Letter 1745. To Mother Marie Aimée de Blonay

To Mother Marie Aimée de Blonay, Superior at Bourg-en-Bresse. [Annecy, 1641.] Vive & Jésus! My dearest and ever beloved Daughter,—I see you have received the tiny note. We wrote it only three days ago 1 This vow of St. Jane Frances de Chantal continues in force in the Institute of the Visitation until the present time. The practice of offering communions settled by her has been jealously preserved, and the union she hereby cemented will last as long as her congregation.

and sent it by a Franciscan friar. It was to tell you that the Bishop has written to his Eminence asking to have you here. We know not what his answer will be. May God in His goodness make it tend to His glory!

Now I must own to you, dearest daughter, that I am greatly astonished to see the letter of the Superior of Moulins [Mother M. H. de Chastellux], saying that I have promised to go there, and giving good Father Michel-Ange to understand that I had proposed this to you. This is just how it came about: after several pressing letters on the subject of my going to Moulins, and urgent entreaties to the same effect from Madame de Montmorency, I scrupled about making further resistance, both on account of the reasons given and in deference to the request of a lady of such virtue and merit. I, therefore, replied to both sister the Superior and Madame de Montmorency that I was subject to obedience, and that if they made known the cogency of their reasons to the Bishop of Geneva and he in consequence commanded me to go to Moulins, I would submit to the will of God made known to me through my superior. That is the whole of my promise.

The Mother and the counsellors of Moulins wrote asking me to give them a Superior, excellent, of unusual solidity, mature in age and in religion, with long experience in the guidance of others, gentle, of great wisdom, great sweetness and tact in managing characters.

Of a truth, daughter, I could but smile to see how well they depicted the Superior they wanted, and I said to the Mother in reply that, thank God, there were indeed subjects enough in the Institute possessing many of the good qualities they asked for in a superior, but of only one did I know who possessed them all, and that as fully as they could desire, and that was our dear Sister de Blonay: but that she was by no means at my disposal, so it lay with her sisters in the Institute to judge whom they thought most suitable. I assured them if she was not engaged that I would do the little in my power to procure her for them, and I said that meanwhile I would give them the names of those on whom I thought they could rely, as, for instance, the deposed

Superiors of Nevers, of Orleans, and Sister de la Martiniére, who is to be deposed at Blois. In answer to this letter the good Mother of Moulins, who is a little ardent in her desires, wrote me a grand letter of thanks for having promised that I would go to Moulins, and spoke also of you, as if I had given some assurance as to you. She did not even make an allusion to the three others whom I had proposed to them. Oh, believe me, daughter dear, but I gave her a good answer, and let them know quite plainly that your dear person is in the hands of such high authorities that we have of ourselves no power in the matter, so all the more reason had we to recommend the others. As for the rest, quite a year ago I was always writing to know if we could have you here, and now at the end of all my trouble I am as wise as I was at the beginning, so I resign it all, beloved daughter, into the hands of God. His goodness knows how we long for you here, but we know not the designs of Providence.

Nevertheless, if it should please Him to take you from your present charge and send you to Moulins, He is sovereign Master. Great is the solace of my soul to see your perfect indifference as to whether you go or do not go, so long as it be the good pleasure of God. This is the right disposition which I desire for your beloved heart.

As we are in such a state of uncertainty, you must, dearest daughter, consider into whose hands you will commit the charge of your house if God ordains that you should quit it, and this I should like you to tell me. I know that your sisters would be very glad to have the Superior of Moulins again, but I do not think they can get her. Our sisters of Vannes who belonged to Moulins desire her, and need her. The house of Moulins has certainly, dearest daughter, some fairly difficult characters, but the charge is not to be feared in regard to Madame de Montmorency. I can see that this good Father does not know her, although he calls her a saint, and truly she is one. The presence of this virtuous duchess is a happiness and an honour to the house of Moulins and of incredible utility to it. She is no Court lady, her heart and her affections were never there. She does not sleep nor eat with the sisters, but lives in a separate part of the building below the inner court—proof of the bad management of the late Sister M. A., who spent plenty of money on building it—and it is quite out of communication with the sisters. There this virtuous lady sleeps and eats without the sisters having anything to do with it. She hears Mass in the choir, but she very rarely goes amongst the sisters; even so the aroma of her great virtue is/felt by them, but it is not desirable that she should be alone. She wishes to see no one, yet how can it be avoided but that such a lady should have some following, and how can we prevent her from finding the door of our house open, considering she is with us by royal authority? It is, I repeat, an incomparable blessing to our house to have this holy princess. Tell this to the good Father, and that she is no cause of distraction to the convent, nor is it any more occupied in serving her than if she were not there. She has so great a veneration for the religious exercises that she will not permit a sister to be late even for the beginning of the Office on her account. I have seen this myself, and I was charmed with her.

Alas, my daughter, how distressing and how contrary to enclosure are these goings and comings from one monastery to another! I have already had an account of the recreation, and I am very glad that his Eminence showed them where they were in fault. I have written my opinion about it, and about some other little things, and I await the return of the tradesmen to see their reply. I beg of you to have the usual prayers said for one of our own sisters of the second house who died yesterday. Her namé is M. Agnes. We have not yet received the letters which you say you wrote nearly a fortnight ago.

P.S.—Dearest daughter, one of the fathers, or some one else I cannot quite remember, tells me that his Eminence has no liking that you should return to Lyons, and that you would not be proposed there. Consequently, the Bishop of Geneva wrote and we are hoping for a favourable reply, unless they do not wish you to come here either, but I do not think that. The idea, however, has occurred to somebody; that is why, if it were so, we should try to get you for Moulins. I mean to say that we would not prevent it, and being out of the diocese we should then be able to recall you. All this is very hard for me to bear, but God permits it for our good. May He be blessed! A Father who knows Bellecour well told me that Sister was more feared than loved there, and that there is no doubt the majority of the community desire to have you. I beg of you write very cordially to the Mother without showing anything. But to the sisters only write in reply without letting them see anything but your great friendliness.