Spirituality of Louise de Marillac

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Vincentian Heritage Journal

Volume 12 | Issue 2 Article 5

10-1-1991

Te Spirituality of Louise de Marillac: Moved bythe Spirit to Charity

Louise Sullivan D.C.

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Recommended CitationSullivan, Louise D.C. (1991) "Te Spirituality of Louise de Marillac: Moved by the Spir it to Charity,"Vincentian Heritage Journal: Vol.12: Iss. 2, Article 5.

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The Spirituality of Louise de Marillac:Moved by the Spirit to CharityBY

LOUISE SULLIVAN, D.C.United in heart, in the heart of Jesus Christ, Vincent de Paul and

Louise deMarillac sought to discoverwhatGod willed for them as theyear 1633 was drawing to a close. Freed at last from the fetters of thepast, Louise was living in the present, her eyes fixed on Jesus Christsuffering in the poor. Her zeal had given her renewed physical andspiritual strength as she deyoted her energies to the work of theConfraternities ofCharity. She was active, busy, and happy, but somehow convinced that God was asking yet more of her - a more totalcommitment to Jesus Christ in the poor. The "light" of Pentecost 1623had brought her the insight that one day Father de Champigny'sprophetic words that "God had other designs" on her would befulfilled. She tells us, "Iwas advised ... that a time would comewhen Iwould be in a positionto makevows ofpoverty, chastityand obedienceand that I would be in a small community where others would do thesame. I then understood that I would be in a place where I could helpmy neighbor but Idid not understand how thiswould bepossible sincethere was to be much coming and going."l

Louiseoften thought ofthis during hermeditations and retreats. Inher retreat notes, probably in 1632, she wrote:

Imust perseveringlyawait thecomingofthe HolySpiritalthough Idonotknow when that will be. I must accept this uncertainty as well as myinability clearly to perceive at this time the pathwhich God wishesme tofollow in His service. Imust abandon myself entirely to His Providenceso as to be completely His. In order to prepare my soul for this, I mustwillingly renounce all things to follow him.2

,"'''Light,'' A.2., in Spiritual Writings ofLouise deMarillac: Correspondence - Thoughts, trans. and ed.Louise Sullivan, D.C. (Brooklyn: 1991), (hereinafter cited as SWLM), 1.'''Retreat, (c. 1633)," A.8, ibid., 717.


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156Although she had progressed a longway on the path ofabandon

ment to the will of God, nevertheless waiting was not something thatLouise did naturally or readily. At the age of forty-one, she was awoman ina hurry. It isnotour purposehereto try todeterminewhetherit was Louise or Vincent who first conceived the idea of a communitywhich would one day become the Company of the Daughters ofCharity. Vincent acknowledges that he "did indeed think ofConfraternities ofCharity in parishes."3On severaloccasions,however,he deniescategorically that the idea of founding the Daughters of Charity hadever occurred to him.4 Indeed, at the time, such a thing, as he put it,"would not have seemed possible."s In a conferenceof22 January 1645,after reassuring the sisters that itwas God himselfwho had establishedtheir Company, he added, "I was thinking about it again the other dayand I said to myself, 'Did you ever dream of founding a Company ofSisters?Oh! no, no, no."'6 Forour purposes here, Vincent's next remarkis revealing. He continued, "DidMademoiselle LeGras? Just a little."?It is this "just a little" that we find reflected in several letters ofVincentto Louise from 1630 to 1633. An examination of them provides aninstructive illustration of a discernment process in which two peoplewere honestly and prayerfully striving to discover the will ofGod forthem.We know, from a letter dated 19February 1630, thatVincent hadbegun sending girls to Louise to be trained to work under the directionoftheLadiesof theConfraternities ofCharity ofParis. Thegirl ofwhomhe is speakinghere isMargueriteNaseauwhose inspiringstoryVincentloved to repeat since he considered her, although she died in February1633, as the first Daughter ofCharity, the one "who had the happinessof pointing out the road to [the] other sisters."g That something hastranspired is indicated in a letter of October of the same year in whichVincent speaks ofGermaine, a young womanwhom Louise has trainedas a schoolmistress. He concludes, "Tell us, please what is on your

'Conference of 22 January 1645, The Conferences of Saint Vincent de Paul to the Daughters ofCharity,trans. Joseph Leonard, CM., (London: 1979), 184.

