Jewels from Jane, August 17

"The chaplain of this prison [Prison of Saint Joseph], Father Besson, had met some truly interesting souls among the young women prisoners. If they had done wrong, it was because they did not know the good; and, since they had discovered the sweetness and charm of virtue, they were attached to it. Knowing the world and the dangers that awaited them there, these poor women were seized with fright at the thought of their freedom. Their misfortune was in not having any family or, what was still worse, in being obliged to live in the midst of an unworthy one.

"The prudent chaplain understood these terrors. He felt, then, for these sheep, who, in a short time, would fall again among wolves. He knew that he must protect them from danger; and he begged his confreres to come to his assistance. Aided by their alms, in 1812 he rented a small apartment in Rue Poits d'Ainay and brought there six of these young women whom he placed under the direction of a Sister of Saint Joseph. The latter found work for them, thus providing for their support. Others who were freed came to join these six. Soon there were so many that the house was too small.

"People of means interested themselves in this work of rescue...and gave a house in a retired part of Montauban...as a shelter for the penitents. The Lyonnais charity completed the liberality. Other gifts permitted the buying of looms, spindles and land around the house. The property admirably located on the slope of Fourviere, was quite suitable. The Virgin, enthroned on the summit, watched over these rescued sheep. Nothing disturbed the peace of the place. They called it The Solitude, and in 1824, the young women were transferred there.

"Mother Saint Polycarp was appointed Superior of this house. She came to live there with the Sisters mentioned above. The prisons were not neglected, but this work, which was the complement, assumed great proportions. Soon more than one hundred penitents peopled The Solitude, and the requests were always increasing. Soul and body were well cared for in this sojourn of peace. Work, prayer, pure, holy and healthy joy made virtue easier every day. No one was there through force. Honest homes were formed for these regenerated souls, when they felt themselves strong enough, either to return to their families or to be placed in Christian workshops.

"With a maternal eye filled with interest, Mother Saint John [Fontbonne] followed the progress of these works which were complementary one to the other. She admired her daughters, but she was uneasy about the crushing labor that devolved on each one. She understood that, though the formation given in the Novitiate of the Chartreux was excellent for the Sisters engaged in teaching or in the care of the sick, it was not perfectly adapted to the care of prisoners. Another training was needed for this very different work.

"With the consent of Archbishop de Pins it was resolved that the Sisters would open at 29 Chemin de Montauban, near The Solitude, in newly constructed buildings, a special novitiate where aspirants who felt themselves called to this work might be trained in the religious life. As a consequence, by virture of her title of Superior, Mother Saint Polycarp was named 'Provincial of the Division of the Prisons,' but always under the obedience of the Superior General of the Chartreux. With all necessary liberty for initiative, they left her the entire responsibility of this novitiate and the work for which it had been created. This innovation was so much the more opportune as the needs manifested were very great. Until 1824, the Sisters of Saint Joseph were concerned only with the prisoners of Lyons. In October, 1824, at the request of the Municipal Council of Montbrison, some Sisters were sent for its prison. About the same time Villefranche-sur-Saone made a similar request, offering the Sisters a home in the prison.

"This permanent residence seemed to Mother Saint John and to Mother Saint Polycarp a great advantage for the prisoners. The Sisters could help these unfortunate people at night. During the day, they could watch over their needs and, by soothing their moral sufferings, render easier the task of consoling them and bringing them back to God. Mother Saint Polycarp went to these places to examine the situation. The good Mother did not expect to make a triumphal entrance into the prisons. She knew too well the mentality of those who lived there and the prejudices this type of people harbored against those who wore the religious habit.

