Jewels from Jane, January 30

"...the devotion of the Sisters of Saint Joseph, at first exercised only in the prisons of Lyons, had gone beyond the city. Everywhere their influence had produced such improvements that the Supervisory Commission was struck by it and conceived the project of prison reform. It drew up a report which was printed and addressed to the Minister of the Interior. This report, quite full of praise for the Sisters of Saint Joseph, gave an unexpected expansion to the work of the prisons...

"Three months after the publication of this report, the Prefect of Bas Rhine asked for six or eight Sisters of Saint Joseph for the central prison of Hagueneau, where only women were imprisoned. Some time later, the Prefect of the North asked for some for the prison of Lille. Since these requests had not been foreseen, the Superiors were not prepared to answer at once. In the Chamber of Deputies, everybody agreed that the reform of the prisons was needed, especially in the prisons for women where men supervised. But not everybody wished the reform to be made in the same manner. Hence, the different systems, and the hot discussions which ended in one decision,--the need of immediate action and the finding of supervisors who possessed all desirable qualities.

"'Give me five hundred Sisters,' exclaimed M. Thiers, 'and I will undertake to reform all the prisons in the kingdom. With their rosaries on their sides, they will certainly have more influence than the keepers with their swords.'

"'That is possible,' somebody answered, 'but where shall we find these five hundred Religious who will consent to enclose themselves with the prisoners day and night.?'

"A member of the Assembly spoke of the Sisters of Saint Joseph and the well-conducted prisons of Lyons. The Inspector General of the prisons, Charles Lucas, was commissioned to ascertain the state of affairs for himself, to see the Superior of this convent and to ask her if she would accept the supervision of all the prisons of France, beginning with the central houses. The offer was accepted, in principle, but on the condition that the prisons would be served according to the possibilities of the community.

"At once, the Minister of the Interior asked for two hundred Sisters. These would have been given willingly but the community did not have them. The Superior asked for time and as God wanted this work, He bestowed vocations. The Novitiate of the Solitude was filled and it was with the greatest care that these young subjects were prepared for this special mission which requires as much firmness as kindness and supernatural spirit.

"Demands came from every quarter. On January 30, 1840, the Inspector General announced that the Minister of the Interior sanctioned the Prefect of Herault, who made an agreement with the congregation...

"The prisons suddently assumed an unforseen importance. This work had already necessitated a special training. The unexpected growth of this second division could harm the good progress of the Institute, the unity of spirit and the entire observance of the Rule. That was a subject of great anxiety for Mother Saint John [Fontbonne]. This useful and fruitful apostolic movement must not be stopped, but the other works of the community must neither be submerged nor compromised. One way alone would settle all difficulties: that is, to have two different congregations. The Archbishop having approved this plan, the Sisters worked at once to realize it and to look for a place where they would locate the novitiate for the Sisters who were to have the service of the prisons. [It was decided to locate it at Haute Vienne.]

"Cardinal Fesch died in Rome, in 1839. The Bishop of Le Puy, Monsignor de Boland, succeeded him as Archbishop of Lyons. On January 30, 1841, he issued an ordinance which permitted the Sisters of Saint Joseph to choose freely between the community for the prisons or the community for teaching and other charitable works. Those who chose the prisons were authorized to leave the diocese under the direction of Mother Saint Augustine Quinon.

"The new congregation retained the name of Saint Joseph, but it added that of Mary. The Sisters also kept the original habit. The black underveil was replaced by a white one; over this white underveil was in turn placed a blue one and the black veil was pinned over these two. One could soon see a few of the Sisters Marie-Joseph in all the prisons. Those who desire to know them will still find them in the Prison Saint Lazare, Paris. The Sisters of Saint Joseph continued their work in the prisons of Lyons until the Sisters of Marie-Joseph, having satisfied the most pressing needs, were in a position to furnish subjects for Lyons.

"We can admire here the supernatural disinterestedness of Mother Saint John, as we can throughout the entire course of her life. She never tried to draw profit from a situation. Interest for souls was the only motive of her deeds and her decisions. She never put God at the service of her Institute; she put her Institute at the service of God."

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 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, July 27

"Mother Saint John [Fontbonne] was neither frightened nor saddened at the thought of leaving this earth, and her example inflamed the Sisters with supernatural courage.

"The greatest suffering of the little family of Saint Joseph was the deprivation of religious assistance. The Sisters had been in prison for several months without any notice as to the term of their imprisonment. One day the jailer said brutally to Mother Saint John: 'Citizeness, it is your turn tomorrow.' 'Thanks be to God!' answered the noble Mother, trembling with joy.