'Ibid., 535, 606-07, 741.'Ibid., 184.'Ibid.'Ibid.'Ibid., 71.


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157mind? Mine has been verymuch occupied this morning with you andwith the thoughts Our Lord is giving yoU."9

By the spring of 1631, Louise, with her usual impetuosity, wantedto devote all her time and energy to forming these young women.Vincent, however, has as yet had no clear indication that such was thewill of God. Thus, once again, he urged her peacefully to await a signfrom God which he was convinced would come in God's good time.

As for the rest, I begyou once and for all, not to give it a thoughtuntilOurLord makes it evident that He wishes it, and at present He is givingindications to the contrary. We want a number of good things with adesire that seems to be ofGod, and yet i t is not always from Him ... Youaretryingtobecomethe servantofthese poorwomen,andGodwantsyouto be His own, and perhaps ofmorepeoplethan youwould bein thatway.And even if you were only His, is it not enough ... that your heart ishonoring the tranquility ofOur Lord's? Then it will be fit and ready toserve Him. lO

We must ask ourselves what Vincent meant by "contrary" indica-tions. Hewas probably reluctant to see her take valuable time from hervisits to the Confraternities of Charity. The poor served by them wereperhaps the "more people" towhom hewas referring. However, thereappears to be something else. Vincent spoke to her of honoring thetranquility of the heart of Christ. Only, it would seem, when she haddone that would her heart be "fit and ready to serve Him."

Guided by a saint, Louise had gradually discovered the paternalloveofGod for her. Peace and confidence had quieted her agitatedsoul.She had come to realize, as she spent her energies in serving the poor,thatdespite herweaknesses and complexes, shewas called to bring thislove of the Father to others. Nevertheless, a point remained whichprevented any long term calm and which threatened to delay or evento block her ascent to the level of spirituality to which she was drawn.This was her love for her son. Concern for him, which circumstancesoften justified, would plague her all her life. Moreover, Louise deMarillac was a worrier. She does not so much cease to worry with thepassageof time as to change the focus of her anxiety away from herself

'Saint Vincent de Paul: Correspondence, Conferences, Documents. 1. Correspondence (1607-1639), ed.Jacqueline Kilar, nc., trans. Helen Marie Law, D.C., John Marie Poole, D.C., James R. King, C.M.,FrancisGermovnik, C.M., ann. John l


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158and, most importantly, to control itso that itwasno longer debilitating.During the period prior to the founding of theDaughters ofCharity, atleast with regard to Michel, such is not the case.

There are twenty-six letters from Vincent to Louise during thisperiod which deal with Michel Le Gras. From them we learn thatVincent was supportive and helpful. When she was away visiting theConfraternities, hewould oftenwrite to assure her.On one occasionhewrote, "As for your son, be at peace.When you comeback,we shalltalkabout him, and I shall do what is necessary."ll

Vincent also befriended the boy, welcomed him at Saint-Lazare,12prevented him from being overly bled and purged,B and, most impor-tantly, saved him from studies for the priesthood, for which he had nocalling.14 At the same time he calmed Louise's anxieties concerningMichel'swell-being. Nonetheless, he chided her for her inabilitytokeepmatters in perspective. Sometimes he did so humorously, as when hewrote, "Oh!Our Lordmost certainly did well not to chooseyou for Hismother."ls At other times, he was more serious. In 1630 he asked her,"But what shall we say about this excess affection? I certainly think ...that you have to try before God to rid yourself of it."16 Vincent wasconvinced that until she could "be concerned only in a ... tranquilway,"17 she could notundertake thetask towhich shebelievedGodwascalling her. And so he asked her to wait until God revealed clearly hiswill in the matter.

In themeantimeVincent continued to encourage her. There is a joyand a tenderness in his words as she progressed. On one occasion hewrote, "Please take care of your health. It is no longer yours since youdestine it for God.Andmy heart is no longermy heartbut yours, in thatof Our Lord, Whom I desire to be the object of our one love."ls

"Vincent de Paul to Louise de Marillac, 2 April 1631, letter 63, SVP, 1:101; see also letters of 2September1631,letter 75, 1:116;13September 1631,letter 81, 1:121; 15 September 1631,letter83, 1:125;17 October 1631, letter 86,1:129."Vincent de Paul to Louise de Marillac, 2 September 1631, letter 75, ibid., 1:116;see also lettersof 13 September 1631, letter 81,1:121; 15September 1631, letter 83,1:125; 1November 1631, letter 88,1:132. I3Vincent de Paul to Louise de Marillac, 17October1631, letter 86, ibid., 1:129. See also letters of13 September 1631, letter 81,1:121; 12October 1631, letter 85,1:127-28.I'Vincent de Paul to Louise de Marillac, 1631, letter 91,1:138.15Vincent de Paul to Louise de Ma'iillac,May 1631, letter 69,1:109.I'Vincent de Paul to Louise de Marillac, 19 February 1630, letter 40, ibid., 1:67.l'Ibid.

l'Vincent de Paul to Louise de Marillac, before 1634, letter 119, ibid., 1:172.


