Selected Letters of Saint Jane Frances de Chantal

by Jane Frances de Chantal, Hermenegild (Preparation), The Sisters of the Visitation (Translators)

We are all apt so to idealise the Saints whom we love to study and honour, and strive to imitate, that we are in danger of forgetting that they possessed a human nature like our own, subject to many trials, weaknesses and frailties. They had to struggle as we have to struggle. The only difference is that their constancy and perseverance were greater far than ours. Biographers are often responsible for the false tendency to which we allude. They like to give us the finished portrait of the Saints, and only too often they omit in great part the details of the long and weary toil that ,vent to make the picture which they delight to paint. In the case of some of the Saints we are able to come nearer to the reality by reading the letters which have been preserved, in which in their own handwriting they have set down, without thought of those who in later days might read their words, the details of their daily life and struggle. Thus in the few selected Letters of the holy foundress of the Visitation which are now being published in an English translation we get glimpses of her real character and spiritual growth which may be more. helpful to us than many pages of formal biography. In one place she excuses the brevity of a letter because she is If feeling the cold to-day and pressed for time." In another she tells a Sister, “do everything to get well, for it is only your nerves." Nerves are evidently not a new malady nor a lately devised excuse. She knew the weariness of “still no news from Rome. ... I think His Grace the Archbishop would be glad to help us. . .. Beg him, I beseech you, to push on the matter." Haste and weather had their effect on her as on I write in such haste that I forget half of what I want to say. ... we will make a chalice veil for you, but not until the very hot weather is over, for one cannot work properly while it lasts." What mother, especially in these days of sorrow and anxiety, can read unmoved the Saint's own words as she speaks of her daughter's death, and of her fears about her son. I am almost in despair … so miserable am I about it that I do not know which way to turn, if not to the Providence of God, there to bury my longings, confiding to His hands not only the honour but even the salvation of this already half lost child. Oh! the incomparable anguish of this affliction. No other grief can come near to it." And then we feel her mingled grief and joy when at last she learnt that this, her only son, had given up his life, fighting for his King, after a humble and fervent reception of the Sacraments. Thus in the midst of the daily small worries of life, and of the great sorrows that at one time or other fall to the lot of all, we see a brave and generous soul, with human gifts and qualities like to our ownJ treading her appointed path to God. No one can read her words without carrying therefrom fresh courage for his life, and a new determination to battle steadfastly to the end.

Genres: Nonfiction

268 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1917

About the author

Saint Jane Frances de Chantal (French: Jeanne-Françoise Frémiot, Baronne de Chantal) is a Roman Catholic saint, who was beatified in 1751 by Pope Benedict XIV and canonized in 1767 by Pope Clement XIII, with her feast day set as 21 August (later moved to 12 December, and finally to 12 August by Pope John Paul II in 2001).

As a young widow of 32, she became a close friend of the bishop of Geneva, Francis de Sales, after one of his sermons helped her to learn forgiveness. Later, with the eventual support of de Sales and her brother, the archbishop of Bourges, she became a nun, founding the Congregation of the Visitation in Annecy, Haute-Savoie, on Trinity Sunday, 6 June 1610, as an order to accept women rejected from other orders due to health or age. This continues today under the Rule of St. Augustine as the enclosed Order of the Visitation of Holy Mary (V.H.M.;Latin: Ordo Visitationis Beatissimae Mariae Virginis). The motto of the order is "Live Jesus".

Upon her death at age 69, Chantal was buried in the Annecy convent next to de Sales. As a Roman Catholic saint, she is invoked as the patron of forgotten people, widows, and parents who are separated from their children.

Reviews

[gardeningmom7 · Rating 4 out of 5]

St. Jane Frances de Chantal was (dare I say it??) kind of a savage, in the very best of ways. The following quotes are from her letters to two separate Mother Superiors where she was giving advice regarding whether or not they should accept/keep certain novices in the convent.

“As for your novice, I do not see in her the dispositions requisite for her possession…Your house is already overwhelmed with infirm sisters without adding to their number one who besides is a bit of an idiot.” P. 196

“As to Sister N., alack! she is indeed wholly taken up with herself; hers is also a character in which you will find plenty to exercise your charity.” P. 200

[Gerri Bauer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a reprint of a 1917 publication. I almost gave it 4 stars because there's a certain repetition in many of the letters. Also because I had hoped for more of her correspondence with St. Francis de Sales. But I upped it to 5 for several reasons:

- the insight it provides into the St. Jane de Chantel's strong leadership and wisdom. She founded and expanded a religious order and did it with clear, compassionate oversight. Women in the 1600s had few opportunities to share such gifts with others.

- the window it opens into life in a cloister, especially when dealing with varying personalities. Religious authorities forced the order into enclosure after it was founded. St. Jane de Chantel accepted that in the same manner she counseled others to approach life: by putting things into the hands of God, accepting, and moving forward.

- the window it opens into family relationships in that era. (Some of the letters are to her children.)

- the supplemental material provided, including annotations, a brief biography and literary analysis and questions, answers and reflections.

As an added bonus, there are a couple of her letters to St. Vincent de Paul.

[Catherine]

I really enjoyed getting to know her in her own words! This collection mostly addresses her as an administrator, but there are gems here and there.