Letters 139–157

Letter 139

To Bishop de la Vieuville of Rennes.(1) The celebration of the jubilee is not

favorable to giving a mission

[1669] I beg of you, my Lord, to consider that the jubilee will either precede, coincide with or follow the mission.

If the jubilee precedes it, the mission will no longer be seasonable, since each one will already have gained his Jubilee indulgence.

If it coincides with the mission, it will render our work useless for two reasons: 1. With the fruits of the mission depending on good confessors, the people will avoid the missionary confessors who are more strict, and will go to others who are less exacting, since the Jubilee Bull grants each one the privilege of choosing his own confessor. 2. Should everyone go to the missionaries, the Jubilee will not last longer than two weeks. Now in order that a mission produce some change i n morals and destroy vice and bad habits, it must last at least seven or eight weeks. Even those that we preach in the smallest country parishes continue for not less than six weeks.(2) Otherwise one simply puts a plaster on the sore but does not heal it. Weeds are cut down but not uprooted. A noise i s made, but there is little result.

If the jubilee follows the mission, everyone will desert our exercises in order to attend the jubilee. All that I am telling you, my Lord, I have learned from experience gained by preaching missions during other Jubilees. I am observing these very things now in a mission that we began three weeks ago in the diocese of Bayeux. So long as there was no talk of a Jubilee, it was bringing wonderful results, but ever since news of it began to spread, we have been accomplishing nothing. I t is of the greatest importance to choose a suitable time to give this mission, since it is to be preached in your cathedral and will be our first effort in your diocese. (1). A city of Brittany in the department of Ille-et-Vilaine, about 260 miles west of Paris. (2). It is interesting to note the length of missions in the Seventeenth Century. The Saint give, his reasons why the mission should last at least a month and a half. It is probable that missions were not given so frequently then as at the present time.

Letter 140

To the Superior at Rouen. The Saint requests him to send Father

Thomas Vaguel(1) to him

[Before 1670]

... It is not by my authority as your superior that I am asking you to send Father Vaguel. I am requesting it of you as a brother who entreats you to lend him to us for a little while, or rather, to give him to Our Lord and His most Holy Mother. I hope you will not refuse them. (1). Father Vaguel (1624-1674), a native of Caen, joined the Congregation of Jesus and Mary i n 1647. After reaching at the Lisieux College, he was appointed superior of the Rouen Seminary and law of the Evreux Seminary. He was an excellent missionary and spent the last years of his life in the work of the missions. He died on March 10, 1674. Cf. Les Fleurs de la Congrégation de Jésus et Marie, Vol. 1, P. 43.

Letter 141

To Mother Mary of the Blessed Sacrament Pierre. On the establish

ment at Rennes, and the zeal that ought to be manifested on such

occasions

Rennes, January 19, 1670 J. M. J.

I received the copies you sent me, my dear daughter, but the judg. ment of verification from the Parliament is missing. There is one, to be sure, but it is a judgment which orders only that Caen be informed of the conveniences or inconveniences of the city. We have no need of that one, but of a different one in your possession, issued after the other, which orders that your letters patent from the King be registered. Please have a copy of it made as soon as possible and send it to me without delay, for his Lordship of Rennes wishes to see it.

I am surprised at your writing me that it is impossible to send any of our Sisters here so soon. What is the meaning of that, my dear daughter? Is it because there are none who wish to come? I cannot believe that the Daughters of Charity could have so little love for God

and so little charity toward souls who have been redeemed by the precious blood of His Son.

Is it because they hold some grievance against the superior here?(1) But she is all charity, meekness and kindness.

Is it because you think that you shall be asked for a dowry, or room and board, or the expenses of the trip made by those who come? But I give you my word that none of these things shall be demanded of you. One of our presidents has offered to have them brought here in her carriage.(2) I f they do not like it after they arrive, they will be privileged to leave. Then too, as long as they remain, your house will be relieved of the support of two girls. It will also be strengthened by the union which will be formed with this house, and it will furnish an example for other establishments of your Order.