"It often happened that she was received with insults and threats. This did not annoy her. The Sister who accompanied her said that she often asked the guard to remove momentarily the chains which hurt the prisoners. Then, on her knees, she removed the worms, dressed the wounds, lifted the poor sore feet and wrapped them carefully with the white linen that she had brought. These sullen hearts, which did not know the workings of Christian charity, were amazed and very often repented. The relief resulting from these charitable visits soon made them desired; and a touching confidence was sometimes established between the prisoner and the one who had brought a little sunshine into his heart. It must have been thus in the prison of Villefranche, for one of the prisoners, in gratitude, painted the portrait of Mother Saint Polycarp. When it was finished, he wrote on the back of the canvas:

"Elizabeth Duplex, born in Lyons, on August 17, 1780. She commenced the work of the prisons on October 15, 1807, and entered the convent of Saint Joseph, where she received the habit and the name, Sister Saint Polycarp. She was the first Provincial of the Sisters of Saint Joseph for the Prisons. 'Mother of orphans, mother of the unfortunate, Model of virtue, her kind beneficence alleviates the sufferings of the poor prisoners and transforms a place of horror into a haven of happiness.' By an inmate of the Prison of Villefranche, 1829"

From Mother Saint John Fontbonne: A Biography adapted from the original French edition by a Sister of Saint Joseph Brentwood, New York

Jewels from Jane, August 12

"Cahokia, as well as Carondelet, had its joys and consolations. In 1838, a stone chapel was built. The countess had supplied part of the money, a rich woman of the country gave the rest and Mother Saint John [Fontbonne] sent, God knows with what joy, stations of the cross, candlesticks, candelabra, ornaments, flowers and a bell made in Lyons. On August 12 of that year, Bishop Rosati blessed the bell and the chapel. The same day, Sister Saint Protais made her vows.

"The good Canadians were delighted because they loved their 'Abbey,' and the peal of the Catholic bell on the river bank and the edges of the forest had a great charm for them. The Sisters were saints who had come from France to teach their children, to help their poor and to assist their sick. They venerated and loved them as their mothers.

"From Switzerland the countess wrote: 'On what are you living? Is your health good? Answer me quickly because I wish to send you a package. Tell me the things you need. Give me details of your establishments, of the good they do and the resources you have.' She gave them information about the convents of Touraine, Vendee and other cities.

"Mother Saint John, from afar, sustained her dear, generous missionaries by most encouraging exhortations: 'All here recalls to me the memory of my well-loved children; and I still meet you in all the places where I saw you so many times. It seems to me, that it is a century since I have heard from you, and I do not know how you are. The affection I have for you does not permit me to remain waiting any longer; for the distance which separates us, far from lessening my affection, makes it only more intense and tender. If the ocean separates us, eternity will unite us. I cannot express to you perfectly the joy I experience in this thought. Eternity will unite us, gives me consolation. What joy on our first meeting in Heaven. We will then be united, never more to be separated. Write to me at the first chance. Give me details of all you do or suffer. Pour into the heart of a Mother, who loves you tenderly, your sorrow, your cares and your joys, if you have any. I will share all. Do not let me think that America makes you forget your old Mother, who embraces you all in Our Lord Jesus Christ. In whatever part of this world we may be, we are never exiled, never far from the eyes of our Heavenly Father. In Europe, as well as in America, He is everywhere witness of our works and struggles. When I think that you are separated from me in another world, I am consoled by the thought that we are all united in the bosom of God. My entire wish is that you be saints, and that your communities be regular and edifying. I implore God to pour down upon you His choicest blessings and to assist you always with His grace.'

"In the American communities, each word of these precious letters was received with religious respect; and the ocean only apparently separated the Mother from her daughters. Her daughers found the venerable Mother's heart in her letters and in all the little packages she sent them from France--money, pictures, crucifixes, rosaries and medals for the pupils, the novices and their relatives. Since her daughters had left Lyons, in spite of her great age, she multiplied her visits to Fourviere. She used to say: 'I must bring my children's needs to the Blessed Virgin.' The following words express the value the Sisters placed on her motherly interest: 'Her prayers have been a gentle, fruitful rain on our American mustard seed, as her example, virtue and advice have been for us a torch and a rule of perfection.'"

