Letter 314. To Mother Mary of St. Joseph, Eprioress of Seville, Toledo, April 3, 1580

The Saint's illness. Good news from Rome. Foundation . at Palencia. Mother Brianda’s illness.

JESUS! May the grace of the Holy Spirit be with your

Reverence, my daughter.

Jp)

daughter, that you may do nothing to dissipate it! May He prote@ you.

I was very glad to hear you speak so well of the sisters who have lately entered your community, whom I should very much like to know. Tell them so, and remember me very kindly to them. Make them pray for affairs in Portugal, and that Dofia Yomar may have children, as the grief of her and her mother at her childless condition is painful to witness. Let the nuns take her trouble to heart: they owe much to her, and she is a very good Christian, although heavily affli@ted by this trial.

that it should be so far from los Remedios‘, since the fathers hear your confessions, as, though the house is near the town, you Say it is on the opposite side. In any case, do not settle the purchase until you have been to see it with two of the sisters who seem most capable of judging: any superior would give you permission for this at once. Do not trust the matter to the friars or to any one else: you know what an absurdly unsuitable house they would have made us buy. I wrote to you on the subject before, but do not know whether my letter reached you.’ Enclosed is my brother’s answer to you. I opened it by mistake but only read the first few lines: on finding it was not for me, I sealed it up again at once. Father Prior has left me the deeds necessary for recovering the money here but I have not the authorization, which is in the hands of Roque de Huerta, who is going to Seville on business. Wil] you send it to me with that for which Father Prior asked in the Valladolid affair. Dire@ them both to the Prioress of that convent, for if God gives me a little health, I shall leave here soon after the beginning of next month. I have been told to go to Segovia and from thence to Valladolid, to make a foundation four leagues off at Palencia. As the nuns of Villanueva promised to send you an account of the foundation of their house, I will only say it is very satisfactory, and will, I believe, render great service to God. I took a daughter of Beatriz de