Letters 122–138

Letter 122

To Mother Mary of the Nativity Herson. The Saint assures her that he

willingly forgets certain past grievances.( 1 )

[1662] J. M. J.

My dearest niece and beloved daughter:

I read your letter with great joy and consolation, and with all my heart do I forgive and forget entirely all that has taken place. I ask but one thing of you, that you faithfully serve our most benign Saviour and His most bou ntiful Mother, and that you love them with your whole heart.

Most cordial greetings to your good Mother Superior and all my dearest daughters.

If they wish to gratify me and make me very happy, they should welcome back the poor orphan whom they sent away.

Live Jesus and Mary.

John Eudes,

Priest of the Congregation of Jesus and Mary. (1). The grievances in question here were probably those arising from Mother Patin's refusal to furnish Father Boniface with money. In that case, this letter, which carries no date, would have been written in 1662.

Letter 123

To Father Louis Faucon,(1) known as de Sainte Marie, successor to Father Thomas Manchon as Superior of the Rouen Seminary. On the

poverty of his house

[1663]

Our Lord makes us poor in order to grant us the grace to be in conformity with Him, and to give us an opportunity to humble ourselves, become submissive to His most holy will and place all our trust in Him. Therefore, let us trust in Him without reservation, my dear brother, and also i n our most Holy Mother. She is the one who gave us the house in Rouen; there is no likelihood of her having placed us in a house to allow us to perish there of hunger. She is too good for that, and she certainly does not lack power, since she is very powerful in heaven and on earth. Then have recourse to her; nevertheless, do not fail to do, for your own part, whatever you can. (1). Born at Aulnay in the diocese of Bayeux in Normandy, Father Faucon (1624-1675) entered the Congregation of Jesus and Mary in 1653. He labored in the Coutances and Evreux Seminaries up to the time he was appointed superior of the Rouen Seminary, in 1663. Father Faucon died on March 16, 1675. Les Fleurs de la Congrégation de Jésus, et Marie, Vol. 1, P. 47

Letter 124

Father John Avenel's Appointment to Lisieux

J. M. J.

November 14, 1663.

Our dearest brother Father Avenel(1) will live in our house in Lisieux, where he will teach the fourth or fifth class, according to the decision of the superior.

JOHN EUDES, missionary priest of the Congregation of Jesus and Mary. (1). This letter was written the year Father John Avenel (1638-1684) entered the Congregation of Jesu and Mary. After teaching at Lisieux College he was appointed bursar of the Evreux Seminary i n 1675. He died on July 3, 1684. Cf. Fleurs, Vol. X, P. 89.

Letter 125

To Cardinal Grimaldi,(2) Archbishop of Aix. On the organization ot the

Congregation of Jesus and Mary

[January or February 1664] My Lord:

I cast myself at your Eminence's feet to beg your holy blessing and to thank you infinitely for the favor you did us in writing to Rome. I also beg you in all humility to continue to honor us with your goodwill and protection, since it is true that, through the grace of God, we seek only the glory of His Divine Majesty and the salvation of souls. (1). This letter was written from Meaux, at the conclusion of the mission preached there by St. John Eudes in 1664. It began on the least of the Epiphany and closed at the end of the first week in Lent. (2). The Cardinal (1597-1695), wrote in the Cardinal Prefect of the Propaganda requesting wider faculties for St. John Eudes and his missionaries. The nequest was not granted. Cf. Boulay, Op. cit, Vol. 3, PP. 438-448,

To broach the main subject at once, I shall state the following facts, in compliance with your Eminence's order to me:

1. Our four houses (in Caen, Coutances, Lisieux and Rouen) are united in a single Congregation under the same rule and guidance. No detriment results from the dependence of each upon its own prelate, who exercises over it the same authority that he has over all other persons and places under his episcopal jurisdiction in that diocese.

2. The superior of each house is chosen by the superior general of the Congregation and presented to the bishop of that particular diocese for his approval and confirmation, if he finds him acceptable; if not, another must then be presented to him.

