Letter 929. To Monseigneur de Revol, Bishop of
Dol in Brittany [Annecy] 14 May [1629]. Vive > Jésus!
My very honoured Lord,—I have received your letter with the respect to which it is entitled from me. You cannot imagine the comfort it has been to me, reading in it, as
I did, the tender affection of your fatherly heart for these dear souls whom divine Providence has granted to your pious desire and confided to your care. I pray the infinite Goodness to let them enjoy the happiness of possessing you, my dear Lord, for many years. And may they continue to give you, as their affection prompts, the joy and consolation you now find in their holy lives and in the filial love and obedience which they so strictly owe you—indeed, if for no other reason than for the very kind care you have bestowed upon our dear sister the Superior during her illness. In her letters to me she cannot praise your kindness enough, and she returns you a thousand humble thanks. Assuredly in every way your thoughtful and gracious charity is like unto his whom you honour with the reverence and love of a son. I beg of him to draw down upon you from the divine mercy an abundance of graces and heavenly favours, and I beg of you, my dear Lord, sometimes to give me a share of your holy Mass and prayers. I remain, my Lord, etc.1
Footnotes
-
Mgr. Antoine de Revol, formerly a canon regular of Saint-Ruf, had, on the persuasion of St. Francis de Sales, reluctantly accepted the bishopric of Dol. The Saint’s constant friendship and valued correspondence were his comfort and support in the midst of his pastoral cares. After the death of St. Francis, Mgr. de Revol bestowed upon the newly founded Visitation the veneration he had professed to entertain for its illustrious Founder. No longer finding him in person on earth, he sought, he tells us, for what was left of his spirit amongst his dear daughters. It was at the request and by means of the financial support of this worthy prelate that the monastery of Dol was founded in 1627. Until his death on August 6, 1629, Mgr. de Revol never ceased to give practical evidence, above all by constant benefactions, of his esteem for these religious. He looked upon them as the living representatives of their Founder, and he considered his diocese fortunate in the privilege of possessing them.— Unpublished History of the Foundation of Dol. ↩
Chapter 104 of 252