Produced by D. Garcia, Juliet Sutherland, Charles Franks,
and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team.
This file was produced from images generously made available
by the Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions.




[Illustration: SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS
Foundress of the Congregation of Notre Dame
ESTABLISHED IN MONTREAL. CANADA. 1659.]






THE LIFE OF VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS,


FOUNDRESS OF THE SISTERS OF THE
CONGREGATION OF NOTRE DAME.

_ESTABLISHED AT MONTREAL, CANADA, 1659_.

_TRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCH_

BY A RELIGIEUSE,
CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA.






AUTHOR'S PREFACE

       *       *       *       *       *

Having read a French edition of the Life of Venerable Sister Bourgeois,
published in 1818, the translator of the present work was so charmed by
its perusal that she resolved on rendering it into English for the
spiritual edification of others.

Many years ago the work of translation was commenced, but from some
preventing cause or other, was as often laid aside. Yet the idea of
presenting it to the public remained, as no _English_ Version of Sister
Bourgeois' life exists, at least in the United States.

Therefore determining at last to obey an impulse of long standing, the
scattered translation sheets have been prepared for publication, with
the humble hope that the reader may derive as much benefit from their
perusal as did the writer.

In this age of miscellaneous and corrupt literature, when people of
every condition of life are literally devouring irreligious magazines
and serials, it surely cannot be amiss to add another volume to the
already rich store of our libraries in order to help roll back the
torrent of universal depravity that threatens the rain of our beloved
country, and also to place before the minds of the young, the glorious
example of one of God's heroines.

The _Second Centennial_ of Sister Bourgeois' advent to America is
already past, and more than a hundred years before the _Declaration of
Independence_, was she laboring in the cause of humanity for the glory
of God in the New World.

If reading the lives of such women as Mrs. Seton--a Protestant American
lady, who after her conversion to the Catholic Church in Italy so burned
with the love of God, as to return to her native land in her early
widowhood to form a flourishing religious sisterhood in New York; of
Nano Nagle, an Irish aristocrat, who turned from a useless fashionable
life to the lowly spirit of the gospel on seeing the poor artizans of
Paris crowding to early Mass in the Church of Notre Dame before
beginning their daily toil, while she lolled weariedly in her carriage
after a midnight ball; heroically putting her hand to the plough, she
never turned back, and left behind her another religious Sisterhood in
Ireland to perpetuate her philanthropic sanctity: of Catharine McAuley,
who receiving from her adopted Protestant parents a princely fortune,
expended every shilling of it in building up the Order of Mercy, one of
the latest and most flourishing outposts of the Church of God; of St.
Jane de Chantal, who after having been tried in the fire of affliction
for years--founded in her advanced widowhood the Order of the
Visitation, under the direction of St. Francis de Sales--and who
attained such an extraordinary degree of perfection as to be seen
ascending to heaven like a luminous meteor after her happy death.

If the perusal of the lives of these, and a host of other sainted women,
such as the Catholic Church alone can produce, has filled many a young
heart with high and holy aspirations--perhaps the contents of this
little volume will not be less efficacious for the glory of God, the
interests of religion, and the salvation of souls.

A literal translation has been adhered to as far as possible--one or two
remarks at the close being the only additions. So if any defects exist
in the work they belong solely to the translator, whose aim has not been
rhetorical composition, but the greater glory of God. And if but one
heart be won more closely to the knowledge and love of Jesus Christ by
its perusal, she will be amply repaid, and prays that the blessing of
the Sacred Heart of Jesus may be given to her humble effort to advance
His honor and glory.

Respectfully, THE AUTHORESS.






CONTENTS.


CHAPTER I.

THE DISCOVERY OF CANADA AND COLONIZATION OF MONTREAL.

CHAPTER II.

MESSRS. DAUVERSIERE AND DE MAISONNEUVE VISIT MONTREAL

CHAPTER III.

ESTABLISHMENT OF THE HOTEL DIEU--ECCLESIASTICAL APPOINTMENTS
FOR CANADA, ETC.

CHAPTER IV.

EARLY YEARS OF MARGARET BOURGEOIS AND HER VOCATION FOR THE
CANADIAN MISSION

CHAPTER V.

MARGARET BOURGEOIS, AFTER MANY TRIALS AND MORTIFICATIONS,
AT LENGTH SAILS WITH M. DE MAISONNEUVE FOR CANADA

CHAPTER VI.

SISTER BOURGEOIS'S ARRIVAL IN CANADA

CHAPTER VII.

ESTABLISHMENT OF THE SISTERS OF THE CONGREGATION OF NOTRE DAME
AT VILLE-MARIE

CHAPTER VIII.

M. FRANCOIS DE LAVAL DE MONTMORENCI IS APPOINTED FIRST BISHOP OF
CANADA--SISTER BOURGEOIS SUCCEEDS IN BUILDING THE CHURCH OF NOTRE DAME

CHAPTER IX.

THE RULES OF THE CONGREGATION AND ESTABLISHMENT OF MISSIONS

CHAPTER X.

THE PRIVATE AND SOCIAL VIRTUES OF SISTER BOURGEOIS

CHAPTER XI.

SISTER BOURGEOIS'S HAPPY DEATH AND THE WONDERS THAT FOLLOWED IT

CHAPTER XII.

THE EXCELLENCE OF HER INSTITUTES, HER MAXIMS, INSTITUTIONS, ETC.

CHAPTER XIII.

A RECAPITULATION OF THE PRINCIPAL EVENTS OF THE LIFE OF SISTER BOURGEOIS

CONCLUSION






LIFE OF THE VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS.

       *       *       *       *       *

CHAPTER I.

THE DISCOVERY OF CANADA AND COLONIZATION OF MONTREAL.


Every one knows that America is called the New World because, until the
close of the 15th century, it was unknown to the other nations of the
earth--at least it was then unknown to Europe. Until quite near the end
of that century, Canada was absolutely a _terra incognita_--being one
vast forest, inhabited only by the red man, and by beasts as wild and
untamable as he. In the year 1534, James Cartier, a skilful navigator,
being provided with a commission from the King of France, set sail from
St. Malo, with two ships of sixty tons burden, carrying one hundred and
twenty-two well-equipped seamen, in order to reconnoitre that part of
the New World. Cartier's first voyage was quite successful. He
discovered Canada and took possession of it, in the name of the French
King. Having made his observations from the different posts which
surround the Gulf that receives into its bosom the waters of the great
river of Canada, since called the St. Lawrence, he conversed as well as
he could with the savages, whenever an opportunity offered, in order to
study their characters, and thought he occasionally discovered in them
dispositions favorable to Christianity.

This led him to hope that the King would form a colony in the country,
that might be equally useful to commerce and religion. He accordingly
returned to France, to acquaint his sovereign with his projects and the
success of the expedition that inspired them.

His plans met with a very favorable reception, and were immediately
acted upon. The following year he received a new commission from the
King and three well-appointed ships, several Breton gentlemen at the
same time volunteering to accompany him. They left the port of St. Malo
on the 3rd of May, but did not arrive at the Canadian Gulf until the
10th of August. This being the festival of St. Lawrence, they called the
Gulf by the Saint's name, in thanksgiving for their safe arrival. Having
entered the river with his little fleet, he sailed as far as the Jacques
Cartier River, so named in _his_ honor. Here they landed, and tradition
says, he lost one of his ships at this place, although his biographers
make no mention of the occurrence. Perhaps the vessel was stranded, and
therefore became useless. But whatever accident happened, it did not
cool his enterprising spirit in the least, nor prevent him from
ascending the river as high as the Isle of Fochelagu (the present city
of Montreal), which was described to him as a delightful place by the
savages he met along his route. At Lake St. Pierre, three leagues above
Three Rivers, he failed to procure material to repair his ships, and was
compelled to leave them there. However, he manned two shallops and
embarked on them with the bravest of his volunteers, arriving safely at
Fochelagu on the 2d of October. Here he found a village of savages at
the foot of a mountain (the site of the City of Montreal is a little to
the right of that old Indian village), who received him very kindly--and
he completely gained their friendship by making them various little
presents. He was enchanted by the situation of the island, and surprised
and dazzled by the beauty of the scene that presented itself to his
view. He called it, in the enthusiasm of the moment, Mont Royal--since
corrupted into Montreal. He remained, however, but a few days, as the
season was advancing, and on the 5th of October set out to rejoin his
fleet and return to Europe, convinced that the beautiful island was the
most desirable locality in the country for a new colony. He related his
success a second time at the French court, but as all attempted
discoveries then had only one object in view--viz., the finding of gold
and silver--and as Carrier's journal of discovery made no mention of the
precious metals, he met with a very cool reception. However, in 1540 the
King deemed it advisable to appoint Francis de la Roque his viceroy and
Lieutenant-General of Canada. To be sure, the office was not a lucrative
one--as for many years he had only the woods and forests to govern, and
though boundless wealth lay concealed in these woods and forests, he had
not the means to bring it forth. He made some voyages to Canada in
virtue of his appointment, and attempted the foundation of a few
colonies, which proved sadly unsuccessful, as France, being then
occupied with domestic troubles, seemed to have forgotten Canada. It was
not until 1598, in the reign of Henry IV., when a commission was given
to the Marquis de la Roche--a Breton gentleman--(such as had been given
to Francis de la Roque more than forty years before), that renewed
interest in the affairs of the New World was awakened. This commission
expressly provided that he should have chiefly in view the establishment
of the _Catholic Religion_ in all the countries under his jurisdiction.
He received no assistance from the government, however, for the success
of the enterprise, and it therefore failed, like the preceding ones.

These successive failures damped the ardor of the French court, and
further colonization plans hung trembling in the balance. But during the
period of this fluctuating policy several navigators and merchants of
Normandy, Bretony, and elsewhere, sailed up the St. Lawrence on their
own account, established many trading posts, and carried on a
sufficiently lucrative trade with the savages. Their mercantile success
excited the emulation of M. Chauvin, a sea-captain, who solicited and
obtained from the King a continuance of the commission that had been
formerly granted to Lords Roberval and de la Roche, with the additional
privilege of an exclusive trade in furs. The subject of religion did not
trouble M. Chauvin very much, his negative Protestantism being quite
satisfied with the good things of this life. He made two voyages--one in
1601, the other in 1602--realizing great wealth each, time, but died
while preparing for a third enterprise. The Commander de la Chappe,
Governor of Dieppe, succeeded him in 1603, having the same privileges
accorded to him that had been bestowed on his predecessors. In order to
extend his commercial pursuits he formed a company of traders and other
persons of wealth and distinction. They prepared a considerable fleet,
entered the St. Lawrence, and reconnoitered the island of Montreal a
second time. On their return to France they heard with regret of the
death of de la Chappe, and learned that his commission had been given to
Pierre Dugats, a Protestant gentleman, but an honest man, who intended
in good faith to establish the Catholic Religion according to the
articles of the Commission. But God had not chosen any of these people
to found _Montreal_, although Pierre Dugats continued the trading
association formed by his predecessors, and increased its wealth very
considerably, by carrying on commerce with the principal ports of
France. He prepared a much more considerable fleet than any that had
been hitherto attempted, and sailed again from France in 1604. Lord
Champlain was one of his companions on this voyage, which, however,
accomplished nothing beneficial for France. In 1608 he carried into
effect the intentions of the court by establishing a permanent colony at
Quebec on the St. Lawrence, and erecting a barrack for its security.
This he did in the name and at the expense of the colony.

Champlain remained there through the winter to prepare ground for
agriculture--but in the spring of 1609 he made war against the Iroquois,
who had been constantly harrassing the military post since its
establishment. He pursued them as far as Lake Champlain, to which he
gave his name, having first left a light garrison at Quebec, and in the
autumn returned to France. About this time the name of _New France_ was
first given to Canada. Champlain returned in 1610, and visited Montreal,
intending to establish another colony there. But Providence had other
designs in view. He was not successful, and contented himself with
building a few huts for the purpose of trading with the savages.

The death of Henry IV., which occurred at this time, produced a great
change in the affairs of the new country. The commission of Governor of
Canada was transferred from M. de Monts to Champlain, by the Queen
Regent--who also appointed him Lieutenant-General to the Prince of
Conde, which step was intended to pave the way for his additional title
of Viceroy of New France.

Champlain gave quite a different form to the Mercantile Company of
Canada, and by his influence with Conde, obtained from the King letters
patent and many new privileges. He returned to Canada in 1614 with a
goodly number of colonists, and also a few Recollets to minister to
their spiritual wants. Intending to pass the summer at Montreal, with
some of his companions for the purpose of trading more advantageously
with the savages, he left Quebec. But again his plans met with very
partial success.

In 1620 the Prince of Conde conferred the viceroyalty of Canada on the
Marechal de Montmorenci, his brother-in-law, who in turn bestowed it on
the Duke de Ventadour, his nephew. Until this period the affairs of the
colony had been entirely in the hands of Protestants, who sought nothing
but material wealth. Everything was languishing, and there were not more
than fifty persons at Quebec. Some Jesuit Fathers arrived this year,
having been sent over to assist the Recollets, and it was proposed to
exclude Protestants from the colony, as they were becoming more numerous
than was convenient for a Catholic settlement. Cardinal Richelieu, then
minister of France, during the minority of Louis XIII., lent them his
powerful assistance in their designs for the glory of God. By an edict
dated May, 1627, given at the camp before La Rochelle, all the old
Commercial Companies of Canada were suppressed and dissolved, new ones
being erected in their stead, with the express conditions and
stipulations that the colony was to be exclusively _French_ and
_Catholic_, that the new company should, at its own expense, support a
sufficient number of priests, and that agriculture should be actively
encouraged.

His majesty empowered the company to make grants of land throughout the
whole extent of New France, in such proportions and with such
title-deeds, as they deemed most prudent for the settlement of the
country. He gave them also the exclusive control of the fur-trade,
particularly that of the beaver, requiring the colonists to bring this
kind of merchandise to the store-houses of the company, where they were
to receive fixed prices for it, in order to ensure the success of the
colony during the first ten years of its existence. He promised to all
classes of persons, no matter what their rank or condition of life might
be, whether ecclesiastics, nobles, military men, or others, that by
incorporating themselves in the association they should not in any case
forfeit the privileges of their rank. The Duke de Ventadour resigned his
viceroyalty to the French minister, and Cardinal Richelieu, with M.
Marechal d'Effiat, were named the heads of the Association. Many
ecclesiastics and seculars at once became members of the Society, and
with them were soon incorporated several of the wealthiest and most
enterprising merchants of the kingdom. But while the Company was being
thus enthusiastically formed in France, the English made an attack on
Quebec, and the effect of the edict was suspended for a season. The King
came almost to the conclusion of abandoning Canada forever, as he had
only been influenced by religious and honorable motives in preserving
the treaty of peace he had made at St. Germain in 1632. The newly-formed
company, in this predicament, began to assert their own rights. They
presented Champlain to the king as the man best suited to their wants,
and his Majesty at once appointed him Governor of New France. He had the
command of several well-appointed ships, and many Jesuit missionaries
offered to accompany him to labor for the salvation of souls in the new
field that was opened to them. The Associates decided that the sons of
St. Ignatius would be more useful in the colony than the Recollets, who
complained that they did not find sufficient support in Canada, and who
had in fact left it for a time, nor did they return until 1670, when the
colony had become quite populous. Champlain died at Quebec in 1635, and
the same year the Jesuits of New France began to build their _first
college_. The following year Chevalier de Montmagni succeeded Champlain
as Governor of Canada. The settlers had now become very numerous, being
encouraged by their trade with the new company, and many of the savages
had embraced the faith, a mission having been opened for them at
Sillery, near Quebec. France again took an active part in the success of
the enterprise, and as the settlements were more French than Indian, an
organization for a hospital was set on foot, and also a school for
children. The Duchess d'Aiguillon took upon herself the foundation of
the Hotel-Dieu, and defrayed the entire expense of the undertaking.

She sent over some experienced Hospital Sisters from the hospital at
Dieppe, who were glowing with zeal for the New World missions--Madame de
la Pelleterie, a rich young widow of high birth, undertook at the same
time the establishment of the Ursulines, consecrating herself also to
the good work. She was ably seconded by the celebrated Sister Mary of
the Incarnation, and Sister Mary of St. Joseph, whom she brought from
the Ursuline Monastery at Bourges. All these pious women met at Dieppe
in 1639, and thence set sail for New France, arriving the same year at
Quebec.

Yet, notwithstanding the philanthropic exertions of so many holy people,
the colony was backward and languishing. The cruel and ceaseless attacks
of the Iroquois had nearly disheartened the Christian world, men, women
and children being mercilessly butchered, burnt alive, or carried into a
still more horrible captivity. But Divine Providence remedied this
terrible state of affairs, by means not naturally looked for, and which
in the commencement seemed not only foolhardy, but little suited to the
end. Yet a very special providence was visibly at work, in a chain of
events that were altogether miraculous, as the sequel proved. A new
colony was founded at _Montreal_, which was intended as a barrier
against the inroads of the savages, and of which it will be necessary to
speak a little in advance. While the French seemed to be taking an
enthusiastic interest in the colonization of Canada--partly from
political motives, partly from individual and and private interest, and
partly from zeal for the spread of religion and the conversion of the
Indians, Almighty God was quietly preparing a number of pious persons
who would have His glory _really_ at heart. The first to whom He was
pleased to manifest His designs, was Jerome le Royer, Receiver-General
of the King's domains. This gentleman was an exemplary Christian, and
quite remarkable for his devotion to the Blessed Virgin. It would appear
that God had specially chosen him for the accomplishment of the work we
are going to relate, and that the glorious Virgin herself had revealed
to him the means by which he would succeed, as he rendered the greatest
assistance to Sister Bourgeois in after years, in the establishment of
her Congregation. Although he had never been in Canada, nor had ever
seen the isle of Montreal, he had a supernatural and distinct knowledge
of it, and knew it better than its present inhabitants. It was a vision
that he never lost sight of, and he felt confident he would obtain from
the king the proprietorship of the island, in order to consecrate it to
the Blessed Virgin, and build a city on it, which he intended to call
Ville-Marie (City of Mary). The aim of all his enterprises and hopes of
the future centered in one grand idea, viz., the propagation of the
Faith among the savages, and the greater glory of God. But as he knew
well that he alone could not accomplish so great a work, he conceived
the idea of forming a new company, that would not be devoted either to
self-interest or commercial pursuits, like the preceding Associations,
but whose chief desire would be the propagation of the Faith in America,
and the conversion of the Indians. Full of these pious aspirations, he
came to Paris, for the purpose of procuring means to put them into
execution. He had many interviews with persons of distinction there,
but, as generally happens with the works of God, he experienced so much
difficulty, and encountered so much opposition, that a person less
devoted to the divine honor, and less susceptible of the impressions of
grace, would have been completely disheartened. Cardinal Richelieu
himself, who was so clearsighted in human policy, when spoken to on this
subject, treated it as a chimera full of imprudence and temerity. M.
Dauversiere (le Royer) made no reply to his distinguished opponent, but
went quietly to seek an interview with M. Olier, then professor in the
Seminary of St. Sulpice, a man who had devoted all his masterly energies
to that great undertaking. This true servant of God generously assisted
every good work, and when there was question of promoting devotion to
the _Blessed Virgin_, his unbounded confidence in her made him act
instantaneously. One cannot doubt by the splendid sequel that he had a
very strong presentiment of the ultimate success of the pious project.
Therefore he applied himself earnestly to the task of persuading
influential persons to join the company when formed, and also took the
necessary steps to secure to the company, when formed, the
proprietorship of the isle of Montreal. In 1656 he did secure it, with
ample concessions from M. Jean de Lanzon, the King's counsellor and
minister of finance.




CHAPTER II.

MESSRS. DAUVERSIERE AND DE MAISONNEUVE VISIT MONTREAL.


It has been stated that Cardinal Richelieu at first opposed the building
of Ville-Marie, but this he did, not through apathy for anything
relating to the spread of religion, but lest the work was a human
impossibility, as indeed it then appeared to be. However, his
opposition, from whatever cause it had arisen, disappeared before the
reasoning of M. de Lanzon, for whom the Cardinal entertained the most
sincere respect. He now gave the project his unqualified approbation,
and obtained from the King a renewed confirmation of all the privileges
conferred on the preceding associations, with undisturbed possession of
the land. Being thus furnished with the best means of procuring funds,
and being under the protection of His Eminence the Cardinal, Messrs. de
Faucamp and Dauversiere, with a great number of other influential
persons, who were pledged to support them, no longer hesitated to
announce themselves as "The Company of Montreal," bound to uphold the
Catholic Faith in Canada, and more especially to convert the savages,
which was the real end they proposed to themselves. But it was not only
the associates themselves who provided the necessary funds. Other
persons also contributed, and none more generously than M. Alexander
Bretonvilliers, a priest of the community of St. Sulpice, and afterwards
its second Superior. Being son of the minister of state, he was the
wealthiest eccelesiastic in France, and bestowed the greater part of his
patrimony on this undertaking. The Duchess de Bullion also, who
preserved an incognita for a long time, gave large sums of money to M.
Dauversiere to assist the Montreal Association in the propagation of the
Faith, as she had hitherto provided the principal funds for the
establishment of the Hotel-Dieu, as shall be noticed again.

It is now time to give the names of the principal members of this pious
association, as they are undoubtedly written in the Book of Life. Most
happily heading the list is the name of the great Cardinal Richelieu.
Then follow such names as Marechal Duke d'Effiat, M. Jean de Lanzon,
Jean Jacques Olier, first Superior of St Sulpice, Alexander
Bretonvilliers, Gabriel de Quelus and Nicholas Barreau, all priests of
St. Sulpice; Pierre le Pretre, priest by name and office, Louis Le
Pretre his brother, Pierre Chevrier, Jerome de Royer, Jacques Gerard,
Michael Royer Duplessis, Bertrand Drouart, a member of the suite of the
Duke of Orleans, Christopher Duplessis, Antoine Barrilon, Jean Galibal,
Louis Seignier, Louis d'Aibout de Coulonges, Paul de Chaumeday, the
Duchess de Bullion, and the Venerable Sister Margaret Bourgeois, whose
life we are about to record, and who, without being formally a member of
the Society, took a most active part in it. We shall soon see her
concealing the brightest virtues under the veil of humility.

But pre-eminently was M. Olier the guiding spirit of this splendid
association of Catholic hearts. He it was who projected the plans
necessary for the greatness and security of the enterprise. The first
thing he declared necessary was to secure the blessing of God and the
protection of the ever Blessed Virgin. This was to be accomplished by an
imposing ceremony that might be recorded in after ages for the
edification of those who should undertake a similar work for the glory
of God. It was a spectacle worthy of the complacency of heaven, and the
zealous children of the Church who participated in it. On the 3rd of
February, 1641, the day following the Feast of the Purification, all the
members of that illustrious Society being assembled in Paris, went in
the morning at an appointed hour to the church of Notre Dame. M. Olier
celebrated Mass at the Altar of the Blessed Virgin, and all the
associates who were not priests received Holy Communion from his hands.
The priests at the same time offered the holy sacrifice at other altars.
With one accord they supplicated the Queen of Heaven to bless their
undertaking, and forever keep the Isle of Montreal under her special
protection. At the close of the edifying ceremony the Associates
assembled at the Hotel de Lanzon to hold their first meeting. The plan
being already matured, it was resolved that in the spring of the year
they would get ready a sufficient number of ships, three of which were
to be devoted to the transportation of such respectable and honest
families as were willing to go to Montreal and commence the foundation
of a permanent colony. They were required to take with them all the
provisions, clothing, furniture, and mechanical or other tools necessary
for the first two years, and were to take possession of the isle in the
name of Mary, whom they were to regard as their mother and mistress.

With the King's permission they were to build a city in her honor, which
was to be called Ville-Marie. Under the protection of Cardinal
Richelieu, and during the first session of the assembly, M. de Lanzon
was named administrator of the Society, M. Dauversiere being appointed
its principal agent, which duty was especially suited to him because of
his devotion to the Mother of God. When the plans were finally agreed
upon, each member made it a point of honor to contribute as generously
as possible to the success of the colony, and before the meeting broke
up they received more than two hundred thousand livres. With this
substantial aid, M. Dauversiere set to work in good earnest to prepare
for the voyage across the Atlantic, the remainder of the winter being
employed in preparing the necessary fleet. Authorized by the King, he
enlisted a number of soldiers, whom he foresaw would be required to
garrison and protect the colony. He also assembled a great number of
families who volunteered to accompany him to the New World, and devote
themselves to agriculture, retaining in his own service about thirty
married people of various avocations, so that religion rather than
worldly interest should range under his standard.

Among the emigrants, the nobility were represented by such names as De
Beletre, Closse and Mignon; merchants, by Lemoine, Lebert, Charly, etc.;
mechanics and farmers, by Caron, Barbier, Archambault, Cavalier, Decari,
and others. In the spring of 1641 all these different classes of people
met at La Rochelle, from which port they were to embark. M. Dauversiere
was everywhere--now at Paris, now at Rochelle--and all were ready to
depart, when the idea suddenly struck him that a man of prudence,
experience, and authority was still wanted to govern the miscellaneous
crowd, and take the lead in the young colony. It was now the month of
May, and the embarkation had not yet taken place because of this void.
But Providence did not forsake him, and the want was supplied in a
rather remarkable manner. Being one day in Paris he was invited to dine
at the house of an intimate friend. During the conversation the subject
of colonizing Montreal was discussed, as it was his absorbing idea, and
he spoke of the embarrassing want that delayed him. After dinner one of
the guests, until then a stranger to him, but who had listened very
attentively to the colonization plan, of which he had not before heard,
freely offered to accompany the expedition. "I am a gentleman of about
forty years of age," he said, "I have spent my youth honorably in the
King's service, and flatter myself with having acquired both experience
and reputation. A desire to devote myself to the service of God in some
way or other has induced me to withdraw from the service of his majesty,
and I have lived for some time in a simple, quiet way, on a pension of
two thousand livres, which is sufficient for my subsistence, but I see
in the enterprise you have undertaken for the honor of the Mother of God
so special a field for the spread of our holy religion, that if my
services are agreeable to you, I willingly make the sacrifice of repose,
and even of life."

This man was Paul de Chaumeday, _alias_ de Maisonneuve. On hearing these
words Dauversiere, filled with gratitude to God, adored His Divine
Providence, and believed that the noble volunteer was appointed by
heaven to lead the colonists. He embraced him with tears of joy and
departed forthwith to relate the circumstance to his associates. The
name of de Maisonneuve was well known to many of them, and his services
were gladly accepted. A second meeting of the association was then held,
at which it was unanimously agreed to appoint him Governor of Montreal.
In this quality he was presented to the King for the purpose of
expediting an official appointment. He was certainly a suitable person
to head such an expedition, as he had long been a faithful client of
Mary Immaculate. Many years before he made a vow of perpetual chastity
in her honor, and recited her office every day. His reputation stood
very high, and being in the full vigor of manhood, had given proofs of
courage and prudence, even in religious matters. His business being
quickly settled up, he set out for Rochelle with M. Dauversiere, each
rejoicing at having met the other. They had scarcely arrived there, when
another singular intervention of Providence took place, which was quite
as remarkable as the preceding one. This was the vocation of Jean Mance,
whose name will appear again. She was a young woman, about thirty years
old, the daughter of simple, honest parents in Langers, where she had
spent her youth in the most fervent exercises of piety, and was ignorant
of the extraordinary exertions then being made in France to colonize
Canada, but she felt inspired to pass the remainder of her life in some
place consecrated to the Blessed Virgin, and waited for Divine
Providence to direct her. She proposed her views to her confessor, but
he being also ignorant of the projected establishment of Montreal,
treated her as a visionary. Yet as she persisted in asking advice, he
spoke of her in Paris to persons more enlightened than himself. Those
with whom he conversed did not fail to recognize something remarkable in
her vocation, and she was accordingly introduced to the Duchess at the
Hotel de Bullion. As this lady was already laboring for the colonization
of Montreal she took a lively interest in Jean, retaining her for some
time as a confidential attendant in her own household. In this capacity
the Duchess could not but admire the special designs of God, manifested
in her well-formed habits of virtue. She encouraged her to go with the
volunteers to the New World, and remain faithful to her vocation. As the
day appointed for the embarkation drew near, after giving her a
well-filled purse to supply her wants, she exacted a promise to apply to
her in future for assistance in carrying on whatever good works Divine
Providence might appoint for her. She then took an affectionate leave of
Jean, and sent her to M. Dauversiere at Rochelle. On her arrival he
desired to test her zeal and courage as a postulant, and represented the
difficulty of such an enterprise for a young, friendless girl. He spoke
of his intention to found Ville-Marie, but added that it might be
reddened with human blood, if the savages should attack the colonists,
and that she might possibly have to attend alone in the hospital on the
wounded and dying. Finding that such pictures of horror only increased
her zeal, he blessed the inscrutable ways of God, and joyfully permitted
her to embark with the others. He did not hesitate even to enrol her
name among the Associates, and she eventually became a most useful
instrument in the hands of Divine Providence for completing the
establishment of the Hotel-Dieu of St. Joseph at Ville-Marie.

The events we have just recorded delayed the sailing of the fleet until
the end of June, at which time it left the port of Rochelle, but did not
arrive at Quebec until the close of September. The season was then too
far advanced to ascend the river to Montreal, and if it had been
attempted they would have been compelled to winter at some place where
there was neither human habitation nor fort, and would consequently be
exposed to the attacks of the fierce Iroquois. They therefore concluded
to pass the winter at Quebec as best they could. The Governor, Chevalier
de Montmagni, welcomed them with much cordiality, but had views of his
own in the Quebec colony, which were not favorable to an establishment
at Montreal. He supposed naturally that in a country so weak as Canada
then was, it would be unwise and imprudent to divide their strength, and
that the success of a settlement at Montreal was impossible on account
of its proximity to the Indian camping grounds, and their constant
attacks on the French. He intended asking them to select the isle of
Orleans, which was still unoccupied, and where assistance could more
easily reach them in case of an attack. Like a wise politician, however,
he was slow to reveal his plan, preferring to await the return of the
ships to France, which had scarcely set sail when he convoked a general
assembly in order to disclose his projects. It is not to be doubted that
the garrison were as interested as he was, and so were the other
inhabitants of Quebec. But the firmness of M. de Maisonneuve was a match
for their intrigue, and when his views and opinions were asked during
the debate, he replied with much dignity, that he was surprised the
Governor of Quebec thought it necessary to convoke a public assembly on
a matter which concerned the speaker only--that he made no secret of his
intentions--that the settlement of the isle of Orleans had never been
proposed by the Montreal Association--that he came expressly to found a
_new city_, which was to be dedicated to the Mother of God, on the isle
of Montreal--that he had not the least idea of changing his original
plan--and finally, that unless he lost his life, he would execute his
commission. It was impossible to gainsay him, and the assembly dissolved
without deciding on anything. De Maisonneuve contented himself with
sending some of his party to Montreal to cut down trees during the
winter, that they might have a cleared section of land to work on in
spring. He and the rest of the colonists passed the season quietly in
their tents at Quebec, awaiting the arrival of fine weather, and the
breaking up of the ice.