Lastly, I do not know the origin of this hindrance and delay, but I do know that the devil, who is enraged at the Communities which labor for the salvation of souls, will do all in his power to prevent this plan and postpone its execution, because he knows only too well that, when we have.left here, it will be easy for him to create obstacles.

But why, my dear daughter, are you so reserved toward me, who have no intent other than the glory of God, the salvation of souls and the advantage of your house? Why do you not simply tell me what the trouble is, so that I may try to remedy it? You can let me know as safely in writing as by word of mouth, for letters are never lost in the mail.

Most cordial regards to all my dear daughters. I beseech them to have a very special devotion to the divine Infant Jesus and His most Holy Mother.

In the love of the most Holy Heart of the Son and the Mother I remain, both to you and to them, my dearest daughter, Devotedly yours, JOHN EUDES, missionary priest. (1). Mother Mary of the Trinity Heurtaut. She had taken the habit of Our Lady of Charity at Caen and had made a fervent novitiate there. But because her parents had refused to give her a dowry, she was not allowed to make her profession and was obliged to return to the outside world. (2). Madame d'Argouge, who founded the house.

Letter 142

To Sister Mary of St. Agnes des Champs,(1) in Caen. On the love of Jesus

and Mary, and union with the dispositions with which they died

Evreux, October 12, 1670 J. M. J.

I thank you with all my heart, my dearest daughter, for your letter so full of charity and friendliness, and I give infinite thanks to our most benign Saviour and His most amiable Mother for the holy dispositions which they are implanting in your soul. It is a very special grace which proceeds from their purest goodness. I implore them to strengthen and increase it more and more. And in order to cooperate on your part, try to cultivate love for the Son and His Mother. Offer yourself frequently to them, beseeching them to immerse, engulf, lose and consume you in the sacred flames of the fiery furnace of their most amiable Heart. Always unite this love with humility, as well as with trust and complete abandonment of your whole self to the divine will. Finally, my dearest daughter, give yourself repeatedly to Jesus in order to unite yourself with the holy dispositions with which He and His most Holy Mother died. I beseech them very humbly and earnestly to grant you their holy blessing all the moments of your life, particularly in the last one, to assist you during that final passing, and to receive and harbor your soul for ever in their most benign Heart. I have the greatest confidence in the incomparable goodness of this admirable Heart of Jesus, the Son of Mary, and of Mary, the Mother of Jesus, that they will grant you this grace. (1). Father Joseph Mary Ory, author of The origin of the Order of Our Lady of Charity, says very little about Sister Mary of St. Agnes. He merely mentions the fact that she had been brought up in the Caen Monastery and had been tormented with interior trials. The Saint often came to console her, and when he was unable to visit wrote encouraging letters such as the one given here. Cf. Ory, op. cit., p. 174.

This is what I shall earnestly beg of them. In the sacred love of that divine Heart, my dearest daughter, I am Devotedly yours, J0AN EUDES, missionary priest.

P. S. Most cordial greetings to all my dear daughters.

Letter 143

To Mother St. Gabriel,(1) Religious of Montmartre. Concerning the

Saint's zeal for missions

[1670]

God has given me so much strength on this mission(2) that I have preached almost every day for twelve weeks to an enormous audience in the cathedral, with as much vigor as I had at the age of thirty. That is why I have resolved to spend the rest of my life in this work. After the summer missions, we have promised to give one at Clermont,(3) in Auvergne, on All Saints' Day. (1). A Benedictine nun of the Montmartre Monastery in Paris. (2). The mission at Rennes. (3). Former capital of Auvergne in the department of Puy-de Dôme, about 250 miles south of Paris.

Letter 144

To Mother Mary of the Blessed Sacrament, Superior of Our Lady of

Charity. On spending the new year well

Paris, January 14, 1671 J. M. J.

