"God blessed the works of the Institute in such a visible manner that appeals came to the Motherhouse of the Chartreux from all sections. Whenever she could do so, Mother Saint John [Fontbonne] answered these requests; but, though subjects came in large numbers, it was impossible to satisfy everybody. Besides the local parishes of the Diocese of Lyons, always the first supplied, convents of Saint Joseph were opened in many other dioceses...
"A priest wrote to Mother Saint John: 'There is, in my parish, a group of devout women who are called Sisters. They live in community and have a Superior although they have taken no vows. They occupy themselves with the schools and the children. Send us a Superior from Lyons, to teach and train them.'
"We have in our possession a collection of letters full of praise for these modest workers; almost all have come from priests whose apostolate they assisted. Let us quote a few of them: 'Since I have had the happiness of having this convent in my parish, I have had the greatest consolation; and I see that the Lord is pleased to bless my people. With the assistance of a religious community, priests can do something; without them, their ministry is paralyzed.'
"from another: 'With this spirit of humility and perfect self-denial which distinguishes them, the Sisters have done immense good.'
"and again: 'M.P. is surprised that two Sisters have been able to do so much and to be sufficient for so many employments.'
"another writes: 'They are more loved and respected than the priests.'
"If from some places, the motherhouse was congratulated with the reports of the affiliations, in others subordination was not wanted. Each bishop was anxious to have a motherhouse and novitiate for his own diocese. Mother Saint John was not surprised by that. It was the original idea of the founders and, until the Revolution, each convent had its autonomy. The constitutions...say: 'The Sisters of the congregation will recognize as their lawful Superiors, the bishops of the dioceses in which they reside. They will always have for them a deep respect, a great submission and a very exact obedience in all things which they command them, considering them as holding the place of Jesus Christ, invested with His character and His authority over them. The bishops can visit the houses and the Sisters in their dioceses, and demand an account from the Superiors, of both the spiritual and temporal state of their houses. They can make rules for the general good of the house and the conduct of the Sisters, in order to maintain or renew the full observance of the present constitutions. They may also, if they deem it useful or necessary, change the Superiors and Sisters from one house to another, and even send them out of their dioceses when other bishops ask for them.'
"The Archbishop of Lyons had been wisely inspired in introducing into the Institute a central government which attached the communities to one another and placed them under the direction of a Superior General, who, knowing the needs and resources of each, could establish a wise balance, which favored the good functioning of the works of the congregation. He had been wisely inspired in prescribing a single novitiate in which all the members of the congregation would be imbued with the same spirit and find the necessary means for the proper religious training..
"This indispensable reorganization, the two founders, Bishop de Maupas and Father Medaille, would have surely exacted if they could have foreseen that the 'Little Design' would assume such great proportions and that the Sisters of Saint Joseph would one day cover the globe. Nevertheless, the Archbishop could not take from the bishops their rights of jurisdiction over the communities in their dioceses. To decide all difficulties, there was an understanding among the prelates and it was agreed that henceforth the communities established by the Motherhouse of Lyons would remain attached to their center, and thus disputes and demands were closed.
"When everything was settled, Archbishop de Pins issued the following ordinance:
"...Wishing to assure to all and to each of our dear daughters, the Sisters of Saint Joseph, the valuable and important fruits of a complete novitiate in the motherhouse where they will draw at the same time the spirit of their state, a solid piety and the knowledge necessary to them;...we have decreed what follows:
'1. Dating from January 1, 1829, no Sister of Saint Joseph, without exception, will be admitted to holy profession until after spending an entire year in the Novitiate of the Motherhouse of Lyons, so that everyone will spend there two or three months before the reception and nine or ten months after the reception in the space of two years prescribed by their constitutions from which we do not intend to deviate in any way.
'2. We authorize the Superior General to shorten this trial, even by six months, when she will judge it suitable in favor of the lay Sisters.
'3. Copies of the present decree will be sent to Mother Saint John [Fontbonne] who will have them entered on the registers of the congregation and who will testify for us, at least every three months, the execution of the present ordinance...
"The Vicar General who was to give an account of the execution of this ordinance was, in 1828, Father Charles Cholleton, nephew of Father Claude Cholleton, of saintly memory. The nephew, like the uncle, had great love for the community. He assisted Mother Saint John in her delicate and painful task. The Novitiate of Saint-Pons was closed in spite of the regrets of the Bishop of Montpellier, who did not wish to oppose the Archbishop of Lyons in removing the novitiate from his diocese. Montpeyroux, Bedarieux and Meze, which opened shortly after, received their subjects from the Motherhouse of Lyons and had to send their postulants there.
"The means of communication becoming easier from day to day, the difficulty of traveling was lessened. 'Holy souls increased and flourished at the motherouse under the impetus and influence of the worthy Superior General.'"
