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 1 
 
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 32X 
 
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■ w 
 
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 J 
 
 V 
 
 SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS, 
 Foundress of the Congi*egation of Notre Dame, 
 
 ESTABLISHED IN MONTREAL, CANADA, 1669. 
 
THE 
 
 L.IFE OF 
 
 VENERABLE SISTER 
 
 MARGARF/r BOURGEOIS, 
 
 FOlJNr -S Of • ' RRS OF THE 
 
 CO 'lATiON OJ' N -{IT DAMl^. 
 
 Estabiisktd at Montreal, Canada^ ^^3^' 
 
 Trmmslated from the French 
 BY A RELIGIEUSE, 
 
 NEW YORK: 
 
 D. & J: SADIJEK & CO.. PUBLISHERS, 
 
 31 BAKCi^Y STREET. 
 
 Iv^M). 
 
S; 
 
 ■»*t--W4t 
 
 ?*fo$ie Damn 
 
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' 
 
 
 THE 
 
 LIFE OF 
 
 VENERABLE SISTER 
 
 MARGARET BOURGEOIS, 
 
 FOUNDRESS OF THE SISTERS OF THE 
 CONGREGATION OF NOTRE DAME. 
 
 Established at Montrealy Canaday l6^g. 
 
 Translated from the French 
 
 BY A RELIGIEUSE, 
 
 OSDAR RAFIDS, IOWA. 
 
 NEW YORK: 
 
 D. & J. SADLIER & CO.. PUBLISHERS, 
 
 31 BARCLAY STREET. 
 
 1886. 
 

 Copyright, i88a 
 By D. & J. SADLIER & CO. 
 
 h 
 
 ^-0 0^ 
 
AUTHOR'S PREFACE. 
 
 Having read a French edition of the Life of Venera- 
 ble Sister Bourgeois, published in 1818, the translator of 
 the present work was so charmed by itj perusal that 
 she resolved on rendering it into English for the spir- 
 itual edification of others. 
 
 Many years ago the work of translation was com- 
 menced, but from some preventing cause or other, was 
 as oftep laid aside. Yet the idea of presenting it to 
 the public remained, as no English Version of Sister 
 Bourgeois' life exists, at least in the United States. 
 
 Therefore determining at last to obey an impulse of 
 long standing, the scattered translation sheets have 
 been prepared for publication, with the humble hope 
 that the reader may derive as much benefit from their 
 perusal as did the writer. 
 
 In this age of miscellaneous and corrupt literature, 
 when people cf every condition of life are literally 
 devouring irreligious magazines and serials, it surely 
 cannot be amiss to add another volume to the already 
 rich store of our libraries in order to help roll back the 
 torrent of universal depravity that threatens the nzin 
 of our beloved country, and also to place before the 
 
 ill 
 
IV 
 
 AUTHOR'S PREFACE, 
 
 minds of the young, the glorious example of one of 
 God's heroines. 
 
 The Second Centennial of Sister Bourgeois' advent to 
 America is already past, and more than a hundred years 
 before the Declaration of Independence^ was she labor- 
 ing in the cause of humanity for the glory of God In 
 the New World. 
 
 If reading the lives of such women as Mrs. Seton — 
 a Protestant American lady, who after her conversion 
 to the Catholic Church in Italy so burned with the love 
 of God, as to return to her native land in her early 
 widowhood to form a flourishing religious sisterhood 
 in New York; of Nano Nagle, an Irish aristocrat, who 
 turned from a useless fashionable life to the lowly spirit 
 of the gospel on seeing the poor artizans of Paris 
 crowding to early Mass in the Church of Notre Dame 
 before beginning their daily toil, while she lolled 
 weariedly in her carriage after a midnight ball ; heroic* 
 ally putting her hand to the plough, she never turned 
 back, and left behind her another religious Sisterhood 
 in Ireland to perpetuate her philanthropic sanctity : of 
 Catharirj McAiiley, who receiving from her adopted 
 Protestant parents a princely fortune, expended every 
 shilling of it in building up the Order of Mercy, one of 
 the latest and most flourishing outposts of the Church 
 of God ; of St. Jane de Chantal, who after having been 
 tried in the fire of affliction for years — founded in her 
 advanced widowhood the Order of the Visitation, under 
 the direction of St. Francis de Sales — and who attained 
 such an extraordinary degree of perfection as to be 
 seen ascending to heaven like a luminous meteor after 
 her happy death. 
 
■ 
 
 AUTHOR'S PREFACE, 
 
 If the perusal of the lives of these, and a host of 
 other sainted women, such as the Catholic Church alone 
 can produce, has filled many a young heart with high 
 and holy aspirations — perhaps the contents of this 
 little volume will not be less efficacious for the glory 
 of God, the interests of religion, and the salvation of 
 souls. 
 
 A literal translation has been adhered to as far as 
 possible — one or two remarkr. at the close being the 
 only additions. So if any defects exist in the work 
 they belong solely to the translator, whose aim has not 
 been rhetorical composition, but the gi eater glory of 
 God. And if but one heart be won more closely to the 
 knowledge and love of Jesus Christ by its perusal, she 
 will be amply repaid, and prays that the blessing of the 
 Sacred Heart of Jesus may be given to her humble 
 effort to advance His honor and glory. 
 
 Respectfully, The Authoress. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. PACK 
 The Discovery of Canada and Colonization of Mon- 
 treal 9 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 Messrs. Dauversiere and de Maisonneuve visit Mon- 
 treal as 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 Establishment of the Hotel Dieu — Ecclesiastical ap- 
 pointments for Canada, etc ..... 36 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 Early years of Margaret Bourgeois and her vocation 
 FOR the Canadian Mission 46 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 Margaret Bourgeois, after many trials and Mortifi- 
 cations, AT length sails WITH M. DE MAISONNEUVS 
 
 for Canada . ,61 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 Sister Bourgeois's arrival in Canada . . . 8a . 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 Establishment of the Sisters of the Congregation of 
 Notre Dame at Ville-Marie 89 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 M. FRAN901S DE Laval de Montmorenci is appointed 
 first Bishop of Canada — Sister Bourgeois succeeds 
 IN Building the Church of Notre Dame . . , 105 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 • * 
 
 CHAPTER IX. PAGE 
 
 The rules of the Congregation and establishment of 
 Missions 134 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 The Private and Social Virtues of Sister Bourgeois. 160 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 Sister Bourgeois's happy death and the wonders that 
 
 FOLLOWED it. . . I78 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 The Excellence of her Institutes, her Maxims, In- 
 stitutions, ETC 200 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 A recapitulation of the Principal Events of the Life 
 OF Sister Bourgeois 216 
 
 Conclusion 24a 
 
 '■.*,$i 
 
PAGE 
 'OF 
 
 >is. 160 
 
 AT 
 . 178 
 
 [N- 
 
 v\ 
 
 V ■' 
 
 < •.''■( 
 
 LIFE OF THE VENERABLE 
 
 SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 200 
 
 F£ 
 . 216 
 
 24a 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 THE DISCOVERY OF CANADA AND COLONIZATION 
 
 OF MONTREAL. 
 
 Every one knows that America is called the 
 New World because, until the close of the 15th 
 century, it was unknown to the other nations 
 of the earth — at least it was then unknown 
 to Europe. Until quite near the end of that 
 century, Canada was absolutely a terra incognita 
 — being one vast forest, inhabited only by the 
 red man, and by beasts as wild and untamable as 
 he. In the year 1534, James Cartier, a skilful 
 navigator, being provided with a commission 
 from the King of France, set sail from St. Malo, 
 with two ships of sixty tons burden, carrying one 
 hundred and twenty-two well-equipprd seamen, 
 in order to reconnoitre that part of the New 
 
 9 
 
lO VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 World. Cartier's first voyage was quite success- 
 ful. He discovered Canada and took possession 
 of it, in the name of the French King. Having 
 made his observations from the different posts 
 which surround the Gulf that receives into its 
 bosom the waters of the great river of Canada, 
 since called the St. Lawrence, he conversed as 
 well as he could with the savages, whenever an 
 opportunity offered, in order to study their 
 characters, and thought he occasionally discov- 
 ered in them dispositions favorable to Chris- 
 tianity. 
 
 This led him to hope that the King would 
 form a colony in the country, that might be 
 equally useful to commerce and religion. He ac- 
 cordingly returned to France, to acquaint his 
 sovereign with his projects and the success of the 
 expedition that inspired them. 
 
 His plans met with a very favorable reception, 
 and were immediately acted upon. The follow- 
 ing year he received a new commission from the 
 King and three well-appointed ships, several 
 Breton gentlemen at the same time volunteering 
 to accompany him. They left the port of St. Malo 
 on the 3rd of May, but did not arrive at the 
 Canadian Gulf until the loth of August. This 
 being the festival of St. Lawrence, they called 
 the Gulf by the Saint's name, in thanksgiving for 
 their safe arrival. Having entered the river 
 with his little fleet, he sailed as far as the Jacques 
 
VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. n 
 
 Cartier River, so named in his honor. Here they 
 landed, and tradition says, he lost one of his 
 ships at this place, although his biographers 
 make no mention of the occurrence. Perhaps 
 the vessel was stranded, and therefore became 
 useless. But whatever accident happened, it did 
 not cool his enterprising spirit in the least, nor 
 prevent him from ascending the river as high as 
 the Isle of Fochelagu (the present city of 
 Montreal), which was described to him as a de- 
 lightful place by the savages he met along his 
 route. At Lake St. Pierre, three leagues above 
 Three Rivers, he failed to procure material to 
 repair his ships, and was compelled to leave 
 them there. However, he manned two shallops 
 and embarked on them with the bravest of his 
 volunteers, arriving safely at Fochelagu on the 
 2d of October. Here he found a village of 
 savages at the foot of a mountain (the site of 
 the City of Montreal is a little to the right of 
 that old Indian village), who received him very 
 kindly — and he completely gained their friend- 
 ship bv making them various little presents. He 
 was e. .chanted by the situation of the island, and 
 surprised and dazzled by the beauty of the scene 
 that presented itself to his view. He called it, 
 in the enthusiasm of the moment, Mont Royal — 
 since corrupted into Montreal. He remained, 
 however, but a few days, as the season was ad- 
 vancing, and on the 5th of October set out to rejoin 
 
1 2 VENERABLE SIS TER MARGA RET BO URGEOfS. 
 
 
 his fleet and return to Europe, convinced that the 
 beautiful island was the most desirable locality 
 in the country for a new colony. He related his 
 success a second time at the French court, but 
 as all attempted discoveries then had only one 
 object in view — viz., the finding of gold and 
 silver — and as Cartier's journal of discovery made 
 no mention of the precious metals, he met with a 
 very cool reception. However, in 1540 the King 
 deemed it advisable to appoint Francis de la 
 Roque his viceroy and Lieutenant-General of 
 Canada. To be sure, the office was not a lucra- 
 tive one — as for many years he had only the 
 woods and forests to govern, and though bound- 
 less wealth lay concealed in these woods and 
 forests, he had not the means to bring it forth. 
 He made some voyages to Canada in virtue of 
 his appointment, and attempted the foundation 
 of a few colonies, which proved sadly unsuccess- 
 ful, as France, being then occupied with domestic 
 troubles, seemed to have forgotten Canada. It ' 
 was not until 1598, in the reign of Henry IV., 
 when a commission was given to the Marquis 
 de la Roche — a Breton gentleman — (such as had 
 been given to Francis de la Roque more than 
 forty years before), that renewed interest in the 
 affairs of the New World was awakened. This 
 commission f ssly provided that he should 
 have chiefly ..1 view the establishment of the 
 Catholic Religion in all the countries under his 
 
 *i- 
 
VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 n 
 
 jurisdiction. He received no assistance from the 
 government, however, for the succe t of the en- 
 terprise, and it therefore failed, like the preced- 
 ing ones. . . 
 
 These successive failures damped the ardor of 
 the French court, and further colonization plans 
 hung trembling in the balance. But during the 
 period of this fluctuating policy several naviga- 
 tors and merchants of Normandy, Bretony, and 
 elsewhere, sailed up the St. Lawrence on their 
 own account, established many trading posts, and 
 carried on a sufficiently lucrative trade with the 
 savages. Their mercantile success excited the 
 emulation of M. Chai ., a sea-captain, who 
 solicited and obtained from the King a contin- 
 uance of the commission that had been formerly 
 granted to Lords Roberval and de la Roche, with 
 the additional privilege of an exclusive trade 
 in furs. The subject of religion did not trou- 
 ble M. Chauvin very much, his negative Pro- 
 testantism being quite satisfied with the good 
 things of this life. He made two voyages — one in 
 1601, the other in 1602 — realizing great wealth 
 each time, but died while preparing for a third 
 enterprise. The Commander de la Chappe, Gov- 
 ernor of Dieppe, succeeded him in 1603, having 
 the same privileges accorded to him that had 
 been bestowed on his predecessors. In order to 
 extend his commercial pursuits he formed a com- 
 pany of traders and other persons of wealth and 
 
 i^-m. 
 
' 
 
 H 
 
 VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 \ "■ 
 
 distinction. They prepared a considerable fleet, 
 entered the St. Lawrence, and reconnoitered the 
 island of Montreal a second time. On their re- 
 turn to France they heard with regret of the 
 death of de la Chappe, and learned that his com- 
 mission had been given to Pierre Dugats, a Pro- 
 testant gentleman, but an honest man, who in- 
 tended in good faith to establish the Catholic 
 Religion according to the articles of the Commis- 
 sion. But God had not chosen any of these 
 people to found Montreal^ although Pierre Dugats 
 continued the trading association formed by his 
 predecessors, and increased its wealth very con- 
 siderably, by carrying on commerce with the 
 principal ports of France. He prepared a much 
 , more considerable fleet than any that had been 
 hitherto attempted, and sailed again from France 
 in 1604. Lord Champlain was one of his com- 
 panions on this voyage, which, however, accom- 
 plished nothing beneficial for France. In 1608 
 he carried into effect the intentions of the court 
 by establishing a permanent colony at Quebec 
 on the St. Lawrence, and erecting a barrack for 
 its security. This he did in the name and at the 
 expense of the colony. 
 
 Champlain remained there through the winter 
 to prepare ground for agriculture — but in the 
 spring of 1609 he made war against the Iroquois, 
 who had been constantly harrassing the military 
 post since its establishment. He pursued them 
 
 All ' 
 
^o/s. 
 
 VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 15 
 
 ble fleet, 
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 as far as Lake Champlain, to which he gave his 
 name, having first left a light garrison at Quebec, 
 and in the autumn returned to France. About 
 this time the name of New France was first given 
 to Canada. Champlain returned in 1610, and 
 visited Montreal, intending to establish another 
 colony there. But Providence had other designs 
 in view. He was not successful, and contented 
 himself with building a few huts for the purpose 
 of trading with the savages. 
 
 The death of Henry IV., which occurred at this 
 time, produced a great change in the affairs of 
 the new country. The commission of Governor 
 of Canada was transferred from M. de Monts 
 to Champlain, by the Queen Regent — who also 
 appointed him Lieutenant-General to the Prince 
 of Cond6, which step was intended to pave the 
 way for his additional title of Viceroy of New 
 France. 
 
 Champlain gave quite a different form to the 
 Mercantile Company of Canada, and by his in- 
 fluence with Cond6, obtained from the King let- 
 ters patent and many new privileges. He re- 
 turned to Canada in 1614 with a goodly number 
 of colonists, and also a few R^collets to minister 
 to their spiritual wants. Intending to pass the 
 summer at Montreal, with some of his compan- 
 ions for the purpose of trading more advanta- 
 geously with the savages, he left Quebec. But 
 again his plans met with very partial success. 
 
i 
 
 II 
 
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 '^ -.1 I: 
 
 
 l6 VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 In 1620 the Prince of Cond6 conferred the 
 viceroyalty of Canada on the Mardchal de Mont- 
 morenci, his brother-in-law, who in turn bestowed 
 it on the Duke de Ventadour, his nephew. Until 
 this period the affairs of the colony had been en- 
 tirely in the hands of Protestants, who sought 
 nothing but material wealth. Everything was 
 languishing, and there were not more than fifty 
 persons at Quebec. Some Jesuit Fathers ar- 
 rived this year, having been sent over to assist the 
 R^coUets, and it was proposed to exclude Pro- 
 testants from the colony, as they were becoming 
 more numerous than was convenient for a Cath- 
 olic settlement. Cardinal Richelieu, then minister 
 of France, during the minority of Louis XIII., 
 lent them his powerful assistance in their designs 
 for the glory of God. By an edict dated May, 
 16.27, given at the camp before La Rochelle, all 
 the old Commercial Companies of Canada were 
 suppressed and dissolved, new ones being erected 
 in their stead, with the express conditions and 
 stipulations that the colony was to be exclusively 
 French and Catholic, that the new company should, 
 at its own expense, support a sufficient number 
 of priests, and that agriculture should be actively 
 encouraged. 
 
 His majesty empowered the company to make 
 grants of land throughout the whole extent of 
 New France, in such proportions and with such 
 title-deeds, as they deemed most prudent for 
 
IS. 
 
 ed the 
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 Until 
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 VENERABLE SISTER .dARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 17 
 
 the settlement of the country. He gave them 
 also the exclusive control of the fur-trade, par- 
 ticularly that of the beaver, requiring the col- 
 onists to bring this kind of merchandise to the 
 store-houses of the company, where they were to 
 receive fixed prices for it, in order to ensure the 
 success of the colony during the first ten years 
 of its existence. He promised to all classes of 
 persons, no matter what their rank or condition 
 of life might be, whether ecclesiastics, nobles, 
 military men, or others, that by incorporating 
 themselves in the association they should not in 
 any case forfeit the privileges of their rank. 
 The Duke de Ventadour resigned his viceroy- 
 alty to the French minister, and Cardinal Riche- 
 lieu, with M. Mard'chal d'Effiat, were named the 
 heads of the Association. Many ecclesiastics 
 and seculars at once became members of the 
 Society, and with them were soon incorporated 
 several of the wealthiest and most enterprising 
 merchants of the kingdom. But while the 
 Company was being thus enthusiastically formed 
 in France, the English made an attack on Que- 
 bec, and the effect of the edict was suspended 
 for a season. The King came almost to the 
 conclusion of abandoning Canada forever, as he 
 had only been influenced by religious and honor- 
 able motives in preserving the treaty of peace 
 he had made at St. Germain in 1632. The 
 newly-formed company, in this predicament, be- 
 
1 8 VENERABLE SISTER MARGA RET BOUK lEOTS. 
 
 
 gan to assert their own rights. They presented 
 Champlain to the king as the man best suited to 
 their wants, and his Majesty at once appointed 
 him Governor of New France. He had the 
 command of several well-appointed ships, and 
 many Jesuit missionaries offered to accompany 
 him to labor for the salvation of souls in the 
 new field that was opened to them. The Asso- 
 ciates decided that the sons of St. Ignatius 
 would be more useful in the colony than the 
 R^coUets, who complained that they did not 
 find suflficient support in Canada, and who had in 
 fact left it for a time, nor did they return until 
 1670, when the colony had become quite populous. 
 Champlain died at Quebec in 1635, and the same 
 year the Jesuits of New France began to build 
 their first college. The following year Chevalier 
 de Montmagni succeeded Champlain as Governor 
 of Canada. The settlers had now become very 
 numerous, being encouraged by their trade with 
 the new company, and many of the savages had 
 embraced the faith, a mission having been opened 
 for them at Sillery, near Quebec. France again 
 took an active part in the success of the enter- 
 prise, and as the settlements were more French 
 than Indian, an organization for a hospital was 
 set on foot, and also a school for children. The 
 Duchess d'Aiguillon took upon herself the foun- 
 dation of the Hotel-Dieu, and defrayed the en- 
 tire expense of the undertaking. 
 
 
•OIS. 
 
 resented 
 luited to 
 :)pointed 
 lad the 
 ips, and 
 :ompany 
 s in the 
 le Asso- 
 Ignatius 
 han the 
 did not 
 10 had in 
 urn until 
 opulous. 
 he same 
 to build 
 hevalier 
 overnor 
 me very 
 ide with 
 iges had 
 opened 
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 e enter- 
 French 
 tal was 
 The 
 ie foun- 
 the en- 
 
 VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 19 
 
 1 
 
 She sent over some experienced Hospital Sisters 
 from the hospital at Dieppe, who were glowing with 
 zeal for the New World missions — Madame de la 
 Pelleterie, a rich young widow of high birth, under- 
 took at the same time the establishment of the Ur- 
 sulines, consecrating herself also to the good work. 
 She was ably seconded by the celebrated Sister 
 Mary of the incarnation, and Sister Mary of St. 
 Joseph, whom she brought from the Ursuline 
 Monastery at Bourges. All these pious women met 
 at Dieppe in 1639, and thence set sail for New 
 France, arriving the same year at Quebec. 
 
 Yet, notwithstanding the philanthropic exer- 
 tions of so many holy people, the colony was back- 
 ward and languishing. The cruel and cease- 
 less attacks of the Iroquois had nearly disheart- 
 ened the Christian world, men, women and chil- 
 dren being mercilessly butchered, burnt alive, or 
 carried into a still more horrible captivity. But 
 Divine Providence remedied this terrible state 
 of affairs, by means not naturally looked for, and 
 which in the commencement seemed not only 
 foolhardy, but little suited to the end. Yet a 
 very special providence was visibly at work, in a 
 chain of events that were altogether miraculous, 
 as the sequel proved. A new colony was 
 founded at Montreal, which was intended as a 
 barrier against the inroads of the savages, and of 
 which it will be necessary to speak a little in ad- 
 vance. While the French seemed to be taking 
 
nil 
 
 20 
 
 VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 an enthusiastic interest in the colonization of 
 Canada — partly from political motives, partly 
 from individual and and private interest, and 
 partly from zeal for the spread of religion and 
 the conversion of the Indians, Almighty God 
 was quietly preparing a number of pious persons 
 who would have His glory really at heart. The 
 first to whom He was pleased to manifest His 
 designs, was Jerome le Royer, Receiver-General 
 of the King's domains. This gentleman was an 
 exemplary Christian, and quite remarkable for 
 his devotion to the Blessed Virgin. It would 
 appear that God had specially chosen him for 
 the accomplishment of the work we are going to 
 relate, and that the glorious Virgin herself had 
 revealed to him the means by which he would 
 succeed, as he rendered the greatest assistance 
 to Sister Bourgeois in after years, in the estab- 
 lishment of her Congregation. Although he had 
 never been in Canada, nor had ever seen the isle 
 of Montreal, he had a supernatural and distinct 
 knowledge of it, and knew it better than its 
 present inhabitants. It was a vision that he never 
 lost sight of, and he felt confident he would ob- 
 tain from the king the proprietorship of the 
 island, in order to consecrate it to the Blessed 
 Virgin, and build a city on it, which he intended 
 to call Ville-Marie (City of Mary). The aim of 
 all his enterprises and hopes of the future cen- 
 tered in one grand idea, viz., the propagation of 
 
SOIS. 
 
 VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 21 
 
 :ation of 
 
 3, partly 
 
 rest, and 
 
 jion and 
 
 hty God 
 
 > persons 
 
 rt. The 
 
 ifest His 
 
 •-General 
 
 I was an 
 
 :able for 
 
 [t would 
 
 him for 
 
 going to 
 
 self had 
 
 le would 
 
 5sistance 
 
 e estab- 
 
 i he had 
 
 the isle 
 
 distinct 
 
 han its 
 
 le never 
 
 >uld ob- 
 
 of the 
 
 Blessed 
 
 itended 
 
 aim of 
 
 re cen- 
 
 ition of 
 
 the Faith among the savages, and the greater 
 glory of God. But as he knew well that he 
 alone could not accomplish so great a work, he 
 conceived the idea of forming a new company, 
 that would not be devoted either to self-interest 
 or commercial pursuits, like the preceding Asso- 
 ciations, bat whose chief desire would be the 
 propagation of the Faith in America, and the 
 conversion of the Indians. Full of these pious 
 aspirations, he came to Paris, for the purpose of 
 procuring means to put them into execution. 
 He had many interviews with persons of distinc- 
 tion there, but, as generally happens with the 
 works of God, he experienced so much difficulty, 
 and encountered so much opposition, that a 
 person less devoted to the divine honor, and 
 less susceptible of the impressions of grace, 
 would have been completely disheartened. 
 Cardinal Richelieu himself, who was so clear- 
 sighted in human policy, when spoken to on this 
 subject, treated it as a chimera full of impru- 
 dence and temerity. M. Dauversiere (le Royer) 
 made no reply to his distinguished opponent, 
 but went quietly to seek an interview with 
 M. Olier, then professor in the Seminary of 
 St. Sulpice, a man who had devoted all his 
 masterly energies to that great undertaking. 
 This true servant of God generously assisted 
 every good work, and when there was question 
 of promoting devotion to the Blessed Virgin, his 
 
Hi 
 
 
 22 VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 unbounded confidence in her made him act in. 
 stantaneously. One cannot doubt by the splen^ 
 did sequel that he had a very strong presentiment 
 of the ultimate success of the pious project. There, 
 fore he applied himself earnestly to the task of 
 persuading influential persons to join the com- 
 pany when formed, and also took the necessary 
 steps to secure to the company, when formed, 
 the proprietorship of the isle of Montreal. In 
 1656 he did secure it, with ample concessions 
 from M. Jean de Lanzon, the King's counsellor 
 and minister of finance. 
 
'£0/S. 
 
 m act in. 
 he splen. 
 sentiment 
 ct. There, 
 e task of 
 the com, 
 necessary 
 formed, 
 real. In 
 icessions 
 ^unsellor 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 MESSRS. DAUVERSIERE AND DE MAISONNEUVE 
 
 VISIT MONTREAL. 
 
 It has been stated that Cardinal Richelieu 
 at first opposed the building of Ville-Marie, but 
 this he did, not through apathy for anything re- 
 lating to the spread of religion, but lest the 
 work was a human impossibility, as indeed it then 
 appeared to be. However, his opposition, from 
 whatever cause it had arisen, disappeared before 
 the reasoning of M. de Lanzon, for whom the 
 Cardinal entertained the most sincere respect. He 
 now gave the project his unqualified appro- 
 bation, and obtained from the King a renewed 
 confirmation of all the privileges conferred on the 
 preceding associations, with undisturbed posses- 
 sion of the land. Being thus furnished with the 
 best means of procuring funds, and being 
 under the protection of His Eminence the Car- 
 dinal, Messrs. de Faucamp and Dauversiere, with a 
 great number of other influential persons,who were 
 pledged to support them, no longer hesitated to 
 
 announce themselves as " The Company of 
 
 23 
 
24 
 
 VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 m. 
 
 ! 
 
 Montreal," bound to uphold the Catholic Faith in 
 Canada,and more especially to convert the savages, 
 which was the real end they proposed to them- 
 selves. But it was not only the associates them- 
 selves who provided the necessary funds. Other 
 persons also contributed, and none more gener- 
 ously than M. Alexander Bretonvilliers, a priest 
 of the community of St. Sulpice, and afterwards 
 its second Superior. Being son of the minister 
 of state, he was the wealthiest eccelesiastic in 
 France, and bestowed the greater part of his 
 patrimony on this undertaking. The Duchess 
 de Bullion also, who preserved an incognita for 
 a long time, gave large sums of money to M.' 
 Dauversiere to assist the Montreal Association 
 in the propagation of the Faith, as she had hith- 
 erto provided the principal funds for the estab- 
 lishment of the Hotel-Dieu, as shall be noticed 
 again. 
 
 It is now time to give the names of the prin, 
 cipal members of this pious association, as they 
 are undoubtedly written in the Book of Life. 
 Most happily heading the list is the name of the 
 great Cardinal Richelieu. Then follow such namei 
 as Mar^chal Duke d'Effiat, M. Jean de Lan 
 zon, Jean Jacques Olier, first Superior of St 
 Sulpice, Alexander Bretonvilliers, Gabriel d^ 
 Qu^lus and Nicholas Barreau, all priests of St. 
 Sulpice; Pierre le Pr^tre, priest by name and 
 office, Louis Le Pr^tre his brother, Pierre Chevrier, 
 
 \ 
 
 ■ *^ 
 
VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 2S 
 
 Jerome de Royer, Jacques Gerard, Michael Royer 
 Duplessis,Bertrand Drouart, a member of the suite 
 of the Duke of Orleans, Christopher Duplessis, 
 Antoine Barrilon, Jean Galibal, Louis S^ignier, 
 Louis d'Aibout de Coulonges,Paul de Chaumeday, 
 the Duchess de Bullion, and the Venerable Sister 
 Margaret Bourgeois, whose life we are about to re- 
 cord, and who, without being formally a member 
 of the Society, took a most active part in it. 
 We shall soon see her concealing the brighest 
 virtues under the veil of humility. 
 
 But pre-eminently was M. Olier the guiding 
 spirit of this splendid association of Catholic 
 hearts. He it was who projected the plans 
 necessary for the greatness and security of the 
 enterprise. The first thing he declared necessary 
 was to secure the blessing of God and the pro- 
 tection of the ever Blessed Virgin. This was to be 
 accomplished by an imposing ceremony that might 
 be recorded in after ages for the edification of those 
 who should undertake a similar work for the glory 
 of God. It was a spectacle worthy of the compla- 
 cency of heaven, and the zealous children of the 
 Church who participated in it. On the 3rd of 
 February, 1641, the day following the Feast of 
 the Purification, all the members of that illustri- 
 ous Society being assembled in Paris, went in the 
 morning at an appointed hour to the church 
 of Notre Dame. M. Olier celebrated Mass at 
 the Altar of the Blessed Virgin, and all the 
 
^ VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 associates who were not priests received Holy 
 Communion from his hands. The priests at the 
 same time offered the holy sacrifice at other 
 altars. With one accord they supplicated the 
 Queen of Heaven to bless their undertaking, and 
 forever keep the Isle of Montreal under her special 
 protection. At the close of the edifying cere- 
 mony the Associates assembled at the Hotel de 
 Lanzon to hold their first meeting. The plan 
 being already matured, it was resolved that in 
 the spring of the year they would get ready 
 a sufficient number of ships, three of which 
 were to be devoted to the transportation of such 
 respectable and honest families as were willing to 
 go to Montreal and commence the foundation of a 
 permanent colony. They were required to take 
 with them all the provisions, clothing, furniture, 
 and mechanical or other tools necessary for the 
 first two years, and were to take possession of 
 the isle in the name of Mary, whom they were 
 to rep^ard as their mother and mistress. 
 
 With the King's permission they were to build 
 a city in her honor, which was to be called Ville- 
 Marie. Under the protection of Cardinal Riche- 
 lieu, and during the first session of the assembly, 
 M. de Lanzon was named administrator of the 
 Society, M. Dauversiere being appointed its prin- 
 cipal agent, which duty was especially suited to 
 him because of his devotion to the Mother of 
 God. When the plans were finally agreed upon. 
 
 
VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 -7 
 
 each member made it a point of honor to contrib- 
 ute as generously as possible to the success of 
 the colony, and before the meeting broke up they 
 received more than two hundred thousand livres. 
 With this substantial aid, M. Dauversiere set to 
 work in good earnest to prepare for the voyage 
 across the Atlantic, the remainder of the winter 
 being employed in preparing the necessary fleet. 
 Authorized by the King, he enlisted a number of 
 soldiers, whom he foresaw would be required to 
 garrison and protect the colony. He also assem- 
 bled a great number of families who volunteered 
 to accompany him to the New World, and devote 
 themselves to agriculture, retaining in his own 
 service about thirty married people of various 
 avocations, so that religion rather than worldly 
 interest should range under his standard. 
 
 Among the emigrants, the nobility were repre- 
 sented by such names as De Bel^tre, Closse and 
 Mignon ; merchants, by Lemoine, Leb^rt, Charly, 
 etc.; mechanics and farmers, by Caron, Barbier, 
 Archambault, Cavalier, D^cari, and others. In 
 the spring of 1641 all these different classes of 
 people met at La Rochelle, from which port they 
 were to embark. M. Dauversiere was every- 
 where — now at Paris, now at Rochelle — and all 
 were ready to depart, when the idea suddenly 
 struck him that a man of prudence, experience, 
 and authority was still wanted to govern the 
 miscellaneous crowd, and take the lead in the 
 
f ; 
 
 mm 
 
 Mil! 
 
 Iif ■II 
 
 2S VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 young colony. It was now the month of May, 
 and the embarkation had not yet taken place be- 
 cause of this void. But Providence did not for- 
 sake him, and the want was supplied in a rather 
 remarkable manner. Being one day in Paris he 
 was invited to dine at the house of an intimate 
 friend. During the conversation the subject of 
 colonizing Montreal was discussed, as it was his 
 absorbing idea, and he spoke of the embarrassing 
 want that delayed him. After dinner one of the 
 guests, until then a stranger to him, but who had 
 listened very attentively to the colonization 
 plan, of which he had not before heard, freely 
 offered to accompany the expedition. " I am a 
 gentleman of about forty years of age," he said, 
 " I have spent my youth honorably in the King's 
 service, and flatter myself with having acquired 
 both experience and reputation. A desire to 
 devote myself to the service of God in some way 
 or other has induced me to withdraw from the 
 service of his majest/, and I have lived for some 
 time in a simple, quiet way, on a pension of two 
 thousand livres, which is sufficient for my subsis- 
 tence, but I see in the enterprise you have under- 
 taken for the honor of the Mother of God so 
 specird a field for the spread of our holy religion, 
 that if fp - :^cr'-M:ce3 are agreeable to you, I wil- 
 lin*.' :r Akc ti\e sacrifice of repose, and even of 
 life 
 
 This nid.i Was Paul de Chaumeday, alias de 
 
•f Mav, 
 [ace be- 
 lot for- 
 . rather 
 aris he 
 itimate 
 >ject of 
 ^as his 
 rassing 
 of the 
 lo had 
 ization 
 freely 
 am a 
 said, 
 ing's 
 uired 
 re to 
 way 
 the 
 Isome 
 two 
 ibsis- 
 ider- 
 so 
 ;ion, 
 wil- 
 of 
 
 de 
 
 VENERABLI- SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 29 
 
 Maisonneuve. On hearing these words Dauver- 
 siere, filled with gratit.ide to God, adored His 
 Divine Providence, and believed that the noble 
 volunteer was appointed by heaven to lead the 
 colonists. He embraced him with tears of joy 
 and departed forthwith to relate the circumstance 
 to his associates. The name of de Maisonneuve 
 was well known to many of them, and his services 
 were gladly accepted. A second meeting of the 
 association was then held, at which it was 
 unanimously agreed to appoint him Governor of 
 Montreal. In this quality he was presented to 
 the King for the purpose of expediting an official 
 appointment. He was certainly a suitable person 
 to head such an expedition, as he had long been a 
 faithful client of Mary Immaculate. Many years 
 before he made a vow of perpetual chastity in 
 her honor, and recited her office every day. His 
 reputation stood very high, and being in the full 
 vigor of manhood, had given proofs of courage 
 and prudence, even in religious matters. His 
 business being quickly settled up, he set out for 
 Rochelle with M. Dauversiere, each rejoicing at 
 having met the other. They had scarcely ar- 
 rived there, when another singular intervention 
 of Providence took place, which was quite as re- 
 markable as the preceding one. This was the 
 vocation of Jean Mance, whose name will ap- 
 pear again. She was a young woman, about 
 thirty years old, the daughter of simple, honest 
 
30 
 
 VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 \\ 
 
 V--'*- 
 
 III 
 
 i i 
 
 parents in Langers, where she had spent her 
 youth in the most fervent exercises of piety, 
 and was ignorant of the extraordinary exertions 
 then being made in France to colonize Canada, 
 but she felt inspired to pass the remainder of her 
 life in some place consecrated to the Blessed 
 Virgin, and waited for Divine Providence to di- 
 rect her. She proposed her views to her confessor, 
 but he being also ignorant of the projected es- 
 tablishment of Montreal, treated her as a vision, 
 ary. Yet as she persisted in asking advice, he 
 spoke of her in Paris to persons more enlightened 
 than himself. Those with whom he conversed 
 did not fail to recognize something remarkable 
 in her vocation, and she was accordingly intro- 
 duced to the Duchess at the Hotel de Bullion. 
 As this lady was already laboring for the colon- 
 ization of Montreal she took a lively interest in 
 Jean, retaining her for some time as a confidential 
 attendant in her own household. In this capa- 
 city the Duchess could not but admire the special 
 designs of God, manifested in her well-formed 
 habits of virtue. She encouraged her to go with 
 the volunteers to the New World, and remain 
 faithful to her vocation. As the day appointed 
 for the embarkation drew near, after giving her 
 a well-filled purse to supply her wants, she ex- 
 acted a promise to apply to her in future for as- 
 sistance in carrying on whatever good works 
 Divine Providence might appoint for her. She 
 
•■ -f- , 
 
 vs. 
 
 int her 
 
 piety, 
 
 :ertions 
 
 Canada, 
 
 r of her 
 
 Blessed 
 
 : to di- 
 
 ifessor, 
 
 ted cs- 
 
 vision. 
 
 ice, he 
 
 htened 
 
 iversed 
 
 irkable 
 
 intro- 
 
 uHion. 
 
 colon- 
 
 est in 
 
 ential 
 
 capa- 
 
 Decial 
 
 )rmed 
 
 with 
 
 main 
 
 nted 
 
 : her 
 
 ■e ex- 
 
 r as- 
 
 orks 
 
 She 
 
 VENERABLE SJSTtR MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 31 
 
 then took an affectionate leave of Jean, and sent 
 her to M. Dauvcrsiere at Rochelle. On her arri- 
 val he desired to test her zeal and courage as a 
 postulant, and represented the difficulty of such 
 an enterprise for a young, friendless girl. He 
 spoke of his intention to found Ville-Marie, but 
 added that it might be reddened with human 
 blood, if the savages should attack the colonists, 
 and that she might possibly have to attend alone 
 in the hospital on the wounded and dying. 
 Finding that such pictures of horror only in- 
 creased her zeal, he blessed the inscrutable ways 
 of God, and joyfully permitted her to embark 
 with the others. He did not hesitate even to 
 enrol her name among the Associates, and she 
 eventually became a most useful instrument in 
 the hands of Divine Providence for completing 
 the establishment of the Hotel-Dieu of St. Joseph 
 at Ville-Marie. 
 