I thank you, my dearest daughter, for your charitable letter. I have too much affection for you and your Community to forget you in my prayers; that is something I am not doing, nor will I ever do so. I always

remember you and my other dear daughters at the holy altar and in all my worthless prayers. Please assure them of this. My greetings to them, one and all. I implore Our Lord and His most Holy Mother to lavish their most holy blessings upon you, and to grant us the grace to use this new year as if i t were to be the last one of our lives in which to love our most amiable Jesus and His dearest Mother, who is also ours, and to atone in their love and service for all our shortcomings of the past.

I shall not forget the persons you have recommended to me. I pray you, too, my dear daughter, to have the Community make a novena in honor of the most Holy Heart of Our Lord and His gracious Mother, for my intentions.

In the sacred love of their most Holy Heart I remain to all, and to you in particular, m y dearest daughter, Devotedly yours, JOHN EUDES, missionary priest.

Letter 145

To Sister Mary of the Assumption Le Grand.(1) On various subjects.

Vernon,(2)July 19, 1671 J. M. J.

I am very grateful to you, my dearest daughter, for your letter telling me of the joy our good Saviour has granted you by admitting you to the ranks of His spouses and of the daughters of the most Holy Heart of His dear Mother. I give infinite thanks to Him, imploring Him most humbly to grant you all the virtues proper to such a holy state in life.

I have waited a long time to answer your letter, but I have been so busy now for nearly a month with a mission that I am giving for a community of nuns, at the command of his Lordship of Evreux, that I really have had no leisure to write you sooner. (1). Niece of Reverend Father Le Grand, pastor of St. Julian's Church in Caen and ecclesiastical superior of the Monastery of Our Lady of Charity. Cf. Ory, ibid., p. 172 (2). A city in the district of Evreux on the Seine River.

My most cordial greetings to all my dear daughters, from the first to the last.

When you see your uncle again, please give him my most respectful regards.

My two dear nieces know, too, that I have for them the affection both of an uncle and a father.

Do not forget in your prayers, my dearest daughter, one who never forgets you, and who is, i n the charity of the most Holy Heart of Jesus and Mary, my dearest daughter, Devotedly yours, JOHN EUDES, missionary priest.

Letter 146

To Sister Mary of the Nativity Herson, his niece. On the death of

her sister-in-law

Evreux, September 27, 1671 J. M. J.

I deeply regret the great affliction, my dearest niece, that has befallen your poor brother. We must pray earnestly that God may grant him the grace to make good use of his sorrow, and recommend his children to the Blessed Virgin Mary, supplicating her to be their mother. I wrote to him as consolingly as I could and said Mass for the deceased, as also for him and his children, which I will do again. Ah, how fortunate we are, and how advantageous is our state in life compared with the most favorable situations of our time! How much are we bound to bless, love and faithfully serve Our Lord and His most Holy Mother for having withdrawn us from the inferno of the outside world and placed us instead in the paradise of their holy house! Ah, how gladly should we embrace all the duties of our state in life!

I am leaving here Tuesday, God willing, to go to Lisieux, where I shall remain for two or three weeks. Then I am proceeding to Caen, and I will not fail to call on you there.

Most cordial greetings to all my dear daughters. I am with my whole heart, Devotedly yours, JOHN EUDES, missionary priest of the Congregation of Jesus and Mary.

Letter 147

To a Religious of Montmartre. On submission to the will of God

[1671]

Tell the good Mother that she should resign herself without reservation to the most adorable will of God, neither desiring nor asking for anything save what is pleasing to Him. That is the secret of obtaining from God everything we wish, for in all things we should have no will other than His, especially since we are well aware that He desires only what is for our greatest good. Oh, how pleasing to His Divine Majesty is one soul! What wonderful peace the soul enjoys when it has wholly, annihilated its own will and all its inclinations, and has sacrificed all its desires, interests and satisfactions to God, neither wishing nor asking for anything, at any time, except what is most pleasing to its God, professing to desire no happiness other than the happiness of its most kind Father! No matter what happens, nor in what state it is, the soul is always very happy because God is, too. One must indeed be hard to satisfy if he is not made happy by the happiness of God. This is the way, therefore, in which one obtains from God all that he requests of Him, because he asks for nothing that is not pleasing to Him. It is paradise on earth. Ask Him for this grace for me, my dearest daughter, and I will do the same for you, that you may thus be in complete conformity with the Heart of Jesus and Mary.

