their plight and whatever help he could give them. Sometimes they asked for money, other times for firewood, food or a position. Whatever the request, Pierre found a way to honor it.” Pierre’s Grief After the death of Euphemia, Juliette knew Pierre was wracked by grief, and she struggled to push aside her own sorrow in order to console him…. Then the break Juliette had been praying for came. It was as unexpected as a deafening bolt of lightning zigzagging across a clear blue sky. Pierre was smiling when he came home that evening. She could not remember seeing a smile on her husband’s face since Euphemia’s death. Juliette was glad she had prepared an appetizing meal in spite of the fact that Pierre had been pushing his plate aside with half the food uneaten, and, though he always apologized, Juliette worried because she knew he had begun to keep a grueling schedule again. Pierre’s wife watched him as he ate heartily and then asked for a second cup of chocolate after pastries. Juliette poured herself another cup and returned to the table. “Stupid, stupid Pierre!” he began. “I won’t listen to such talk,” Juliette put her hands over both ears. “I keep thinking God took Euphemia. He did not take her—he gave her to me and let her live for almost fifteen years. He let me hold her like a beautiful gift to me.” “God gave her to us,” Juliette reminded him. “Forgive me,” Pierre begged. “I have been so wrapped in my own grief, I lost sight of your sorrow. And you had her from the day she was born. This morning at church it was as if a voice was whispering—The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. Then I remembered how you said Dr. Berger insisted she would never live. He even told me that. But God heard my prayers and let her live. Do you realize those were the happiest years of my life?” “And mine,” Juliette added. “We were blessed to have had her,” Pierre repeated, but Juliette, seeing him emerge from his sorrow, vented her own grief. “My dear wife,” Pierre embraced the weeping woman, “God will sustain us. And we must take it as God sends it.” Juliette smiled through her tears. “Rosalie and Euphemia would expect you to say that.” The End of Pierre’s Life One day when Eliza Hamilton Schuyler went to see Pierre , she wrote of her visit: “Toussaint was in bed today; he says it is now the most comfortable place for him, or as he expressed it in French, ‘Il ne peut pas entre mieux.’ “He was drowsy and indistinct, but calm, cheerful and placid—the expression of his countenance truly religious. He told me he had received his last Communion, for which he had been earnest, and mentioned that two Sisters of Charity had been to see him and prayed with him. “He speaks of the excellent care he receives—of his kind nurse (she is a white woman)—and said “All is well.” He sent me away when he was tired, by thanking me.” This same friend visited Pierre again on June 26, 1853 . She wrote: “I saw him on Sunday; he was very low and neither spoke nor noticed me…. On Monday when I entered, he had revived a little, and looking up, said, ‘Dieu avec moi ’—God is with me. When I asked him if he wanted anything, he replied with a smile, ‘Rien sur la terre’—Nothing on earth.” The above excerpts taken from Pierre Toussaint, Apostle of Old New York , Ellen Tarry Prayer to Pierre Toussaint for Charity Pierre Toussaint, you practiced an extraordinary compassion and charity and shared your kindness, wisdom, prayers, time, and means with countless persons. I sometimes find it difficult to be charitable, especially with… or in these circumstances…. Obtain for me from God the virtue of charity. Then I may rejoice one day with God and all his saints in heaven. This I ask in Jesus’ name. Amen. Prayer to Pierre Toussaint in Times of Suffering Venerable Pierre, throughout your life you experienced many difficulties and sufferings. In order to obtain peace and the strength you needed, you turned to God in personal prayer and in the Eucharistic celebration of the Mass. I too face difficulties and suffering. Please help me. Teach me to turn to God in my need. Obtain wisdom and inner peace for me and ask God for the graces I request at this time…. All this I ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.
By Ellen Tarry When Pierre Toussaint died he left no relatives, yet crowds of mourners attended his funeral Mass at St. Peter's on Barclay Street . How did this humble man, born a slave in St. Dominique (now Haiti ) in 1766, touch the hearts of so many people? He was brought to New York as a young man and learned the trade of hairdressing. With the money he earned, he purchased the freedom of others instead of his own. When the Berards, his master's family, fell on hard times, Pierre supported them from his own earnings. His skill as a hairdresser made him popular with New York 's elite families, and Pierre used this network of friends to raise funds for building St. Patrick's Cathedral. For many years he took in homeless boys and taught them a trade. Throughout his life his only wish was to be an apostle of goodness to everyone he met. In the sorrow and suffering that entered his life, Pierre turned to God for help and strength, attending daily Mass for sixty years. Almost two centuries before Vatican II, Pierre Toussaint lived its message: that holiness is meant for everyone. In December 1996, Pope John Paul II declared him "Venerable." Paperback / 384 pages / Dimensions: 5 1/4" x 8" / ISBN: 0819859109 Vocations · Support the Pauline Mission · Job Opportunities Copyright © 1999-2004, Daughters of St. Paul. All Rights Reserved.
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