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159Although Vincent did not yield to her desire to dedicate herself tothe formation of theyoung servantsofthe poor, itbecomes increasinglyevident, from his letters to Louise, that he is aware that God is askingmore of her than she is currently doing. He wrote concerning herexposure to the plague, "Have no fear, Our Lord wishes to make use ofyou for something that concernsHis glory and Ithink Hewill preserveyou for that purpose."!9

At Pentecost 1633 the discernment process seems to be drawing toan end, although the eternally patient Vincent still hesitated. He wroteto Louise to tell her that a period of intense prayer is called for. 'Withregard to your employment, my mind is not yet enlightened enoughbefore God concerning a difficulty which prevents me from seeingwhether it is the Will ofHis Divine Majesty. I beg you ... to recommendthis matter to Him during these days inwhichHe communicatesmoreabundantly the blessings of the Holy Spirit, rather the Holy SpiritHimself. Let us persist, therefore, in our prayers."20

When he sent a youngwoman named Marie to Louise for trainingduring the summer of 1633, Vincent appeared just about certain of thewill of God. He told Louise, "I certainly think thatOur Lord has givenher to you Himself so that He might make use of her through yoU."2!In August Vincent made his annual retreat. During it he soughtlight from God concerning his holy will. After the retreat Vincentshared his thoughts quite simply with Louise. "Four or five days ago[your good angel] communicatedwith mine concerning the Charity ofyour young women. It is true; he prompted me to recall it often and Igave that good work serious thought. We shall talk about it, Godwilling, on Friday or Saturday."22

Vincent was at last confident that God was making it evident thathe did indeedwant Louise to undertake the formation of the girls. Thepotentially paralyzing effects of her "excessive affection" for her son,which had, as Vincent thought, prevented her "from doing the will ofGod in other matters,"23had been broughtwithinthe bounds ofreason.At the end of the week, as promised, Vincent and Louisewould meettomake "a firm decision about the girls."24Our Lord had spoken to their

"Vincent de Paul to Louise de Marillac, January 1632/February 1633, letter 131, ibid., 1:186.20Vincent de Paul to Louise de Marillac, May 1633, letter 138, ibid., 1:200.21Vincent de Paul to Louise de arillac, c. 2 September 1633, letter 147, ibid., 1:211."Vincent de Paul to Louise de "Marillac, August/September c. 1633, letter 151, ibid., 1:216.23Vincent de Paul to Louise de Marillac, 19 February 1630, letter 40, ibid., 1:67."Vincent de Paul to Louise de Marillac, September /October 1633, letter 152., ibid., 1:217.


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160listening hearts. On 29 November 1633, the first Daughters of Charitygathered together inLouise deMarillac's home. A new company in theChurch had been born.

Events now moved swiftly and four months later, on 25 March1634,withVincentdePaul's full approval,LouisedeMarillacwas at lastfree to consecrate herself and all her energies by vow to the newundertaking. Gobillon, her first biographer, described her consecration. "Having taken on the responsibility for this newborn company,she loved this vocation so much that she wanted to dedicate herselfentirely to it, and the following year, on the feast of the Annunciationof the BlessedVirgin, she committed herself to itby an irrevocable vow,at the same time renewing her vow of widowhood."25The founding of the Company and Louise's subsequent vow to

dedicate herself entirely to its development and works mark anotherturning point in her spiritual journey.In 1645,when Vincent de Paul petitioned the archbishop of Paris,

Jean-Fran


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161consequently, to lose sight of the unifying force behind it all: the visionof Jesus Christ suffering in the poor whom they served.In a work called Caring: A Biblical Theology or Community, Thomas