 The events we have just recorded delayed the 
 sailing of the fleet until the end of June, at which 
 time it left the port of Rochelle, but did not 
 arrive at Quebec until the close of September. 
 The season was then too far advanced to ascend 
 the river to Montreal, and if it had been attempted 
 they would have been compelled to winter at some 
 place where there was neither human habitation 
 nor fort, and would consequently be exposed to 
 the attacks of the fierce Iroquois. They therefore 
 concluded to pass the winter at Quebec as best 
 
. ' » 
 
 33 
 
 VENHRABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 they could. The Governor, Chevalier de Mont 
 magni, welcomed them with much cordiality, but 
 had views of his own in the Quebec colony, which 
 were not favorable to an establishment at Mon- 
 treal. He supposed naturally that in a country 
 so weak as Canada then was, it would be unwise 
 and imprudent to divide their strength, and that 
 the success of a settlement at Montreal was im- 
 possible on account of its proximity to the Indian 
 camping grounds, and their constant attacks on 
 the French. He intended asking them to select 
 the isle of Orleans, which was still unoccupied, 
 and where assistance could more easily reach 
 them in case of an attack. Like a wise p'^Mtician, 
 however, he was slow to reveal his plan, pre- 
 ferring to await the return of the ships to France, 
 which had scarcely set sail when he convoked a 
 general assembly in order to disclose his projects. 
 It is not to be doubted that the garrison were as 
 interested as he was, and so were the other in- 
 habitants of Quebec. But the firmness of M. de 
 Maisonneuve was a match for their intrigue, and 
 when his views and opinions were asked during 
 the debate, he replied with much dignity, that he 
 was surprised the Governor of Quebec thought 
 it necessary to convoke a public assembly on a 
 matter which concerned the speaker only — that 
 he made no secret of his intentions— that the 
 settlement of the isie of Orleans had never been 
 proposed by the Montreal Association — that he 
 
VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 33 
 
 came expressly to found a new city, which was 
 to be dedicated to the Mother of God, on the 
 isle of Montreal — that he had not the least idea 
 of changing his original plan — and finally, that 
 unless he lost his life, he would execute his com- 
 mission. It was impossible to gainsay him, and 
 the assembly dissolved without deciding on any- 
 thing. De Maisonneuve contented himself with 
 sending some of his party to Montreal to cut 
 down trees during the winter, that they might 
 have a cleared section of land to work on in 
 spring. He and the rest of the colonists passed 
 the season quietly in their tents at Quebec, await- 
 ing the arrival of fine weather, and the breaking 
 up of the ice. 
 
 In the month of May, as soon as the river was 
 open to navigation, they were again in readiness 
 to move on, and Governor Montmagni expressed 
 a strong desire to accompany them. De Maison- 
 neuve invited the Jesuit missionaries, Simon and 
 Poncet, to go with them and bless the site of the 
 new city, and take charge of the church they in- 
 tended to erect when circumstances permitted. 
 As there was no road through the country, and 
 no settlements along the river between Montreal 
 and Quebec, the journey was long, and everywhere 
 beset with difficulties, so that they did not arrive 
 at their destination until the 17th of May. Then 
 they encamped, and called the neck of land at 
 the mouth of the little river " Pointe k Galier^s," 
 
34 
 
 VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 in honor of the third Governor of Montreal, M. 
 de Calier^s, who built a fort there, in which he re- 
 sided during the term of his administration. 
 
 The fervent colonists erected a tent imme- 
 diately, in which the holy sacrifice of the Mass 
 was celebrated, and in which they afterwards 
 kept the Blessed Sacrament. M. de Maison- 
 neuve's first care was to give every family suffi- 
 cient land on which to erect a house, and each 
 one built to suit his own convenience. He 
 erected a house for himself also, which was 
 known long after as the " Old Seminary." 
 
 To Jean Mance he gave sufficient ground for a 
 hospital, the expense of building which was to be 
 paid out of the fund bestowed by the Duchess 
 de Bullion. The hospital was as large and con- 
 venient as the young colony required, and the peo- 
 ple took the precaution to build their church 
 near it. This building served for years not only 
 as a parish church, but likewise as a chapel of de- 
 votion for the sick and wounded. As the houses 
 were all wooden structures, they were speedily 
 erected, and on the 15th of August, 1642 — being 
 the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed 
 Virgin — the Adorable Sacrament was taken from 
 the tent in which it was hitherto kept, and car- 
 ried in solemn procession to the church with all 
 the pomp and magnificence possible under the 
 circumstances. Curiosity attracted the savages 
 from all quarters, and as they were then less fami- 
 
VENERABLE HIHTEK MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 35 
 
 liar with the ceremonies of our holy reh'gion than 
 now, they were transported with admiration and 
 joy at what they saw. Nor were they less edi- 
 fied by the simple fervor and piety of the first 
 French settlers. This glorious festival of Mary 
 was long remembered in Canada by both French 
 and Indians, as was the singing of the*' Salve 
 Regina" by Columbus and his crew, when he 
 neared the shores of the New World. 
 

 i! 
 
 i r 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 ESTABLISHMENT OF THE HOTEL DIEU — ECCLE 
 SIASTICAL APPOINTMENTS FOR CANADA, ETC 
 
 While M. de Maisonneuve was arranging 
 matters to insure the success of the new colony, 
 he received a reinforcement which, though not so 
 numerous as the first band of emigres, was equally 
 well selected. It was led by M. Louis d'Aillebout 
 de Masseau, a man of eminent piety, and a member 
 of the Montreal Association. With this opportune 
 and important addition, De Maisonneuve under- 
 took to inclose the young city with palisades in 
 the manner of a fort, as a barrier against the 
 attacks of the furious Indians. These attacks 
 they might any moment expect, and very justly 
 feared, on account of the atrocities that were daily 
 related to them. The Governor of Quebec being 
 informed of the proposed fortification, or rather 
 being assured that it was nearly completed, de- 
 termined to oppose it, but de Maisonneuve would 
 permit no outside interference. In order, there- 
 fore, that there might be no clashing of interests, 
 Jie returned to France the same year, leaving the 
 
 36 
 
VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 37 
 
 command of the garrison to M. d'Aillebout, with 
 the title of Lieutenant-Governor. This gentle- 
 man discharged the duties of his office to the 
 entire satisfaction of the people, securing both 
 their esteem and their property. On his arrival 
 in Paris de Maisonneuve sought an interview with 
 the King, and related faithfully to him, as like- 
 wise to the members of the Association, the exact 
 state of things in Canada. Every one was aston- 
 ished at his success, and approved of his conduct. 
 The King, moreover, on learning the opposition 
 policy of the Governor of Quebec, gave De 
 Maisonneuve a letter to place in the hands of that 
 gentleman, which read as follows : 
 
 "■ M. DE MONTMAGNi, — Being especially in- 
 formed by the Montreal Association, at present 
 residing in Montreal, that their intention is to 
 establish a colony on that island, in order to 
 labor more effectually for the conversion of the 
 savages, we strongly approve of their design, and 
 have given them permission to erect a fort on the 
 said island, at their own expense, which fort they 
 are to furnish with artillery and all other military 
 supplies that may be needed to secure them from 
 the fury of the savages. We desire that you render 
 them all the assistance in your power, and we have 
 named M. de Maisonneuve governor and con- 
 troller of the enterprise, so that nothing may oc- 
 cur to prevent its success. " Louis." 
 
 " February 21, 1643." 
 
38 
 
 VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 Furnished with this letter, Messrs. de Maison- 
 neuve and Dauversiere labored in concert to pro- 
 cure a third fleet and a new set of recruits, and 
 they were quite as successful as on the two 
 former occasions. The volunteers were select 
 and numerous, their voyage across the Atlantic 
 safe and pleasant, and at the end of July that 
 year they arrived at Vi lie- Marie. The death of 
 Louis XIII. occurring at that period, the Asso- 
 ciates deemed it prudent to apply to the Queen 
 Regent, mother of Louis XIV., for a confirmation 
 of their former privileges, which she freely 
 granted, permitting them also to organize militia 
 companies for their future safety, and to secure 
 the services of such ecclesiastics as they should 
 judge most useful for the rising colony. Yet, 
 nothwithstanding repeated royal favors, and un- 
 tiring exertions to promote the general pros- 
 perity, the colony was languishing, and had much 
 to suffer from the increasing ferocity of the 
 Indians. But de Maisonneuve was always equal 
 to the occasion, and derived advantage from 
 their fury, that is, spiritual advantage. Many and 
 many a time, he had the consolation to see those 
 barbarous warriors throw down the bloody 
 tomahawk and embrace Christianity. He was 
 truly an apostle in their midst, attracting them 
 as much by affability, as by the benefits he con- 
 ferred, and it was his greatest pleasure to act as 
 sponsor for them in baptism. Almighty God 
 
VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 39 
 
 blessed the new settlement so visibly as to cause 
 astonishment and admiration in the hearts of all 
 devoted to His glory. Jean Mance also labored 
 zealously in the service of the sick, who were 
 cared for in the hospital she established, and al- 
 ready the work was greater than she alone could 
 accomplish. Madame de la Peleterie, who 
 founded the Ursulines at Quebec, came to Ville- 
 Marie to offer her services to Mile. Mance, who 
 admired her generosity and good will without ac- 
 cepting her assistance. The members of the As- 
 sociation resident in Paris labored meanwhile 
 very earnestly to establish the hospital in Mon- 
 treal, but declined the interference of outsiders. 
 The Duchess de Bullion had already made large 
 advances for its support, and in 1648 donated 
 an additional fund of sixty thousand livres. 
 With this money M. de Maisonneuve assisted 
 Jean Mance in building a wing of 60 by 24 feet for 
 the nurses, who were still wanting, and whose ser- 
 vices it was time to secure, as the number of 
 patients was constantly increasing. The ladies 
 of the Hotel Dieu at Quebec, on hearing of the 
 crowded state of the hospital, presented them- 
 selves as nurses, and two remained in Ville-Marie 
 a considerable length of time to watch how mat- 
 ters would be arranged. Even the French court 
 approved of them as nurses, but Providence or- 
 dained otherwise, as at that very time the Associ- 
 ates in France were making their own arrange- 
 
\ . 
 
 !!■ 
 
 
 40 
 
 VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 ments, and disappointed those who wishedto press 
 the matter in Montreal. 
 
 There existed at La Fl^che a new congregation 
 of Hospital Sisters, partly secular, who by simple 
 vows added the service of the sick to the ordi- 
 nary duties of a religious community. They 
 were in their first fervor, the members applying 
 themselves with zeal and edification to serve the 
 poor invalids in the Hotel Dieu of St. Joseph, 
 lately established in their city. Dauversiere, who 
 was acquainted with their piety, asked and ob- 
 tained a few Sisters to go to Ville-Marie and estab- 
 lish the Hotel Dieu of Canada. As soon as his pro- 
 posal was made known, these pious women strove 
 who should be first to claim the sacred honor of 
 expatriating themselves for the cause of charity, 
 and sacrifice life, if necessary, in a strange land, 
 among wild savages who would most likely, in 
 return, confer on them the crown of martyrdom. 
 The French emigrants of those days had no other 
 idea of the Canadian mission, and prepared them- 
 selves accordingly. On the 20th of May, 1656, 
 the community pledged itself to send four of its 
 best subjects to Montreal. They were truly 
 zealous souls, who awaited the time of their em- 
 barkation with eagerness, but from some cause 
 or other did not leave France until 1660. On 
 their arrival at Ville-Marie, Jean Mance received 
 them with every mark of esteem and affection 
 that Christian charity could inspire. She put 
 
VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 41 
 
 them in immediate possession of that portion of 
 the hospital set apart for them, reserving to her- 
 self only the adminstration of the funds for the 
 poor and destitute, a duty which she discharged 
 faithfully, and with solid benefit to the recipients, 
 the rest of her life. The new Sisters were little 
 more than a secular congregation, until i666,when 
 Pope Alexander VII. approved of them as a re- 
 ligious order, by a bull dated January 8th, 1666, 
 in which strict enclosure was enjoined, and a reli- 
 gious dress appointed to be worn. 
 
 While the interests of the hospital were being 
 thus carefully attended to in France, it v/as evi- 
 dent that the spiritual wants oj the colony were 
 
 becoming every day more pressing. Montreal 
 was now populous, and numbers of the Indians 
 who embraced Christianity were anxious that 
 their respective tribes should do the same. Yet 
 there was but one Jesuit Father in the whole 
 colony, who could not possibly discharge all the 
 duties required of him. When M. Olier heard of 
 it, he thought seriously of sending to Canada a 
 mission from the Seminary of St. Sulpice, and as 
 he was suffering painful infirmities for many years, 
 brought on by the laborious discharge of his 
 oflficial duties, he contemplated accompanying 
 them himself. He accordingly selected four 
 priests of his community, who were gentlemen of 
 merit and distinction, viz., Gabriel de Qu61us, 
 Abb4 of Laudieu (one of the Montreal associates), 
 
42 
 
 VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 i' m 
 
 M. Francis d'Allet, Gabriel Souart, and Dominick 
 Gallitier. M. de Qu^lus was a man of illustrious 
 birth, and was appointed by their ecclesiastical 
 Superior (the Archbishop of Rouen) Grand Vicar 
 of the missioiia b in Canada, with the entire 
 spiritual control o£ New France. He was re- 
 ceived both at Quebec and Ville-Marie with all 
 the respect due to his dignity and birth, encount- 
 ering no oppositl' » !/• the discharge of his duties 
 in either city. M. Scu^: . vva5> appointed pastor of 
 Ville-Marie, the Jesuit I'^^/^her, Claude Pigots, 
 who had until then Jis^hpr^, " rhe duties of pas- 
 tor, resigning gracefully in his '^v jr. 
 
 The new pastor before becoming a Sulpician, 
 had been a rich aristocratic Parisian. His parents, 
 expecting he would have a brilliant career in the 
 world, almost forced upon him a marriage suita- 
 ble to his rank and wealth, and the day of the 
 ceremony, which was the Feast of the Assump- 
 tion, 1660, was fast approaching. His simple 
 piety led him on the eve of that day to the parish 
 church of St. Sulpice, where he heard an eloquent 
 sermon, on the necessity of seeking light from 
 heaven in the choice of a state of life. He was 
 deeply impressed by the preacher's convincing 
 eloquence, and entering into himself, found that 
 he had not sufficiently consulted God on the alli- 
 ance he was about to contract. The next day, 
 therefore, instead of plighting his troth to a 
 willing bride, he went to the seminary of St. 
 
VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. A-y 
 
 Sulpice to make a retreat, during which Divine 
 Providence clearly manifested to him that he was 
 called to the ecclesiastical state. Faithful to 
 the call of divine grace he renounced the 
 world, entered St. Sulpice, and devoted his 
 young life and rare talents to the service of 
 the Church. He was joyfully admitted into 
 the seminary, and having already received a 
 university education, was soon promoted to holy 
 orders, and raised to the dignity of the priest- 
 hood. His glowing zeal impelled him to volun- 
 teer for the mission of Ville-Marie, where he 
 eventually succeeded M. de Qu^lus as Superior of 
 the Montreal Seminary, which he governed hap- 
 pily for many years. He was the first priest who un- 
 dertook the perilous task of forming the baptized 
 savages into villages, and his successful attempt 
 at civilization resulted in the famous ** Mission of 
 the Mountain," where he died shortly after. 
 
 Two other missionaries, le Maitre and Vignal, 
 arrived subsequently, and were killed by the 
 treacherous Iroquois while laboring for their con- 
 version with incredible self-sacrifice. It is a tra- 
 dition of these times, that the savage who killed 
 le Maitre, having wrapped tlie bloody head in a 
 cloth, the face of the martyred priest was distinctly 
 imprinted thereon, and so indelible was the im- 
 pression that when the terrified savage displayed 
 the cloth in his native village as a trophy of the 
 war-path, the features of le Maitre were instantly 
 
ii 
 
 I \ 
 
 ■:. 
 
 44 
 
 VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 recognized, the murderer being cuttingly up- 
 braided for his cruelty by the braves of his tribe. 
 It was now several years since the French had 
 established themselves at Ville-Marie, and during 
 all that time they suffered the most shocking 
 cruelties from the relentless Iroquois. The earth 
 might be said to have been constantly wet with 
 the blood of the noblest and best sons of France, 
 and the survivors, disgusted and disheartened, 
 resolved to abandon the country. In speaking 
 of this period of horror and dismay, Jean Mance 
 says, " In 1560 the Iroquois had conquered and 
 almost exterminated the Hurons, their ancient 
 foes, and full of barbarian pride and insolence, 
 turned their arms against the colonists, who were 
 an easy prey, as their attacks were sudden, fierce, 
 and stealthy. They killed several persons in the 
 suburbs of Villc-Marie, and burned their houses; 
 even our hospital was not secure from their bru- 
 tal recklessness, and we were obliged to fortify it 
 by a garrison. At length people despaired of being 
 able to protect life or property, and resolved on 
 abandoning the enterprise. In this extremity I 
 reflected that many souls would be forever lost 
 to God if the young citj' was forsaken, and that 
 it would be a national humiliation for France to 
 abandon Canada to the vengeance of wild 
 savages, who were constantly killing each other. 
 Therefore, fluctuating between hope and fear, I 
 implored M. de Maisonneuve to hasten back to 
 
VENERABLE HISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 45 
 
 France and secure additional military protection 
 for Montreal and its martyred people." 
 
 He willingly acceded to the brave woman's re- 
 quest, and in September, 165 1, returned to France, 
 having first appointed de Masseau commander 
 of Ville-Marie in his absence. He was obliged to 
 spend two entire years inducing recruits to enlist 
 for Canada, so great was their horror of the Indians, 
 and had to labor hard against disappointments, 
 and go to great expense to secure his object. 
 But God at length blessed with success his efforts 
 in the cause of religion. He secured a company 
 of more than a hundred brave soldiers, who sailed 
 with him to the New World in 1653. It was 
 during this voyage he first became acquainted 
 with the remarkable virtues of Margaret Bourgeois, 
 who accompanied him from France at a period 
 when the whole nation was disgusted with the 
 Canadian mission. This admiriable young woman, 
 who had no other resources than courage and 
 confidence in God, did not hesitate to cross the 
 sea, to consecrate herself to the service of the 
 Church, and to propagate devotion to the Mother 
 of God. How perfectly she succeeded is proven 
 by the splendid monument of her zeal which 
 still exists in almost primitive fervor, after the 
 lapse of more than two centuries. That monu- 
 ment is the "Congregation of Notre Dame," 
 which has rendered such incalculable service to 
 the cause of religion in Canada. 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 EARLY YEARS OF MARGARET BOURGEOIS, AND 
 HER VOCATION FOR THE CANADIAN MISSION. 
 
 Margaret Bourgeois was born ' in the city 
 of Troyes, in Champagne, on the 15th of April, 
 1620. Her father, Abraham Bourgeois, was an 
 honest merchant of that city, who espoused 
 Guillamette Gamier. If these good people were 
 not distinguished for high birth or the possession 
 of great wealth, they were at least remarkable 
 for the purity of their lives, for sound religious 
 principles, and for unusual probity of character. 
 As they belonged to the middle class of society, 
 their means were limited, yet they took care to 
 have their children educated, and instilled into 
 their young minds a cordial love for the duties of 
 religion. Their family consisted of five children, 
 two boys and three girls, Margaret being the 
 third born to them. She was baptized in the 
 parish church of St. John of Troyes, and nothing 
 is known of her infancy or childhood except that 
 at a proper age she learned to read and write, with 
 the other attainments of early school years. Of 
 
VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 47 
 
 this we are certain, that, at an early period, she 
 became a practical Christian, and never deviated 
 from the principles she then imbibed. Almighty 
 God had special designs on her future life, and 
 from childhood infused into her heart a great 
 love of labor and mortification, which fore- 
 shadowed what she was one day to become. 
 Scarcely had she attained her tenth year when 
 she was to be seen among her little companions, 
 like a mother in Israel, assembling them together 
 in secluded places, far from the noise and bustle 
 of the city, instructing them in the discharge of 
 their duties, principally in practices of piety, ad- 
 vising them to love labor and shun idleness, the 
 fruitful source of the sins of youth, and to select 
 such work as Almighty God had given them 
 particular inclinations for. 
 
 These assemblies of children were so many little 
 communities of innocent souls in which God 
 took great complacency, and it was at this time 
 she made her first Holy Communion. Her 
 mother's death occurring soon after, she had an 
 opportunity of practising the virtues of obedience, 
 etc., under circumstances far in advance of her 
 years. By the death of his wife, M. Bourgeois 
 found himself embarrassed with the care of a 
 helpless young family, but noticing in little Mar- 
 garet a certain air of gravity and prudence, ac- 
 companied by sincere piety, he seriously thought 
 of giving her charge of the household, and par- 
 
48 
 
 VHNERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 ticularly of the education of a younger brother 
 and sister. Nothing is known with certainty of 
 the after lives of these children, except that, in 
 1653, when Margaret was making arrangements 
 to leave France for Canada, two of them were 
 minors, in whose favor she voluntarily dispos- 
 sessed herself of her share of the family inherit- 
 ance. Neither can anything be recorded of the 
 virtues she displayed in discharging the labor- 
 ious duties of the position in which her father 
 placed her at so tender an age. No one could 
 speak of these years of responsibility except her- 
 self, and humility would never permit her to 
 raise the veil, or speak of what must have been a 
 most interesting portion of her saintly life. 
 Only one circumstance of these early years could 
 she ever be induced to mention, and of this she 
 sometimes spoke with great bitterness of soul, 
 and much exaggeration. It was that, a few 
 times, during seasons of worldly dissipation, she 
 had attached undue importance to dress — taking 
 great pains to arrange her toilette fashionably so 
 as to display her personal attractions to advantage. 
 Although this happened without dressing beyond 
 her station of life, or exceeding the bounds of 
 modesty, she acknowledged that it tarnished the 
 purity of her heart, and filled her mind with vain 
 and foolish thoughts. It was one of those youth- 
 ful faults for which she took care to punish her- 
 self severely in afterlife, being remarkable for the 
 
VENIiRAliLU aiHTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 49 
 
 simplicity and modesty of her attire, even before 
 she became a religeusc. Her beautiful and well- 
 '-oncealed spirit of mortification made her cor- 
 
 wspond faithfully to the motions of grace which 
 Divine Providence infused into her soul, and 
 by which she was to become so intimately united 
 to God. As He always makes an instrument of 
 His Blessed Mother to bestow such graces on 
 His elect, it was by devotion to Mary that He 
 attached Margaret Bourgeois irrevocably to His 
 service. She had always been a devoted client 
 of the Blessed Virgin, and the singular fav(^ she 
 ^•eceived, that will now be related, was probably 
 
 >t the first vouchsafed her by the Queen of 
 ^xcaven. The circumstancer under vhich she 
 received it prove that she was a member of the 
 Rosary Society, which was then effecting such 
 wonders in the spiritual life of Christendom. 
 
 On the first Sunday of October, 1640 — the 
 Feast of the Holy Rosary— the Dominicans held 
 grand procession", in honor of Mary, and celebrated 
 the feast with all possible splendor. Margaret 
 Bourgeois, being then twenty years old, came 
 with many others to assist at the procession, 
 which was to take place within the monastery en- 
 closure. The public were allowed on such occa- 
 sions to join in the ceremony, but by a particular 
 dispensation of Providence, the crowd was so 
 great this year that the procession was obliged 
 to pass along a public route, and file off before 
 
50 
 
 VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 m\\\ 
 
 the church of Notre Dame — the cathedral of 
 Troyes. There was a very fine marble statue of 
 the Blessed Virgin placed on a pedestal in the 
 porch of the church, and as Margaret turned 
 reverently to gaze upon it, it shone brilliantly 
 with supernatural light — the face of the Virgin 
 beaming with an extraordinary life-like beauty. 
 She had often seen the statue before, but never 
 as now, and, like St. Paul, was almost blinded by 
 the dazzling vision. To the last day of her life 
 she felt her heart moved to its inmost depths when 
 she recalled this celestial favor. 
 
 On entering the church she reflected seriously 
 on what had occurred, and felt convinced that 
 God demanded of her something more than she 
 had yet accomplished for His glory, and that His 
 Blessed Mother Avas to be hereafter her strength 
 and support. She immediately resolved by the 
 help of God to eradicate from her heart the two 
 imperfections that counteracted the influence 
 of divine grace. These were an inordmate 
 love of dress, and a strong desire to attract to 
 herself the esteem and love of creatures. Accord- 
 ingly she determined for the future to wear a 
 simple dress of cheap material, to use no color 
 but black or brown, and never again to display 
 the vain ornaments of jewelry that young 
 girls so much prize. In her fervor she made a 
 vow to receive humiliations as coming direcy 
 fiom the hand of God, and we shall see that 
 
ledral of 
 statue of 
 il in the 
 t turned 
 rilliantly 
 e Virgin 
 : beauty, 
 ut never 
 inded by 
 f her life 
 ithswhen 
 
 seriously 
 iced that 
 than she 
 that His 
 strength 
 by the 
 the two 
 nfluence 
 [ordinate 
 tract to 
 Accord- 
 wear a 
 o color 
 display 
 young 
 nade a 
 lirecy 
 ie that 
 
 VENERABLE SJSTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 51 
 
 as Sister Bourgeois she received many such 
 favors. 
 
 With these dispositions it was natural she should 
 seek admission into a religious community, which 
 in effect she did. There existed at Troyes a Car- 
 melite Convent, of the reform of St. Teresa. 
 Every one knows that the Carmelites are in a 
 special manner devoted to Mary, under the title 
 of " Our Lady of Mt. Carmel," and that their 
 congregation is the origin and centre of the Con- 
 fraternities of the Scapular. There is not a com- 
 munity of women in the Church whose discipline 
 and manner of life is so austere, if we except the 
 ** Poor Clares." During all seasons of the year 
 they dress in a heavy coarse habit, wear sandals 
 on their feet. ^'^"-:. make use of linen, are seldom 
 seen in the parlor, sleep on a hard matlress, rise 
 simultaneously, to chant the Divine Office, spend 
 at least two hours each night at prayer, and are 
 familiar with the use of the discipline, hair-shirt, 
 etc. In a word, their mortifications are continual 
 and rigorous. Now these extraordinary penances 
 were what especially attracted Margaret Bour- 
 geois to join them. But in order to act prudently, 
 and learn the will of God clearly regarding her 
 vocation, she addressed herself to M. Antoine 
 Jandret, a virtuous and enlightened priest, who 
 was confessor to the Carmelites. Having heard 
 her attentively, he was struck with admiration at 
 the manner in wliich God was working in her 
 
52 
 
 VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 soul. She continued for some time to be his 
 ypenitent, and after he had made trial of her vir- 
 tue, he no longer hesitated to propose her as a 
 subject to the Carmelites. 
 
 The chapter met to discuss the matter, but 
 some changes in her exterior manner of living 
 (the motives of which they did not know) led 
 them to suppose that her disposition was frivo- 
 lous and volatile ; and they refused to admit her. 
 But it was not there Almighty God mtended her 
 to become a religicuse, and their refusal did not 
 lessen her esteem for the austerities practised by 
 them, and on which she modelled her own pen- 
 ances for the remainder of her life. Neither did 
 a first refusal discourage her; on the contrary, 
 she redoubled her prayers to learn the will of 
 God, and it pleased His divine Majesty to unfold 
 to the eyes of her soul, gradually but clearly, his 
 designs regarding her. Being rejected by the 
 Carmelites, she next sought admission into the 
 extern congregation of young girls, at Troyes. 
 It will be necessary to give some explanation of 
 this society, as the singular graces accorded to 
 Sister Bourgeois while she was one of its mem- 
 bers influenced her very much in the formation 
 of the congregation she afterwards founded. 
 
 There existed in Troyes another convent of re- 
 ligieuses known as the " Congregation of Notre 
 Dame," who were founded by P^re Fourier, cur^ 
 of Martincourt, a man eminent for piety. They 
 
f 
 
 VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 53 
 
 were cloistered nuns, who added to the ordinary 
 duties of a religious life the education of young 
 girls. This duty they discharged within the 
 cloister, and without secular assistance. The 
 Ursulines conducted their schools more publicly, 
 and had established several successful missions. 
 The former, therefore, were obliged to use as 
 auxiliaries a. extern congregation composed of 
 virtuous young girls, who lived in their own 
 families, but assembled on Sundays and festivals 
 for the exercise of wjorks of charity. They went 
 two and two together, wherever the glory of God 
 or the good of their neighbors required, always 
 subject to the appointment of the religieuses. 
 Most of the young ladies of the city belonged to 
 this association, which was of course secular (en- 
 closure not being suitable to their work), and they 
 willingly admitted Margaret Bourgeois among 
 them. It was in this edifying association that 
 God manifested his designs on her future life, 
 and it was for her a real apprenticeship in the 
 school of virtue. Once received, she was soon 
 distinguished for zeal and fervor, and was to be 
 seen everywhere, exercising the duties of Chris- 
 tian charity. Her distinguishing trait, however, 
 was the instruction of the ignorant, and teaching 
 young girls the principles of religion, as well as 
 the rudiments of education. It may be truly 
 said of her from that period, that the animating 
 principle of all her actions was to unite them in 
 
54 
 
 VENERABIM SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 Spirit with the human actions of the Mother of 
 God. 
 
 She never relaxed in her efforts to imitate this 
 high model of sanctity, and never ceased by word 
 and example to animate the Christian virgins 
 who afterwards joined her religious order to imi- 
 tate as closely as human infirmity would permit, 
 the daily actions of Mary during her sojourn on 
 earth. To quote her own words will best exem- 
 plify her spirit. She said : " Our Lord before His 
 ascension into heaven left behind Him on earth 
 a kind of congregation or community that would 
 embrace persons of every condition of life, the 
 first superior being His own divine Mother. The 
 holy spirit in the Gospel has given us the name 
 of this community, which had a two-fold object, 
 and was to serve as a model for all future asso- 
 ciations of women to be established in the 
 Church. This was no other than * the community 
 of Magdalen and Martha,' the disciples and friends 
 of Christ. The first represented religious con- 
 gregations devoted to prayer and contemplation 
 in the cloister. While Martha was to be a model 
 for those who devote themselves to the service 
 of their neighbor. But the Blessed Virgin re- 
 served to herself the duty of instruction. She 
 was the Mother and mistress of the rising Church, 
 which she formed and trained to the practise of 
 virtue, by word and example. Not that she un- 
 dertook to preach the Gospel, which was the 
 
 i: 
 
VIS. 
 
 VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 55 
 
 Dther of 
 
 tate this 
 by word 
 virgins 
 r to imi- 
 permit, 
 iourn on 
 st exem- 
 ^fore His 
 on earth 
 at would 
 life, the 
 er. The 
 he name 
 d object, 
 re Esso- 
 in the 
 munity 
 friends 
 js con- 
 plation 
 la model 
 service 
 |rgin re- 
 She 
 hurch, 
 tise of 
 he Un- 
 as the 
 
 mission of the Apostles, but she instructed the 
 little ones in the virtues of poverty and humility, 
 of which she herself made profession, knowing 
 that the majority of the followers of Christ 
 would be the poor and lowly. Thus was she the 
 true model of a missionary congregation." 
 
 By such admirable sentiments as these did she 
 excite her companions to fervor in the discharge 
 of their several duties. Yet her labors as a mem- 
 ber of the externs at Troyes did not satisfy her. 
 She felt that God required more from her, al- 
 though He had not yet manifested his will, so 
 she again determined to seek admission into a 
 religious house, applying this time to the " Poor 
 Clares." It is true she saw nothing in their in- 
 stitute that corresponded to her ardent desire of 
 consecrating herself to the service of the Blessed 
 Virgin, and of laboring for the salvation of souls, 
 but she felt she would be unfaithful to grace if 
 she did not make another effort to find out the 
 will of God concerning her vocation. She there- 
 fore consulted her director, who advised her to 
 present herself for admission, which she did, but 
 as before, met with a humiliating refusal, as it 
 was not there either, that Almighty God in- 
 tended to make use of her for His glory, and He 
 took this means of putting her humility to the 
 test, and proving and perfecting her virtue. 
 
 The first refusal of the Carmelites only served 
 to animate her to greater perfection, and she 
 
il'' >i. 
 
 M 
 
 \ ' 
 
 56 
 
 VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 Ml'Iii 
 
 i ; :i 
 
 I ^-t 
 
 made the same use of this second mortifying re- 
 jection. Being more and more impressed with a 
 desire to consecrate herself to God, she resolved 
 on making a vow of perpetual chastity, first ac- 
 quainting M. Landret, her confessor, with her in- 
 tention. He was a prudent man, and thought that 
 circumstanced as she was, she mJght sometime re- 
 pent having made the vow, or something might 
 occur to change her resolution, and therefore told 
 her to postpone such a promise until she was at 
 least thirty years old, being then twenty-two. 
 She submitted to his decision in silence, as hum- 
 bly as if God had spoken. He soon changed his 
 opinion, however, being convinced by her sub- 
 mission that God was operating great things in 
 her soul, and permitted her to follow her inclina- 
 tion by consecrating her virginity to Jesus, which 
 she did with fervor on the Feast of St. Thomas 
 the Apostle, December 21st, 1643, being in her 
 twenty-third year. Shortly after she added the 
 vow of poverty, and from that time her career of 
 sanctity was unmistakable. She advanced in vir- 
 tue as she advanced in age, and the practise of 
 every good work, and held the of!ice of Prefect 
 of the extern congregation for many years. In 
 1647, her father falling dangerously sick, she at- 
 tended him with all the love and charity that 
 might be expected from such a daughter, and 
 had the consolation of seeing him die full of 
 hope and trust in the mercy of God. She ar- 
 
VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 57 
 
 ranged his body in the coffin with her own hands, 
 although others were willing to spare her the 
 performance of that duty of filial love, and the 
 pious practice of preparing the dead for burial 
 she ever after continued in Canada, until strength 
 and life failed her, although it was often repug- 
 nant to her feelings. 
 