Letter 148

To Mother St. Gabriel. On the mission preached by the Saint to the

religious of Our Lady of Vernon

September 25, 1671 I am back again at Évreux, my dearest daughter. I was away giving a mission for the nuns which lasted for quite some time, and I worked very hard. It pleased our most benign Saviour and His most kind Mother to manifest their admirable power and incomparable goodness on this occasion, and to bestow on my work the most wonderful success that could have been desired. This is all I can tell you about it in writing. I beseech you, my dear daughter, to help me give thanks to the Son and the Mother for the great favor they have conferred upon these good religious. It is one of the most palpable consolations I have ever experienced in my whole life.

Letter 149

To Mother St. Gabriel. On the occasion of an illness of Madame de

Lorraine, ( 1 )the abbess of Montmartre

[1671]

Above all, keep me informed of the health of our good Mother, whom, in truth, I respect beyond all power of expression, and for whom I frequently pray to God with a very special affection. (1). Frances Renée de Lorraine, abbess of the Benedictine Monastery of Montmartre in Paris.

Letter 150

To Sister Mary of the Nativity Herson. On the guidance of the penitents, and the proper

preparation for the feast of the Holy Heart of Mary

[Paris, beginning of 1672] J. M. J.

I was just on the point of going to see you and the other Sisters, my dearest niece and daughter, when our dear brother Father Hubert came expressly to Caen from Paris to take me back with him. I am there now in my desire to obey the divine will wherever it may be pleased to send me. Pray that I may be granted the grace to die rather than deviate ever so slightly from its commands.

It is that divine will which has placed you in charge of our sister penitents. It is the holiest of any employment you could undertake in this world. Apply yourself to it with all possible diligence, charity and fidelity.

My most cordial regards to them, as well as to my dear daughters. God bless them all , particularly my dearest daughter Mary of the Child Jesus, whom I desire with my whole heart to be professed.

Here are three ways in which to prepare for the feast of the Most Holy Heart of Mary: 1 . Humble yourselves and ask pardon for your past sins; 2. Conceive an ardent desire to impress upon your hearts a perfect likeness of the virtues of the Holy Heart, and strive unceasingly toward that end; 3. Give yourselves to the infinite love of the divine Heart of Jesus for the Holy Heart of Mary, that He may prepare you for this feast.

Devotedly yours, JOHN EUDES, missionary priest.

Letter 151

To Sister Mary of the Child Jesus de Bois-David,(1) the second of that

name. On the subject of her profession

Caen, February A, 1672 J. M. J.

A thousand thanks, my dear good daughter, for your most cordial and sincere letter, with its many indications of your true charity in my behalf. I thank my dearest daughters, too, whose names were mentioned in your letter, for their charitable regards. If all the others shared this same spirit , they would be daughters of Our Lady of Charity in the true sense.

I feel it very keenly that I cannot attend the ceremony(2) of your profession, my dearest daughter. I will be present in spirit, however; and I intend to sacrifice you together with my Saviour in the great sacrifice which I am going to offer for you, that I may supplicate Him, as well as His most Holy Mother, to take my place at your holy profession and to render you entirely conformable to their divine Heart.

It is in this most amiable Heart that I will remain eternally to you and all my true daughters, despite hell itself, Devotedly yours, JOHN EUDES, missionary priest of the Congregation of Jesus and Mary. (1). See Letter 65, note 1. The religious to whom this letter was written entered the Monastery of Our Lady of Charity as a boarder when her holy mother became a postulant. In obedience to her mother's last request she joined the Order and took the mine name in religion. That is why she i s referred to as Sister Mary of the Child Jesus, the second of the name. Cf. Ory, The Origin of the Order of Our Lady of Charity, P. 173. (2). We are unable to say why the Saint did not assist at the profession. His letter shows traces of a deep-seated sorrow. Cf. Ory, ibid., p. 173.