3. Everyone in the house, our own members as well as the seminarians, is under the direction of the superior of that particular house.

4. We have sufficient funds only for the support of our own members, and until God inspires our prelates with the will to do what your Eminence has done for your seminary, or provides i n another way, the seminarians must pay their own room and board, which in Coutances amounts to two hundred livres; in Caen and Lisieux, where living is not so cheap, two hundred fifty livres; and i n Rouen, where expenses are still higher, three hundred livres.

5. Since our houses form a Congregation which is under the guidance of one superior, its members are sent from one house to another, as in other congregations-a practice which is necessary and most useful for several reasons. They are also taken from all the houses to participate in the missions, according as they are needed, for some of them grow weary of being constantly in one place; they dislike listening always to the same preachers; some form dangerous attachments; and frequently differences of disposition make these changes imperative. It is necessary for all these reasons that the seminaries be united and under a single direction, in order to insure their subsistence and their usefulness to the Church. It was for this reason that St. Charles established the Congregation of the Oblates to which he entrusted the direction of his seminaries.

I do not have at hand the rules of our seminaries. However, these are the principal ones: Rising is at 4:30, and prayer begins at 5:00, continuing until 6:00. Then the Little Hours are recited by the whole

Community, after which, three times a week, an account of the morning meditation is given. Then each one retires to his room.

From 10:00 to 11:45 a class in theology is taught.

At 11:45, the litany and examination of conscience take place, followed by dinner.

After dinner there is recreation until I:30, and then liturgy or chant class.

At 2:00 are Vespers and Compline; from 3:00 to 4:00, theology for the ordinands.

From 4:00 to 5:00 there is a lecture on the Manual, given to the cures.

At 5:45 are Matins and Lauds, and the Litany of the Blessed Virgin; then supper and recreation, which continues until 8:00.

At 8:00 cases of conscience are propounded for half an hour; then night prayers are said and the subject for meditation is read.

The signal for retiring is given at 9:30, and everyone goes to bed.

High Masses are sung twice a week, and Vespers on all Sundays and feast days.

A spiritual conference is given once a week, and Saturday evenings there is a meditation on the Sunday Gospel, instead of the cases of conscience.

We are bringing to a close this mission [at Meaux] on which God has showered wonderful blessings. His Lordship of Châlons, in Champagne, is asking us to give one in that city at the beginning of next October, but I do not know yet whether we shall be able to undertake it. I am returning to Caen to give a mission, after Easter, in Le Cotentin.(3). (3). At Ravenoville in the peninsula of Lower Normandy called Le Cotentin.

Letter 126

To Father James de la Haye de Bonnefond.(1) On the Cretteville ( 2 )mis

sion, in the diocese of Coutances

[Autumn of 1664]

We are giving a mission now in Le Cotentin, in the parish of Cretteville-en-Beauptois, where President de Franctot is spending the vacation, and God is lavishing extraordinary blessings on i t . Although it has rained almost constantly during our six weeks here, and despite floods on all sides and extremely bad roads, there arc nevertheless large crowds in attendance at the sermons and other exercises of the mission. The rush to the confessionals is so great that many persons from four and five leagues distant are seen to remain three or four days at the feet of the confessors, from morning until night, without eating or drinking, and so moved to contrition that those who hear their confessions have no trouble at all in influencing them to renounce their bad habits, all the occasions of sin and every other obstacle to salvation. They say, consequently, that they have never seen a mission wherein graces from heaven were so abundant. It should encourage us to labor for the salvation of so many poor souls who perish daily. Help us, too, my dear brother, to bless Our Lord and His most Holy Mother for all the favors they are conferring on our little Congregation; they are surely very great. (1). Father James de la Have de Bonnefond (1634-1711), joined the Congregation of Jesus and Mary in 1658. He was superior of Rouen in 1666 and of Caen in 1670. Three years later he left for Rome where he tried in vain to obtain the approbation of the Congregation. St. John Eudes appointed Father de Bonnefond his vicar in 1679. He died on August 22, 1711 at the age of 78 years. Cf. Les Fleurs de la Congrégation de Jésus et Marie, Vol. 1, P. 287. (2). A village in the district of Coutances in Normandy.

