When St. Vincent agreed to write a Rule for the Daughters of Charity and submit it to the archbishop of Paris for his approval, St. Louise was happy with this decision but realistic about potential difficulties in obtaining the approval. Would the Church agree to recognize this new type of “secular” confraternity of servants of the poor? Wasn’t there a risk of the community facing the same fate as the Visitandines: namely, the imposition of the cloister? If the archbishop of Paris refused to allow women consecrated to God “to come and go” in the streets and villages, how could their service of the poor continue? On the other hand, the Church’s official recognition was necessary for the continuance of the Company, so Louise thought of undertaking a pilgrimage to Chartres to ask for the help of Our Lady.

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