Letter 210. To Don Teutonio de Braganza, Arch- Bishop of Evora, Avila, January 16, 1578

Congratulations on his consecration. Persecutions of Father Gracian and the Discalced. Sufferings of the nuns of the Incarnation. Seizure of St. yohn of the Cross and Fray German. Diffculties in the way of founding more convents of Discalced nuns, especially in Portugal.

JESUS!

May the grace of the Holy Spirit be with your

Most Illustrious Lordship. Amen.

[RECEIVED a letter from your Lordship more than two months ago which I should much have liked to answer at once, but I waited as you asked me until I could announce some lull in the tempest of trials that have beset the Discalced friars and nuns since August. So far, things have grown worse every day, as I will relate. I only wish I could see you, for I cannot express in writing my joy at the news in your letter delivered to me by the Father Redior this week, though I had learnt of it in greater detail more than three weeks before and have heard about it from another quarter since. How could your Lordship imagine that such a thing could be kept secret?' May His Majesty grant that it may render Him honour and glory and that you may increase in sanctity, as I believe you will. You may feel confident that He will not refuse the earnest prayers of souls who seek His service alone in all their petitions. I, wicked though I am, pray for it continually, as your servants do in all these convents, in which I daily discover souls which put me to confusion. Our Lord seems constantly drawing them to us from such out of the way places that I do not know who can have told them of our Order.

Then let your Lordship be very courageous and never let a doubt that God has ordained it pass through your mind, for I feel certain of it. Be convinced that His Majesty wishes you to carry out your desire of serving Him. You have long been inactive and our Lord stands in urgent need of some one who will uphold the right, for unless God raises up for us some protestor, we who are poor and of low degree can do little, however much we strive to aim at nothing but His service. Malice has so increased, and ambition and love of honours are so canonized by those who ought to tread them under foot, that even God Himself seems to seek help from His creatures, though He could avenge virtue without their aid. Since those He chose to succour it have failed Him, He calls on others whom He knows can help.

Let your Lordship strive to carry this out, as I am convinced you will, for I trust that God will give you strength and health and grace to succeed in all ways. We nuns aid you by continual prayers : may the Master give you fellow workers with a love for souls to set your mind at ease. It is a great comfort to me that the Society (of Jesus) stands by you as it does ; this is the greatest boon in every way.

I was delighted to hear of the success of the Marchioness of Elche: I felt very anxious and distressed about the matter until I heard it had ended satisfactorily. God be praised! When He sends such a multitude of trials at once. He generally brings things right, for, knowing our weakness, and having our welfare at heart, He tempers our trials to our strength. This I believe will be the case with us, for had I not known for certain that our friars and nuns were striving to obey their Rule honestly and fully, I should have feared sometimes that our opponents would have succeeded in their aim which is to destroy this new-born Reform inaugurated by the most holy Virgin. The devil uses such artifices that God seems to have given him leave to wreak his malice.

Such plots and efforts have been used to discredit us (especially Father Gracian and myself, for it is at us the blows are aimed) that I assure your Lordship that if you knew of the calumnies uttered against him and the memorials presented to the King, containing the gravest charges against him and the Discalced nuns, you would be astounded at its being possible to invent such malicious falsehoods." I realize that we have gained much by it. These nuns are as recollected as though it did not affedt them, and I am astonished at the perfection shown by Father Gracian. God holds a precious treasure in his soul, for he prays specially for his accusers and bears his trials as cheerfully as a St. Jerome. Having been Visitor of the convents for two years, he knows the nuns well and cannot endure their being slandered, for he thinks they are angels and calls them so. God was pleased that those who accused us should withdraw their statements. The other charges against Father Gracian were examined by order of the Royal Council, which brought the truth to light. Other calumnies have been retradled, making it clear that many at court are blinded against us by passion. Your Lordship may feel sure that the devil has been trying to prevent the good that is being done by our houses.

I will not tell you all that has been done to those poor nuns of the Incarnation who, for their sins, eledled me as prioress. There was a tumult, and every one in the place is horrified at what the nuns suffered, and still suffer. I see no prosped: of its being over, so extreme is the rigour Father Tostado shows them. For over fifty days they have not heard Mass nor mav thev speak to any one even now. They were said to be excommunicated, but all the theologians of Avila contradid: it. The nuns were to be excommunicated if they eled:ed any one outside the convent, but were not told that this was said on my account. Thev believed that as I had been professed in it and had lived there for so many years I could return to it if I liked, my dowry being there and the Discalced not having a separate province. The Calced fathers confirmed in the office of prioress another nun with fewer votes. The Royal Council is considering the case of the nuns who are doing penance ; I do not know how the matter will end.

I was deeply grieved at being the cause of such dissension and scandal in the city, and of trouble to so many souls, for more than fifty-five religious were excommunicated. My only consolation was that I had done all I could to prevent their eled:ing me. I assure your Lordship that one of the heaviest crosses I could have in this life would be to live in that convent, for during all the years I spent there I was never well for an hour.

Sorry as I am for those souls, some of whom are very perfed: as is evident by the way in which they have borne their troubles, what has grieved me intensely is that, more than a month ago, by order of Father Tostado, those of the cloth seized the two Discalced friars who were confessors to the convent, who were excellent religious, and had edified the whole neighbourhood during the five years they have lived there, having kept the observance of the community in the state I left it. One of them at least. Fray John of the Cross, is held as a saint by nuns and people, and I do not think they over-rate him : in my opinion he is a corner-stone. These two chaplains had been installed in their office by the Dominican Apostolic Visitor and the late Nuncio, and as they were subjects of the Visitor Gracian, people are shocked at the irregularity of the proceedings. I cannot tell how the matter will end. What grieves me is that the Calced have taken them both away, we do not know where, but I fear thev are being cruelly treated and I dread some catastrophe. The Royal Council is inquiring into a complaint made about this matter also. May God bring things right !

