Letter 412. To Don Alvaro de Mendoza, Bishop of Palencia, Burgos, April 13, 1582

Thanking him for his letter to the Archbishop of Burgos. JESUS! May the grace of the Holy Spirit be with your most illustrious Lordship!

HE Archbishop was so delighted with your

Lordship’s letter that he at once hastened to settle the matter before Easter, without having been asked by any one. He wishes to celebrate the first Mass himself and to bless the church, so that I think we shall have to wait until the end of the Easter octave, as he is engaged for the rest of the week.

The formalities exacted by the provisor are being attended to and little remains to be done: they are all quite new to me. People of the adjoining parish were asked if our foundation would annoy them; they replied that, on the contrary, they would do all they could to help us. As the matter may now be looked upon as settled, I sent to thank the

Archbishop. God be praised, for every one but myself considered the affair hopeless, I always looked upon the thing as already done, so that I suffered less than the others.

All the nuns kiss your hands for having rescued them from such difficulties. I wish your Lordship could have seen how they thanked our Lord. May He be for ever praised for having given you such charity as to impel you to write to the Archbishop. The devil, foreseeing the good that the foundation would bring about, opposed it the more strongly. However, his efforts availed him little, for our all-powerful God attains His ends.

God grant His Majesty may have given you health to perform all your labours during the last few days! I have prayed for it constaatly and all the nuns have done the same. Fatiguing as a synod is, your Lordship has done well to hold one, for God gives strength for all we have to do. The nuns are very fortunate in being near your Lordship: but there are some who envy them. Iam glad they will have such a happy Easter. May our Lord grant you joyful Easters for as many years as our Order needs you. Amen.

To-day is Friday of the Cross. God willing, the first Mass will be celebrated here on Easter Tuesday, or even sooner. if the Archbishop can manage it. The unworthy servant and subject of your

Lordship, Teresa de Jesus.