From Mother Saint John Fontbonne: A Biography adapted from the original French edition by a Sister of Saint Joseph of Brentwood, New York
"A priest wrote to Mother Saint John: 'There is, in my parish, a group of devout women who are called Sisters. They live in community and have a Superior although they have taken no vows. They occupy themselves with the schools and the children. Send us a Superior from Lyons, to teach and train them.'
"We have in our possession a collection of letters full of praise for these modest workers; almost all have come from priests whose apostolate they assisted. Let us quote a few of them: 'Since I have had the happiness of having this convent in my parish, I have had the greatest consolation; and I see that the Lord is pleased to bless my people. With the assistance of a religious community, priests can do something; without them, their ministry is paralyzed.'
"from another: 'With this spirit of humility and perfect self-denial which distinguishes them, the Sisters have done immense good.'
"and again: 'M.P. is surprised that two Sisters have been able to do so much and to be sufficient for so many employments.'
"another writes: 'They are more loved and respected than the priests.'
"If from some places, the motherhouse was congratulated with the reports of the affiliations, in others subordination was not wanted. Each bishop was anxious to have a motherhouse and novitiate for his own diocese. Mother Saint John was not surprised by that. It was the original idea of the founders and, until the Revolution, each convent had its autonomy. The constitutions...say: 'The Sisters of the congregation will recognize as their lawful Superiors, the bishops of the dioceses in which they reside. They will always have for them a deep respect, a great submission and a very exact obedience in all things which they command them, considering them as holding the place of Jesus Christ, invested with His character and His authority over them. The bishops can visit the houses and the Sisters in their dioceses, and demand an account from the Superiors, of both the spiritual and temporal state of their houses. They can make rules for the general good of the house and the conduct of the Sisters, in order to maintain or renew the full observance of the present constitutions. They may also, if they deem it useful or necessary, change the Superiors and Sisters from one house to another, and even send them out of their dioceses when other bishops ask for them.'
"The Archbishop of Lyons had been wisely inspired in introducing into the Institute a central government which attached the communities to one another and placed them under the direction of a Superior General, who, knowing the needs and resources of each, could establish a wise balance, which favored the good functioning of the works of the congregation. He had been wisely inspired in prescribing a single novitiate in which all the members of the congregation would be imbued with the same spirit and find the necessary means for the proper religious training..
"This indispensable reorganization, the two founders, Bishop de Maupas and Father Medaille, would have surely exacted if they could have foreseen that the 'Little Design' would assume such great proportions and that the Sisters of Saint Joseph would one day cover the globe. Nevertheless, the Archbishop could not take from the bishops their rights of jurisdiction over the communities in their dioceses. To decide all difficulties, there was an understanding among the prelates and it was agreed that henceforth the communities established by the Motherhouse of Lyons would remain attached to their center, and thus disputes and demands were closed.
"When everything was settled, Archbishop de Pins issued the following ordinance:
"...Wishing to assure to all and to each of our dear daughters, the Sisters of Saint Joseph, the valuable and important fruits of a complete novitiate in the motherhouse where they will draw at the same time the spirit of their state, a solid piety and the knowledge necessary to them;...we have decreed what follows:
'1. Dating from January 1, 1829, no Sister of Saint Joseph, without exception, will be admitted to holy profession until after spending an entire year in the Novitiate of the Motherhouse of Lyons, so that everyone will spend there two or three months before the reception and nine or ten months after the reception in the space of two years prescribed by their constitutions from which we do not intend to deviate in any way.
'2. We authorize the Superior General to shorten this trial, even by six months, when she will judge it suitable in favor of the lay Sisters.
'3. Copies of the present decree will be sent to Mother Saint John [Fontbonne] who will have them entered on the registers of the congregation and who will testify for us, at least every three months, the execution of the present ordinance...
"The Vicar General who was to give an account of the execution of this ordinance was, in 1828, Father Charles Cholleton, nephew of Father Claude Cholleton, of saintly memory. The nephew, like the uncle, had great love for the community. He assisted Mother Saint John in her delicate and painful task. The Novitiate of Saint-Pons was closed in spite of the regrets of the Bishop of Montpellier, who did not wish to oppose the Archbishop of Lyons in removing the novitiate from his diocese. Montpeyroux, Bedarieux and Meze, which opened shortly after, received their subjects from the Motherhouse of Lyons and had to send their postulants there.
"The means of communication becoming easier from day to day, the difficulty of traveling was lessened. 'Holy souls increased and flourished at the motherouse under the impetus and influence of the worthy Superior General.'"
From Mother Saint John Fontbonne: A Biography adapted from the original French edition by a Sister of Saint Joseph of Brentwood, New York
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