In the month of May, as soon as the river was open to navigation, they
were again in readiness to move on, and Governor Montmagni expressed a
strong desire to accompany them. De Maisonneuve invited the Jesuit
missionaries, Simon and Poncet, to go with them and bless the site of
the new city, and take charge of the church they intended to erect when
circumstances permitted. As there was no road through the country, and
no settlements along the river between Montreal and Quebec, the journey
was long, and everywhere beset with difficulties, so that they did not
arrive at their destination until the 17th of May. Then they encamped,
and called the neck of land at the mouth of the little river "Pointe a
Calieres," in honor of the third Governor of Montreal, M. de Calieres,
who built a fort there, in which he resided during the term of his
administration.

The fervent colonists erected a tent immediately, in which the holy
sacrifice of the Mass was celebrated, and in which they afterwards kept
the Blessed Sacrament. M. de Maisonneuve's first care was to give every
family sufficient land on which to erect a house, and each one built to
suit his own convenience. He erected a house for himself also, which was
known long after as the "Old Seminary."

To Jean Mance he gave sufficient ground for a hospital, the expense of
building which was to be paid out of the fund bestowed by the Duchess de
Bullion. The hospital was as large and convenient as the young colony
required, and the people took the precaution to build their church near
it. This building served for years not only as a parish church, but
likewise as a chapel of devotion for the sick and wounded. As the houses
were all wooden structures, they were speedily erected, and on the 15th
of August, 1642--being the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed
Virgin--the Adorable Sacrament was taken from the tent in which it was
hitherto kept, and carried in solemn procession to the church with all
the pomp and magnificence possible under the circumstances. Curiosity
attracted the savages from all quarters, and as they were then less
familiar with the ceremonies of our holy religion than now, they were
transported with admiration and joy at what they saw. Nor were they less
edified by the simple fervor and piety of the first French settlers.
This glorious festival of Mary was long remembered in Canada by both
French and Indians, as was the singing of the "Salve Regina" by Columbus
and his crew, when he neared the shores of the New World.




CHAPTER III.

ESTABLISHMENT OF THE HOTEL DIEU--ECCLESIASTICAL APPOINTMENTS FOR CANADA,
ETC.


While M. de Maisonneuve was arranging matters to insure the success of
the new colony, he received a reinforcement which, though not so
numerous as the first band of emigres, was equally well selected. It was
led by M. Louis d'Aillebout de Masseau, a man of eminent piety, and a
member of the Montreal Association. With this opportune and important
addition, De Maisonneuve undertook to inclose the young city with
palisades in the manner of a fort, as a barrier against the attacks of
the furious Indians. These attacks they might any moment expect, and
very justly feared, on account of the atrocities that were daily related
to them. The Governor of Quebec being informed of the proposed
fortification, or rather being assured that it was nearly completed,
determined to oppose it, but de Maisonneuve would permit no outside
interference. In order, therefore, that there might be no clashing of
interests, he returned to France the same year, leaving the command of
the garrison to M. d'Aillebout, with the title of Lieutenant-Governor.
This gentleman discharged the duties of his office to the entire
satisfaction of the people, securing both their esteem and their
property. On his arrival in Paris de Maisonneuve sought an interview
with the King, and related faithfully to him, as likewise to the members
of the Association, the exact state of things in Canada. Every one was
astonished at his success, and approved of his conduct. The King,
moreover, on learning the opposition policy of the Governor of Quebec,
gave De Maisonneuve a letter to place in the hands of that gentleman,
which read as follows:

"M. DE MONTMAGNI,--Being especially informed by the Montreal
Association, at present residing in Montreal, that their intention is to
establish a colony on that island, in order to labor more effectually
for the conversion of the savages, we strongly approve of their design,
and have given them permission to erect a fort on the said island, at
their own expense, which fort they are to furnish with artillery and all
other military supplies that may be needed to secure them from the fury
of the savages. We desire that _you_ render them all the assistance in
your power, and we have named M. de Maisonneuve governor and controller
of the enterprise, so that nothing may occur to prevent its success.
"LOUIS."

"_February_ 21, 1643."


Furnished with this letter, Messrs. de Maisonneuve and Dauversiere
labored in concert to procure a third fleet and a new set of recruits,
and they were quite as successful as on the two former occasions. The
volunteers were select and numerous, their voyage across the Atlantic
safe and pleasant, and at the end of July that year they arrived at
Ville-Marie. The death of Louis XIII. occurring at that period, the
Associates deemed it prudent to apply to the Queen Regent, mother of
Louis XIV., for a confirmation of their former privileges, which she
freely granted, permitting them also to organize militia companies for
their future safety, and to secure the services of such ecclesiastics as
they should judge most useful for the rising colony. Yet,
nothwithstanding repeated royal favors, and untiring exertions to
promote the general prosperity, the colony was languishing, and had much
to suffer from the increasing ferocity of the Indians. But de
Maisonneuve was always equal to the occasion, and derived advantage from
their fury, that is, spiritual advantage. Many and many a time, he had
the consolation to see those barbarous warriors throw down the bloody
tomahawk and embrace Christianity. He was truly an apostle in their
midst, attracting them as much by affability, as by the benefits he
conferred, and it was his greatest pleasure to act as sponsor for them
in baptism. Almighty God blessed the new settlement so visibly as to
cause astonishment and admiration in the hearts of all devoted to His
glory. Jean Mance also labored zealously in the service of the sick, who
were cared for in the hospital she established, and already the work was
greater than she alone could accomplish. Madame de la Peleterie, who
founded the Ursulines at Quebec, came to Ville-Marie to offer her
services to Mlle. Mance, who admired her generosity and good will
without accepting her assistance. The members of the Association
resident in Paris labored meanwhile very earnestly to establish the
hospital in Montreal, but declined the interference of outsiders. The
Duchess de Bullion had already made large advances for its support, and
in 1648 donated an additional fund of sixty thousand livres. With this
money M. de Maisonneuve assisted Jean Mance in building a wing of 60 by
24 feet for the nurses, who were _still wanting_, and whose services it
was time to secure, as the number of patients was constantly increasing.
The ladies of the Hotel Dieu at Quebec, on hearing of the crowded state
of the hospital, presented themselves as nurses, and two remained in
Ville-Marie a considerable length of time to watch how matters would be
arranged. Even the French court approved of them as nurses, but
Providence ordained otherwise, as at that very time the Associates in
France were making their _own_ arrangements, and disappointed those who
wished to press the matter in Montreal.

There existed at La Fleche a new congregation of Hospital Sisters,
partly secular, who by simple vows added the service of the sick to the
ordinary duties of a religious community. They were in their first
fervor, the members applying themselves with zeal and edification to
serve the poor invalids in the Hotel Dieu of St. Joseph, lately
established in their city. Dauversiere, who was acquainted with their
piety, asked and obtained a few Sisters to go to Ville-Marie and
establish the Hotel Dieu of Canada. As soon as his proposal was made
known, these pious women strove who should be first to claim the sacred
honor of expatriating themselves for the cause of charity, and sacrifice
life, if necessary, in a strange land, among wild savages who would most
likely, in return, confer on them the crown of martyrdom. The French
emigrants of those days had no other idea of the Canadian mission, and
prepared themselves accordingly. On the 20th of May, 1656, the community
pledged itself to send four of its zealous souls, who awaited the time
of their embarkation with eagerness, but from some cause or other did
not leave France until 1660. On their arrival at Ville-Marie, Jean Mance
received them with every mark of esteem and affection that Christian
charity could inspire. She put them in immediate possession of that
portion of the hospital set apart for them, reserving to herself only
the administration of the funds for the poor and destitute, a duty which
she discharged faithfully, and with solid benefit to the recipients, the
rest of her life. The new Sisters were little more than a secular
congregation, until 1666, when Pope Alexander VII. approved of them as a
religious order, by a bull dated January 8th, 1666, in which strict
enclosure was enjoined, and a religious dress appointed to be worn.

While the interests of the _hospital_ were being thus carefully attended
to in France, it was evident that the _spiritual wants of the colony_
were becoming every day more pressing. Montreal was now populous, and
numbers of the Indians who embraced Christianity were anxious that their
respective tribes should do the same. Yet there was but _one_ Jesuit
Father in the whole colony, who could not possibly discharge all the
duties required of him. When M. Olier heard of it, he thought seriously
of sending to Canada a mission from the Seminary of St. Sulpice, and as
he was suffering painful infirmities for many years, brought on by the
laborious discharge of his official duties, he contemplated accompanying
them himself. He accordingly selected four priests of his community, who
were gentlemen of merit and distinction, viz., Gabriel de Quelus, Abbe
of Laudieu (one of the Montreal associates), M. Francis d'Allet, Gabriel
Souart, and Dominick Gallitier. M. de Quelus was a man of illustrious
birth, and was appointed by their ecclesiastical Superior (the
Archbishop of Rouen) Grand Vicar of the missionaries in Canada, with the
entire spiritual control of New France. He was received both at Quebec
and Ville-Marie with all the respect due to his dignity and birth,
encountering no opposition in the discharge of his duties in either
city. M. Souart was appointed pastor of Ville-Marie, the Jesuit Father,
Claude Pigots, who had until then discharged the duties of pastor,
resigning gracefully in his favor.

The new pastor before becoming a Sulpician, had been a rich aristocratic
Parisian. His parents, expecting he would have a brilliant career in the
world, almost forced upon him a marriage suitable to his rank and
wealth, and the day of the ceremony, which was the Feast of the
Assumption, 1660, was fast approaching. His simple piety led him on the
eve of that day to the parish church of St. Sulpice, where he heard an
eloquent sermon, on the necessity of seeking light from heaven in the
choice of a state of life. He was deeply impressed by the preacher's
convincing eloquence, and entering into himself, found that he had not
sufficiently consulted God on the alliance he was about to contract. The
next day, therefore, instead of plighting his troth to a willing bride,
he went to the seminary of St. Sulpice to make a retreat, during which
Divine Providence clearly manifested to him that he was called to the
ecclesiastical state. Faithful to the call of divine grace he renounced
the world, entered St. Sulpice, and devoted his young life and rare
talents to the service of the Church. He was joyfully admitted into the
seminary, and having already received a university education, was soon
promoted to holy orders, and raised to the dignity of the priesthood.
His glowing zeal impelled him to volunteer for the mission of
Ville-Marie, where he eventually succeeded M. de Quelus as Superior of
the Montreal Seminary, which he governed happily for many years. He was
the first priest who undertook the perilous task of forming the baptized
savages into villages, and his successful attempt at civilization
resulted in the famous "Mission of the Mountain," where he died shortly
after.

Two other missionaries, le Maitre and Vignal, arrived subsequently, and
were killed by the treacherous Iroquois while laboring for their
conversion with incredible self-sacrifice. It is a tradition of these
times, that the savage who killed le Maitre, having wrapped the bloody
head in a cloth, the face of the martyred priest was distinctly
imprinted thereon, and so indelible was the impression that when the
terrified savage displayed the cloth in his native village as a trophy
of the war-path, the features of le Maitre were instantly recognized,
the murderer being cuttingly upbraided for his cruelty by the braves of
his tribe.

It was now several years since the French had established themselves at
Ville-Marie, and during all that time they suffered the most shocking
cruelties from the relentless Iroquois. The earth might be said to have
been constantly wet with the blood of the noblest and best sons of
France, and the survivors, disgusted and disheartened, resolved to
abandon the country. In speaking of this period of horror and dismay,
Jean Mance says, "In 1560 the Iroquois had conquered and almost
exterminated the Hurons, their ancient foes, and full of barbarian pride
and insolence, turned their arms against the colonists, who were an easy
prey, as their attacks were sudden, fierce, and stealthy. They killed
several persons in the suburbs of Ville-Marie, and burned their houses;
even our hospital was not secure from their brutal recklessness, and we
were obliged to fortify it by a garrison. At length people despaired of
being able to protect life or property, and resolved on abandoning the
enterprise. In this extremity I reflected that many souls would be
forever lost to God if the young city was forsaken, and that it would be
a national humiliation for France to abandon Canada to the vengeance of
wild savages, who were constantly killing each other. Therefore,
fluctuating between hope and fear, I implored M. de Maisonneuve to
hasten back to France and secure additional military protection for
Montreal and its martyred people."

He willingly acceded to the brave woman's request, and in September,
1651, returned to France, having first appointed de Masseau commander of
Ville-Marie in his absence. He was obliged to spend two entire years
inducing recruits to enlist for Canada, so great was their horror of the
Indians, and had to labor hard against disappointments, and go to great
expense to secure his object. But God at length blessed with success his
efforts in the cause of religion. He secured a company of more than a
hundred brave soldiers, who sailed with him to the New World in 1653. It
was during this voyage he first became acquainted with the remarkable
virtues of Margaret Bourgeois, who accompanied him from France at a
period when the whole nation was disgusted with the Canadian mission.
This admiriable young woman, who had no other resources than courage and
confidence in God, did not hesitate to cross the sea, to consecrate
herself to the service of the Church, and to propagate devotion to the
Mother of God. How perfectly she succeeded is proven by the splendid
monument of her zeal which still exists in almost primitive fervor,
after the lapse of more than two centuries. That monument is the
"Congregation of Notre Dame," which has rendered such incalculable
service to the cause of religion in Canada.




CHAPTER IV.

EARLY YEARS OF MARGARET BOURGEOIS, AND HER VOCATION FOR THE CANADIAN
MISSION.


Margaret Bourgeois was born in the city of Troyes, in Champagne, on the
15th of April, 1620. Her father, Abraham Bourgeois, was an honest
merchant of that city, who espoused Guillamette Garnier. If these good
people were not distinguished for high birth or the possession of great
wealth, they were at least remarkable for the purity of their lives, for
sound religious principles, and for unusual probity of character. As
they belonged to the middle class of society, their means were limited,
yet they took care to have their children educated, and instilled into
their young minds a cordial love for the duties of religion. Their
family consisted of five children, two boys and three girls, Margaret
being the third born to them. She was baptized in the parish church of
St. John of Troyes, and nothing is known of her infancy or childhood
except that at a proper age she learned to read and write, with the
other attainments of early school years. Of this we are certain, that,
at an early period, she became a practical Christian, and never deviated
from the principles she then imbibed. Almighty God had special designs
on her future life, and from childhood infused into her heart a great
love of labor and mortification, which foreshadowed what she was one day
to become. Scarcely had she attained her tenth year when she was to be
seen among her little companions, like a mother in Israel, assembling
them together in secluded places, far from the noise and bustle of the
city, instructing them in the discharge of their duties, principally in
practices of piety, advising them to love labor and shun idleness, the
fruitful source of the sins of youth, and to select such work as
Almighty God had given them particular inclinations for.

These assemblies of children were so many little communities of innocent
souls in which God took great complacency, and it was at this time she
made her first Holy Communion. Her mother's death occurring soon after,
she had an opportunity of practising the virtues of obedience, etc.,
under circumstances far in advance of her years. By the death of his
wife, M. Bourgeois found himself embarrassed with the care of a helpless
young family, but noticing in little Margaret a certain air of gravity
and prudence, accompanied by sincere piety, he seriously thought of
giving her charge of the household, and particularly of the education of
a younger brother and sister. Nothing is known with certainty of the
after lives of these children, except that, in 1653, when Margaret was
making arrangements to leave France for Canada, two of them were minors,
in whose favor she voluntarily dispossessed herself of _her_ share of
the family inheritance. Neither can anything be recorded of the virtues
she displayed in discharging the laborious duties of the position in
which her father placed her at so tender an age. No one could speak of
these years of responsibility except herself, and humility would never
permit her to raise the veil, or speak of what must have been a most
interesting portion of her saintly life. Only one circumstance of these
early years could she ever be induced to mention, and of this she
sometimes spoke with great bitterness of soul, and much exaggeration. It
was that, a few times, during seasons of worldly dissipation, she had
attached undue importance to dress--taking great pains to arrange her
toilette fashionably so as to display her personal attractions to
advantage. Although this happened without dressing beyond her station of
life, or exceeding the bounds of modesty, she acknowledged that it
tarnished the purity of her heart, and filled her mind with vain and
foolish thoughts. It was one of those youthful faults for which she took
care to punish herself severely in after life, being remarkable for the
simplicity and modesty of her attire, even before she became a
religeuse. Her beautiful and well-concealed spirit of mortification made
her correspond faithfully to the motions of grace which Divine
Providence infused into her soul, and by which she was to become so
intimately united to God. As He always makes an instrument of His
Blessed Mother to bestow such graces on His elect, it was by devotion to
Mary that He attached Margaret Bourgeois irrevocably to His service. She
had always been a devoted client of the Blessed Virgin, and the singular
favor she received, that will now be related, was probably not the first
vouchsafed her by the Queen of Heaven. The circumstances under which she
received it prove that she was a member of the Rosary Society, which was
then effecting such wonders in the spiritual life of Christendom.

On the first Sunday of October, 1640--the Feast of the Holy Rosary--the
Dominicans held grand processions in honor of Mary, and celebrated the
feast with all possible splendor. Margaret Bourgeois, being then twenty
years old, came with many others to assist at the procession, which was
to take place within the monastery enclosure. The public were allowed on
such occasions to join in the ceremony, but by a particular dispensation
of Providence, the crowd was so great this year that the procession was
obliged to pass along a public route, and file off before the church of
Notre Dame-the cathedral of Troyes. There was a very fine marble statue
of the Blessed Virgin placed on a pedestal in the porch of the church,
and as Margaret turned reverently to gaze upon it, it shone brilliantly
with supernatural light--the face of the Virgin beaming with an
extraordinary life-like beauty. She had often seen the statue before,
but never as now, and, like St. Paul, was almost blinded by the dazzling
vision. To the last day of her life she felt her heart moved to its
inmost depths when she recalled this celestial favor.

On entering the church she reflected seriously on what had occurred, and
felt convinced that God demanded of her something more than she had yet
accomplished for His glory, and that His Blessed Mother was to be
hereafter her strength and support. She immediately resolved by the help
of God to eradicate from her heart the two imperfections that
counteracted the influence of divine grace. These were an inordinate
love of dress, and a strong desire to attract to herself the esteem and
love of creatures. Accordingly she determined for the future to wear a
simple dress of cheap material, to use no color but black or brown, and
never again to display the vain ornaments of jewelry that young girls so
much prize. In her fervor she made a vow to receive humiliations as
coming directly from the hand of God, and we shall see that as SISTER
BOURGEOIS she received many such favors.

With these dispositions it was natural she should seek admission into a
religious community, which in effect she did. There existed at Troyes a
Carmelite Convent, of the reform of St. Teresa. Every one knows that the
Carmelites are in a special manner devoted to Mary, under the title of
"Our Lady of Mt. Carmel," and that their congregation is the origin and
centre of the Confraternities of the Scapular. There is not a community
of women in the Church whose discipline and manner of life is so
austere, if we except the "Poor Clares." During all seasons of the year
they dress in a heavy coarse habit, wear sandals on their feet, never
make use of linen, are seldom seen in the parlor, sleep on a hard
mattress, rise simultaneously, to chant the Divine Office, spend at
least two hours each night at prayer, and are familiar with the use of
the discipline, hair-shirt, etc. In a word, their mortifications are
continual and rigorous. Now these extraordinary penances were what
especially attracted Margaret Bourgeois to join them. But in order to
act prudently, and learn the will of God clearly regarding her vocation,
she addressed herself to M. Antoine Jandret, a virtuous and enlightened
priest, who was confessor to the Carmelites. Having heard her
attentively, he was struck with admiration at the manner in which God
was working in her soul. She continued for some time to be his penitent,
and after he had made trial of her virtue, he no longer hesitated to
propose her as a subject to the Carmelites.

The chapter met to discuss the matter, but some changes in her exterior
manner of living (the motives of which they did not know) led them to
suppose that her disposition was frivolous and volatile; and they
refused to admit her. But it was not there Almighty God intended her to
become a religieuse, and their refusal did not lessen her esteem for the
austerities practised by them, and on which she modelled her own
penances for the remainder of her life. Neither did a _first refusal_
discourage her; on the contrary, she redoubled her prayers to learn the
will of God, and it pleased His divine Majesty to unfold to the eyes of
her soul, gradually but clearly, his designs regarding her. Being
rejected by the Carmelites, she next sought admission into the extern
congregation of young girls, at Troyes. It will be necessary to give
some explanation of this society, as the singular graces accorded to
Sister Bourgeois while she was one of its members influenced her very
much in the formation of the congregation she afterwards founded.

There existed in Troyes another convent of religieuses known as the
"Congregation of Notre Dame," who were founded by Pere Fourier, cure of
Martincourt, a man eminent for piety. They were cloistered nuns, who
added to the ordinary duties of a religious life the education of young
girls. This duty they discharged within the cloister, and without
secular assistance. The Ursulines conducted their schools more publicly,
and had established several successful missions. The former, therefore,
were obliged to use as auxiliaries an extern congregation composed of
virtuous young girls, who lived in their own families, but assembled on
Sundays and festivals for the exercise of works of charity. They went
two and two together, wherever the glory of God or the good of their
neighbors required, always subject to the appointment of the
religieuses. Most of the young ladies of the city belonged to this
association, which was of course secular (enclosure not being suitable
to their work), and they willingly admitted Margaret Bourgeois among
them. It was in this edifying association that God manifested his
designs on her future life, and it was for her a real apprenticeship in
the school of virtue. Once received, she was soon distinguished for zeal
and fervor, and was to be seen everywhere, exercising the duties of
Christian charity. Her distinguishing trait, however, was the
instruction of the ignorant, and teaching young girls the principles of
religion, as well as the rudiments of education. It may be truly said of
her from that period, that the animating principle of all her actions
was to unite them in spirit with the human actions of the Mother of God.

She never relaxed in her efforts to imitate this high model of sanctity,
and never ceased by word and example to animate the Christian virgins
who afterwards joined her religious order to imitate as closely as human
infirmity would permit, the daily actions of Mary during her sojourn on
earth. To quote her own words will best exemplify her spirit. She said:
"Our Lord before His ascension into heaven left behind Him on earth a
kind of congregation or community that would embrace persons of every
condition of life, the first superior being His own divine Mother. The
holy spirit in the Gospel has given us the name of this community, which
had a two-fold object, and was to serve as a model for all future
associations of women to be established in the Church. This was no other
than the community of Magdalen and Martha,' the disciples and friends of
Christ. The first represented religious congregations devoted to prayer
and contemplation in the cloister. While Martha was to be a model for
those who devote themselves to the service of their neighbor. But the
Blessed Virgin reserved to herself the duty of instruction. She was the
Mother and mistress of the rising Church, which she formed and trained
to the practise of virtue, by word and example. Not that she undertook
to preach the Gospel, which was the mission of the Apostles, but she
instructed the _little ones_ in the virtues of poverty and humility, of
which she herself made profession, knowing that the majority of the
followers of Christ would be the poor and lowly. Thus was she the true
model of a missionary congregation."

By such admirable sentiments as these did she excite her companions to
fervor in the discharge of their several duties. Yet her labors as a
member of the externs at Troyes did not satisfy her. She felt that God
required more from her, although He had not yet manifested his will, so
she again determined to seek admission into a religious house, applying
this time to the "Poor Clares." It is true she saw nothing in their
institute that corresponded to her ardent desire of consecrating herself
to the service of the Blessed Virgin, and of laboring for the salvation
of souls, but she felt she would be unfaithful to grace if she did not
make another effort to find out the will of God concerning her vocation.
She therefore consulted her director, who advised her to present herself
for admission, which she did, but as before, met with a humiliating
refusal, as it was not there _either_, that Almighty God intended to
make use of her for His glory, and He took this means of putting her
humility to the test, and proving and perfecting her virtue.

The first refusal of the Carmelites only served to animate her to
greater perfection, and she made the same use of this second mortifying
rejection. Being more and more impressed with a desire to consecrate
herself to God, she resolved on making a vow of perpetual chastity,
first acquainting M. Landret, her confessor, with her intention. He was
a prudent man, and thought that circumstanced as she was, she might
sometime repent having made the vow, or something might occur to change
her resolution, and therefore told her to postpone such a promise until
she was at least thirty years old, being then twenty-two. She submitted
to his decision in silence, as humbly as if God had spoken. He soon
changed his opinion, however, being convinced by her submission that God
was operating great things in her soul, and permitted her to follow her
inclination by consecrating her virginity to Jesus, which she did with
fervor on the Feast of St. Thomas the Apostle, December 21st, 1643,
being in her twenty-third year. Shortly after she added the a vow of
poverty, and from that time her career of sanctity was unmistakable. She
advanced in virtue as she advanced in age, and the practise of every
good work, and held the office of Prefect of the extern congregation for
many years. In 1647, her father falling dangerously sick, she attended
him with all the love and charity that might be expected from such a
daughter, and had the consolation of seeing him die full of hope and
trust in the mercy of God. She arranged his body in the coffin with her
own hands, although others were willing to spare her the performance of
that duty of filial love, and the pious practice of preparing the dead
for burial she ever after continued in Canada, until strength and life
failed her, although it was often repugnant to her feelings.

As M. Jandret knew the humiliation she endured by being refused
admission in two religious orders, and knew also her virtues, he did not
feel justified in advising anything that would stifle the operations of
divine grace in her soul. He was, moreover, an eye-witness of her
successful efforts in instructing young girls, both secularly and
religiously, and thought it might be pleasing to God to associate with
her other pious young persons, who could easily be found in the
congregation of which she was Prefect, and establish them _permanently_
in the discharge of that duty. He accordingly made the proposal to her,
which she did not refuse, believing it would contribute to the glory of
God, and be a means of accomplishing His will. In order to act
prudently, however, M. Jandret consulted his superior, M. de Theoloyal,
of the cathedral of Troyes, who assured him that the project was a wise
one, and the two priests in concert drew up a formula of rules which
they judged fit to lead those for whom they were intended securely in
the path of Christian perfection. M. le Theoloyal went to Paris to
submit the rules to the doctors of the Sorbonne, who decided in their
favor, and advised that they be reduced to practice.

Two virtuous young ladies were thereupon associated with Margaret
Bourgeois, and Mme. de Chuly, of whom we shall have occasion to speak
more at length, gave them an apartment in her own house to make the
experiment. In proposing the rules to these pious young women, the
persons who had written and approved of them had undoubtedly the
_future_ in view, but God had still wiser and other designs. It was only
a preparation or foundation for the rules and constitutions that
Margaret, many years after, sought to have approved in France for the
government of the Community she established at Ville-Marie, she and her
first companions having had a most happy experience of them during their
early religious life. They engaged zealously in the education of the
children confided to their care, always making moral training the
principal object, but most especially did they seek to guard those whose
surroundings endangered their virtue. On one occasion, a set of
libertines managed to entice a poor but honest girl away from home.
Margaret Bourgeois fortunately heard of the intended outrage, and taking
a crucifix in her hand fearlessly followed the ruffians in order to
rescue the girl. Without taking any notice of the violence they
threatened, as they were well armed, she spoke so forcibly of the
judgments of God, that would inevitably fall on them if they persisted
in their diabolical purpose, that they retired in confusion, leaving the
trembling girl at liberty, and overpowered with gratitude for her
benefactress. She afterwards became one of Margaret's life-long
companions, and accompanied her to Canada, where she was known as Sister
Crolo. But the trial establishment of M. Jandret did not last very long.
One of the two associates died, and the other left, so that Margaret,
finding herself alone, was forced to abandon a position in which she
could not succeed without companions, and again occupied herself as a
simple congregationalist. The mortified life she had thus been leading
for years, always uncertain of the future, and without a particle of
human consolation, could not fail to draw down upon her signal favors
from heaven, and those she experienced were of the most precious kind.
Almighty God favored her many times with ineffable and sweet
consolations when she approached Holy Communion. The fire of divine love
then burned so vividly in her heart that she could hardly refrain from
letting appear exteriorly the ecstatic joy with which her soul was
inundated. Once she saw Our Lord in the Holy Host during Mass, in the
form of a little child, of a ravishing and incomparable beauty, and by
such a singular favor we may easily judge of the state of her soul at
that period of her life.

On the Feast of the Assumption, 1650, which was the principal Feast of
the externs, she was appointed to remain in adoration before the Blessed
Sacrament during the annual procession in honor of the holy Virgin,
which was that day held. After remaining a considerable time in prayer
she felt suddenly inspired to raise her eyes and look at the holy Host
in the ostensorium. A vision of the Redeemer was distinctly presented to
her, and she was so profoundly penetrated with love and gratitude that
earth had no more charms for her from that happy hour. Such is always
the effect of celestial manifestations, and it was by these favors
Almighty God prepared the soul of His servant for the great designs He
had upon her, of which she was then ignorant. However, they were not
much longer unfolding, and we shall, in the sequel, everywhere find
occasion to notice the watchful care of Divine Providence and the marked
protection of the Blessed Virgin over the colony of Ville-Marie, over
Sister Bourgeois herself, and over the Institute of the Sisters of the
Congregation.




CHAPTER V.

MARGARET BOURGEOIS, AFTER MANY TRIALS AND MORTIFICATIONS, AT LENGTH
SAILS WITH M. DE MAISONNEUVE FOR CANADA.


In a proceeding chapter we have spoken of M. de Maisonneuve, who was a
native of Champenois, and consequently a fellow-countryman of Margaret
Bourgeois--so favorably does divine Providence dispose the course of
future events. We have also seen what a remarkable chain of
circumstances led to his appointment as first Governor of Montreal. One
might almost consider it _miraculous_. He laid the foundations of the
new city, under the patronage of the Blessed Virgin--naming it
Ville-Marie, City of Mary. He had two sisters in the city of Troyes, one
a religieuse of the Congregation of Notre Dame, the other a secular
lady--Mme. de Chuly, of whom mention has been made. Before he left
France he confided to these pious ladies his views for the advancement
of religion, and his intention to build a city in honor of the Mother of
God engaging them to unite with him in prayer for its success. As soon
as the Congregation Sisters heard of the project they offered to
accompany him, and establish in the New World a community of their
Order. But as he was not prepared to make such an establishment, and as
they pressed him very urgently to comply, he contented himself by
promising that, in the future, if both parties agreed, he would attempt
a foundation. As a pledge of their mutual understanding, they presented
him a statue of the Blessed Virgin, on which were inscribed the
following words: "Sainte Mere de Dieu, et Vierge au Coeur loyal, Gardez
nous une place, en votre Mont-Royal."