Letter 152

To Father James de la Haye de Bonnefond, the superior of the Caen Seminary. On the registration of letters patent obtained in view of an establishment at Paris.( 1 )

[Spring of 1672]

We have not yet presented our letters patent to the Parliament. We are engaged in paving the way for success in this, which we hope to receive from above. Have prayers said for this affair and recommend it to God. I think we shall embark on it next week. I should like die matter to be taken to Our Lady of Deliverance.'(2)"For many dogs have encompassed me;" (3) but, after God, all my trust rests in our most powerful and bountiful Mother. No matter what happens, I shall always be happy, God willing, and I shall always benefit from it, for I desire no happiness or benefit other than that of my God. (1). In 1671 a lady by the name of Madame Pétau gave to St. John Eudes, by a deed of gift between living persons, two-thirds of a home that she owned in Paris, near St. Josse Church, as a home for the students of his Congregation. In the event that the Saint was evicted from this house, Madame Nun wanted him to be given the price required for the purchase of another house to be used for the same purpose. The execution of this contract gave rise to great difficulties. The pastor and the church wardens of St. Josse opposed it, offering to give St. John Eudes the price of the house in question. The Saint, perceiving their opposition, resolved to take advantage of the benevolence of the King, whom he had just won over during a mission preached at Versailles, to solicit letters patent which would permit him to execute this contract, as soon as the opportunity presented itself. He obtained them i n March, 1672, but it still remained to have them registered in Parliament. The Saint feared new opposition from this direction, and it did not fail to materialize. (2). The Saint asks Father de la Haye de Bonnefond to pray at the shrine of our Lady for the success of the undertaking. See Letter 37, note 2. (3). PS. 21, 17.

Letter 153

To Sister Mary of St. Agnes des Champs. The Saint comforts her in

her trials

[1672] J. M. J.

Your letter in which you describe your sufferings, my dearest daughter, touches me more deeply than I can say. Nevertheless, do not allow yourself to become discouraged, but place your trust in our most benign Saviour and in His holy and most bountiful Mother, who is also ours. They love you infinitely and can gain their greatest glory, as well as your utmost good, from all things. I beseech them, now and always, to do so, and to grant you their holy blessing at all times. To this end I repeat seven or eight times daily, for you and all my dear daughters who are known to God: Nos cum Prole pia benedicat Virgo Maria. I send my regards to one and all, recommending myself most earnestly to their fervent prayers, since I am obliged to leave for Paris as soon as possible. Live Jesus and Mary.

Devotedly yours, JOHN EUDES, missionary priest.

Letter 154

To Sister of the Nativity Herson. On her position as Mistress of Peni

tents,( 1)and on the feast of the Holy Heart of Mary

Paris, May 26, 1672 J. M. J.

Thank you, my dear child, for the news of yourself; and infinite thanks to my dearest Jesus and my most Holy Mother for the incon (1). In the convents of Our Lady of Charity of the Refuge and of the Good Shepherd the religious i n charge of the repentant women and girls.

ceivable favor they are conferring on you by employing you in the work which is the most pleasing on earth to them, that is to say, the great work of the salvation of souls. Ah, think what it cost the Saviour to rescue our souls from eternal damnation! Then do not be astonished, my dear daughter, i f you encounter trials and crosses while doing God's work; that is the best part of your task. But bear in mind the charity, patience, meekness and other virtues which our most benign Saviour practised while accomplishing His Father's work on earth.

Infinite thanks to His immense bounty, and to the incomparable graciousness of His most Holy Mother, for having at last given you the feast of her most amiable Heart! May God make a great saint of his Lordship of Bayeux for having granted you permission for it. I assure you that it is a cause of great joy to me. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

It is up to all of you now to strive to acquire all the virtues necessary to be true daughters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Mary, especially humility, patience, love, charity and zeal for the salvation of souls.

