Letter 1336. To M. Noé Brulart, Commander de Sillery

To M. Noé Brulart, Commander de Sillery, at Pans. [Annecy] 14 August [1634]. Vive > Jésus! My very honoured and most truly dear Father,—I hope, please God, you have by now received my long letter.

I put it in the packet addressed to M. de Coulanges, which contained several letters about the death of Madame de Coulanges. ...

You may take it for certain that we received no news of the matter about which that house seems so pleased with itself. I have spoken openly at recreation about the charity of our sisters of the town? and written of it to the faubourg, for they did not give me notice of this secret.

I am indeed greatly consoled at the holy union that exists between you and the good Archbishop,® to whom it is, manifestly, an unbounded pleasure and satisfaction. He is the only one who has written to me about our church of the town (which indeed is your church). He is charmed with it and says it ought to be called Sainte Marie de la Rotonde. Our good Father [St. Francis de Sales] liked to see churches beautiful and well adorned, out of reverence, he used to say, for Him who dwells there in so admirable a manner. And nothing, methinks, could give me greater pleasure than such a work as this of your charity and industry.

I have already written to you about the affairs of our Blessed Father. Pére Dom Maurice is not without hope; he has, he tells me, work for a year or two in making translations, copying attestations, and other necessary preliminaries. While he is employed in these, Our Lord will bring about some means of proceeding with the cause.

Verily, my most dear Father, it is an immense and real consolation to see the houses of the Visitation founded with subjects who are of solid virtue and character such as are those dear sisters who are going to Le Mans.* I do not

A word to good Mother Angélique, whom I look upon as belonging to us in Our Lord notwithstanding that we so seldom write to one another. May God in His sweet mercy give you many years of life for the service of His glory and the happiness of our Congregation. Amen. I remain yours wholly in His love, etc.

Have you not heard, my very dear Father, of the journey to the Baths of the Mother of Moulins? and of the promenades? It is a subject of ridicule both in and out of her convent. We have asked the Bishop of Autun to depose her, for it has given scandal to all who know of it. Lacka-day, a good mortification and humiliation for us! God grant we may profit by it, and in all things may His holy will be done.

The Bishop of Geneva has given orders to my sister of the faubourg? to go to Rennes and put that house in order. Unless she is confined to her bed, I am sure she will go.

Yes, indeed, M. Guichard is a very worthy man and a capable servant of God. He will be with you now, and will give you the rest of our news.¹²

Footnotes

1. Probably the monastery of Moulins. See note to Letter 1320. * Throughout her letters the Saint always calls the first monastery of Paris ‘the town,’ and the second monastery ‘the faubourg.’ ‘The town’ was remarkable for its great charity to the other houses of the Order, but we do not know to what specific act of kindness the Saint. here alludes. ↩

2. The Archbishop of Bourges, the Saint’s brother. ‘4 The monastery of Le Mans, founded on July 31, 1634, owed its existence to the zeal and liberality of the Countess de Ferriéres. Mother A. M. Bollain, Superior of the First Monastery of Paris, overjoyed to second this lady’s pious desires, sent religious of great virtue to the new know what can be done to put a stop to this eagerness for making foundations. Each house very often only thinks of unburdening itself of its crowded members. I am particularly sorry that they settle in small towns, where sufficient spiritual assistance cannot be procured, and where there is a lack of temporal funds. It will ruin our Institute if their Lordships, our Bishops, are not firmer and more watchful in preventing this; yet it is often they themselves who desire to have our houses. However, divine Providence can, if it so wills, secure the necessary provision. [Here follows personal advice for the Commander’s own spiniual welfare, already published in ‘Selected Letters,’ page 214.| foundation, amongst whom were specially remarkable the Superior, Sister Marie Anastase Pavillon, and Sister Barbe Marie Bouvard. Mutual support and charity reigned in the new community; the sisters vied with one another in practices of humility and mortification until it became prudent to moderate, rather than encourage, their fervour. The aroma of their holy lives soon spread beyond the convent walls and gave the sweet perfume of edification to the world outside—History of the Foundation of Le Mans. 1 See note to Letter 1320. 2? Mother M. J. Favre. R ↩