It is true there was to be, in the new city, a community of Christian
virgins specially devoted to Mary, but it was not the _religieuses of
Troyes_ God intended to be there, and so the matter ended. Three years
after, when M. de Maisonneuve returned to France to procure assistance
for Ville-Marie, he again visited these religieuses, who importuned him
anew to take some of them to Canada, but he assured them as before that
matters were not sufficiently matured in the New World for the
establishment of a cloistered Sisterhood. So neither party took any more
decisive step than a renewal of good wishes, and indefinite promises for
the future. Divine Providence, meanwhile, was quietly preparing the way
for the accomplishment of its inscrutable designs, not yet manifested.
While these good ladies were filled with ardent hopes of the near future
of their Canadian establishment, Margaret Bourgeois had many business
interviews with them, being Prefect of the extern congregation connected
with their monastery, and her singular virtue being very well known,
they spoke to her confidentially of the expected mission they had so
much at heart, frequently asking if she did not wish to be one of those
selected for Ville-Marie. This was plainly hinting that they would not
object to her joining their community. But, though God _did_ intend her
for Canada, He did _not_ intend her for that Order; therefore she made
no other reply to their proposal than that she desired to do the will of
God with her whole heart, whenever and wherever He would please to
manifest it to her. Although she had hitherto met with refusals on
applying for admission to religious communities, yet she was not
discouraged, and the proposal of the Canadian mission only incited her
to learn the will of God, with more ardor than before. She sought the
advice of her spiritual directors, knowing that their decisions were the
usual means God makes use of in the direction of souls. M. Jandret being
consulted, advised her to think seriously on the matter, as it seemed to
him it might be the will of God she should go to Canada. However,
diffiding in his own light, he recommended her to consult M. Pertuis
another experienced priest, who was of the same opinion with the former,
and both advised her to ask advice of the Bishop of Troyes. This
distinguished prelate being absent at the time, she had recourse to M.
Rose, his vicar general, who counselled her at once to go to Canada, as
it seemed to be the will of God she should. Having thus taken every
precaution that prudence suggested to learn the divine will, Sister
Bourgeois no longer doubted of her vocation for Canada, but God had not
yet declared either the time or the manner of her going. It was natural
to suppose she would accompany the religieuses of the Congregation, but
the Great Disposer of events ordained differently. During all this time,
the savage Iroquois had repeated their attacks on the people of Montreal
with the wildest fury. Men, women, and children fell beneath the
tomahawk, and in 1651, M. de Maissonneuve was obliged to return a second
time to France for military assistance. On these occasions he never
failed to go to the city of Troyes, to visit the members of his family
who resided there, and also to pay a visit of respect to the religieuses
of the Congregation, for whom he entertained a sincere friendship, his
sister being a member of the community. On the eve of his arrival,
Sister Bourgeois had a singular prediction of the future. She saw in a
dream, a grave, venerable-looking man, dressed like an ecclesiastic,
standing silently before her. The form and features of the man, who was
not then known to her, remained distinctly imprinted on her imagination,
and she had an indefinable inspiration that he was to be in some way
connected with the work for which God intended her. She related the
dream to some of her friends, and three days afterwards M. de
Maisonneuve arrived at Troyes. He called at the Convent, when as usual
the subject of the proposed foundation at Ville-Marie was discussed.
Sister Bourgeois was sent for, that _her_ opinion might be heard with
the others. On entering the parlor, the first person that attracted her
attention was the strange gentleman, who corresponded exactly to the
person she had seen in her dream. Struck with astonishment, she could
not help exclaiming, "Behold the priest of my dream." She was requested
to relate the dream, which she did quite simply, and as a matter of
course, had to submit to a good deal of badinage about her vision, as
they called it, but jest soon turned to earnest, and before parting M.
de Maisonneuve and Sister Bourgeois conceived a lasting friendship for
each other. He asked if she would like to go to Montreal and teach a
primary school for girls, to which she promptly replied that nothing
would afford her greater pleasure, and that nothing was more suited to
her inclinations. By her reply he understood that Divine Providence had
fitted her for the New World, although he had not the most remote idea
of the great things intended to be accomplished by her ever-increasing
zeal. In the then state of the colony he felt convinced that nothing was
more conducive to its welfare than the Christian education of children,
and as the inhabitants were few, one skilful mistress would easily
suffice; nor could he, at the time, procure a suitable dwelling for
more. He accepted the offer of Sister Bourgeois on the spot, and the
religieuses thanked him for even that concession, awaiting, as they
said, a happier occasion for the foundation they so eagerly desired. The
occasion, however, never presented itself, and they seemed to have some
such presentiment, as they charged Margaret Bourgeois with breach of
faith in accepting the proposal without their consent. Seeing they were
touched with a sort of holy jealousy, she pleasantly replied, that if
she had promised to go with them to Ville-Marie, she was ready to fulfil
her promise, but if she had _not_ made the promise, or if they delayed
too long, she should certainly go without them.

As soon as Mlle. Crolo (whom she so heroically saved from dishonor)
heard of her determination to cross the sea, she begged with much
earnestness to accompany her, but this M. de Maisonneuve would not
permit at the time, because he was bringing a regiment of soldiers to
the New World, for the defence of Ville-Marie. This circumstance
frightened Sister Bourgeois very much, as she found herself alone, and
without escort, in the midst of a troop of soldiers, Her modesty was
alarmed, and she sought her confessor's advice in the new danger. He
told her that to judge according to the ordinary rules of prudence, it
would be unsafe for an unmarried female to undertake a voyage of so much
consequence, unaccompanied by one of her own sex, but that in her case,
there were so many marks of a particular providence, the common rules of
prudence might be set aside, and as he knew the exalted character of M.
de Maisonneuve, he said to his penitent, confidently, "Go, repose entire
trust in the prudence of that gentleman; he will be the guardian of your
chastity, as he is one of the first chevaliers of the Queen of Angels."
But even this assurance did not calm her fears, until the Blessed Virgin
herself reassured her. One morning before she arose, being fully awake,
and occupied with holy thoughts, a lady clothed in dazzling white robes,
and of extraordinary beauty, suddenly stood before her, and said, slowly
and distinctly: "Go to Canada. I will never abandon you." After which
the glorious vision disappeared. Margaret's heart was filled with
strength and joy, because she knew the peerless Mother of God had spoken
to her. When M. Jandret heard it he rejoiced exceedingly, and predicted
great results from the voyage, even hinting that she might possibly be
able to form in Canada the community they had both failed to establish
in Troyes. She replied that nothing was further from her thoughts than
the establishment of any community, more especially, as she was to live
alone at Ville-Marie. "Nevertheless," responded the good priest, "my
good angel and yours shall be the first members." Satisfied with the
pious ideas thus suggested, she quietly set to work at the preparations
for the voyage across the Atlantic, which was then considered a very
extraordinary affair. M. de Maisonneuve told her they would set sail at
the end of May, it being then February, that the embarkation would take
place at Nantes, in Bretagne, and advised her to be there in advance of
him. He also gave her a letter of recommendation to M. le Coq, a
merchant of that city, requesting him to offer her the hospitalities of
his home during her stay, and promising to rejoin her as soon as his
business was satisfactorily arranged. Everything else he left to her own
prudence and discretion. Any other person, except Sister Bourgeois, or
an apostle, would have prepared a good supply of clothing, and provided
a sufficient sum of money for so long a journey, but she being fully
convinced that to follow Jesus Christ it was necessary to forsake all
things, began by despoiling herself of what she possessed, bestowing her
money and clothing on the poor, and reserving nothing except a little
package of linen, in order to appear decent. She carried the package to
the ship herself, feeling that no one was worthy of wearing the livery
of Christ, who was not poor and lowly like Him. She had not as yet
informed her relations of her intention to leave the land of her birth,
that she might escape their solicitations to remain where she was known
and loved. Therefore she resolved to go to Paris on the pretext of
business. At the same time, her uncle, M. Cossard, who was guardian of
the minors of her family, and Mme. de Chuly, with whom she was residing,
had each occasion to go to Paris, and so all three travelled in the same
conveyance. This was on the 6th of February, 1653, Margaret Bourgeois
being thirty-three years old. It was thirty-six leagues from Troyes to
Paris, and when they were some distance on the road, she told them her
intention for the first time, declaring that she had left Troyes never
to return, and that she went to Paris only to take the route for Canada,
whither she was to accompany M. de Maisonneuve. Her companions supposed
she was talking to amuse either herself or them, and were not in the
least disturbed by her declaration, nor convinced of the reality, until
they arrived at Paris. Then she requested her uncle to conduct her to a
notary's office, as she had business to transact. He complied with her
request, but was astonished beyond measure when she assured him
seriously that she was going to relinquish, by a legal procedure, all
that might revert to her of the family inheritance, and place it in
_his_ hands for the benefit of the two children who were minors, knowing
that her trust would not be misplaced, as he was their guardian. She had
already made the sacrifice interiorly, many years before, by the vow of
poverty, and she now determined to make it legally, in a manner not to
be reversed. M. Cossard endeavored to dissuade his niece from such an
absurdity, as it appeared to him, but his eloquence and reasoning were
useless, and the property was deeded away. He next tried to convince her
that her vocation was chimerical, and the result of a sort of religous
enthusiasm, which would die a natural death. And lest his rhetoric
should not produce the desired effect, he started back to Troyes, where
she was universally known and esteemed, to tell the news, and call to
his aid the sympathies of her friends. As a matter of course, every one
disapproved of her proceedings (when was anything undertaken for the
glory of God, approved of by the children of this world?), and she was
overwhelmed with letters from all quarters, containing criticisms on her
conduct, and assuring her that she was acting a very foolish part. But
her constancy remained unshaken, as conscience told her her resolution
was made for the glory of God. This trial was followed by two others,
which were calculated either to unsettle or confirm her vocation, as,
under the guise of prudence, a seemingly greater good was proposed. In
fact, a person less enlightened in the ways of God would have wavered at
this period of her life. During her sojourn in Paris, she resided with a
certain Mme. de Bellevue, a woman of merit and and virtue, but who, it
must be acknowledged, used her tongue pretty freely on certain
occasions.

This lady had two distinguished brothers, one a canon of la Sainte
Chapelle, the other being Provincial of the Carmelites in the Province
of Paris. Both gentlemen were informed of the arrival of the lady from
Troyes, whom Mme. Bellevue described as wonderfully as possible.
However, they learned from _herself_ two things, which the devil
endeavored to turn to _his_ advantage; first, that she was on the point
of going alone to Montreal with M. de Maisonneuve, and second, that she
had at one time a strong inclination to join the Carmelite Order, which
had so far refused to receive her. These good people conceived a high
idea of her sanctity during her short stay among them, and persuaded
themselves they would be doing her a service, if they could induce her
to give up the Canadian mission. The news of the murderous attack of the
savages on the colonists of Montreal had reached them, and they made the
most of the information. They even represented M. de Maisonneuve as a
dangerous man, who was quite capable of abusing her confidence, and
although she would not permit herself to believe such an assertion, she
experienced much interior trouble. In this perplexity of mind, she
sought advice from M. Carme, a holy priest who held her in great
veneration. To console her, he promised to procure her admission into
any Convent of the Carmelite Order in the province, that she should
select. It was human policy to attack her weak side, _if she had any_,
touching the Carmelites, and the temptation to abandon her original
design was so much the more pressing, as she still had a greater desire
to embrace and practise the austerities of Mt. Carmel, than any other
order of the Church. She had, moreover, time enough to deliberate, and
although she secured her seat in the coach from Paris to Orleans, which
was to start next day, she now gave it up, fearing exceedingly that by
refusing the offer made her, she would be refusing the will of God. This
fear threw her into an agony of doubt. It was only a temptation,
however, and in order to restore her peace of mind, she went to the
Jesuits of Saint Antoine, that she might discover more clearly, if
possible, the will of God by the decision of these wise directors. The
Father to whom she revealed the state of her conscience was the oracle
destined by heaven to decide her vocation for life. After hearing the
wonderful history of God's providence over her, he told her to go to
Canada without fear, and leave the result in the hands of Mary her
Mother. A great and blessed calm instantly succeeded to the storm that
agitated her soul, and leaving the Jesuit church, she went directly to
the Provincial of the Carmelites to thank him for the good will he had
shown her, and without more ado, again took her seat in the coach for
Orleans, which was to leave on the morrow. But this was not the least of
her trials. It seemed as if the contemplated voyage was to bring upon
her a series of the saddest and most insupportable humiliations. As
there was no female travelling with her, and as she evidently possessed
nothing but the clothing she wore, and the package she carried, her
companions of the coach made her feel that they regarded her as an
adventuress, who ought not be admitted into honest society. When they
arrived at Orleans, the host would not permit her to remain at the inn,
although she begged humbly and tearfully for shelter during the night,
offering to sit by the fire, if they would not give her a room. Seeing
her reduced to the extremity of staying all night in the street the
driver of the conveyance offered his room to her. He was prompted to do
so, however, not by charitable, but by criminal motives. In her
ignorance of the man's villany, she accepted the offer, and remained on
her knees in prayer till the sun rose next day. Several times during the
night, this person and his depraved associates attempted to force open
her door, but Margaret Bourgeois was safe under the protection of Mary,
her powerful guardian, and their repeated attempts to effect an entrance
proved unsuccessful. In the morning she discovered another smaller door
in the room, concealed by a curtain. This opened directly into the scene
of the past night's debaucheries, and then she saw the horrors she
escaped. Full of gratitude to the Immaculate Mother of God, who had so
signally preserved her, she prayed and wept together. Very early in the
morning she started off alone, and unobserved, to continue her journey,
and secured a passage in the boat on the Loire, which had twelve other
passengers. Among them there was only one woman, who carried an infant
in her arms. Sister Bourgeois had the address to engage the entire party
in exercises of piety during the river journey, which lasted several
days, as the distance from Orleans to Nantes was almost one hundred
leagues. Each day they recited together the office of the Blessed
Virgin, and the rosary, after which she read a chapter from a spiritual
book, on the duties of a Christian life, to which all listened
attentively. One Saturday evening she obtained permission from the
captain of the boat to go ashore, and enjoy the privilege of assisting
at Mass on Sunday; which was a favor not usually accorded to the
passengers. After sailing for some days they arrived at Saumur, where
they made a short stay, as the boat needed repairs. Here also a public
humiliation awaited this extraordinary woman. On presenting herself at
the inn, in company with so many men, suspicion again closed the door
against her. She was told plainly that an honest woman would not travel
as she did, and that the credit of the house would be injured, by
receiving her as a guest; nor did the companions of her journey
sympathize with her in the least, on receiving the insult, although she
had edified them very much since they left Orleans. Such marks of man's
inconstancy frequently occur in every grade of society. However, a
charitable citizen of Saumur, who was present, being touched with
compassion by the modesty and meekness with which she received the
affront, offered her the hospitality of his home, which she gratefully
accepted. It is remarkable that these cruel insults cooled neither her
determination nor her fervor; on the contrary, she interiorly rejoiced
at the high honor God conferred upon her, by permitting her to share in
the contempt and humiliation of His divine Son, whom the Jewish rabble
maligned and cursed, and almost as extraordinary is the fact that she
completely regained her influence over her inconstant fellow-travellers,
when they again met on the boat to continue their route. They arrived at
Nantes three or four days afterwards. One of the party was a young man
who had determined to enlist in M. de Maisonneuve's regiment for Canada.

He had many opportunities of noticing the exalted virtue of Margaret
Bourgeois during the week, and politely offered to carry her little
package when they left the boat. Even this attention of Christian
charity drew upon her a fresh humiliation. Accompanied by the stranger,
she enquired for the residence of M. le Coq, merchant of Nantes, which
was the address given her by M. de Maisonneuve, but the gentleman was
not known by that name in the city; he was there styled M. de la
Bassonniers. She walked along every street in Nantes to find him, and
was about giving up in despair, when she suddenly encountered at a
crossing a brusque, business-looking man, whom she timidly requested to
direct her to the residence of M. le Coq. "_I_ am the person you seek,
madame," he replied, "and if I mistake not, you are the lady concerning
whom M. de Maisonneuve wrote me a few days since," handing her the
letter of her friend at the same time. Margaret was very agreeably
surprised by the providential rencontre, and began to hope that the
mortifications of her eventful journey were drawing to a close. The
merchant directed her to his home, which was not far distant, and
assuring her of a hearty welcome from his wife, left her abruptly to
attend to his own concerns. On arriving at the house, she met Mme. le
Coq, who was highly indignant to learn that her husband sent her a young
woman to entertain, accompained by a rustic who carried her clothing. "I
will positively receive no such people into my house," she said, "you
must depart forthwith." And poor weary Sister Bourgeois did depart, but
she went on her way rejoicing to suffer reproach for the cause of Jesus,
and entered a neighboring church, where, at that very hour, was being
held a procession in honor of the Blessed Sacrament. She assisted
devoutly at the ceremony, and as she was not easily disconcerted by the
repulses which were now becoming familiar to her, and also being
fortified by prayer, she coolly determined to pay another visit to Mme.
le Coq. Being an utter stranger to the strong-minded woman, she was
severely reproached for permitting a young man to carry her package, but
as M. le Coq himself then came in sight, the harangue upon propriety
suddenly came to an end. He made the necessary explanations to his irate
lady, and Margaret was received and entertained with cordial
hospitality. The great day of the final embarkation was now approaching,
and God had yet another trial in store to test the fidelity and
constancy of her vocation. While she awaited the arrival of M. de
Maisonneuve she had a strong desire to approach the Sacraments once more
before leaving France, and as she always preferred a Carmelite
confessor, she sought one, and was successful, as there was a Carmelite
church in the city. It was one of her lifelong principles to do nothing
by halves; therefore she once again related her whole past experience to
the good Father, who unhesitatingly advised her to remain in her native
land, and become a Carmelite nun. Humanly speaking, it was natural he
should so advise her. But his suggestions threw her into a dreadful
state of perplexity. On leaving him, she entered the Capuchin church,
where the Blessed Sacrament was still exposed, and prostrating herself
in the presence of God, shed abundant tears in the bitterness of her
soul, protesting that her only desire was to _know_ His will, and _do_
it. During this hour of spirit trial and loving colloquy with her divine
Lord, a light from heaven suddenly enveloped her, her heart was
replenished with the sweetest consolation, and she was made clearly to
understand, at once and forever, that God willed she should go to
Canada. Yet, although she was thus divinely reassured, she would not
neglect the duty of holy obedience, and as her last confessor directed
Her to write to those persons in Paris who had manifested an interest in
her vocation, she did so, rather to thank them for what they had already
done, than to ask them to renew their exertions. But during the three
weeks she still remained in Nantes, she received no reply from these
friends. It seemed now as if the devil had left no stone unturned to
destroy her vocation for Ville-Marie, yet true to his old malice, he
made one more attempt, and this time the trial came from M. de
Maisonneuve himself. As soon as he arrived in Nantes, in order to hasten
the preparations for their departure, he received an anonymous letter,
in which it was alleged, among other unpleasant things, that Margaret
Bourgeois was unfit to accompany him to Canada, as her vocation for the
order of Mt. Carmel was evident, and that this preference would render
her useless to him across the Atlantic. But as he was an upright man,
who could not be terrified by shadows, nor influenced by the assertions
of persons who would not honorably give their names, he contented
himself by showing the cowardly communication to Sister Bourgeois, and
calmly awaited her reply, which, when given, entirely disabused him of
any doubts that might have lessened his confidence in her, and so he
decided to set sail for the New World in July, 1653. During their stay
of three weeks at Nantes, she completely won the esteem and friendship
of M. le Coq and his family. Not only did they refuse to receive payment
for her board, but eagerly pressed her to accept an outfit for the sea
voyage, which they saw she took no care to provide. The kind-hearted
merchant thoughtfully procured a comfortable bed for her, which she
never slept upon, the ship's cordage being her only hammock during the
voyage. He would also have given her a supply of wine, but knowing she
would not use it, he substituted a few casks of fresh water, the lack of
which often causes such frightful sufferings at sea. These were useless
precautions for one who was determined to suffer in the flesh a portion
of the mortifications of Jesus Christ. The water was stored in the ship,
but she did not use it, as she drank only once a day, from a little
leather cup that she carried by her side. She never deviated from this
measure, and used only the tainted water, which was the ordinary
beverage of the common sailors. M. de Maisonneuve wished her to eat at
his table, but to this she would not consent; therefore he sent her
daily a portion of the food prepared for himself, which was more
delicate and better cooked than the ordinary mess. She took it
thankfully, to divide among the sick, using herself only a small share
of the common ship rations. During the voyage she carefully instructed
the soldiers and sailors in the sublime though simple lessons of the
catechism. She served the sick day and night, as there were many
invalids to be found in a raw regiment of one hundred men. She solaced
them in their sufferings with unwearied assiduity, and gave them the
delicacies she received from the commander. Each day she read a lecture
on the practical duties of Christianity, and induced all to recite aloud
the morning and night prayers. Her courage and strength never failed
during the inconveniences of a stormy sea-voyage, which was remarkable,
as she had never been to sea before. She was really the guardian angel
of the ship, and in the exercise of such heroic acts of charity did she
arrive in Canada. However, in spite of her self-sacrificing virtue, she
was the subject of uncharitable criticisms, as M. de Maisonneuve, who
knew her worth, paid unceasing and deserved attention to her wants, and
she testified the most humble and respectful submission to his wishes.
Some who observed this wickedly construed it into hypocrisy to mask lost
virtue, and although the lynx-eyed slanderers did not dare to assert as
much openly on board, yet she knew it was discussed in private. But she
endured the humiliation in silence, as was her custom when calumny of
any kind assailed her.




CHAPTER VI.

SISTER BOURGEOIS' ARRIVAL IN CANADA.


The voyage from various causes having lasted three months, the fleet did
not arrive in Quebec until the 22d of September, 1653. She therefore set
her foot on Canadian soil for the first time in the capital of New
France. It was like taking possession of the Province she was afterwards
to edify and instruct, by word and example, not only by her own
immediate labors, but also by the zeal of those who were in the designs
of God to continue the good work she so happily commenced, and to
continue it for centuries throughout the whole extent of that vast
country. Yet it was not Quebec but _Montreal_, that God intended to be
the centre of her missionary zeal, and that of her spiritual daughters.
She therefore made but a short stay in the capital, and could not rest
until she arrived at her final destination, accompanied by M. de
Maisonneuve. Words would be quite inadequate to express the joy she felt
on approaching Montreal. She was overpowered with gratitude to the
Almighty God when she first beheld the young city for which she had so
long sighed, and which was indeed the City of Mary, having been
consecrated to her, and this joy was so much the purer as it was
purchased by the pains and humiliations she endured for Christ's dear
sake. In addition to what has been already related of this voyage,
Sister Bourgeois says in her manuscripts, that as soon as they weighed
anchor, it was discovered the ship was rotten, and leaked in many
places. However, as it was well manned, having, besides the usual number
of sailors, 108 soldiers on board, it was hoped they would be able to
brave the sea, but the hope was vain. Although they worked night and day
at the pumps, the ship could not be kept afloat. The water gained
rapidly, and their provisions were nearly destroyed. They were obliged
to return to the port of St. Lazare, on nearing which they must have
perished but for the timely assistance rendered by the inhabitants of
the place. Margaret Bourgeois felt the danger more keenly, as there was
not a priest on board, and very few were prepared for death. M. de
Maisonneuve took the wise precaution of putting the soldiers ashore on
an island, to prevent desertions; but a few in despair cast themselves
into the sea to effect an escape, as the ship was sinking before their
eyes, and they believed M. de Maisonneuve was leading them to perdition.
One alone was calm amidst that wild tumult of passion, and that one was
Sister Bourgeois, who willingly and repeatedly offered the sacrifice of
her life to God. In the meantime M. de Maisonneuve was fortunate enough
to secure a new ship, and all other things necessary to continue the
voyage. So they set sail again on the feast of St. Margaret, after
having assisted at Mass, a happiness they had not enjoyed for a long
time. As if to add to their misery, sickness now became general, and
Sister Bourgeois was alternately priest and infirmarian, eight persons
having died in her arms. As soon as they were finally settled in
Ville-Marie, She requested M. de Maisonneuve to lead her to the cross he
had erected in 1640. But that one having been weather-beaten and broken,
he replaced it with another, higher up on the mountain, with an image of
Mary near it. This was a rendezvous for the savages, who assembled there
to receive religious instruction. He carried the second cross on his
shoulders through thorns, and rocks, and forest trees, there being no
pathway up the hill-side, and having secured it on the platform prepared
for it, placed beside it the statue of the Blessed Virgin given him by
the Congregation Sisters. The erection of this cross was quite a
religious ceremony, and occurred on the _same day_, and at _then same
hour_, on which Sister Bourgeois received the first miraculous favor
from the Mother of God, in the porch of the church of Notre Dame, in the
city of Troyes. She always believed that this extraordinary event
determined her vocation for Canada. The consecrated hillside became
afterwards the "Mission of the Mountain." The following year an altar
was erected at the foot of the cross, and the early missionary priests
of Ville-Marie celebrated Mass there for the converted savages. It
happened once, that of fifteen or sixteen persons present at the Holy
Sacrifice, not one knew how to serve Mass, and Jean Mance had to get a
little child, four years old, to wait on the priest, by suggesting the
responses, and indicating the ceremonies. At the foot of this mountain,
in after years, the Indians assembled by hundreds, to embrace
Christianity, and receive instruction from the priests and the Sisters
of the Congregation. The first time M. de Maisonneuve conducted Margaret
Bourgeois to the time-honored cross, he was obliged to have an escort of
thirty men, lest the Iroquois should surprise and maltreat them. What
then must have been her disappointment and grief to find it thrown down
and broken. The Indians had watched their opportunity to insult the
Christian standard, yet wonderful to relate, the statue of the Blessed
Virgin was not in the least injured. She resolved on the spot to erect a
third cross, with M. de Maisonneuve's permission, which she of course
obtained, and for three days and nights they labored together on the
mountain until the pious work was completed. This time they surrounded
it with a strong palisade of stakes, and for years the colonists were in
the habit of making annual pilgrimages to it. It was still standing in
1760, when the English became masters of Montreal, but from that time it
was seen no more. Sister Bourgeois soon after her arrival, commenced her
labor of Christian love. Ville-Marie then contained about fifty houses
scattered here and there, with a fort for the garrison. A few colonists
settled in the surrounding country, where they made successful attempts
to cultivate the ground, and some converted savages erected cabins in
the vicinity. These constituted the entire population of Montreal at
that remote period, and our heroine visited each house daily, like the
Apostles of old, to animate the people with a portion of her own zeal in
the discharge of their religious duties. She was to be found everywhere
that the good of her fellow-creatures required, either waiting on the
sick, consoling the afflicted, instructing the ignorant, washing and
mending--gratis--the clothing of the poor soldiers, preparing the dead
for burial, or despoiling herself of necessaries in favor of the
destitute, which was the routine of her daily life. And it might be
truly said in the words of Scripture, that her days were full. We have
already related that M. le Coq gave her a sleeping outfit, consisting of
a mattress, palliasse, two comforters, and a pillow. Although the first
winter she spent in Montreal was an unusually severe one, she never used
these articles of comfort _herself_, but freely bestowed them on
_others_. A poor soldier, badly frozen, hastened to tell her his misery;
the mattress was instantly given to him. A comrade hearing of his good
fortune, presented himself for relief; the palliasse became his
property, the comforters being bestowed on a third, who was as
wretchedly lodged as the others. There was as yet no applicant for the
pillow, which was a useless article of furniture to her, as she slept on
the bare ground, or a plank, resting her head upon straw,
notwithstanding the inclemency of Canadian winters. Yet she felt amply
rewarded for her privations, by being permitted to perform charitable
offices for others. She was the common mother of the young colonists,
being an eye to the blind, a foot to the lame, consolation to the
afflicted, a support to the weak and indigent, making herself like the
Apostle, "all to all, in order to gain all to Christ." But her principal
aim was the instruction of the little ones, and as she had no
school-room to teach in, she followed them from house to house,
instructing them in their religious duties, and inspiring them with
devotion to the Immaculate Mother of God. While M. de Maisonneuve, her
faithful fellow-laborer, struggled for the material prosperity of the
colony, she endeavored to erect a spiritual empire in the hearts of the
faithful. But as the population increased the extent of her
foot-journeys covered a vast tract of country, and the number of
children she instructed was greater than one teacher could attend to.
Although her strength and courage never flagged, she evidently required
assistance, which Almighty God provided in His own mysterious and
adorable manner, as will soon be related.




CHAPTER VII.

ESTABLISHMENT OF THE SISTERS OF THE CONGREGATION OF NOTRE DAME AT
VILLE-MARIE.


Sister Bourgeois had now lived four years in Ville-Marie, during which
time she had practised the most heroic virtues. Her zeal for the glory
of God was ever increasing, her only desire being to win souls to His
service, and to love and imitate the virtues of His divine Mother. About
this period she felt interiorly inspired to build a church in honor of
Mary, in which she might at times assemble her little pupils for
instruction, in order to effect greater good among them. Hitherto she
had literally to run after them from house to house, which unavoidably
caused a great loss of her precious time. Yet, obedient to the
inspirations of grace, she first consulted her confessor, Father Pizart,
a Jesuit, who was then the only priest in Ville-Marie. To test her
firmness he represented and exaggerated the difficulties she would have
to encounter, but her zealous determination overcame his objections, and
he approved of her design, not doubting that God would assist her to
accomplish it. Being strengthened in her resolution by his approval, and
full of confidence in God and His Holy Mother, she went directly to M.
de Maisonneuve to ask for a suitable tract of land on which to erect the
building. This he gave most willingly, as there was nothing dearer to
him than to promote devotion to the Mother of God by every means in his
power. Having unbounded confidence in Sister Bourgeois, he desired her
to select a site for the edifice, wherever she pleased, and she
accordingly took possession of the ground on which the church of
Bon-Secours stands today, being about four hundred paces from the city
of Ville-Marie. The extent of the lot was only 40 by 30 feet, which
small enclosure she judged sufficient for her purpose, but she had no
earthly means to carry out her design. However, she set to work
hopefully, and enlisted the sympathies of the colonists. Nor was she
disappointed, as all were disposed to assist; some prepared lumber,
others quarried stone, mechanics worked as their services were required,
laborers waited on the workmen, several contributed money quite
liberally, and in a few days the foundation was ready to receive the
ponderous wooden structure to be laid upon it. Everything seemed to be
progressing favorably, but it was the work of God, and had to encounter
contradiction to make it perfect. The contradiction came, too, from a
quarter the least expected, God having so permitted in order to purify
still more the heart of this holy woman. Until then, there had been no
bishop at Quebec, and M. l'Abbe de Quelus, first superior of the
Seminary of St. Sulpice at Montreal, arrived from France, at the precise
time they were putting up the building. He came as Grand-Vicar of the
Archbishop of Rouen, in whose name all spiritual jurisdiction in Canada
had hitherto been exercised. He had never heard of Sister Bourgeois, and
with three other priests of his society, came for the express purpose of
founding a _seminary_ at Ville-Marie, being the first Sulpicians who
visited New France. M. de Quelus was therefore surprised to find a young
woman, whose humility concealed her talents and her virtues, take the
lead in building a church, for which she had, as we have seen, the
permission of a subordinate ecclesiastic. In his wisdom he ordered the
work to be discontinued, and she submitted to the voice of authority
without murmur or reply, but _reflected_, nevertheless, on the
_consequences_. There was a large quantity of valuable lumber ready for
the carpenters; it was procured at great expense and labor, but must, in
consequence of the interdict, become a total loss, and rot on the
ground. Human prudence would have regarded the event as a misfortune,
and Sister Bourgeois, obedient as she was, sighed bitterly in secret.
But God, who knows how to draw good out of evil, turned the
contradiction into a work of enduring benefit. The contemplated wooden
building was forbidden, it is true, but a stone church was erected
instead, and the Congregation of the Sisters of Notre Dame may be said
to date _from that period_. It does not appear that she had previously
thought of forming a community, but seeing her hopes thus suddenly
dashed to the ground, and feeling she could no longer do justice to the
children on the scattered plan she was compelled to adopt, she began
seriously to think of associating with herself a few companions.