Will your Lordship excuse this long account. I am so glad that you should know the truth about events in case Father Tostado should visit your neighbourhood. The Nuncio has shown him much favour since he arrived and forbade Father Gracian to make his visitation, though the latter does not cease to be Apostolic Commissary on that account as the Nuncio had not shown his powers, nor, he says, had he deprived Father Gracian of his office. However, Father Gracian went to Alcala at once and is now suffering severely in a cave at Pastrana. As I said, he has made no further use of his commission but has remained there. Everything is in a state of suspension. He and all of us are most anxious that he should not continue his visitation, as it would be very bad for us unless we are made a separate province by God's permission. If we are not, I cannot think what will become of us. When Father Gracian went to Alcala, he wrote to me saying that, should Father Tostado make a visitation there, he was determined to obey him and that all we nuns were to do the same. Father Tostado has been neither there nor here. I believe God has prevented him, for, considering what ill-will he has shown since, I think he would have done us immense harm. Those of the cloth declare that it is he who does everything and that he is arranging about making a visitation, which would be fatal to us. In fad:, he is the sole cause of all these troubles. It has been a relief to tell you the whole history though your Lordship may find it rather tiring to read, for you are under great obligations to favour this Order; besides, you will know the obstacles to our going to your part of the country. There is another difficulty which I must explain.

I cannot cease to endeavour in every possible way to prevent the destruction of the good beginning we have made, nor does any theologian who hears my confessions advise me otherwise. Consequently those fathers are very angry with me and informed our Father General, so that when the General Chapter he had summoned met, the Calced fathers decided and our Father General ordained that no

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Discalced nun (especially myself) should go out of her convent under pain of excommunication. I might choose which house I liked to live in. Obviously, this was done to prevent any further foundations of nuns. It is grievous that a multitude of candidates are clamouring to enter our convents, but as we have so few houses and may found no more they cannot be received.

Though the former Nuncio ordered me not to cease making foundations, and I hold extensive patents from the Apostolic Visitor, I am firmly resolved to found no more convents except by command of our Father General or the Pope, for as I am not to blame, God is showing me mercy by it as I was worn out. But if I could render service to your Lordship, it would not tire me, for it is hard to think I shall see you no more ; if I were told to make the foundation, it would comfort me greatly.

But, setting aside the decision of the General Chapter, as the patents granted me by our Father General only applied to the kingdom of Castile, I should require a new mandate. I feel certain that our Father General would not grant one at present. It would be easy to obtain it from the Pope, especially if he were shown a testimonial drawn up by order of Father Gracian, explaining our customs, our life, and the good done to others wherever our communities go. Competent judges say that it would suffice for the nuns' canonization. I have not read it because I am afraid its praises of me are exaggerated.

I should be extremely glad, if your foundation is to be made, that the matter should be settled with the Father General and he should be petitioned to allow further foundations in Spain, for there are nuns who could make them without my leaving my convent. I mean that, when the house was ready, they would be sent to it, for souls are being deprived of great benefits. If your Lordship could arrange it with the Proteftor of our Order, (who they say is the Pope's nephew), he could settle affairs with our Father General. I feel sure you would be rendering eminent service to our Lord and a great favour to our Order.

As I wish your Lordship to understand the case thoroughly, I must mention another difficulty. Father Tostado is instituted Vicar General of Portugal, and it would be a hard fate, especially for me, to fall into his hands. I believe he would oppose our proje(ft with all his strength. As far as we can see at present, he will not be Vicar General in Castile, for he exercised that office there, especially in the case of the Incarnation, without having shown his powers, which gave a most unfavourable impression. He was constrained by a royal mandate to deliver his powers to the Royal Council, having already received a notification to that effed: last summer. His credentials have not been returned to him nor do I think they will be.

We have letters from the Apostolic Visitors forbidding any one who is not Discalced and has no order from our Father General, to visit convents; but we have no such guarantee in Portugal and if we were subject to those of the cloth, perfediion would soon collapse. The Mitigated had already begun to do us much harm in Spain before the Apostolic Visitors came.

Your Lordship will know how all these obstacles can be overcome and there will be no want of good nuns to serve you, besides Father Julian de Avila who seems on the point of starting, and who kisses your hands. He is delighted at your good news, which he knew before I told him, and convinced that you will gain much merit in our Lord's sight by your office. Maria de San Jeronimo, formerly Subprioress of this house, kisses your Lordship's hands and says she will gladly go to Portugal to help you if our Lord ordains it. May His Majesty dired: all things for His glory and proted: your Lordship and increase your love for Him!

No wonder that you cannot be as recolledted as you wish among your new duties. Our Lord will repay you double, as He does those who have forsaken self for His service, though I hope your Lordship will reserve some time for yourself, as all our welfare depends on that.

St. Joseph's Convent, Avila, January i6.

For love of our Lord, I entreat you not to torment me by addressing me by such titles.

The unworthy servant and subje6t of your Lordship,

Teresa de Jesus.

' St. Teresa alludes to such titles as ' Reverend ', ' Very Reverend,' etc.