 As M. Jandret knew the humiliation she en- 
 dured by being refused admission in two religious 
 orders, and knew also her virtues, he did not feel 
 justified in advising anything that would stifle 
 the operations of divine grace in her soul. He 
 was, moreover, an eye-witness of her successful ef- 
 forts in instructing young girls, both secularly and 
 religiously, and thought it might be pleasing to 
 God to associate with her other pious young per- 
 sons, who could easily be found in the congrega- 
 tion of which she was Prefect, and establish them 
 permanently in the discharge of that duty. He 
 accordingly made the proposal to her, which she 
 did not refuse, believing it v/ould contribute to the 
 glory of God, and be a means of accomplishing 
 His will. In order to act prudently, however, 
 M. Jandret consulted his superior, M. deTheo- 
 loyal, of the cathedral of Troyes, who assured 
 him that the project was a wise one, and the 
 two priests in concert drew up a formula of rules 
 which they judged fit to lead those for whom 
 they were intended securely in the path of Chris- 
 tian perfection. M. le Theoloyal went to Paris 
 
 > \ 
 
'» 
 
 58 
 
 VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 -vi*^ 
 
 to submit the rules to the doctors of the Sor- 
 bonne, who decided in their favor, and advised 
 that they be reduced to practice. 
 
 Two virtuous young ladies were thereupon as- 
 sociated with Margaret Bourgeois, and Mme. dc 
 Chuly, of whom we shall have occasion to speak 
 more at length, gave them a i apartment in her 
 own house to make the experiment. In propos- 
 ing the rules to these pious young women, the 
 persons who had written and approved of them 
 had undoubtedly the future in view, but God had 
 still wiser and other designs. It was only a prep- 
 aration or foundation for the rules and constitu- 
 tions that Margaret, many years after, sought to 
 have approved in France for the government of 
 the Community she established at Ville-Marie, 
 she and her first companions having had a most 
 happy experience of them during their early re- 
 ligious life. They engaged zealously in the edu- 
 cation of the children confided to their care, 
 always making moral training the principal object, 
 but most especially did they seek to guard those 
 whose surroundings endangered their virtue. 
 On one occasion, a set of libertines managed to 
 entice a poor but honest girl away from home. 
 Margaret Bourgeois fortunately heard of the in- 
 tended outrage, and taking a crucifix in her hand 
 fearlessly followed the rufiians in order to rescue 
 the girl. Without taking any notice of the vio- 
 lence they threatened, as they were well armed. 
 
OJ^i. 
 
 VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 59 
 
 the Sor- 
 I advised 
 
 ;upon as- 
 Mme. dc 
 to speak 
 tit in her 
 n propos- 
 omen, the 
 1 of them 
 t God had 
 ily a prep- 
 l constitu- 
 sought to 
 nment of 
 lille-Marie, 
 ,d a most 
 early re- 
 the edu- 
 [heir care, 
 al object, 
 ard those 
 r virtue, 
 naged to 
 m home, 
 f the in- 
 her hand 
 to rescue 
 the vio- 
 lU armed, 
 
 she spoke so forcibly of the judgments of God, 
 that would inevitably fall on them if they per- 
 sisted in their diabolical purpose, that they re- 
 tired in confusion, leaving the trembling girl at 
 liberty, and overpowered with gratitude for her 
 benefactress. She afterwards became one of 
 Margaret's life-long companions, and accompanied 
 her to Canada, where she was known as Sister 
 Crolo. But the trial establishment of M. Jan- 
 dret did not last very long. One of the two as- 
 sociates died, and the other left, so that Mar- 
 garet, finding herself alone, was forced to aban- 
 don a position in which she could not succeed 
 without companions, and again occupied herself 
 as a simple congregationalist. The mortified life 
 she had thus been leading for years, always un- 
 certain of the future, and without a particle of 
 human consolation, could not fail to draw down 
 upon her signal favors from heaven, and those 
 she experienced were of the most precious kind. 
 Almighty God favored her many times with in- 
 effable and sweet consolations when she ap- 
 proached Holy Communion. The fire of divine 
 love then burned so ^'ividly in her heart that she 
 could hardly refrain from letting appear exte- 
 riorly the ecstatic joy with which her soul was in- 
 undated. Once she saw Our Lord in the Holy 
 Host during Mass, in the form of a little child, 
 of a ravishing and incomparable beauty, and 
 by such a singular favor we may easily judge 
 
^ VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 of the state of her soul at that period of her 
 life. 
 
 On the Feast of the Assumption, 1650, which 
 was the principal Feast of the externs, she was 
 appointed to remain in adoration before the 
 Blessed Sacrament during the annual procession 
 in honor of the holy Virgin, which was that day 
 held. After remaining a considerable time in 
 prayer she felt suddenly inspired to raise her eyes 
 and look at the holy Host in the ostensorium. A 
 vision of the Redeemer was distinctly presented 
 to her, and she was so profoundly penetrated with 
 love and gratitude that earth had no more charms 
 for her from that happy hour. Such is always the 
 effect of celestial manifestations, and it was by 
 these favors Almighty God prepared the soul of 
 His servant for the great designs He had upon 
 her, of which she was then ignorant. However, 
 they were not much longer unfolding, and we 
 shall, in the sequel, everywhere find occasion to 
 notice the watchful care of Divine Providence 
 and the marked protection of the Blessed Virgin 
 over the colony of Ville-Marie, over Sister Bour- 
 geois herself, and over the Institute of the Sisters 
 of the Congregation. 
 
 ii 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 MARGARET BOURGEOIS, AFTER MANY TRIALS AND 
 MORTIFICATIONS, AT LENGTH SAILS WITH M. 
 DE MMSONNEUVE FOR CANADA. 
 
 In a preceeding chapter we have spoken of M. 
 de Maisonneuve, who was a native of Champenois, 
 and consequently a fellow-countryman of Mar- 
 garet Bourgeois — so favorably does divine Provi- 
 dence dispose the course of future events. We 
 have also seen what a remarkable chain of circum- 
 stances led to his appointment as first Governor of 
 Montreal. One might almost consider it miracu- 
 lous. He laid the foundations of the new city, 
 under the patronage of the Blessed Virgin- 
 naming it Ville-Marie, City of Mary. He had 
 two sisters in the city of Troyes, one a religieuse 
 of the Congregation of Notre Dame, the other a 
 secular lady— Mme. de Chuly, of whom mention 
 has been made. Before he left France he con- 
 fided to these pious ladies his views for the ad- 
 vancement of religion, and his intention to build a 
 city in honor of the Mother of God engaging 
 them to unite with him in prayer for its success. 
 
 6i 
 
63 
 
 VENERABLE SJSTER MARGA/iET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 As soon as the Congregation Sisters heard of the 
 project they offered to accompany him, and es- 
 tablish in the New World a community of their 
 Order. But as he was not prepared to make 
 such an establishment, and as they pressed him 
 very urgently to comply, he contented himself 
 by promising that, in the future, if both parties 
 agreed, he would attempt a foundation. As a 
 pledge of their mu\tual understanding, they pre- 
 sented him a statue of the Blessed Virgin, on 
 which were inscribed the following words: 
 " Sainte M^re de Dieu, et Vierge au Coeur loyal, 
 Gardez nous une place, en votre Mont-Royal." 
 
 It is true there was to be, in the new city, a 
 community of Christian virgins specially devoted 
 to Mary, but it was not the religieuses of Troyes 
 God intended to be there, and so the matter 
 ended. Three years after, when M. de Maison- 
 neuve returned to France to procure assistance! 
 for Ville-Marie, he again visited these religieuses,' 
 who importuned him anew to take some of themi 
 to Canada, but he assured them as before thatmat- 
 ters were not sufficiently matured in the New] 
 World for the establishment of a cloistered Sl«; 
 terhood. So neither party took any moi je-j 
 cisive step than a renewal of good wishes, ana in^ 
 definite promises for the future. Divine Provi-] 
 dence, meanwhile, was quietly preparing the waj 
 for the accomplishment of its inscrutable designs) 
 not yet manifested. While these good ladies 
 
'RGEOJS. 
 
 W'ere filled with nrH . t^ ^ 
 
 future of their ?a„adtltab?? °' ''''= "-^ 
 Mourgoois had many bule •'"'-■"'' '^"e-^"'' 
 'hem, being Prefect of threTte;""'"" ^^'^'^ 
 connected with their mon..f '-'""S'-egation 
 
 'ar virtue being very we^ '^' ^"'^ ''^^ =""2"^ 
 her confidentiaVoTtre' "' ^''^^ «P°ke to 
 
 had so much at hear f ^"''"'^ '"'■^^'•°" they 
 did not wish to be one onl""*'^ ""'"^ '"' ^he 
 Marie. This was plaTnl v . T-" '"'"'"'' f°^ Ville- 
 not object to her Jo nine the" "' '"'' "^^^ -°"'d 
 J'ough God <//^\-St ToTT'^J ^"'' 
 did «^/ intend her for th;,f n^ ^^''''^^' «« 
 
 '"ade no other reply to thei^ ' ^^^'^'^^or,, she 
 
 '^he desired to do the wi I of r ''?°''' "^^" 'hat 
 heart, whenever and wh rel^t ""' ""'' "hole 
 to manifest it to her A,T ^' ''°"''^ P'ease 
 erto met with refusals on =.??^ ''" ^'^^ hith- 
 
 '° -hgious comm '„itie3 TetT '" '""'■"■"" 
 eouraged, and the propoS of th r""'' "°' '^'■^■ 
 ^■on only incited her t„ , Canadian mis- 
 
 ;;th more ardor fiTaVbet™ the"'" °1 ^°''' 
 
 ^^''■- 'f her spiritual directors k„n°"^^' '^^ 
 
 ■' cisions were the ,,=7 i """""""g that 
 
 - " the direction' souTs Tf ^^ T^"^^^ 
 
 -nsulted. advised her to thL -■' ''"'^"'^'■"S 
 
 ■"atter, as it seemed to V '^"""''^ °" 'he 
 
 of God she . ou d go ;: c ""'f ' "^ '"^ -" 
 
 diffidinginh owni^hthe," "°"^^^^' 
 
 to consult M ertuis anot'h. '^"""«e"ded her 
 
 "u.s another experienced priest, 
 
64 
 
 VENERABLE SISTER MARGA RET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 who was of the same opinion with the former, 
 and both advised her to ask advice of the Bishop 
 of Troyes. This distinguished prelate being ab- 
 sent at the time, she had recourse to M. Rose, 
 his vicar general,who counselled her at once to go 
 to Canada, as it seemed to be the will of God 
 she should. Having thus taken every precaution 
 that prudence suggested to learn the divine will. 
 Sister Bourgeois no longer doubted of her vocation 
 for Canada, but God had not yet declared either 
 the time or the manner of her going. It was 
 natural to suppose she would accompany the reli- 
 gieuses of the Congregation, but the Great Dis- 
 poser of events ordained differently. During all 
 this time, the savage Iroquois had repeated their 
 attacks on the people of Montreal with the wild- 
 est fury. Men, women, and children fell beneath 
 the tomahawk, and in 165 1, M. de Maissonneuve 
 was obliged to return a second time to France 
 for military assistance. On these occasions he 
 never failed to go to the city of Troyes, to visit 
 the members of his family who resided there, and 
 also to pay a visit of respect to the religieuses of 
 the Congregation, for whom he entertained a sin- 
 cere friendship, his sister being a member of the 
 communitj^ On the eve of his arrival, Sister 
 Bourgeois had a singular prediction of the future. 
 She saw in a dream, a grave, venerable-looking 
 man, dressed like an ecclesiastic, standing silently 
 before her. The form and features of the man, 
 
EOIS. 
 
 VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 65 
 
 e former, 
 le Bishop 
 being ab- 
 M. Rose, 
 Dnce to go 
 11 of God 
 )recaution 
 ivine will, 
 r vocation 
 red either 
 . It was 
 ly the reli- 
 3reat Dis- 
 During all 
 :ated their 
 , the wild- 
 11 beneath 
 ssonneuve 
 o France 
 asions he 
 |s, to visit 
 here, and 
 ieuses of 
 Ined a sin- 
 er of the 
 |al. Sister 
 e future. 
 |e-looking 
 silently 
 the man, 
 
 who was not then known to her, remained dis- 
 tinctly imprinted on her imagination, and she 
 had an indefinable inspiration that he was to be 
 in some way connected with the work for which 
 God intended her. She related the dream to some 
 of her friends, and three days afterwards M. de 
 Maisonneuve arrived at Troyes. He called at 
 the Convent, when as usual the subject of the 
 proposed foundation at Ville-Marie was discussed. 
 Sister Bourgeois was sent for, that her opinion 
 might be heard with the others. On entering the 
 parlor, the first person that attracted her atten- 
 tion was the strange gentleman, who corresponded 
 exactly to the person she had seen in her dream. 
 Struck with astonishment, she could not help ex- 
 claiming, " Behold the priest of my dream." 
 She was requested to relate the dream, which she 
 did quite simply, and as a matter of course, had to 
 submit to a good deal of badinage about her 
 vision, as they called it, but jest soon turned to 
 earnest, and before parting M. de Maisonneuve 
 and Sister Bourgeois conceived a lasting friendship 
 for each other. He asked if she would like to go 
 to Montreal and teach a primary school for girls, to 
 which she promptly replied that nothing would 
 afford her greater pleasure, and that nothing was 
 more suited to her inclinations. By her reply he 
 understood that Divine Providence had fitted her 
 for the New World, although he had not the 
 most remote idea of the great things intended to 
 
m 
 
 66 VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 be accomplished by her ever-increasing zeal. In 
 the then state of the colony he felt convinced 
 that nothing was more conducive to its welfare 
 than the Christian education of children, and as 
 the inhabitants were few, one skilful mistress 
 would easily suffice ; nor could he, at the time, 
 procure a suitable dwelling for more. He ac- 
 cepted the offer of Sister Bourgeois on the spot, 
 and the religieuses thanked him for even that 
 concession, awaiting, as they said, a happier 
 occasion for the foundation they so eagerly de- 
 sired. The occasion, however, never presented 
 itself, and they seemed to have some such pre- 
 sentiment, as they charged Margaret Bourgeois 
 with breach of faith in accepting the proposal 
 without their consent. Seeing they were touched 
 with a sort of holy jealousy, she pleasantly re- 
 plied, that if she had promised to go with them 
 to Ville-Marie, she was ready to fulfil her promise, 
 but if she had not made the promise, or if they 
 delayed too long, she should certainly go without 
 them. 
 
 As soon as Mile. Crolo (whom she so heroi- 
 cally saved from dishonor) heard of her deter- 
 mination to cross the sea, she begged with much 
 earnestness to accompany her, but this M. de 
 Maisonneuve would not permit at the time, be- 
 cause he was bringing a regiment of soldiers to 
 the New World, for the defence of Ville-Marie. 
 This circumstance frightened Sister Bourgeois 
 
VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 6; 
 
 very much, as she found herself alone, and with- 
 out escort, in the midst of a troop of soldiers, 
 Her modesty' was alarmed, and she sought her 
 confessor's advice in the new danger. He told 
 her that to judge according to the ordinary rules 
 of prudence, it would be unsafe for an unmarried 
 female to undertake a voyage of so much conse- 
 quence, unaccompanied by one of her own sex, 
 but that in her case, there were so many marks of 
 a particular providence, the common rules of 
 prudence might be set aside, and as he knew the 
 exalted character of M. de Alaisonneuve, he said 
 to his penitent, confidently, ** Go, repose entire 
 trust in the prudence of that gentleman; he will 
 be the guardian of your chastity, as he is one of 
 the first chevaliers of the Queen of Angels." 
 But even this assurance did not calm her fears, 
 until the Blessed Virgin herself reassured her. 
 One morning before she arose, being fully awake, 
 and occupied with holy thoughts, a lady clothed 
 in dazzling white robes, and of extraordinary 
 beauty, suddenly stood before her, and said, 
 slowly and distinctly: "Go to Canada. I will 
 never abandon you." After which the glorious 
 vision disappeared. Margaret's heart was filled 
 with strength and joy, because she knew the 
 peerless Mother of God had spoken to her. 
 When M. Jandret heard it he rejoiced exceed- 
 ingly, and predicted great results from the voyage, 
 even hinting that she might possibly be able to 
 
.'■'fii 
 
 Ml h ' 
 
 68 VENERABLE SISTER MARGA RET BO URGEOIS. 
 
 form in Canada the community they had both 
 failed to establish in Troyes. She replied that 
 nothing was further from her thoughts than the 
 establishment of any community, more especially, 
 as she was to live alone at Ville-Marie. " Nev- 
 ertheless," responded the good priest, " my good 
 angel and yours shall be the first members." Sat- 
 isfied with the pious ideas thus suggested, she 
 quietly set to work at the preparations for the 
 voyage across the Atlantic, which was then con- 
 sidered a very extraordinary affair. M. de 
 Maisonneuve told her they would set sail at the 
 end of May, it being then February, that the em- 
 barkation would take place at Nantes, in Bre- 
 tagne, and advised her to be there in advance of 
 him. Ke also gave her a letter of recommendation 
 to M. le Coq, a merchant of that city, requesting 
 him to offer her the hospitalities of his home 
 during her stay, and promising to rejoin her as 
 soon as his business was satisfactorily arranged. 
 Everything else he left to her own prudence and 
 discretion. Any other person, except Sister 
 Bourgeois, or an apostle, would have prepared a 
 good supply of clothing, and pro^'ided a sufficient 
 sum of money for so long a journe^ , but she being 
 fully convinced that to follow Jesus Christ it v/as 
 necessary to forsake all things, began by despoil- 
 ing herself of what she possessed, bestowing her 
 money and clothing on the poor, and reserving 
 nothing except a little package of linen, in order 
 
 ^ 
 
 
VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 69 
 
 to appear decent. She carried the package to 
 the ship herself, feeling that no one was worthy 
 of wearing the livery of Christ, who was not 
 poor and lowly like Him. She had not as yet 
 \ informed her relations of her intention to leave 
 the land of her birth, that she might escape their 
 solicitations to remain where she was known and 
 loved. Therefore she resolved to go to Paris on 
 the pretext of business. At the same time, her 
 uncle, M. Cossard, who was guardian of the minors 
 of her family, and Mme. de Chuly, with whom 
 she was residing, had each occasion to go to 
 Paris, and so all three travelled in the same con- 
 veyance. This was on the 6th of February, 1653, 
 Margaret Bourgeois being thirty-three years old. 
 It was thirty-six leagues from Troyes to Paris, 
 and when they were some distance on the road, 
 she told them her intention for the first time, de- 
 claring that she had left Troyes never to return, 
 and that she went to Paris only to take the route 
 for Canada, whither she was to accompany M.de 
 Maisonneuve. Her companions supposed she was 
 talking to amuse either herself or them, and were 
 not in the least disturbed by her declaration, 
 nor convinced of the reality, until they arrived at 
 Paris. Then she requested her uncle to conduct 
 her to a notary's office, as she had business to 
 transact. He complied with her request, but 
 was astonished beyond measure when she assured 
 him seriously that she was going to relinquish, 
 
70 
 
 VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 by a legal procedure, all that might revert to 
 her of the family inheritance, and place it in his 
 hands for the benefit of the two children who 
 were minors, knowing that her trust would not be 
 misplaced, as he was their guardian. She had 
 already made the sacrifice interiorly, many years 
 jjefore, by the vow of poverty, and she now 
 determined to make it legally, in a manner not 
 to be reversed. M. Cossard endeavored to dis- 
 suade his niece from such an absurdity, as it ap- 
 peared to him, but his eloquence and reasoning 
 were useless, and the property was deeded away. 
 He next tried to convince her that her vocation 
 was chimerical, and the result of a sort of relig- 
 ous enthusiasm, which would die a natural death. 
 And lest his rhetoric should not produce the 
 desired effect, he started back to Troyes, where 
 she was universally known and- esteemed, to tell 
 the news, and call to his aid the sympathies of 
 her friends. As a matter of course, every one 
 disapproved of her proceedings (when was any- 
 thing undertaken for the glory of God, approved 
 of by the children of this world?), and she was 
 overwhelmed with letters from all quarters, con- 
 taining criticisms on her conduct, and assuring 
 her that she was acting a very foolish part. But 
 her constancy remained unshaken, as conscience 
 told her her resolution was made for the glory of 
 God. This trial was followed by two others, which 
 were calculated either to unsettle or confirm her 
 
revert to 
 t it in his 
 dren who 
 uld not be 
 She had 
 any years 
 she now 
 inner not 
 id to dis- 
 , as it ap- 
 reasoning 
 ded away, 
 r vocation 
 t of relig- 
 iral death, 
 duce the 
 es, where 
 d, to tell 
 athies of 
 jvery one 
 was any- 
 pproved 
 she was 
 ers, con- 
 assuring 
 irt. But 
 |>nscience 
 glory of 
 rs, which 
 Ifirm her 
 
 VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 71 
 
 vocation, as, under the guise of prudence, a 
 seemingly greater good was proposed. In fact, 
 a person less enlightened in the ways of God 
 would have wavered at this period of her life. 
 During her sojourn in Paris, she resided with a 
 certain Mme. de Bellevue, a woman of merit and 
 and virtue, but who, it must be acknowledged, 
 used her tongue pretty freely on certain occa- 
 sions. 
 
 This lady had two distinguished brothers, one 
 a canon of la Sainte Chapelle, the other being Pro- 
 vincial of the Carmelites in the Province of Paris. 
 Both gentlemen were informed of the arrival of 
 the lady from Troyes, whom Mme. Bellevue 
 described as wonderfully as possible. However, 
 they learned from herself two things, which the 
 devil endeavored to turn to his advantage ; first, 
 that she was on the point of going alone to 
 Montreal with M. de Maisonneuve, and second, 
 that she had at one time a strong inclination to 
 join the Carmelite Order, which had so far refused 
 to receive her. These good people conceived a 
 high idea of her sanctity during her short stay 
 among them, and persuaded themselves they 
 would be doing her a service, if they could induce 
 her to give up the Canadian mission. The news 
 of the murderous attack of the savages on the 
 colonists of Montreal had reached them, and they 
 made the most of the information. They even 
 represented M. de Maisonneuve as a dangerous 
 
72 
 
 VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 man, who was quite capable of abusing her con- 
 fidence, and although she would not permit herself 
 to believe such an assertion, she experienced much 
 interior trouble. In this perplexity of mind, she 
 sought advice from M. Carme, a holy priest who 
 held her in great veneration. To console her, he 
 promised to procure her admission into any Con- 
 vent of the Carmelite Order in the province, that 
 she should select. It was human policy to attack 
 her weak side, if she had any ^ touching the Car- 
 melites, and the temptation to abandon her 
 original design was so much the more pressing, 
 as she still had a greater desire to embrace and 
 practise the austerities of Mt. Carmel, than any 
 other order of the Church. She had, moreover, time 
 enough to deliberate, and although she secured her 
 seat in the coach from Paris to Orleans, which 
 was to start next day, she now gave it up, fearing 
 exceedingly that by refusing the offer made her, 
 she would be refusing the will of God. This fear 
 threw her into an agony of doubt. It was only 
 a temptation, however, and in order to restore 
 her peace of mind, she went to the Jesuits of 
 Saint Antoine, that she might discover more 
 clearly, if possible, me will of God by the decis- 
 ion of these wise directors. The Father to whom 
 she revealed the state of her conscience was the 
 oracle destined by heaven to decide her vocation 
 for life. After hearing the wonderful history of 
 God's providence over her, he told her to go to 
 
VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 n 
 
 Canada without fear, and leave the result in the 
 hands of Mary her Mother. A great and blessed 
 calm instantly succeeded to the storm that 
 agitated her soul, and leaving the Jesuit church, 
 she went directly to the Provincial of the Car- 
 melites to thank him for the good will he had 
 shown her, and without more ado, again took 
 her seat in the coach for Orleans, which was to 
 leave on the morrow. But this was not the least 
 of her trials. It seemed as if the contemplated 
 voyage was to bring upon her a series of the 
 saddest and most insupportable humiliations. 
 As there was no female travelling with her, and 
 as she evidently possessed nothing but the 
 clothing she wore, and the package she carried, 
 her companions of the coach made her feel that 
 they regarded her as an adventuress, who ought 
 not be admitted into honest society. When 
 they arrived at Orleans, the host would not per- 
 mit her to remain at the inn, although she begged 
 humbly and tearfully for shelter during the night, 
 offering to sit by the fire, if they would not give 
 her a room. Seeing her reduced to the extrem- 
 ity of staying all night in the street the driver of 
 the conveyance offered his room to her. He 
 was prompted to do so, however, not by charit- 
 able, but by criminal motives. In her ignorance 
 of the man's villany, she accepted the offer, and 
 remained on her knees in prayer till the sun rose 
 next day. Several times during the night, this 
 
:^■^^?• 
 
 
 74 
 
 VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 person and his depraved associates attempted to 
 force open her door, but Margaret Bourgeois was 
 safe under the protection of Mary, her powerful 
 guardian, and their repeated attempts to effect 
 an entrance proved unsuccessful. In the morn- 
 ing she discovered another smaller door in the 
 room, concealed by a curtain. This opened di- 
 rectly into the scene of the past night's debau- 
 cheries, and then she saw the horrors she escaped. 
 Full of gratitude to the Immacluatc Mother of 
 God, who had so signally preserved her, she 
 prayed and wept together. Very early in the 
 morning she started off alone, and unobserved, to 
 continue her journey, and secured a passage in 
 the boat on the Loire, which had twelve other 
 passengers. Among them there was only one 
 woman, who carried an infant in her arms. Sis- 
 ter Bourgeois had the address to engage the en- 
 tire party in exercises of piety during the river 
 journey, which lasted several days, as the distance 
 from Orleans to Nantes was almost one hundred 
 leagues. Each day they recited together the 
 office of the Blessed Virgin, and the rosary, after 
 which she read a chapter from a spiritual -book, 
 on the duties of a Christian life, to which all lis- 
 tened attentively. One Saturday evening she 
 obtained permission from the captain of the boat 
 to go ashore, and enjoy the privilege of assisting 
 at Mass on Sunday; which was a favor not usu- 
 ally accorded to the passengers. After sailing for 
 
VtiNKRABI.R SlSri-R At.lKGAR/-T BOURGEOIS. 
 
 75 
 
 some days they arrived at Saumur, where they 
 made a short stay, as the boat needed repairs. 
 Here also a public humiliation awaited this ex- 
 traordinary woman. On presenting herself at 
 the inn, in company with so many men, suspicion 
 again closed the door against her. She was told 
 plainly that an honest woman would not travel 
 as she did, and that the credit of the house would 
 be injured, by receiving her as a guest ; nor did 
 the companions of her journey sympathize with 
 her in the least, on receiving the insult, although 
 she had edified them very much since they left 
 Orleans. Such marks of man's inconstancy fre- 
 quently occur in every grade of society. How- 
 ever, a charitable citizen of Saumur, who was 
 present, being touched with compassion by the 
 modesty and meekness with which she received 
 the affront, offered her the hospitality of his 
 home, which she gratefully accepted. It is re- 
 markable that these cruel insults cooled neither 
 her determination nor her fervor; on the con- 
 trary, she interiorly rejoiced at the high honor 
 God conferred upon her, by permitting her to 
 share in the contempt and humiliation of His 
 divine Son, whom the Jewish rabble maligned and 
 cursed, and almost as extraordinary is the fact 
 that she completely regained her influence over 
 her inconstant fellow-travellers, when they again 
 met on the boat to continue their route. They 
 arrived at Nantes three or four days afterwards. 
 
76 
 
 VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 m. ill 
 
 ii'ii 
 
 m^ 
 
 One of the party was a young man who had de- 
 termined to enlist in M. de Maisonneuve's regi- 
 ment for Canada. 
 
 He had many opportunities of noticing the ex- 
 alted virtue of Margaret Bourgeois during the 
 week, and politely offered to carry her little 
 package when they left the boat. Even this at- 
 tention of Christian charity drew upon her a fresh 
 humiliation. Accompained by the stranger, she 
 enquired for the residence of M. le Coq, merchant 
 of Nantes, which was the address given her by 
 M. de Maisonneuve, but the gentleman was not 
 known by that name in the city; be was there 
 styled M. de la Bassonni^rs. She walked along 
 every street in Nantes to find him, and was about 
 giving up in despair, when she suddenly encoun- 
 tered at a crossing a brusque, buisness-looking 
 man, whom she timidly requested to direct her to 
 the residence of M. le Coq. •'/ am the person 
 you seek, madame," he replied, " and if I mistake 
 not, you are the lady concerning whom M. de 
 Maisonneuve wrote me a few days since," hand- 
 ing her the letter of her friend at the same time. 
 Margaret was very agreeably surprised by the 
 providential rencontre, and began to hope that 
 the mortifications of her eventful journey were 
 drawing to a close. The merchant directed her 
 to his home, which was not far distant, and as- 
 suring her of a hearty welcome from his wife, left 
 her abruptly to attend to his own concerns. On 
 
VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 77 
 
 arriving at the house, she met Mme. Ic Coq, who 
 was highly indignant to learn that her husband 
 sent her a young woman to entertain, accom- 
 pained by a rustic who carried her clothing. *' I 
 will positively receive no such people into my 
 house," she said," you must depart forthwith." 
 And poor weary Sister Bourgeois did depart, but 
 she went on her way rejoicing to suffer reproach 
 for the cause of Jesus, and entered a neighboring 
 church, where, at that very hour, was being held 
 a procession in honor of the Blessed Sacrament. 
 She assisted devoutly at the ceremony, and as she 
 was not easily disconcerted by the repulses which 
 were now becoming familiar to her, and also being 
 fortified by prayer, she coolly determined to pay 
 another visit to Mme. le Coq. Being an utter 
 stranger to the strong-minded woman, she was 
 severely reproached for permitting a young man 
 to carry her package, but as M. le Coq himself 
 then came in sight, the harangue upon propriety 
 suddenly came to an end. He made the nec- 
 essary explanations to his irate lady, and Margaret 
 was received and entertained with cordial hos- 
 pitality. The great day of the final embarkation 
 was now approaching, and God had yet another 
 trial in store to test the iidelity and constancy of 
 her vocation. While she awail ed the arrival of 
 M. de Maisonneuve she had a strong desire to 
 approach the Sacraments once more before leav- 
 ing France, and as she always preferred a Carmel- 
 
I' 
 
 '1 
 
 78 
 
 VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 ite confessor, she sought one, and was successful, 
 as there was a Carmelite church in the city. It 
 was one of her lifelong principles to do nothing 
 by halves; thercfoie she once again related her 
 whole past experience to the good Father, who 
 unhesitatingly advised her to remain in her native 
 land, and become a C.irmclite nun. Humanly 
 speaking, it was natural he should so advise her. 
 But his suggestions threw her into a dreadful state 
 of perplexity. On leaving him, she entered the 
 Capuchin church, where the Blessed Sacrament 
 was still expose ;, and prostrating herself in the 
 presence of God, shec! abundant tears in the bit- 
 terness of her soul, protesting that her only de- 
 sire was to knoiv His will, and do it. During this 
 hour of spirit trial and loving colloquy with her 
 divine Lord, a light from heaven suddenly en- 
 veloped her, her heart was replenished with tl" e 
 sweetest consolation, and she was made cleaily 
 to understand, at once and forever, that God 
 willed she should go to Canada. Yet, although 
 she was thus divinely reassured, she would not 
 neglect the duty of holy obedience, and as her 
 last '. onfessor directed her to write to those per- 
 sons in Paris who had manifested an interest in 
 her vocation, she did so, rather to thank them for 
 wha*: they had already done, than to ask them to 
 renew their exertions. But during the three 
 weeks she stiU remained in Nantes, she received 
 no reply froni these friends. It seemed now as 
 
VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 79 
 
 if the devil had left no stone unturned to des- 
 troy her vocation for Ville-Marie, yet true to his 
 old malice, he made one more attempt, and this 
 time the trial came from M. de Maisonneuve 
 himself. As soon as he arrived in Nantes, in order 
 to hasten the preparations for their departure, he 
 received an anonymous letter, in which it was al- 
 leged, among other unpleasant things, that 
 Margaret Bourgeois was unfit to accompany him 
 to Canada, as her vocation for the order of Mt. 
 Carmel was evident, and that this preference 
 would render her useless to him across the At- 
 lantic. But as he was an upright man, who could 
 not be terrified by shadows, nor influenced by the 
 assertions of persons who v/ould not honorably 
 give their names, he contented himself by show- 
 ing the cowardly communication to Sister Bour- 
 geois, and calmly av/aited her reply, wliich, when 
 given, entirely disabused him of any doubts that 
 might have lessened his confidence in her, and so 
 he decided to set sail for the New World in Juiv, 
 1653. During their stay of three weeks at Nan- 
 tes, she completely won the esteem and friendship 
 of M. le Coq and his family. Not only did they 
 refuse to receive payment for her board, but 
 eagerly pressed her to accept an outfit for the sea 
 voyage, which they saw she took no care to pro- 
 vide. The kind-hearted merchant thoughtfully 
 procured a comfortable bed for her, which she 
 never slept upon, the ship's cordage being her 
 
^p^' 
 
 J I 
 
 80 
 
 VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 only hammock during the voyage. He would 
 also have given her a supply of wine, but knowing 
 she would not use it, he substituted a few casks 
 of fresh water, the lack of which often causes 
 such frightful sufferings at sea. These were use- 
 less precautions for one who was determined to 
 suffer in the flesh a portion of the mortifications 
 of Jesus Christ. The water was stored in the 
 ship, but she did not use it, as she drank only once 
 a day, from a little leather cup that she carried 
 by her side. She never deviated from this meas- 
 ure, and used only the tainted water, which was 
 the ordinary beverage of the common sailors. 
 M. de Maisonneuve wished her to eat at his 
 table, but to this she would not consent ; there- 
 fore he sent her daily a portion of the food pre- 
 pared for himself, which was more delicate and 
 better cooked than the ordinary mess. She 
 took it thankfully, to divide among the sick, using 
 herself only a small share of the common ship 
 rations. During the voyage she carefully in- 
 structed the soldiers and sailors in the sublime 
 though simple lessons of the catechism. She 
 served the sick day and night, as there were 
 many invalids to be found in a rav/ regiment of 
 one hundred men. She solaced them in their 
 sufferings with unwearied assiduity, and gave 
 them the delicacies she received from the com- 
 mander. Each day she rea'd a lecture on the prac- 
 tical duties of Christianity, and induced ail to re- 
 
VENERABLE SIS TER MARGARET BO UR GEOIS. g i 
 
 cite aloud the morning and night prayers. Her 
 courage and strength never failed during the in- 
 conveniences of a stormy sea-voyage, which was 
 remarkable, as she had never been to sea before. 
 She was really the guardian angel of the ship, and 
 in the exercise of such heroic acts of charity did 
 she arrive in Canada. However, in spite of her 
 self-sacrificing virtue, she was the subject of un- 
 charitable criticisms, as M. de Maisonneuve, who 
 knew her worth, paid unceasing and deserved at- 
 tention to her wants, and she testified the most 
 humble and respectful submission to his wishes. 
 Some who observed this wickedly construed it 
 into hypocrisy to mask lost virtue, and although 
 the lynx-eyed slanderers did not dare to assert as 
 much openly on board, yet she knew it was dis- 
 cussed in private. But she endured the humilia- 
 tion in silence, as was lier custom when calumny 
 of any kind assailed her. 
 