Full of this idea, and convinced that in Ville-Marie she could not find
persons suitable for teachers, she decided on going back to France, to
induce the externs of Troyes, her native city, to form a corps of
teachers for Canada. She foresaw her return would be considered unwise
and ill-timed, but a voice within that would not be silenced, told her
that God required her to return. According to the wisdom of the world,
it did look badly for a single woman, without means or credit, to
recross the ocean for the purpose of inducing others to imitate her wise
folly, to renounce all things and sacrifice the peace and security of
home for the dangers of a wild, thinly-settled country. The citizens of
Troyes knew well that Canadian colonists were the constant prey of
relentless savages, being murdered in cold blood, not only on the island
of Montreal, but frequently at their own doors. Yet Sister Bourgeois,
animated by the Holy Spirit, listened only to the voice of God, as did
the Apostles of old, and as did also the holy woman who followed in
their track. She left Ville-Marie with a strong presentiment of success.
Perhaps she had also a prophetic view of what would follow. At least one
is led to think so, by the positive assurance she gave to a confidential
friend before her departure, that she would be absent _one year_, which
prediction was literally verified, as she left Montreal, September,
1658, and returned in safety with her new companions September, 1659. If
the saintly woman herself displayed courage and zeal in undertaking the
return voyage, no less heroism was evinced by those who followed her to
Canada. It is always a matter of surprise to the worldly-minded, to see
young girls courageously sever the ties of kindred and country, and
attach themselves to one who possesses nothing but confidence in God,
and who promises nothing in the future but humiliations, pain and labor
to her followers. Such were the inducements held out by Margaret
Bourgeois to those she succeeded in bringing to the New World, and such
were the Christian heroines who associated themselves to this great work
of charity. Four young girls accompanied her on the first recruiting
voyage, whose names deserve to be transmitted to posterity. They were
Mlles. Crolo, Raisin, Fyoux, and Chatel. The title of Sister was not
given them for many years after, but in 1671 they received letters
patent authorizing them to form a religious community. We cannot better
describe the rise and progress of the Sisters of the Congregation than
by giving extracts from the manuscripts of Sister Bourgeois. She says:

"In 1658, five years after my first arrival in Canada, I felt inspired
to return to France for help. It happened in this way: Mlle. Mance had
broken her arm, and undergone an unsuccessful operation. It continued so
painful, that she was obliged to go to France to have it properly
treated, having also matters to arrange for her hospital. As she could
not travel without a companion--being an invalid--I offered my services,
which were accepted, but I had another object in view, namely, to
procure capable young persons to teach my school. Mlle. Mance was well
pleased that I should accompany her, and, as our simple preparations
were easily made, we left Montreal on the Feast of St. Michael, Sept.
29, 1658. Having been the sacristan of the parish church, I requested M.
Galimier, a priest of the seminary, to keep matters so arranged that I
could resume the pious duty on my return. I made the request before
starting for Europe, and he promised that my desire should be complied
with, provided I was not absent longer than a year. I made the promise
partly in jest, yet I Divine Providence ordained that I should return
safely on the next Feast of St. Michael. The crew of the vessel in which
we embarked numbered but six men, and were all Protestants, Mlle. Mance
and myself being the only Catholics on board. We scarcely ever went on
deck, preferring to remain quietly in the cabin allotted to us, and
perform our devotions. The crew, at times, _sang their prayers_ too
loudly for the comfort of an invalid, and Mlle. Mance was reluctantly
obliged to complain to the captain. After that the singing of the
prayers ceased, and we were treated with marked attention and respect.
We had a prosperous voyage over the blue sea, and cast anchor at La
Rochelle, during the Christmas holidays. Mlle. Mance went immediately to
La Fleche, to get her arm reset, in that famous hospital, and hoped to
bring back with her, on her return, a few of the Sisters, to assist in
the management of the hospital she had established at Ville-Marie. I was
delighted to have the consolation of again seeing M. de la Dauversiere,
that great servant of Mary, and noble protector of Montreal, who resided
at La Fleche, of which place he was Lieutenant-General. We remained
there a few days, and then set out for Paris. I had become in a manner
necessary to Mlle. Mance, as she was not able to dress without
assistance, and she willingly defrayed my expenses while we resided with
her sister during our stay in Paris. M. Olier, superior of St. Sulpice,
died two years before our arrival, and as she had great faith in his
intercession, she requested the new superior to allow her to pray at the
tomb of the deceased. She was refused the favor _then_, but was directed
to call on the following Sunday, which she did not fail to do,
accompanied by me. It gave us inexpressible joy to pray by the tomb of
the dead saint, and to see the splendid chapel of St. Sulpice. But Mlle.
Mance had more reason to rejoice than I, for, while kneeling in prayer,
she suddenly recovered the use of her crippled arm, and was restored to
perfect health, God being pleased to reward her _great_ faith by a
_greater_ miracle. I went to Troyes on business of my own for a few
days, leaving her to continue a novena alone. She wrote to me with her
formerly withered hand, thereby proving beyond doubt that she was cured.
The physicians declared that human science was useless in her case, and
that the restoration of her arm was an undeniable miracle. During my
stay at Troyes, I lodged with the religieuses of the Congregation, who
entertained me with much kindness and charity. I explained to them my
desire of procuring a few young girls, who would be willing to accompany
me as teachers to Ville-Marie, and also that I would be glad to get one
or two healthy persons to attend to our domestic work. My purpose was
highly approved of by them, but I was assured it would be difficult to
carry it into execution. Nor could I have succeeded without the special
help of Divine Providence, in which I implicitly trusted, and my hope
was never in vain. As soon as the purpose of my visit was known in
Troyes, three of my old companions at once offered their services. These
were Sisters Crolo, Chatel, and Raisin. The first named had asked to
accompany me in 1652. M. Chatel, the father of the second, was Notary
Apostolic, and on hearing my proposal to take his daughter to Canada (at
her own desire), asked how we intended to earn a living in the New
World. I replied that M. de Maisonneuve had given us a good _stable_ for
a dwelling, that it was large, and would suit our purpose, and showed
him the contract. 'That is all very well,' he said, 'but what are you
going to _subsist_ on?' The only answer I could make was, that we should
labor faithfully in the school, and that I could promise nothing to my
companions, but pain of mind and body, with a mess of pottage. My reply
brought tears to his eyes, for though he loved his daughter dearly, he
loved religious sacrifices better. He did not give me a decisive answer
for a few days, however, preferring to act slowly, and consult his
friends on the matter. They advised him to place no obstacle to the work
of God, as his daughter freely offered herself for the mission, and so
the truly Christian father agreed to let her go. He courageously signed,
in her presence, the contract by which he resigned the earthly future of
his beloved child to the care of Margaret Bourgeois, a similar contract
being drawn up for Sister Crolo."

It is to be regretted that these contract papers have not been preserved
in the archives of the community. As poor as Sister Bourgeois was, she
did not wish to receive _money_ with either party, but M. Chatel would
not permit his daughter to depart without providing her an abundant
supply of clothing, and about two hundred livres in specie. He also gave
her letters of credit, addressed to persons of distinction, who resided
in the several places through which she must pass, so that, if she
wished to return to Troyes, she might be able to procure the necessary
funds. As to Sister Raisin, she was obliged to go to Paris to get her
father's consent, flattering herself it would be easily obtained.
Astonished at the zealous courage of these Christian heroines, a young
student of Troyes determined to leave all for Christ, and go with them
to Canada to teach the boys, as the Sisters intended to teach none but
girls. He was attacked by a violent hemorrhage during the voyage, and
died in the Sisters' house, two years after his arrival. He was known as
Brother Louis, but was not the Brother Louis who transacted business for
Sister Bourgeois in France at a later period.

To return again to the manuscript. She says: "I and my three companions
started from Troyes to Paris in an old worn-out conveyance, that we
hired for our own use, but had not gone far before we were compelled to
stop, as the owners of the _public_ carriages, who controlled the road,
would not permit a private conveyance like ours to interfere with their
traffic. We were therefore obliged to return to Troyes, where M. Chatel
obtained for us permission to continue the journey. As we had to travel
on Sunday, we requested the driver to stop at some village where we
could assist at Mass. This he very disobligingly refused to do. We
passed before a church pretty soon, however, and one of the wheels
breaking, he stopped against his will, to mend it, and we assisted at
the Holy Sacrifice while he worked at the broken wheel. On our arrival
in Paris, M. Raisin would not permit his daughter to go to Canada, and
stubbornly refused to see her; nor had she the courage to present
herself before him. She could only prevail through the intercession of
friends, and in this way was successful, as he finally gave his consent,
a contract being ratified in her case also. I could not prevent his
offering one thousand livres for her voyage, and, as I feared to
disoblige him by a refusal, I compromised, and accepted one hundred
crowns. However, this did not satisfy him, and he legally arranged to
pay to the community an annuity of thirty-five livres, being the
interest of the seven hundred livres I refused to accept. After his
death, his son, a member of the Legislative Assembly, added to this an
annuity of three hundred livres, interest on six thousand, which was
donated for three yearly Masses, for the repose of his father's soul,
which Masses are celebrated to this day on the 22d, 23d, and 24th of
April; so charitable were these gentlemen to the embryo Congregation. In
Paris we received an addition to our number, M. Blondel giving one of
his nieces as a teacher for Ville-Marie. This young lady was the first
person admitted to our community in 1659, and was named Sister St.
Claire. There were now assembled eighteen young girls for the return
voyage, four of whom were to remain at Quebec, the rest being bound for
Montreal. We again hired wagons to make the journey from Paris to La
Rochelle, and met with the same mishap as at Troyes, but finally arrived
at our destination, where I had the happiness once more to meet Mlle.
Mance, who was bringing with her three religieuses for the hospital of
Montreal. On the eve of embarkation an obstacle quite unexpectedly
presented itself. I had supposed that my companions and myself were to
be taken on board gratuitously, such certainly being the intention of M.
de Maisonneuve, the master of the ship had heard nothing of such an
arrangement, however; at least he said so, and refused to take us,
unless each one paid 175 livres for her passage, besides furnishing
provisions, and as we had no money, we were on the point of being left
behind. I fortunately thought of drawing a double letter of exchange on
M. Raisin, which was accepted. We finally set sail and found that the
commander, notwithstanding the trouble he had given us, was a very
honest man. The vessel was very large and convenient, but had served for
a floating hospital during the war, and the very timbers of it were
infected with disease. Perhaps this was not the only cause of sickness,
as we had a large number of passengers, among whom were two priests, M.
le Maitre, and M. Vignal, both bound for the Montreal seminary. These
holy men were afterwards murdered by the Indians, in cold blood. We took
care to have the priests near us during the voyage, as pestilence soon
broke out. Mlle. Mance and her religieuses were the first attacked, but
after a few days several of the secular girls succumbed. Eight persons
died of the plague, and would have been thrown into the sea, without the
decency of a shroud, but for the thoughtful exertions of M. le Maitre,
who constructed rough coffins on the spot, and took the precaution to
throw overboard everything belonging to the dead. A young mother among
the stricken left a nursing infant, which, with its father, was
prostrated by the pestilence. The babe's life was despaired of, as no
one was willing to take charge of it, and many advised that it be thrown
into the sea alive. The cruel suggestion aroused my sympathy, and I
offered to take the infant myself, much against the will of my
companions, who were all sick. However, I succeeded in getting the
little waif in my keeping. When we arrived in Quebec, its cries and
horrible appearance caused us much annoyance, and as I had business to
transact in Quebec, I was obliged to return it to the father, who was
then well, promising to reclaim it before setting out for Montreal. That
September, the cold season set in with unusual rigor, and the crew built
fires in cabins along the shore, to keep themselves from freezing, and
this man, with the babe in his arms, lying down among them, the poor
little martyr rolled into the embers and was shockingly burned. However,
when we arrived at Montreal it grew better, and in consequence of losing
its mother so young, I procured a nurse to supply it with natural
nourishment; a few days after it sickened, died, and went to rest in the
bosom of God. We arrived at Montreal on the Feast of St. Michael, being
exactly one year, day for day, and hour for hour, from the time of our
departure."

Sister Bourgeois and her companions immediately took possession of the
stable which was given for school purposes by M. de Maisonneuve the
previous year. It was built of stone, about twenty-five feet square, and
had been for a long time a shelter for all kinds of animals. She had a
chimney built on the floor prepared for the school-room, the Sisters
cooking and eating there, when school was dismissed. The loft of the
stable served for a dovecot and granary, and was reached by an outside
ladder. This she arranged as a dormitory and a community-room. All
things being now in working order, they began to receive boarders and
day-pupils. One of the latter, Marie Barbier, who was afterwards called
in religion Sister Mary of the Assumption, succeeded Sister Bourgeois as
superior of the Congregation, and was the first member received in
Ville-Marie. The school was formally opened on the Feast of St.
Catherine, Nov. 25, 1659, and a secular society for young ladies was put
in operation on the Feast of the Visitation the following year. This
society has never been discontinued, and exists still in almost
primitive fervor. In a short time the number of boarders and day-pupils
became so considerable, that it was necessary to purchase a small house,
in the vicinity of the lucky stable, from a man named St. Ange. As
Sister Bourgeois burned with zeal to advance the glory of God in the New
World, in addition to the cares inseparable from governing a young
community, she undertook another labor of love, which eventually caused
her the most bitter sorrow. We refer to the manuscripts: "Several young
girls accompanied us from France, who were taken from the hospitals, and
sent at the King's expense to assist in the colonization of Ville-Marie.
While we were repairing the little house we purchased from St. Ange,
another batch of these girls arrived, and as I knew they were intended
to become mothers of families, I hastened to meet them as soon as they
should land, in order to bring them to our new house, and detain them a
short time, for instruction." The Sisters (we may as well so name them
at once) had for some time importuned Sister Bourgeois to add another
story to their dwelling, as it did not afford accommodation for both
Sisters and pupils; but she objected on account of her love of poverty,
humility, and mortification. However, the arrival of the strangers
induced her to comply, and her hasty compliance was a source of lifelong
regret, because, as she affirmed, she did not sufficiently consult the
will of God and her ecclesiastical superior. In fact she never forgave
herself this unintentional error of judgment, as she called it, and
attributed to it all the accidents that subsequently befell her
community.




CHAPTER VIII.

M. FRANCOIS DE LAVAL DE MONTMORENCI IS APPOINTED FIRST BISHOP OF
CANADA--SISTER BOURGEOIS SUCCEEDS IN BUILDING THE CHURCH OF "NOTRE DAME
DE BON SECOURS."


In the year 1659 M. Francois de Laval de Montmorenci was appointed first
bishop of Canada, having been hitherto known as the Abbe de Montigni.
The famous Henri Marie Bondon, author of many ascetic works, succeeded
him as arch-deacon of Evreux, M. de Laval having resigned in his favor.
He received his appointment from the French King, but as the Sovereign
Pontiff had not yet erected any portion of the Canadian church into the
diocese, came at first in quality of Vicar Apostolic, consecrated with
the title of Bishop of Petree. M. de Quelus, who had until then governed
the Church in New France, subject to the authority of the Archbishop of
Rouen, did not dispute the jurisdiction of Bishop Laval, but returned to
France immediately, accompanied by his secretary, M. d'Allet, to inform
his own Bishop of what had transpired in Canada. He never returned,
however, and died in Paris, in 1680, in the Seminary of St. Sulpice. M.
de Laval met Sister Bourgeois for the first time, during the voyage from
France, and having conceived a very high opinion of her virtue, gave
herself and companions permission to form in his diocese whatever
religious establishments they should consider most conducive to the
welfare of the country.

Almighty God in His inscrutable wisdom had so arranged matters that the
Institute of Sister Bourgeois should be born in a stable, like His own
divine Son, the Sisters being much happier there than if they were
lodged in a palace. As soon as circumstances permitted after her return,
she took occasion to revisit the chapel she attempted to build before
her departure, and found to her sorrow what she had foreseen, that the
greatest part of the lumber was in a state of decay, and quite
worthless. Yet, as she could not yield to despair, she collected from
the debris sufficient material to build a sort of shed, to be used
alternately as a chapel and a class-room until they could do better. The
piety and fervor of the new teachers attracted the attention of the
whole colony, and the schools in a short time became overcrowded, so
that Sister Bourgeois was induced to undertake the erection of a
building large enough to meet their wants. She had neither ground nor
money, but Divine Providence provided both, as M. de Maisonneuve, whose
devotion to the Blessed Virgin always prompted him to assist her, had
already given a deed of the property they then occupied, and added to it
fifty rods adjoining, with the clause that if the Congregation decided,
in the future, to build on a more extended plan, for which the present
site would not be suitable, the said fifty rods were to be deeded to the
hospital, in the vicinity, all which was legally arranged in the month
of February, 1658. M. Gabriel Souart, superior of the Seminary, donated
another piece of ground, upon which the convent stands today. Many other
gifts of real estate became also the property of Sister Bourgeois, and
were chiefly in the suburbs of the city, which was at last becoming
extensive. As soon as the plan for the building was completed every one
hastened to offer assistance, as an educational institution was
considered a public blessing, and it was evident that God inspired His
faithful servant to undertake the work. The building was so arranged
that one side should be occupied by the Sisters, the other being fitted
up for the boarders and schools. It was not fully completed when Sister
Bourgeois reflected that in the then unsettled state of things, and for
the security of the institution, it would be necessary to obtain letters
patent from the King. The reflection was a wise one, but to obtain the
letters would expose her to much personal humiliation, and also to great
dissipation and loss of time. At first it seemed possible to arrange
matters by procuring the approbation of the home authorities, that is to
say, of the Bishop and Governor-General. So she determined to set out
for Quebec, to present her petition to these distinguished persons,
hoping to have little difficulty in making them understand the utility
of the establishment. Messrs. Souart and Perrot gave her letters of
recommendation, and the inhabitants of Montreal, who knew the great
virtues and talents she concealed beneath the veil of humility,
assembled _en masse_ in the Seminary, to give to her petition the weight
of their united signatures. They also sent by her an humble supplication
to his majesty, or his representatives, entreating that the royal
sanction be given to insure the success of the establishment. Each one
separately signed his name to the document, and placed it in her hands.
They were all the more eager to help as they had often been compelled to
send their children to Quebec to the Ursulines, and the pressing need of
a home institution was becoming more apparent each day. Full of
confidence in God and His holy Mother, and furnished with these
respectable documents, she finally decided on no half-way course, but
set sail again for France, in the autumn of 1670, fearing neither
danger, nor the inconveniences conveniences of a third sea-voyage, to
obtain the succors she needed for others, more than for herself. What a
sublime spectacle it was, to see an humble, unattended woman cross the
great sea alone, and go in her simple attire, into the brilliant court
of the Great King, Louis XIV., to treat of the interests of religion and
the glory of God. Her success was as singular as her enterprise, and
though the journey was long, and full of pain and fatigue (she did not
return for two years), she felt abundantly repaid by the many advantages
and lasting good it produced. On her arrival in Paris, her first visit
was to the church of Notre Dame, to renew, before the altar of the
Blessed Virgin, the consecration she had there made of herself, in 1646,
in company of the Montreal Association. She implored the blessing of the
Queen of Heaven, on herself, her fellow-laborers in the schools of
Montreal, and her present undertaking, and then set to work to
accomplish her end. She visited some of the old friends of M. de
Maisonneuve, who were all persons of merit and high social position, and
were known to have much influence at court, in order to induce them to
procure her the favor of an interview with his majesty. These people had
not at all forgotten her, and had several letters of recommendation in
her favor. They knew the good she was capable of effecting, and made it
a point of honor to assist her. The King was in due course of time
informed of the matter, and seemed to be rather favorably inclined to
grant her request, yet six weary months elapsed without his giving a
decisive answer. Learning that his majesty was at Dunkirk in the May of
1671, she repaired thither, to renew solicitations, and at last obtained
the long-sought letters, which contained Catholic sentiments worthy of
the great French monarch. Being authorized by the royal patent, she next
tried to procure a new corps of volunteers, who would, like the first
heroic band, generously renounce home, family, and country, without hope
of ever returning, who would be willing to cross the great ocean, then
but imperfectly known, and devote their future lives to the instruction
of wild savages, as much as to the advancement of the French colonists,
expecting also that the relentless Iroquois would repay their Christian
love with the tomahawk or the scalping-knife, and in those days how
often was the expectation verified. Yet these considerations were
precisely what attracted a great number of talented young girls, fully
capable of sustaining and perfecting the enterprise, and worthy to share
with the holy Foundress the labor, the glory, and the success that
awaited the Congregation in Ville-Marie. She procured her postulants in
the towns that lie scattered between Troyes and Paris, and she as often
travelled on foot carrying her little bundle of poor clothing, as she
did in the public conveyances, that were disagreeable to her, because
the roads were rough, and the companions she met were frequently
dissolute libertines, although her modest exterior and edifying
conversation frequently silenced their licentious discourses. In fact
her travels were a sort of continuous mission, effecting good for the
souls of her neighbor, and advancing her own spiritual perfection. At
such times she refused all personal convenience, so great was her spirit
of poverty, humility, and mortification, and she possessed these virtues
in an eminent degree. Liberal and generous to others, when there was
question of charity or the glory of God, to herself she was rigorous in
the extreme. She truly possessed nothing, giving all the fruit of her
labors to the poor. But Divine Providence never failed her in the hour
of need.

Once, during this visit, she met a gentleman in the streets of Paris,
who suddenly stopped to ask if she knew a lady from Canada, named
Margaret Bourgeois. "I am the person," she replied. Surprised at the
unexpected rencontre, he placed a considerable sum of money in her hands
(she had not wherewith to pay her night's-lodging at the time), which
she refused to accept, not knowing his motive for doing so, but was soon
relieved of her embarrassment, by his assuring her he was only repaying
a charity she had done him in Ville-Marie, and that it afforded him
great pleasure to be able to return her generosity, as he could well
afford to do it at the time.

Travelling thus, through the towns and villages like the Saviour of the
world, He prevented her by the unction of His grace, and prepared
beforehand faithful hearts, who were willing to enter the new society,
and consecrate themselves to the service of God under her guidance. Six
young persons responded to her call. Their names were Sisters Elizabeth,
Genevieve, Constantine, Durant, Marianne, and Margaret. Filled with holy
joy, and accompanied by her new companions, Sister Bourgeois went to
cast herself at the feet of her Bishop, and offer him the fruit of her
journeyings and prayers.

M. de Laval was at that time in the college of Foreign Missions in
Paris, not only in quality of Bishop of Petree, Vicar-Apostolic of
Canada, as he had been up to that period, but also as the first Bishop
of Quebec. For it was not until the year 1672 that the important
question of erecting the church of Quebec into a titular Bishopric was
at last happily decided. The prelate approved the Sister's persevering
labors, bestowed the most ample benedictions on herself and her young
recruits, and received their first religious consecration to the service
of God and the Church. He placed no bounds to his favors, and renewed
the general permission given before, to erect schools, and form any
other religious establishment in his diocese that they should judge
beneficial to the colony. Everything seemed to succeed with this holy
woman, and she attributed all her past success, as well as what the
future might develop, to the special protection of the Blessed Virgin.
Her confidence in her good Mother was boundless, and she considered it
an essential duty to depend on her in all things, and inspired her
daughters with a similar devotion. She wished it to be perpetuated in
the Institute, and desired that the name and livery of Mary might be
distinctly traceable in their houses, their furniture, and their
personal appearance forever.

Having now obtained all that she desired in France she thought it full
time to return to Canada, after a long though unavoidable absence.
Before embarking, she felt it was a duty of Christian politeness to call
on the distinguished people who had assisted her in procuring the
letters patent, and thanking them for their many kindnesses. No person
could be more punctilious than she in the duties of social etiquette
that charity approved, and religion did not condemn. By a particular
dispensation of Providence, her first visit was made to the house of M.
Pierre Chevrier, Baron de Faucamp, a priest, and one of the first
proprietors of the Isle of Montreal, who then resided at Paris. In the
house of this gentleman she received another most singular mark of the
Blessed Virgin's love and protection.

M. de Faucamp had in his possession a small miraculous statue of the
Mother of God, which he, conjointly with his brother, Louis le Pretre,
had taken from among a number of precious relics, in their castle
chapel. It had been specially venerated, and carefully preserved for
more than a century. Their intention was to send it to Ville-Marie,
where they hoped it would be more religiously taken care of than
elsewhere, as that city was really the city of Mary, having been built
in her honor, and consecrated to her service. While awaiting a favorable
opportunity to send the statue to the New World, Sister Bourgeois
fortunately presented herself. During the two days that M. Faucamp had
it in his house he fell dangerously ill, the sickness proving to be a
fatal attack of inflammation of the lungs, and the physicians despaired
of his life. In this emergency he made a vow, while praying before the
miraculous statue, that if Mary cured him, he would everywhere publish
her praises, and do all in his power to build a chapel in her honor, for
which he would donate thirty pistoles to commence a fund for the
purpose, begging also in his simplicity that she, the Mother of God,
would not go to Montreal, and leave one of her most devoted clients sick
in France. Scarcely had he pronounced his vow before he was perfectly
restored to health. The following day Sister Bourgeois called upon him,
and he could not help recognizing the wonderful providence of God in her
visit. He immediately gave her the statue and the money, with an
authentic certificate of the miracle performed on himself the day
before, and Sister was happier in the possession of these treasures,
than if she had gained the wealth of the universe. Never, indeed, was
human confidence better placed than on this occasion.

They set sail soon after, and arrived safely at Quebec on the 13th of
August, the same year. She sent her band of heroines direct to
Ville-Marie, for which they had so often sighed during their
journeyings, and the very name of which animated their zeal and fervor,
but she herself was detained at Quebec for some time. It was necessary
to have the letters patent registered by the local authorities so that
she would be at liberty to put their contents in execution, when Divine
Providence presented an occasion. Her desire was complied with as soon
as known, the act of registration taking place on the 17th of October,
1672, after which she set out for Ville-Marie to join her daughters, and
labor anew in the service of God. Glorying in being the custodian of the
miraculous statue, she hastened to relate its wonderful history to
Messrs. Souart and Perrot, who authorized her to expose it for public
veneration. She deposited it in the little wooden shed she had erected
after her first return from France, expecting to be able to place it
more honorably in the large chapel, that was to be built of stone, and
decently ornamented. This chapel was to be a kind of station for the
ordinary parish processions, and a place of pilgrimage for those who had
a devotion to the most holy Virgin, when they wished to visit the statue
in order to obtain spiritual or temporal blessings through Mary's
intercession, such being the intention of Messrs. le Pretre and Faucamp,
and of many other devout persons who had contributed towards its
erection.

Despite the sorrow and humiliations she had already experienced
regarding this chapel, she set to work again with renewed energy to
effect its completion, but in order to proceed with suitable solemnity,
M. Souart ordered a solemn procession to be made to the place, on the
29th of June, 1673, being the Feast of the Apostles SS. Peter and Paul.
A great concourse of people attended Vespers after the procession, and
M. Souart, the celebrant, put a crucifix in the place destined for the
altar, and the next day laid the corner-stone, in the name, and as the
agent of M. de Faucamp. Sister Bourgeois labored indefatigably to
procure and disburse the necessary funds, a portion of which she had
received in France, as we have seen, the remainder being contributed in
Ville-Marie. The Sisters themselves assisted generously out of their
private funds, and others donated materials or labor which was
equivalent. The interior decorations were quite elaborate, and in due
course of time the church was finished to the satisfaction of every one.
It was the first _stone_ church erected in Montreal, and was consecrated
under the title of "Notre Dame de Bon-Secours." Mass was celebrated in
it for the first time on the Feast of the Assumption, 1675, this day of
Mary's glorious triumph being selected as its principal Festival. The
work being thus happily completed, Sister Bourgeois, in the hope of
making it contribute more effectually to the glory of God, requested the
cure and church-warden of the parish to accept the new monument of piety
for public use, and make it a perpetuity of the parish, in order to
promote devotion to the Mother of God. The donation was of course
accepted with gratitude, and confirmed by an ordinance of M. de Laval,
dated November 6, 1678. Some years afterwards, by a new arrangement,
dated January 17, 1700, La Fabrique gave the Sisters suitable lots for
free sepulture, and the unrestricted use of the Chapel of the Infant
Jesus, for their private devotional exercises, which act was approved
and confirmed by M. de St. Vallier, the second Bishop of Quebec, during
one of his pastoral visitations in 1719. This church of Bon-Secours
served for many years as a convent chapel to the Hospitalieres of the
Hotel-Dieu, when their hospital and convent was burned down in 1734, and
when they were obliged to lodge their sick in the houses adjoining the
church, until their re-establishment, which did not take place for three
or four years.

We learn from a letter of Sister Bourgeois, that these same religieuses
had been previously burned out in 1695, but that their hospital escaped
the fury of the flames at that time. They sought and found a refuge with
the Sisters of the Congregation, after the second burning, issuing forth
daily to serve the sick, and returning at night to discharge the
reciprocal duties of charity, consequent upon two different communities
residing in the same house, and unavoidably crowding each other, yet no
violation of charity ever occurred, and long before the day of
separation came, an enduring friendship founded on Christ had mutually
existed between them. This famous chapel of Bon-Secours was burned, and
reduced to ashes in 1754, as was also a portion of the city of Montreal.

The war between France and England occurring about that time, the
citizens neglected to rebuild Bon-Secours, and the capture of
Ville-Marie by the English, which took place on the Feast of the
Nativity of Mary, 1760, was perhaps justly attributed to public
disorders and licentiousness (the colonists in many instances having
lost their first fervor), and was also considered a just punishment for
not having erected anew the once favored shrine of Mary. Canada having
exchanged masters, and being under the dominion of the King of England,
who was a Protestant ruler, the inhabitants of Montreal did not think
the time favorable to rebuild the church, and it remained a ruin until
1771. They repented of their inaction, however, and reproached
themselves with cowardice, attributing to their neglect the
extraordinary calamities that befell them. The city was scourged by two
other general conflagrations, the first occurring on the 18th of May,
1765, when in the short space of four hours, one hundred houses were
consumed. The burning was so violent, that the flames leaped beyond the
city limits, reaching out to the General Hospital, which was soon a mass
of smoking cinders. The second occurred on the 11th of April, 1768, more
than eighty of the best public buildings being destroyed, including the
chapel and residence of the Sisters of the Congregation, also the chapel
of our Lady of Victories, which was built on their grounds in 1711, the
repaired ruins of which serve to this day for school purposes.

