Louise missioned for formation

During the time of Louise’s “novitiate” (1626-1629) Vincent continued his missionary work. In May 1629 he is found near Paris, in Montmirail where Philippe Emmanuel de Gondi, who was preparing to enter the Oratorians, asked to speak with Vincent (CCD:I:63 [note #2]). From the De Gondi estate Vincent wrote a letter that sent Louise forward on her mission. It was May 6, 1629 … he had written a previous letter to her with details about traveling to Montmirail.

The time of going forth on mission had arrived. The wait resulted in great joy as Louise’s desire became a reality. The comings and goings that she perceived in 1623 were about to begin. Divine Providence had established the right moment and had prepared the heart and the spirit of this missionary. Vincent was convinced that this was time and that God was calling Louise. Therefore without any words of introduction or affection or diplomacy Vincent refers to this new situation as something important and sacred: I am sending you the letters and the report that you need for your journey. Go, therefore, Mademoiselle, go in the name of Our Lord. I pray that His Divine Goodness may accompany you, be your consolation along the way, your shade against the heat of the sun, your shelter in rain and cold, your soft bed in your weariness, your strength in your toil, and, finally, that He may bring you back in perfect health and filled with good works(CCD:I:64-65).

This letter was a true commissioning of a missionary and Vincent shared with Louise some spiritual advice for her journey: Go to Communion the day of your departure to honor the charity of Our Lord, the journeys that He undertook for this same and by this same charity, and the difficulties, contradictions, weariness, and labors that He endured in them. May He be pleased to bless your journey, giving you His spirit and the grace to act in this same spirit, and to bear your troubles in the way He bore His (CCD::I:65).

This was followed by some practical advice with regard to the duration of each visit: two days seemed to be sufficient, but Vincent gave Louise the freedom to stay longer if she felt it was necessary but asked that she would write to him and explain the reasons for a prolonged stay. Everything was regulated and foreseen! In 1629 more than thirty Confraternities were functioning in the various towns. Since 1625 Vincent and his companions had been preaching missions and at the conclusion of each mission a confraternity was established. The confraternities were one of the fruits of the mission. Their growth obliged Vincent to look at the question of some form of central organization and some manner of encouraging the members to maintain their enthusiastic spirit.

Some of the confraternities had seen the introduction of certain abuses and others experienced difficulties in functioning; in different places the initial fervor of the members had grown weak and in almost all the confraternities the members felt there was a need for some kind of formation in order to confront unforeseen difficulties [11]. Indeed, there was an urgent need for instruction and formation. This was Louise’s mission as she visited the confraternities. Divine providence had manifested itself and Louise made herself available and placed herself at the disposition of providence.

Until this time Louise’s activity could be seen as being in the rearguard, that is, she was responsible for the administration and the formation of women and young girls who were related in some way to the Confraternities. Now, however, her activity would be seen as being in the vanguard. Her activity became more intense and the areas for her ministry were expanded and opened to the movement of the Spirit. Thus, in 1629 she visited the Charities in Montmirail and Asniѐres. Her concern during this visit was to help the “neighbor” come to a knowledge of God which would be a source of great comfort (SWLM:704-705 [A.50]). As Louise formed the various individuals who were entrusted to her she communicated to these persons her knowledge, her criteria, and her convictions. At the same time she was a mystic who experienced God dwelling within her … in the very midst of her missionary activity she experienced God becoming present to her as the Spouse of her soul: I left on the Feast of Saint Agatha, February 5, to go to Saint-Cloud. At the moment of Holy Communion, it seemed to me that Our Lord inspired me to receive Him as the Spouse of my soul and that this Communion was a manner of espousal. I felt myself more closely united to Him by this consideration which was extraordinary for me. I also felt moved to leave everything to follow my Spouse; to look upon Him as such in the future; and to bear with the difficulties I might encounter as part of the community of His goods (SWLM:705 [A.50]).

In 1630 Louise visited Saint Cloud, Villepreux, Villiers-le-Bal and returned to Montmirail and Beauvais. Meanwhile, as a result of Louise’s initiatives the first Confraternities had been established in Paris, namely, in the parishes of Saint-Nicolas-du-Chardonnet and Saint Sauveur where the first steps for their establishment were taken in 1629. Why were these establishments in Paris due to the initiative of Louise? The answer is clear. Vincent had made a decision not to preach missions in the cities and the confraternities had emerged as a fruit of the missions that Vincent preached in the countryside. This fact prevented Vincent from promoting the confraternities in Paris. Therefore who else but Louise was able to convince and motivate the pastors of Saint-Nicolas and Saint Sauveur? She knew the pastors and also knew how to approach them … she would then be entrusted with forming the women who became members of these associations. She knew these women because she had been a member of both parishes. She was a member of Saint Sauveur when she lived on the rue Cours-au-Vilain (CCD:I:64) and a member of Saint-Nicolas when she lived on the rue Foxes Saint-Victor [12]. Louise was president of the Confraternity of Saint-Nicolas.