Dubaysays that community "is notbuilt" but rather it "happens" astheresult of two factors: a "common vision" and the "burning pursuit" ofthat vision. 27 I t was the vision of Christ in the poor that had broughtVincent and Louise to work together in the Confraternities of Charityand laterwith theDaughters ofCharity. Letusnow examine that visionas Louise de Marillac lived it and transmitted it to her spiritual daugh-ters.The centrality of Jesus crucified in Louise's spiritual evolution is

evident from her earliestwritings. Lifehad taught her that her vocationwas to unite herself to Jesus on the cross. A text in her Spiritual Writings,dating from the period prior to 1633, is revealing in this regard. "God,who has granted me so many graces, ledme to understand that it wasHis holy will that I go t oHim byway of the Cross. His goodness chosetomarkmewith it frommy birth and He has hardly ever left me, atanyage, without some occasion for suffering."28Elsewhere, at this sameperiod,movedby thewords ofJesus on the

cross, "I thirst," she exclaimed, "Listen to him, 0 my soul, as ifHe werespeaking to you alone, 'I thirst for your faithfullove."'29In 1643,whenLouisebeganusing the sealwhichwould become the

sealofthe Company, it bore the image ofJesus crucified surrounded bythewords ofSaintPaul as shehadmodified them, "TheCharity ofJesuscrucified urges us." Late in her life, in a conference to the sisters entitled"On the Pure Love WeHaveVowed toGod," she urged herDaughtersto respond unreservedly to the call of Christ on the cross.

Let us take the first step in following Him, which is to exclaim, "1 desireit thus, my dear Spouse, I desire it thus. As proof thereof, I am going tofollow you to the foot ofYourCross whichI choose asmy cloister. There,Ishallleavebehindall earthlyaffectionsbecauseYourvoicehas calledmeand urgedmy heart to forgetmy people and my father's house so as to beopen to Your great love. Therefore, at the foot of this holy, sacred andadored Cross, I sacrifice everything that might prevent me from loving,with all the purity that you expect ofme,without everaspiring to any joyother than submission toYourgood pleasureand tothelawsofYour purelove."3o

"Thomas Dubay, Caring: A Biblial Theology ofCommunity (Denville: 1973),7,22.""On charity," A.29, SWLM, 711.""Thoughts on the Passion ofOur Lord," A.21, SWLM, 702.3O"On the Pure LoveWe Have Vowed to God," A.27, ibid., 828.


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162Later on, in the same conference, Louise prayed, "My Lord, I

received a kind of new light concerning the uncommon love that Youwish to receive from those You choose to exercise the purity of Yourlove on earth. Look upon this little flock ofYours and see ifwe dare tohope for such a thing."31

At this juncture, Louise deMarillac was "daring" to call the "goodvillage girls" of the Company to the life of contemplation which hadpreviously been reserved to wealthy, educated religious. Indeed, forLouise, itwas the contemplationofChristwhichwasto lead to service.ItwasChrist himselfwhowas to be their rule, theirmodel, and theonlyobject of their love. She told the sisters "not to be fearful ... even if, inusing the word all [she was] making no exceptions."32 As she had triedto do, they toowould find comfort and strength at the foot of the cross.At the time of the misfortunes that were besetting the Marillac familyVincent had written to Louise, "Our Lord will see to the matter,especially if you are happy at the foot of the Cross where you are atpresent and which is the best place in the world you could be. So behappy there ... and fear nothing."33

In 1657Louisewouldwrite along similar lines toMargueriteChetif.I trust, my dear Sister, that Our Lord has let you taste the sweetnessreserved for souls filled with His love amidst the sufferings and anguishof this life. I fsuch is not the case and you are still standingonCalvary, restassured that JesusCrucified ispleased to see you retire there and to knowthat you have enough courage towant to remain there asHedid for loveof you. You may be certain that youwill emerge from there gloriously.34

If Louise deMarillac sought to keep the eyes of her Daughters onthe suffering Christ as the one whom they served in the poor, she alsopresented to them the entire life ofChrist, "the SourceandModel ofallCharity,"35 as the exemplar for the true servant of the poor.

Louise's prayers and meditations followed the rhythm of theliturgical year. At each season she entered into what Andre Dodincalled "thismysterious adventure oftheIncarnateWord."36 During heradvent retreats she reflectedon the birth ofChrist and thelessonsofthecrib. On one such occasion she wrote, flOur Lord, born in poverty and

3%id., 829."Ibid., 828.33Vincent de Paul to Louise de Marillac, undated, letter 103, SVP, 1:155.34Louise de Marillac to Marguerite thetif, 22 September 1657, L. 545B, SWLM, 570."Rules of the Daughters of Charity, Servants of the Sick Poor, (Emmitsburg, Maryland: 1976), 1.36Andre Dodin, CM., Saint Vincent de Paul et la Charite (Paris: 1960),69.