Much suffering and misery was the result of these calamities, but what
struck terror to the hearts of the entire community, more than any other
scourge of God, was the insolent demand made by some British officers,
for the land on which Bon-Secours, or rather its ruins, stood. They then
thought seriously of repairing their fault, and a general assembly of
the citizens of Montreal was called in June, 1771, at which it was
unanimously decided that they must labor strenuously to rebuild the
chapel. They at once appointed persons to draw the plans and superintend
the work, and in less than eight days the foundation was dug, and
everything was in readiness. On the 30th of the same month they
inaugurated the building of the second temple with the same religious
ceremonies that a hundred years before had called down the material
benedictions of Mary Immaculate on the first cornerstone, or rather on
those who laid it. The entire city turned out in procession, with an
enthusiasm and splendor worthy the admiration of succeeding ages, the
foundation-stones being put in place by the most distinguished men of
Montreal. The first was laid directly under the sanctuary, by Etienne
Montgolfier, Vicar-General of the diocese, with the following
inscription: "This church is dedicated to the Great and All-powerful
God, and the Blessed Mary of Good Help, with the title of her glorious
Assumption." The second was laid under the grand entrance door, by Louis
Jollivet, beneath which was placed the following scroll: "This church
was built nearly a century ago, by the Venerable Sister Margaret
Bourgeois, Foundress of the Congregation Sisters of this city, but
having been burnt in 1754, the citizens of Ville-Marie, who have ever
been the devoted clients of the Blessed Virgin Mary, on this day, June
30, 1771, place the first stone for its re-establishment, on a much more
extensive plan than the original design." The other stones were placed
under different parts of the building, by persons of the highest rank,
and under each was deposited a leaden plate, on which was engraven the
name and rank of the depositor. In the midst of this general enthusiasm,
there soon arose the vast and magnificent edifice that we behold to-day.
Every one worked for it in some way or other, and believed it was an act
of religious reparation to defray the expense. Sister Bourgeois and her
daughters had contributed largely the first time, and their descendants
would not be outdone in generosity on this occasion. They donated 600
livres to "the rebuilding of the temple." The work was pressed forward
with all diligence and zeal, and was completely finished in less than
two years. On the 30th of June, 1773, it was solemnly blessed amid the
acclamations of the entire people and Mass was celebrated in it ever
after.

But to return from this long digression. When Sister Bourgeois arrived
at Ville-Marie in 1672, she realized the full responsibility of
governing and providing for so many young aspirants to religion, and
began to think seriously of giving some regular form to the community.
Her second batch of postulants had already obtained in Paris the
approbation of M. de Laval, who received their primary engagements, and
she ardently desired that her first beloved companions should enjoy the
same precious advantage, having labored with her faithfully for twelve
years at Ville-Marie. She wrote on the subject to M. Bornieres,
arch-deacon of Quebec, who represented M. de Laval in his absence, this
prelate being still in France. The reply of the distinguished
ecclesiastic, dated November 4, 1674, was:

"MY DEAR SISTER,--I have received the letter in which you ask, 'Is it
proper to receive now, _formally_, in your Congregation, the Sisters who
first came with you to Canada, or will it be necessary to await the
return of the bishop?' Although I am persuaded of the propriety of what
you ask, nevertheless, it will be more prudent to await his return, as
he has written to me regarding both you and your Congregation, for which
he testifies much esteem. It will be best that he regulate everything
himself, as he will certainly make his intentions known to you. I trust
that all will be arranged satisfactorily, for the glory of God, the
salvation of souls, and your own consolation, and shall offer every
assistance in my power for the good work. I salute your esteemed
daughters, and recommend myself to their prayers and yours."


M. de Laval returned to Canada the following year. The Sisters were all
of the same grade, no distinctions having been made; all wore a uniform
dress, similar to that ordinarily worn by pious women of the middle
class. The color was black, being the same in every respect as Sister
Bourgeois herself wore on her first arrival at Ville-Marie, and which
the Sisters continue to wear to this day. We will refer again to her
Memoirs. She says:

"In 1670, I found it necessary to undertake another journey to France,
and had long felt inspired to make it. As I was suffering much from
mental anxiety, I hoped that an interview with M. de Laval would afford
me some solace. He was then only Vicar-Apostolic of Canada, but I had
great confidence in his wisdom, and hoped he would impart to me the
light necessary for governing our community. I was told that I should
bring with me to France the King's letters, and endeavor to procure more
postulants. For these purposes, I obtained the consent of the Sisters,
and was furnished with many letters of recommendation, from the priests
of the Quebec and Montreal Seminaries. I also had one from M. Perrot,
Governor of Montreal, and successor of M. de Maisonneuve. The Governor,
who was a Parisian, recommended me to his family there. I left Montreal
accompanied by M. de Fenelon, who gave me a passage in his boat, to
Quebec. He was returning to France on business, and wished to sail in
the same ship with me. Father Fremi, a Jesuit, also embarked with us. On
arriving at Quebec, I found myself very much indisposed, and was obliged
to remain in the hospital a few days, as the ship was to depart when the
wind became favorable. I requested M. de Fenelon to permit his servant
to take charge of my box, which contained the papers above referred to,
and of a little package of clothing, that constituted my entire baggage,
and to place them safely on board. The captain politely consented, but
his servant entirely forgot both myself and my baggage. Recovering from
my indisposition in two or three days, I went on board without further
precaution, but alas, found that I was minus the precious box, M. de
Fenelon delayed a short time to find it, but all in vain. It was not
forthcoming. As the vessel was obliged to sail with the wind, I wrote in
haste to M. Dupuis, Major of the garrison of Montreal, who was in Quebec
at the time, begging him to search for my box, and if he found it, to
forward it to France, by any ship he might find convenient. I
particularly requested him to send the papers, and to return the rest to
our Sisters in Montreal. He fortunately found the box, and I received it
in France shortly after. Behold me, then, embarked without clothing,
without provisions, without money, without anything for the voyage.
Worse still, I was the only female in the ship, but there were two good
priests among the passengers, who gave me great consolation. I arranged
a sack and a roll of cordage for my bed, on deck, with an improvised
enclosure. This was my _chamber_ during my passage; which was not very
long, however, as we arrived at La Rochelle in thirty-one days. I had
not made a change of underclothing during the voyage, as I had nothing
to make it with, except a piece of coarse canvas given me for a
mattress. This I converted into a night-dress, but, like all the rest,
it was lost. In this unpleasant condition I found myself at La Rochelle,
which country was strange to me, and I was one hundred leagues from
Paris. It was truly an embarrassing position, and I felt it so. It is
true, one of the priests offered me a supply of money, as payment for
some work that I and my companions had done for him during our first
stay in Quebec, but as I knew I had money in my box when it would
arrive, I refused his offer, saying I would be better pleased to receive
it in Paris, where I should need it more. It is also true that I had
lent 132 livres to a young man in Montreal, who had given a note for it,
payable in Paris, and that I had forwarded this note to M. Blondel, who
had hitherto transacted our business in France, but he died some time
previous to my arrival, and I was left without resource, the note not
having been paid, nor could it be found at the time. M. Fenelon was also
short of funds, yet he contrived to lend me fifty livres, the greater
part of which I used to pay my fare to Paris. With the balance I bought
food, and an absolutely necessary change of clothing. The captain and
the two priests managed to get me a comfortable seat in the stage, and
also a good room at the inn, but I took my meals apart, although they
invited me to dine with them."

She at last arrived in the great city, and went directly to the church
of Notre Dame, to renew the consecration of herself to God and His holy
Mother, then visited the College of Foreign Missions, to receive her
Bishop's blessing, and give him an account of her voyage, although she
did not reveal her distress to him. The prelate received her with
kindness, but as it was late, the visit was necessarily a short one, and
she went away, almost dead with hunger and fatigue, to pass the night at
the house of a poor woman, in the quarter of St. Sulpice. Next morning
very early she went to the church, to perform her usual devotions, and
after Mass a priest carried the Blessed Sacrament in procession to a
sick person. She followed till they arrived at the door of the Seminary.
Here Divine Providence again interposed in her favor, for one of the two
priests who stood near the door said to his companion in a loud,
distinct voice, "I have just received a letter from Canada, in which I
am directed to pay one hundred livres to a person I do not know. Her
name is Margaret Bourgeois." "That is my name," she said, turning
quickly, "but, if the money is for me, I do not know from whom it
comes." The good priest named the person who had written to him, and she
instantly recognized the name of a valued friend, one of the priests in
the Seminary at Quebec, who, not having funds to pay her before the
embarkation, took care that the money should reach her safely in Paris.
It was accordingly handed to her, and she went directly to pay the kind
captain his fifty livres. Again this favored daughter of God adored His
Divine Providence. She now confidently expected to receive her papers,
and did receive them a few moments later. On opening the box, she took
out her letters of recommendation, and, leaving a few at the Seminary,
set out to find the relatives of Messrs. Perrot and de Maisonneuve. She
first called at the address given in M. Perrot's letter. As her
appearance was not very presentable, after a long, and not over-clean
voyage, she met with a very cool reception. However, when her
fashionable entertainers read the letter (the contents of which she did,
not know), they soon changed contempt into respect, as M. Perrot had
requested them to receive her as they would receive himself, assuring
them that in Canada she was regarded as a little saint. She was
consequently invited to dinner, which she gladly accepted, as she was
much in need of it at the moment, but their ceremonious attentions did
not agree with her spirit of mortification and humility, and she
absolutely refused to remain over-night, although they pressed her quite
warmly to do so. She next visited M. de Maisonneuve, arriving at a very
late hour, as it was in the suburbs of the city. It is impossible to
express the joy that this great servant of God experienced on seeing her
again. He actually _ran_ to meet her and cordially offered the
hospitality of a little house he had just erected in one corner of his
garden, telling her that he had it made to look like an Indian cabin,
expecting some one from Canada might call who would be pleased to see
anything to remind them of home, and her visit fulfilled his
presentiment. She gratefully accepted the kind offer, and lodged there
during her stay in Paris. This tried and life-long friend then took
charge of her affairs, and rendered her the most important services. A
few days after, as they were talking about old times in Ville-Marie, he
desired to show her some papers, and laying his hand by chance on a
shelf of the library, took down a paper, which proved to be the
_identical note for 132 livres_, that she had believed lost. After the
death of M. Blondel, it had been placed for safe-keeping in the hands of
M. de Maisonneuve. She received it very gratefully, of course, but not
at all avariciously. Here the memoirs of Sister Bourgeois become
irregular, in both dates and events, which were perhaps so crowded that
she could not devote time to take note of them in the order of
occurrence, so we will content ourselves by relating a few incidents of
traditional report before again returning to the authentic manuscripts.
At the time of her second return to Montreal, with the six new subjects
that M. de Laval received in France, she found it necessary to secure
the services of an honest, robust man, who would be willing to work for
them, when necessary, during their travels. She accordingly made a
contract with a man named Louis Frin, whom she also hoped to employ in
teaching a boy's school in Montreal, in place of the young man that died
after his arrival in Canada. This Louis Frin became afterwards Brother
Charon, and eventually was known as Brother Louis. Her next care was to
secure passages for her young charge of eleven girls, three of whom were
her nieces. Six of this band were intended for the community, the
remainder being destined to become the wives of as many colonists. On
this occasion they set out from Paris by way of Normandy, taking a boat
on the Seine as far as Rouen. Here they were compelled to remain one
month, and as they were not rich, their funds were on the point of being
exhausted, the expense of maintaining so many persons being very
considerable. Madeline Senecal kept the purse, and found it necessary to
warn Sister Bourgeois that she had not sufficient money to meet the
current week's expenses. "You seem to distrust the Providence of God, my
child," replied Sister, in a tone of rebuke, but immediately added in a
pleasant manner, "Since it is evident that we must have a dinner of
_some kind_, fear nothing, God will provide it himself." And God did
provide it, for that same week, Louis Frin, who had remained in Paris
with M. de Maisonneuve arranging some business matters, arrived at
Rouen, bringing to each of the girls a draft for 200 livres, and also
the means of purchasing a full supply of provisions, until their arrival
at Quebec. Behold how God provides for those who trust in Him. Departing
from Rouen, they arrived at Havre-de-Grace, one of the seaports of
Normandy, and were obliged to wait fifteen days for the arrival of the
ship that was to take them forever from home and country. During these
unavoidable delays, Sister Bourgeois occupied both herself and them with
the most fervent exercises of piety. Among others, they proposed a
pilgrimage to the celebrated shrine of "Our Lady of Snows," to procure
through _her_ intercession the favor of a successful voyage. This shrine
was one of the most famous places of devotion to the Blessed Virgin in
France. It was decided to make the pilgrimage on foot, and although they
set out early in the morning, they did not arrive at the shrine until
quite a late hour. Two priests resided here in a kind of monastery, one
of whom had just concluded his morning Mass, the other being confined to
his room for six weeks by sickness. When Sister told the first Father
the object of their pilgrimage, he immediately repaired to his invalid
brother priest, whom he found partially dressed and still fasting. Both
returned to the church, and heard the confessions of the devoted young
pilgrims. The sick Father, who had not been able to walk for a long time
without the aid of a crutch, then said Mass without the least
inconvenience. All fervently received Holy Communion from his hands, and
_he was fully restored to health_. Two days after they set sail for
Canada, Father Jean Baptiste le Fevre, who was destined for the Montreal
Seminary, accompanying them on the voyage. The anchor was weighed, while
all on deck with uncovered heads, implored the protection of Mary, Star
of the Sea. The heroic young postulants, with Sister Bourgeois, formed a
sort of travelling community, of which she was the head, and during the
passage performed regular devotional exercises before the statue of Our
Lady of Good Help. They were indeed under the protection of God and His
holy Mother, for, although England and France were then at war, they
carried in the ship no other, artillery than brave hearts and arms. When
the voyage was about half made, the captain, who was constantly on the
look-out, descried four English ships, which he calculated contained at
least twenty-six pieces of cannon. They were making, as it seemed,
direct head-way for them, and as he was totally unprepared for such an
emergency, he called out to Sister Bourgeois, in accents of unfeigned
terror: "We are lost, we are lost; betake yourselves to prayer, at once,
you and your companions." But before his entreaty was ended, one-half of
her companions had fainted. Strange to say, all on board, including the
strongest men, turned to Sister Bourgeois for protection, feeling
persuaded that her prayers only could save them from becoming the prey
of the dreaded English. But her brave and holy spirit knew no fear. She
was looking intently at the white statue of Notre Dame de Bon-Secours,
and said, smiling, "If they do take us prisoners they will lead us to
England or to Holland, and we shall find God there as well as here, and
is not God everywhere?" Her wonderful tranquillity restored immediate
confidence, and all knelt quietly in prayer. It being Sunday, Father le
Fevre prepared calmly to celebrate Mass, although the English ships
approached rapidly, and, wonderful to relate, in less than two hours,
the foe had disappeared completely, so that the Holy Sacrifice was
followed by the glorious _Te Deum_. Every one on board believed that
this remarkable deliverance was the work of _Notre Dame de Bon-Secours_.
They arrived without further accident at Quebec on the 13th of August,
having been at sea just one month and eleven days. She had scarcely set
foot on land, when an imprudent person informed her that the community
in Montreal were in a state of starvation, and that their house was in a
ruinous condition, to which she replied simply--"God's holy will be
done--even if it falls to the ground, he can raise it again, when it
pleases Him." She found the report unhappily verified, however, on
arriving at Montreal, as the Sisters were absolutely destitute, yet she
entertained no fears. Her confidence in God being unshaken, she could
always look calmly and hopefully at the vicissitudes of this changeful
passing life. The poor Sisters were exceedingly pained to have nothing
better than _bread_ and _lard_ to offer her for dinner, but she assured
them it was very acceptable to a hungry person, and directed Sister
Genevieve, the cook, to prepare a good supper for the community. "What
shall I prepare it with?" said the simple Sister, "_we have nothing in
the house_." "Never distrust the Providence of God," was the
answer,--"go to your kitchen, and you will find food." In fact, that
very afternoon several persons came to visit them, bringing abundance of
all kinds of provisions, so that the Sisters were lost in astonishment,
and silently adored the providence of that God, who never abandons those
that trust in Him.




CHAPTER IX.

THE RULES OF THE CONGREGATION, AND ESTABLISHMENT OF MISSIONS.


After having formed and established her community at Ville-Marie, as we
have seen, and provided suitable buildings and funds to sustain them in
the exercise of their duties in a newly-settled country; having also
secured and registered the letters patent that confirmed their right, as
a legally authorized Congregation, she next turned her attention to
three things, still necessary to the perfection of her Institute,
namely, to procure a sufficient number of subjects, to provide for them
approved rules, and to establish missions. At first it was not difficult
to procure subjects, as they presented themselves from all parts, being
attracted, not by temporal interests, or any selfish motive, but simply
by the odor of the virtues of Sister Bourgeois and her first saintly
companions. But she did not receive indifferently all that presented
themselves. She was quite insensible to such advantages as high birth,
riches, and the brilliancy of natural or acquired talents, which are
sometimes more dangerous than useful, preferring that those she received
should have good common sense, an unblemished character, and solid
virtue, without which qualifications she received no one. If she did not
exact from her subjects the most sublime perfection, she required at
least that they should have a desire to acquire it in proportion as God
was pleased to bestow it on them. Let us hear her own words on the
subject, as found in a letter, in which with simplicity she first
addresses the ever Blessed Virgin: "My good Mother, I ask from you
neither wealth, nor honor, nor the pleasures of this life for our
community. I only beg of you to obtain for me, that God may be well
served in it, and that we may never receive proud or presumptuous
subjects, who keep the world and its maxims in their hearts, who are
scoffers and untruthful, and who do not study to reduce to practice the
maxims of your Divine Son, maxims which He taught us from the pulpit of
the Cross, and which you have observed with so much exactness." Then,
addressing those who presented themselves for admission, she adds: "Yes,
all who wish to be received into this community, must resolve to
renounce not only the principles and maxims of the world, but must also
resolve to renounce _themselves_, and overcome their bad habits and
inclinations. They must try to sever the natural ties that bind them to
friends and relatives, as _merely_ human attachments uselessly preoccupy
the mind. I warn them that they will be employed in lowly occupations,
which are painful to nature; that they will be sent on missions with a
Sister who will be charged to contradict them in many things, and treat
them like little children--in one word, to humble and mortify them on
every occasion. I desire that they learn to obey promptly any one who
may be appointed their superior; that they be poor in spirit; that their
words, gestures, and whole deportment be neither frivolous nor
dissipated, but that they act under all circumstances with modesty,
reserve, and devotion; that they mortify their senses; avoid unnecessary
conversation, and always endeavor to keep themselves in the presence of
God." Such were the first lessons she gave her postulants, and she
rigorously exacted the execution of them. Yet, notwithstanding these
requirements, from which she never departed, she soon assembled a
numerous community, that came up to her standard. We behold entering
into the Congregation, from its very commencement, young girls of every
state and condition of life, noble and simple, rich and poor, daughters
of private citizens, merchants, mechanics, and even the savages, charity
and humility making all _equal_, and as such they were received without
distinction. It was truly a school of virtue and sanctity. Many members
of the families of Lemoine and St. Ange entered; also the celebrated
Marie Barbier of the Assumption and Sisters Dennis, Bourbo, Jousset,
etc., more than forty being received in less than two years. We should
also add the name of Jeanne Leber, who became afterwards the famous
recluse, of whom more anon, with many others quite remarkable for
sanctity from the beginning. Nor must we forget to mention Marie Theresa
Gannensagouach, an Iroquois, who, after having held the office of school
teacher at the mountain for thirteen years, died in the odor of
sanctity, November 25, 1695, on that mission, where her epitaph may be
seen to-day. Gannensagouach was not the only person of her tribe who
became remarkable for virtue in the Sisters' school, and on whom the
illustrious Foundress lavished care, labor, and money. Her particular
desire was always the conversion of the Indians. This was the chief
motive that induced her to bring young persons from France to Canada,
representing to them the glory and merit of converting the Indians to
the true Faith, for which sublime end they ought to sacrifice their
lives, if necessary. She appointed two of her first faithful band to the
Mission of the Mountain, near Ville-Marie, which was exclusively an
Indian mission. At that time, it was a rather difficult task to go from
the city to the mountain, as they had to pass through thick forests
interspersed with marshes and wild savannahs, through which there was
neither road nor track.

A priest from the seminary devoted himself to the instruction of the
savages, and the two missionary Sisters were obliged to lodge in bark
cabins for a long time, as the Indians erected no better dwellings,
until the time of M. Belmont, who had stone houses put up for them at
his own expense. He also built the Fort that still exists, but the
orchard and gardens were added at a later period. In 1692, the Sisters
lodged in a little tower to the right of the entrance of the Fort, the
tower at the left serving for a school and a bakery. The savages of this
mission, after the death of Sister Bourgeois, were transported to
Sault-au-Recollet, in 1731, and again in 1732 to the lake of the two
mountains. These Indian missions, to which the Sisters were always
devoted, and to this day continue to be devoted, have contributed
largely to the spread of our holy Faith among the Indians along the St.
Lawrence, and have produced much spiritual good. The holy Foundress
supported at this mission several Iroquois girls, free of charge,
forming them to habits of virtue, and inducing them to inspire their
companions with similar sentiments. She also kept a certain number of
these children of the forest among the boarders at Ville-Marie, one or
two of whom afterwards became members of the Congregation, and were most
useful on the mission schools. It was in compensation for these benefits
to the state and to religion, and to refund in part the expense
sustained by Sister Bourgeois and her community, that the King of
France, in 1676, ordered an appropriation to be made by the Canadian
Government, to give annually to the Sisters the sum of two or three
thousand livres. The pension was punctually paid until the year 1756, at
which time it was withdrawn, as Canada had passed under British rule,
after an heroic but unsuccessful struggle against the English in 1670.
However, the change of royal masters, and the suppression of many
Catholic charities consequent upon it, did not lessen the love of the
Sisters for the poor Indians. These daughters and followers of Christ
continued to support the Indian missions at their _own expense_, as they
do at the present day in many instances.

Although the community was already quite numerous, and continued
steadily to increase, yet the sainted woman at its head had not procured
either rules or constitutions for its government. It is true, that she
was a living rule, and model of the most sublime perfection, and that
her fervent daughters made it a sacred duty to obey and imitate her; yet
she felt even this was not sufficient. Though united in the practice of
the most holy observances, they were still in a state of probation--as
they made no vows, nor were they bound by solemn engagements. They
lived, notwithstanding, in the strictest bonds of charity, laboring
zealously for the glory of God, and their own spiritual perfection, each
by the advice of her confessor making such private vows as her
particular devotion inspired. But the Foundress saw plainly, that
without written rules and customs, changes and innovations must
gradually creep in, and eventually disturb or destroy the end of the
Institute, so she set to work with her accustomed zeal to procure rules
and constitutions, canonically authorized, for the security and
perpetuity of the Congregation. Filled with these ideas, which were
undoubtedly inspired by heaven, she went to Quebec to confer with M. de
Laval. He approved of her design, and counselled her to return to
France, and learn from personal observation the practices of the most
fervent communities, selecting the rules of such as seemed conformable
to the spirit of her Institute. Being thus advised by her Bishop,
nothing could deter her from making the voyage. Indeed, she seemed
insensible to pain, labor, or privation, on such occasions. Having
acquainted her Sisters with his Lordship's decision, and given them
directions and advice for their good government during her absence, she
courageously embarked the third time, and was absent one whole year. She
employed herself like the great St. Anthony, in collecting and selecting
the holy rules that were given by persons eminent for piety and wisdom.
She was specially attracted by the writings of St. Augustine, as they
contained maxims and regulations replete with prudence and discretion.
This saint quotes largely from the instructions left by St. Ambrose and
other Fathers of the Church, addressed to the first Christian virgins,
instructing them how to reduce to practice the evangelical counsels and
maxims, and enlightening them on the observance of the three vows of
poverty, chastity, and obedience. These writings recommend pre-eminently
a love of silence and retreat from the world, charity among the Sisters,
assiduity at work, pious reading, prayer, and the frequentation of the
Sacraments, under the guidance of ecclesiastical superiors, with whom
they were to share the glory and merit of instructing and edifying the
faithful. Such was the spirit of the rule that Sister Bourgeois brought
with her from France, to place in the hands of her Bishop and obtain his
approbation of it. But during her absence, the spiritual government of
Canada had been seriously changed. There was no longer a Bishop in the
country, as M. de Laval, shortly before her return, became despondent
under bodily infirmities, which were frequently so painful as to prevent
his discharging the duties of his ministry as successfully as he
desired; therefore he returned to France, for the purpose of tendering
his resignation to the proper authorities, and demanding a successor.
His solicitations for release from episcopal functions were very urgent,
so that although he was highly esteemed in Paris for his many virtues
and acknowledged ability and merit, his resignation was accepted, the
King immediately appointing M. Jean Lacroix de St. Vallier his
successor, who consequently became the second Bishop of Quebec. On
Sister Bourgeois' arrival, therefore, she found no bishop to whom she
could confide her rules, and took the resolution of putting them in
execution _provisionally_, until a Bishop should be appointed for
Canada, which appointment was not carried into effect for three years
after, although M. de St. Vallier had been formally nominated by royal
authority, as has been related. We find in her Memoirs of this voyage,
the following--"In 1680, Mme. Perrot, wife of the Governor of Montreal,
determined to return to France, for the benefit of her health, which was
much impaired. Knowing her intention, and having obtained the consent of
our Sisters, I offered to accompany her as travelling companion, and was
accepted. My real desire, however, was to obtain rules for our
Congregation. On arriving at la Rochelle I left Mme. Perrot, and went
direct to Paris, as I felt quite sick after the voyage. The following
day Brother Louis, who also chanced to be in Paris, invited me to his
house, where I took a much needed rest for a few days, but another
friend, M. de Turmenie, being informed of my illness, sent a sedan,
carried by two stout men, to take me to his house, where I remained
during an illness of fifteen days, being treated with as much kindness
as if I had been his sister. When my health was reestablished I went to
lodge with the 'Daughters of the Cross,' in the Rue St. Antoine. In this
community I received light in many things relating to our holy rules and
constitutions. Understanding from these good religieuses, that M. de St.
Vallier was staying at the College of Foreign Missions, I went there to
ask his blessing, as I felt in duty bound. But his Lordship did not
approve of my proceedings, and told me quite curtly that I should not
have made the voyage, nor seek rules for the community either, and he
absolutely forbade me to take any new subjects from France on my
return." However, as he was not very explicit in his speech regarding
the rules, and as Sister Bourgeois was already furnished with two
different formulas (one being received from M. Jandret, the other from
the Daughters of the Cross), she did not in the least resent the
humiliation, but quietly set to work to find other means of perfecting
what was then in her possession. On leaving M. de St. Vallier, she went
to the Convent of the Community of Miramion, so named from Mme. de
Miramion, their Foundress, who was still living. Sister wished to confer
with this illustrious woman on the subject of her rules, and to add or
retrench, as the holy religieuse might suggest. But Mme. de Miramion,
having been informed that M. de St. Vallier wished to give rules to the
Congregation himself, in order not to displease the Bishop, she refused
to take any part in the affair. While Sister Bourgeois patiently awaited
the moment when her rules should be approved, she had a very heavy cross
to bear. Almighty God appeared until then to have visibly protected all
her enterprises. But now she was to pass through severe trials in order
to perfect her virtue, trials which conduced more to her sanctification
than all the voluntary pains and mortifications she inflicted on
herself. Besides the sorrow she endured at being so unexpectedly
repelled in the attempt to have her rules approved (a cross she endured
for many years), she had, on her return to Montreal, to suffer the cruel
anguish of seeing the fruit of all her past labors perish before her
eyes in a few moments. The beloved home of her community took fire on
the night of the 6th of December, 1683, and quicker than can be told,
not only the house, but its poor furniture, and everything else it
contained was consumed. The fire was so sudden and violent, that the
Sisters were enveloped by smoke and flames in an instant, two of her
best subjects being burned to death. These were Sister Genevieve, the
assistant, and Sister Margaret Soumillard, a niece of the Foundress. The
rest barely escaped with, their lives. Sister Bourgeois felt, more than
any one else, the horrors of the accident, and a spirit less strong, and
a heart less brave than hers, would have naturally yielded to despair.
She sincerely regretted the death of her dearly loved Sisters, more for
the loss the community must sustain for their untimely end, than because
her own niece was one of the victims, and her tears were all the more
bitter, as she judged herself to be the cause of the calamity.