"...the Mississippi was a bad neighbor for the convent of Cahokia and for the inhabitants of the country. Without considering the harm it might do to the people of its vicinity, it suddenly overflowed its banks and flooded the country. Mother Febronia had warnings of this danger on several occasions and was forced to seek refuge with the Sisters in Carondelet. When the waters subsided, the Sisters returned to their plague-stricken neighborhood, which they found ravaged by fever, the aftermath of the flood.

"In 1839, Mother Febronia was so seriously ill that Mother Delphine asked to be relieved from her duties in Carondelet that she might take care of her. She spent almost a year in Cahokia and left it to go to Saint Louis, where His Lordship confided to her the direction of the schools.

"Floods again visited the ill-fated Cahokia, compelling the entire population to flee. The Sisters, entrapped in their convent, saw the waters reach the first floor and continue to rise. Death seemed inevitable when suddenly a boat, sailing over the fields, the palisades and the enclosures, approached the convent. A plank, thrown from the boat to the window, served as a footbridge. The Sisters were saved. Once again Carondelet was a refuge.

"As a result of this flood and of the fevers that followed in its train, Cahokia was completely depopulated and the mission was abandoned. Mother Febronia contracted an illness from which she suffered so intensely that she and her namesake, Sister Febronia, who was also in poor health, were ordered by the doctors to return to France."

From Mother Saint John Fontbonne: A Biography translation adapted from the original French edition by a Sister of Saint Joseph Brentwood, New York

Jewels from Jane, January 4

From the handwritten journal of Sister St. Protais Deboille

(She never mastered the English language very well.)

"On 4 January 1836 early in morning they went at Fourviere before they depart for America. The little brave and valiant Colony [group of sisters] descended the Hill of Chartreux. At some little distance, the last contour or crescent, they turn to take the last glance of the convent.

"From the Hill of the Chartreux the Colony go to the Hill of Fourviere. They wish, as the Colony of Bordeaux, to consacret [consecrate] themselves and to pray her to bless the mission that they go to establish.

"Revd. Mother St. John had preceded her daughters. They find their Mother prostrated at the foot of the altar praying our blessed Lady to give her benediction to the Sisters and to be for them the Star of the Sea.

"Father Fontbonne offered the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass at Notre Dame of Fourviere and all the Sisters received the Holy Communion, Mother St. John uniting herself to her dear holy Nephew. The venerable aunt renew her wishes for him and his sisters. Their companions did the same, all hoping to be blessed by our Lady of Fourviere preparing themselves to the last adieu.

"When come down they had a modest breakfast at the Sisters of Apothecary of dispensary on Tupin Street to mitigate Mother St. John sorrow. The Superior of the dispensary procures with dexterity a conversation of a moment with a priest and the Superioress General during this time. The little Caravane [caravan] coming out furtively to take the diligence [stage coach] for Paris. But what was their astonishment to see their Revd. Mother who had come to the diligence to say a last adieu and to have a glance more of her dear children.

"When they were leaving Lyons some turn. Soon the departure was accomplish back, crying and saying "Adieu city, we will see you no more", but one sister told others "Do not cry, we are going to take a little ride." The excellente Mother Josephine present herself alone to Mother St. John and filial and devote [devout] heart knew to pour on the heart of her Superior the sweet and consoling balsam of religion. These two hearts worthy of one of the other they unite themselves to bless the Lord, mixing their tears and their affliction to their maternal and filial compassion. From this day the Revd. Mother redouble her pilgrimage to Our Lady of Fourviere to recommend her beloved children of the new world.

“The Sisters arrived in Paris, remain little time with the Sisters of St. Vincent de Paul. They visit Our Lady of Victory church, some asylum, Hotel Dieu and Stephen of Grais. They could not enter in the Magdelaine, they were fix[ing] it.”