Letter 1520. To Madame Matilde of Savoy,?
at Turin. [Annecy] 4 November, 1637. Vive > Jésus!
Madam,—The return of your messenger has brought us the news of your indisposition. It would have greatly distressed us did we not see in it the good pleasure of God, which ought in all things to be our sole end, and did we not hope that His sovereign goodness will restore to you your former health and spare you for many years. Then will you be enabled to bring to perfection for His glory the good work that His providence has entrusted to your care. The sisters have offered up a Communion, and we have given you and will continue to give you our humble prayers for this intention.
As to our travelling from here—believe me, the desire which in your devotion you have expressed, Madam, that we should visit you, is reciprocated by us. We are most anxious to pay you our respects and to offer to you and to your worthy son, the Marquis, our very humble obedience. But Pére dom Juste writes that our journey has to be delayed for a month because Rome must be written to again in order to get certain difficulties cleared up. We, too, had already written to say that we cannot leave before the 22nd of this month, owing to the affliction that has come upon us in the death of our good Mother Superior here, Péronne Marie de Chatel, whose loss we keenly feel, for hers was a soul wherein God truly reigned. She is a great loss to our Institute, above all to this monastery, and to me in a very special manner. But we submit lovingly, though sorrowfully, to the most holy will of God, which in all things we must adore, trusting that His divine Majesty will make up to us for all He takes from us. This I beseech Him to do from my heart, and to pour down upon you, Madam, and upon your illustrious house His choicest blessings. Such is the wish of her who remains, with most respectful affection, your very humble, etc.12
Footnotes
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Mother de Chatel, who had just died. ↩
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Madame Matilde of Savoy, daughter of Duke Emmanuel Philibert, had in her youth desired to become a religious. Against her will she was betrothed to the Marquis d’Albigni, of the house of Simiane, who soon left her a widow. Both in her married life and her widowhood she was the victim of political parties, and her one consolation was her only son, the Marquis de Pianesse. The thought of her rejected early vocation pursuing her with remorse, she had recourse to Our Lord and He deigned Himself to instruct her as to the expiation He required of her for her past infidelity. He gave her a distinct inspiration to found a religious house. So manifest did His will appear to her that she straightway promised to carry it out. She wrote at once to Mother de Chantal, under the guidance of Pére dom Juste, and besought her to come quickly and make a Foundation. This desire of the Princess having been successfully accomplished, she asked Mother de Chantal to receive her as a lay-sister in the First Monastery of Annecy. But Our Lord had other plans, and called her without further delay to the reward He had prepared for her in heaven in recompense for her past good works and her present good intentions.— Unpublished History of the Foundation of Turin. iN ↩
Chapter 157 of 252