"It is a just punishment from heaven for my weakness," she said, "in
having so far departed from the spirit of poverty, humility, and
mortification in which I should always have lived, as to consent to the
building of that great house. It were better to have continued living in
the stable that was given us, and with which we should have been
contented." It was her love of virtue, however, that made her speak
thus, as the house was very far from being either great or magnificent.
It was only a wooden edifice, and was too small and inconvenient for the
many good works to which the Sisters applied themselves unceasingly. She
soon perceived, notwithstanding all her sentiments of humility, that the
building must go up again for the greater glory of God. Although then
deprived of every temporal resource, with the blessing of God, and under
the protection of His holy Mother, nothing seemed difficult. Obstacles
only strengthened her faith and aroused her courage. She hoped against
hope, and determined on the spot to put her hand to the work again,
placing more confidence than ever in Jesus and _Mary_, to whom, as to a
good mother, she always had recourse. Nor had she long to await the
result of her confidence. Divine Providence stirred up the sympathies of
the charitably-disposed, who gave her abundant means to build a large
stone edifice, more solid and architectural than the former one. This
second house remained intact until the great fire of 1763; and of the
buildings afterwards added we shall soon have occasion to speak more
fully. Sister was still laboring for the erection of the building, when
M. de St. Vallier, having been consecrated in Paris, January, 1686, by
M. de Laval, his predecessor, returned to Canada, accompanied by the
latter prelate, who came back to end his days in the practice of the
most sublime virtues of private life in the Seminary of Foreign Missions
at Quebec. He always honored and esteemed Sister Bourgeois, and watched
over her with singular interest. He died, as he had lived, a Saint, May
6, 1708. M. de St. Vallier devoted himself to the affairs of his diocese
without intermission, and it was in the hands of this new prelate that
Sister placed the copy of her rules and constitutions. He esteemed the
heroic woman and her community; he noticed and admired the constancy and
courage with which they endured the inconveniences resulting from their
recent calamity, and he gave them many marks of confidence and esteem
but regarding the _institute_ and _rules_ of the Foundress, he then
entertained views different from hers. Judging of things by the light of
human prudence, he thought the community could never raise itself again
to the position it occupied before the fire, and wishing to prevent a
multiplicity of institutions in his diocese, he formed the design of
uniting the _rising community_ to the _Ursulines_ at Quebec. These
ladies had already taken steps to establish themselves at Ville-Marie,
and there are still extant a few letters written on the subject. But M.
d'Olier, superior of the Seminary, who knew better than any one, the
merits of Sister Bourgeois, did not give them much hope of establishing
a new mission. He received their request rather ungraciously, and took
the liberty of making humble but strong representations to the Bishop on
the subject. Sister Bourgeois also represented to him, firmly and
respectfully, that the good she hoped to effect in the diocese, with the
assistance of her daughters, was not at all compatible with the rules of
another institute, especially of a cloistered one; that such a step
would entirely destroy the views by which she felt herself inspired, and
which she believed came directly from God; that she already had the
approval of legitimate superiors, and that the ever Blessed Virgin, to
whom she and her entire community were especially consecrated, had given
them unequivocal marks that the establishment was agreeable to her. That
besides their general intention of instructing children, they had bound
themselves to labor unceasingly for the spiritual perfection of _poor_
girls who desired to consecrate themselves to God, but who from lack of
fortune could not do so, as the _cloistered_ orders invariably required
their subjects to bring a moderate fortune for their maintenance. That
one of her chief desires was to open the doors of the Congregation to
persons of this description, and that, making no account of riches, she
would rather receive _portionless_ a Sister who could not buy the
necessary clothing, if she had a _true vocation_ and a _good will_, than
a rich one who had not these qualifications. It was certainly her
intention to receive the Congregation Sisters _free_, although the
French King subsequently directed her to exact a dowry of at least 2000
livres. However, she was permitted to relax somewhat in this matter,
either in whole or in part, according to the dictates of prudence and
the circumstances of the person. All these reasons seemed to make an
impression on the mind of M. de St. Vallier, but he had other business
on hand just then, being occupied with the founding of a General
Hospital at Quebec, and an Ursuline establishment at Three Rivers. He
was therefore not in a hurry to approve the constitutions of Sister
Bourgeois, preferring to take time to examine them, and make the changes
he thought necessary. Sister herself had a strong interior presentiment
that never deceived her. She felt that God approved of her work, and
therefore awaited, in patient silence, the moment marked by Divine
Providence, for giving the approval she so earnestly desired. This
moment came at last, after long years of painful suspense, and just two
years before her happy death. She had then the consolation to see
approved, and solemnly established forever in her institute, all that
she had constantly and faithfully practised, by way of trial, since her
last return from France. The solemn approbation was given by M. de St.
Vallier, June 24, 1698, during his episcopal visitation at Ville-Marie,
Sister Assumption being then superior. The holy Foundress had resigned
her office of superior in 1693, desiring to be the first to set an
example of profound humility, in obedience to the rules that she had
spent a lifetime in bringing to perfection. But before her withdrawal
from office, she had formed a great number of establishments in the
diocese. We have already spoken of the Mission of the Mountain, which
was the first, but not the only one made in the commencement. There were
also those of la Chine, and Pointe-aux-Trembles at Montreal. As the
population slowly and steadily increased, the suburbs enlarged, two new
parishes being erected in 1670. Sister Bourgeois knew full well that
these parishes could not afford even the necessary means of
_subsistence_ for missionary Sisters, but she saw that much good could
be accomplished, by sending Sisters there, and she sent them. In those
days she made no provisional contracts for the Sisters who went on
missions, but trusting entirely to the Providence of God, left their
support in his hands. Very frequently the early missions were temporary
arrangements, the Sisters going for a time to effect good, whereever
good might be accomplished. In the missions established after her
resignation and death, the Sisters who succeeded her were animated by
the same spirit, and closely followed the same plan. Nothing is more
admirable or edifying than the advice she gave the Sisters before
sending them on missions. "Think, my child," she would say, "that you
are going to collect the drops of blood that Jesus lost during his
passion. Oh, how contented a Sister sent on the mission would be, if she
realized that God himself _sent_ her and _accompanied_ her. If she
reflected that she might and ought to testify the deepest gratitude to
Him from whom she has received all, then she would find nothing
difficult, and nothing tedious; she would, on the contrary, despise the
world, suffer all kinds of torment, and even endure a shameful death,
rather than neglect her charge." In fact, Sister Bourgeois set no bounds
to her zeal for the spiritual welfare of Montreal. It was ever her
uppermost thought. During her life, and before her constitutions were
solemnly approved, her daughters were to be found in, every part of the
diocese, laboring for the salvation of souls. Shortly after the arrival
of M. de St. Vallier, he received a communication from Father Lamy--who
was then pastor of the isle of Orleans--asking for a mission of the
Sisters of the Congregation for his parish, and stating that he was not
a stranger to the good they had effected in Montreal. The zealous
prelate immediately wrote to Sister Bourgeois for two Sisters to found
the mission. She was at the time laboring hard to re-establish her
institute after the losses it sustained by the fire, and it did not seem
prudent at such a time to undertake a new foundation, yet she did not
hesitate a moment, Sisters Anne and Assumption being sent to make a
trial, in the beginning of winter.

They had unheard-of hardships to endure, but they persevered in the
work, being protected by Divine Providence in a very singular manner,
and finally the mission was established, and grew more prosperous day by
day. In the following spring the Bishop formed another project, viz., an
establishment in which he intended to educate and support a number of
poor girls he had assembled from different parts of the colony,
intending that said establishment should be maintained partly by
charity, and partly by the labor of the inmates. He wished to confide
the work to the care of the Congregation Sisters, as he saw daily proofs
of their zeal in the Mission of the Holy Family, in the isle of Orleans.
Sister Bourgeois accepted the duty with _reluctance_, as it did not
appear to coincide with the spirit of her institute. However, rather
than disoblige the Bishop, she sent Sister Assumption to Quebec, having
sent Sister St. Ange to take her place. This Sister worked wonders in
her new position, yet the ultimate success of the enterprise was
doubtful and slow, so slow that it was suppressed the following year.
The Bishop divided its labors between two communities, which division
eventually gave birth to the General Hospital and the Congregation
Mission at Quebec. His Lordship thought seriously of conferring with the
sainted Foundress, about rules she brought from France, and wrote to her
on the subject, requesting an early interview. She no sooner understood
that her superior required her at Quebec, than she took the road, on
_foot_, in the very depth of winter, being often obliged to go forward
on her knees, now in the snow, now on the ice, and occasionally through
tracts covered with water. This was her customary mode of travelling
through Canada. Having at last arrived at her destination, after
incredible suffering and dangers, we next find her carrying on her
shoulders the different articles of furniture and utensils necessary for
housekeeping, that were needed by Sister Assumption in the House of
Providence, already described. Here was truly a mortified, humble, and
penitential spirit, such as this fallen world seldom sees. We have
before remarked that the House of Providence lasted but one year, after
which it was changed into a mission. It was at first situated in the
upper town, between the Hotel-Dieu and the Cathedral. But another trial
awaited the foundation.

The Sisters had hoped to be able to retain _peaceable_ possession of the
ground purchased for the house, as the owners had come to an amicable
arrangement, and they, the Sisters, were already in possession. But just
then an individual appeared, who asserted that she had an old and valid
lease of the property, which she was not disposed to set aside, and so
the Sisters were compelled to leave the premises, and go once more to
reside in an old stable. Writing of this event, the Foundress uses the
following language: "I am rejoiced to hear that you again live in a
stable, but at the same time I am pained to learn that your friends have
testified displeasure at the occurrence. I have a great desire to live
in charity with all the world, because God commands us to love our
neighbor, and it is this desire that at present prevents me from
contesting our claim." Nevertheless, she was obliged to attend to the
matter in a _charitable_ way. The property was fairly purchased, and she
had the title-deed in her possession, but perceiving that other
interested parties also murmured about the sale, far from defending her
rights, according to the letter of the law, she left the whole matter at
the discretion of the _adverse_ party, saying pleasantly that she
wished, at any cost, to preserve charity with her neighbor, and she also
wished her neighbor to feel charitably disposed towards her. Her own
words on the occasion are: "I am convinced this proceeding is an unjust
one, but, as I understand, the contending party still objects. She will
never forgive us for the supposed wrong we have done her. I cannot
endure that we become even the _innocent_ cause of such angry
resentment. So, intending to renounce all claim to the property, I went
to cast myself at the feet of Mary, my mother, and on leaving the
church, a person, to whom I had _not revealed our embarrassment_, met me
and offered a sum of money equal to what the dissatisfied parties claim,
and now the matter is quietly settled, and we are the owners." In 1692
this site was exchanged for a much more extensive one in the lower town,
which the community still occupies. It was purchased from Francis Hazur,
a merchant of Quebec, and a devout Christian. In order to testify his
esteem for the Foundress, and the confidence he had in her prayers and
those of her community, he made a considerable reduction in the price of
the property, preferring prayers for himself and his descendants to a
paltry earthly advantage. He would not have been so considerate,
however, if the sale had been made to other parties. Notwithstanding
this visit of the heroic woman to Quebec, she did not succeed in
receiving the approbation of her rules, and the matter still remained in
suspense. Her next labor of Christian love was to erect a House of
Providence in Montreal on the model of the one in Quebec. The Sisters
took charge of it, and it lasted longer than the first. But in 1694,
when she was no longer superior, the community resolved to abandon the
establishment, as it had no other support than the scanty charity of the
people, and even that was given coldly. Besides, the object proposed was
not in accordance with the spirit of their society, and it could not be
sustained without a miracle. Although it is quite certain that Sister
Bourgeois established, many other _successful_ missions, it is
impossible to give the dates of their foundation with accuracy, nor is
this to be wondered at, when we consider the perilous condition of
Canada during her life, whether we remember the bloody atrocities of the
savages on the often defenceless colonists, or the fiercely contested
wars between the French and English that demoralized the whole state of
society north of the St. Lawrence, or the tremendously destructive fires
that swept away whole cities in whirlwinds of flame, or the pestilences
that filled so many wayside graves, and _not always with the dead_. She
was an eye-witness of these woes, and what wonder is it if her memoirs
at times lack regularity.

We cannot close this chapter, however, without referring to the
celebrated recluse, Jane Leber. This illustrious solitary had no sooner
known Sister Bourgeois and her community, than she became devotedly
attached to them, not only by a conformity of virtues, but also by their
mutual devotion to the ever Blessed Mother of God. Yet she did not
become a member of the Congregation, the Lord wishing to attach her to
Himself in another way for His own glory. While awaiting some
manifestation of the divine will, this holy girl avoided all exterior
communication with the world, her only visits being those she made to
the Sisters, by whose singular virtues she was much edified. Sister
Bourgeois always received her with pleasure, in order to inspire her
with a desire of greater perfection. During their interviews, these two
children of grace conceived a lasting esteem and friendship for each
other, from which Almighty God afterwards received great glory, and the
Congregation _great advantage_, as we shall relate.

Jane Leber had renounced even the most innocent amusements after the
death of a beloved friend, Marie Charly, who died in Montreal. The pious
girl was so sincerely attached to the holy deceased, that the world had
then no more charms for her, and she thought only of imitating the
virtues of her friend, or of surpassing them if she could. Accordingly
she devoted herself to prayer, and the contemplation of the attributes
of God, so perfectly that she renounced all intercourse with the world,
with her nearest relations, and even with the immediate members of her
family, and took the extraordinary resolution of condemning herself to
_perpetual solitude_, which she had already observed for a long time in
her father's house, and which was only to terminate _with her life_ in
the house of the Congregation. This, indeed, was one of the wonderful
effects of the Holy Spirit, which it is not permitted man to fathom.

We have seen that in the Sisters' residence at Ville-Marie, there was no
domestic church, and that Sister Bourgeois' limited means did not permit
her to build one, a circumstance she sincerely regretted. In 1692,
however, she thought seriously of taking the necessary steps to procure
such a chapel, and the project was soon executed. It even paved the way
for the erection of schools, and brought with it several other
advantages to the Congregation. Jane Leber no sooner heard that the
Sisters intended to build a chapel in honor of the Blessed Virgin, than
she determined to fix her abode for life in their house. She was very
rich, and proposed to pay nearly all the expenses of the edifice, on
condition that they would reserve for her use a room near the sanctuary,
where she might end her days, with the Blessed Sacrament always in view,
which request was graciously acceded to, Sister Bourgeois being the
first who made the concession, and afterwards signed the contract, dated
August 4th, 1695, during the superiority of Sister Assumption. It was
the holy Foundress who secured this acquisition, and who retained, in
spite of herself, the greatest influence in the government of the
Congregation. It was during Jane's total seclusion, and also during the
life of Sister Bourgeois, that the pious recluse issued written orders
for the decoration of the church, for the procuring of costly vases and
other sacred ornaments, and it was owing to her great liberality that
all things were in readiness for the celebration of holy Mass, on the
Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin, September 8th, 1695. This
extraordinary woman rejoiced in the beauty and glory of the house of
God, and only closed her eyes in death to the light of the earthly
tabernacle, to open them in the better land, on the splendors of the new
Jerusalem, described so wonderfully by St. John in the Apocalypse. On
the day following the ceremony that inaugurated her seclusion for life,
she gave directions for founding the perpetual adoration of the Blessed
Sacrament, as it is still observed in the Congregation, and after the
death of the Foundress she donated the necessary funds for rebuilding
the boarding-schools according to the plan that Sister Bourgeois had
explained to her. She also _endowed_ the new institution with royal
munificence, and founded in perpetuity the _Community-Mass_, which has
never ceased to be annually celebrated since her time. In one word, she
unceasingly bestowed benefits on the community of her love. It may not
be out of place here to enumerate a few of the many missions established
by the holy Foundress. In her earlier archives we find the following
names: "The Holy Family," in the isle of Orleans, Quebec,
Chateau-richer, Pointe-aux-Trembles, l'Isle Royal, Champlain, La
Prairie, and Boucherville.




CHAPTER X.

THE PRIVATE AND SOCIAL VIRTUES OF SISTER BOURGEOIS.


After what has been already related, it might appear that the labors of
Sister Bourgeois were happily ended by the establishment of her
Congregation. She had a flourishing institute at Montreal, and a fervent
and numerous community, that was well prepared to meet the future
exigencies of the diocese, and to supply new missions (when such were
needed) with holy and capable subjects. It is true there was still no
properly authorized or approved rule, but she had the necessary
formulas, which were strictly observed, while expecting the time
appointed by Divine Providence for ecclesiastical approbation, and she
felt _interiorly_ assured that this would come. She had given her
daughters an example of the most heroic virtues, most of her actions
being really of the heroic order, and such as might have been expected
from a daughter of predestination. In every sense of the word, she had a
truly great soul. In the routine of daily life, she was to her Sisters a
perfect model. She gave them frequently instructions suitable to their
strength, and proper to excite their zeal and fervor in the duty of a
_community life_ to which they aspired. We will now see, or rather
admire, her extraordinary love of suffering, which very few could
imitate.

The Lord gives a cross to every one of us. He spares none of His
servants, and she had crosses of all sorts to endure, interiorly and
exteriorly suffering the most intense pain of body and mind. The former
she often inflicted on herself, the latter was appointed by Divine
Providence, and of each she had a larger share than falls to the common
lot. Without referring again to the long and painful voyages she
undertook for the glory of God, or to the penitential and mortified life
of which she made profession, it is well known that, like the Apostle,
she constantly endured in soul and body the sufferings of Jesus Christ.
Her food was always of the coarsest kind, and she selected invariably
for herself whatever was disagreeable to the taste. In the matter of
_eating_ she absolutely destroyed sensuality, either by using her food
too hot or too cold, or spoiling its flavor by pouring water on it, or
mixing it with ashes, or a certain bitter powder, with which she always
kept herself supplied. She ate little, and drank less, using water but
once a day, and never in sufficient quantity to allay her thirst, even
in the hottest weather. She even managed to sit at her meals in a
painful and mortified position, being careful to pass every moment of
her life in the practice of mortification. She usually prayed prostrate
on the ground. Her ordinary bed was the floor, with a block of wood for
her pillow. She regarded it as a criminal indulgence, if sickness
obliged her to use a mattrass or _straw_ pillow. Her sleep was short and
broken, as she rose usually about midnight to pray for at least two
hours, and during the intense cold of the most severe Canadian winters
she never omitted this practice. She seemed to be _insensible_ to the
biting frost, as she never approached the fire in the cold season, and
endured the inconveniences of the other seasons with the same
indifference to bodily comfort. She scourged her body with rude
disciplines, and one cannot describe without a sensation of horror, the
cap, bristling with sharp points, that she wore secretly on, her head
night and day. The Sisters once accidentally saw this instrument of
torture, and begged her to discontinue its use, but she smilingly told
them, it caused her no more pain than a feather pillow should.

On another occasion, having been implored by the Sisters to moderate the
rigor of her austerities, in order to prolong her life for the sake of
the community, she answered them by an instruction on the Christian's
obligation of leading an austere and penitential life, and so pathetic
were her words that the Sisters burned with a desire to imitate her
example.

At last her confessor was obliged to forbid such excessive austerities,
and she submitted, so far as _exterior_ mortification went, but she
practised _interior_ mortification more ardently than before. That is,
she kept a stricter guard over her senses, thwarted more frequently her
natural inclinations, and endeavored by every means in her power to keep
herself always in the presence of God. But as if her divine Master made
light of these penitential exercises, He sent her a more terrible trial
than any she had yet endured.

In the year 1689, the devil, jealous of the tranquillity with which she
submitted to the decrees of Divine Providence, in the midst of crosses
that seemed to multiply daily around her, gave her to understand by the
pretended visions of another, that she was in a state of damnation, and
at emnity with God. These awful words, or rather this frightful idea,
made such an impression on her, that during four years she was not able
to banish it from her imagination, being, however, less troubled at the
apprehension of the pains of hell, than at the idea of being hated by
God, whom she loved with her whole heart. During the long continuance of
the temptation she multiplied her prayers, though prayer no longer
consoled her, and her penances, though she felt a secret horror for
them. Yet she blindly submitted to the guidance of her director, for
whom, however, she felt more _aversion_ than _confidence_. Nothing
consoled her. She had to be compelled to receive Holy Communion, of
which she believed herself unworthy, and from which she abstained for a
considerable time. Only those who have passed through a similar ordeal
can judge of her state of mind at that time, or form any idea of what
she suffered. But in order to be more explanatory, it will again be
necessary to refer to the Memoirs.

As has been already stated, on her second return from France she found
herself surrounded by more than forty aspirants to the religious state,
who led most humble and penitential lives yet though all were very
_fervent_, all were not equally _strong_, either in body or mind, and
the health of many among them visibly declined, so that it became
necessary to set bounds to their austerities, especially as they were
not yet under the guidance of an approved rule, which of its own nature
would have prevented indiscreet excesses. A mitigation of penitential
practices was therefore openly and undisguisedly advocated but Sister
Bourgeois, all charitable and submissive as she was, did not relish
these suggestions--fearing that a door would be opened to relaxation.
She had already reproached herself bitterly for the consent reluctantly
given to the building of the first _large_ house for the community, and,
notwithstanding the lapse of years, she still regarded its erection as
contrary to the spirit of poverty, humility, and mortification they
would have preserved in the stable which had been the cradle of the
Congregation.

"The grand building brought in its train," she said, "drapery and
mattresses--delicate food and fine furniture--and so many other fine
things that there was no room left for holy poverty."

Her apprehensions for the future were a species of martyrdom to her, and
a difference of opinion was the commencement of all her mental anguish,
as after that period we find her Memoirs filled with painful
reflections. In 1677 a young person presented herself for admission, who
was unfit for any duties except out-door employment, and Sister
Bourgeois refused to receive her. The refusal, however, was contrary to
the desire of any of the Sisters, although it was approved of by
ecclesiastical superiors. The Foundress, writing of the circumstance,
says: "From that time I think the Sisters lost confidence in me, and I
lost the liberty of speaking of such matters to them."

This was a sad position for a superior who believed God's work would
suffer by a real or supposed lack of confidence. It will be remembered
she was engaged for two entire years in the task of procuring new
subjects, together with the _letters patent_ for the institute, and
during that time the signal favors she received from both God and man
gave her much consolation. But no sooner had she returned to Ville-Marie
than she was replunged into sorrowful embarrassments, as she noticed
that what _seemed to her_ to be relaxations had crept in. She attributed
the fire of 1683, and the deaths of her two best subjects on that
occasion, to her own sins, and overwhelmed with these ideas, her life
became a sad and pensive one.

She was also firmly persuaded (in her deep humility) that she was
unworthy and incapable of governing the rising Congregation. So
persuaded was she of it, that she frequently asked the Sisters to accept
her resignation, but as they justly attributed her request to an
over-scrupulous conscience, they refused to acquiesce. She then
reproached herself with infidelity to her vocation in seeking to be
released from the burden of superiority, as she had often promised
Almighty God that, come what would, she should never abandon His work.
Sometimes pride whispered that she was quite useful in the position she
occupied. At other times she felt convinced that others could discharge
the duty better. Always disquieted, always agitated, she knew not what
to do. In this state of desolation, she lost confidence in her
directors, who she supposed, did not understand her. The only
consolation she experienced was an absolute submission to the orders of
Divine Providence, and a firm confidence that God would at last arrange
all things well for His greater glory. And so things were arranged,
indeed, but in such a manner that this spouse of the Crucified had to
drink to the dregs the saving chalice of affliction, and taste in her
inmost soul all its bitterness.

She had now labored for a quarter of a century in the exercise of all
sorts of good works. Her body was lacerated by the rudest austerities.
She was a martyr to mental anxiety, and had but one beacon-light during
her long spiritual darkness, viz., the certainty that she loved God and
was loved by Him. Nevertheless her chalice was not yet full. In 1689, on
the night of November 3d, one of the Sisters remained up long after the
others had retired to rest. Suddenly a Sister who had died about sixteen
months before stood before her (as she affirmed), and said slowly and
distinctly, "I am sent by God to warn the superior of this Congregation
that she is in mortal sin," naming at the same time the person who was
the cause of her guilt. The astonished listener related the apparition
to Sister Bourgeois, who regarded it as the wanderings of a diseased
imagination. But two months after, January 3d, 1690, the deceased again
appearing to the same Sister, said, "The superior has not done what she
ought to do; it is the last warning I can give her, for I am now going
to Paradise," and so saying, disappeared. The visionary (for as such,
only should she be regarded) went again to inform the Foundress of what
had transpired, and at this second blow the poor superior succumbed,
appearing to be indeed stricken by the anger of God. It seems strange
that her strong mind could be deceived, even for a season. Perhaps her
great age made her more susceptible to the influence of an asserted
vision, than she would have been at an earlier period of life. To
declare that she was at enmity with God, was to inflict a grievous wound
on her heart, and this warning reduced her almost to a state of despair.
She felt that she was a reproach among her Sisters. She dared not speak
to them, and hardly raised her eyes before them. The Sacraments she
regarded with extreme repugnance, believing that they had hitherto been
useless to her, and that her receiving them now would be profanation. It
happened, however, by the dispensation of God, that her director was a
wise and skilful ascetic, who narrowly watched the operations of grace
in her soul, and treated her accordingly, and as she blindly followed
his directions during the time of trial, she daily sanctified herself
more and more.

It was at this precise period that M. de St. Vallier came to Montreal
for the first time, and the humble Sister frankly acquainted him with
her state of mind and its consequences, asking him very earnestly to
appoint another Sister in her place, in order that things might work
well and confidence be restored. However, the Bishop did not consent to
her resignation then, hoping that her pain of mind would soon disappear.
But on his return to Montreal, in 1693, he found matters still in the
same state, and consented to a first election in the Congregation,
presiding on the occasion himself. Sister Marie Barbier of the
Assumption was elected superior, to the satisfaction of the whole
community, and above all of Sister Bourgeois herself, who, being at last
relieved of the responsibilities of superior, hoped soon to regain her
long-lost peace of mind, and so it happened. For in January of the next
year, 1694, being just four years from the time she was first warned of
her eternal damnation, she felt a distinct conviction in her soul that
she was fully reconciled with God. And all her pain of mind disappeared.
This interior light, however, only determined her to labor still more
earnestly for the glory of God and the maintenance of regular
observances. She was a member of the council of the new superior, but
the honor of the position caused her much disquiet, as she never ceased
to assert that it was on account of her sins the former austerities of
the house had partly fallen into disuse. The change of superiors had not
in the least diminished the esteem of the Sisters for _her_, who had
been so long their faithful mother in God, and they omitted no
opportunity of testifying their esteem, which affectionate attention was
doubtless agreeable to her kind heart. In order to tranquilize her mind,
and on account of her great age, they judged it expedient to dispense
her from attending at the public exercises of the community, leaving the
infirmary entirely at her disposal, where she might occupy herself with
some light work, as much for recreation as employment. She obeyed
without reply, and it may not be uninteresting to hear what she thought
of her _exile_, as she called it. The Memoir says:

"Although charged, conjointly with my Sisters, to watch over the welfare
of the house, I knew nothing of what passed in it. For four years I
occupied myself with a little sewing, remaining all the time in the
infirmary. I slept there, took my meals there, on account of my great
age, they said, and that I might be a companion for Sister Crolo, who
could no longer go to the refectory. I held no conversation with the
Sisters, very rarely went to our chapel, as we of the infirmary could
easily hear Mass from our apartment, it being so constructed as to open
directly fronting the altar. Yet my former disquiet returned, and I knew
not what to determine on, because I could not divest myself of the idea
that God required greater perfection from the community than I saw
practised in it. It is true they tried to console me by asserting that
all was well, and that I might set my mind at rest. I answered them
nothing, but I could not conceal from myself that relaxation existed,
and that I was the cause of it. I suffered more in this perplexity of
mind than I can ever explain." She sighed sadly during her stay in the
infirmary, until it pleased God to let peace again dawn upon her soul,
by imparting to her a spirit of sensible and tender devotion, and by
permitting her to return to the ordinary way in living in her institute
during the few remaining years of her life. On the night of July 5th,
1697, as she was meditating on the means of repairing the faults of
which she believed herself guilty, a _thought_, as distinct as a
_voice_, told her she was the Jonas of the Congregation, and that like
him, she deserved to be cast into the sea. To this interior voice she
could only reply that she was willing to do all in her power to
contribute to the glory of God, and do his will. Then the strange
inspiration ceased, but on the following night it returned more strongly
and vividly than at first, making her understand, like Samuel in the
temple, that _God had spoken_; that it was time to renounce the ideal
perfection which tormented her, and that a blind obedience to her
directors was her only remedy. She therefore opened her heart to the
confessor of the community, M. de Valens, and also to M. Caillen, pastor
of Ville-Marie, who decided on sending her to her superior, there to
disclose all the anxious thoughts that agitated her soul, and speak of
whatever she conceived to be for the welfare of the Congregation. The
docile Sister did as directed, and in order to give her useful and
practical occupation, the superior told her to write what the Holy
Spirit would inspire for the guidance of the institute she had so
happily founded. These precious manuscripts are replete with lessons of
divine wisdom, and it is from their pages her children still select the
beautiful instructions and maxims that keep her spirit alive among them.
Her heart being thus freed from its silent agony, she found herself at
last completely delivered from the torture she had so long endured, her
only desire, for the three remaining years of her life being to exhibit
a model of the social and community virtues she had taught to others for
more than 50 years. Nor was it only at this late period of her life she
had resolved to resign the office of superior, for in 1680, before
making her third voyage to France to procure rules for her institute,
she had earnestly and tearfully asked the Sisters to elect another in
her place, alleging her unfitness and unworthiness. What must have been
her astonishment, to hear all exclaim as with one voice and without a
moment's hesitation, that they had chosen _the Mother of God for their
superior_, and _Foundress_; that they should ever regard _her_ as their
_first_ Mother in time and in eternity, but begged Sister Bourgeois to
continue her government under the protection of their common Mother, to
whose love and service she and they were alike pledged. In consequence
of this unanimous choice, the holy Foundress, prostrating herself with
the whole community before the statue of the Blessed Virgin, addressed
to her impromptu, the following prayer:--

"O holy Virgin, behold this little band of your servants, who have
consecrated themselves to the service of God under your protection, who
wish to follow your example, as good children follow their earthly
mother's, and who regard you as their cherished Foundress, and first
Superior. We hope that the good God agrees with our election, and gives
you the absolute government of this Congregation, which is your work. We
have nothing to present to God, but we hope through your means, to
obtain all the graces necessary for our salvation and the perfection of
our state, _You_ know best what is necessary for us, and what we now ask
is, that you will never refuse us your assistance. Help us by your all
powerful intercession to receive the light of the Holy Spirit, that we
may be enabled to labor efficaciously for the education and religious
instruction of our pupils, according to our profession. But above all
things we ask, dear Lady and Mother, that our successors and those who
contribute to their spiritual advancement, may be of the number of the
elect, so that in your glorious society we may all praise our good God
during a happy eternity." It was therefore the Blessed Virgin who was
elected first Superior of the Congregation. What a grand motive of Faith
this afforded to the succeeding superiors, who, believing that they held
the place of Mary herself, were all the more strictly bound to advance
the spiritual perfection of their subjects, especially in the practice
of holy obedience. It was only on _this condition_ that Sister Bourgeois
consented to the desire of her daughters, that she should continue to
govern them as assistant, their and her principal superior being the
queen of Heaven. However, when she returned from France in 1684, as
before stated, she again solicited the Sisters to elect a new superior,
and so eager was her desire that the Community held one chapter for the
purpose, in which nothing was decided, the suffrages being equally
divided between two candidates, who were each remarkable for the most
sublime virtue. That same night, while the matter was still pending, the
fire broke out, and both Sisters perished in the flames. Seven years
later, the Foundress brought up the matter again, as there was an
excellent subject on the mission at Quebec, who was well calculated to
discharge the duties of Superior. This was Sister Anne Verand, one of
the first members, and the same who had ten years before commenced the
mission of "The Holy Family" with Sister Assumption. All eyes were
turned upon her as the new superior, but as she was then ill at Quebec,
the community directed her to return home, hoping that her health would
soon be re-established, and that she would then fill the position
intended for her. She returned promptly, although in a dying condition,
and went to receive the reward of her obedience and pious labors a few
days after. By her unexpected death, all her plans were a second time
upset. If these occurrences may not be reckoned among the marvellous or
supernatural, they are at least very singular. For the next two years,
the Sisters carefully abstained from commenting on these strange events
before Sister Bourgeois, but she had no idea of desisting from her
importunities, and in September, 1693, again assembled the community on
the all-important subject of an election. Having previously obtained the
consent of M. de St. Vallier, she publicly resigned her office in the
manner required by the constitutions, although they were not yet
canonically approved, and read with a strong clear voice, the following
written declaration:

"There is no longer any doubt that I am a great sinner, who has not been
faithful to the sacred duty so lovingly confided to me. I deserve the
pain of mind I suffer, because my criminal relaxations have extended
even to you. I humbly ask your pardon, and beg the succor of your
prayers. Remedy this state of things now, as much as may be, by changing
the superior, and let her, whoever she may be, see that even the least
rules are carefully observed, otherwise the members of the community
will be no better than seculars leading Christian lives. Renew, then, in
yourselves the spirit that you ought to have, that is, poverty,
humility, obedience, and an entire abandonment of yourselves into the
hands of God." It has been related already that Sister Assumption was
elected superior in her stead. So it will not be necessary to revert
again to the fact. It was by direction of this superior the Foundress
wrote the beautiful instructions and maxims that have always been
regarded as the richest inheritance of her spiritual children. Yet some
of her instructions were not suited to every grade of intellect, the
perfection they inculcated being so sublime that a few were frightened,
and as timid and indiscreet souls are to be found everywhere, there was
one in the young Congregation, who dared to say to Sister Bourgeois,
that it was useless for her to try to establish such extraordinary
perfection among the the Sisters as was suited to herself alone, and
that being no longer superior, she was not answerable before God for the
pretended relaxations of which she complained. This remark was stinging,
and to the point.