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163obscurity, teachesme the purity ofHis lovewhichHedoes notmanifestto His creatures. He is satisfied simply to do whatever is necessary forthem. Thus, Imust learntoremain hiddeninGod,desiringtoserveHimwithout seeking recognition from others ... content t ha t H e sees what Iam striving to become."37Love, simplicity, humility - virtues which would later be presented as the fundamental virtues of the Daughters of Charity. TheChristmasbefore her death, she would once again remind the sisters ofthe wisdom contained in this mystery. She told them, "You will learnfromJesus,my dearSisters, to practice solidvirtue, asHedid in Hisholyhumanity, as soonas He came d ow n u po n earth. It is from the exampleofJesus in His infancy tha t you will obtain all tha t you nee d to becometrue Christians and perfect Daughters of Charity."38Meditation on the Incarnate Word led Louise de Marillac quitenaturally to Mary, his mother, to whom she would consecrate the"Little Company,"39 and whom she would designate in her "SpiritualTestament" as its "only Mother."40

The contemplation of the intimate union of Mary with her sonmoved Louise to desire to attain profound union w it h h er God. OnChristmas day, while praying before the crib, her heart overflowedwith joy and she exclaimed, "MostHolyVirgin, you know the emotionsofmy heart today at the thought ofyourDivineSon in theCrib and howgreat this mystery seemed to me ... 0 holy time of grace! Why are oursouls notin a continuous state ofjoyand happiness? Why does this timenot suffice to fill our lives with love for so good a God?"41

We find Mary here as we will always find her in Louise deMarillac's writings, as theMother ofGod, intimately united to h er s onin the accomplishment of the divine plan.42 Louise's reflections on therole of Mary in the redemption caused her to see, well before anydefinitionof the dogma, the importance of the ImmaculateConception.She wrote, "Most Holy Virgin [I wish] to glorify God for the choice Hemade of you to be the Mother ofHis Son. Because of this divine action,

37"Retreat," A.8, SWLM, 718."Louise de Marillac to GenevieveDoinel an d Marie-Marthe, 28 December 1659, L. 647,SWLM,666. ""Account o f t he pilgrimage to Chartres," 1644, L.lll, SWLM, 121-22.""Spiritual Testament," undailW, SWLM, 835.""To th e Virgin Mary," A.14B, SWLM, 774.

"See Elizabeth Charpy, D.C., Un chemin de saintete: Louise de Marillac, (Paris: 1989),201-19.


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164your conception was immaculate since the Father applied to you theanticipated merits of the death of Jesus Christ."43

Every aspect of Mary's life became a subject of prayer for Louise.She wished her spiritual daughters to turn daily to the Blessed Virgin.She asked them torecitethe rosarywhilemeditating ona singlemysteryand hailing Mary as "Daughter of the Father, Mother of the Son andSpouse of the Holy Spirit."44

Let us return now to Louise de Marillac's reflections on the life ofChrist as the model of the life of a Daughter of Charity. From thisperspective, the hidden life in Nazareth held special importance forher. In 1659Louisewrote toAnneHardemontatUssel.Annewas lonelyand frustrated because she had little to do. Louise advised her:

I share in the pain you are experiencing because you feel that you aredoing nothing. Be thoroughly consoled, my dear Sister, by the thoughtthat you are imitating the state in which the Son ofGod found Himselfwhen, after leaving the templewhereHe had beenworking for the gloryofGod,He went with the Blessed Virgin and Saint Joseph to obey them.He thereby accomplished the will ofGod by toiling formany years at thehumble tasks ofa carpenter's shop. Yet He had come upon earth to laborfor the salvation of the entire human race.45

Louise concluded another letter to Anne on the same subject byreminding her that contemplation of the life of Christ must lead toimitation. She told her, "You perhaps admired this before [God] placedyou in a situation where you are called upon to imitate it."46