"The jailer had addressed Mother Saint John only, but her daughters thought that their fate would not be different from that of their Mother. All prepared to climb the steps of the guillotine. 'Tomorrow,' said the prisoners among themselves, 'will be the most beautiful day in our lives, we must get our garments ready.' The little community still possessed a small amount of money. The Sisters decided unanimously that it should be spent in the preparing of their modest clothing for the great festival of the morrow. These resolutions taken, they all waited in prayer, picturing the Heaven which was about to open for them.

"We should note, however, that our prisoners could not be guillotined the next day, for no executions had taken place in Saint Didier. 'Tomorrow your turn' meant 'tomorrow the departure for the court without appeal, in Le Puy, and the day after that, the execution.' The law stated that condemned persons had to be put to death within twenty-four hours.

"...Yet, Heaven did not open. Mother Saint John's work was not finished. In order that she might accomplish her task, Divine Providence gave an unexpected turn to events. Those whom Robespierre desired to send to the guillotine, sent him there and, let it be said in passing, the tyrant did not go gracefully. His death did not end the Revolution. There were still many sad days after his death, but the disappearance of this creature of blood permitted people to breathe again. At any rate, many prisoners indirectly owed their freedom to him. Mother Saint John and her companions were among the number. When their dungeon opened on July 27, 1794 all stood ready to go forth to death.

"God willed otherwise. Instead of having chains put on their hands, they were told that they were free. 'At this news which brought so much joy to the others,' Canon Rivaux tells us that Mother Saint John cried out sorrowfully: 'Ah, my Sisters, we are not worthy of the grace to die for our holy religion. Our sins have been an obstacle to this great favor.' The saintly Mother, during the remainder of her life, regretted having lost the palm of martyrdom, which had escaped her at the moment she believed herself about to hold it.

"When in later years, people spoke to her of this heroic epoch of her life and of what she had suffered in prison, she adroitly turned the conversation to speak of those Sisters who had not been spared and of their glorious martyrdom. For her, all suffering was as nothing because she had not received the crown of martyrdom."

Below is a quote from part of the document releasing the sisters from prison. The deed is in the archives of Bas.

"The citizenesses, Jeanne and Marie Fontbonne (ex-Josephines) of the above-mentioned convent of the Sisters of this community, originally of this commune of Bas, have requested the registration of their discharge from the prison of Montfranc."

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

Jewels from Jane, June 17

June 17, 1794

“On June 16, 1794, five brigades of soldiers led a convoy of twelve prisoners from Craponne to Le Puy. There were three men, eight women and a child. Among the eight women was Jeanne Marie Aubert, a Sister of Saint Joseph. The next day, June 17, another Sister of the same Institute joined the twelve prisoners in the chief town of the department. She was Marie Anne Garnier….

“…during the morning of June 17, the judges found time to question the thirteen prisoners, to deliberate, to draw up the writ of condemnation and to execute it on the same day.

“Six were condemned to death: Father Mourier, Barthelemy Best, his wife, his sister and the two Sisters of Saint Joseph. Marguerite, the daughter, was fourteen years old, but she was so little that she seemed eleven. She was in the convoy, but the judge dared not condemn a child. The acquitted child was compelled to walk around the guillotine twice as her parents’ heads fell. This experience so deeply affected her that she died three months later.

“…a few days’ later posters told … that two of their Sisters had gone to increase the phalanx of virgin martyrs in Heaven. However great this glory, it did not keep their hearts from feeling the wounds. That of Mother Saint John bled often,--it was so tender, so good; but her ardent, faith, coming to the aid of her sorrow, gave courage to herself and to the others. All, united in fervent prayer, cast themselves into God’s arms and prepared with confidence and love for whatever might come.

“Once, out of prison, the venerable Mother [St. John Fontbonne] made, in the form of a litany, a list of the martyred priests of her acquaintance. We find in her notebook the names of twenty-one priests either guillotined or shot. Father Clavel is one and Father Mourier follows next. Mother Saint John, without wishing to anticipate the judgment of the Church, took pleasure in invoking them in the hours of distress. We seem to hear her cry mounting to Heaven:

‘Saint Clavel, pray for me!’

‘Saint Mourier, pray for me!’”

From Mother Saint John Fontbonne: A biography by a Sister of Saint Joseph Brentwood, New York