:f 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 SISTER BOURGEOIS* ARRIVAL IN CANADA. 
 
 The voyage from various causes having lasted 
 three months, the fleet did not arrive in Quebec 
 until the 226. of September, 1653. She therefore 
 set her foot on Canadian soil for the first time 
 in the capital of New France. It was like tal-ing 
 possession of the Province she was afterwards to 
 edify and instruct, by word and example, not only 
 by her own immediate labors, but also by the zeal 
 of those who were in the designs of God to con- 
 tinue the good work she so happily commenced, 
 and to continue it for centuries th^-oughout the 
 whole extent of that vast country. Yet it was not 
 Quebec but Montreal, that God intended to be 
 the centre of her missionary zeal, and that of her 
 spiritual daughters. She therefore made but a 
 short stay in the capital, and could not rest until 
 she arrived at her final destination, accompanied 
 by M. de Maisonneuve. Words would be quite 
 inadequate to express the joy she felt on ap- 
 proacJiing Montreal. She was overpowered with 
 62 
 
VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 83 
 
 gratitude to the Almighty God when she first be- 
 held the young city for which she had so long 
 sighed, and which was indeed the City of Mary, 
 having been consecrated to her, and this joy was 
 so much the purer as it was purchased by the 
 pains and humiliations she endured for Christ's 
 dear sake. In addition to what has been already 
 related of this voyage. Sister Bourgeois says in 
 her manuscripts, that as soon as they weighed 
 anchor, it was discovered the ship was rotten, 
 and leaked in many places. However, as it was 
 well manned, having, besides the usual number of 
 sailors, 108 soldiers on board, it was ho.ped they 
 would be able to brave the sea, but the hope was 
 vain. Although they worked night and day at 
 the pumps, the ship could not be kept afloat. 
 The water gained rapidly, and their provisions 
 were nearly destroyed. They were obliged to 
 return to the port of St. Lazare, on nearing which 
 they must have perished but for the timely as- 
 sistance rendered by the inhabitants of the place. 
 Margaret Bourgeois felt the danger more keenly, 
 as there was not a priest on board, and very few 
 were prepared for death. M. de Maisonneuve 
 took the wise precaution of putting the soldiers 
 ashore on an island, to prevent desertions; but 
 a few in despair cast themselves into the sea to 
 effect an escape, as the ship was sinking before 
 their eyes, and they believed M. de Maisonneuve 
 was leading them to perdition. One alone wa.s 
 
■ 
 
 'HT""! 
 
 I*: I 
 
 84 
 
 VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 I 
 
 calm amidst that wild tumult of passion, and that 
 one was Sister Bourgeois, who willingly and re- 
 peatedly offered the sacrifice of her life to God. 
 In the meantimjc M. de Maisonneuve was fortu- 
 nate enough to secure a new ship, and all other 
 things necessary to continue the voyage. So they 
 set sail again on the feast of St. Margaret, after 
 having assisted at Mass, a happiness they had 
 not enjoyed for a long time. As if to add to 
 their misery, sickness now became general, and 
 Sister Bourgeois was alternately priest and infir- 
 marian, eight persons having died in her arms. 
 As soon as they were finally settleJ in Ville- 
 Marie, she requested M. de Maisonneuve to lead 
 her to the cross he had erected in 1640. But that 
 one having been weather-beaten and broken, he 
 replaced it by another, higher up on the moun- 
 tain, with an image of Mary near it. This was a 
 rendezvous for the savages, who assembled there 
 to receive religious instruction. He carried the 
 second cross on his own shoulders through thorns, 
 and rocks, and forest trees, there being no path- 
 way up the hill-side, and having secured it on the 
 platform prepared for it, placed beside it the 
 statue of the Blessed Virgin given him by the 
 Congregation Sisters. The erection of this cross 
 was quite a religious ceremony, and occurred on 
 the same day, and at the same hour, on which 
 Sister Bourgeoi.-. received the first miraculous 
 favor from the Mother of God, in the porch of 
 
VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS, 
 
 85 
 
 the church of Notre Dame, in the city of Troyes. 
 She always believed that this extraordinary event 
 determined her vocation for Canada. The conse- 
 crated hillside became afterwards the " Mission 
 of the Mountain." The following year an altar 
 was erected at the foot of the cross, and the early 
 missionary priests of Ville-Marie celebrated Mass 
 there for the converted savages. It happened 
 once, that of fifteen or sixteen persons present 
 at the Holy Sacrifice, not one knew how to servo 
 Mass, and Jean Mance had to get a little child, 
 four years old, to wait on the priest, by suggest- 
 ing the responses, and indicating the ceremonies. 
 At the foot of this mountain, in after years, the 
 Indians assembled by hundreds, to embrace 
 Christianity, and receive instruction from the 
 priests and the Sisters of the Congregation. The 
 first time M. de Maisonneuve conducted Mar- 
 garet Bourgeois to the time-honored cross, he 
 was obliged to have an escort of thirty men, lest 
 the Iroquois should surprise and maltreat them. 
 What then mufr" have been her disappointment 
 and grief to find it thrown down and broken. 
 The Indians had watched their opportunity to in- 
 sult the Christian standard, yet wonderful to re- 
 late, the statue of the Blessed Virgin was not in 
 the least injured. She resolved on the spot to 
 erect a third cross, with M. de Maisonneuve's per- 
 mission, which she of uurse obtained, and for 
 three days and nights they labored together on 
 
80 
 
 VEiSERABLE SISTliR MARGARET BOURUllOlS. 
 
 -\ ' 
 
 the mountain until the pious work was completed. 
 This time they surrounded it with a strong pali- 
 sade of stakes, and for years the colonists were in 
 the habit of making annual pilgrimages to it. It 
 was still standing in 1760, when the Enj^Hsh be- 
 came masters of Montreal, but from that time it was 
 seen no more. Sister Bourgeois soon after her arri- 
 val, commenced her labor of Christian love. Ville- 
 Marie then contained about fifty houses scattered 
 here and there, with a fort '"or the garrison. A 
 few colonists settled in the sui rounding country, 
 where they made successful attempts to cultivate 
 the ground, and some converted savages erected 
 cabins in the vicinity. These constituted the en- 
 tire population of Montreal at that remote period, 
 and our heroine visited each house daily, like the 
 Apostles of old, to animate the people with a 
 portion of her own zeal in the discharge of their 
 religious duties. She was to be found every- 
 where that the good of her fellow-creatures re- 
 quired, either waiting on the sick, consoling the 
 afiflicted, instructing th- ignorant, washing r.nd 
 mending — gratis — the ^'.othing of the poor sol- 
 diers, preparing the dead for burial, or despoiling 
 herself of necessaries in favor of the destitute, 
 which was the routine of her daily life. And it 
 might be truly said in the words of Scripture, 
 that her days were full. We have already related 
 that M. le Coq gave her a sleeping outfit, con- 
 sisting of a mattress, palliasse, two comforters, 
 
VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 87 
 
 and a pillow. Although the first winter she 
 spent in Montreal was an unusually severe one, 
 she never used these articles of comfort herself, 
 but freely bestowed them on others. A poor sol- 
 dier, badly frozen, hastened to tell her his misery ; 
 the mattress was instantly given to him. A com- 
 rade hearing of his good fortune, presented him- 
 self for relief; the palliasse became his property, 
 the comforters being bestowed on a third, who 
 was as wretchedly lodged as the others. There 
 was as yet no applicant for the pillow, which was 
 a useless article of furniture to her, as she slept 
 on the bare ground, or a plank, resting her head 
 upon straw, notwithstanding the inclemency of 
 Canadian winters. Yet she felt amply rewarded 
 for her privations, by being permitted to perform 
 charitable offices for others. She was the com- 
 mon mother of the young colonists, being an eye 
 to the blind, a foot to the lame, consolation to 
 the afflicted, a support to the weak and indigent, 
 making herself ^^'ke the Apostle, ** all to all, in 
 order to gain all to Christ." But her principal 
 aim was the instruction of the little ones, and as 
 she had no school- room to teach in, she followed 
 them from house to house, instructing them in 
 their religious duties, and inspiring them with de- 
 votion to the Immaculate Mother of God. 
 While M. de Maisonneuve, her faithful fellow- 
 laborer, struggled for the material prosperity of 
 the colony, she endeavored to erect a spiritual 
 
*v 
 
 88 VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 empire in the hearts of the faithful. But as the 
 population increased the extent of her foot-jour- 
 neys covered a vast tract of country, and the 
 number of children she instructed was greater 
 than one teacher could attend to. Although her 
 strength and courage never flagged, she evidently 
 required assistance, which Almighty God pro- 
 vided in His own mysterious and adorable man- 
 ner, as will soon be related. 
 
 I ; 
 
CHAPTER VII. 
 
 ESTABLISHMENT OF THE SISTERS OF THE CON. 
 GREGATION OF NOTRE DAME AT VILLE-MARIE. 
 
 , Sister Bourgeois had now lived four years in 
 Ville-Marie, during which time she had practised 
 the most heroic virtues. Her zeal for the glory 
 of God was ever increasing, her only desire being 
 to win souls to His service, and to love and imi- 
 tate the virtues of His divine Mother. About 
 this period she felt interiorly inspired to build a 
 church in honor of Mary, in which she might at 
 times assemble her little pupils for instruction, in 
 order to effect greater good among them. 
 Hitherto she had literally to run after them from 
 house to house, which unavoidably caused a great 
 loss of her precious time. Yet, obedient to the 
 inspirations of grace, she first consulted her 
 confessor, Father Pizart, a Jesuit, who was 
 then the only priest in Ville-Marie. To test 
 her firmness he represented and exaggerated the 
 difficulties she would have to encounter, but her 
 zealous determination overcame his objections, 
 
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 VENER 4BLE SISTEH MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 and he approved of her design, not doubting that 
 God would assist her to accomplish it. Being 
 strengthened in her resolution by his approval, 
 and full of confidence in God and His Holy 
 Mother, she went directly to M. de Maisonneuvc 
 to ask for a suitable tract of land on which to 
 erect the building. This he gave most willingly, 
 as there was nothing dearer to him than to pro- 
 mote devotion to the Mother of God by every 
 means in his power. Having unbounded confi- 
 dence in Sister Bourgeois, he desired her to se- 
 lect a site for the edifice, wherever she pleased, 
 and she accordingly took possession of the ground 
 on which the church of Bon-Sccouis stands to- 
 day, being about four hundred paces from the 
 city of Ville-Marie. The extent of the lot 
 
 was only 40 by 30 feet, which small enclosure 
 she judged sufficient for her purpose, but she 
 had no earthly means to carry out her design. 
 However, she set to work hopefully, and enlisted 
 the sympathies of the colonists. Nor was she dis- 
 appointed, as all were disposed to assist; some 
 prepared lumber, others quarried stone, mechanics 
 worked as their services were required, laborers 
 waited on the workmen, several contributed 
 money quite liberally, and in a few days the foun- 
 dation was ready to receive the ponderous wooden 
 structure to be laid upon it. Everything seemed 
 to be progressing favorably, but it was the work 
 of God, and had to encounter contradiction to 
 
VENERABLE SISTER MARCARHT BOURGEOIS. 
 
 91 
 
 make it perfect. The contradiction came, too, 
 from a quarter the least expected, God having so 
 permitted in order to purify still more the heart 
 of this holy woman. Until then, there had been 
 no bishop at Quebec, and M. I'Abb^ de Qut^lus, 
 first superior of the Seminary of St. Sulpice at 
 Montreal, arrived from France, at the precise 
 time they were putting up the building. He 
 came as Grand-Vicar of the Archbishop of Rouen, 
 in whose name all spiritual jurisdiction in Canada 
 had hitherto been exercised. He had never 
 heard of Sister Bourgeois, and with three other 
 priests of his society, came for the express pur- 
 pose of founding a sctninary at Ville-Marie, being 
 the first Sulpicians who visited New France. M. 
 de Qu61us was therefore surprised to find a young 
 woman, whose humility concealed her talents and 
 her virtues, take the lead in building a church, 
 for which she had, as we have seen, the permis- 
 sion of a subordinate ecclesiastic. In his wisdom 
 he ordered the work to be discontinued, and she 
 submitted to the voice of authority without mur- 
 mur or reply, but reflected, nevertheless, on the 
 consequences. There was a large quantity of valu- 
 able lumber ready for the carpenters ; it was pro- 
 cured at great expense and labor, but must, in 
 consequence of the interdict, become a total loss, 
 and rot on the ground. Human prudence would 
 have regarded the event as a misfortune, and 
 Sister Bourgeois, obedient as she was, sighed 
 
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 / HNERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 bitterly in secret. But God, who knows how to 
 draw good out of evil, turned the contradiction 
 into a work of enduring benefit. The contem- 
 plated wooden building was forbidden, it is true, 
 but a stone church was erected instead, and the 
 Congregation of the Sisters of Notre Dame may 
 be said to date from that period. It does not 
 appear that she had previously thought of form- 
 ing a community, but seeing her hopes thus sud- 
 denly dashed to the ground, and feeling she could 
 no longer do justice to the children on the scat- 
 tered plan she was compelled to adopt, she began 
 seriously to think of associating with herself a few 
 companions. 
 
 Full of this idea, and convinced that in Ville- 
 Marie she could not find persons suitable for 
 teachers, she decided on going back to France, 
 to induce the externs of Troyes, her native city, 
 to form a corps of teachers for Canada. She 
 foresaw her return would be considered unwise 
 and ill-timed, but a voice within that would not 
 be silenced, told her that God required her to 
 return. According to the wisdom of the world, 
 it did look badly for a single woman, without 
 means or credit, to recross the ocean for the pur- 
 pose of inducing others to imitate her wise folly, 
 to renounce all things and sacrifice the peace and 
 security of home for the dangers of a wild, thinly- 
 settled country. The citizens of Troyes knew 
 well that Canadian colonists were the constant 
 
VENERAHIJ- SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 93 
 
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 prey of relentless savages, being murdered in cold 
 blood, not only on the island of Montreal, but 
 frequently at their own doors. Yet Sister Bour- 
 geois, animated by the Holy Spirit, listened only 
 to the voice of God, as did the Apostles of old, 
 and as did also the holy vvonianwho followed in 
 their track. She left Villc- Marie with a strong pre- 
 sentiment of success. Perhaps she had also a 
 prophetic view of what would follow. At least 
 one is led to think so, by the positive assurance 
 she gave to a confidential friend before her de- 
 parture, that she would be absent one year, which 
 prediction was literally verified, as she left Mon- 
 treal, September, 1658, and returned in safety 
 with her new companions September, 1659. If 
 the saintly woman herself displayed courage and 
 zeal in undertaking the return voyage, no less 
 heroism was evinced by those who followed her 
 to Canada. It is always a matter of surprise 
 to the worldly-minded, to see young girls coura- 
 geously sever the ties of kindred and country, 
 and attach themselves to one who possesses 
 nothing but confidence in God, and who prom- 
 ises nothing in the future but humiliations, 
 pain and labor to her followers. Such were the 
 inducements held out by Margaret Bourgeois to 
 those she succeeded in bringing to the New 
 World, and such were the Christian heroines 
 who associated themselves to this great work of 
 charity. Four young girls accompanied her on 
 
 r 
 
94 
 
 VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 It* \ 
 
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 ■r,- ■* 
 
 the first recruiting voyage, whose names deserve 
 to be transmitted to posterity. They were Miles. 
 Crolo, Raisin, Fyoux, and Chatel. The title of 
 Sister was not given them for many years after, 
 but in 167 1 they received letters patent author- 
 izing them to form a religious community. We 
 cannot better describe the rise and progress of 
 the Sisters of the Congregation than by giving 
 octracts from the manuscripts of Sister Bourgeois. 
 She says : 
 
 " In 1658, five years after my first arrival in 
 Canada, I felt inspired to return to France for 
 help. It happened in this way : Mile. Mance had 
 broken her arm, and undergone an unsuccessful 
 operation. It continued so painful, that she was 
 obliged to go to France to have it properly 
 treated, having also matters to arrange for her 
 hospital. As she could not travel without a com- 
 panion — being an invalid — I offered my services, 
 which were accepted, but I had another object 
 in view, namely, to procure capable young persons 
 to teach my school. Mile. Mance was well 
 pleased that I should accompany her, and, as our 
 simple preparations were easily made, we left 
 Montreal on the Feast of St. Michael, Sept. 29, 
 1658. Having been the sacristan of the parish 
 church, I requested M. Galimier, a priest of the 
 seminary, to keep matters so arranged that I 
 could resume the pious duty on my return. I 
 made the request before starting for Europe, and 
 
 ^•::^,^ii 
 
V£NHKABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 95 
 
 he promised that my desire should be complied 
 with, provided I was not absent longer than a 
 year. I made the promise partly in jest, yet 
 Divine Providence ordained that I should return 
 safely on the next Feast of St. Michael. The 
 crew of the vessel in which we embarked 
 numbered but six men, and were all Protestants, 
 Mile. Mance and myself being the only Catholics 
 on board. We scarcely ever went on deck, pre- 
 ferring to remain quietly in the cabin allotted to 
 us, and preform our devotions. The crew, at 
 times, sang their prayers too loudly for the comfort 
 of an invalid, and Mile. Mance was reluctantly 
 obliged to complain to the captain. After that 
 the singing of the prayers ceased, and we were 
 treated with marked attention and respect. We 
 had a prosperous voyage over the blue sea, and 
 cast anchor at La Rochelle, during the Christ- 
 mas holidays. Mile. Mance went immediately to 
 La Fldche, to get her arm reset, in that famous hos- 
 pital, and hoped to bring back with her, on her 
 return, a few of the Sisters, to assist in the manage- 
 ment of the hospital she had established at Ville- 
 Marie. I was delighted to have the consolation 
 of again seeing M. de la Dauversiere, that great 
 servant of Mary, and noble protector of Montreal, 
 who resided at La Fl^che, of which place he was 
 Lieutenant-General. We remained there a few 
 days, and then set out for Paris. I had become 
 in a manner necessary to Mile. Mance, as she 
 
96 
 
 VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS 
 
 i* 'n 
 
 was not able to dress without assistance, and she 
 willingly defrayed my expenses while we resided 
 with her sister during our stay in Paris. M. Olicr, 
 superior of St. Sulpice, died two years before our 
 arrival, and as she had great faith in his interces- 
 sion, she requested the new superior to allow her 
 to pray at the tomb of the deceased. She was 
 refused the favor then^ but was directed to call on 
 the'following Sunday, which she did not fail to do, 
 accompanied by me. It gave us inexpressible 
 joy to pray by the tomb of the dead saint, and to 
 see the splendid chapel of St. Sulpice. But Mile. 
 Mance had more reason to rejoice than I, for, 
 while kneeling in prayer, she suddenly recovered 
 the use of her crippled arm, and was restored to 
 perfect health, God being pleased to reward her 
 great faith by a greater miracle. I went to 
 Troyes on business of my own for a few days, 
 leaving her to continue a novena alone. She 
 wrote to me with her formerly withered hand, 
 thereby proving beyond doubt that she was cured. 
 The physicians declared that human science was 
 useless in her case, and that the restoration of her 
 arm was an undeniable miracle. During my stay 
 at Troyes, I lodged with the religieuses of the 
 Congregation, who entertained me with much 
 kindness and charity. I explained to them my 
 desire of procuring a few young girls, who would 
 be willing to accompany me as teachers to Ville- 
 Marie, and also that I would be glad to get one 
 
VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 9'/ 
 
 or two healthy persons to attend to our domestic 
 work. My purpose was highly approved of by 
 them, but I was assured it would be difficult to 
 carry it into execution. Nor could I have suc- 
 ceeded without the special help of Divine 
 Providence, in which I implicitly trusted, and my 
 hope was never in vain. As soon as the purpose 
 of my visit was known in Troyes, three of my old 
 companions at once offered their services. These 
 were Sisters Crolo, Ch^tel, and Raisin. The first 
 named had asked to accompany me in 1652. M. 
 Chatel, the father of the second, was Notary 
 Apostolic, and on hearing my proposal to take 
 his daughter to Canada (at her own desire), 
 asked how we intended to earn a living in the 
 New World. I replied that M. de Maisonneuve 
 had given us a good stable for a dwelling, that it 
 was large, and would suit our purpose, and 
 showed him the contract. ' That is all very well,* 
 he said, * but what are you going to subsist on ?* 
 The only answer 1 could make was, that we 
 should labor faithfully in the school, and that I 
 could promise nothing to my companions, but 
 pain of mind and body, with a mess of pottage. 
 My reply brought tears to his eyes, for though 
 he loved his daughter dearly, he loved religious 
 sacrifices better. He did not give me a decisive 
 answer for a few days, however, preferring to act 
 slowly, and consult his friends on the matter. 
 They advised him to place no obstacle to the 
 
 P 
 
98 
 
 VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 11 ' u 
 
 V . '' 
 
 <iii 
 
 work of God, as his daughter freely offered her. 
 self for the mission, and so the truly Christian 
 father agreed to let her go. He courageously 
 signed, in her presence, the contract by which he 
 resigned the earthly future of his beloved child to 
 the care of Margaret Bourgeois, a similar contract 
 being drawn up for Sister Crolo." 
 
 It is to be regretted that these contract papers 
 have not been preserved in the archives of the 
 community. As poor as Sister Bourgeois was, 
 she did not wish to receive money with either 
 party, but M. Chatel would not permit his daugh- 
 ter to depart without providing her an abundant 
 supply of clothing, and about two hundred livres 
 in specie. He also gave her letters of credit, ad- 
 dressed to persons of distinction, who resided in 
 the several places through which she must pass, 
 so that, if she wished to return to Troyes, she 
 might be able to procure the necessary funds. 
 As to Sister Raisin, she was obliged to go to 
 Paris to get her father's consent, flattering herself 
 it would be easily obtained. Astonished at the 
 zealous courage of these Christian heroines, a 
 young student of Troyes determined to leave all 
 for Christ, and go with them to Canada to teach 
 the boys, as the Sisters intended to teach none 
 but girls. He was attacked by a violent hemor- 
 rhage during the voyage, and died in the Sisters* 
 house, two years after his arrival. He was known 
 as Brother Louis, but was not the Brother Louis 
 
VENERABLE iiliiTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 y^J 
 
 who transacted business for Sister Bourgeois in 
 France at a later period. 
 
 To return again to the manuscript. She says: 
 " I and my three companions started from Troyes 
 to Paris in an old worn-out conveyance, that wc 
 hired for our own use, but had not gone far before 
 we were compelled to stop, as the owners of the 
 fiiblic carriages, who controlled the road, would 
 not permit a private conveyance like ours to in- 
 terfere with their traffic. We were therefore ob- 
 liged to return to Troyes, where M. Chatel ob- 
 tained for us permission to continue the journey. 
 As we had to travel on Sunday, we requested the 
 driver to stop at soine village where we could as- 
 sist at Mass. This he very disobligingly refused 
 to do. We passed before a church pretty soon, 
 however, and one of the wheels breaking, he stop- 
 ped against his will, to mend it, and we assisted at 
 the Holy Sacrifice while he worked at the broken 
 wheel. On our arrival in Paris, M. Raisin would 
 not permit his daughter to go to Canada, and stub- 
 bornly refused to see her; nor had she the cour- 
 age to present herself before him. She coulo 
 only prevail through the intercession of friends, 
 anJ in this way was successful, as he finally gave 
 his consent, a contract being ratified in her case 
 also. I could not prevent his offering one thou- 
 sand livres for her voyage, and, as I feared to 
 disoblige him by a refusal, I compromised, and 
 accepted one hundred crowns. However, thi» 
 
100 VENBRAHLB SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 u 
 
 "v 
 
 ft 
 
 ti ! 
 
 'f:i 
 
 did not satisfy him, and he legally arranged to 
 pay to the community an annuity of thirty-five 
 livres, being the interest of the seven hundred 
 livres I refused to accept. After his death, his 
 son, a member of the Legislative Assembly, ad- 
 ded to this an annuity of three hundred livres, 
 interest on six thousand, which was donated for 
 three yearly Masses, for the repose of his fatlier's 
 soul, whicli Masses are celebrated to this day on 
 the 22d, 23d, and 24th of April; so charitable 
 were these gentlemen to the embryo Congrega- 
 tion. In Paris we received an addition to our 
 number, M. Blondel giving one of his nieces as a 
 teacher for Ville- Marie. This young lady was 
 the first person admitted to our community in 
 1659, and was named Sister St. Claire. There 
 were now assembled eighteen young girls for the 
 return voyage, four of whom were to remain at 
 Quebec, the rest being bound for Montreal. We 
 again hired wagons to make the journey from 
 Paris to La Rochelle, and met with the same mis- 
 hap as at Troyes, but finally arrived at our des- 
 tination, where I had the happiness once more to 
 meet Mile. Mance, who was bringing with her 
 three religieuses for the hospital of Montreal. 
 On the eve of embarkation an obstacle quite un- 
 expectedly presented itself. I had supposed that 
 my companions and myself were to be taken on 
 board gratuitously, such certainly being the in- 
 tention of M. de Maisoimeuya.iv-ThBSiB[kster of 
 
 MOUNT s.-i::. .J^.v^^ 
 
VENERAULIi SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 \0\ 
 
 the ship had heard nothing of such an arrange- 
 ment, however; at least he said so, and refused 
 to take us, unless each one paid 175 livrcs for her 
 passage, besides furnishing provisions, and as we 
 had no money, we were on the point of being 
 left behind, I fortunately thought of drawing a 
 double letter of exchange on M. Raisin, which 
 was accepted. We finally set sail and found that 
 the commander, notwithstanding the trouble he 
 had given us, was a very honest man. The vessel 
 was very large and convenient, but had served for 
 a floating hospital during the war, and the very 
 timbers of it were infected with disease. Per- 
 haps this was not the only cause of sickness, as we 
 had a large number of passengers, among whom 
 were two priests, M. le Maitre, and M. Vignal, 
 both bound for the Montreal seminary. These 
 holy men were afterwards murdered by the In- 
 dians, in cold blood. We took care to have the 
 priests near us during the voyage, as pestilence 
 soon broke out. Mile. Mance and herreligieuses 
 were the first attacked, but after a few days sev- 
 eral of the secular girls succumbed. Eight per- 
 sons died of the plague, and would have been 
 thrown into the sea, without the decency of a 
 shroud, but for the thoughtful exertions of M. 
 le Maitre, who constructed rough coffins on the 
 spot, and took the precaution to throw overboard 
 everything belonging to the dead. A young 
 mother among the stricken left a nursing in- 
 
 ♦ .• 
 
 SI. f ttf icW 
 
 i«^\^0UV8l<^ 
 
 , rio)^^-^' J 
 

 1 ^ 
 
 
 I' ' 
 
 'ill 
 {ill 
 
 I' 
 
 
 102 VENERABIM SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 fant, which, with its father, was prostrated by the 
 pestilence. The babe's life was desparied of, as 
 no one was willing to take charge of it, and many 
 advised that it be thrown into the sea alive. The 
 cruel suggestion aroused my sympathy, and I 
 offered to take the infant myself, much against 
 the will of my companions, who were all sick. 
 However, I succeeded in getting the little waif 
 in my keeping. When we arrived at Quebec, its 
 cries and horrible appearance caused us much an- 
 noyance, and as I had business to transact in 
 Quebec, I was obliged to return it to the father, 
 who was then well, promising to reclaim it before 
 setting out for Montreal. That September, the 
 cold season set in with unusual rigor, and the 
 crew built fires in cabins along the shore, to keep 
 themselves from freezing, and this man, with the 
 babe in his arms, lying down among them, the 
 poor little martyi rolled into the embers and was 
 shockingly burned. However, when we arrived at 
 Montreal it grew better, and in consequence of 
 losing its mother so young, I procured a nurse 
 to supply it with natural nourishment; a few days 
 after it sickened, died, and went to rest in the 
 bosom of God. We arrived at Montreal on the 
 Feast of St. Michael, being exactly one year, day 
 for day, and hour for hour, from the time of our 
 departure." 
 
 Sister Bourgeois and her companions imme- 
 diately took possession of the stable which was 
 
OIS. 
 
 VENERABLE SJSTEK MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 103 
 
 i by the 
 
 !d of, as 
 
 id many 
 
 e. The 
 
 ^ and I 
 
 against 
 
 all sick. 
 
 :tle waif 
 
 ebec, its 
 
 luch an- 
 
 nsact in 
 
 I father, 
 
 it before 
 
 iber, the 
 
 ind the 
 
 to keep 
 
 kvith the 
 
 em, the 
 
 and was 
 
 rived at 
 
 ence of 
 
 a nurse 
 
 ew days 
 
 in the 
 
 on the 
 
 »ar, day 
 
 of our 
 
 imme- 
 :h was 
 
 given for school purposes by M. de Maisonneuve 
 the previous year. It was built of stone, about 
 twenty-five feet square, and had been for a long 
 time a shelter for all kinds of animals. She had 
 a chimney built on the floor prepared for the 
 school-room, the Sisters cooking and eating there, 
 when school was dismissed. The loft of the 
 stable served for a dovecot and granary, and was 
 reached by an outside ladder. This she arranged 
 as a dormitory and a community-room. All 
 things being now in working order, they began 
 to receive boarders and day-pupils. One of the 
 latter, Marie Barbier, who was afterwards called 
 in religion Sister Mary of the Assumption, suc- 
 ceeded Sister Bourgeois as superior of the Con- 
 gregation, and was the first member received in 
 Ville-Marie. The school was formally opened 
 on the Feast of St. Catherine, Nov. 25, 1659, and 
 a secular society for young ladies was put in op- 
 eration on the Feast of the Visitation the follow- 
 ing year. This society has never been discon- 
 tinued, and exists still in almost primitive fervor. 
 In a short time the number of boarders and dav- 
 pupils became so considerable, that it was neces- 
 sary to purchase a small house, in the vicinity of 
 the lucky stable, from a man named St. Ange. 
 As Sister Bourgeois burned with zeal to advance 
 the glory of God in the New World, in addition 
 to the cares inseparable from governing a young 
 community, she undertook another laoor of love, 
 
104 
 
 VKNHRABUi ^ilSTHR MAJiGAKET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 which eventually caused her the most bitter sor- 
 row. We refer to the manuscripts: "Several 
 young girls accompanied us from France, who 
 were taken from the hospitals, and sent at the 
 King's expense to assist in the colonization of 
 Ville-Marie. While we were repairing the little 
 house we purchased from St. Ange, another batch 
 of these girls arrived, and as I knew they were 
 intended to become mothers of families, I hast- 
 ened to meet them as soon as they should land, 
 in order to bring them to our new house, and de- 
 tain them a short time, for instruction." The 
 Sisters (we may as well so name them at once) 
 had for some time importuned Sister Bourgeois 
 to add another story to their dwelling, as it did 
 not afford accommodation for both Sisters and pu- 
 pils; but she objected on account of her love of 
 poverty, humility, and mortification. However, 
 the arrival of the strangers induced her to comply, 
 and her hasty compliance was a source of life- 
 long regret, because, as she affirmed, she did not 
 sufficiently consult the will of God and her eccles- 
 iastical superior. In fact she never forgave her- 
 self this unintentional error of judgment, as she 
 called it, and attributed to it all the accidents that 
 subsequently befell her community. 
 
 ■111 
 
>ys. 
 
 :er sor- 
 Several 
 e, who 
 at the 
 tion of 
 e little 
 ir batch 
 :y were 
 I hast- 
 d land, 
 and de- 
 " The 
 t once) 
 urgeois 
 3 it did 
 ndpu- 
 love of 
 (wever, 
 jomply, 
 f life- 
 id not 
 leccles- 
 e her- 
 ,s she 
 :s that 
 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 M. FRANgOIS DE LAVAL DE MONTMORENCI IS 
 APPOINTED FIRST BISHOP OF CANADA— SISTER 
 BOURGEOIS SUCCEEDS IN BUILDING THE 
 CHURCH OF *' NOTRE DAME DE BON SECOURS." 
 
 In the year 1659 M. Francois de Laval de 
 Montmorenci was appointed first bishop of 
 Canada, having been hitherto known as the Abh6 
 de Montigni. The famous Henri Marie Bondon, 
 author of many ascetic works, succeeded him as 
 arch-deacon of Evreux, M. de Laval having re. 
 signed in his favor. He received his appointment 
 from the French King, but as the Sovereign 
 Pontiff had not yet erected any portion of the 
 Canadian church into the diocese, came at first 
 in quality f Vicar Apostolic, consecrated with 
 the title of Bishop of Petr^e. M. de Qud-lus, 
 who had until then governed the Church in New 
 France, subject to the authority of the Archbishop 
 of Rouen, did not dispute the jurisdiction of 
 Bishop Laval, but returned to France imme- 
 diately, accompanied by his secretary, M. d'Allcf, 
 105 
 
1 06 yi^^ ARABLE SISTER MARGARET BO URGEOIS. 
 
 ;i . 
 
 mm 
 
 to inform his own Bishop of what had transpired 
 in Canada. H6 never returned, however, and died 
 in Paris, in 1680, in the Seminary of St. Sulpice. 
 M. de Laval met Sister Bourgeois for the first 
 time, during the voyage from France, and having 
 conceived a very high opinion of her virtue, gave 
 herself and companions permission to form in his 
 diocese whatever religious establishments they 
 should consider most conducive to the welfare 
 of the country. 
 
 Almighty God in His inscrutable wisdom had 
 so arranged matters that the Institute of Sister 
 Bourgeois should be born in a stable, like His 
 own divine Son, the Sisters being much happier 
 there than if they were lodged in a palace. As 
 soon as circumstances permitted after her return, 
 she took occasion to revisit the chapel she at- 
 tempted to build before her departure, and found 
 to her sorrow what she had foreseen, that the 
 greatest part of the lumber was in a state of de- 
 cay, and quite worthless. Yet, as she could not 
 yield to despair, she collected from the debris 
 sufficient material to build a sort of shed, to be 
 used alternately as a chapel and a class-room 
 until they could do better. The piety and fervor 
 of the new teachers attracted the attention of 
 the whole colony, and the schools in a short time 
 became overcrowded, so that Sister Bourgeois 
 was induced undertake the erection of a 
 
 building largv. ^nough to meet their wants. She 
 
nspired 
 nddied 
 julpice. 
 he first 
 having 
 le, gave 
 a in his 
 ts they 
 welfare 
 
 )m had 
 Sister 
 ke His 
 lappier 
 :e. As 
 return, 
 she at- 
 found 
 at the 
 of de- 
 id not 
 debris 
 to be 
 ■room 
 fervor 
 on of 
 time 
 geois 
 of a 
 She 
 
 VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 107 
 
 had neither ground nor money, but Divine Provi- 
 dence provided both, as M. de Maisonneuvc, 
 whose devotion to the Blessed Vi. j^in always 
 prompted him to assist her, had already given a 
 deed of the property they then occupied, and 
 added to it fifty rods adjoining, with the clause 
 that if the Congregation decided, in the future, 
 to build on a more extended plan, for which the 
 present site would not be suitable, the said fifty 
 rods were to be deeded to the hospital, in the 
 vicinity, all which was legally arranged in the 
 month of February, 1658. M. Gabriel Souart, 
 superior of the Seminary, donated another piece 
 of ground, upon which th onvent stands to- 
 day. Many other gifts 01 real estate became 
 also the property of Sister Bourgeois, and were 
 chiefly in the suburbs of the city, which was at 
 last becoming extensive. As soon as the plan for 
 the building was completed every one hastened to 
 offer assistance, as an educational institution was 
 considered a public blessing, and it was evident 
 that God inspired His faithful servant to undertake 
 the work. The building was so arranged that 
 one side should be occupied by the Sisters, the 
 other being fitted up for the boarders and schools. 
 It was not fully completed when Sister Bourgeois 
 reflected that in the then unsettled state of things, 
 and for the security of the institution, it would 
 be necessary to obtain letters patent from the 
 King. The reflection was a wise one, but to 
 
1 08 VENERABLE SIS TER MARGA RET BO URGEOIS. 
 