In the holy love of this divine Heart I remain, my dearest daughter, Devotedly yours, JOHN EUDES, missionary priest.

Letter 155

To Sister Mary of Jesus Allain.(1) On the feast of the Holy Heart of

Mary, and some virtues to be practised

[1672] J. M. J.

God bless you, my dearest child. If you have the affection of a daughter for me, I assure you that I feel the love of a father for you, with a heart full of tenderness and cordiality, as it is indeed for all my (1). Sister Mary of Jesus Allain de Barbières was brought up by Madame de Camilly, her relative and godmother. She took the habit of the Order of Our Ladv of Charity and made her profession when she was seventeen years of age. Deeply imbued with the spirit of the Order she rendered inestimable services in her offices as assistant and councillor. Cf. Ory, ibid., p. 175.

true daughters, whom I cast daily into the fiery furnace of the Heart of Jesus and Mary so worthy of love.

Thank you, my dearest daughter, for the joyous news you wrote me about the permission granted you by his Lordship of Bayeux to celebrate the feast of the Holy Heart of our divine Mother. May He make a great saint of this good prelate. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

I beseech you, my dear child, and all my other dear daughters as well, to strive to acquire all the virtues you need in order to be true daughters of the most Holy Heart of Jesus and Mary, especially humility, obedience, love, charity and zeal for the salvation of souls.

Most cordial greetings to our dearest Mother and all my dear daughters. Nos cum Prole pia benedicat Virgo Maria. Amen.

I thank our dear Mother for the little picture of the Holy Ghost that she sent me. I will take care of your indulgences; leave it all to me without troubling yourselves in the least about it.

Letter 156

To Father James de la Haye de Bonnefond, in Caen. On the contemplated

establishment in Paris

[July 9, 1672]

The Parliament has handed down a decision, but the magistrates are demanding so many things that I am singularly discouraged and almost persuaded to drop the whole matter, for I am wondering if it is God's will that we proceed any farther with it. Have prayers said for this affair.

Letter 157

To the Priests of the Congregation of Jesus and Mary. On the establish

ment of the least of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Paris, July 29, 1672. J.M.J. My dearest and beloved brethren:

It is an inexplicable grace which our most amiable Saviour has accorded us in giving our Congregation the admirable Heart of His most Holy Mother. gut not being content, in His infinite goodness, to stop there, He has gone even further in giving us His Own Heart, along with the Heart of His glorious Mother, to be the founder and superior, the beginning and end, the heart and life, of this Congregation.

He conferred this great gift upon us at the birth of our Congregation, for, although we have heretofore celebrated one special and particular feast of the adorable Heart of Jesus, nevertheless we never intended to separate two hearts which God has so closely joined together, the most august Heart of the Son of God and that of His Blessed Mother. On the contrary, from the very beginning of our Congregation it has been our intention to regard and honor these two Hearts as one, in unity of spirit , feeling and affection, as is clearly indicated in the Salutation to the Divine Heart of Jesus and Mary that we recite each day, as well as in the prayer and in several portions of the Office and Mass which we celebrate on the feast of the Holy Heart of the Blessed Virgin.

But divine Providence, which guides all things with marvelous wisdom, has willed to introduce the feast of the Heart of the Mother before that of the Heart of her Son, in order to prepare the hearts of the faithful for the veneration of His adorable Heart, and to dispose them to obtain from heaven the grace of this second feast by the great devotion they have shown in celebrating the first . Although the latter has (1). This circular letter is an important historical document on the Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. In it the Saint enjoins his spiritual sons to celebrate a solemn feast on October 20. He sent them for the occasion a special office and Mass, which he had composed two yews before. Cf. The Sacred Heart of Jesus (New York, 1946), p. 136.

been attacked, first of all, by the spirit of the world, which never fails to oppose whatever proceeds from the spirit of God, nevertheless, as soon as it became known to those who profess to pay special honor to the most Holy Mother of God, they looked upon it with joy and embraced it with ardor. For several years now they have celebrated it with great fervor, and today it is solemnized everywhere in France, and in several religious orders and congregations, with such abundant blessings that there i s reason to hope that some day it will be celebrated throughout the universe.