Letter 127

To One of His Spiritual Children, After an Illness. On obedience to

the divine will

Help me to thank Our Lord and His Holy Mother for having delivered me from a severe illness-it was pleurisy- which lasted only a week. Help me also to ask them to give me to the divine will so completely that I may never use a single moment of the life it has granted me except to do everywhere and in all things what is most pleasing to it. I am most edified *and comforted by your obedience to that adorable will. Remain firm in this holy disposition. I entreat Our Lord to strengthen and increase it in you more and more.

Letter 128

To the Priests of the Rouen Seminary. To announce to them the

nomination of their new superior, Father James de la Haye de Bonne

fond

[1665]

After praying intensely that I might receive the grace to know the adorable will of God with regard to the superior whom I had to send you, I decided that there was no one better fitted than our dear confrere Father de Bonnefond. He ranks high in virtue and piety, he is very wise and prudent, he has learning, and he has served as bursar, which makes him better qualified to be superior. He i s extremely reluctant to accept, but his reluctance is joined with obedience, which are two indications of his capacity for this position. For it is a maxim that whoever cannot obey is not fit to give orders. Furthermore, he has no failing to prevent him from giving good example. Finally, he knows how to get along with people. Thus he has all the qualities necessary in a superior, which are very rarely found in one person.

Letter 129

To Father James de la Haye de Bonnefond, Superior of the Rouen Sem

inary. On the mission at Châlons-sur-Marne.( 1 )

Châlons, May 22, 1665 This mission is beginning where the others end, that is to say, with great fervor. The church, a very large one, is always filled for our sermons, as on Good Friday. We are hopeful of great fruits ; they are already abundantly in evidence. I have as much strength again to preach as I ever had, thank God; so far I have preached almost every day. Our two brothers, Father Blouet and Father Yon, are beginning to relieve me on the days when I give lectures to large groups of ecclesiastics and religious; for his Lordship. of Châlons(2) is seeing that all the Orders are represented there-the Augustinians, Benedictines, I]Dominicans, Franciscans, and Jesuits. (1). Capital of the Marne Department, thirty miles south of Rheims. (2). Bishop Felix Vialart de Herse.

Letter 130

To Mother Margaret Frances Patin. She had informed him of the

apostolic approbation of the Order of Our Lady of Charity

Paris, October 11, 1665. J. M. J.

I thank you with all my heart, my dearest Mother, for the wonderful news you sent me; m y joy is too great for words. Infinite thanks be for ever rendered to the most Blessed Trinity and our most amiable Jesus! Eternal thanks to His most Holy Mother, who is also ours! Immortal thanks to our honored Sister Mary des Vallées, who contributed so much to this splendid success! Immortal thanks to all the angels and

saints, particularly St. Francis de Sales! Blessing after blessing upon everyone who labored to achieve it!

Let us rejoice in Our Lord, my dearest Mother; let us rejoice, my dearest Sisters. May these favors from heaven animate us to love our most bountiful Jesus and our amiable Mother more fervently, as well as to serve them more faithfully, through the practice of sound virtues, especially humility, obedience, charity, and above and beyond all else, zeal for the salvation of lost and abandoned souls. It is in this that you can manifest still more the love you bear Him Who sacrificed Himself for their sake, as also your desire to please His most charitable Mother.

In conclusion, I am sure that you have sung our holy Alleluia. Ah, how I should like to sing i t with you, my dearest Mother and daughters, and to bring you a sacred relic of the holy martyrs who were the companions of St. Dionysius, one that I obtained for you from Madame de Montmartre.(1) I have not forgotten you, my dearest Sisters, although you appear to have forgotten me entirely, inasmuch as I have had no word from you since I left Caen. I assure you that each day I bring you upon my shoulders to the holy altar as my poor lambs, and in my heart as my dear daughters, that I may sacrifice you, one and all, with our adorable Host to the praise and glory of the most Holy Trinity, and do a number of other things for you which would take too long to write, Please read this letter, my dearest Mother, to all our Sisters, and do not forget in your prayers one who is truly, in the most Holy Heart of Jesus and Mary, my dearest Mother, Devotedly yours, JOHN EUDES, missionary priest. (1). Frances Renée de Lorraine, Abbess of the Benedictine Monastery of Montmartre. See Letter 149.