 '11 
 
 obtain the letters would expose her to much 
 personal humiliation, and also to great dissipa- 
 tion and loss of time. At first it seemed possible 
 to arrange matters by procuring the approbation 
 of the home authorities, that is to say, of the 
 Bishop and Governor-General. So she deter- 
 mined to set out for Quebec, to present her pe- 
 tition to these distinguished persons, hoping to 
 have little difficulty in making them understand 
 the utility of the establishment. Messrs. Souart 
 and Perrot gave her letters of recommendation, 
 and the inhabitants of Montreal, who knew the 
 great virtues and talents she concealed beneath 
 the veil of humility, assembled en viasse in the Sem- 
 inary, to give to her petition the weight of 
 their united signatures. They also sent by her 
 an humble supplication to his majesty, or his re- 
 presentatives, entreating that the royal sanction 
 be given to insure the success of the establish- 
 ment. Each one separately signed his name to 
 the document, and placed it in her hands. They 
 were all the more eager to help as they had often 
 been compelled to send their children to Quebec 
 to the Ursulines, and the pressing need of a home 
 institution was becoming more apparent each 
 day. Full of confidence in God and His holy 
 Mother, and furnished with these respectable 
 documents, she finally decided on no half-way 
 course, but set sail again for France, in the au- 
 tumn of 1670, fearing neither danger, nor the in- 
 
VENERABLE S/S TEH MARGARET BO URGEOIS. i qq 
 
 conveniences of a third sea-voyage, to obtain the 
 succors she needed for others, more than for 
 herself. What a sublime spectacle it was, to see 
 an humble, Uii^^ttended woman cross the great 
 sea alone, and go in her simple attire, into the 
 brilliant court of the Great King, Louis XIV., 
 to treat of the interests of religion and the glory 
 of God. Her success was as singular as heren'ier- 
 prise, and though the journey was long, and full 
 of pain and fatigue (she did not return for two 
 years), she felt abundantly repaid by the many 
 advantages and lasting good it produced. On 
 her arrival in Paris, her first visit was to the 
 church of Notre Dame, to renew, before the altar 
 of the Blessed Virgin, the consecration she had 
 there made of herself, in 1646, in company of the 
 Montreal Association. She implored the bless- 
 ing of the Queen of Heaven, on herself, her fel- 
 low-laborers in the schools of Montreal, and her 
 present undertaking, and then set to work to ac- 
 complish her end. She visited some of the 
 old friends of M. de Maisonneuve, who were all 
 persons of merit and high social position, and 
 were known to have much influence at court, in 
 order to induce them to procure her the favor 
 of an interview with his majesty. These people 
 had not at all forgotten her, and had several 
 letters of recommendation in her favor. They 
 knew the good she was capable of effecting, and 
 made it a point of honor to assist her. The 
 
'-v'lt:-- 
 
 1 1 o VENERABLE SISTER MARGA RET BO URGEOIS. 
 
 
 King was in due course of time informed of the 
 matter, and seemed to be rather favorably in- 
 clined to grant her request, yet six weary months 
 elapsed without his giving a decisive answer. 
 Learning that his majesty was at Dunkirk in the 
 May of 1671, she repaired thither, to renew her 
 solicitations, and at last obtained the long-sought 
 letters, which contained Catholic sentiments 
 worthy of the great French monarch. Being 
 authorized by the royal patent, she next tried 
 to procure a new corps of volunteers, who would, 
 like the first heroic band, generously renounce 
 home, family, and country, without a hope of 
 ever returning, who would be willing to cross the 
 great ocean, then but imperfectly known, and 
 devote their future lives to the instruction of 
 wild savages, as much as to the advancement 
 of the French colonists, expecting also that the 
 relentless Iroquois would repay their Christian 
 love with the tomahawk or the scalping-knife. 
 and in those days how often was the expec- 
 tation verified. Yet these considerations were 
 precisely what attracted a great number of tal- 
 ented young girls, fully capable of sustaining and 
 perfecting the enterprise, and worthy to share 
 with the holy Foundress the labor, the glory, and' 
 the success that awaited the Congregation in 
 Ville-Marie. She procured her postulants in the 
 towns that lie scattered between Troyes and 
 Paris, and she as often travelled on foot carrying 
 
VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 I I I 
 
 her little bundle of poor clothing, as she did in 
 the public conveyances, that were disagreeable to 
 her, because the roads were rough, and the com- 
 panions she met were frequently dissolute liber- 
 tines, although her modest exterior and edifying 
 conversation frequently silenced their licentious 
 discourses. In fact her travels were a sort of 
 continuous mission, effecting good for the souls 
 of her neighbor, and advancing her own spiritual 
 perfection. At such times she refused all per- 
 sonal convenience, so great was her spirit of pov- 
 verty, humility, and mortification, and she pos- 
 sessed these virtues in an eminent degree. Liberal 
 and generous (o others, when there was question 
 of charity or the glory of God, to herself she 
 was rigorous in the extreme. She truly possessed 
 nothing, giving all the fruit of her labors to the 
 poor. But Divine Providence never failed her in 
 the hour of need. 
 
 Once, during this visit, she met a gentleman in 
 the streets of Paris, who suddenly stopped to ask 
 if she knew a lady from Canada, named Margaret 
 Bourgeois. " I am the person," she replied. 
 Surprised at the unexpected rencontre, he placed 
 a considerable sum of money in her hands (she 
 had not wherewith to pay her night's-lodging at 
 the time), which she refused to accept, not know- 
 ing his motive for doing so, but was soon relieved 
 of her embarrassment, by his assuring her he was 
 only repaying a charity she had done him in Ville- 
 

 li 
 
 ii i 
 
 
 
 lii 
 
 I'^B^^ 
 
 i 
 
 i 
 
 Ss--ii^8 
 
 m 
 
 ! 
 
 -'^B 
 
 II 
 
 1 
 
 ,)";■ 1 
 
 
 
 ;■'■,: , 
 
 
 
 '■ ■■ 
 
 
 
 ■—'-■ - 
 
 
 
 I I 2 VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 Marie, and that it afforded him great pleasure to 
 be able to return ker generosity, as he could well 
 afford to do it at the time. 
 
 Travelling thus, through the towns and villages 
 like the Saviour of the world. He prevented her 
 by the unction of His grace, and prepared before- 
 hand faithful hearts, who were willing to enter 
 the new society, and consecrate themselves to the 
 service of God under her guidance. Six young 
 persons responded to her call. Their names were 
 Sisters Elizabeth, Genevieve,Constantine, Durant, 
 Marianne, and Margaret. Filled with holy joy, 
 and accompanied by her new companions. Sister 
 Bourgeois went to cast herself at the feet of her 
 Bishop, and offer him the fruit of her journeyings 
 and prayers. 
 
 M. de Laval was at that time in the college of 
 Foreign Missions in Paris, not only in quality of 
 Bishop of P^tr(§e, Vicar-Apostolic of Canada, as 
 he had been up to that period, but also as the 
 first Bishop of Quebec. For it was not until the 
 year 1672 that the important question of erecting 
 the church of Quebec into a titular Bishopric 
 was at last happily decided. The prelate approved 
 the Sister's persevering labors, bestowed the most 
 ample benedictions on herself and her young re- 
 cruits, and received their first religious consecra- 
 tion to the service of God and the Church. He 
 placed no bounds to his favors, and renewed the 
 general permission given before, to erect schools, 
 
VENERABLE SJS TER MARGARET BOURGEOIS, i j 3 
 
 and form any other religious establisment in his 
 diocese that they should judge beneficial to the 
 colony. Everything seemed to succeed with this 
 holy woman, and she attributed all her past suc- 
 cess, as well as what the future might develop, 
 to the special protection of the Blessed Virgin. 
 Her confidence in her good Mother was bound- 
 less, and she considered it an essential duty to 
 depend on her in all things, and inspired her 
 daughters with a similar devotion. She wished 
 it to be perpetuated in the Institute, and desired 
 that the name and livery of Mary might be dis- 
 tinctly traceable in their houses, their furniture, 
 and their personal appearance forever. 
 
 Having now obtained all that she desired in 
 France she thought it full time to return to Can- 
 ada, after a long though unavoidable absence. 
 Before embarking, she felt it was a duty of Chris- 
 tian politeness to call on the distinguished people 
 who had assisted her in procuring the letters pa- 
 tent, and thanking them for their many kind- 
 nesses. No person could be more punctilious 
 than she in the duties of social etiquette that 
 charity approved, and religion did not condemn. 
 By a particular dispensation of Providence, her 
 first visit was made to the house of M. Pierre 
 Chevrier, Baron de Faucamp, a priest, and one 
 of the first proprietors of the Isle of Montreal, 
 who then resided at Paris. In the house of this 
 gentleman she received another most singular 
 
m 
 
 114 
 
 VHNHRABU: SISTHR MARGARET BOURGEOIS, 
 
 mark of the Blessed Virgin's love and protec- 
 tion. 
 
 M. de Faucamp had in his possession a small 
 miraculous statue of the Mother of God, which 
 he, conjointly with his brother, Louis le Pretre, 
 had taken from among a number of precious relics, 
 in their castle chapel. It had been specially 
 venerated, and carefully preserved for more than 
 a century. Their intention was to send it to 
 Ville-Marie, where they hoped it would be more 
 religiously taken care of than elsewhere, as that 
 city was really the city of Mary, having been 
 built in her honor, and consecrated to her service. 
 While awaiting a favorable opportunity to send 
 the statue to the New World, Sister Bourgeois 
 fortunately presented herself. During the two 
 days that M. Faucamp had it in his house he fell 
 dangerously ill, the sickness proving to be a fatal 
 attack of inflammation of the lungs, and the 
 physicians despaired of his life. In this emer- 
 gency he made a vow, while praying before the mir- 
 aculous statue, that if Mary cured him, he would 
 everywhere publish her praises, and do all in his 
 power to build a chapel in her honor, for which he 
 would donate thirty pistoles to commence a fund 
 for the purpose, begging also in his simplicity that 
 she, the Mother of God, would not go to Montreal, 
 and leave one of her most devoted clients sick in 
 France. Scarcely had he pronounced his vow 
 before he was perfectly restored to health. The 
 
OIS. 
 
 VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 nS 
 
 protec- 
 
 a small 
 d, which 
 : Pretre, 
 
 us relics, 
 specially 
 ore than 
 id it to 
 be more 
 :, as that 
 ing been 
 r service. 
 J to send 
 bourgeois 
 the two 
 se he fell 
 DC a fatal 
 and the 
 lis emer- 
 2 the mir- 
 le would 
 ill in his 
 vhich he 
 e a fund 
 :ity that 
 ontreal, 
 s sick in 
 his vow 
 Ih. The 
 
 following day Sister Bourgeois called upon him, 
 and he could not help recognizing the wonderful 
 providence of God in her visit. He immediately 
 gave her the statue and the money, with an au 
 thentic certificate of the miracle performed on 
 himself the day before, and Sister was happier in 
 the possession of these treasures, than if she had 
 gained the wealth of the universe. Never, indeed, 
 was human confidence better placed than on this oc- 
 casion. 
 
 They set sail soon after, and arrived safely at 
 Quebec on the 1 3th of August, the same year. She 
 sent her band of heroines direct to Ville-Marie, for 
 which they had so often sighed during their 
 journeyings, and the very name of which animated 
 their zeal and fervor, but she herself was detained 
 at Quebec for some time. It was necessary to have 
 the letters patent registered by the local authori- 
 ties so that she would be at liberty to put their 
 contents in execution, when Divine Providence 
 presented an occasion. Her desire was complied 
 with as soon as known, the act of registration 
 taking place on the 17th of October, 1672, after 
 which she set out for Ville-Marie to join her 
 daughters, and labor anew in the service of God. 
 Glorying in being the custodian of the miracu- 
 ulous statue, she hastened to relate its wonder- 
 ful history to Messrs. Souart and Perrot, who 
 authorized her to expose it for public veneration. 
 She deposited it in the little wooden shed she h^d 
 
- V ill 
 
 I' 
 
 111 ii 
 
 ill 
 ii 
 
 I j5 venerable sister MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 erected after her first return from France, expects 
 ing to be able to place it more honorably in the 
 large chapel, that was to be built of stone, and de- 
 cently ornamented. This chapel was to be a 
 kind of station for the ordinary parish proces- 
 sions, and a place of pilgrimage for those who had 
 a devotion to the most holy Virgin, when they 
 wished to visit the statue in order to obtain 
 spiritual or temporal blessings through Mary's 
 intercession, such being the intention of Messrs. 
 le Pretre and Faucamp, and of many other 
 devout persons who had contributed towards its 
 erection. 
 
 Despite the sorrow and humiliations she had 
 already experienced regarding this chapel, she 
 set to work again with renewed energy to effect 
 its completion, but in order to proceed with suit- 
 able solemnity, M. Souart ordered a solemn pro- 
 cession to be made to the place, on the 29th of 
 June, 1673, being the Feast of the Apostles SS. 
 Peter and Paul. A great concourse of people 
 attended Vespers after the procession, and M. 
 Souart, the celebrant, put a crucifix in the place 
 destined for the altar, and the next day laid the 
 corner-stone, in the name, and as the agent of 
 M. de Faucamp. Sister Bourgeois labored inde- 
 fatigably to procure and disburse the necessary 
 funds, a portion of which she had received in 
 France, as we have seen, the remainder being con- 
 tributed in Ville-Marie. The Sisters themselves 
 
fS. 
 
 iixpect- 
 ' in the 
 and de- 
 o be a 
 proces- 
 /ho had 
 ;n they 
 obtain 
 Mary's 
 Messrs. 
 y other 
 ^ards its 
 
 she had 
 pel, she 
 o effect 
 th suit- 
 mn pro- 
 29th of 
 ties SS. 
 people 
 and M. 
 le place 
 aid the 
 gent of 
 d inde- 
 cessary 
 ived in 
 |ng con- 
 iselves 
 
 VENERABLE SIS TER MARGARET BO VRGEOlS. j j >j 
 
 assisted generously out of their private funds, 
 and others donated materials or labor which was 
 equivalent. The interior decorations were quite 
 elaborate, and in due course of time the church 
 was finished to the satisfaction of every one. It 
 was the first sto7ie church erected in Montreal, 
 and was consecrated under the title of ** Notre 
 Dame de Bon-Secours." Mass was celebrated in 
 it for the first time on the Feast of the Assump- 
 tion, 1675, this day of Mary's glorious triumph 
 being selected as its principal Festival. The 
 work being thus happily completed, Sister Bour- 
 geois, in the hope of making it contribute more 
 effectually to the glory of God, requested the 
 cure and church-warden of the parish to accf'pt 
 the new monument of piety for public use, and 
 make it a perpetuity of the parish, in order to 
 promote devotion to the Mother of God. The 
 donation was of course accepted with gratitude, 
 and confirmed by an ordinance of M. de Laval, 
 dated November 6, 1678. Some years afterwards, 
 by a new arrangement, dated January 17, 1700, 
 La Fabrique gave the Sisters suitable lots for free 
 sepulture, and the unrestricted use of the Chapel 
 of the Infant Jesus, for their private devotional 
 exercises, which act was approved and confirmed 
 by M. de St. Vallier, the second Bishop of Quebec, 
 during one of his pastoral visitations in 1719. 
 This church of Bon-Secours served for many years 
 as a convent chapel to the Hospitali6res of the 
 

 i 
 
 I 1 8 VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BO URGEOIS. 
 
 Hotcl-Dieu, when their hospital and convent was 
 burned down in 1734, and when they were obliged 
 to lodge their sick in the houses adjoining the 
 church, until their re-establishment, which did 
 not take place for three or four years. 
 
 We learn from a letter of Sister Bourgeois, that 
 these same religieuses had been previously burned 
 out in 1695, but that their hospital escaped the 
 fury of the flames at that time. They sought 
 ind found a refuge with the Sisters of the Con- 
 gregation, after the second burning, issuing forth 
 daily to serve the sick, and returning at night to 
 discharge the reciprocal duties of charity, conse- 
 quent upon two different communities residing 
 in the same house, and unavoidably crowding 
 each other, yet no violation of charity ever oc- 
 curred, and long before the day of separation 
 came, an enduring friendship founded on Christ 
 had mutually existed between them. This 
 famous chapel of Bon-Secours was burned, and re- 
 duced to ashes in 1754, as was also a portion of 
 the city of Montreal. 
 
 The war between France and England occur- 
 ring about that time, the citizens neglected to re- 
 build Bon-Secours, and the capture of Ville-Marie 
 by the English, which took place on the Feast 
 of the Nativity of Mary, 1760, was perhaps justly 
 attributed to public disorders and licentiousness 
 (the colonists in many instances having lost their 
 first fervor), and was also considered a ju.st pun- 
 
)JS. 
 
 VENERABLE SJS TEA' MARGARET BOURGEOIS, j j g 
 
 ent was 
 obliged 
 ing the 
 lich did 
 
 ois, that 
 -^ burned 
 ped the 
 
 sought 
 he Cori- 
 ng forth 
 night to 
 r, conse- 
 residing 
 rowding 
 iver oc- 
 
 aration 
 Christ 
 This 
 , and re- 
 
 tion of 
 
 occur- 
 ;d to re- 
 le-Marie 
 Feast 
 |s justly 
 
 )usness 
 [st their 
 
 it pun- 
 
 ishment for not having erected anew the once 
 favored shrine of Mary. Canada having exchanged 
 masters, and being under the dominion of the 
 King of England, who was a Protestant ruler, the 
 inhabitants of Montreal did not think the time 
 favorable to rebuild the church, and it remained 
 a ruin until 1771. They repented of their inac- 
 tion, however, and reproached themselves with 
 cowardice, attributing to their neglect the extra- 
 ordinary calamities that befell them. The city 
 was scourged by two other general conflagrations, 
 the first occurring on the i8th of May, 1765, when 
 in the short space of four hours, one hundred 
 houses were consumed. The burning was so vio- 
 lent, that the flames leaped beyond the city 
 limits, reaching out to the General Hospital, 
 which was soon a mass of smoking cinders. The 
 second occurred on the nth of April, 1768, more 
 than eighty of the best public buildings being 
 destroyed, including the chapel and residence of 
 the Sisters of the Congregation, also the chapel 
 of our Lady of Victories, which was built on 
 their grounds in 171 1, the repaired ruins of which 
 serve to this day for school purposes. 
 
 Much suffering and misery was the result of 
 these calamities, but what struck terror to the 
 hearts of the entire community, more than any 
 other scourge of God, was the insolent demand 
 made by some British officers, for the land on 
 which Bon-Secours, or rather its ruins, stood. 
 
: ' 
 
 1 20 ^'ENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BO URGEOIS. 
 
 !1 
 
 They then thouf^ht seriously of repairing their 
 fault, and a general assembly of the citizens of 
 Montreal was called in June, 1771, at which it 
 was unanimously decided that they must labor 
 strenuously to rebuild the chapel. They at once 
 appointed persons to draw the plans and super- 
 intend the work, and in less than eight days the 
 foundation was dug, and everything was in readi- 
 ness. On the 30th of the same month they in- 
 augurated the building of the second temple with 
 the same religious ceremonies that a hundred 
 years before had called down the material bene- 
 dictions of Mary Immaculate on the first corner- 
 stone, or rather on those who laid it. The entire 
 city turned out in procession, with an enthusiasm 
 and splendor worthy the admiration of succeeding 
 ages, the foundation-stones being put in place by 
 the most distinguished men of Montreal. The first 
 was laid directly under the sanctuary, by Etienne 
 Montgolfier, Vicar-General of the diocese, with 
 the following inscription : *' This church is ded- 
 icated to the Great and All-powerful God, and 
 the Blessed Mary of Good Help, with the title 
 of her glorious Assumption." The second was 
 laid under the grand entrance door, by Louis 
 JoUivet, beneath which was placed the following 
 scroll : " This church was built nearly a century 
 ago, by the Venerable Sister Margaret Bourgeois, 
 Foundress of the Congregation Sisters of this city, 
 but having been burnt in 1754, the citizens of 
 
VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS, j 2 1 
 
 Ville-Marie, who have ever been the devoted 
 clients of the Blessed Virgin Mary, on this day, 
 June 30, 1 77 1, place the first stone for its re-estab- 
 lishment, on a nnuch more extensive plan than 
 the original design." The other stones were 
 placed under different parts of the building, by 
 persons of the highest rank, and under each was 
 deposited a leaden plate, on which was engraven 
 the name and rank of the depositor. In the 
 midst of this general enthusiasm, there soon arose 
 the vast and magnificent edifice that we behold 
 to-day. Every one worked for it in some way 
 or other, and believed it was an act of religious 
 reparation to defray the expense. Sister Bour- 
 geois and her daughters had contributed largely 
 the first time, and their descendants would not 
 be outdone in generosity on this occasion. They 
 donated 600 livres to " the rebuilding of the tem- 
 ple." The work was pressed forward with all 
 diligence and zeal, and was completely finished 
 in less than two years. On the 30th of June, 1773, 
 it was solemnly blessed amid the acclamations of 
 the entire people and Mass was celebrated in it 
 ever after. 
 
 But to return from this long digression. 
 When Sister Bourgeois arrived at Ville-Marie 
 in 1672, she realized the full responsibility of 
 governing and providing for so many young 
 aspirants to religion, and began to think seriously 
 of giving some regular form to the community. 
 
at r ;i .i . ■ - ^* l ' ' .-» ! U lil. b 
 
 '■f\ 
 
 I III! 
 
 122 
 
 VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 : I ; ' 
 
 Her second batch of postulants had already ob- 
 tained in Paris the approbation of M. de Laval, 
 who received their primary engagements, and she 
 ardently desired that her first beloved compan- 
 ions should enjoy the same precious advantage, 
 having labored with her faithfully for twelve years 
 at Ville-Marie. She wrote on the subject to M. 
 Bornieres, arch-deacon of Quebec, who represen- 
 ted M. de Laval in his absence, this prelate being 
 still in France. The reply of the distinguished 
 ecclesiastic, dated November 4, 1674, was: 
 
 " My dear Sister, — I have received the letter 
 in which you ask, ' Is it proper to receive now, 
 formally^ in your Congregation, the Sisters who 
 first came with you to Canada, or will it be neces- 
 sary to await the return of the bishop ?* Although 
 I am persuaded of the propriety of what you ask, 
 nevertheless, it will be more prudent to await his 
 return, ashehas written to me regarding both you 
 and your Congregation, for which he testifies much 
 esteem. It will be best that he regulate everything 
 himself, as he will certainly make his intentions 
 known to you. I trust that all will be arranged 
 satisfactorily, for the glory of God, the salvation 
 of souls, and your own consolation, and shall 
 off^ " "vory assistance in my power for the good 
 v.o', :. I salute your esteemed daughters, and re- 
 <:on.:nei.d rnyself to their prayers and yours." 
 
 M, de Laval returned to Canada the following 
 
 W- 
 
s. 
 
 VENERABLE SIS TER MARGARET BOURGEOIS, i 23 
 
 dy ob- 
 Laval, 
 ,nd she 
 ^mpan- 
 antage, 
 e years 
 t to M. 
 presen- 
 :e being 
 
 guished 
 
 ■1 • 
 >. 
 
 le letter 
 ve now, 
 ers who 
 
 lurs. 
 
 )llowing 
 
 year. The Sisters were all of the same grade, no 
 distinctions having been made ; all wore a uniform 
 dress, similar to that ordinarily worn by pious 
 women of the middle class. The color was black, 
 being the same in every respect as Sister Bour- 
 geois herself wore on her first arrival at Ville- 
 Marie, and which the Sisters continue to wear to 
 this day. We will refer again to her Memoirs. 
 She says : 
 
 " In 1670, I found it necessary to undertake 
 another journey to France, and had long felt in- 
 spired to make it. As I was suffering much from 
 mental anxiety, I hoped that an interview with 
 M. de Laval would afford me some solace. He 
 was then only Vicar-Apostolic of Canada, but 
 I had great confidence in his wisdom, and 
 hoped he would impart to me the light necessary 
 for governing our community. I was told that 
 I should bring with me to France the King's 
 letters, and endeavor to procure more postulants. 
 For these purposes, I obtained the consent of the 
 Sisters, and was furnished with many letters of 
 recommendation, from the priests of the Quebec 
 and Montreal Seminaries. I also had one from 
 M. Perrot, Governor of Montreal, and successor 
 of M. de Maisonneuve. The Governor, who was 
 a Parisian, recommended me to his family there. 
 I left Montreal accompanied by M. de F^n^lon, 
 who gave me a passage in his boat, to Quebec. 
 He was returning to France on business, and 
 
•mm 
 
 ptny.vi- 
 
 124 
 
 VHNERABLli SISTLR MARGARET BOVRGKOIS. 
 
 wished to sail in the same ship with me. Father 
 Fremi, a Jesuit, also embarked v/ith us. On ar- 
 riving at Quebec, I found myself very much indis- 
 posed, and was obliged to remain in the hospital 
 a few days, as the ship was to depart when the 
 wind became favorable. I requested M. de 
 F^n^lon to permit his servant to take charge of 
 my box, which contained the papers above re- 
 ferred to, and of a little package of clothing, 
 that constituted my entire baggage, and to place 
 them safely on board. The captain politely con- 
 sented, but his servant entirely forgot both my- 
 self and my baggage. Recovering from my indis- 
 position in two or three days, I went on board with- 
 out further precaution, but alas, found that I was 
 minus the precious box, M. de F^ndlon delayed 
 a short time to find it, but all in vain. It was not 
 forthcoming. As the vessel was obliged to sail 
 with the wind, I wrote in haste to M. Dupuis, 
 Major of the garrison of Montreal, who was in 
 Quebec at the time, begging him to search for 
 my box, and if he found it, to forward it to 
 France, by any ship he might find convenient. I 
 particularly requested him to send the papers, 
 and to return the rest to our Sisters in Montreal. 
 He fortunately found the box, and I received it in 
 France shortly after. Behold me, then, embarked 
 without clothing, without provisions, without 
 money, without anything for the voyage. Worse 
 still, I was the only female in the ship, but there 
 
0/S. 
 
 Father 
 On ar- 
 ch indis- 
 hospital 
 'hen the 
 I M. de 
 harge of 
 ibove re- 
 clothing, 
 i to place 
 itely con- 
 both my- 
 my indis- 
 »ard with- 
 ihat I was 
 delayed 
 t was not 
 d to sail 
 Dupuis, 
 » was in 
 arch for 
 rd it to 
 nient. I 
 papers, 
 ^Tontreal. 
 ived it in 
 mbarkcd 
 without 
 . Worse 
 ut there 
 
 VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 125 
 
 were two good priests among the passengers, who 
 gave me great consolation. I arranged a sack 
 and a roll of cordage for my bed, on deck, with 
 an improvised enclosure. This was my chamber 
 during my passage, which was not very long, 
 however, as we arrived at La Rochelle in thirty- 
 one days. I had not made a change of under- 
 clothing during the voyage, as I had nothing to 
 make it with, except a piece of coarse canvas 
 given me for a mattress. This I converted into a 
 night-dress, but, like all the rest, it was lost. In 
 this unpleasant condition I found myself at La 
 Rochelle, which country was strange to me, and 
 I was one hundred leagues from Paris. It was 
 truly an embarrassing position, and I felt it so. 
 It is true, one of the priests offered me a supply 
 of money, as payment for some work that I and 
 my companions had done for him during our first 
 stay in Quebec, but as I knew I had money in my 
 box when it would arrive, I refused his offer, 
 saying I would be better pleased to receive it in 
 Paris, where I should need it more. It is also 
 true that I had lent 132 livres to a young man in 
 Montreal, who had given a note for it, payable in 
 Paris, and that I had forwarded this note to M. 
 Blondel, who had hitherto transacted our business 
 in France, but he died some time previous to my 
 arrival, and I was left without resource, the note 
 not having been paid, nor could it be found at 
 the time. M. F^n61on was also short of funds, 
 
<auv 
 
 »i 
 
 1/ 
 
 I i 
 
 
 it'' 
 
 1 26 VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BO URGEOIS 
 
 yet he contrived to lend me fifty livres, the greater 
 part of which I used to pay my fare to Paris. 
 With the balance I bought food, and an absolutely 
 necessary change of clothing. The captain and the 
 two priests managed to get me a comfortable seat 
 in the stage, and also a good room at^the inn, but 
 I took my meals apart, although they invited me 
 to dine with them." 
 
 She at last arrived in the great city, and 
 went directly to the church of Notre Dame, to 
 renew the consecration of herself to God a.id His 
 holy Mother, then visited the College of For- 
 eign Missions, to receive her Bishop's blessing, 
 and give him an account of her voyage, although 
 she did not reveal her distress to him. The 
 prelate received her with kindness, but as it was 
 late, the visit was necessarily a short one, and she 
 went away, almost dead with hunger and fatigue, 
 to pass the night at the house of a poor woman, 
 in the quarter of St. Sulpice. Next morning very 
 early she went to the church, to perform her 
 usual devotions, and after Mass a priest carried 
 the Blessed Sacrament in procession to a sick 
 person. She followed till they arrived at the 
 door of the Seminary. Here Divine Providence 
 again interposed in her favor, for one of the two 
 priests who stood near the door said to his com- 
 panion in a loud, distinct voice, " I have just re- 
 ceived a letter from Canada, in which I am di- 
 rected to pay one hundred liyres to a person I 
 
iOia 
 
 VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 127 
 
 e greater 
 to Paris, 
 bsolutely 
 n and the 
 table seat 
 e inn, but 
 ivited me 
 
 city, and 
 Dame, to 
 d a.id His 
 e of For- 
 5 blessing, 
 , although 
 lim. The 
 as it was 
 e, and she 
 d fatigue, 
 >r woman, 
 rning very 
 rform her 
 st carried 
 to a sick 
 d at the 
 rovidence 
 f the two 
 his com- 
 ^e just re- 
 I am di- 
 person I 
 
 do not know. Her name is Margaret Bourgeois." 
 ** That is my name," she said, turning quickly, 
 " but, if the money is for me, I do not know 
 from whom it comes." The good priest named 
 the person who had written to him, and she in- 
 stantly recognized the name of a valued friend, 
 one of the priests in the Seminary at Quebec, 
 who, not having funds to pay her before the em- 
 barkation, took care that the money should reach 
 her safely in Paris. It was accordingly handed 
 to her, and she went directly to pay the kind 
 captain his fifty livres. Again this favored daugh- 
 ter of God adored His Divine Providence. She 
 now confidently expected to receive her papers, 
 and did receive them a few moments later. On 
 opening the box, she took out her letters of re- 
 commendation, and, leaving a few at the Semi- 
 nary, set out to find the relatives of Messrs. 
 Perrot and de Maisonneuve. She first called at 
 the address given in M. Perrot's letter. As her 
 appearance was not very presentable, after a long, 
 and not over-clean voyage, she met with a very 
 cool reception. However, when her fashionable 
 entertainers read the letter (the contents of which 
 she did not know), they soon changed contempt 
 into respect, as M. Perrot had requested them to 
 receive her as they would receive himself, assur- 
 ing them that in Canada she was regarded as a 
 little saint. She was consequently invited to din- 
 ner, which she gladly accepted, as she was much 
 
128 VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 \\\ I 
 
 in need of it at the moment, but their ceremon- 
 ious attentions did not agree with her spirit of 
 mortification and humility, and she absolutely re- 
 fused to remain over-night, although they pressed 
 her quite warmly to do so. She next visited M. 
 de Maisonneuve, arriving at a very late hour, as 
 it was in the suburbs of the city. It is impos- 
 sible to express the joy that this great ser- 
 vant of God experienced on seeing her again. 
 He actually ran to meet her and cordially 
 offered the hospitality of a little house he 
 had just erected in one corner of his garden, 
 telling her that he had it made to look like an 
 Indian cabin, expecting some one from Canada 
 might call who would be pleased to see any- 
 thing to remind them of home, and her visit ful- 
 filled his presentiment. She gratefully accepted 
 the kind offer, and lodged there during her stay 
 in Paris. This tried and life-long friend then 
 took charge of her affairs, and rendered her the 
 most important services. A few days after, as 
 they were talking about old times in Ville-Marie, 
 he desired to show her some papers, and laying 
 his hand by chance on a shelf of the library, took 
 down a paper, which proved to be the identical 
 note for ij2 livres, that she had believed lost. 
 After the death of M. Blondel, it had been placed 
 for safe-keeping in the hands of M. de Maison- 
 neuve. She received it very gratefully, of course, 
 but not at all avariciously. Here the memoirs 
 
ys. 
 
 VENERAHLIi SISTHK MARGARET liOURGEOlS. 
 
 129 
 
 :remon- 
 jpirit of 
 itely re- 
 pressed 
 sited M. 
 hour, as 
 5 impos- 
 eat ser- 
 r again, 
 cordially 
 ouse he 
 garden, 
 : like an 
 I Canada 
 see any- 
 visit ful- 
 accepted 
 her stay 
 md then 
 her the 
 after, as 
 e-Marie, 
 d laying 
 ry, took 
 identical 
 ed lost, 
 n placed 
 Maison- 
 f course, 
 emoirs 
 
 of Sister Bourgeois become irregular, in both 
 dates and events, which were perhaps so crowded 
 that she could not devote time to take note of 
 them in the order of occurrence, so we will con- 
 tent ourselves by relating a few incidents of tra- 
 ditional report before again returning to the au- 
 thentic manuscripts. At the time of her second 
 return to Montreal, with the six new subjects 
 that M. de Laval received in France, she found 
 it necessary to secure the services of an honest, 
 robust man, who would be willing to work for 
 them, when necessary, during their travels. She 
 accordingly made a contract with a man named 
 Louis Frin, whom she also hoped to employ in 
 teaching a boy's school in Montreal, in place of 
 the young man that died after his arrival in 
 Canada. This Louis Frin became afterwards 
 Brother Charon, and eventually was known as 
 Brother Louis. Her next care was to secure pas- 
 sages for her young charge of eleven girls, three of 
 whom were her nieces. Six of this band were in- 
 tended for the community, the remainder being 
 destined to become the wives of as many colorw 
 ists. On this occasion they set out from Paris 
 by way of Normandy, taking a boat on the 
 Seine as far as Rouen. Here they were com- 
 pelled to remain one month, and as they were 
 not rich, their funds were on the point of being 
 exhausted, the expense of maintaining so many 
 persons being very considerable. Madeline 
 
130 
 
 VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 i ,ii 
 
 1 ! 
 
 Sen^cal kept the purse, and found it necessary 
 to warn Sister Bourgeois that she had not suffi- 
 cient money to meet the current week's expenses. 
 "You seem to distrust the Providence of God, 
 my child," replied Sister, in a tone of rebuke, but 
 immediately added in a pleasant manner, " Since 
 it is evident that we must have a dinner of some 
 kind, fear nothing, God will provide it himself." 
 And God did provide it, for that same week, 
 Louis Frin, who had remained in Paris with M. 
 de Maisonneuve arranging some business matters, 
 arrived at Rouen, bringing to each of the girls a 
 draft for 200 livres, and also the means of pur- 
 chasing a full supply of provisions, until their ar- 
 rival at Quebec. Behold how God provides for 
 those who trust in Him. Departing from Rouen, 
 they arrived at Havre-de-Grace, one of the sea- 
 ports of Normandy, and were obliged to wait 
 fifteen days for the arrival of the ship that 
 was to take them forever from home and coun- 
 try. During these unavoidable delays. Sister 
 Bourgeois occupied both herself and them with 
 the most fervent exercises of piety. Among 
 others, they proposed a pilgrimage to the cele- 
 brated shrine of "Our Lady of Snows," to pro- 
 cure through her intercession the favor of a suc- 
 cessful voyage. This shrine was one of the most 
 famous places of devotion to the Blessed Virgin 
 in France. It was decided to make the pilgrim- 
 age on foot, and although they set out early in the 
 
EOIS. 
 
 VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS, j -> £ 
 
 lecessary 
 not suffi- 
 expenses. 
 : of God, 
 :buke,but 
 jr, *' Since 
 :r of some 
 himself." 
 me week, 
 s with M. 
 is matters, 
 the girls a 
 ns of pur- 
 til their ar- 
 ovides for 
 )m Rouen, 
 )f the sea- 
 id to wait 
 ship that 
 and coun- 
 ys, Sister 
 hem with 
 Among 
 the cele- 
 |s," to pro- 
 of a suc- 
 |f the most 
 ,ed Virgin 
 e pilgrim- 
 arly in the 
 
 morning, they did not arrive at the shrine until 
 quite a late hour. Two priests resided here in a 
 kind of monastery, one of whom had just con- 
 cluded his morning Mass, the other being con- 
 fined to his room for six weeks by sickness. 
 When Sister told the first Father the object of 
 their pilgrimage, he immediately repaired to his 
 invalid brother priest, whom he found partially 
 dressed and still fasting. Both returned to the 
 church, and heard the confessions of the devoted 
 young pilgrims. The sick Father, who had not 
 been able to walk for a long time without the aid 
 of a crutch, then said Mass without the least in- 
 convenience. All fervently received Holy Com- 
 munion from his hands, and he zvas fully restored to 
 health. Two days after they set sail for Canada, 
 Father Jean Baptistc le Fevre, who was destined 
 for the Montreal Seminary, accompanying them 
 on the voyage. The anchor was weighed, while 
 all on deck with uncovered heads, implored the 
 protection of Mary, Star of the Sea. The heroic 
 young postulants, with Sister Bourgeois, formed 
 a sort of travelliniG^ community, of which she was 
 the head, and during the passage performed 
 regular devotional exercises before the statue of 
 Our T.ady of Good Help. They were indeed 
 under the protection of God and His holy 
 Mother, for, although England and France were 
 then at war, they carried in the ship no other 
 artillery than brave hearts and arms. When the 
 
<m 
 
 ,0 M\' 
 
 132 
 
 VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 il;l 
 
 35, 
 
 I 
 
 
 voyage was about half made, the captain, who 
 was constantly on the look-out, descried four 
 English ships, which he calculated contained at 
 least twenty-six pieces of cannon. They were 
 making, as it seemed, direct head-way for them, 
 and as he was totally unprepared for such an 
 emergency, he called out to Sister Bourgeois, in 
 accents of unfeigned terror: "We are lost, Me 
 are lost ; betake yourselves to prayer, at once, 
 you and your companions." But before his en- 
 treaty was ended, one-half of her companions 
 had fainted. Strange to say, all on board, in- 
 cluding the strongest men, turned to Sister 
 Bourgeois for protection, feeling persuaded that 
 her prayers only could save them from becoming 
 the prey of the dreaded English. But her brave 
 and holy spirit knew no fear. She was looking 
 intently at the white statue of Notre Dame de 
 Bon-Secours, and said, smiling, " If they do take 
 us prisoners they will lead us to England or to 
 Holland, and we shall find God there as well as 
 here, and is not God everywhere?" Her wonder 
 ful tranquillity restored immediate confidence, 
 and all knelt quietly in prayer. It being Sunday, 
 Father le F6vre prepared calmly to celebrate 
 Mass, although the English ships approached 
 rapidly, and, wonderful to relate, in less than two 
 hours, the foe had disappeared completely, so 
 that the Holy Sacrifice was followed by the glori- 
 ous Te Deum. Every one on board believed 
 
OIS. 
 
 YEN HR ABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 133 
 
 that this remarkable deliverance was the work of 
 Notre Da))i€ dc Bon-Secoiirs, They arrived with- 
 out further accident at Quebec on the 13th of 
 August, having been at sea just one month and 
 eleven days. She had scarcely set foot on land, 
 when an imprudent person informed her that the 
 community in Montreal were in a state of star- 
 vation, and that their house was in a ruinous con- 
 dition, to which she replied simply — '* God's holy 
 will be done — even if it falls to the ground, he can 
 raise it again, when it pleases Him." She found 
 the report unhappily verified, however, on arriving 
 at Montreal, as the Sisters were absolutely desti- 
 tute, yet she entertained no fears. Her confidence 
 in God being unshaken, she could always look 
 calmly and hopefully at the vicissitudes of this 
 changeful passing life. The poor Sisters were ex- 
 ceedingly pained to have nothing better than bread 
 and lard to offer her for dinner, but she assured 
 them it was very acceptable to a hungry person, 
 and directed Sister Genevieve, the cook, to prepare 
 a good supper for the community. "What shall I 
 prepare it with ?" said the simple Sister, '^ %ve have 
 nothing in the houser " Never distrust the Provi- 
 ^dence of God," was the answer, ''go to your 
 kitchen, and you will find food." In fact, that 
 very afternoon several persons came to visit them, 
 bringing abundance of all kinds of provisions, so 
 that the Sisters were lost in astonishment, and 
 Ncntly adored the providence of that God, who 
 Inever abandons those that trust in Him. 
 
;|i!'l; 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 ^! 
 
 THE RULES OF THE CONGREGATION, AND ESTAB- 
 MENT OF MISSIONS. 
 
 After having formed and established her com- 
 munity at Ville-Marie, as we have seen, and pro- 
 vided suitable buildings and funds to sustain 
 them in the exercise of their duties in a newly- 
 settled country; having also secured and regis- 
 tered the letters patent that confirmed their right, 
 as a legally authorized Congregation, she next 
 turned her attention to three thing*? still necessary 
 to the perfection of her Institute, tiamely, to pro- 
 cure a sufificient number of subjects, to provide for 
 them approved rules, and to establish missions. 
 At first it was not difficult to procure subjects, as 
 they presented themselves from all parts, being 
 attracted, not by temporal interests, or any sel- 
 fish motive, but simply by the odor of the virtues 
 of Sister Bourgeois and her first saintly compan- 
 ions. But she did not receive indifferently all 
 134 
 
VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BO URGEOIS. i -5 5 
 
 NiD ESTAB- 
 
 that presented themselves. She was quite in- 
 sensible to such advantages as high birth, riches, 
 and the brilliancy of natural or acquired talents, 
 which are sometimes more dangerous than useful, 
 preferring that those she received should have 
 good common sense, an umblemished character, 
 and solid virtue, without which qualifications 
 she received no one. If she did not exact from 
 her subjects the most sublime perfection, she re- 
 quired at least that they should have a desire 
 to acquire it in proportion as God was pleased 
 to bestow it on them. Let us hear her own 
 words on the subject, as found in a letter, in 
 which with simplicity she first addresses the ever 
 Blessed Virgin : " My good Mother, I ask from 
 you neither wealth, nor honor, nor the pleasures 
 of this life for our community. I only beg of you 
 to obtain for me, that God may be well served in 
 it, and that we may never receive proud or pre- 
 sumptuous subjects, who keep the world and its 
 maxims in their hearts, who are scoffers and un- 
 truthful, and who do not study to reduce to prac- 
 tice the maxims of your Divine Son, maxims 
 which He taught us from the pulpit of the Cross, 
 and which you have observed with so much ex- 
 actness." Then, addressing those who presented 
 themselves for admission, she adds : " Yes, all who 
 wish to be received into this community, must re- 
 solve to renounce not only the principles and 
 maxims of the world, but must also resolve to re- 
 
m 
 
 I' 
 
 
 136 
 
 VENHRAHLE SISTER MARGARET BUURGEO 
 
 nounce themselves, and overcome their bad habits 
 and inclinations. They must try to sever the nat- 
 ural ties that bind them to friends and relatives, 
 diS merely Yiwmdin attachments uselessly preoccupy 
 the mind. I warn them that they will be em- 
 ployed in \o\v\-y '" capations, which arc painful 
 to nature; that they will be sent on missions with 
 a Sister who will be charged to contradict them 
 in many things, and treat them like little children 
 — in one word, t'^ h-'nib^e and mortify them on 
 every occasion, i d_^' " +hat they learn to obey 
 promptly any one who n ay be appointed their 
 superior; that t.hey ^e poo; '-■. spirit; that their 
 words, gestures, and whoie dcoo< ' '..^ent be neither 
 frivolous nor dissipated, but that they act under 
 all circumstances with modesty, reserve, and de- 
 votion ; that they mortify their senses ; avoid un- 
 necessary conversation, and always endeavor to 
 keep themselves in the presence of God." Such 
 were the first lessons she gave her postulants, and 
 she rigorously exacted the execution of them. 
 Yet, notwithstanding these requirements, from 
 which she never departed, she soon assembled a 
 numerous community, that came up to her stand- 
 ard. We behold entering into the Congregation, 
 from its very commencement, young girls of every 
 state and condition of life, noble and simple, rich 
 and poor, daughters of private citizens, merchants, 
 mechanics, and even the savages, charity and hu- 
 mility making all equal, and as such they were 
 
VENERABLli SIS TER MARGARET BO URGEOIS. i -> y 
 
 \ habits 
 the nat- 
 elatives, 
 eoccupy 
 be em- 
 ; painful 
 ons with 
 ict them 
 children 
 them on 
 L to obey 
 ted their 
 hat their 
 )e neither 
 Eict under 
 , and de- 
 void un- 
 eavor to 
 Such 
 ants, and 
 f them, 
 ts, from 
 mbled a 
 er stand- 
 [regation, 
 of every 
 pie, rich 
 rchants, 
 and hu- 
 ey were 
 
 received without distinction. It was truly a school 
 of virtue and sanctity. Many members of the 
 families of Lemoine and St. Ange entered ; also 
 the celebrated Marie Barbier of the Assumption 
 and Sisters Dennis, Bourbo, Jousset, etc., more 
 than forty being received in less than two years. 
 We should also add the name of Jearme Leber, 
 who became afterwards the famous recluse, of 
 whom more anon, with many others quite re- 
 markable for sanctity from the beginning. Nor 
 must we forget to mention Marie Theresa 
 Gannensagouach, an Iroquois, who, after having 
 held the office of school teacher at the mountain 
 for thirteen years, died in the odor of sanctity, 
 November 25, 1695, on that mission, where her 
 epitaph may be seen to-day. Gannensagouach 
 was not the only person of her tribe who became 
 remarkable for virtue in the Sisters' school, and on 
 whom the illustrious Foundress lavished care, 
 labor, and money. Her particular desire was 
 always the conversion of the Indians. This 
 was the chief motive that induced her to bring 
 young persons from France to Canada, repre- 
 senting to them the glory and merit of con- 
 verting the Indians to the true Faith, for which 
 sublime end they ought to sacrifice their lives, 
 if necessary. She appointed two of her first 
 faithful band to the Mission of the Mountain, 
 near Ville-Marie, which was exclusively an 
 Indian mission. At that time, it was a rather 
 
I ^8 VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 difficult task to go from the city to the 
 mountain, as they had to pass through thick 
 forests interspersed with marshes and wild sa- 
 vannahs, through which there was neither road 
 nor track. 
 
 A priest from the seminary devoted himself 
 to the instruction of the savages, and the two 
 missionary Sisters were obliged to lodge in 
 bark cabins for a long time, as the Indians 
 erected no better dwellings, until the time of 
 M. Belmont, who had stone houses put up 
 for them at his own expense. He also built 
 the Fort that still exists, but the orchard 
 and c^ardens were added at a later period. In 
 1692, the Sisters lodged in a little tower to 
 the right of the entrance of the Fort, the 
 tower at the left serving for a school and a 
 bakery. The savages of this mission, after the 
 death of Sister Bourgeois, were transported to 
 Sault-au-R6collet, in 1731, and again in 1732 to 
 the lake of the two mountains. These Indian 
 missions, to which the Sisters were always devoted, 
 and to this day continue to be devoted, have 
 contributed largely to the spread of our holy 
 Faith among the Indians along the St. Lawrence, 
 and have produced much spiritual good. The 
 holy Foundress supported at this mission several 
 Iroquois girls, free of charge, forming them to 
 habits of virtue, and inducing them to inspire 
 their companions with similar sentiments. She 
 
I the 
 
 thick 
 
 Id sa- 
 
 r road 
 
 limself 
 le two 
 Ige in 
 ndians 
 ime of 
 mt up 
 D built 
 orchard 
 3d. In 
 wer to 
 rt, the 
 and a 
 ter the 
 ted to 
 732 to 
 Indian 
 voted, 
 , have 
 r holy 
 Tence, 
 The 
 several 
 lem to 
 [inspire 
 She 
 
 VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS, j ^q 
 
 also kept a certain number of these children of 
 the forest among the boarders at Ville-Marie, one 
 or two of whom afterwards became members of 
 the Congregation, and were most useful on the 
 mission schools. It was in compensation for 
 these benefits to the state and to religion, and to 
 refund in part the expense sustained by Sister 
 Bourgeois and her community, that the King of 
 France, in 1676, ordered an appropriation to be 
 made by the Canadian Government, to give an- 
 nually to the Sisters the sum of two or three 
 thousand livres. The pension was punctually 
 paid until the year 1756, at which time it was 
 withdrawn, as Canada had passed under British 
 rule, after an heroic but unsuccessful struggle 
 against the English in 1670. However, the 
 change of royal masters, and the suppression of 
 many Catholic charities consequent upon it, did 
 not lessen the love of the Sisters for the poor 
 Indians. These daughters and followers of 
 Christ continued to support the Indian missions 
 at their oivn expense^ as they do at the present 
 day in many instances. 
 
 Although the community was already quite 
 numerous, and continued steadily to increase, yet 
 the sainted woman at its head had not procured 
 cither rules or constitutions for its government. 
 It is true, that she was a living rule, and model 
 of the most sublime perfection, and that her fer- 
 vent daughters made it a sacred duty toobc}- and 
 
39 
 
 m 
 
 m 
 
 »\, 
 
 !!!' 
 
 :il! 
 ^!l|l 
 
 m 
 
 140 
 
 V'ENERABLB SISTER MANGA RET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 imitate her ; yet she felt even this was not suffi- 
 cient. Though united in the practice of the most 
 holy observances, they were still in a state of 
 probation — as they made no vows, nor were 
 they bound by solemn engagements. They lived, 
 notwithstanding, in the strictest bonds of charity, 
 laboring zealously for the glory of God, and their 
 own spiritual perfection, each by the advice of 
 her confessor making such private vows as her 
 particular devotion inspired. But the Foundress 
 saw plainly, that without written rules and cus- 
 toms, changes and innovations must gradually 
 creep in, and eventually disturb or destroy the 
 end of the Institute, so she set to work with her 
 accustomed zeal to procure rules and constitutions, 
 canonically authorized, for the security and per- 
 petuity of the Congregation. Filled with these 
 ideas,which were undoubtedly inspired by heaven, 
 she went to Quebec to confer with M. de Laval. 
 He approved of her design, and counselled her to 
 return to France, and learn from personal obser- 
 vation the practices of the most fervent communi- 
 ties, selecting the rules of such as seemed conform- 
 able to the spirit of her Institute. Being thus ad- 
 vised by her Bishop, nothing could deter her from 
 making the voyage. Indeed, she seemed insensi- 
 ble to pain, labor, or privation, on such occasions. 
 Having acquainted her Sisters with his Lordship's 
 decision, and given them directions and advice for 
 their good government during her absence, she 
 
 '-■> I 
 
EN ER ABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 141 
 
 courageously embarked the third time, and was ab- 
 sent one whole year. She employed herself like 
 the great St. Anthony, in collecting and select- 
 ing the holy rules that were given by persons 
 eminent for piety and wisdom. She was specially 
 attracted by the writings of St. Augustine, as 
 they contained maxims and regulations replete 
 with prudence and discretion. This saint quotes 
 largely from the instructions left by St. Ambrose 
 and other Fathers of the Church, addressed to 
 the first Christian virgins, instructing them how 
 to reduce to practice the evangelical counsels and 
 maxims, and enlightening them on the observance 
 of the three vows of poverty, chastity, and obedi- 
 ence. These writings reccommend pre-eminently 
 a love of silence and retreat from the world, 
 charity among the Sisters, assiduity at work, pious 
 reading, prayer, and the frequentation of the 
 Sacraments, under the guidance of ecclesiastical 
 superiors, with whom they were to share the 
 glory and merit of instructing and edifying the 
 faithful. Such was the spirit of the rule that 
 Sister Bourgeois brought with her from France, 
 to place in the hands of her Bishop and obtain his 
 approbation of it. But during her absence, the 
 spiritual government of Canada had been seriously 
 changed. There was no longer a Bishop in the 
 country, as M. de Laval, shortly before her re- 
 turn, became despondent under bodily in^'-mities, 
 which were frequently so painful as to prevent 
 
142 
 
 VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 
 his discharging the duties of his ministry as suc- 
 cessfully as he desired ; therefore he returned to 
 France, for the purpose of tendering his resig- 
 nation to the proper authorities, and demanding 
 a successor. His solicitations for release from 
 episcopal functions were very urgent, so that al- 
 though he was highly esteemed in Paris for his 
 many virtues and acknowledged ability and merit, 
 his resignation was accepted, the King imme- 
 diately appointing M. Jean Lacroix de St. Vallier 
 his successor, who consequently became the sec- 
 ond Bishop of Quebec. On Sister Bourgeois' ar- 
 rival, therefore, she found no bishop to whom 
 she could confide her rules, and took the resolu- 
 tion of putting them in execution provisionally ^ 
 until a Bishop should be appointed for Canada, 
 which appointment was not carried into effect 
 for three years after, although M. de St. 
 Vallier had been formally nominated by royal 
 authority, as has been related. We find in her 
 Memoirs of this voyage, the following — "In 1680, 
 Mme. Perrot, wife of the Governor of Montreal, 
 determined to return to France, for the benefit 
 of her health, which was much impaired. Know- 
 ing her intention, and having obtained the con- 
 sent of our Sisters, I offered to accompany her 
 as travelling companion, and was accepted. My 
 real desire, however, was to obtain rules for our 
 Congregation. On arriving at la Rochelle I left 
 Mme. Perrot, and went direct to Paris, as I felt 
 
s. 
 
 VENERABLE Hi^i hK MAKGAKET BOURGEOIS. 1 43 
 
 as SUC- 
 ned to 
 5 resig- 
 landing 
 ie from 
 that al- 
 for bis 
 d merit, 
 r imme- 
 '. Vallier 
 the sec- 
 reois' ar- 
 \,o whom 
 e resolu- 
 isionally, 
 Canada, 
 o effect 
 de St. 
 y royal 
 d in her 
 'In 1680, 
 ontreal, 
 benefit 
 . Know- 
 tbe con- 
 |pany her 
 ed. My 
 for our 
 ;lle I left 
 as 1 felt 
 
 quite sick after the voyage. The following day 
 Ikother Louis, who also chanced to be in Paris, 
 invited me to his house, where I took a much 
 needed rest for a few days, but another friend, M. 
 . Turmenie, being informed of my illness, sent a 
 sedan, carried by two stout men, to take me to his 
 house, where I remained during an illness of fif- 
 teen days, being treated with as much kindness as 
 if I had been his sister. When my health was re- 
 established I went to lodge with the 'Daughters of 
 the Cross,' in the Rue St. Antoine. In this com- 
 munity I received light in many things relating 
 to our holy rules and constitutions. Under- 
 standing from these good religieuscs, that M. 
 St. Vallier was staying at the College of For- 
 c-^n Missions, I went there to ask his b! ssing, .s 
 I felt in duty bound. But his Lordship did 
 not approve of my proceedings, and told me quite 
 curtly that I should not have made the voyage, 
 nor seek rules for the community either, and he 
 absolutely forbade me to take any new subjects 
 from France on my return." However, as he was 
 not very explicit in his speech regarding the 
 rules, and as Sister Bourgeois was already fur- 
 nished with two different formulas (one being 
 received from M. Jandret, the other from the 
 Daughters of the Cross), she did not in the least 
 resent the humiliation, but quietly set to work to 
 find other means of perfecting what was then in 
 her possession. On leaving M. de St. Vallier, 
 
W -I 
 
 it 
 
 ¥■' 
 
 1 44 VENERABLE SIS TER MARGARET BO URGEOIS. 
 
 she went to the Convent of the Community of 
 Miramion, so named from Mme. de Miramion, 
 their Foundress, who was still living. Sister 
 wished to confer with this illustrious woman on 
 the subject of her rules, and to add or retrench, 
 as the holy religieuse might suggest. But Mme. 
 de Miramion, having been informed that M. 
 de St. Vallier wished to give rules to the Congre- 
 gation himself, in order not to displease the 
 Bishop, she refused to take any part in the affair. 
 While Sister Bourgeois patiently awaited the 
 moment when her rules should be approved, she 
 had a very heavy cross to bear. Almighty God ap- 
 peared until then to have visibly protected all her 
 enterprises. But now she was to pass through se- 
 vere trials in order to perfect her virtue, trials which 
 conduced more to her sanctification than all the 
 voluntary pains and mortifications she inflicted 
 on herself. Besides the sorrow she endured at 
 being so unexpectedly repelled in the attempt to 
 have her rules approved (a cross she endured for 
 many years), she had, on her return to Montreal, 
 to suffer the cruel anguish of seeing the fruit of 
 all her past labors perish before her eyes, in a few 
 moments. The beloved home of her community 
 took fire on the night of the 6th of December, 
 1683, and quicker than can be told, not only the 
 house, but its poor furniture, and everything 
 else it contained was consumed. The fire was so 
 sudden and violent, that the Sisters wei en- 
 
nity of 
 ramion, 
 Sister 
 nan on 
 strencb, 
 it Mme. 
 :hat M. 
 Congre- 
 -ase the 
 he affair, 
 ited the 
 oved, she 
 y God ap- 
 ed all her 
 trough se- 
 als which 
 in all the 
 inflicted 
 idured at 
 ttempt to 
 dured for 
 Montreal, 
 fruit of 
 IS, in a few 
 )mmunity 
 December, 
 only the 
 Iverything 
 Ire was so 
 wei en- 
 
 VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BO URGEOIS. 1 45 
 
 veloped by smoke and flames in an instant, two of 
 her best subjects being burned to death. These 
 were Sister Genevieve, the assistant, and Sister 
 Margaret Soumillard, a niece of the Foundress. 
 The rest barely escaped with, their lives. Sister 
 Bourgeois felt, more than any one else, the 
 horrors of the accident, and a spirit less strong, 
 and a heart less brave than hers, would have 
 naturally yielded to despair. She sincerely re- 
 gretted the death of her dearly loved Sisters, 
 more for the loss the community must sustain 
 for their untimely end, than because her own 
 niece was one of the victims, and her tears were 
 all the moie bitter, as she judged herself to be 
 the cause of the calamity. 
 
 " It is a just punishment from heaven for my 
 weakness," she said,"in V«r. vingso far departed from 
 the spirit 01 j-v^vcrty, 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, how- 
 ever, that made her speak thus, as the house was 
 very far from being either great or magnificent. 
 It was only a woodcr edifice, and was too sm.all 
 and inconvenient for the many good works to 
 which the Sisters applied themselves unceasingly. 
 She soon perceived, notwithstanding all her sen- 
 timents of humility, that the building must go up 
 
w 
 
 146 
 
 VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 \% > 
 
 \\, '■ 
 
 - t. 
 
 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. Ob- 
 stacles only strengthened her faith and aroused 
 her courage. She hoped against hope, and de- 
 termined 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 al- 
 ways had recourse. Nor had she long to await 
 the result of her confidence. Divine Providence 
 stirred up the sympathies of the charitably-dis- 
 posed, who gave her abundant means to build a 
 large stone edifice, more solid and architectural 
 than the former one. This second house re- 
 mained 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 sin- 
 gular interest. He died, as he had lived, a Saint, 
 May 6, 1708. M. de St. Vallier devoted him- 
 self to the affairs of his diocese without inter- 
 
OIS. 
 
 VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 H7 
 
 Llthough 
 rce, with 
 ection of 
 lit. Ob- 
 l aroused 
 :, and de- 
 the work 
 r in Jesus 
 ler, she al- 
 ; to await 
 rovidence 
 itably-dis- 
 to build a 
 :hitectural 
 house re- 
 63; and of 
 hall soon 
 Sister was 
 building, 
 DHsecrated 
 aval, his 
 paniedby 
 d his days 
 virtues of 
 n Missions 
 esteemed 
 r with sin- 
 d, a Saint, 
 oted him- 
 lout inter- 
 
 1 
 
 mission, and it was in the hands of this new pre- 
 late 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 con- 
 fidence and esteem but regarding the institute 
 and rules of the Foundress, he then entertained 
 views different 'rom 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 ris- 
 ing community to the Ursulincs at Quebec. These 
 ladies had already taken steps to establish them- 
 selves 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 Bour- 
 geois, did not give them much hope of establish 
 ing a new mission. He received their request 
 rather ungraciously, and took the liberty of mak- 
 ing humble but strong representations to the 
 Bishop on the subject. Sister Bourgeois also rep- 
 resented 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 com- 
 patible with the rules of another institute, es- 
 
1 ' 
 
 148 
 
 VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 pecially 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 com- 
 munity 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 oi 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 for- 
 tune for their maintenance. That one of her chief 
 desires was to open the doors of the Congrega- 
 tion to persons of this description, and that, mak- 
 ing no account of riches, she would rather re- 
 ceive portionless a Sister who could not buy the 
 necessary clothing, if she had a true vocation and 
 a good ivill, 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 2CXX) 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 
 
h a step 
 rhich she 
 ved came 
 had the 
 ,t the ever 
 itire com- 
 lad given 
 blishment 
 z\x general 
 lad bound 
 e spiritual 
 consecrate 
 of fortune 
 invariably 
 derate for- 
 )f her chief 
 Congrega- 
 that, mak- 
 rather re- 
 )t buy the 
 Kation and 
 not these 
 ■tention to 
 , although 
 led her to 
 However, 
 [at in this 
 ording to 
 mstances 
 Id to make 
 
 VRNERABLE UlSTliK MARGA RUT HO URGlii )1S. j ^^ 
 
 an impression on the mind of M. de St. Val- 
 lier, but he had other business on hand just 
 then, being occupied with the founding of a 
 General Hospital at Quebec, and an Ursuline es- 
 tablishment at Three Rivers. He was therefore 
 not in a hurry to approve the constitutions of 
 Sister Bourgeois, preferring to take time to ex- 
 amine 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 visit- 
 ation at Villc-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 
 I obedience to the rules that she had spent a life- 
 time in bringing to perfection. But before her 
 withdrawal from office, she had formed a great 
 number of establishments in the diocese. We 
 
*11 
 
 ISO 
 
 / IWliRABLli SlSTIiR MARCAKiri' BOURGliOlS. 
 
 have already spoken of the Mission of the Moun- 
 tain, 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 ac- 
 complished, by sending Sisters there, and she sent 
 them. In those days she made no provisional 
 contracts for the Sisters who went on misssions, 
 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, where- 
 ever good might be accomplished. In the mis. 
 sions 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 ac- 
 companied \it.x. If she reflected that she might 
 and ought to testify the deepest gratitude to 
 
HOIS. 
 
 VENERAlUJi SIS TER MARGARET BO URGECIS. \ 5 i 
 
 he Moun- 
 only one 
 were also 
 embles at 
 id steadily 
 w parishes 
 eois knew 
 ifford even 
 missionary 
 Duld be ac- 
 rid she sent 
 provisional 
 misssions, 
 ce of God, 
 frequently 
 ngements, 
 od, where- 
 the mis. 
 and death, 
 imated by 
 the same 
 r edifying 
 re sending 
 she would 
 drops of 
 Oh, how 
 would be, 
 er and ac- 
 ,he might 
 titude 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 bjfore her constitutions were solemnly 
 approved, her daughters were to be found in 
 every part of the diocese, laboring for the salva- 
 tion 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 im- 
 mediately 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 under- 
 take 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 
 
152 
 
 VENHRAHLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 'II: 
 
 ill! 
 
 IB 31 
 
 4 ^ ; 
 
 iii 
 
 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 as- 
 sembled from different parts of the colony, in- 
 tending that said establishment should be main- 
 tained 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 Bour- 
 geois accepted the duty with reluctance, as it did 
 not appear to coincide with the spirit of her in- 
 stitute. However, rather than disoblige the Bish- 
 op, 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 doubt- 
 ful and slow, so slow that it was suppressed the 
 following year. The Bishop divided its labors be- 
 tween two communities, which division eventually 
 gave birth to the General Hospital and the Con- 
 gregation 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 win- 
 ter, being often obliged to go forward on her 
 
 :l|i 
 
'S. 
 
 lowing 
 viz., an 
 ducatc 
 lad as- 
 ►ny, in- 
 c main- 
 e labor 
 le work 
 he saw 
 of the 
 ^r Bour- 
 LS it did 
 her in- 
 he Bish- 
 , having 
 J. This 
 ion, yet 
 doubt- 
 sed the 
 bors be- 
 ntually 
 e Con- 
 rdship 
 ainted 
 ranee, 
 ing an 
 d that 
 u she 
 f win- 
 n her 
 
 VENHRAHLH SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 153 
 
 knees, now in the snow, now on the ice, and occa- 
 sionally through tracts covered with water. This 
 was her customary mode of travelling through 
 Canada. Having at last arrived at her destina- 
 tion, after incredible suffering and dangers, we 
 next find her carrying on her shoulders the dif- 
 ferent 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 ap- 
 peared, v/ho asserted that she had an old and 
 valid lease of the property, which she was not dis- 
 posed to set aside, and so the Sisters were com- 
 pelled 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 
 

 4 - 
 
 I 54 VENERABIM SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 that your friends have testified displeasure at 
 the occurrence. I have a great desire to live in 
 charity with all the world, because God com- 
 mands us to love our neighbor, and it is this 
 desire that at present prevents me from contest- 
 ing 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 pre- 
 serve charity with her neighbor, and she also 
 wished her neiglibor to feel charitably disposed 
 towards her. Her own words on the occasion 
 are : '* I am convinced this proceeding is an un- 
 just 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 re- 
 nounce 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 re- 
 vealed 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 ex- 
 
 f;s 
 
VESBRAHIM SIHTBR MARGAHLT BOURGEOIS. I 5 5 
 
 m 
 
 re at 
 ive in 
 com- 
 5 this 
 intcst- 
 bligcd 
 The 
 id the 
 nr that 
 »ut the 
 ing to 
 matter 
 saying 
 :o pre- 
 e also 
 sposed 
 casion 
 an un- 
 nding 
 us for 
 annot 
 cause 
 to re- 
 o cast 
 nd on 
 not re- 
 red a 
 arties 
 , and 
 as ex- 
 
 changed for a much more extensive one in the 
 lower town, which the community still occupies. 
 It was purchased from Francis Hazur, a mer- 
 chant 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 reduc- 
 tion in the price of the property, preferring pray- 
 ers for himself and his descendants to a paltry 
 earthly advantage. He would not have been so 
 con:iiderate, however, if the sale had been made 
 to other parties. Notwithstanding this visit of the 
 heroic woman to Quebec, she did not succeed in re- 
 ceiving the approbation of her rules, and the m;^t- 
 ter 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 aban- 
 don the establishment, as it had no other sup- 
 port 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 suc- 
 frjjr/)// 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 
 
(•: IS! 
 
 I 56 / EA\EkABLR SISTliK MARGAKLT HOURGLOIS. 
 
 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, with- 
 out referring to the celebrated recluse, Jane Leber. 
 This illustrious solitary had no sooner known Sis- 
 ter Bourgeois and her community, than she be- 
 came 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 Con- 
 gregation, 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 con- 
 
VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS, 
 
 157 
 
 by 
 lutual 
 God. 
 Con- 
 ler to 
 ^hile 
 will, 
 ition 
 she 
 Irtucs 
 \vays 
 Ispirc 
 iring 
 1 con- 
 
 ceived a lasting esteem and friendship for each 
 other, from which Almighty God afterwards re- 
 ceived great glory, and the Congregation great 
 advantage, as we shall relate. 
 
 Jane Leber had renounced even the most in- 
 nocent 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 imitat- 
 ing 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 re- 
 nounced all intercourse with the world, with her 
 nearest relations, and even with the immediate 
 members of her family, and took the extraordin- 
 ary resolution of condemning herself to perpetual 
 solitiulc, which she had already observed for a 
 long time in her father's house, and which was 
 only to terminate ivith her life in the house of the 
 Congregation. This, indeed, was one of the won- 
 derful effects of the Holy Spirit, which it is not 
 permitted man to fathom. 
 
 r^ aave seen that in the Sisters' residence at 
 t'arie, there was no domestic church, and 
 \at ister Bourgeois' limited means did not per- 
 aiit her to build one, a circumstance she sincerely 
 regretted. \^ 1692, however, she thought seri- 
 ously of taki the necessary steps to procure 
 
I 5 8 VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BO URGEOIS. 
 
 such a chapel, and the project w^''^ 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 ex- 
 penses of the edifice, on condition that they 
 would reserve for her use a room near the sanc- 
 tuary, 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 after- 
 wards signed the contract, dated August 4th, 1695, 
 during the superiority of Sister Assumption. It 
 was the holy Foundress who secured this ac- 
 quisition, and who retained, in spite of herself, 
 the greatest influence in the government of the 
 Congregation. It was during Jane's total seclu- 
 sion, 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 ex- 
 traordinary woman rejoiced in the beauty and 
 glory of the house of God, and only closed 1 er 
 
 m 
 
WOIS. 
 
 executed, 
 f schools, 
 ntages to 
 ner heard 
 :hapel in 
 ;termined 
 She was 
 11 the ex- 
 hat ihey 
 the sanc- 
 with the 
 1 request 
 ois being 
 
 id after- 
 ^th, 1695, 
 tion. It 
 this ac- 
 herself, 
 it of the 
 al seclu- 
 mrgeois, 
 ders for 
 rocuring 
 nts, and 
 that all 
 ition of 
 / of the 
 rhis ex- 
 ity and 
 sed I er 
 
 splendors o'f the new Je Lafer ^''.°" '''^ 
 wonderfully by St Fohn !u f ' ''""ibed so 
 
 the day folfowLg "i tl 1p°«'>'P-- On 
 her seclusion for hi ^ ^^'''^"'"'""Suratcd 
 founding the perpetual t' ^^^" '^''-^^'ons for 
 Sacrament, as it isltu°'"''°'' °' *''^ blessed 
 nation, and after tLde^^^T^l^ I" '''' C°"'^^- 
 donated the necessarv f V .^' ^"""^''"^^ =he 
 boarding.schools accL " / '°[ '^^building the 
 ter Bourgeois h d eTp ' Lid ? T "''" '"^' S^ 
 '^"■u'^d the new institudon i° '"■ ^^' ^'^° '"■ 
 and founded in perne °", '"?' --oyal munificence, 
 which has never ceaS toV ^''"~'>-W 
 ^'■nce her time In *° '^^ ^-"""^"y celebrated 
 bestowed benefits on T '"°"^' '^' ""^^^^inji-'y 
 It may not be out ,f ^ ^"'""'•ty °f her lotc 
 fewof themanvl •'' '' ^"' '° enumerate a 
 
 Foundress In\er'°"r "'""'"''^'^ "^^ '''^ holy 
 f°"owing names :^:;r'^;,-''r- ^"^ th^e 
 
 '"^'e of Orleans, Quebec Cy,/ ""l^^" '" '^'^ 
 aux-Trembles l' We r"' ,°^f ^^"""^her, Pointe- 
 and Bouchervil e ^ ' ^^^'"P'^'". La Prairie, 
 
•i:,i- 
 
 ^1 
 
 
 i 
 
 
 
 t : 
 
 '1 
 
 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 Con- 
 gregation. She had a flourishing institute at Mon- 
 treal, and a fervent and numerous community, 
 that was well prepared to meet the future exigen- 
 cies of the diocese, and to supply new missions 
 (when such were needed) with holy and capa- 
 ble subjects. It is true there was still no prop- 
 erly authorized or approved rule, but she had 
 the necessary formulas, which were strictly ob- 
 served, 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 
 
 l6o 
 
VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. l6l 
 
 ' SISTER 
 
 it might 
 :ois were 
 her Con- 
 i at Mon- 
 nmunity, 
 z exigen- 
 missions 
 nd capa- 
 no prop- 
 she had 
 ictly ob- 
 inted by 
 obation, 
 is would 
 [example 
 actions 
 such as 
 ghter of 
 ord, she 
 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 covwiunity 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 en- 
 dured 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 sen- 
 suality, 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 sup- 
 plied. She ate little, and drank less, using water 
 but once a day, and never in sufficient quantity 
 
m 
 
 162 VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 to allay her thirst, even in the hottest weather. 
 She even managed to sit at her meals in a pain- 
 ful and mortified position, being careful to pass 
 every moment of her life in the practice of mor- 
 tification. 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 mid- 
 night 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 com- 
 fort. She scourged her body with rude discip- 
 lines, and one cannot describe without a sensa- 
 tion of horror, the cap, bristling with sharp points, 
 that she wore secretly on her head night and 
 day. The Sisters once accidentally saw this in- 
 strument of torture, and begged her to discon- 
 tinue its use, but she smilingly told them, it 
 caused her no more pain than a feather pillow 
 should. 
 
