Letter 1635. To the Reverend Pére de Condren

To the Reverend Pére de Condren, General of the Congregation of the Oratory at Paris. [Annecy, 1639.] Vive > Jésus!

My Reverend and very dear Father,—You will have quite forgotten a poor little creature like me. Yet four years ago you kindly promised to recommend me often to our gracious Saviour, and to write once a year and send me some of your holy thoughts and aspirations. Your Reverence has only written me one solitary letter. Still, I do not wish to complain, for you are a Father who is very honoured and dear to me; but I remind you of your promise and tell you that I have a very great need of your help before God, and beseech of you to have the charity often to give it to me.

We have here a very precious pledge of your holy Congregation, Rev. Pére N., a man of rare zeal for the glory of God and the good of souls. He came to live with our confessor about ten or twelve months ago, and has done

Frangoise Jacqueline, professed in 1620, had been sent on the foundation of Saint-Denis, where she died in 165¹. Both were exemplary religious.

Our good Bishop of Geneva, whom God has but just given us, the see having being vacant for four years, has a special love and esteem for this good Father, and would very much like your Reverence to agree to his living with him. Have the kindness to allow him, we beg of you, as I believe it is not contrary to your statutes, for I know several of your fathers live in this way with bishops to assist them in the functions of their pastoral office. We expect the same favour for this good Father, who wishes to stay by obedience. I hope God will bless his sojourn here by much spiritual fruit. Is the holy work which you told me about in Paris getting on well and making progress? I sincerely hope it is, all the more because there are, I think, few who, like your Reverence, contemplate such things and have the perspicuity to succeed with them. May God give you the time and the light for so great and useful a work, and may He always lead your soul to an ever higher sanctity, and put into it some little thought of offering to the divine mercy her who remains with all respect, etc.

Footnotes

1. Sister M. Antoinette Petit, niece of M. de Coulanges, was professed at the First Monastery of Paris in 1627, and died in 1649. Her sister much good by his beautiful and devotional sermons and conferences, which have won for him all hearts both in the town and the country round. ↩