As lent began, Louise deMarillac's prayer centered on the mysteryof the Redemption. It was this aspect of the life ofChrist, the sufferingservant, which for her was the essence of the vocation of the Daughterof Charity. In a letter to Antoine Portail, asking him to obtain anapostolic blessing forherselfand for her companions, shewrote, "1wish... to ask you ... to obtain this ... for all those towhom God will give thegrace to die in theCompany of the Daughters ofCharity, since it seemsthat it is the spirit of Jesus Christ that inspired thosewhom He chose tohonor His human life on earth to desire this manner of life."47

In Louise de Marillac's "Correspondence and Thoughts," we findthe blueprint she offered her sisterswho were striving to learn from the

""Oblation to the Blessed Virgin, (c. 1626)" A.4. SWLM, 695."Louise de Marillac to Vincent de Paul, March 1646, L.303B, ibid., 140."Louise de Marillac to Anne Harde51Ont, 20 December 1659, L.642, ibid., 660."Louise deMarillac to Anne Hardemont, c. 1659, L.575, ibid., 659.'?Louise de Marillac to Antoine Portail, 21 June 1647, L.179, ibid., 202-03.


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165example ofChristto be servants of their "lords andmasters," the poor.48As Father Richard McCullen, CM., put it in the preface to the 1991edition of the Spiritual Writings, it is often in her letters thatwe find "thedeepest insight into the workings of [her] mind and heart" as well as arevelation of "the nobility of her soul."49 The 377 letters we have to thefirst sisters show a transformation in Louise's spirituality. The spirituality of the "I," of a God-and-I relationship, albeit one which reachedout to the poor, has been replaced by a spirituality of the "we." Calvetwill speak of a "Mysticism ofthe group."so Itwould be together that thearistocratic Louise and "the good village girls" would move towardunion with God.

Few things show better than Louise deMarillac's letters the blending of the divine and the human, the supernatural and the practical, thecontemplative and the active which was to characterize this new formof consecrated life. The mails were slow and unreliable, so Louiseprofited from the opportunity towrite to the sisters to include remarksand reflections on all aspects of their lives. Thevocationof theDaughterof Charity, her consecratibn by vow, her service of the poor, her life incommunity, the virtues ofher state are intertwinedwith newsof family,recipes for remedies, and advice on how to pack pears. Louise deMarillacwas a mysticwith her feet solidly planted on the ground, andshe called her spiritual daughters to a similar mysticism.

Whatare the aspects ofthe life and personofChrist ofwhichLouisemost often spoke? First, the will of God. Just as Jesus had come toaccomplish the will of theFather, so theDaughterofCharitymust strivethroughout her life to know and to carry out God's will for her. Theremarkable letter that Louise wrote to Jeanne Dalmagne, who wasdying, reechoes this preoccupation which appears some eighty-twotimes in her letters. Moreover, she asks Jeanne to intercede for theCompany in this regard. "Remember, then, my very dear Sister, theneeds of the poor Company to which God has called you. Become anadvocate for it before the Divine Goodness so He may accomplish Hisplans for it."sl

Louise turned to Jesus also to provide the exemplar for the fundamental virtues of the Daughter of Charity: humility, simplicity, and

"Louise de Marillac to Barbe Angiboust, 11 June 1652, L.353, ibid., 396."Preface to the English Language Edition, ibid., xxix."'JeanCalvet, Louise de Marillac: A Portrait, (New York: 1959), 194-95.51Louise de Marillac to Jeanne Dalmagne, March 1644, L.97, SWLM, 108.


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166charity.

In Louise deMarillac's meditations her reflections on humility, onhe r own nothingness, and on her weaknesses and sins can be disconcerting, especially to the contemporary reader. Nevertheless, w e m us trecognize that Louise compared herself to n o one but God and, therefore, her conclusions are logical.Her letters, however, presenta gentler,more balanced concept ofhumilitywhich recognizes it as a gift ofGod.She speaks of such humility to the Abbe de Vaux. "Because yo u desireit, I will tell you quite simply that w e m us t wait peacefully for grace toproduce true humility in us by revealing our powerlessness to us. Weare thereby led to recognize it and to accept willingly to en du re wh atyo u call our little infirmities, pride and sensitivity, without a ny h op ethat theywillbe destroyed i n u s becausewe are andwillbetossedaboutby such disturbances throughout our lives."52

It was supernatural humility leading to gentleness, respect, condescension, and forbearance that Louise proposed to the sisters, and shewarned them of the consequences of a lack of such virtue. In 1645 shewrote, "What is necessary is to have the true and solid virtues whichyou know are essential in order to carry outwellthework inwhichyouare so happy to be employed. Without that, my Sisters, your workwillbe almost useless to yoU."53

