Letter 1014. To Monseigneur Alph. Louis du Plessis-Richelieu,1

Vive > Jésus!

My Lord,—The tone of your letter, and the manifest continuance I read in it of your goodwill in our regard, are balm to my heart, and fill it with reverence and with the trust of a daughter towards you. So witha heart wide open I turn to you, my Lord, to tell you candidly my thoughts about this matter [the return of our Sister de Blonay to Nessy]. Your paternal gentleness and kindness give me confidence that you will not think it unbecoming in me. Such regard and respect has God put into my heart for you, my Lord, that I would not let fall one single word, however slight, that might be displeasing to you. With this assurance then I will tell you, as our most honoured Lord and Father, that your refusal of Mother de Blonay is altogether contrary to our Institute. Each sister of our Congregation remains always subject to the ecclesiastical superior and the monastery in which she was professed, and to this we continue to adhere. Our Rule and the holy Council empower our monasteries to elect as superior, when necessary, a sister of some other monastery of our Institute. Sister de Blonay was elected in that of Grenoble, and she has not been allowed to go there These things, my Lord, are important. If this permission is refused it will be very prejudicial to the Congregation. When the harmful consequences of such an act have been laid before you, I

Verily, my Lord and honoured Father, if you do this for the sake of the preservation of our regular observance it will be pleasing to God, and will greatly oblige me. Ido not know whether it is presumption in me, but, to my mind, it will be of use to her to return for a little while to her house of profession and breathe the atmosphere of our primitive spirit; and even for your houses it will be profitable. Be then, my Lord, a little condescending and charitable, and do to us what you would wish us to do were this dear sister here, or were it some one from those of your houses who was as acceptable to you as she is to me. I humbly beg of you to accede to our request. But, if it is not your good pleasure, because of the respect we bear you we shall remain in peace.¹