In 1631 Louise visited the Confraternities at Monrueil-sous-Bois, Montmirail (for the third time), Le Mesnil, Bergѐres, Loisy, Souliѐres, Sannoiis, Francoville and Herblay. Nothing could keep her from this mission. The trips were uncomfortable and often she had to use ill-equipped stagecoaches and seek lodging at inns that were unsafe or in towns that were half abandoned … but she had no fear. During these trips she experienced the strength of the Spirit and a great interior consolation. She had no doubt that she was fulfilling the will of God and this surety was the source of serenity and courage. With missionary zeal Louise, accompanied by Isabelle de Fay or one of her servants, traveled the roads of France. After each visit she wrote a report that was then sent to Vincent. As a result of these reports and the letters that have been preserved we are able to reconstruct her missionary and formation activity among the Confraternities.

One of the first Confraternities that Louise visited was that of Saint-Cloud. We become aware of her activity there through a letter that Vincent wrote to her on February 19, 1630. We read the following: I praise God that you have the health for the sixty people for whose salvation you are working, but I beg you to let me know right away whether your lung is being irritated by your talking so much, or your head by so much confusion and noise (CCD:I:67).

What did Louise de Marillac do in Saint Cloud with these sixty lay persons? From her correspondence we can see that Louise spent many hours speaking with them, motivating them and encouraging them … sometimes she would explain the Catechism (beginning with an instruction on the Creed) and at other times she spoke about the gospels and the life of Jesus Christ. She frequently read the Rule so that the members of the confraternity would be very clear that through their activity they were honoring Jesus Christ and continuing his mission among the poor. This was her task in the area of formation [13]. She also spoke about the attitude of faith that the women should have as they served the poor, reminding them of the text from Saint Matthew’s gospel: whatever you did for one of these least brothers or sisters of mine, you did for me(Matthew 25:40).

From Saint Cloud Louise traveled to Villepreux and Beauvais where there were eighteen functioning Charities. From there she went to Montreuil, Pontoise, Villeneuve-Saint-Georges, Loisy-en-Brie, Gournay, sur-Aronde, Asniѐres and many other places. She always traveled by stagecoach and on roads that she was unfamiliar with … at night she stayed at inns where she became aware of promiscuity, the bold and vulgar conversations of men, the poverty of the lodgings and the guests, the moral and religious ignorance of the peasants … she often slept on straw mattresses in cold rundown rooms. At other times, when she only had to journey a short distance she would travel by horseback.

When Louise arrived at a town or city, she was usually received by the members of the Confraternity who were grateful for her visit. During her stay she would meet with the women and would encourage them in their work and renew them in their fervor. If she felt it necessary, she would revise their Rule, examine their ledger of accounts and review the minutes of their meetings. This would allow her to determine if they had been faithful to their ministry or if they had grown lax in their activity. She would personally visit those persons who were infirm and would gather together the young girls whom she would instruct. In many towns and villages she went to great lengths to find a permanent teacher for the girls. Her enthusiasm was contagious. In one of the testimonies that was written down we are told: Once Louise went to a town where all the women felt so consoled when listening to her that they recounted all of this to their husbands who also wanted to listen to her. The men were told, however, that they could not go. Nonetheless they went and hid under the beds and in other areas of the house. They asked if Louise became aware of all of this [14].

One of Louise’s concerns was the formation of catechists and teachers who in turn would be able to teach the girls and the young women who lacked instruction. In this way her ministry of formation became a network that enabled the communication of Christian values and knowledge. It was for this purpose that she wrote her Catechism [15].

Vincent’s letters reveal some of the details of this Charity in which it was not he who intervened but rather it was Louise who prepared the way. This was done first of all by motivating the noble and wealthy women who were willing to commit themselves. Secondly, she encouraged the pastor who was responsible for the establishment of the Confraternity and finally, with the assistance of Mademoiselle Isabelle du Fay, they identified the sick poor of the parish who needed to be cared for.

