Letter 532. To Mother Marie Aimée de Blonay

My dearest Daughter,—Tell me, have you received a big packet of letters that I sent you for our sister the Superior of Dijon about the end of January or the beginning of February? It contained letters of her father, the late president for the Bishop of Langres, and some of mine, and on March 4 she had not yet received it. Once more, I beg of you, if the Mother of Bourges writes to you, send her as soon as possible what we asked you to give her, without, however, taking from Madame de Vigny’s money. I ask you this because we have no money here, but I promise, with God’s help, to return it to you in a month’s time from when she received it. You ought, however, to take the eighty francs you advanced for this house out of Madame’s money. As to the matter about which the Reverend Father General has written to me, we made up our minds then and there to do it, if God wills. ... I think our Blessed Father had no other intention than that which he expressed in the Rules and Conferences. I know quite well likewise that he wished the sisters to speak with the utmost simplicity to me, though he used to say that all superiors were not fit for this confidence. But speaking to all in common, he spoke as he did, without making distinctions as to capacity or incapacity; for if he had done so the sisters, he said, would be perpetually examining the capabilities of their superiors, judging some capable and others not, so that each one would abound in her own sense and do as she felt inspired, whereas in such things, if in doubt, they ought always to ask God to enlighten them.

Now, my dearest daughter, the more I see what goes on in our monasteries as I visit them, the more I feel that these things merit great consideration, and it but strengthens my desire to see us all, we first sisters of Nessy, assemble together before I die, and resolve amongst ourselves on what we ought to do for the tranquillity of our poor houses and the stability of our dear company. What do you think? The Mother of Grenoble approves, and so does Father Rector here, to whom I have spoken. In a word, it can but be of use, were it only to see the state in which our Blessed Father has left the monastery of Nessy, and whether we have truly kept to his intentions. It would give us all strength and a thousand other advantages that I need not mention. Have prayers offered continually for this end, so that we may do nothing but what is the holy will of God. Send Father de la Riviere promptly, I beseech of you, my very dear daughter, the paper that treats of the renunciation God inspired me to make into the hands of our Blessed Father, for he is urging me to send it. I have already written to you about it two or three times.

Give Madame de Vigny’s money to M. Bataillon, the bearer of these letters, unless you have already given it to some one else. But do give me an account of all the moneys you send me; I must placeit in proper hands. Salutations, etc.

Tell me if it would be well for me to write to M. de Saint-Nizier. I shall be sorry if we lose him.