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The following is adapted from the Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church
CONDREN, Charles de (1588–1641), French theologian and spiritual director. Though intended by his father for a military career, an early vocation to a life of prayer led him to study theology at the Sorbonne. He was ordained priest in 1614, entered the Oratory in 1617, and succeeded P. de Bérulle as Superior-General in 1629. He founded houses in Nevers, Langres, and Poitiers.
His spirituality was centred on an intense devotion to the mysteries of the Incarnate Christ and on the sacrifice of the Mass, related to the eternal sacrifice of Christ. His pessimistic outlook saw in man only his sinfulness. Although he was much sought after as a spiritual director, he published nothing in his lifetime. His letters were posthumously issued in 1642 and L’Idée du sacerdoce et du sacrifice de Jésus-Christ, put together by his disciples, in 1677. He had considerable influence on J.-J. *Olier. In Britain his Eucharistic teaching came to be appreciated through the Tractarians; an Eng. tr. of L’Idée was issued in 1906.
The best collected edn. of his Works is that of L. M. Pin (2 vols., Paris, 1857–8); crit. edn. of his Letters by P. Auvray, Cong. Orat., and A. Jouffrey, Cong. Orat. (ibid., 1943). The primary source for his life is the biog. by D. Amelote (anon, 2 pts., Paris, 1643). Study (in Eng.) by M. V. Woodgate (Dublin, 1949), with bibl. Bremond, [Histoire littéraire du sentiment religieux en France depuis la fin des guerres de religion jusqu’à nos jours (11 vols., 1916–33, + index, 1936). ] 3, pp. 283–340; Pourrat, [La Spiritualité chrétienne (4 vols., 1918–28)] 3, pp. 521–5 and 551–67; L. Cognet, La Spiritualité Moderne, 1 (1966), pp. 382–90. A. Molien, Cong. Orat., in Dict. Sp. 2 (1953), cols. 1373–88, s.v., with further bibl. See also bibl. to oratorians.This Webpage was created for a workshop held at Saint Andrew's Abbey, Valyermo, California in 1990
