"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
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