Life of Alexandre-Vincent Jandel, O.P.: Seventy-Third Master General of the Friars Preachers

Maligned by some, praised by others, Alexandre-Vincent Jandel had an undoubtedly tremendous influence on the Dominican Order and the Catholic Church. He was a reformer in the most authentic sense of the term. Jandel entered the Order in France under Henri Lacordaire’s leadership and he was soon chosen by Bl. Pope Pius IX to reform the Dominicans internationally. The Life of Alexandre-Vincent Jandel, now in English for the first time, tells the story. Written by his longtime secretary and confidant, Bl. Hyacinthe-Cormier, this biography provides a first-hand account of the man whom Cormier compared to Bl. Humbert of Romans and Bl. Raymond of Capua. By detailing Jandel’s profound inner life, Cormier helps explain why Jandel was chosen to lead the Friars Preachers in reform and how he set about accomplishing it. In this way, Cormier provides a living example of the principals and methods that he considered to be essential to authentic Dominican spiritual life. It serves as an example of what true Catholic reform looks like – and what sort of person a true reformer is. The Life of Alexandre-Vincent Jandel, now for the first time in English, complements Bl. Cormier’s other major work, Instructions for Novices. This edition includes a new Introduction and four Appendixes: 1. An essay on the Lacordaire-Jandel debate about regular observance 2. An essay on Lacordaire’s idea of the Dominican Order 3. An essay on Jandel’s idea of the Dominican Order 4. Excerpts from Bl. Cormier’s Life of Bl. Raymund of Capua, focusing on his work of reforming the Friars Preachers