Letter 131

To Mother Margaret Frances Patin. The Saint recommends some pious practices

with respect to the dying

[1666] J. M. J.

My dearest Mother:

I am very sorry to learn about the illness of our dear Sisters, especially my dear Sister Mary of the Holy Spirit; but the most adorable will of God be done everywhere and in all things. Please assure her, my dear Mother, that I am particularly mindful of her at the holy altar, where I am not forgetting any of the other sisters either.

Whenever one of our Sisters is in danger of death, it would be well to have some of the others divide among themselves the exercises in preparation for death which arc contained in Part Seven of The Kingdom of Jesus, in order to say them for the sick person, who should be told what is being done so that she may agree to it and unite herself with the exercises in heart and in will. I beg you, m y dear Mother, to tell this to all our Sisters, that they may keep it in mind.

My most cordial regards to all of them, and many thanks for their prayers for this mission, upon which God is lavishing such abundant blessings. I am with my whole heart, my dearest Mother,

Letter 132

To Mr. Augustine Le Haguais.(1) On the mission at St. Peter's Church

in Caen, and the course to follow in his adversities

April 1, 1666 Sir, our dearest and beloved brother:

It is true that God in His goodness has liberally showered a great abundance of graces on our mission, contrary to the expectations and opinions of our friends and ourselves, who would never have dared to hope for what we have witnessed. To God alone be the honor, glory and eternal praises for it, and to the Mother of grace who, after God, is its primary source. Let thanks be rendered also to her dearest Son Who has contributed greatly to it by His blessings. You have good cause, my dear brother, to rejoice over it and to help us thank divine mercy, since we share alike the good and the evil.

Yes, indeed, the good and the evil. For, if our benefits and blessings afford you joy, your troubles and persecutions grieve me, and more deeply than I can tell you. But it is a great comfort to me, my dear brother, to see the graces that God is granting you in the midst of your misfortunes. May He be eternally blessed for id Courage, rejoice, my beloved brother; all your afflictions are beautiful broad fields given you by our heavenly Father, the revenue from which will soon make you very rich, provided you try to turn your land to good profit.

To this end, three principal things are necessary: 1. to fertilize it well, 2. to irrigate it, 3. to sow it with seed. To fertilize it with humility, by humbling ourselves a great deal, according as God gives us the grace to do so; to irrigate it with the tears of deep contrition for our sins; to sow it with the divine seed of God's word, which we must implant in our hearts and meditate on frequently, particularly on the following words taken from various parts of Sacred Scripture: "But thy providence, 0 Father, governeth it."(2)

There you have the divine seed with which we must sow our land. (1). Brother of Madame de Camilly. See Letter 6 1, note 1. (2). Wis 14, 3.

In conclusion, my dear brother, with reference to the last item in your letter, I have nothing more to say to you except that I am entirely of your opinion, as are also those of our dear flock. Nevertheless, ask Madame Talon to hurry this matter along as much as possible and bring it to a happy conclusion. Urge her also to take pity on that poor child. It is what I shall beg of her with all my heart, as well as to do me the favor of showing you with what affection and ardor I am, in truth, Sir, my dearest brother, Devotedly yours, JOHN EUDES, missionary priest.

Letter 133

To Mother Margaret Frances Patin. On drawing up the Constitutions

Evreux, November 12, 1666 J. M. J.

My dearest Mother:

You will do well to put the Directory at the end of the Constitutions, and to add to these Constitutions the three following chapters: i. On the Reception of Postulants; 2. On the Entrance of Novices; 3. On the Obligation of the Rules. But in the second Article of the first chapter, I should like these words to be omitted: "They shall be detained a few days as outsiders," for it seems to me that this cannot be put into practice. Furthermore, be careful to insert these first two chapters in the proper places in your Constitutions. With regard to the third, it should be placed at the end.