Among these true and solid virtues, simplicity was an essential.Frequentlymentioned byLouise in conjunctionwith humility, it was tobe a hallmark of the Daughter ofCharity, touching every'aspect ofherlife: he r relationship with God, with the superiors, with her companions, with the rich and with the poor. It was the means to preserve theprimitive spirit of theCompany. A text, catalogued as #100 andwrittenby Louise de Marillac only weeks before he r death in 1660, shows howstrongly she felt about this. It is, unfortunately, too long to quote in itsentirety but the conclusion gives an idea of the vehemence behind it.The dying foundress stated, "this Company must never depart fromno r change its poor manner of life. Thus, should Divine Providenceprovide them with more than is necessary, let them go to serve thecorporally and spiritually poor at their own expense. If this passesunnoticed,what does itmatter, so longas our souls honor eternally theRedemption of our Lord?"54

"Louise de Marillac to th e Abbe de Vaux, 10 March 1643, L.SO, ibid., 90.53Louise de Marillac to Sister Madeleine, 27 June 1645, L.121, ibid., 129-30.


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168drawing from her own sufferings and struggles. A letter to Fran


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169With simplicityand confidence,Louise deMarillac is ready toenter

the last phase of her spiritual journey, the stage given over completelytothethird andmostimportant virtue for theDaughterofCharity: love.The love of Jesus Christ crucified is urging her on toward the love oftotal abandonment which is union with God.As love was the driving force of Louise de Marillac's life, so she

wantedittobeforallherDaughters. In speakingofthesistersofAngers,she wrote, "1 desire all of them to be filled with a great love which willimmerse them so sweetly in God and so charitably in the service of thepoor that they will no longer have place for so many thoughts whichendanger their perseverance."68 Indeed, love alone was capable ofsustaining them on the difficult path they had chosen to follow. To thesisters of Serqueux she gave the following exhortation: "Be of goodheart! Work well toward your perfection in the numerous occasionsyou have to suffer and to practice gentleness and patience. Rise aboverejectionand any contradictionyoumay encounter. Be sostout-heartedthat you find nothing difficult for the most holy love ofGod and ofHisCrucified Son."69The love to which the Daughters of Charity and their foundress

were calledwas to be nourished by the qualitiesdescribed bySaintPaulinchapter13ofhis first letterto theCorinthians. Lovewas tobe "patientand kind." "50 be patient, my dear Sister, ... with everyone.... Practicegreat gentleness, condescension and discretion."70 Love was "neverboastfulor conceited." "Letuswillinglygive ourselves toGod to acceptall the humiliations our pride must endure."7! Love "does not takeoffense, and is not resentful." "Wemust not be so sensitive thatwe arehurt i f someone does not speak to us or does not smile at us. We shouldrather try to win their hearts by support and cordiality."72 Love "delights inthe truth." "Youmust realize that authority is not to bewieldedabsolutely but charitably ... Wemust console our dear sisters who willalways have sufficient difficulty in putting up with US."73 Love "isalways ready to excuse, to trust, to hope and to endure." "Renew yourconfidence in God and abandon yourself to His guidance. I f you

68Louise deMarillac to Madeleine Mongert, June 1642, L.441, ibid., 75."Louise deMarillac to the Sister sent to Serqueux,October/November 1645, L.344, ibid., 139."'Louise de Marillac to Cecile Avgiboust, 20 September 1650, L.290B, ibid., 330.71Ibid., 386."Louise de Marillac to Sister Turgis, 24August 1644, L.105, ibid., 115."Louise deMarillac to Cecile Angiboust, 20 September 1650, L.290B, ibid., 330.