Yet the holy Foundress was not at all offended by it. It was for her a
message sent from heaven, and she received it with unfeigned humility,
determining to write nothing in future that could displease the lowliest
of the Sisters. We quote from her manuscript on the occasion:

"The members of our Congregation should live in the most perfect union,
in imitation of the early Christians, under the direction of the Blessed
Virgin. We should have but one heart and one soul in God, as without
this concord we would not be truly a community. The Holy Spirit that
animates us is a spirit of simplicity, poverty, disengagement from all
things, and the most entire abandonment to God."



CHAPTER XI.

SISTER BOURGEOIS' HAPPY DEATH, AND THE WONDERS THAT FOLLOWED IT.


The earthly mission of this sainted woman was now drawing to a close,
and there only remained for her the task of procuring ecclesiastical
confirmation of the rules of her institute. It will be remembered that
she brought with her from France a formula of the rules drawn up by M.
Jandret, and also those given her by "the Daughters of the Cross," but
she had never arranged them systematically, so as to be able to present
them in proper form to M. de St. Vallier, and to speak frankly, he did
not appear to be in a hurry to approve of them, as _his_ views regarding
the Congregation were for many years unsettled and wavering. But at
last, the great Arbiter of all things solved the question, and his
Lordship began to feel a strong inclination, or rather inspiration, to
inquire more particularly into the nature of the rules, and judge for
himself if they were suited to the community. He accordingly examined
the formulas very carefully, and submitted them to to the judgment of
other enlightened persons who were in his confidence. It appeared to
each of the distinguished examiners that the _compilations_ and
_memoirs_ of the revered Foundress, as also the _practices_ and _usages_
of the Congregation as it then stood, were the real foundations of the
rule under discussion. Therefore the worthy Bishop, in order to have it
more in accordance with _his_ ideas, proposed to change it in nearly
every particular. In fact, he proposed for their observance the rule of
St. Augustine.

The Sisters were panic-stricken, because if this proposition were
carried into effect they would be transformed into cloistered
religieuses, while they desired to be missionary Sisters, who could
attend to the out-door needs of their respective parishes, according to
their original designs and to the spiritual welfare of the people, under
the direction of the pastors. This was a _fixed point_, and the
distinctive characteristic of the Congregation as founded by Sister
Bourgeois. It was next proposed by M. de St. Vallier, that the Sisters
should make only simple vows. But as they had not made any vows in
joining the community, the term, _simple vows_, of which some did not
understand either the nature or the force, was another stumbling-block,
and intimidated a few. It appears there were many unsatisfactory and
protracted disputes on the subject, although the Sisters more than once
made very humble remonstrances to the Bishop, and finding that the
matter did not meet the prompt attention they thought it deserved, the
Foundress determined to write a clear explanation to M. Troncon,
Superior of St. Sulpice in Paris. Not that she intended or meant to set
aside the authority of her Bishop, for whom she and her daughters
entertained the highest esteem, but to receive from the distinguished
Sulpician advice as to how she should act under such peculiar
circumstances. M. Troncon was at the time performing the duties of an
angel of peace, by the King's direction, and at the solicitations of the
clergy of France, by amicably arranging the difficulties that had arisen
between the celebrated M. de Bossuet, Bishop of Meaux, and M. de
Fenelon, Archbishop of Cambray. He answered the communication of Sister
Bourgeois with such sweetness and charity that the hearts of the Sisters
were completely gained, and their minds enlightened, by the care and
minuteness with which he explained the disputed points that caused them
so much disquiet. They now clearly understood the nature of the
engagements proposed to them, and no longer experienced unwillingness to
enter into the views of their Bishop, who undertook a journey to
Montreal, in June, 1698, for the express purpose of giving his episcopal
sanction to the long-disputed rule. He admired the fervor of the new
community, and was exceedingly edified when he found nothing to reform
except a mitigation of austerities which were still rigorously practised
by a great number. It was during this visit that he witnessed (for the
first time) the extraordinary virtues of the famous recluse, Jane Leber.
On the 24th of the month he called a general assembly of the
Congregation, and proposed to them, with a few modifications, the same
rules that were till then faithfully observed, and which Sister
Bourgeois had the honor to place in his hands more than ten years
before. The Sisters received their cherished rules and constitutions
with enthusiasm, being now formally authorized by their Bishop, and
these rules are still observed without the slightest alteration in the
form in which they were that day presented to them, producing
ever-increasing fruit and edification in the community.

The formula of acceptance was as follows: "We accept with all possible
respect and submission, the rules which have been given us by
Monsigneur, the illustrious and Right Reverend Bishop of Quebec. After
having diligently read and examined them, we judge them to be proper for
the welfare of our community, and resolve to practice them with all
possible exactness. In virtue of which acceptance we hereunto affix our
names, on this 24th day of June, 1698." Then follow the signatures of
Sister Assumption, superior, Sister St. Ange, assistant, Sister Lemoine,
mistress of novices, Margaret Bourgeois, and others then assembled, to
the number of twenty-five persons. It may not be inappropriate to say a
few words in explanation of the austerities that were mitigated by the
wise prelate, the _observance_ of which he and others considered too
severe, and the _non-observance_ of which the mortified and penitential
Foundress regarded as a relaxation. The Sisters, including the saintly
woman who founded them, had accustomed themselves to sleep on straw
mattresses, with _pillows_ of the same material, to wear none but low
shoes; to make their simple dress without plaits, and as scant as
convenience for working would allow; not to be ashamed of patches, no
matter how numerous or inelegant; to eat only broken bread; in short to
live in every respect like the poorest classes of society. These, and
innumerable other practices of mortification, were constantly observed
by the greater part of the community from the beginning. But in a severe
climate like Canada, such rigors became _impossibilities_ after a time,
and the Sisters were _obliged_ to mitigate them, in order to preserve
health, without which they could not discharge the arduous functions of
their institute. It was this _unavoidable_ relaxation that Sister
Bourgeois regarded as a falling away from their first fervor. She had so
long lived on the heights of Calvary that she could not endure to
breathe a less crucified atmosphere; but in her Congregation, allowance
had eventually to be made for less gifted souls. To return again to the
rule. The act of profession of the simple vows was made with all
possible solemnity, on the 25th of June, 1698, and was followed by a
most touching exhortation from Monseigneur, exhorting them to persevere
in the glorious work they had undertaken for the benefit of religion,
and the salvation of souls. On the 1st of July following, the Sisters,
in the presence of the Right Reverend Bishop, made their solemn vows for
life, with as much more solemnity as the latter vows exceeded the
former. All the ceremonies and authenticated acts, with the illustrious
signatures attached to them, are carefully preserved in the archives of
the community, and the flight of nearly two hundred years has only
rendered them more sacred in the eyes of the ever young and vigorous
Congregation that to-day fills the place of the glorious dead. Sister
Bourgeois was overwhelmed with spiritual joy during the touching
ceremonials at Montreal, that gave perpetuity and security to her
institute. With the holy old man, Simeon, she might truly exclaim, "Now,
Lord, let thy servant depart in peace, because mine eyes have seen" the
fulfilment of my earthly desires, viz., the solemn approbation of her
rules. She blessed God in her inmost soul, and humbly prostrating
herself at the Bishop's feet, in presence of the Sisters, besought him
with tears to grant her one more favor, which was to permit her to pass
the few remaining days of her life in holy obedience, entirely depending
on her Sisters, and that she might be in future exempted from _voting_
at the community elections, as also from offices of authority. They
acceded _unwillingly_ to this _last_ request of her unsurpassed
humility, but on account of past labors, and her great age (she was
seventy-eight years old), and out of respect for her extraordinary
virtues, all her desires were complied with.

Being thus freed at last from earthly cares, she became a model of
regular observance. She told her director that for a long time she had
asked God to send her nothing but humiliations and sufferings; that in
His wrath He exempted her from these marks of His love, because, she
said, when the occasion presents itself, I am _proud and immortified_,
and I tremble at the inevitable approach of eternity.

She seemed to be in pretty good health until the close of the year 1699,
but on New Year's eve a change came, which proved to be the warning of
the Angel of death. Sister St. Ange, having been confined to the
infirmary for some time, had just received the last Sacraments, and
appeared to be in her agony. The attendants ran to arouse the community,
that they might assist the dying religieuse by their prayers, and have
the consolation to witness the death of the just. A messenger came to
Sister Bourgeois' room also, to apprise her of the expected death of her
old and loved companion. She had ever loved all her children in God,
with more than a mother's love, and cried out, "My God, why do you not
take me, who am old and useless, rather than this dear Sister, who may
yet render you great service." The victim had offered herself, and her
sacrifice was accepted. The Sister in her agony recovered, and the
venerated Foundress fell into a burning fever from which she _did not
recover_.

The previous year also she had a very severe attack of illness, from
which she recovered as if by miracle. During her convalescence, she
complained in a loving manner to the Sisters, that by their attentions
and prayers they were prolonging the days of her exile, assuring them
that she longed to be dissolved and be with Christ. Whether sick or
well, she was a constant model of the most heroic and simple virtues.
The great Apostle says: "That virtue is made perfect in infirmity." And
if the Foundress of the Congregation did not entirely overcome the
weakness of human nature, she constantly advanced in the holy paths of
mortification, obedience, sacrifice of self, and submission to the will
of God. She suffered the most intense bodily pains, which were at times
so sharp and violent that she cried out in agony, but she never uttered
a murmur or complaint. The attendant physician prescribed according to
his skill, and she took his medicines regularly, although she felt
convinced that neither human science, nor the affectionate care of the
Sisters would be of any avail. She had a distinct presentiment that the
hour of her dissolution was at hand, and oh, what exultant joy that
knowledge gave her. She blessed God unceasingly in the greatest pain,
and sang triumphant canticles on her death-bed, requesting the Sisters
to sing them with her, and telling them that the divine harmonies of the
city of God were audible to her at last. She literally burned with
desire to go there, and be at rest forever, and the last twelve days she
spent on earth in a seemingly unbroken agony, were the most jubilant of
her life. The dark clouds of life were disappearing, and the silver
lining of the other side was brightening the death-chamber of the dying
saint. Yes, Margaret Bourgeois, the great and the lowly, the victor and
the victim, literally thrilled with joy at the summons of the Eternal,
and answered, "I come."

On the morning of the twelfth day of her last illness, she received the
holy Viaticum with unspeakable devotion, and immediately fell into a
gentle agony, which lasted exactly three hours, corresponding to her
Divine Redeemer's agony on the cross, then having modestly folded her
hands on her bosom, she calmly surrendered her beautiful soul into the
hands of its Creator, in the eightieth year of her age, January 12,
1700.

She had no sooner breathed her last sigh, than her face, which had long
appeared care-worn and harrowed, as much by the mental sorrows she so
long and bravely endured, as by the excessive pains of her last illness,
began to beam with a celestial brightness, which undoubtedly announced
the beatitude her soul was enjoying. Sister St. Ange, for whom the
Foundress had offered her life, and who was then in perfect health, on
witnessing the extraordinary prodigy, took the name of Sister of the
Blessed Sacrament, which had been the community appellation of Sister
Bourgeois during life.

The bereaved Sisters desired to have the portrait of their dear deceased
mother taken, before the tomb received her mortal remains. She looked
very beautiful in death, so strangely beautiful that they resolved on
having the likeness of the glorified deceased ever before their eyes.
The work was confided to Pierre Leber, who was, however, but an
indifferent artist, and was father of the celebrated recluse Jane Leber.
He feared very much to undertake the painting, but nevertheless went to
the convent and prepared himself by receiving Holy Communion in the
Sisters' chapel. Almighty God was pleased to glorify His servant by a
_second_ prodigy on this occasion, for the painter had no sooner taken
his brush in hand, than he was seized with an excruciating vertigo and
was compelled to desist. Nor would it have been possible for him to
resume, but that he felt inspired to apply to his head a small portion
of the hair of the deceased, upon doing which he was instantly cured,
and completed the picture, which is to be seen still in a good state of
preservation in the convent chapel.

The news of her death had no sooner become public, than people flocked
from all quarters to see the remains of the extraordinary woman, whom
not only the voice of the common people, but also that of the highest
authorities in Montreal, had ranked as a public benefactress. They were
only prevented from invoking her as a saint by respect for the authority
and voice of the Church, which had not yet spoken. An immense concourse
of people, from city and country, came to procure some relics of her.
They asked for scraps of her clothing, or of anything she had used in
life, and as it was impossible to satisfy the demands of all, they
applied to her sacred body medals, rosaries, scapulars, and such like
articles of devotion. Several miraculous cures are related to have been
worked by the use of these articles, and though we will not enter into a
detail of them here, it requires no great effort of faith to believe
them. We need only remember the fervor of her sanctity during life, and
how often she was herself favored by miraculous proofs of the love of
God.

The hour appointed for the burial at last drew near, and the sacred body
of this _child of peace_, became a subject of _contention_ between the
Fathers of the seminary, and the Sisters of the Congregation, each
declaring that they were the legitimate custodians of her precious
remains. The Sisters desired naturally that the interment should take
place in their own chapel. While the Fathers of the seminary declared
that, living or dead, she belonged to the city of Montreal. and that
they could not permit the Ville-Marie of her love to be deprived of such
a treasure. However, M. de Olier, Grand Vicar of the diocese, decided
the dispute, by ordaining that the _body_ should be interred in the
parish church, but that the _heart of Margaret Bourgeois_ should be
deposited in the Sisters' sanctuary, that its silent presence might
preserve in their hearts the odor of her virtues, and it appears that
with the reception of the sacred relic, the Lord bestowed on the
community the spirit of their mother, which has never departed from
them.

The heart of the Foundress of the Congregation, that heart that had
throbbed with a thousand hopes and fears for the glory of God, and the
salvation of his redeemed children, lies enshrined in a silver reliquary
in the convent chapel, awaiting the resurrection morning, when its
life-pulses shall again return to waft it to its appointed place before
the Sacred Heart of Jesus, for whom alone it lived, loved, and labored,
during life. This sort of divided burial was not infrequent in Montreal.
For, in 1693, on the death of Jean Mance, the pious Foundress of the
Hotel-Dieu, a similar disposition of her remains took place, her body
being interred under the parish church, while her heart was deposited
with the religieuses of the hospital where it was consumed in the fire
in 1695. Also in 1708, after the decease of Pierre Leber, one of the
first benefactors of the general hospital of Montreal, _his body_ was
interred in the hospital cemetery, and his _heart_ was taken to the
Church of the Congregation Sisters, where his own sister, Jane Leber,
the recluse, was still living. In consequence of the decision of M. de
Olier, the body of the venerable Sister Bourgeois was buried beneath the
parish church, the day following her decease, with such religious
ceremonial and solemnity as Ville-Marie had never witnessed until that
day.

There was an immense funeral cortege, among the pall-bearers being
Chevalier de Callieres, Governor-General of Canada, and Chevalier de
Vaudreuil, Governor of Montreal, who, with other persons of rank and
distinction thought it a religious duty to assist at the ceremony. All
the priests and religieuses of the colony were present in the church of
Montreal, and M. de Olier, himself an octogenarian, officiated. The body
was interred under the entrance of the chapel of the Infant Jesus,
commonly called the Sisters' chapel, the mother in life becoming the
mother also in death, as her sepulture was truly a taking possession of
the future burial-place of the Congregation, a deed of it being given to
them three days after, dated January 17th, 1700. On the coffin-lid was
placed the following inscription: "Here lies Venerable Sister Bourgeois,
Foundress and first Superior of the Sisters of the Congregation of Notre
Dame, established in Montreal for the instruction of young girls; who
departed this life on the 12th of January, 1700. _Requiescat in pace_."

The heart of Sister Bourgeois was carefully embalmed, and respectfully
enclosed in a leaden box--heart-shaped--having been purposely prepared
to receive the sacred relic. It remained publicly exposed in the convent
chapel for one month, during which time the people continued to come in
crowds to apply objects of devotion to it, and also to obtain small
pieces of the linen cloths ensanguined by the blood of the deceased at
the time of taking the heart from the body. But these were distributed
with much reserve. At the end of the month it was resolved to place the
precious deposit in the niche prepared for it, this second ceremony
being quite as solemn and imposing as the first. M. de Belmont
officiated on the occasion, and during the requiem Mass the heart of the
deceased was exposed on a catafalque in the middle aisle of the church,
being covered by a soft white veil, the emblem of virginity. At the
conclusion of the Holy Sacrifice, the prayers of the dead were solemly
chanted, while the celebrant carried the cherished relic in his own
hands to its final resting place, which was a kind of niche, cut in
stone, and placed it in the middle of the long oriental panel of the
choir, where the Sisters usually assembled to perform their religious
exercises.

There the heart of one of earth's noblest and purest daughters was
deposited, with aspergings and incense, after which the opening was
securely closed with a plate of lead, on which were engraven the
following words:--

  "The heart that is covered by this stone
  Renounced the earth to live for God alone,
  It had no other treasure than the band
  Of Christian virgins, who at the command
  Left home and country for a foreign land."

  [Footnote: The above is a free translation
  of the original French rhyme.]


There the precious relic rested secure until the night of April 11th,
1768, when both the chapel and house of the Sisters were consumed by
fire, the devoted daughters of the Foundress finding it impossible to
save their mother's heart. But who can judge of their astonishment on
the following day, when, having come to search for it among the debris,
they found the crisped heart in the hollow of the stone, and saw drops
of _fresh blood_ trickling down the wall. It will be remembered that
almost seventy years had then elapsed since the inhumation.

The Sisters being amazed at what they had reason to regard as
miraculous, sent at once for one of the seminary Fathers. M. Havard, who
was confessor to the community, answered the call and bore witness to
the fact. He respectfully gathered the sacred ashes, and its wonderfully
preserved blood, enclosed both in a silver reliquary, and so it remains
to this day, an indisputable evidence of the wonderful providence with
which God watches over the children of his election. Several remarkable
cures are attributed to the relics of Sister Bourgeois. Among others it
is recorded that the porter of the Sulpician seminary was attacked with
inflammation of the lungs, so suddenly that his life was despaired of,
and death seemed inevitable. He had applied a rosary to the body of the
venerable religieuse on the day of the interment, and now laid the
rosary on his breast. The application produced instant recovery, and
robust health. A lady of Ville-Marie, who for many years had suffered
excruciating internal pains, without being able to obtain relief from
the most skilful physicians, was perfectly cured on the application of a
piece of linen saturated with the blood of Sister Bourgeois' heart, on
the day of the embalming. But it will not be necessary to enter more
fully into these details here, than to state that numerous and
undeniable wonders have been effected by praying at her grave, as well
as by the use of her relics. Although these facts have not as yet been
rigorously examined, or juridically proved, yet her beautiful life is a
monumental miracle, and the Congregation she so wondrously founded is
still young, fresh, and strong after two centennials that have seen in
their flight, fire, storm, and opposition, yet leave unscathed (as
indestructible) the enduring labors of her saintly life. If she has not
been solemnly canonized by the Church, whose judgment is respectfully
awaited, she has been proclaimed Blessed by the unanimous voice of
people of all grades of society, among whom she lived and labored.
Therefore, while awaiting the hour in which it shall please God to
manifest her glory, let us confine ourselves within the just bounds of
religion, and suspending judgment, listen to a few short extracts from
the eulogies that were universally paid to her memory by the most
distinguished persons, then living in Canada, who were remarkable for
high social position, and eminent piety, and were in some cases
intimately acquainted with her.

Perhaps no one knew her worth or extraordinary merit better than M. de
Laval, who permitted her to found and spread her Institute in the
diocese of Montreal, of which he was the first Bishop. At the time of
her decease he was leading a humble, holy, _private_ life in the
seminary of Quebec, and on hearing of her death, wrote to the Sisters in
the following terms: "Sister Bourgeois was indeed a precious fruit, ripe
for heaven. She was a model of edification during life, and in death
serves for an example. She was very humble, and God conferred great
graces upon her, which leads us to hope that she will soon enjoy the
beatitude of the saints, and will, by her intercession, procure great
graces for her community."

M. de St. Vallier, on the occasion of her death, wrote: "We cannot help
believing that God treated Sister Bourgeois as one of His dearest and
most faithful servants, as she was replenished with a lively faith and
ardent charity during life, both for God and her neighbor. I do not
doubt that she is now enjoying the glory of the Blessed. But what has
made the deepest impresssion on me regarding her, is the hidden and
humble life she led after her retirement from the office of superior."

M. de Maizerets, superior of the seminary at Quebec, renders her the
following tribute: "I have always recognized Sister Bourgeois as a true
servant of God, being filled with His spirit, and excelling in the
virtues of humility, meekness, obedience to her superiors, and an entire
abandonment to Divine Providence. She had a generous heart, capable of
great enterprises, and I do not doubt that she has left to you, her
daughters, her _mind_ as well as her _heart_. We have prayed here for
the eternal repose of her soul, and I have also asked _her_ to pray for
_me_."

Rev. Father Bovart, superior of the Jesuits at Quebec, writes thus: "I
do not think that Sister Bourgeois has need of our prayers. I have
always felt the greatest veneration for her, and request you send me one
of her relics. I do not ever remember to have met so holy a woman, as
she possessed in an eminent degree the virtues of faith, hope, devotion,
zeal, humility, and mortification. I esteem her happy in having died
full of days and merit."

The Mother of the Sacred Heart, superioress of the Hotel-Dieu at Quebec,
in response to a letter of the Congregation Sisters, wrote: "We have not
failed to pray for your dear and cherished mother, lately deceased,
although I am persuaded she does not need our prayers."

The Mother of the Incarnation, superioress of the general hospital says
in a letter: "Sister Bourgeois was ripe for heaven, and earth has lost a
great treasure in losing her. I pray you to obtain for us, from her
Divine Spouse, her love of humility, poverty, abjection, and abandonment
to the decrees of Providence, virtues that I particularly remarked in
her."

Mme. de Champigni, wife of the Governor of Quebec, bore testimony to the
virtues of the deceased as follows: "Perhaps no one feels so afflicted
as I, at the death of Sister Bourgeois. For you, her daughters, your
consolation must be great indeed, knowing that you have a saint praying
for your community, in heaven. I shall keep with religious respect the
three beads of her rosary you were good enough to send me."

But the renown of her virtues was not confined to Canada alone. There
were in France also many distinguished persons who knew her merit, among
others M. Gabriel Souart, who, as we have seen, was sent to Canada in
1657, by M. Olier, and who returned to France in 1680, on account of
failing health. This gentleman was an eye-witness of the labors of the
illustrious dead, during the first struggling years of Montreal, and
often spoke of the wonders she accomplished to M. de Turmenie the King's
minister. Once, during the war between France and England, that raged so
fiercely in the year 1688, these two gentlemen were conversing on the
probable result of the bloody struggle. M. de Turmenie expressed his
well-grounded fear that Canada would eventually fall into the hands of
the English. M. Souart, on the contrary, said he did not fear the issue,
as he had unbounded confidence in God, and the prayers of Sister
Bourgeois, whom he familiarly styled the little St. Genevieve of Canada,
and hoped through the efficacy of her prayers, that no evil would befall
either the country or the Church. Canada was miraculously preserved at
this time from the bristling guns of a formidable English fleet, as we
read in history. M. de Turmenie wrote this conversation to the holy
Foundress in a letter dated Paris, March 20th, 1691, and concluded with
the following remark: "Your friend pronounced these words at my house a
few days before his death. I do not relate them to you in order to
excite your vanity, from which may God preserve you, but to let you know
by his last words, the esteem and affection that holy man had for you."

Nothing could be more glorious for the deceased than the eulogy of such
a man as M. Souart, who was a holy priest, and singularly enlightened in
the ways of God. Having been her director for a long time, he bore
ocular testimony to her truly heroic life. Sister Bourgeois preserved
the letter, because a portion of it related to the affairs of the
community, of which the royal counsellor took special charge in Paris.
But she took the precaution to efface the portion relating to herself,
yet not so perfectly as to prevent its being deciphered. Such were the
opinions entertained of her in France during her _life_, and as soon as
intelligence of her _death_ reached the wise and holy persons who knew
her at Troyes, Paris, and elsewhere, the most edifying and instructive
letters were sent to her bereaved daughters, by the first vessel bound
for Canada. Among other writers' names we find that of Mother Mary Paul
de Blaigni, superioress of the Congregation at Troyes, which was really
the cradle of Sister Bourgeois' sublime virtues.




CHAPTER XII.

THE EXCELLENCE OF HER INSTITUTE, HER MAXIMS, INSTRUCTIONS, ETC.


It does not seem sufficient in recording the life of this remarkable
woman, to speak only of her public and exterior actions, leaving her
interior dispositions and the religious perfection of her institute in
the shade. The actions hitherto related are beyond the power of the
greater number either to perform or imitate, as they would also be out
of their sphere of usefulness. Therefore, without entering into her
_spirit_, they would only serve as sterile or fruitless objects of
admiration. Accordingly we see that not only did God ordain her to be
the mother of a numerous posterity of Christian virgins, but also their
_teacher_ and their _model_. It may be said of Sister Bourgeois, as of
the Spouse in the Canticles, that she spread abroad the odor of her
virtues, in order to leave a sure route of salvation and perfection to
those who would follow in her train. Yet, all the glory of the king's
daughter was within. There are many principles by which we may judge of
the excellence and perfection of an institute or congregation. We may
consider it in itself, as seen by the rules that govern it, and the
sanctity and merits of its Foundress. We may compare it with other holy
institutes to which _it_ may bear resemblance. We may regard the end
proposed in its establishment, and the means by which to attain that
end, or the model on which its members must be formed. Finally, we may
examine the qualities and dispositions exacted from those who aspire to
perfection in it, and by the application of such tests we can easily
judge of the excellence of the Congregation of Notre Dame. A careful
perusal of the rules complied by the Foundress will convince any one
that prudence, charity, zeal, and the spirit of God dictated them. But
to meditate on them with care, and reduce them to constant practice, is
the precious stone mentioned in the gospel, for the purchase of which it
is necessary to _sell_ all and _leave_ all. However, it must be
confessed that, as perfect as the rule is, it does not reflect all the
holy sentiments with which Sister Bourgeois was animated, as she always
practised more than she prescribed for others. When, by a prudent and
just condescension to the weakness of her children, the greater number
of whom, despite their good will, _were not able_ to practise the
austerities her zeal recommended, it was found necessary to soften this
rigor the rejection of the old practices and penances was one of the
most severe trials of her life. It was this condescension, as well as
the consciousness of her unworthiness, that made her sigh to be
discharged from the office of superior, and it was only her zeal for the
glory of God that supported her under the trial. Her own words are: "It
seems to me that God has made me sufficiently understand, by the
thousand accidents that happened from time to time, as also by the
interior warnings of divine grace, that he is not satisfied with us, and
I confess that, through cowardice, I have departed from the path marked
out for me, by Mary, our dear Mother, who has been the ever present,
though invisible superior of this house. I do not wish to abuse the
patience of God any longer, and shall endeavor that His will be
accomplished, no matter what is the cost of my submission." It must not
be forgotten that she regarded herself as the _assistant_ of the
community. She never lost sight of the fact that the establishment of
the Congregation was not her work, and that she was only a vile
instrument in the hands of God. She believed firmly that the interior
government of it would always be under the direction of the Blessed
Virgin. Neither had she forgotten the divine favors she received in
youth, which were, foreshadowings of what God required from her in
after-life for His glory. She had always present to her mind the
wonderful chain of circumstances that led her to Canada, there to
establish devotion to the Queen of Heaven, and form young hearts on that
exalted model. She frequently called to mind the promise of protection
the Blessed Virgin gave her before coming to the New World, of the
fulfilment of which she had frequent and sensible proofs. It is quite
remarkable that, in the writings left by this humble and admirable
woman, she does not make use of a single word that could lead one to
believe she had _personally_ anything to do with the establishment of
the Congregation, desiring, no doubt, that it should be directly
attributed to the Queen of Angels, whom she wished to be recognized as
its Foundress and first Mother. She was often heard to declare that her
highest earthly ambition was to induce the Mother of God to conduct her
community on the same plan that she conducted the rising Church, after
the passion of the Redeemer, when she became the common Mother, refuge,
and consolation of the afflicted disciples and their followers. On
making a comparison between her institute and other religious orders,
she expresses herself as follows:

"The ever Blessed Virgin in prophetic spirit knew, from the very dawn of
Christianity, that God would eventually establish communities in His
Church, to engage the faithful to practise more perfectly, not only the
commandments, but the evangelical counsels. It appears that this good
Mother has manifested her designs, and extended her protection in a very
special manner, in favor of the smallest and _least_ of all religious
communities, viz., that established in Ville-Marie, which, in order to
maintain the excellence of its origin, has gathered from other religious
institutes their most perfect maxims."

Acting on this principle the holy Foundress borrowed from the Chartreuse
a love of solitude and silence, from St. Francis of Assissi the virtue
of poverty, from St. Francis of Paul the love of humility, from the
Carmelites the practise of penances and austerities, from St Francis de
Sales the exercise of sweetness and charity as exemplified in the houses
of the Visitation, from the Hospitalieres devotion to the poor and sick,
and from the noble order of the Jesuits zeal for the salvation of souls.
Her institute is remarkable for the charity and zeal by which its
members are animated, their zeal being in a certain sense the spirit of
the priesthood, which is _par excellence_ the order of Jesus Christ
himself, who was the High Priest of the New Law. The Sisters of the
Congregation are bound to co-operate with the pastors of the Church in
the discharge of such duties of charity as come within the spirit of
their rule, making, however, a specialty of instructing youth, to which
Sister Bourgeois devoted all her energies from girlhood. Her zeal was
indeed a consuming fire, for she had no sooner learned that there were
pagan tribes to instruct and convert in the New World, than she sought
means to go there to assist in their connversion.

