Letter 1320. To Mother Jeanne Charlotte de Bréchard

Superior at Riom.

My dearest Daughter,—What a sad affair this is! But it is well brought home to the guilty one.t May God in

1 The Saint’s strong action in regard to one of her daughters necessitates exposure of the facts. Mother de Bigny, Superior at Moulins, fell dangerously ill of dropsy, and the doctors ordered her the waters of Bourbon as the only hope of cure. Buta rule of the Institution forbade the sisters to seek remedies outside their enclosure, and informing the physicians of this she refused to comply with their prescription. Rather than infringe the Rule she preferred, she said, to succumb to the illness. Her family, one of great influence at the French Court, upon hearing this, induced the Bishop of Autun to oblige her to take the waters. Not daring to oppose his will (the Visitation communities being under direct obedience to their Bishop), Mother de Bigny regretfully set out for Brittany, taking with her two elderly sisters of irreproachable virtue. During their sojourn out of their monastery, relates an eye-witness, ‘ these three religious gave nothing but edification to seculars. They never left their humble lodging save through necessity, and then nothing could exceed the simplicity and modesty of their demeanour.’ On their return from the waters, Mother de Bigny, believing it to be the wish of the Bishop, who was greatly desirous that she should be completely cured, yielded to the entreaties of her brothers (who were devotedly attached to her) to visit their country house near Moulins. Here, as at Bourbon, her conduct was irreproachable, so that the people used to say: ‘Everywhere the daughters of Holy Mary distinguish themselves; when in the midst of the world they are never seen to adopt its manners, and on all sides they inspire respect and reverence.’ Notwithstanding this praise of the private life of Mother de Bigny, so grave an infraction of the laws of enclosure cannot be justified. But how far removed was this fault from the extravagant behaviour imputed to her, such as travelling as a princess, wearing white satin shoes, and such like. However, these calumnies spread, and were believed by people of reputed good sense, who wrote to St. Jane Frances beseeching her to remedy the abuses which afflicted the community of Moulins. God permitted that the Saint [and Mother de Bréchard] should give credence to these lying reports, and take in consequence rigorous action against the accused. Still the tribulations that now accumulated upon the head of Mother de Bigny seem to have been lessin punishment of her fault, of which she deeply repented, than a consequence of an act of generosity on her part. Expressing her opinion on this point, Mother Anne Marie de Lage de Puylaurens [Superior of the Visitation of Poitiers], who was present at her death, says: ‘Sister Marie Angélique [de Bigny] told me in confidence that about a year before this persecution she felt interiorly urged to strive to attain to a great purity of heart and entire detachment from created

His goodness give her the grace to enter into herself so that she may ask to be deposed from her charge. For my part, I have no doubt whatever but that the Bishop of Autun ought to remove her, so that the other monasteries may know that such misdemeanours are not allowed to pass without exemplary punishment. These are my views, and she should ask to be deposed, in order that the affair may pass more amicably in the outside world and with her family. It must also be made known, for the edification and instruction of our monasteries, that she has been removed from her charge of Superior in punishment for a breach of enclosure. This is the chief point. Now to come to the end, I have written to the Bishop of Autun and to his Vicar-General, for without these two nothing can be done. I tell you this because if you have zeal for the glory of God and the good of the Institute I consider it is your duty to go to Moulins. We, who are infirm, are not always so ill that we cannot very well render some service to God and to our Order, when His goodness puts an important affair like this in our way. If, however, you are incapable of so long a journey, I think Father Charles will not refuse to give Sister [de Préchonnet] the Superior of Montferrand leave to return there, which will be very necessary in case she [Mother de Bigny] may acknowledge that all the things that have been made known to you and that you have things. But knowing herself to be too weak to correspond with such a grace, she had offered God a free hand over her to let Him give her suffering, humiliation—to use her as He pleased. Since her death we have found a paper in which she had written this absolute surrender of herself to God in these words: ‘‘ First: May Thy Providence alone, O my God, be my sole and perfect repose; though isolated and at enmity from all but Thee, let me never count the cost. Second: May Jesus crucified be my perpetual model and the occupation of my spirit. May His Cross be my surety. Third: May the love of humiliation be my life in Thee, O my God. Fourth: May illness, labour, contempt, misery, heart-writhings, and extreme poverty come whenit pleases Thee. Behold, my Lord, I am ready.”

‘God accepted this offering, and Mother de Bigny passed through inexpressible sufferings and humiliations. When they came upon her she only saw in them the carrying out of the designs of Providence; and although she had most legitimate reasons to allege for going out of enclosure, as it was in answer to obedience, she never justified herself.’— Archives of the Visitation of Annecy.

written to me are indeed true, and this being so she may make use of the letters I am writing to have the assistance and authority of the Bishop of Autun so that a suitable remedy may be applied to the trouble in that house.

Had I health and were I at liberty, I would not ask either of you to do this. But for you it is only a journey of a day and a half; whereas it would take me seven or eight days. Should the Bishop of Autun be absent, you can write to him when forwarding my letters, and should you know of some father in religion or some priest suitable for assisting you upon this occasion, ask for him, so that what you consider desirable for the good of the monastery of Moulins may have the advantage of his authority. But be careful to have my sister the Superior [de Bigny] deposed as amicably as possible, both for the repose of minds and the satisfaction of relatives. After this she should be transferred to some other monastery. Autun would probably be the most convenient.

As to providing the monastery of Moulins with another Superior, I see no one more suitable than Sister de Chastellux. She has been re-elected at Bourg, but she has not accepted the charge until she knows whether his Lordship of Autun, her superior, will agree to it. She has been with us here for the last fortnight, and will still remain some time. So if the Bishop of Autun wishes to send her to Moulins she will be free to go, and we will try to provide some other suitable Superior for the monastery of Bourg. Such, my very dear daughter, is what I have to say on the subject on which you wrote tome. God grant we may be able to repair the harm that has been effected. Let your manner of acting in this affair, I beg of you, be in accordance with the spirit of our Institute. Act witha holy liberty, for so much writing and sending backwards and forwards only delays affairs.

If you cannot go to Montferrand, be so kind as to communicate the contents of this and my other letters to you to sister the Superior of Montferrand, in case she is employed to remedy this affair. May God put His good hand to it and give you both His spirit! You have judgment enough to settle the matter fittingly without applying to me. But, my dearest daughter, you will have to put aside all private feelings and act independently. I say this on account of what you wrote to me of your wish that Mother de Bigny should not know that you are mixed up in the affair, because of her kindnesses and charity to youin thepast. But thisis not acting from charity. To act from charity is to have no other interest or consideration than the glory of God and the good of the Institute. Be firm, I conjure you, on this point

You know how completely and without reserve I am yours, etc.