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170continue ... to observeyourRules,youmaybe ceratin that Hewillassistyou in all your needs."74One of the essential aspects of love, in the thought of Louise de

Marillac, was the love the sisters were to have for one another. Shespoke to them of it, in season and out of season. While she recognizedthat it could at times be difficult, that it must always respect theindividual, and that it often called for great virtue, she never tired ofreminding them that it was to this love that they were called and thatwithout it the Company could not endure. To explain this ideal of loveto her Daughters, Louise chose on numerous occasions one of theprincipal themes of her personal prayer life: the image of the BlessedTrinity. But, as was her way, she led the sisters to concrete ways inwhich they could strive to image among themselves the unity of theTriune God. In May 1651, she wrote:

In the name of God, I beg you ... to reflect on the fact that there are threeof you together and that you must honor the Blessed Trinity by thisnumber. But how exactly? It is by the union that must exist among you,by deferring toone another, soas to avoid contention and by acquiescing,as far as possible, to one another's opinions. If occasionally they differ,remember, my dear Sisters, thatOur Lord always deferred to the will ofHis Father. In that way, you will, as it were, honor this deference.75

Pentecostwas approaching and Louise concluded the above letterthus: "1 beg the goodness of Our Lord to dispose our souls for thereception of the Holy Spirit so that, burning with the fire ofHis holylove, you may be consumed in the perfection of this love which willenable you to love the holy will of God."76 The feast of Pentecost,celebrating the coming of the spirit of love into the Church and theworld, held special meaning for Louise de Marillac. She wrote to thes.isters at Nantes, "Pray for us, my dear Sisters, that Our Lord JesusChristmay bestowHisSpiritupon us ... so thatwemay be so filledwithHis Spirit that we may do nothing or say nothing except for His gloryand His 10ve."77

To prepare herself for the coming of the Holy Spirit, Louise madearetreateachyear betweenAscensionand Pentecost.The feastwas alsoareminderfor herofthespecialgracesshe had received fromGod at the

"Louise de Marillac to Laurence Dupois, 7 August 1657, L.536, 562."Louise de Marillac to AnneHardemont, May 1651, L.429, ibid., 353."Ibid."Louise de Marillac to Jeanne Lepintre, 19May 1651, L.345, ibid., 351.


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171time ofPentecost. I t had beenon PentecostSunday,4June 1623, that shehad received the light which revealed her vocation to her,78 On the eveof Pentecost 1642, a ceiling in the motherhouse suddenly collapsed.There were no casualties. As in 1623 this feast of Pentecost marked aturning point in Louise de Marillac's spiritual journey toward unionwithGod. She saw inthe accident a sign of the special protectionofGodfor the Company,79 but she also saw in it a call to her to sacrificeeverything, to abandon everything and everyone to him. In one of hermeditations she wrote, "The soul that truly loves God must seeknothingmore. The greatest happiness it can experience is to cooperatein rendering glory to Him ... the unique object of all our affections."8oLouise concluded this meditation thus. "Blessed are they who employthe full power of their love so astomakethe loveof theirMasterthesoulproprietorof their hearts '" Blessed, therefore, are theywho help othersto fulfill their obligations to Him."8!

Louise is surely thinking here of her companions on her spiritualjourney who had helped her to fulfill her obligations to God. Hercorrespondence reveals that, in her later years, her friendship with thesisters and with some ofthe Ladies of Charity had meant more andmore to her. Yet it was at the same t ime a period during which she waslittle by little detaching herself from everything that was not Godhimself.

However, it isunquestionable that she isreferring, in theabovetext,to Vincent, the one in whom she had found strength and support forthirty-six years. She had come to realize, albeit painfully,whatVincentreferred to in his 1660 letter toMathurine Guerin as "the great secret ofthe spiritual life."82 Through his freeing friendship she had at last beenable to "abandonto [God] all that [she loved] by abandoning [herself]to all that He [willed]."83 In the end she could be fully united with herbeloved,exclaimingwith thepsalmist, "TheLordhasbeen my strength;He has led me into freedom. He saved me because he loves me."84

78"Light," A.2., ibid., 1-2.""On the Conduct ofDivine Providence," A.75, ibid., 768.BO"The Purity of Love Necessary to Receive the Holy Spirit," A.25, ibid., 802.81lbid."Vincent de Paul to MathuriIlf/ Guerin, 3 March 1660, in Saint Vincent de Paul: Conferences,

entretiens, documents, ed. Pierre Coste, CM., 14 vols. (Paris: 1920-1926),8:255.83lbid.84Psalrn 18:19-20.


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Standing, left to right: Sister Louise Sullivan, D.C., Sister Donna Franklin,D.C.,Ms. Vie Thorgren, SisterKieran Kneaves, D.C., Reverend John Rybolt,C.M. Sitting, left to right: Reverend Edward Udovic, C.M., Very ReverendRichard McCullen, C.M., SisterMary Rose McPhee, D.C., Reverend HughO'Donnell, C.M.