A thousand obstacles did not dishearten her. When there were no priests
on board during the early voyages, she supplied their places as far as
woman could, with the zeal of a St. Ambrose, frequently in her peculiar
circumstances praying, with the dying and for the dead by land and sea.
Christian or heathen, French or Indian, were alike to her; she assisted
_all_, her modesty forming a beautiful rampart around her, that rendered
her person sacred in positions where less divinely gifted women might
fear to stand. Such were the particular and general views of this
Christian heroine in the establishment of her Congregation, and such was
the peculiar character of her institute. We give an extract from her
writings on the subject: "As the devil is very careful to take a stand,
and be on the look-out, at the beginning of all good works, knowing well
that a fervent community is capable of effecting much good, sometimes
even of arresting the anger of God, armed against sinners, let us fear
that this arch-enemy, by his cunning and subtlety, may not seek to
destroy our institute. Let us be careful that he does not withdraw from
it the spirit of piety, simplicity, poverty, recollection, and
mortification, interior and exterior, in order to introduce, under
specious pretexts, the inevitable ruin of a soft, relaxed life."

To avoid so dreadful a misfortune, behold the means of defence this good
mother presents to her daughters:

"The Blessed Virgin desired to continue the work of God upon earth, and
we are pledged to assist her by laboring for the education of youth. The
Blessed Virgin prayed for the accomplishment of the prophesies, and the
deliverance of the holy souls, who in limbo awaited the coming of the
Just One, and we are bound to make fervent prayer for the conversion of
sinners, and the souls in purgatory. The Blessed Virgin entered the
temple, at the age of three years, to perfect herself in that school of
virtue; the daughters of the Congregation, in imitation of that act,
consider themselves pupils of Mary during their novitiate. The Blessed
Virgin was abstemious and mortified in her food, and in all the other
necessaries of life; the Sisters should follow her example and mortify
themselves in eating, drinking, sleeping, speaking, and clothing, using
nothing but what is absolutely necessary, each one at the same time
consulting her strength and constitution. The angel of God saluted Mary
while she was at prayer; the Sisters should pray fervently for the
graces necessary to enable them to discharge their duties properly, and
that among their pupils Almighty God may sometimes select His spouses.

"When the Blessed Virgin had given her consent to the angel, and had
really become the Mother of God by the power of the Holy Spirit, she
testified her gratitude to the Eternal Father, by promptly corresponding
to the designs of His grace, and went to visit her cousin Elizabeth,
that she might be an instrument in the sanctification of the precursor,
and carry grace and salvation to the house of Zachary; it is necessary
that on the missions the Sisters propose to themselves the
sanctification of little children, and give edification to all classes
of persons that they may be recognized as the true daughters of Mary.

"When the days were accomplished that she should bring forth her Divine
Child, the angels announced that blessed birth to lowly shepherds, as
well as to high-born kings, and the Blessed Virgin received with equal
affection the honors paid her Divine Son by the humble herdsman and the
Oriental sages; so should the Sisters have an equal regard for the poor
as well as for the rich, treating all alike, as the children of Mary.

"The Blessed Virgin continued to dwell in her poor house at Nazareth in
privacy and silence, until the calling of the Apostles, to whom she was
a sort of mistress of novices by the charm of her virtues; the Sisters,
before applying themselves to the instruction of externs, or the duties
of the schools, should prepare for it, by the exercise of prayer, pious
reading, mortification of the senses, and all other virtues proper to
their state. The Blessed Virgin followed her Divine Son to the foot of
the cross, like a good mother who _could not_ lose sight of him; the
Sisters should always keep themselves as much as possible in the
presence of God, in imitation of their glorious model."

Although the rules of religious institutes are not intended for general
reading, yet the following extracts are so simple and practical that we
think their translation excusable:

"_How we must bear with the defects of our neighbor_.--I am bound to
believe that my faults and imperfections are greater than those of
others, and that they have to do violence to themselves in order to bear
with my shortcomings; therefore it is my duty to be patient with them,
in imitation of God, who is patient with all, who supports all, and
endures all, notwithstanding our many defects, and the disproportion
that exists between us and Him.

"_On fidelity in little things_.--Our good God is contented with little
virtues, if they are the result of our love for Him, and he knows how to
increase them in our souls if they are performed with purity of
intention. It is necessary, then, that I try to do everything for His
love, and for _that alone_.

"_On death_,--'It is appointed for man once to die, and after that the
judgment.' This thought should oblige me to live always in the state in
which I wish to be found when the last moment shall arrive. Then, death
may come suddenly, but not _unprovidedly_. My resignation will be much
easier, the thought of the last hour sweeter, and the inevitable
consequences less to be feared.

"_On Raillery_.--We sometimes wish to make our conversation appear
witty, and we succeed, _perhaps at the expense of charity_, by using
expressions of raillery, jest, or mockery, without perceiving that we
give pain to our neighbor. A person addicted to this vice receives as
much prejudice from it as the one who is the object of it, and a
frequent use of unkind raillery stains the brilliancy of the baptismal
robe, which we are bound to bring unspotted before the judgment-seat of
God, and loosens the bonds of charity that should hold together all
Christian communities.

"_On respect in the House of God_.--A church where the Blessed Sacrament
is preserved, is the place where God most readily receives our prayers,
and where he has promised to answer them. But that promise is a
_contract_ between our Father in heaven and ourselves, for the due
performance of which He exacts certain conditions on our part. These are
chiefly respect and devotion. Without these conditions we pray in vain,
as God will not hear us. We lack respect for the presence of God when we
act with levity in church, or use indecent postures, and we lack
devotion when we pray with precipitation, without attention, or in a
manner that indicates we have only attended through a meaningless
formality.

"_On Christian humility_.--It is good for us at times to reflect on the
_greatness_ and the _lowliness_ of the Virgin Mother of God. She was by
her privileges and virtues infinitely exalted above all creatures, yet
far from preferring herself to others, she regarded herself as the last
of all. 'The Lord hath regarded the humility of His handmaid.' We would
be both blind and culpable if we preferred ourselves to any one, either
for talent, science, personal attraction, or any other cause whatever,
because self-love often blinds us, and we do not see ourselves as others
see us."

The _omitted_ portions of her rule are filled with similar beautiful
sentiments. But, as an instance of her peculiar spirit of confidence, we
quote the following prayer:

"O eternal and all powerful God, I have not the humility that I ought to
have, but my extreme misery constrains me to acknowledge that I am the
most abject of all your creatures, because being tainted by _original_
sin I am, in a certain sense, lower than the brute creation, and on
account of my _actual_ sins, I deserve to be cast into hell. The
confidence I desire to have in prayer, but do not possess, I expect from
your bounty and mercy, because you have given your only Son to redeem us
by His precious blood, and I would rather lose a thousand lives than
fail to believe the truth of His words. Grant me this grace, my God; it
is my strength and my confidence. As to the perseverance I should have
in prayer, the consideration of the many graces I have received from you
oblige me to testify my gratitude to the last hour of my life, and on
through eternity. For, if I have the happiness of being admitted after
death into the company of the blessed, I shall persevere in prayer, if
you so permit, and unceasingly implore your mercy for the community. I
ask neither wealth, nor honors, nor pleasures of this life; I only ask
that your holy will may be fully accomplished, and that we may follow
the road you have pointed out to us, and which the Blessed Virgin
herself has so faithfully trodden. I earnestly beg that every member of
our community, and those who shall succeed them, as also those who
contribute to their spiritual advancement, may be of the number of the
predestined. I believe, dear Lord, that my demand is just, and I make it
in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, of Mary, His holy mother, of her
glorious spouse, St. Joseph, and of all the blessed inhabitants of the
celestial court."

We will conclude this chapter by giving an outline of the funeral
oration pronounced by M. de Belmont, Superior of the Montreal seminary,
at the sepulture of Sister Bourgeois' heart. The orator took for his
text the words of St. Paul, "Be ye imitators of me, as I also am of
Jesus Christ," and then reminded the Sisters, that although nature
exacts many tears for the death of those we love, tears which religion
does not condemn, provided they are kept within reasonable bounds, and
sanctified by prayer and sacrifice, yet it was fitting, at the
inhumation of the heart of their Foundress, to terminate the duties both
of nature and piety regarding her they all equally mourned.

"You have lost her visible presence," he said, "yet, being the
custodians of her heart, you should revive within you her spirit, by
reproducing in your lives the virtues of which she has given so many
examples. It is for this special purpose God has permitted the division
of her mortal remains, because He wills that both her _heart_ and
_spirit_ shall be _your treasure_, and she was never more truly your
superior and model, than when during life she strove to imitate Jesus
Christ."

He made an ingenious allusion to her love of the cross, by comparing the
virtues for which she was most remarkable with the emblem of man's
redemption. "Her humility," he said, "was the _foot_ of the cross, which
had a deep foundation in the earth, and solidified her other virtues,
while poverty and mortification were the _arms_ of the cross, and
embraced a great number of holy and pious practices." He then
felicitated the Sisters on the glory of their mother, and promised they
should partake of it, according to the words of our Lord addressed to
His apostles before his passion; "You who have remained with me in my
temptations," etc. "Even so does your venerable mother address you from
heaven my dear Sisters," he said, "'you who have been faithful to
humilations, and sufferings, which is the only heritage I leave you on
earth, be faithful to the end, and you shall partake of my present
glory.' And she further addresses you in the words of the Gospel, 'I
have begotten you in Jesus Christ.' 'It is I,' your departed mother
continues to say, 'who have assembled you as a company of Christian
Amazons, ready to battle with the enemy of your salvation, not only in
the cloister, but amid the tumult of the world.' Labor faithfully,
therefore, in your glorious vocation, because you are the children of a
saint. Do honor to your mother, walk in her footsteps, and perpetuate
her earthly labors. This is an assured means by which to please your
celestial Spouse, and participate with her in the glory and merit of the
apostolic ministry."

It was not difficult for him to eulogize the courage of Sister
Bourgeois, which had certainly been marvellous, and far above what is
common to her sex, the two wings that carried her onward and upward
being _faith_ and _confidence_ in God. He said her faith resembled that
of Abraham, because like him, she heard the voice of God saying, "Leave
thy country and thy kindred, and I will make thee the mother of a
numerous posterity, and of a chosen nation." Imitating the patriarch she
did not hesitate a moment, but came to the New World, poor and
unprotected well knowing that He who inspired the design was powerful
enough to give success to the undertaking. "You, my dear Sisters, are
the children of Mary's faithful client," continued the speaker, "you are
the first fruits of the new people of God, of whom she was the spiritual
mother." He concluded his discourse, as he had commenced it, by
commending his auditors to the care of their good mother, praying that
she would obtain for them by her intercession, a love of the Holy Cross,
a great zeal for the salvation of souls, and an unbounded confidence in
God, which is the source of all true courage.

"Every time you assemble in this place," he said, "to perform your
religious exercises, raise your eyes to her heart, the sanctuary of so
many virtues, and formerly the tabernacle of the Holy Spirit. Imagine
you hear her addressing to you these last words of the Apostle:

"My children, my joy, and my crown, persevere in the spirit of fervor,
take care to advance in perfection, and procure the sanctification of
all confided to your care, so that, having been on earth united by the
bonds of charity, and the other virtues proper to our state, we may not
be separated in Heaven."

Such, as we have given them in this chapter, are a few of the pious
maxims and admonitions by which Sister Bourgeois endeavored to lead her
spiritual daughters in the paths of perfection, always proposing to them
the example of Mary and inspiring them with the most sublime views of
faith, in order to keep them constantly in the presence of God. But we
refrain from multiplying extracts, as her spiritual writings, maxims,
and reflections would require a separate volume to do them justice, and
we earnestly hope that such a volume may be forthcoming at no distant
day, as it would prove a lasting benefit to any religious community, so
practical, so simple, and yet so sublime are the workings of Sister
Bourgeois' mind, having been directed and inspired by the Holy Spirit.




CHAPTER XIII

A RECAPITULATION OF THE PRINCIPAL EVENTS OF THE LIFE OF SISTER
BOURGEOIS.


On reading this life, one cannot help being struck with wonder and
admiration, at the great work Sister Bourgeois undertook and
accomplished. We behold a simple country girl forming the then
astonishing project of going to Canada, in the hope of founding a city
bearing the name of Mary, there to teach religion and morality to
persons of her own sex. What seemingly insurmountable obstacles
presented themselves to her view. She must undertake a voyage of many
thousand leagues, must traverse immense and unknown seas, must expect to
live in the wilds of primeval forests, exposed to the fury of cruel
savages, who unceasingly attacked the weak ramparts of Ville-Marie. And
what means did she possess to surmount these difficulties? Had she
credit? Had she any available human support? Was she high-born or
powerful? Had she wealth at her disposal? To all these questions we must
answer, no. Her hopes of success centered only in an unbounded
confidence in the providence of God. Young Margaret possessed the
strength of soul and resolution necessary for great designs, the noble
intrepidity that rises superior to danger, the firmness that obstacles
cannot shake, the fertile and ingenious mind always equal to the
occasion, and a sublime spirit of piety and devotion that was useful
everywhere. While she felt herself in a manner pushed towards Canada,
she prayed unceasingly, consulted spiritual directors, listened
respectfully to the voice of her superiors, and listened _interiorly_ to
the voice of heaven. Nothing could arrest or retard her progress, and
she fearlessly set out for the new New World that claimed her zeal. At
the age of ten she gathered around her little children to form them to
virtues. At a later period she was to establish a religious Congregation
in the Church, whose members should aspire to the highest sanctity.
Scarcely had the vessel on which she embarked set sail, than her zeal
was called into active service. She induced the entire ship's crew to
unite in daily prayer and pious reading. Several soldiers falling sick,
she nursed them with sisterly charity, eight of them dying in her arms.
Arriving at her destination, she finds no home ready to receive her, and
takes up her dwelling in a _stable_, which is for her a happy omen, as
it resembles the stable of Bethlehem. There she opens school; from
thence she daily departs to perform innumerable good works. But the
harvest ripens quickly, and the laborers are few. Overflowing with zeal
she again traverses the broad sea in search of help, and leads back many
generous volunteers. Again she returns to procure letters patent for the
consolidation of her establishment. In the court of a king, in the
centre of a camp, she solicits the favor and obtains it. On returning to
the city of her love, she resolves on securing ecclesiastical
approbation for the rules of her institute, and for this purpose travels
on foot through blinding snowstorms. A hundred times would she have
crossed the continent rather than fail to accomplish the will of God,
and her courageous zeal was eventually blessed by heaven, a crowd of
devoted young girls ranging themselves under her standard.

The capital and provinces were alike eager to obtain a foundation of her
Sisters, and in a few years all Canada experienced the happy effects of
her institute, which for nearly two centuries has not ceased to spread
about the odor of sanctity and the knowledge of our holy religion. Being
at all times desirous to do good, she established temporarily a House of
Providence, for virtuous poor girls, where they might be saved from the
snares of a treacherous world. Placing her confidence in God more than
in man, she undertook to build a plain, substantial house, to serve the
triple purpose of convent, boarding and day-school, and though at the
start she had neither money nor credit, the building was completed. At
another time she was inspired to build a church, and the church was
built. Travelling in Paris she was reduced to extreme poverty, and
heaven sent a man from the depth of a Canadian forest to pay her an
almost forgotten debt. An establishment of her daughters was demanded
for Quebec, and she permitted them to go and live; in a stable _pro
tem_., until better accommodations were offered. The intended property
at Quebec having been unjustly contested, she relinquished her rights,
and an unknown hand gave her sufficient money to make a clear purchase.
But not only was her _confidence in God_ most remarkable; she possessed
all other virtues in an eminent degree. In youth she made a vow of
chastity, and preserved that beautiful virtue amidst many dangerous
occasions, compelling a regiment of soldiers to respect her, although
she was frequently the only woman on board. Yet of all her personal
virtues none was more extraordinary than her spirit of mortification.
She seemed to live for the express purpose of afflicting her body, using
her food always too hot or too cold, mixing ashes with her drink,
sitting at meals in a painful position, sleeping on the bare earth with
a wooden plank for her pillow, and taking little sleep at that. She
never approached the fire in winter, and frequently made use of
disciplines, hair-shirts, and a frightful crown of thorns, that she
concealed on her head. How truly she hated her flesh such severe
penances as these prove. When summoned to Quebec by her bishop, she made
the journey on foot, through ice and snow, often wading across Canadian
swamps. When she undertook a foundation she carried the furniture on her
own shoulders, saying with Solomon: "I do not ask for the community
either wealth, honors, or the pleasures of this life." Of her holy
resignation also we have many striking instances. When all was ready to
build the church of Bon Secours, knowing that nothing could be more
useful to the young colony than such a work, and that unnecessary delays
would ruin the material, yet when ecclesiastical superiors forbade her
to continue, she instantly obeyed, without murmur or reply. The Bishop
refusing for many years to approve her rule, which was nevertheless an
epitome of divine wisdom, she ceased importuning, and silently awaited
the time appointed by Divine Providence. In one short hour she lost by
fire her convent, and everything it contained, the bodies of two dear
Sisters being consumed in the flames. Yet her resignation triumphed over
fire and death. For several years she experienced the most frightful
interior desolation, neither prayers, reflections, communions, nor
spiritual advice affording her the least relief. Yet in silent
submission she drank the chalice to the dregs, without one atom of human
consolation.

What afflicted her most daring this ordeal was not the fear of hell, to
which she believed herself condemned; no, it was lest she should be
reduced to the horrible alternative of hating God, whom she wished to
love in _time_, if she could not in _eternity_. Humility was another of
her characteristic virtues, for, after she had solidly established her
institute, and formed the Sisters in her spirit, her chief desire was to
be exempted from all honorable functions in the community, to become the
last and least in the holy obedience. They complied reluctantly with her
desires in such matters during the remaining years of her saintly life,
but all respected her, and remembered with gratitude how much they owed
her. She herself recalled only her sins and infidelities. Such shining
virtues were the result of her extraordinary devotion to the Mother of
God, to whose service she had consecrated herself from childhood, and to
whose glorified earthly actions she had united her own. Believing that
Magdalen and Martha were the great models of religious life, she
regarded Mary Immaculate as _their Mistress_, and loved to represent her
instructing young virgins, and assisting to form the Church of Jesus
Christ. She came to Canada for the express purpose of living in a city
named after Mary--Ville-Marie. She called her Congregation Notre
Dame--Our Lady--and wished that everything connected with it should bear
the name of _Mary_. But the Queen of Heaven did not allow herself to be
outdone in generosity. The statue shone with celestial light before the
eyes of young Margaret at Troyes. On the Feast of the Assumption this
privileged soul saw in the Holy Host an infant a thousand times more
beautiful than the children of men, looking love into her eyes. In a
dream she saw as distinctly as in life one of Mary's most devoted
clients, M. de Maisonneuve, and finally the Blessed Virgin assured her
_personally_ of protection by the solemn words, "Go to Canada. I will
never abandon you." If charity is the queen of virtues, Sister Bourgeois
practised it to heroism. In girlhood she courageously put on her
father's burial-shroud with her own hands, which charitable office for
the poor became afterward a favorite duty of her life. Being informed
that a few reckless libertines were leading off a young girl to make her
the victim of their debaucheries, she followed them with a crucifix in
her hands, and despite their menaces to kill her, heroically snatched
from them their prey. A soldier once being benumbed with cold, she gave
him her only mattress; another received her bed, and two other
unfortunates her comforters, her own couch in consequence being the cold
ground. A Sister having fallen into her agony, the holy Foundress, who
was far advanced in years, cried out to God: "Take _me_, O Lord, I am
old and _useless_. This young Sister may yet render you great service."
The noble sacrifice was accepted, the Sister in her agony recovering,
while the Foundress was stricken unto death--a victim of the most heroic
charity. We need not be astonished at the extraordinary brightness of
her face after death, nor at the wonderful cures effected by touching
her body, nor at the red blood that trickled from the burned relic of
her heart. All is possible, all is easy to _charity_.

This rapid glance at the life of Sister Bourgeois proves that the name
of so uncommon a woman deserves to be better known in the history of the
Church, because she has been one of its most beautiful ornaments. Such
names as those of Montcalm, and of Montgomery, are of less value in the
sight of God, than the Christian heroine's title of "The St. Genevieve
of Canada." And we may well say of her with the prophet, "The Lord is
admirable in his saints." _Mirabilis Deus in sanctis suis_.




CONCLUSION


Besides what has been related in the preceding chapters, Sister
Bourgeois wrote of several other events, both public and private, that
occurred some before and some after her arrival in Canada. We will
relate a few, in order to give a more correct idea of the state of
things in the isle of Montreal, when she undertook to establish her
community there. She says, it was then a vast, impenetrable forest,
inhabited only by a great number of savages, who unceasingly attacked
the French colonists, to prevent their establishment in the country, and
as the settlers were then few in number, many of them fell beneath the
bloody tomahawks of the relentless Iroquois. In fact it was extremely
difficult to induce any one to leave the mother country for the New
World, knowing what their fate would be when they reached Ville-Marie,
if some measures were not taken to secure life and property. The general
depression was so great that matters remained unchanged for _several
years_, during which time the colonists were literally at the mercy of
wild savages, to whom mercy was unknown. They lay treacherously
concealed in the woods, and sallied forth with hatchet and tomahawk on
their murderous rampage, when least expected, to pillage and burn the
houses and then massacre the inhabitants. In those days it was
impossible to labor singly in the fields. The tillers of the soil were
obliged to work in groups, with a gun in one hand, and a scythe or spade
in the other, often at the peril of their lives. These intrepid French
Catholics had left peaceful, happy homes, and the blessings of a
Christian government, for no other purpose than to convert wild Indians,
who were absolutely under the dominion of the devil, and to spread
abroad the glorious Faith over the prairies, and by the lakeshores of
this vast continent. Most assuredly their names are emblazoned on the
martyr-roll of heaven. It matters little if ungrateful men have
forgotten _them_, and lauded the makers of mowing-machines, the
inventors of steam-boats, the patented proprietors of the telegraph, the
torpedo, the needle-gun, the steam engine, the sewing-machine, etc. All
these things being of the earth earthy, shall pass away; nay, may become
the civilized (?) instruments of driving the enlightened nations of the
nineteenth century back into degraded barbarism. Have we not an
undeniable proof of this in the uprising of the masses today (July,
1877) in their might and wrath, who, believing they have been in many
instances, and for long years, the unrequited starving tools of
unprincipled _un-Christ-like Christian_ masters, have stood before the
fiery breath of the steam-engine and said: "Thus far shalt thou go, and
no farther;" have torn up the iron railroad tracks of a proud commercial
country, and startled the world by the verification of Gamaliel's
warning: "If these things be not of God, they will perish,"

The truth is that the toil, devotion and blood of the early French
settlers of Canada have produced an imperishable work in the propagation
of the Faith, and the conversion of the Indians. In Canada these poor
people become Christian, peaceful, and civilized; at least there exist
very few exceptions in the country north of the Great Lakes. And this
living, indestructible monument of the martyr's love is the work of
Catholic France, and her noble sons and daughters. It became, therefore
a matter of necessity at the time either to _abandon_ the young colony,
or to _save it at all hazards_. M de Maisonneuve determined on the
_latter_ course for the glory of God, the salvation of souls, the honor
of France, and the _love of the Virgin Mary_. In 1652 he returned to his
native land for soldiers to garrison and protect Ville-Marie, feeling
confident that if a sufficient number could be induced to volunteer, the
safety and prosperity of Canada would be secured. This gentleman had
himself frequently escaped the fury of the savages miraculously. On one
occasion, he was seized by a party of Iroquois, who were in the act of
choking him to death, but having by a violent effort disengaged himself
momentarily from their grasp, he blew out the brains of the chief with a
pistol he fortunately had in his possession. The sight of their
mutilated fallen leader, and the _smell_ of _gunpowder_, scattered the
balance of the red men, and set the Governor free. Shortly after his
departure, a band of nearly two hundred Iroquois presented themselves
before the little fort of Ville-Marie, in order to lay siege to it. They
knew beforehand that French arms and gunpowder were rather formidable
opponents, especially if they should happen to meet another de
Maisonneuve, and, as usual, had recourse to concealment. They formed
their ambuscade in a ditch which they dug on the very ground that now
forms the garden of the Congregation convent. There they lay hid,
reconnoitering the strength of the place, and having matured their
plans, commenced hurlling stones and shooting poisoned arrows against
the fort, which contained only the small number of sixteen or seventeen
men capable of bearing arms. This little troop, commanded by M. Closse,
sustained the siege with undaunted bravery. The combat lasted an entire
day, and one after another the savages sunk in death, pierced by a
French bullet. The survivors went off at night, full of rage and shame,
having succeeded in inflicting no other injury than the firing of an
out-house belonging to M. d'Ailbout. During the long combat, M. Closse
lost only one man, who was killed by an accidental discharge of a
cannon.

M. Brisac, an officer of the French army, was not so fortunate, however.
He had determined to draw off and attack a second body of savages who
had come to the assistance of the first party, but the wily Indians met
stratagem by stratagem, and succeeded in deceiving him on the route.
Seeing that they _must_ perish, as their enemies were ten times as
numerous as they, the French resolved to sell their lives as dearly as
possible. They erected a circular barricade of stones, and entrenched
themselves within it, firing at random on the furious savages, who
howled for their blood. The Iroquois fought like incarnate demons, and
every stone they flung with unerring precision shattered a white man's
skull. Like the Spartan three hundred, this brave French band determined
not to be _taken alive_, so the living supplied the places of their
fallen comrades until only five or six men remained. But the Indians at
last effected an entrance within the barricade, and killed the survivors
with the most | horrible cruelties. M. Brisac, the brave commander, was
reserved by the savages to die last, that they might torture him at
their ease, yet while he was able to speak, he never ceased exhorting
his men to die like Christians. The constancy of the devoted band
astonished the Iroquois, who could not refrain from expressing their
admiration of the white man's constancy. The death of such heroic
Christians is as much to be admired as that of the early martyrs,
because like them they combatted and suffered for religion and the glory
of God. Sister Bourgeois relates that during the first eight or nine
years of the existence of the colony, they could not succeed in raising
healthy children, all of them dying at a very tender age, as much on
account of the rigorous climate, as of the privations and sufferings
which were endured by their mothers, who, being all natives of sunny
France, had enjoyed, at least in a moderate way, the good things of this
life. In Canada, during these early days, they lacked nearly everything,
except good will and an undying love of the Catholic Faith, bequeathed
to them by their sainted forefathers. It may be also, that Almighty God
wished to to take to Himself these precious children, as the first
fruits of the New World. The first girl that arrived at maturity in the
country was Jane Loisel. She became a pupil of Sister Bourgeois, to
whose care she was confided at the age of four, and remained in the
Sister's school to her eighteenth year, when she married John Beauchamp.
It appears that theirs was the first Canadian marriage in Montreal. The
first boy who escaped an early grave was John Desroches, and the first
native of Montreal who consecrated herself to God in the Congregation
was Marie Barbier, who became Superior after Sister Bourgeois'
resignation. She was a very holy religieuse, and imbibed the spirit of
her Foundress, subjecting herself to such frightful penances that a
dangerous cancer formed in her body, of which, after years of intense
suffering, she was miraculously cured. The venerable Foundress also
leaves the following record of a few of the Indian girls she took under
her protection:

"In 1656, a young Iroquois mother had a little girl about nine months
old, which she neglected shamefully, and treated with brutal violence. I
endeavored to get the poor little sufferer from her, in order to raise
it a Christian, M. Souard assisting me to secure it. So after giving the
savage mother many presents, she at last consented to place the child in
my care. But as I was on the eve of my first voyage back to France, I
gave it in charge to Margaret Picard during my absence. As soon as I set
sail the mother retracted, and tried in every possible way to get the
child back without our knowledge. Once, while the little one and her
vigilant nurse were out taking exercise, the Iroquois woman suddenly
appeared, and endeavored with violence to snatch away the terrified
infant. But she was disappointed; the child clung convulsively to her
French mother, as she called her, and the savage departed, vowing to
seize her another time, and then take revenge for the child's
preference. In order to prevent a catastrophe, the Sisters hid the
child, and the Iroquois eventually gave up the search. This little
Indian was baptized and named Mary when she attained her fourth year, M.
de Maisonneuve and Mlle. Closse being her sponsors. She was the first
Iroquois baptized in the colony, and died two years after. I also raised
a little Algonquin girl, and an infant Illinois, but both died at the
age of nine. We received at a later period, another Algonquin, aged
nineteen, who expressed an ardent desire to live with our Sisters. She
was admitted on trial, and for a long time was faithful to all the
practices of piety in use among us, however contrary they were to her
inclinations, or to her Indian proclivities. She died shortly after her
baptism, having given great edification to the Sisters. One of the first
Canadian members of the Institute, was an Iroquois who had been educated
at the Mission of the Mountain. She was received into the community as
soon as she arrived at the proper age, and died happily, after laboring
twelve years in the mission school where she was instrumental in
effecting much good among her own people."

As Sister Bourgeois took a singular pleasure in recounting these Indian
conquests, we do not consider it out of place to revert to them here,
and might add many others, but will conclude by relating a remarkable
event that occurred in her time. The father of Mary Teresa
Gannensagouach, who had been admitted a member of the Congregation, as
was mentioned in the fourth chapter, became a Christian, and worshipped
the true God with all the ardor of his poetic Indian nature. Many a time
did the forests of the island re-echo with his recitations of the holy
rosary, and he had the happiness to see his son also follow his example,
by receiving the saving waters of Baptism. The graceless son, however,
soon forgot his baptismal vows, and returned to his former licentious
mode of life. Falling in with a depraved party of his tribe, who had
taken the war-path against the peaceful Christian Indians, he assisted
in a murderous attack on his native village. The fiends were unhappily
successful in their carnival of blood, and each reeking warrior selected
his wretched victim among the few survivors to lead him off to a distant
encampment and there torture him slowly to death. Young Gannensagouach
dragged _his_ captive through forest and swamp with brutal violence; but
at last growing tired of listening to the sufferer's groans, commanded
him to kneel for his death-blow. He did so, and for the first time since
his capture, raised his eyes to the face of the would-be murderer. Both
were paralyzed with horror--for he gazed upon his apostate son. "Father,
forgive him, he knows not what he does," cried the agonized parent, and
his prayer was heard. The arm that held the uplifted tomahawk fell
powerless by the young man's side, and from that hour the _apostate_
became a _penitent_. The good old Indian died a peaceful Christian
death, a few years later, and to this day, a rude stone cross with an
appropriate epitaph, marks his last resting-place.

May my soul also die the death of the just.

       *       *       *       *       *

NOTE.


Happily, during the interval that elapsed between the writing and the
publication of this book, the process of canonizing Venerable Sister
Bourgeois has been commenced, and splendid ecclesiastical services were
held in the spring of 1879 in the city of Montreal, in unison with the
canonical proceedings. The canonization of this saintly woman will give
to the church in America, a _second_ acknowledged _intercessor_ in
heaven, St. Rose of Lima being the _first_, and will procure new
triumphs for the Faith in "the land of the West," where such triumphs
are numerous and marvellous. THE AUTHORESS.




[Transcriber's Note: The title of Chapter IX in the original reads:
  "THE RULES OF THE CONGREGATION, AND ESTAB-
  MENT OF MISSIONS."
The missing characters have been restored in this text.]