As for the Ceremonial, we shall see to it, God willing, at some future time.

A thousand thanks, my dearest Mother, to you and all our dear Sisters for your prayers for the mission, on which God is bestowing great blessings. May He be eternally blessed for them, as also His Holy Mother.

Most cordial greetings to all my dear Sisters. With my whole heart I remain, my dearest Mother,

Letter 134

To Mother Margaret Frances Patin. On various subjects

Evreux, January 13, 1668 J. M. J.

My dearest Mother:

Your beautiful long letter, so full of kindness, charity and friendliness, filled my heart with an altogether singular joy and comfort, and I thank you a thousand times for it, my dearest Mother. Let me assure you that my own heart is overflowing with affection and tenderness for you and all m y dear daughters, and that I make it a special point to offer the Mother and her daughters daily to Our Lord, during the holy sacrifice of the Mass, and to pray for all their spiritual and corporal needs.

I return infinite thanks to our most adorable Saviour and His most amiable Mother for all the favors they have bestowed on Mr. de Bellecourt's daughter, and I beseech them to make her a worthy daughter of their most Holy Heart, Whose feast is now established in six different churches in this city.

We have come to the close of our mission, on which God lavished extraordinary blessings. I beg of you, my dearest Mother, and of all our dear sisters, to help us thank Him and His most Holy Mother for it, as well as for the new cross they have placed on my weak shoulders -the establishment of a new house, toward which we are now working.

In conclusion, my dearest Mother, his Lordship acknowledges and loves you as one of his dearest daughters, and as such he sends you his holy blessing. I shall be here another eight or ten days, after which I am obliged to go to Rouen to begin a new mission. I shall have great need of your prayers for it, my dearest Mother, and of those of all our dear sisters. I should like so much to pay you a visit first, if time allowed, but it is too short.

Adieu then, my dearest Mother. I will never forget you in my prayers; do not forget me, either. With all my heart I remain, both to you and to all my dear daughters, Devotedly yours, JOHN EUDES, missionary priest.

Letter 135

To a Nun. On the death of Father John Doucet.( 1 )

[1668]

It has pleased Our Lord to call unto Himself one of our clerical brothers. He was a man of great virtue, but the time in purgatory is long, especially for ecclesiastics, priests and nuns. (1). See Letter 58, note 6.

Letter 136

To His Lordship Henry de Maupas du Tour, Bishop of Evreux.(1) To

request him to dismiss the canons of Evreux from boarding at the

seminary

[About 1668]

I should certainly prefer peace to all the imaginable payments for room and board. We get along very well without them in our other seminaries and still manage, thank God, to perform all our duties, for divine Providence has never abandoned us. Therefore, my Lord, I beseech your Grace with all my heart, by all the kindness you have always shown your unworthy servants, that you consent to our withdrawing room and board from the canons of Evreux. We shall all be most grateful to you for this favor. (1). A city in the department of L'Eure, about 68 miles northwest of Paris.

Letter 137

To Father James de la Haye de Bonnefond, Superior of the Rouen

Seminary. On the precautions to be taken against the plague

September 14, 1668 Every day I have been waiting to hear from you, my dearest Brother, for I am extremely worried about you and all our dear brethren, from the highest to the humblest. We are saying daily prayers and Masses for you, and I have written all our houses to do likewise in order to place you under the protection of the Blessed Virgin.

I beg of you to make a novena of Masses in honor of her maternal Heart, and another in honor of St. Charles to implore him to intercede for us with this most charitable Heart, not only to place you under its protection, but first and foremost for all those who are victims of the plague or i n danger of it.

I likewise entreat all our dear brethren, on this occasion, to render to God all the honor we owe Him; and, in order to use this circumstance as He would have us do, let us also:

1. Adore His divine justice and humble ourselves for our sins, in the name of all the people.

2. Give thanks to Him for this scourge, beholding in it not only a manifestation of His justice, but even more of His mercy which chastises us that we may be reformed and saved, not lost.

