Books: The Life of Venerable Sister Margaret Bourgeois

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"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.

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