It is this ardent devotion of the true children of the Heart of the Mother of love which has obliged her to obtain from her beloved Son this signal favor which He has accorded His Church, that of granting her the feast of His royal Heart which will be a fresh source of an infinity of blessings for those who are disposed to celebrate it holily.

But who indeed would not do that? What solemnity is more worthy, more holy and more excellent than this one, the fountain-head of everything great, holy and venerable in all other feasts? What heart is there more adorable, admirable and worthy of love than the Heart of this God-Man whose name is Jesus? What honor is not due this divine Heart which has ever rendered and will eternally render God more glory and love, at every moment, than all the hearts of men and angels can render Him in a whole eternity? What zeal should not be ours to honor this august Heart which is the source of our salvation, the origin of all the joys of heaven and earth, an immense furnace of love for us, which thinks of nothing, day and night, save to confer on us an infinity of blessings, which, finally, was broken with grief on the Cross for our sake, as the Son of God and His most Holy Mother declared to St. Bridget, according to an excellent doctor, Father Bail.

Should the objection be raised that the feast is an innovation, I shall reply that innovation i n matters of faith is indeed pernicious, but that it is good in matters of piety. Otherwise one would have to frown upon all the feasts in the Church, since they also were new when they were first celebrated, particularly those most recently established, such as the feasts of Corpus Christi, the Holy Name of Jesus, the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Holy Name of Mary, her Grandeurs, Our Lady of Compassion, of Hope, of Victory (in the

diocese of Paris) and many others, as well as a considerable number of new saints' feasts which have been added to the Roman Brevi=7. If they answer that these things were done on the authority of our Holy Father the Pope, I shall reply, as did St. Francis de Sales and a great many very illustrious and learned prelates and doctors, that each bishop in his own diocese, notably in France, has the same power in this regard as that of the Sovereign Pontiff in the entire Church.

Then let us acknowledge, my dearest brethren, the infinite grace and incomprehensible favor with which our most bountiful Saviour has honored our Congregation in giving it His own most adorable Heart, together with the most amiable Heart of His Holy Mother. They are two inestimable treasures which contain an enormity of heavenly blessings and eternal riches, and He has made our Congregation their depository, that through it they may then be implanted in the hearts of the faithful.

Let us humble ourselves infinitely at the sight of our own infinite unworthiness in the face of such tremendous considerations. Let us be deeply grateful for the ineffable bounty of our most benign Saviour and the incomparable charity of His dearest Mother, who is also ours. Let us never cease to bless, praise and glorify them, nor to invite all the saints and all creatures to bless and thank them with us. Let us joyfully and jubilantly embrace the solemnity of the divine Heart of our most amiable Jesus.

I am enclosing herewith the Office and Mass of this feast, approved by all our prelates. Use them with all possible care, diligence and fervor in order to celebrate it worthily.

To that end: 1. Invite all our friends and all devout persons to join with you in doing so.

2. If you receive this package in time, have the feast proclaimed. If there were time, there would have to be a sermon.

3. Fast on the vigil of the feast.

4. Have twelve poor persons dine in the refectory on the eve of the feast or the day before.

The octave is not yet printed and ready to be sent to you.

In a word, my dearest brethren, I beseech you to celebrate this feast with all possible devotion and solemnity, and then write me all about

it afterwards. You will thereby greatly rejoice him who desires for you the holiest blessings of our most bountiful Saviour and His sweet Mother, and who is, in the sacred love of His divine Heart, m y dearest brethren, Your unworthy servant, JOHN EUDES, priest of the Congregation of Jesus and Mary.