3. Adore the divine will in its intents for us, and abandon ourselves wholly to its operations i n order that it may do with us what is most pleasing to God. It is an incontrovertible fact that this plague was brought on by our sins. Let us all, therefore, make a careful self-examination to determine those sins which could have contributed to it, then humble ourselves and make amends for them, trying to place ourselves in the state in which we should like to be at the hour of death, for there is no time for such preparation when one is ill.

4. Adore Our Lord Jesus Christ on the Cross and in the infinite love with which He bore so many sufferings for our sake, offering

ourselves to Him to suffer all the crosses it may please Him to send us, in thanksgiving for His.

5. Offer Him all the stricken people and implore Him to grant them the grace to use their affliction to good advantage.

6. Recommend them to her whom we call Consolatrix afflictorum.

7. Give ourselves to that immense love through which our most lovable Saviour took upon Himself all the sins of the world and offered Himself to His Father to atone for them, that we may immolate ourselves to divine justice as offerings for the sins of our brethren and sisters, as well as for our own sins, and that we may assist the plague stricken people, if it please Him, in union with the charity which brought Him upon earth to assist and succour the victims of the plague, that is to say, sinners.

Finally, let us pray our Holy Mother, our angels and saints to accomplish all these things for us.

Letter 138

To Mother Mary of the Blessed Sacrament Pierre, (1)Elected Superior of Our Lady of Charity after the Death of Mother Margaret Frances

P atin . ( 2 ) On the fulfillment of her duties

Paris, January 9, 1669 J. M. J.

My dearest daughter:

With all my heart do I give thanks to Our Lord and His most Holy Mother for having chosen you to take charge of their house. I say charge, for you will do well, my dearest daughter, not to consider it an honor or advantage, but rather a cross and very weighty burden, since superiors must answer to God for the salvation of the souls whom God has entrusted to them. (1). Mother Mary of the Blessed Sacrament Pierre entered the Order of Our Lady of Charity in 1655. She was elected superior on December 22, 1664 and again in 1672. Mother Mary of the Blessed Sacrament died on January 26, 1678. Cf. Ory, The Origin Of the Order of Our Lady of Charity p. 1 5 9 , 183 and 194. (2). Mother Patin died on October 31, 1668 at the age of 68 years.

Then too, you should not look upon yourself as a superior, for the true superior is the most Holy Mother of God . You are only her vicar, or substitute, and therefore you should frequently cast yourself at her feet, particularly whenever you have to perform some action as superior. There at her feet, make an act of self- renunciation, give yourself to her and implore her to annihilate your own spirit within you and grant you hers, which is that of her Son, so that you may guide your Sisters in the spirit of their Spouse and their Mother.

To that end, there arc four things you should do, my dearest daughter:

The first is to speak to your Sisters more by deed than by word, while assuming the lead in all things and endeavoring through your behavior to be a model of all the virtues.

The second is to guide them with great charity, meekness and kindness, anticipating all their spiritual and material needs, and demonstrating in all things that you have truly a motherly heart full of concern, tenderness and cordiality in their regard.

The third is to see that your Rules and Constitutions are strictly and carefully observed, and to that end you yourself should study them diligently, especially those that concern you.

The fourth is to take special care of the penitents and to overlook nothing you can do to perfect their conversion, for the house was established for that purpose; thus all the graces that God may deign to grant it depend on that. As long as the duties belonging to this institute are properly fulfilled, God will abundantly shower His blessings on your Community, but as soon as they are neglected, He will abandon you, and the whole structure, spiritual as well as material, will collapse.

I trust, God willing, that I shall soon be able to answer the rest of your letter in person. You must not be in too great a haste, for a number of reasons, to write the biography of a person who has just died.

I send my most cordial regards to all my dear daughters. I have always felt and will continue to feel toward them a truly paternal affection. I am, in truth, my dearest daughter,