Through Vincent’s letters we know that the Confraternity was established in February 1630, probably at the beginning of Lent. There was a Jesuit priest (his name is unknown) who collaborated in this endeavor by preaching which encouraged the women and the priests in this ministry (CCD:I:70). After the establishment of the Confraternity Louise continued to encourage the members and helped them to sustain their fervor. At the same time she sought new members. As a result of the formation of the members and the fact that Louise was able to communicate her own convictions to the women, this Confraternity became a model for the confraternities in the other parishes in Paris. Vincent congratulated her for her work: With regard to your Confraternity of Charity [the Confraternity of Saint-Nicolas] I cannot tell you how much it consoles me. I beg God to bless your labor and to perpetuate this holy work (CCD:I:69-70).

Vincent continued his letter and offered some practical advice that he knew would be well-received. He knew the curate wanted to become the treasurer and the administrator of the group and so he warned Louise: You must take care not to let the curate keep the money because of the many difficulties that might arise. I shall tell you about them some other time. Let me tell you in advance that experience has shown that, of all the methods, the surest ones that can be practiced in the Charity are those which you had in mind (CCD:I:70).

It seems that the question about the administration of the group as well as the question of treasurer had been discussed. Both Vincent and Louise were aware of the difficulties that could arise and Vincent expressed this very well at the conclusion of his letter: Experience has shown that it is absolutely necessary for the women not to depend on the men in this situation, especially for the money (CCD:I:70).

The president of the Confraternity of Saint-Nicolas-du-Chardonnet was Louise de Marillac. This was her parish and it was logical that she should have been elected to this position of responsibility since she was the one who initiated this work. This enabled her to experience herself as a committed member of the parish. It was also probable that Louise established the Confraternity in the parish of Saint-Sauveur where she resided from 1613 until 1621. Louise was seen as one who had the moral authority to engage in the formation of the laity. Despite their preparation problems soon arose in the Confraternity with regard to taking turns in preparing the food for the poor. Louise consulted Vincent about what should be done in this regard and a response was given: If you now relieve each one at the Charity of the obligation of getting the meat cooked, you will never again be able to restore this practice. If you have it cooked elsewhere and someone undertakes to do it out of charity right now, it will become a burden to her in a short time. If you hire someone to do it, it will cost a lot. Then, with time, the ladies of the Charity will say that the woman who prepares the food should carry the pot to the sick, and in this way your Charity will be reduced to failure(CCD:I:70).

The vitality of the Confraternity is known through the letters that Vincent and Louise exchanged. The problem of yesterday is also today’s problem … there are many sick poor to be cared for and not enough committed people who are willing to provide for them. Therefore it soon became necessary to seek the assistance of some young women who became salaried workers of the Confraternity. Vincent approved this arrangement and said: I am delighted with the employment of those good young women (CCD:I:70).

Louise would be entrusted with forming and guiding them. Her work was increased but Vincent encouraged her: So you are a small number of workers for so much work. Oh, well! Our Lord will work with you. The suggestion that each one of you take a day to feed the sick at your own expense seems fine to me. That is how it is done elsewhere until the day the confraternity is established (CCD:I:71).

Vincent was aware of the economic hardships that she endured and helped her financially: It will indeed be proper for you to make use of those offerings for the needs of those poor people … Well now, there are more than five women. I beg God to send you some others. As for the means, Our Lord will provide(CCD:I:72).

In the spring of 1630 Louise had five women who were serving the poor and collaborating with the Confraternity of Saint-Nicolas-de-Chardonnet and Saint-Sauveur. Louise formed, guided and supervised their work and paid them with money that was collected by the members. At the same time Louise and Mademoiselle du Fay were able to continue their missionary work of visiting the confraternities that had been established in the various towns and villages. In 1630 Mademoiselle de Fresne participated in these missionary journeys (CCD:I:173). Thus day by day Louise expanded her charitable network. The member of Saint-Sulpice saw the good that was being done by the members of the Confraternities of Saint-Nicolas and Saint-Sauveur and requested the establishment of a confraternity in their parish.

Could the renown of the name “Marillac” in political and spiritual circles, especially the activity of Michel de Marillac … could this have led to the expansion of the Confraternities? It is very probable that was the case but that in no way diminishes Louise’s responsibility, her courage and her commitment to the formation of the Confraternities of Charity. The fact that the name “Marillac” was well known should be seen as a favorable circumstance. It is certainly true that the fact that her name was well known among the nobles and the members of the Carmelite spirituality circle opened doors and enabled her to influence the women of the noble class. It also led to her charitable proposals being accepted by the pastors and curates in the parishes throughout Paris. But this fact takes nothing away from the human and evangelical value of her initiatives as an apostle of charity.