"Father Kohl is a particular friend of the Bishop's," Monsignor Schrattenbach had told him, "and the success of St. Peter and St. Paul's church is critical to the health of our diocese, which is why the current situation is intolerable. We all feel that something must be done." He paused, gauged his moment, then continued, "The central issue appears to revolve around the role of St. Hugh."
"St. Hugh!" Brother Timothy had exclaimed, "what ...er ... why?" He was at a loss for words. So the Vicar General had explained.
"The bones of this English saint have brought honors to this diocese, even the Archbishop in Prague has written about the cures and other miracles being performed here in Brno. There has even been talk of a Synod of Cardinals assembling here to hold a formal mass for the Saint, and asking for his help in the upcoming war with Prussia. So you see how important the Saint has become?"
"Yes, of course," Brother Timothy had replied, "I had no idea that those few bones had become so ... well ... so popular."
"Such is the power that the Saints have over us all," Msgnr Schrattenbach had sighed, not completely understanding matters of faith himself. "But that brings me to a critical issue; where these bones are currently located."
"Aren't they in St. Thomas'?" Brother Timothy had asked.
"That is true," Msgnr Schrattenbach had said, "and that is also the problem. Since the Saint is now attracting this much attention, his bones must have a place of higher honor, not a lowly church on the edge of the diocese. He must be housed in a setting appropriate to the role he is now being asked to play."
"And where would that be?"
A smile played around the corners of the Monsignors lips. "Why, in the most important church in Brno!" he had said.
"St. Peter and St. Paul's?"
"I knew you would understand!"
"So, what is the problem, why don't you just move them?" Brother Timothy had asked, still mystified.
"It is not that simple," he had been told, "let me explain why." He took a chair beside the monk, and gave him a short history lesson.
"In 1806, right after the battle of Austerlitz, in which the French and Napoleon defeated the armies of Austria and Russia, a badly wounded French soldier was nursed back to health right here in Brno. After all, it was only 20 kilometers from the battle field at Slavkov, and he was not alone; many other wounded men were similarly treated. What was unusual about this soldier, however, was that he stayed.
"His name was 'Duroc' and, after he had regained his health, he left the French army, changed his name to 'Druer' and married a local widow."
"Druer," Brother Timothy had exclaimed, "Gustav Druer the wine merchant?"
"His father," Monsignor Schrattenbach had laughed. "Apparently this 'Alain Duroc' or 'Anton Druer', as he now became, knew something of wines, being from the Burgundy region of France, so he set himself up in the wine trade using the widow's money. He was quite good, and even tried to sell wines to my father, but that was his main problem; he was French and had no social standing. He found it hard to gain acceptance from the local gentry."
"So what did he do?"
"To make himself more acceptable, Anton Druer donated to St. Thomas' church, on perpetual loan, the bones of Saint Hugh of Lincoln; an English saint and a somewhat obscure one, but never-the-less a real canonized saint from the 12th century and a major acquisition for a humble diocese like Brno."
"How did a French revolutionary soldier get hold of the bones of an English saint?" Brother Timothy could not help asking.
"I don't know," the Monsignor had admitted with some irritation, he hated missing pieces in a puzzle, "but the effect was the one he wanted. Druer became a respected member of Brno society, his wine business flourished, and Brno got a patron saint."
"Which brings us to the present day," the Monsignor went on, "For sixty years the bones of St. Hugh lay in a reliquary in St. Thomas', and, apart from the faithful, no one particularly cared. But, now that the bones are once again performing miracles, they must be moved to a more prominent location. Father Kohl and the parish of St. Peter and St. Paul's are much more suitable guardians of such a popular icon than is St. Thomas'."
Brother Timothy couldn't help asking, "Why is there a difficulty? Couldn't the Bishop simply order them moved?"
"It is not that easy," he was told with an irritated snort. "For one thing there is the Druer family to consider. Gustav Druer, Anton's son, will have to be persuaded that the move is a proper one."
"I know Druer," Brother Timothy had said, "if he was approached in the right way, I am sure he would agree."
"I am of the same opinion," said the Vicar General, much better informed of Druer's financial plight than the monk, and in a much better position to exploit the fact. "And Father Kohl would welcome the bones into his care without any problem. No, the real difficulties are twofold; Father Vitezslav at St. Thomas' can be expected to object most strongly, but I think I can deal with him, the second difficulty however, is more serious; the faithful followers of Saint Hugh."
"They will object to the bones being moved?"
"Most vocally," he had been told, "In the last few years a strong and very active cult has grown up around those bones and the power of St. Hugh to carry messages to heaven. These believers are very dedicated and will oppose anything that might disturb the saint and make his power leave. A move from St. Thomas' to St. Peter and St. Paul's will be attacked as unnecessary and possibly a heresy against the saint himself. Even the Bishop could not persuade these people if they set their minds against it."
"So, what do you intend to do?"
"Strike first," he was told, "arrange for a miracle of my own. Before the bones can be relocated to St. Peter and St. Paul's something has to happen that is so miraculous and so definitive that it will be taken as a sign from the Saint himself that he wishes to stay at the new parish. This event has to be so unquestionably profound, that not even the most fanatic of his followers can object."
"I see," said Brother Timothy, thoughtfully, "and what is that miracle to be?"
"That is where I need your help."