 On another occasion, having l en implored by 
 the Sisters to moderate the rigor of her austeri- 
 ties, in order to prolong her life for the sake of I Du 
 the community, she answered them by an in-| she 
 
were her words that thi Q- ' ^""^ '° P^"'«'c 
 ^esfretoi^itatrhtUtp?"^ '""''' ''^'' ^ 
 
 -as ..,.„,, mortificat'onwe't' but ";"''' ^° 
 Used 2«/^„;,^ mortification ^''^ P«<^- 
 
 before. That is she Ca^tTct"'"''^ '^*■' 
 her senses, thwarted morff ^"^'''' °^^^ 
 
 ■nclinations, and endTavo, hT"''^ ''^■" "•''^"'•«' 
 her power to keep herse^r > ^ "^''^ ""^^"^ '" 
 of God. But asl he d ?/ '" "'^ P^^=«"-e 
 
 °^ these penitenL^ex t-sL'^^P^'^^ ""''' '^'^ 
 more terrible trial th, '^'^^^' "^ sent her a 
 
 I" the year S ^ T/f'' V' >'^' ^d"-'' 
 qu'-llity ,^th which It f ""-^'"""^ °f "'^ t«n- 
 of DiWne Providence nT'"' '" '"^ ^— ^ 
 that seemed to multLv if '""^' °' ^^°-^'^ 
 ''^ to understand iy'^h'etl^H":' ''^^' ^^^ 
 another, that she was in a st.:'^ ^'■''■°"'' °f 
 and at enmity with God Tu °^ damnation, 
 
 ■■ather this frightful idea l.T """^"^ ^°"^'' °' 
 ^'°n on her, that during 'four '"'' ^" '''"P'--- 
 fWe to banish it from h° •^^^''' -"he was not 
 however, less troubled at I^k™'''^''"""'""' heinff, 
 the pains of hell, than at th ' ! ^PP'-^hension of 
 
164 
 
 VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 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 coti- 
 Jidcncc. 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. 
 
 As has been already stated, on her second re- 
 turn from France she found herself surrounded 
 by more than forty aspirants to the religious 
 state, who led most humble and penitential lives 
 yet though all were very fervent, all were not 
 equally strong, either in body or mind, and the Sis 
 health of many among them visibly declined, so ref 
 that it became necessary to set bounds to theii ma 
 austerities, especially as they were not yet undei of 
 the guidance of an approved rule, which of its wri 
 own nature would have prevented indiscreet exltim 
 cesses. A mitigation of penitential practices wamnd 
 therefore openly and undisguisedly advocatedjo t 
 but Sister Bourgeois, all charitable and submisl 1 
 sive as she was, did not relish these suggestionBiev 
 — fearing that a door would he opened to relaxAos' 
 tion. She had already reproached herself bitBhal 
 
 t( 
 b 
 nr 
 si 
 
 tl 
 hi 
 
 sa 
 fir 
 th 
 
 of 
 
 wa 
 
 as 
 
 wil 
 
 pre 
 
 for 
 
KGEOIS. 
 
 ces, though 
 she blindly 
 director, for 
 ion than con- 
 le had to be 
 on, of which 
 from which 
 Lime. Only 
 imilar ordeal 
 that time, or 
 But in order 
 be necessary 
 
 VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET POi'RGEO/S. 165 
 
 terly for the consent reluctantly given to the 
 building of the first large house for the com- 
 munity, and, notwithstanding the lapse of years, 
 she still regarded its erection as contrary to the 
 spirit of poverty, humility, and mortification 
 they would have preserved in the stable which 
 had been the cradle of the Congregation. 
 
 "The grand building brought in its train," she 
 said, " drapery and mattresses — delicate food and 
 fine furniture — and so many other fine things 
 that there was no room left for holy poverty." 
 
 Her apprehensions for the future were a species 
 of martyrdom to her, and a difference of opinion 
 was the commencement of all her mental anguish, 
 as after that period we find her Memoirs filled 
 with painful reflections. In 1677 ^ young person 
 presented herself for admission, who was unfit 
 for any duties except out-door employment, and 
 Sister Bourgeois refused to receive her. The 
 refusal, however, was contrary to the desire of 
 many of the Sisters, although it was approved 
 f by ecclesiastical superiors. The Foundress, 
 riting of the circumstance, says : " From that 
 ime I think the Sisters lost confidence in me, 
 nd I lost the liberty of speaking of such matters 
 them." 
 
 This was a sad position for a superior who be- 
 ieved God's work would suffer by a real or sup- 
 osed lack of confidence. It will be remembered 
 hat she was engaged for two entire years in the 
 
I 
 
 1 1 
 
 I ^5 VENHRARIM SIS TRR MARC, A RET HOURGI-OIS. 
 
 task of procuring new subjects, toc^cther with the 
 letters patent for the institute, and during that 
 time the signal favors she received from both 
 God and man gave her much consolation. But 
 no sooner had she returned to Ville-Marie than 
 she was rephmgcd into sorrowful embarrassments, 
 ?is she noticed that what seejned to her to be re- 
 laxations had crept in. She attributed the fire 
 of 1683, and the deaths of her two best subjects 
 on that occasion, to her own sins, and overwhelmed 
 with these ideas, her life became a sad and pen- 
 sive one. 
 
 3he was also firmly persuaded (in her deep 
 humility) that she was unworthy and incapable 
 of governing the rising Congregation. So per- 
 suaded was she of it, that she frequently asked 
 the Sisters to accept her resignation, but as they 
 justly attributed her request to an over-scrupu- 
 lous conscience, they refused to acquiesce. She 
 then reproached herself with infidelity to her 
 vocation in seeking to be released from the bur- 
 den of superiority, as she had often promised ■ 
 Almighty God that, come what would, she should j 
 never abandon His work. Sometimes pride 
 \\'hispered that s1ie was quite useful in tlie posi-j 
 tion she occupied. At other times she felt con- 1 
 vinced that others could discharge the duty bet- 1 
 ter. Always disquieted, always agitated, she! 
 knew not what to do. In this state of desola-j 
 tion, she lost confidence in her directors, who,! 
 
 ii!: 
 
VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 167 
 
 she supposed, did not understand her. The only 
 consolation she experienced was an absolute 
 submission to the orders of Divine Providence, 
 and a firm confidence that God would at last 
 arrange all things well for His greater glory. 
 And so things were arranged, indeed, but in 
 such a manner that this spouse of the Crucified 
 had to drink to the dregs the saving chalice of 
 affliction, and taste in her inmost soul all its 
 bitterness. 
 
 She had now labored for a quarter of a cen- 
 tury in the exercise of all sorts of good works. 
 Her body was lacerated by the rudest austerities. 
 She was a martyr to mental anxiety, and had 
 but one beacon-light during her long spiritual 
 darkness, viz., the certainty that she loved God 
 and was loved by Him. Nevertheless her chalice 
 was not yet full. In 1689, on the night of Novem- 
 ber 3d, one of the Sisters remained up long after 
 the others had retired to rest. Suddenly a Sister 
 who had died about sixteen months before stood 
 before her (as she affirmed), and said slowly and 
 distinctly, " I am sent by God to warn the super- 
 ior of this Congregation that she is in mortal 
 sin," naming at the same time the person who 
 was the cause of her guilt. The astonished list- 
 ener related the apparition to Sister Bourgeois, 
 who regarded it as the wanderings of a diseased 
 imagination. But two months nfter. January 3d, 
 1690, the deceased again appearing to the same 
 
I; 
 
 l68 yBNERABLE SIHTLK MAKUAHL.I hULKuLUIH. 
 
 Sister, said, " The superior has not done what 
 she ought to do; it is the last warning I can give 
 her, for I am now going to Paradise," and so 'lay- 
 ing, disappeared. The vihionary (for as such 
 only should she be regarded) went again to in- 
 form the Foundress of what had transpired, and 
 at this second blow the poor superior succumbed, 
 appearing to be indeed stricken by the anger of 
 God. It seems strange that her strong mind 
 could be deceived, even for a season. Perhaps 
 her great age made her more susceptible to the 
 influence of an asserted vision, than she would 
 have been at an earlier period of life. To de- 
 clare that she was at enmity with God, was to 
 inflict a grievous wound on her heart, and this 
 warning reduced her almost to a state of despair. 
 She felt that she was a reproach among her Sis- 
 ters. She dared not speak to them, and hardly 
 raised her eyes before them. The Sacraments 
 she regarded with extreme repugnance, believing 
 that they had hitherto been useless to her, and 
 that her receiving them now would be profana- 
 tion. It happened, however, by the dispensa- 
 tion of God, that her director was a wise and 
 skilful ascetic, who narrowly watched the opera- 
 tions of grace in her soul, and treated her accord- 
 ingly, and as she blindly followed his directions 
 during the time of trial, she daily sanctified her- 
 self more and more. 
 
 It was at this precise period that M. de St. 
 
[Q what 
 can give 
 d so *^ay- 
 as such 
 in to in- 
 ired, and 
 ccumbcd, 
 anger of 
 )ng mind 
 Tcrbaps 
 )lc to the 
 she would 
 2. To de- 
 ed, was to 
 , and this 
 f despair, 
 g her Sis- 
 nd hardly 
 acraments 
 1, believing 
 her, and 
 profana- 
 dispensa- 
 wise and 
 |he opera- 
 ler accord- 
 jdirections 
 itified her- 
 
 M. de St. 
 
 VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 169 
 
 Vallier came to Montreal for the first time, and 
 the humblt Sister frankly acquainted him with 
 her state of mind and its consequences, asking 
 him very earnestly to appoint another Sister in 
 her place, in order that things might work well 
 and confidence be restored. However, the Bishop 
 did not consent to her resignation then, hoping 
 that her pain of mind would soon disappear. But 
 on his return to Montreal, in 1693, he found mat- 
 ters still in the same state, and consented to a 
 first election in the Congregation, presiding on 
 the occasion himself. Sister Marie Barbier of the 
 Assumption was elected superior, to the satisfac- 
 tion of the whole community, and above all of 
 Sister Bourgeios herself, who, being at last re- 
 lieved of the responsibilities of superior, hoped 
 soon to regain her long-lost peace of mind, and 
 so it happened. For in January of the next 
 year, 1694, being just four years from the time 
 she was first warned of her eternal damnation, 
 she felt a distinct conviction in her soul that she 
 was fully reconciled with God. And all her pain 
 of mind disappeared. This interior light, how- 
 ever, only determined her to labor still more ear- 
 nestly for the glory of God and the maintenance 
 of regular observances. She was a member of the 
 council of the new superior, but the honor of the 
 position caused her much disquiet, as she never 
 ceased to assert that it was on account of her 
 sins the former austerities of the house had 
 
'»■<■•• 
 
 I70 
 
 VllNHRABLh SlUrER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 partly fallen into disuse. The change of supe- 
 riors had not in the least diminished the esteem 
 of the Sisters foi her^ who had been so long their 
 faithful mother in God, and they omitted no 
 opportunity of testifying their esteem, which af- 
 fectionate attention was doubtless agreeable to 
 her kind heart. In order to tranquilize her 
 mind, and on account of her great age, they 
 judged it expedient to dispense her from attend- 
 ing at the public exercises of the community, 
 leaving the infirmary entirely at her disposal, 
 where she might occupy herself with some light 
 work, as much for recreation as employment. 
 She obeyed without reply, and it may not be un- 
 interesting to hear what she thought of her 
 exile, as she called it. The Memoir says : 
 
 " Although charged, conjointly with my Sis- 
 ters, to watch over the welfare of the house, I 
 knew nothing of what passed in it. For four 
 years I occupied myself with a little sewing, re- 
 maining all the time in the infirmary. I slept 
 there, took my meals there, on account of my 
 great age, they said, and that I might be a com- 
 panion for Sister Crolo, who could no longer go 
 to the refectory. I held no conversation with 
 the Sisters, very rarely went to our chapel, as 
 we of the infirmary could easily hear Mass from 
 our apartment, it being so constructed as to open 
 directly fronting the altar. Yet my former dis- 
 quiet returned, and I knew not what to deter- 
 
s. 
 
 VKNERAPU-: SISTHK MAKCARI-T BOURGEOfS. j 7 1 
 
 supe- 
 istccm 
 nr their 
 ;cd no 
 ich af- 
 ible to 
 ze her 
 ;, they 
 attend- 
 Tiunity, 
 isposal, 
 le light 
 3yment. 
 t be un- 
 
 of her 
 
 ly Sis- 
 [louse, I 
 or four 
 infj, re- 
 
 tnine on, because I could not divest myself of 
 the idea that God required greater perfection 
 from the community than I saw practised in it. 
 It is true they tried to console me by asserting 
 that all was well, and that I might set my mind 
 at rest. I answered them nothing, but I could 
 not conceal from myself that relaxation ex- 
 isted, and that I was the cause of it. I suffered 
 more in this perplexity of mind than 1 can 
 ever explain." She sighed sadly during her 
 stay in the infirmary, until it pleased God to 
 let peace again dawn upon her soul, by impart- 
 ing to her a spirit of sensible and tender devo- 
 tion, and by permitting her to return to the ordi- 
 nary way in living in her institute during the 
 few remaining years of her life. On the night of 
 July 5th, 1697, as she was meditating on the means 
 of repairing the faults of which she believed her- 
 self guilty, a tJionght, as distinct as a voice, told 
 her she was the Jonas of the Congregation, and 
 that like him, she deserved to be cast into the 
 • sea. To this interior voice she could only reply 
 that she was willing to do all in her power to 
 contribute to the glory of God, and do his will. 
 Then the strange inspiration ceased, but on the 
 following night it returned more strongly and 
 vividly than at first, making her understand, like 
 Samuel in the temple, th-.t God had spoken; that it 
 was time to renounce the ideal perfection which 
 tormentrjd her, and that a blind obedience to 
 
172 
 
 VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 her directors was her only remedy. She there- 
 fore opened her heart to the confessor of the 
 community, M. de Valens, and also to M. Caillen, 
 pastor of Ville- Marie, who decided on sending 
 her to her superior, there to disclose all the anx- 
 ious thoughts that agitated her soul, and speak 
 of whatever she conceived to be for the welfare 
 of the Congregation. The docile Sister did as 
 directed, and in order to give her useful and 
 practical occupation, the superior told her lo 
 write what the Holy Spirit would inspire for the 
 guidance of the institute she had so happily 
 founded. These pre»-ious manuscripts are re- 
 plete with lessons of divine wisdom, and it is 
 from their pages her children still select Lhe 
 beautiful instructions and maxims that keep her 
 spirit alive among them. Her heart being thus 
 freed from its silent agony, she found herself nt 
 last completely delivered from the torture she 
 had so long endured, her only desire for the 
 three remaining years of her life being to exhibit 
 a model of the social and community virtues she 
 had taught to others for more than 50 years. Nor 
 was it only at this late period of her life she had 
 resolved to resign the oflfice of superior, for in 
 1680, before making her third voyage to France 
 to procure rules for her institute, she had earn- 
 estly and tearfully asked the Sisters to elect an- 
 other in lier place, alleging her unfitness and un- 
 ivorthiness. What must have been herastonish- 
 
VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS, j >j% 
 
 lere- 
 i the 
 illen, 
 ing 
 
 
 anx- 
 speak 
 elfare 
 lid as 
 il and 
 tier to 
 or the 
 appily 
 ire re- 
 d it is 
 ct Ihe 
 ep her 
 g thus 
 self nt 
 re she 
 or the 
 xhibii 
 es she 
 s. Nor 
 e had 
 for in 
 IFrance 
 earn- 
 ct an- 
 Ind un- 
 tonish- 
 
 ment, to hear all exclaim as with one voice and 
 without a moment's hesitation, that they had 
 chosen the MoiJicr of God for their superior, and 
 Fou?idress; that they shovild ever regard her as 
 their first Mother in time and in eternity, but 
 begged Sister Bourgeois to continue her govern- 
 ment under the protection of their common 
 Mother, to whose love and service she and they 
 were alike pledged. In consequence of this un- 
 animous choice, the holy Foundress, prostrating 
 herself with the whole community before the 
 statue of the Blessed Virgin, addressed to her 
 impromptu, the following prayer: — 
 
 " O holy Virgin, behold this little band of your 
 servants, who have consecrated themselves to the 
 service of God under your protection, who wish to 
 follow your example, as good children follow their 
 earthly mother's, and who regard you as their 
 cherished Foundress, and first Superior. We liope 
 that the good God agrees with our election, 
 and gives you the absolute government of this 
 Congrec^ation, which is your work. We have 
 nothing to present to God, but we hope through 
 your means, to obtain all tbr rrraces necessary for 
 our salvation and the perfection of our state, 
 You knew best what is necessary for us, and 
 what we now ask i-^.that you will never refuse us 
 your assistance Help us by your all powerful in- 
 tercession to rrceiv'o the licfht of the Holy Spirit, 
 that we may be enabled to labor efficaciously for 
 
174 
 
 VENERABLE iHHTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS, 
 
 ni'ii 
 
 the education and reli^'ious instruction of our 
 pupils, according to our profession. But above 
 all things we ask. dear Lady and Mother, that 
 our successors and those who contribute to their 
 spiritual advancement, may be of the number of 
 the elect, so that in your glorious society we 
 may all praise our good God during a happy 
 eternity." It was therefore the Blessed Virgin 
 who was elected first vSuperiorof the Congregation. 
 What a grand motive of Faith this afforded to the 
 succeeding superiors, who, believing that they 
 held the place of Mary herself, were all the more 
 strictly bound to advance the spiritual perfection 
 of their subjects, especially in the practice of h(^ly 
 obedience. It was only on tJiis condition that 
 Sister Bourgeois consented to the desire of her 
 daughters, that she should continue to govern 
 them as assistant, their and her principal supe- 
 rior being the queen of Heaven. However, when 
 she returned from France in 1684, as before state.d, 
 she again solicited the Sisters to elect a new 
 superior, and so eager was her desire that the 
 Community held one chapter for the purpose, in 
 which nothing was decided, the suffrages being 
 equally divided between two candidates, who 
 were each remarkable for the most sublime virtue. 
 That same night, while the matter was still 
 pending, the fire broke out, and both Sisters 
 perished in the flames. Seven years later, the 
 Foundress brought up the matter again, as there 
 
 ■^ ,:' ■;■ K£> ■' 
 
}EOIS, 
 
 n of our 
 
 ^ut above 
 ther, that 
 :e to their 
 lumber of 
 ociety we 
 
 a happy 
 cd Virgin 
 grcgation. 
 dec! to the 
 that they 
 i the more 
 perfection 
 ice of holy 
 iition tliat 
 sire of her 
 :o govern 
 ipal supe- 
 :ver, when 
 5re statejd, 
 ct a new 
 
 that the 
 urpose, in 
 ges being 
 ites, who 
 ne virtue, 
 was still 
 h Sisters 
 later, the 
 , as there 
 
 Sob:; zt:'L;"ji-, r, ^"^ -••^■^■•-> - 
 
 ^"t'-es of Superior This i:''''^ '" ''■^'-■''■•'^S' 'I"-' 
 -e or the first m „Ss a, u, tf '■'''""^' ^^•'■•"-^- 
 t--'" years before com; "','"'"" '^''""''"' 
 
 "TlKWro,yK,,„i..~-- t'-e mission of 
 
 I;,"' as she was then',1, at (uebec h;"" '''"''"''' 
 directed her to return > ,' "'^ """""nfty 
 
 '>-l'i. would soon be re Am' Z""'^'"^' ''''" '-r 
 --I'l then fi,,,,^";.'^'''''-:^''^'^.-''' that she 
 
 Sl.e returned promptlvl ;'" T^''^'' '''' ''<^'•• 
 ^'■^-".and w^-nttofece^ ;f '" ^-'>""^-on- 
 ^bedience .„d pi„n?,,h '/'"-' '•"^■-■•J of her 
 
 ''""--pcctedu" .ir,^'r^^^- «>' 
 second time upset r tl '' •"'■'"-■* ''-^^^ a 
 
 ^-^'- they are at t^ CyT"": '' ■^""--■ 
 next two years, the S ster"^ T^'"- ^"^ ^''e 
 f'lom commenting on t e e l'" ""^ '^''^''""^ 
 ;^-'-, bourgeois, but h,d "^^ •=^^"^-' '''^f-- 
 from her importunities Iw "° "^'^'''°f ^'e-^'stin;. 
 ■•'?'-•■" assembled the comm-'" ^'^P^^'^ber, ,695 
 
 -'-^i-'ofaneSn •,7"'''^^'"--pS 
 obtamed .he consent of M i "^ Previously 
 
 (•"b'ielyresigned her office J^'th '" ''''''"' ^^'^ 
 ^y fhe constitutions a tVo^'T"'"=^^<^'J"'>ed 
 
 y- canonically appro;ed tdtad':^^.^^^^ "°^ 
 Clear voice, the following I ""''' ^ '"ronK 
 
 '■ There is no , „7e?lr;rK'^'^'"'^^ 
 
 ^ ^"y doubt that J am , 
 
176 
 
 VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 m 
 
 great sinner, who has not been faithful to the 
 sacred duty so lovingly confided to nie. I deserve 
 the pain of mind I suffer, because my criminal 
 relaxations have extended even to you. I humbly 
 ask your pardon, and beg the succor of your 
 prayers. Remedy this state of things now, as 
 much as may be, by changing the superior, and 
 let her, whoever she may be, see that even the 
 least rules are carefully observed, otherwise the 
 members of the community will be no better 
 than seculars leading Christian lives. Renew, 
 then, in yourselves the spirit that you ought to 
 have, that is, poverty, humility, obedience, and 
 an entire abandonment of yourselves into the 
 hands of God." It has been related already that 
 Sister Assumption was elected superior in her 
 stead. So it will not be necessary to revert again 
 to the fact. It was by direction of this superior 
 the Foundress wrote the beautiful instructions 
 and maxims that have always been regarded as 
 the richest inheritance of her spiritual children. 
 Yet some of her instructions were not suited to 
 every grade of intellect, the perfection they in- 
 culcated being so sublime that a few were 
 frightened, and as timid and indiscreet souls are 
 to be found everywhere, there was one in the 
 young Congregation, who dared to say to Sister 
 Bourgeois, that it was useless for her to \.xy to 
 establish such extraordinary perfection among the 
 th<" "isters as was suited to herself alone, and 
 
tJiat being no longer sunerinr .u 
 swerable before God for h ' ^ '^''' "°' ^n. 
 «°ns of which she co4l^,:ed 'tT''' ^^'-- 
 ■"•tinging, and to the point '•^«'a'-kwas 
 
 ByTrtSf;ref:r^="°--"°'^-^ed 
 
 -". and she received it h'^' ''"' ''°^ ''^^v- 
 ■•ty, determining tT'ri " '■ ""'"■^"^'' ''"'""■ 
 could disp,ease^he Wl e °lf";^ "V'"'"" '"^^^ 
 quote from her manuscript onth '""• ^« 
 
 " The members of our r °'"'''°" •• 
 
 live in the most perfect "n;-^'''^''"'°" '"'""'^ 
 Mrly Christians uuder th J '" ™''''"''°" "^ '^e 
 Virgin. We shou ^haJe bj^'r ' ''^ ^''^^■^^'^ 
 ^°"1 in God. as without th '""■' ^""^ ""^ 
 
 ^- ^^ trul, a crml!^:^ ^ KoW 1°""' 
 that animates us is a sr>in> „f . ""■. "°'y Spmt 
 disengagement from a 1 th n'""'' 'i'^ ' P°^<^«>'' 
 entire abandonment to Goi/"^"' '"' '^<^ '"°^' 
 
f li:i 
 
 fit Si 
 
 S .^i- 
 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 SISTER BOURGEOIS* HAPPY DEATH, AND TUB 
 WONDERS THAT FOLLOWED IT. 
 
 The earthly mission of this sainted woman was 
 now drawing to a close, and there only remained 
 for her the task of procuring ecclesiastical confirm- 
 ation of the rules of her institute. It will be 
 remembered that she brought with her from 
 France a formula of the rules drawn up by M. 
 Jandret, and also those given her by "the Daugh- 
 ters of the Cross," but she had never arranged them 
 systematically, so as to be able to present them 
 in proper form to M. de St. Vallier, and to speak 
 frankly, he did not appear to be in a hurry to ap- 
 prove of them, as /ns views regarding the Congre- 
 gation were for many years unsettled and waver- 
 ing. But at last, the great Arbiter of all things 
 solved the question, and his Lordship began to 
 feel a strong inclination, or rather inspiration, to 
 inquire more particularly into the nature of the 
 rules, and judge for himself if they were suited to 
 the community. He accordingly examined the 
 
 178 
 
 1 11 u 
 
 'A^' 
 
who were in his confidence ^ '^''^'^"'^'' P-=ons 
 of the distinguisl:ed cxT^Iner T.T'' '° "'^'' 
 '-- and „.w, „f the revea^tl'''-' T^'''- 
 aisothe/ram-,„and.««.„„f7u7. ^"""^J^ss, as 
 >t then stood, were the'^ea, t '^?"?''^'''-" -s 
 rule underdiscussion Th/? '"°'"^°f '^^ 
 Bishop, in order to have^l '' • "'^ ^°«hy 
 with ^.s ;deas, proposed to 7'' '" ^"""-dance 
 evcT particular In fact h "^' '' ''" '--'/ 
 observance the rule of St a' ^""^"'"^ ^°' ">eir 
 
 The Sisters were pani' f ■'?"'"■"" 
 proposition were carrfedlT'lr* '^^^^"^^ 'f '"'^ 
 transforn^ed into clo s^ed rclf " " ""^"°""' "^ 
 desired to be missionary Se'r^T' "'"'^ ''"^>' 
 tend to the out-door needs of t', ° ""''^ ^'- 
 Parishes, according to E ' T '""Pective 
 
 to the spiritual welfare of t„e '^'"1 "'"'^"^ ^"^^ 
 direction of the pastor, T ^"°^^''' ""'^'^ the 
 and the distinctive cha:.ctl istiroVtf '•^^-^'' 
 ^at,on as founded by Sister Bou "co L !t , "• 
 proposed by M de St A^n- . -'twas next 
 should n,ake only sTmoL;' "''' "'<= listers 
 madeany vows n oS \T' ^"'^^'hey had not 
 -«//. .L. of wh ir '"""^"""^-''heterm 
 either the n tu re o LT'"' '" "°' ""^"^'-"d 
 
 ■in^-blocMndinritV-a'^rir"''^^^'-''- 
 ^ere many unsalJshrfo ^ ^^ ^PPears there 
 
 P-es on th'e sub-ltSurthrSf'^ ''■■^- 
 
 "b" tne oisters more 
 

 1 80 VENER^iBLE SISTER MARGA RET BO URGEOIS. 
 
 o 
 
 than once made very humble remonstrances t 
 the Bishop, and finding that the matter did not 
 meet the prompt attention they thought it 
 deserved, the Foundress determined to write a 
 clear explanation to M. Tron^on, Superior of St. 
 Sulpice in Paris. Not that she intended or meant 
 to set aside the authority of her Bishop, for 
 whom she and her daughters entertained the 
 highest esteem, but to receive from the dis- 
 tinguished Sulpician advice as to how she 
 should act under such peculiar circumstances. 
 M. Tron^on was at the time performing the du- 
 ties of an angel of peace, by the King's direction, 
 and at the solicitations of the clergy of France, 
 by amicably arranging the difificulties that had 
 arisen between the celebrated M. de Bossuct, 
 Bishop of Meaux, and M. de Fenclon, Archbishop 
 of Cambray. He answered the communication 
 of Sister Bourgeois with such sweetness and 
 charity that the hearts of the Sisters were com- 
 pletely gained, and th'^ir minds enlightened, by 
 the care and minuteness with which he explained 
 the disputed points that caused them so much 
 disquiet. They now clearly understood the 
 nature of the engagements proposed to them, 
 and no longer experienced unwillingness to enter 
 into the views of their Bishop, who undertook a 
 journey to Montreal, in June, 1698, for the ex- 
 press purpose of giving his episcopal sanction to 
 the long-disputed rule. He admired the fervo- 
 
r.s. 
 
 VHNERAFLK SISTER MARGARHT BOURGl-OlS. i § i 
 
 \CCS to 
 
 ]id not 
 ight it 
 write a 
 )r of St. 
 )r meant 
 
 lop, foi^ 
 ncd the 
 the dis- 
 how she 
 iistances. 
 g the du- 
 direction, 
 ,f France, 
 that had 
 Bossuct, 
 rchbishop 
 unication 
 ness and 
 ere com- 
 itened, by 
 [explained 
 so much 
 ;tood the 
 to them, 
 ,sto enter 
 ertook a 
 .r the ex- 
 ^nction to 
 :he fervo- 
 
 of the new community, and was exceedingly edi- 
 fied when he found nothing to reform except a 
 mitigation of austerities which were still rigorously 
 practised by a great number. It was during this 
 visit that he witnessod (for the first time) the ex- 
 traordinary virtues of the famous rcculse, Jane 
 Leber. On the 24th of the month he called a 
 general assembly of the Congregation, and pro- 
 posed to them, with a few modifications, the same 
 rules that were till then faithfully observed, and 
 which Sister Bourgeois had the honor to place in 
 his hands more than ten years before. The Sisters 
 received their cherished rules and constitutions 
 with enthusiasm, being now formally authorized 
 by their Bishop, and these rules are still observed 
 without the slightest alteration in the form in 
 which they were that day presented to them, pro- 
 ducing ever-increasing fruit and edification in the 
 community. 
 
 The formula of acceptance was as follows : "We 
 accept with all possible respect and submission, 
 the rules which have been given us by Mon- 
 signeur, the illustrious and Right Reverend Bishop 
 of Quebec. After having diligently read and exam- 
 ined them, we judge them to be proper for the 
 welfare of our community, and resolve to practice 
 them with all possible exactness. In virtue of 
 which acceptance w^e hereunto afifix our names, on 
 this 24th day of June, 1698." Then follow the 
 signatures of Sister Assumption, superior. Sister 
 
I82 
 
 I liMiRAniJl SISri'lR MAKGARr.T BOVRGF.OIS. 
 
 St. Angc, assistant, Sister Lcmoinc, mistress of 
 novices, Margaret Bourgeois, and others then as- 
 sembled, to the number of twenty-five persons. 
 It may not be inappropriate to say a few words 
 in explanation of the austerities that were miti- 
 gated by the wise prelate, the observance of which 
 he and others considered too severe, and tlie non- 
 observanee of which the mortified and penitential 
 Foundress regarded as a relaxation. The Sisters, 
 including the saintly woman who founded them, 
 had accustomed themselves to sleep on straw 
 mattresses, \^\\.h. pillows of the same material, to 
 wear none but low shoes ; to make their simple 
 dress without plaits, and as scant as convenience 
 for working would allow; not to be ashamed of 
 patches, no matter how numerous or inelegant ; 
 to eat only broken bread ; in short to live in every 
 respect like the poorest classes of society. These, 
 and innumerable other practices of mortification, 
 were constantly observed by the greater part of 
 the community from the beginning. But in a 
 severe climate like Canada, such rigors became 
 impossibilities after a time, and the Sisters were 
 obliged to mitigate them, in order to preserve 
 health, without which they could not discharge 
 the arduous functions of their institute. It was 
 this ^tnavoidable relaxation that Sister Bourgeois 
 regarded as a falling away from their first fervor. 
 She had so long lived on the heights of Calvary 
 that she could not endure to breathe a less cruci- 
 
7/.S'. 
 
 tress of 
 then as- 
 pcrsons. 
 \v words 
 ifc miti- 
 )f which 
 the 7ton- 
 ^nitential 
 e Sisters, 
 led them, 
 on straw 
 iterial, to 
 :ir simple 
 iivenicnce 
 hamcd of 
 nclccrant ; 
 ein every 
 These, 
 tification, 
 r part of 
 But in a 
 [s became 
 ters were 
 preserve 
 |discharge 
 It was 
 ourgeois 
 st fervor. 
 Calvary 
 less cruci- 
 
 V-HNEKABLli SIS TER MARGARET BUURGEOIS. j 3 ^ 
 
 ficd atmosphere; but in her Congregation, allow- 
 ance had eventually to be made for less gifted 
 souls. To return acrain to the rule. The act of 
 profession of the simple vows was made with all 
 possible solemnity, on the 25th of June, i^^qS, 
 and was followed by a most touching exhortation 
 from Monseigneur, exhorting them to persevere 
 in the glorious work they had undertaken for the 
 benefit of religion, and the salvation of souls. 
 On the 1st of July following, the Sisters, in the 
 presence of the Right Reverend Bishop, made their 
 solemn vows for life, with as much more solem- 
 nity as the latter vows exceeded the former. All 
 the ceremonies and authenticated acts, with the 
 illustrious signatures attached to them, are care- 
 fully preserved in the archives of the community, 
 and the flight of nearly two hundred years has 
 only rendered them more sacred in the eyes of 
 the ever young and vigorous Congregation that 
 to-day fills the place of the glorious dead. Sister 
 Bourgeons was overwhelmed with spiritual joy 
 during the touching ceremonials at Montreal, 
 that gave perpetuity and security to her institute. 
 With the holy old man, Simeon, she might truly 
 exclaim, **Now, Lord, let thy servant depart in 
 peace, because mine eyes have seen" the fulfilment 
 of my earthly desires, viz., the solemn approbation 
 of her rules. She blessed God in her inmost 
 soul,and humbly prostrating herself at the Bishop's 
 feet, in presence of the Sisters, besought him with 
 
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1 84 
 
 VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 i" - 
 
 tears to grant her one more favor, which was 
 to permit her to pass the few remaining days of 
 her life in holy obedience, entirely depending on 
 her Sisters, and that she might be in future ex- 
 empted from voting dX the community elections, 
 as also from offices of authority. They acceded 
 unwillingly to this last request of her unsurpassed 
 humility, but on account of past labors, and her 
 great age (she was seventy-eight years old), and 
 out of respect for her extraordinary virtues, all 
 her desires were complied with. 
 
 Being thus freed at last from earthly cares, she 
 became a model of regular observance. She told 
 her director that for a long time she had asked God 
 to send her nothing but humiliations and suffer- 
 ings ; that in His wrath He exempted her from 
 these marks of His love, because, she said, when 
 the occasion presents itself, I am proud and im- 
 inortifiedy and I tremble at the inevitable approach 
 of eternity. 
 
 She seemed to be in pretty good health until 
 the close of the year 1699, but on New Year's 
 eve a change came, which proved to be the warn- 
 ing of the Angel of death. Sister St. Ange, hav- 
 ing been confined to the infirmary for some time, 
 had just received the last Sacraments, and ap- 
 peared to be in her agony. The attendants ran 
 to arouse the community, that they might assist 
 the dying religieuse by their prayers, and have 
 the consolation to witness the death of the just. 
 
rs. 
 
 VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 •85 
 
 h was 
 lays of 
 ling on 
 ire ex- 
 ictions, 
 Lcceded 
 rpassed 
 ind her 
 Id), and 
 tues, all 
 
 res, she 
 >he told 
 <ed God 
 i suffer- 
 er from 
 d, when 
 ind im- 
 proach 
 
 ;h until 
 Year's 
 
 le warn- 
 rc, hav- 
 le time, 
 ind ap- 
 
 Ints ran 
 
 it assist 
 
 id have 
 
 le just. 
 
 A messenger came to Sister Bourgeois' room 
 also, to apprise her of the expected death of her 
 old and loved companion. She had ever loved 
 all her children in God, with more than a mother's 
 love, and cried out, *' My God, why do you not 
 take me, who am old and useless, rather than this 
 dear Sister, who may yet render you great ser- 
 vice." The victim had offered herself, and her 
 sacrifice was accepted. The Sister in her agony 
 recovered, and the venerated Foundress fell 
 into a burning fever from which she did not 
 recover. 
 
 The previous year also she had a very severe 
 attack of illness, from which she recovered as if 
 by miracle. During her convalescence, she com- 
 plained in a loving manner to the Sisters, that by 
 their attentions and prayers they were prolong- 
 ing the days of her exile, assuring them that she 
 longed to be dissolved and be with Christ. 
 Whether sick or well, she was a constant model 
 of the most heroic and simple virtues. The 
 great Apostle says : " That virtue is made per- 
 fect in infirmity." And if the Foundress of the 
 Congregation did not entirely overcome the weak- 
 ness of human nature, she constantly advanced 
 in the holy paths of mortification, obedience, 
 sacrifice of self, and submission to the will of 
 God. She suffered the most intense bodily pains, 
 which were at times so sharp and violent that 
 she cried out in agony, but she never uttered a 
 
■y 
 
 W' 
 
 J g5 VENERABLE SISTER MARGARK T BOURGEOIS, 
 
 murmur or complaint. The attendant physician 
 prescribed according to his skill, and she took 
 his medic'nes regularly, although she felt con- 
 vinced that neither human science, nor the affec- 
 tionate care of the Sisters would be of any avail. 
 She had a distinct presentiment that the hour of 
 her dissolution was at hand, and oh, what exul- 
 tant joy that knowledge gave her. She blessed 
 God unceasingly in the greatest pain, and sang 
 triumphant canticles on he-r death-bed, request- 
 ing the Sisters to sing them with her, and telling 
 them that the divine harmonics of the city of 
 God were audible to her at last. She literally 
 burned with desire to go there, and be at rest 
 forever, and the last twelve days she spent on 
 earth in a seemingly unbroken agony, were the 
 most jubilant of her life. The dark clouds of life 
 were disappearing, and the silver lining of the 
 other side was brightening the death-chamber of 
 the dying saint. Yesy Margaret Bourgeois, the 
 great and the lowly, the victor and the victim, 
 literally thrilled with joy at the summons of the 
 Eternal, and answered, " I come." 
 
 On the morning of the twelfth day of her last 
 illness, she received the holy Viaticum with un- 
 speakable devotion, and immediately fell into a 
 gentle agony, which lasted exactly three hours, 
 corresponding to her Divine Redeemer's agony 
 on the cross, then having modestly folded her 
 hands on her bosom, she calmly surrendered her 
 
EOIS. 
 
 jhysician 
 she took 
 felt con- 
 the affec- 
 iny avail, 
 e hour of 
 hat exul- 
 e blessed 
 and sang 
 , request- 
 nd telling 
 le city of 
 e literally 
 be at rest 
 spent on 
 were the 
 ud3 of life 
 ig of the 
 amber of 
 eois, the 
 e victim, 
 ns of the 
 
 if her last 
 with un- 
 ?11 into a 
 
 |ee hours, 
 's agony 
 
 plded her 
 ered her 
 
 l'Ei\b'RABLB SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS, j g^ 
 
 beautiful soul into the hands of its Creator, in the 
 eightieth year of her age, January 12, 1700. 
 
 She had no sooner breathed her last sigh, than 
 her face, which had long appeared care-worn and 
 harrowed, as much by the mental sorrows she 
 so long and bravely endured, as by the excessive 
 pains of her last illness, began to beam with a 
 celestial brightness, which undoubtedly announced 
 the beatitude her soul was enjoying. Sister St. 
 Ange, for whom the Foundress had offered her 
 life, and who was then in perfect health, on wit- 
 nessing the extraordinary prodigy, took the name 
 of Sister of the Blessed Sacrament, which had 
 been the community appellation of Sister Bour- 
 geois during life. 
 
 The bereaved Sisters desired to have the por- 
 trait of their dear deceased mother taken, before 
 the tomb received her mortal remains. She 
 looked very beautiful in death, so strangely 
 beautiful that they resolved on having the like- 
 ness of the glorified deceased ever before their 
 eyes. The work was confided to Pierre Leber, 
 who was, however, but an indifferent artist, and 
 was father of the celebrated recluse, Jane Leber. 
 He feared very much to undertake the paint- 
 ing, but nevertheless v/ent to the convent and 
 prepared himself by receiving Holy Communion 
 in the Sisters' chapel. Almighty God was pleased 
 to glorify His servant by a .y^^t^w^ prodigy on this 
 occasion, for the painter had no sooner taken his 
 
1 88 
 
 VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 ! I 
 
 \^^\ 
 
 brush in hand, than he was seized with an ex- 
 cruciating vertigo and was compelled to desist. 
 Nor would it have been possible for him to re- 
 sume, but that he felt inspired to apply to his 
 head a small portion of the hair of the deceased, 
 upon doing which he was instantly cured, and 
 completed the picture, which is to be seen still 
 in a good state of preservation in the convent 
 
 chapd. 
 
 The news of her death had no sooner become 
 public, than people flocked from all quarters to 
 see the remains of the extraordinary woman, 
 whom not only the voice of the common people, 
 but also that of the highest authorities in Mon- 
 treal, had ranked as a public benefactress. They 
 were only prevented from invoking her as a saint 
 by respect for the authority and voice of the 
 Church, which had not yet spoken. An immense 
 concourse of people, from city and country, came 
 to procure some relics of her They asked for 
 scraps of her clothing, or of anything she had used 
 in life, and as it was impossible to satisfy the de- 
 mands of all, they applied to her sacred body 
 medals, rosaries, scapulars, and such like articles 
 of devotion. Several miraculous cures are related 
 to have been worked by the use of these articles, 
 and though we will not enter into a detail of t'lcm 
 here, it requires no great effort of faith to believe 
 them. We need only remember the fervor of her 
 sanctity during life, and how often she was 
 
:oJS. 
 
 ti an ex- 
 o desist, 
 im to re- 
 ly to his 
 deceased, 
 ured, and 
 seen still 
 2 convent 
 
 n* become 
 uarters to 
 y woman, 
 on people, 
 ;s in Mon- 
 ess. They 
 r as a saint 
 Ice of the 
 n immense 
 ntry, came 
 asked for 
 e had used 
 sfy the de- 
 cred body 
 |ke articles 
 are related 
 se articles, 
 lail oft'.em 
 to boHeve 
 Irvor of her 
 she was 
 
 VES ENABLE HJ^iTER MARGARET BO URGED JS. j go 
 
 herself favored by miraculous proofs of the love 
 of God. 
 
 The hour appointed for the burial at last drew 
 near, and the sacred body of this child of peace, 
 became a subject of contention between the 
 Fathers of the seminary, and the Sisters of the 
 Congregation, each declaring that they were the 
 legitimate custodians of her precious remains. 
 The Sisters desired naturally that the interment 
 should take place in their own chapel. While 
 the Fathers of the seminary declared that, living 
 or dead, she belonged to the city of Montreal, 
 and that they could not permit the Ville-Marie 
 of her love to be deprived of such a treasure. 
 However, M. de Olier, Grand Vicar of the diocese, 
 decided the dispute, by ordaining that the body 
 should be interred in the parish church, but that 
 the Jieart of Margaret Bourgeois should be de. 
 posited in th'^ Sisters' sanctuary, that its silent 
 presence might preserve in their hearts the odor 
 of her virtues, and it appears that with the recep- 
 tion of the sacred relic, the Lord bestowed on the 
 community the spirit of their mother, which has 
 never departed from them. 
 
 The heart of the Foundress of the Congrega- 
 tion, that heart that had throbbed with a thou- 
 sand hopes and fears for the glory of God, and 
 the salvation of his redeemed children, lies en- 
 shrined in a silver reliquary in the convent chapel, 
 awaiting the resurrection morning, when its life- 
 
If! 
 
 190 
 
 VENERABLE S/6J£/i MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 % 
 
 Kf 
 
 '■■Ml 
 
 pulses shall again return to waft it to its appointed 
 place before the Sacred Heart of Jesus, for whom 
 alone it lived, loved, and labored, during life. 
 This sort of divided burial was not infrequent in 
 Montreal. For, in 1693, on the death of Jean 
 Mance, the pious Foundress of the Hotel-Dieu, 
 a similar disposition of her remains took place, 
 her body being interred under the parish church, 
 while her heart was deposited with the religieuscs 
 of the hospital where it was consumed in the 
 fire in 1695. Also in 1708, after the decease of 
 Pierre Leber, one of the first benefactors of the 
 general hospital of Montreal, his body was in- 
 terred in the hospital cemetery, and his heart was 
 taken to the Church of the Congregation Sisters, 
 where his own sister, Jane Leber, the recluse, was 
 still living. In consequence of the decision of 
 M. de Oiler, the body of the venerable Sister 
 Bourgeois was buried beneath the parish church, 
 the day following her decease, with such religious 
 ceremonial and solemnity as Ville-Marie had never 
 witnessed until that day. 
 
 There was an immense funeral cortege, among 
 the pall-bearers being Chevalier de Calli^res, 
 Governor-General of Canada, aud Chevalier de 
 Vaudreuil, Governor of Montreal, who, with 
 other persons of rank and distinction thought it 
 a religious duty to assist at the ceremony. All 
 the priests and religieuses of the colony were 
 present in the church of Montreal, and M. de 
 
VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 191 
 
 Olier, himself an octogenarian, officiated. The 
 body was interred under the entrance of the 
 chapel of the Infant Jesus, commonly called the 
 Sisters* chapel, the mother in life becoming the 
 mother also in death, as her sepulture was truly 
 a taking possession of the future burial-place of 
 the Congregation, a deed of it being given to 
 them three days after, dated January 17th, 1700. 
 On the cofifin-lid was placed the following inscrip- 
 tion : ** Here lies Venerable Sister Bourgeois, 
 Foundress and first Superior of the Sisters of the 
 Congregation of Notre Dame, established in Mon- 
 treal for the instruction of young girls ; who de- 
 parted this life on the 12th of January, 1700. 
 Requ iescat in pace. 
 
 The heart of Sister Bourgeois was carefully 
 embalmed, and respectfully enclosed in a leaden 
 box — heart-shaped — having been purposely pre- 
 pared to receive the sacred relic. It remained 
 publicly exposed in the convent chapel for one 
 month, during which time the people continued 
 to come in crowds to apply objects of devotion 
 to it, and also to obtain small pieces of the linen 
 cloths ensanguined by the blood of the deceased 
 at the time of taking the heart from the body. 
 But these were distributed with much reserve. 
 At the end of the month it was resolved to place 
 the precious deposit in the niche prepared for it, 
 this second ceremony being quite as solemn and 
 imposing as the first. M. de Belmont officiated 
 
192 
 
 I I-NERABLE SI3TLR MA RCA RUT BO Ua'GL UI^, 
 
 
 * 
 
 11 
 
 I 1; 
 
 *l 
 
 
 on the occasion, and during the requiem Mas 
 the heart of the deceased was exposed on .1 
 catafalque in the middle aisle of the church, be- 
 ing covered by a soft white veil, the emblem of 
 virginity. At the conclusion of the Holy Sacrifice, 
 the prayers of the dead were solemly chanted, 
 while the celebrant carried the cherished relic in 
 his own hands to its final resting place, which 
 was a kind of niche, cut in stone, and placed it in 
 the middle of the long oriental panel of the choir, 
 where the Sisters usually assembled to perform 
 their religious exercises. 
 
 There the heart of one of earth's noblest and 
 purest daughters was deposited, with aspcrgings 
 and incense, after which the opening was securely 
 closed with a plate of lead, on which were engraven 
 the following words : — 
 
 "The heart that is covered by this stone 
 Renounced the earth to live for God alone, 
 It had no other treasure than the band 
 Of Christian virgins, who at the command 
 Left home and country for a foreign land." * 
 
 There the precious relic rested secure until the 
 night of April nth, 1768, when both the chapel 
 and house of the Sisters were consumed by fire, 
 the devoted daughters of the Foundress finding 
 it impossible to save their mother's heart. But 
 who can judge of their astonishment on the fol- 
 
 fTbe above is a free traoslatioo of the original French rhyme. 
 
liem Masr 
 osed on '>■ 
 church, be- 
 emblcm of 
 ly Sacrifice, 
 ly chanted, 
 led relic in 
 >lace, which 
 1 placed it in 
 of the choir, 
 to perform 
 
 noblest and 
 1 aspcrgings 
 was securely 
 ere engraven 
 
 ne, 
 
 '»# 
 
 ire until the 
 the chapel 
 ed by fire, 
 ress finding 
 [heart. But 
 on the fol- 
 
 |h rhyme. 
 
 VENERABLE SIS TER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. ] q j 
 
 lowing day, when, having come to search for it 
 among the debris, they found the crisped heart 
 in the hollow of the stone, and saw drops of 
 fresh blood trickling down the wall. It will be 
 remembered that almost seventy years had then 
 elapsed since the inhumation. 
 
 The Sisters being amazed at what they had 
 reason to regard as miraculous, sent at once for 
 one of the seminary Fathers. M. Havard, who 
 was confessor to the community, answered the 
 call and bore witness to the fact. He respect- 
 fully gathered the sacred ashes, and its wonder- 
 fully preserved blood, enclosed both in a silver 
 reliquary, and so it remains to this day, an indis- 
 putable evidence of the wonderful providence 
 with which God watches over the children of his 
 election. Several remarkable cures are attrib- 
 uted to the relics of Sister Bourgeois. Among 
 others it is recorded that the porter of the Sulpi- 
 cian seminary was attacked with inflammation of 
 the lungs, so suddenly that his life was despaired 
 of, and death seemed inevitable. He had applied 
 a rosary to the body of the venerable religieuse 
 on the day of the interment, and now laid the 
 rosary on his breast. The application produced 
 instant recovery, and robust health. A lady of 
 Ville-Marie, who for many years had sufTered ex- 
 cruciating internal pains, without being able to 
 obtain relief from the most skilful physicians, 
 was perfectly cured on the application of a piece 
 
194 
 
 VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 of linen saturated with the blood of Sister Hour- 
 gcois' heart, on the day of the embalming. But 
 it will not be necessary to enter more fully into 
 these details here, than to state that numerous 
 and undeniable wonders have been effected by 
 praying at her grave, as well as by the use of 
 her relics. Although these facts have not as 
 yet been rigorously examined, or juridically 
 proved, yet her beautiful life is a monumental 
 miracle, and the Congregation she so wondrously 
 founded is still young, fresh, and strong after two 
 centennials that have seen in their flight, fire, 
 storm, and opposition, yet leave unscr^thed (as 
 indestructible) the enduring labors of her saintly 
 life. If she has not been solemnly canonized by 
 the Church, whose judgment is respectfully 
 awaited, she has been proclaimed Blessed by the 
 unanimous voice of people of all grades of society, 
 among whom she lived and labored. Therefore, 
 while awaiting the hour in which it shall please 
 God to manifest her glory, let us confine our- 
 selves within the just bounds of religion, and 
 suspending judgment, listen to a few short ex- 
 tracts from the eulogies that were universally 
 paid to her memory by the most distinguished 
 persons, then living in Canada, who were remark- 
 able for high social position, and eminent piety, 
 and were in some cases intimately acquainted 
 with her. 
 
 Perhaps no one knew her worth or extraordi* 
 
EOIS. 
 
 iter Bour. 
 ing. But 
 fully into 
 numerous 
 Ffected by 
 :hc use of 
 ^e not as 
 juridically 
 onumental 
 vondrously 
 g after two 
 flight, fire, 
 scr.thed (as 
 her saintly 
 nonized by 
 ■espectfully 
 sed by the 
 of society, 
 Therefore, 
 ;hall please 
 lonfine our- 
 ligion, and 
 short ex- 
 |universally 
 itinguished 
 re remark- 
 ent piety, 
 acquainted 
 
 extraordi' 
 
 VHNHRAHLE SISTER MARGAKHT HOURGEOIS. j ^y 
 
 nary merit better than M. de Laval, who per- 
 mitted her to found and spread her Institute 
 in the diocese of Montreal, of which he was the 
 first Bishop. At the time of her decease he was 
 leading a humble, \\o\y, private life in the semi- 
 nary of Quebec, and on hearing of her death, 
 wrote to the Sisters in the following terms: 
 ** Sister Bourgeois was indeed a precious fruit, 
 ripe for heaven. She was a model of edification 
 during life, and in death serves for an example. 
 She was very humble, and God conferred great 
 graces upon her, which leads us to hope that she 
 will soon enjoy the beatitude of the saints, and 
 will, by her intercession, procure great graces for 
 her community." 
 
 M. de St. Vallier, on the occasion of her death, 
 wrote: "We cannot help believing that God 
 treated Sister Bourgeois as one of His dearest and 
 most faithful servants, as she was replenished with 
 a lively faith and ardent charily during life, both 
 for God and her neighbor. I do not doubt that she 
 is now enjoying the glory of the Blessed. But 
 what has made the deepest impresssion on me 
 regarding her, is the hidden and humble life she 
 led after her retirement from the office of su- 
 perior." 
 
 M. de Maizerets, superior of the seminary at 
 Quebec, renders her the following tribute : " I 
 have always recognized Sister Bourgeois as a true 
 servant of God, being filled with His spirit, and 
 

 196 
 
 VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 excelling in the virtues of humility, meekness, 
 obedience to her superiors, and an entire aban- 
 donment to Divine Providence. She had a gen- 
 erous heart, capable of great enterprises, and I 
 do not doubt that she has left to you, her daugh- 
 ters, her mind as well as her heart. We have 
 prayed here for the eternal repose of her soul, 
 and I have also asked Jicr to pray for me'' 
 
 Rev. Father Bovart, superior of the Jesuits at 
 Quebec, writes thus: " I do not think that Sister 
 Bourgeois has need of our prayers. I have always 
 felt the greatest veneration for her, and request 
 you send me one of her relics. I do not ever re- 
 member to have met so holy a woman, as she pos- 
 sessed in an eminent degree the virtues of faith, 
 hope, devotion, zeal, humility, and mortification. 
 I esteem her happy in having died full of days 
 and merit." 
 
 The Mother of the Sacred Heart, superioress 
 of the Hotel-Dieu at Quebec, in response to a 
 letter of the Congregation Sisters, wrote : "We 
 have not failed to pray for your dear and cher- 
 ished mother, lately deceased, although I am 
 persuaded she does not need our prayers," 
 
 The Mother of the Incarnation, superioress of 
 the general hospital says in a letter : " Sister Bour- 
 geois was ripe for heaven, and earth has lost a great 
 treasure in losing her. I pray you to obtain for 
 us, from her Divine Spouse, her love of humility, 
 poverty, abjection, and abandonment to the 
 
VENERABLE SIS TER MARGARET BQ URGEOIS. i g -r 
 
 decrees of Providence, virtues that I particularly 
 remarked in her." 
 
 Mme. de Champigni, wife of the Governor 
 of Quebec, bore testimony to the virtues of 
 the deceased as follows : *' Perhaps no one feels 
 so afflicted as I, at the death of Sister Bourgeois. 
 For you, her daughters, your consolation must be 
 great indeed, knowing that you have a saint 
 praying for your community, in heaven. 1 shall 
 keep with religious respect the three beads of her 
 rosary you were good enough to send me." 
 
 But the renown of her virtues was not confined 
 to Canada alone. There were in France also many 
 distinguished persons who knew her merit, among 
 others M. Gabriel Souart, who, as we have seen, 
 was sent to Canada in 1657, by M. Olier, and who 
 returned to France in 1680, on account of failing 
 health. This gentleman was an eye-witness of 
 the labors of the illustrious dead, during the first 
 struggling years of Montreal, and often spoke of 
 the wonders she accomplished to M. de Turmdnie 
 the King's minister. Once, during the war be- 
 tween France and England, that raged so fiercely 
 in the year 1688, these two gentlemen were con- 
 versing on the probable result of the bloody 
 struggle. M. de Turm^nie expressed his well- 
 grounded fear that Canada would eventually fall 
 into the hands of the English. M. Souart, on 
 the contrary, said he did not fear the issue, as he 
 had unbounded confidence in God, and the 
 
(»?.. 
 
 198 
 
 VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 prayers of Sister Bourgeois, whom he familiarly 
 styled the little St. Genevieve of Canada, and 
 hoped through the efficacy of her prayers, that 
 no evil would befall either the country or the 
 Church. Canada was miraculously preserved 
 at this time from the bristling guns of a formid- 
 able English fleet, as we read in history. M. 
 de Turm^nie wrote this conversation to the 
 holy Foundress in a letter dated Paris, March 
 20th, 1691, and concluded with the following re- 
 mark: *^Your friend pronounced these words at 
 my house a few days before his death. I do not 
 relate them to you in order to excite your vanity, 
 from which may God preserve you, but to 
 let you know by his last words, the esteem and 
 affection that holy man had for you." 
 
 Nothing could be more glorious for the de- 
 ceased than the eulogy of such a man as M. Souart, 
 who was a holy priest, and singularly enlightened 
 in the ways of God. Having been her director for a 
 long time, he bore ocular testimony to her truly 
 heroic life. Sister Bourgeois preserved the letter, 
 because a portion of it related to the affairs of 
 the community, of which the royal counsellor 
 took special charge in Paris. But she took the 
 precaution to efface the portion relating to her- 
 self, yet not so perfectly as to prevent its being 
 deciphered. Such were the opinions entertained 
 of her in France during her life, and as soon as 
 intelligence oihftx death reached the wise and holy 
 
I: 
 
 lEOIS. 
 
 familiarly 
 nada, and 
 lyers, that 
 try or the 
 preserved 
 ' a formid- 
 story. M. 
 Dn to the 
 iris, March 
 )llowing re- 
 ,e words at 
 . I do not 
 'our vanity, 
 ou, but to 
 esteem and 
 
 VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 199 
 
 persons who knew her at Troyes, Paris, and else- 
 where, the most edifying and instructive letters 
 were sent to her bereaved daughters, by the first 
 vessel bound for Canada. Among other writers* 
 names we find that of Mother Mary Paul de 
 Blaigni, superioress of the Congregation at 
 Troyes, which was really the cradle of Sister 
 Bourgeois' sublime virtues. 
 
 •or the de- 
 M.Souart, 
 miightened 
 lirector for a 
 |o her truly 
 the letter, 
 affairs of 
 counsellor 
 le took the 
 ing to her- 
 its being 
 Intertained 
 Ls soon as 
 and holy 
 

 
 I* 
 
 
 CHAPTER XIL 
 
 THE EXCELLENCE OF HER INSTITUTE, HER MAX- 
 IMS, INSTRUCTIONS, ETC. 
 
 It does not seem sufficient in recording the 
 life of this remarkable woman, to speak only of 
 her public and exterior actions, leaving her inte- 
 rior dispositions and the religious perfection of 
 her institute in the shade. The actions hitherto 
 related are beyond the power of the greater 
 number either to perform or imitate, as they 
 would also be out of their sphere of usefulness. 
 Therefore, without entering into her spirit, they 
 v/ould only serve as sterile or fruitless objects of 
 admiration. Accordingiy we see that not only 
 did God ordain her to be the mother of a numer- 
 ous posterity of Christian virgins, but also their 
 teacher and their model. It may be said of Sister 
 Bourgeois, as of the Spouse in the Canticles, that 
 she spread abroad the odor of her virtues, in order 
 to leave a sure route of salvation and perfection to 
 those who would follow in her train. Yet, all the 
 glory o^ ' king's daughter was within. There are 
 
VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BO URGEOIS. 
 
 20I 
 
 ER MAX- 
 
 ding the 
 c only of 
 her inte- 
 ection of 
 hitherto 
 greater 
 as they 
 efulness. 
 rit, they 
 Ibjects of 
 |not only 
 numer- 
 llso their 
 lof Sister 
 :les, that 
 in order 
 action to 
 ;t, all the 
 'here are 
 
 many principles by which we may judge of the ex- 
 cellence and perfection of an institute or congre- 
 gation. We may consider it in itself, as seen by the 
 rules that govern it, and the sanc*"*ty and merits 
 of it« Foundress. We maycompaie it with other 
 holy institutes to which // may bear resemblance. 
 Wc may regard the end proposed in its establish- 
 ment, and the means by which to attain that 
 end, or the model on which its members must be 
 formed. Finally, we may examine the qualities and 
 dispositions exacted from those who aspire to 
 perfection in it, and by the application of such 
 tests we can easily judge of the excellence of the 
 Congregation of Notre Dame. A careful perusal of 
 the rules complied by the Foundress will con- 
 vince any one that pru ce, charity, zeal, and 
 the spirit of God dictaced them. But to medi- 
 tate on them with care, and reduce them to con- 
 stant practice, is the precious stone mentioned in 
 the gospel, for the purchase of which it is neces- 
 sary to sell all and leave all. However, it must be 
 confessed that, as perfect as the rule is, it does 
 not reflect all the holy sentiments with which 
 Sister Bourgeois was animated, as she always prac- 
 tised more than she prescribed for others. When, 
 by a prudent and just condescension to the weak- 
 ness of her children, the greater number of 
 whom, despite their good will, were not able to 
 practise the austerities her zeal recommended, 
 it was found necessary to soften this rigor the 
 
^02 ^^^ERA BLE SIS TER MARGA RBT BO URGEOIS. 
 
 ■i, ,'in 
 
 ill 
 
 % 
 
 U '11 
 
 rejection of the old practices and penances was 
 one of the most severe trials of her life. It was this 
 condescension, as well as the consciousness of her 
 unworthiness, that made her sigh to be discharged 
 from the office of superior, and it was only her 
 zeal for the glory of God that supported her 
 under the trial. Her own words are: "It 
 seems to me that God has made me sufficiently 
 understand, by the thousand accidents that 
 happened from time to time, as also by the interior 
 warnings of divine grace, that he is not satisfied 
 with us, and I confess that, through cowardice, 
 I have departed from the path marked out for 
 me, by Mary, our dear Mother, who has been the 
 ever present, though invisible superior of this 
 house. I do not wish to abuse the patience of 
 God any longer, and shall endeavor that His will 
 be accomplished, no matter what is the cost of my 
 submission." It must not be forgotten that she re- 
 garded herself as the assistant of the community. 
 She never lost sight of the fact that the establish- 
 ment of the Congregation was not her work, and 
 that she was only a vile instrument in the hands of 
 God. She believed firmly that the interior govern- 
 ment of it would always be under the direction of 
 the Blessed Virgin. Neither had she forgotten the 
 divine favors she received in youth, which were 
 foreshadowings of what God required from her 
 in after-life for His gloiy. She had always pres- 
 ent to her mind the wonderful chain of circum- 
 
OIS. 
 
 ices was 
 was this 
 ss of her 
 jcharged 
 only her 
 rted her 
 re; "It 
 fficiently 
 its that 
 I interior 
 satisfied 
 )wardice, 
 out for 
 been the 
 of this 
 tience of 
 His will 
 )st of my 
 at she re- 
 imunity. 
 stablish- 
 ork, and 
 ands of 
 govern- 
 tion of 
 [tten the 
 ch were 
 om her 
 jys pres- 
 circum- 
 
 VENERABLB SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 203 
 
 stances that led her to Canada, there to establish 
 devotion to the Queen of Heaven, and form young 
 hearts on that exalted model. She frequently 
 called to mind the promise of protection the 
 Blessed Virgin gave her before coming to the 
 New World, of the fulfilment of which she had 
 frequent and sensible proofs. It is quite remark- 
 able that, in the writings left by this humble and 
 admirable woman, she does not make use of a 
 single word that could lead one to believe she 
 had personally anything to do with the establish- 
 ment of the Congregation, desiring, no doubt, that 
 it should be directly attributed to the Queen of 
 Angels, whom she wished to be recognized 
 as its Foundress and first Mother. She was often 
 heard to declare that her highest earthly ambi- 
 tion was to induce the Mother of God to con- 
 duct her community on the same plan that she 
 conducted the rising Church, after the passion of 
 the Redeemer, when she became the common 
 Mother, refuge, and consolation of the afflicted 
 disciples and their followers. On making a com- 
 parison between her institute and other religious 
 orders, she expresses herself as follows : 
 
 "The ever Blessed Virgin in prophetic spirit 
 kneW: from the very dawn of Christianity, that 
 God would eventually establish communities in 
 His Church, to engage the faithful to prac- 
 tise more perfectly, not only the command- 
 ments, but the evangelical counsels. It appears 
 
204 
 
 VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS, 
 
 ,« / , 
 
 1 
 
 ^\ 
 
 
 I 
 
 i i ! 
 
 ! I 
 
 that this good Mother has manifested her de- 
 signs, and extended her protection in a very 
 special manner, in favor of the smallest and /cast 
 of all religious communities, viz., that established 
 in Villc-Marie, which, in order to maintain the 
 excellence of its origin, has gathered from other 
 religious institutes their most perfect maxims." 
 
 Acting on this principle the holy Foundress 
 borrowed from the Chartreuse a love of solitude 
 and silence, from St. Francis of Assissi the virtue 
 of poverty, from St. Francis of Paul the love of 
 humility, from the Carmelites the practise of 
 penances and austerities, from St Francis de 
 Sales the exercise of sweetness and charity as 
 exemplified in the houses of the Visitation, from 
 the Hospitali^res devotion to the poor and sick, 
 and from the noble order of the Jesuits zeal for 
 the salvation of souls. Her institute is remark- 
 able for the charity and zeal by which its mem- 
 bers are animated, their zeal being in a certain 
 sense the spirit of the priesthood, which is par 
 excellence the order of Jesus Christ himself, who 
 was the High Priest of the New Law. The Sis- 
 ters of the Congregation are bound to co-operate 
 with the pastors of the Church in the discharge 
 of such duties of charity as come within the 
 spirit of their rule, making, however, a specialty 
 of instructing youth, to which Sister Bourgeois 
 devoted all her energies from girlhood. Her zeal 
 was indeed a consuming fire, for she had no 
 
OIS. 
 
 VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 205 
 
 her de- 
 a very 
 md least 
 :ablished 
 itain the 
 )iTi other 
 Lxims." 
 o'lndress 
 solitude 
 he virtue 
 e love of 
 actise of 
 rancis de 
 harity as 
 ion, from 
 and sick, 
 zeal for 
 remark- 
 its mem- 
 certain 
 1 is par 
 elf, who 
 The Sis- 
 operate 
 ischarge 
 hin the 
 pecialty 
 )urgeois 
 er zeal 
 had no 
 
 sooner learned that there were pagan tribes to 
 instruct and convert in the New World, than she 
 sought means to go there to assist in their con- 
 version. 
 
 A thousand obstacles did not dishearten her. 
 When there were no priests on board during the 
 early voyages, she supplied their places as far as 
 woman could, with the zeal of a St. Ambrose, 
 frequently in her peculiar circumstances praying 
 with the dying and for the dead by land and sea. 
 Christian or heathen, French or Indian, were 
 alike to her; she assisted all, her modesty form- 
 ing a beautiful rampart around her, that rendered 
 her person sacred in positions where less divinely 
 gifted women might fear to stand. Such were the 
 particular and general views of this Christian 
 heroine in the establishment of her Congregation, 
 and such was the peculiar character of her institute. 
 We gi\^e an extract from her writings on the sub- 
 ject: **As the devil is very careful to take a stand, 
 and be on the look-out, at the beginning of all 
 good works, knowing well that a fervent commun- 
 ity is capable of effecting much good, sometimes 
 even of arresting the anger of God, armed against 
 sinners, let us fear that this arch-enemy, by his 
 cunning and subtlety, may not seek to destroy 
 our institute. Let us be careful that he does not 
 withdraw from it the spirit of piety, simplicity, 
 poverty, recollection, and mortification, interior 
 and exterior, in order to introduce, under specious 
 
2o6 VI^NBRABLE SISTER MARGARET BO URGEOIS. 
 
 W 
 \^^i 
 
 pretexts, the inevitable ruin of a soft, relaxed life.** 
 To avoid so dreadful a misfortune, behold the 
 means of defence this gQod mother presents to 
 her daughters : 
 
 " The lUesscd Virgin desired to continue the 
 work of God upon earth, and we are pledged to 
 assist her by laboring for the education of youth. 
 The Blessed Virgin prayed for the accomplish- 
 ment of the prophesies, and the deliverance of 
 the holy souls, who in limbo awaited the com- 
 ing of the Just One, and we are bound to make 
 fervent prayer for the conversion of sinners, and the 
 souls in purgatory. The Blessed Virgin entered 
 the temple, at the age of three years, to perfect 
 herself in that school of virtue; the daughters of 
 the Congregation, in imitation of that act, con- 
 sider themselves pupils of Mary during their 
 novitiate. The Blessed Virgin was abstemious 
 and mortified in her. food, and in all the other 
 necessaries of life; the Sisters should follow her 
 example and mortify themselves in eating, drink- 
 ing, sleeping, speaking, and clothing, using noth- 
 ing but what is absolutely necessary, each one at 
 the same time consulting her strength and con- 
 stitution. The angel of God saluted Mary while 
 she was at prayer ; the Sisters should pray fer- 
 vently for the graces necessary to enable them to 
 discharge their duties properly, and that among 
 their pupils Almighty God may sometimes select 
 His spouses. 
 
lEOIS. 
 
 axed life/* 
 )chold the 
 •resents to 
 
 ntinue the 
 pledged to 
 n of youth, 
 iccomplish- 
 ivcrance of 
 d the com- 
 id to make 
 lers, and the 
 gin entered 
 s, to perfect 
 aughters of 
 at act, con- 
 uring their 
 abstemious 
 1 the other 
 follow her 
 .ting, drink- 
 using noth- 
 leach one at 
 h and con- 
 Mary while 
 d pray fer- 
 jble them to 
 hat among 
 times select 
 
 VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 207 
 
 •'When the Blessed Virgin had given her con- 
 sent to the angel, and had really become the 
 Mother of God by the power of the Holy 
 Spirit, she testified her gratitude to the Eternal 
 Father, by promptly corresponding to the designs 
 of His grace, and went to visit her cousin Eliza- 
 beth, that she might be an instrument in the 
 sanctification of the precursor, and carry grace 
 and salvation to the house of Zachary; it is ne. 
 cessary that on the missions the Sisters propose 
 to themselves the sanctification of little children, 
 and give edification to all classes of persons that 
 they may be recognized as the true daughters 
 of Mary. 
 
 ** When the days were accomplished that sjic 
 should bring forth her Divine Child, the angels 
 announced that blessed birth to lowly shepherds, 
 as well as to high-born kings, and the Blessed 
 Virgin received with equal affection the honors 
 paid her Divine Son by the humble herdsman 
 and the Oriental sages ; so should the Sisters 
 have an equal regard for the poor as well as for 
 the rich, treating all alike, as the children of 
 Mary. 
 
 "The Blessed Virgin continued to dwell in her 
 poor house at Nazareth in privacy and silence, 
 until the calling of the Apostles, to whom she 
 was a sort of mistress of novices by the charm of 
 her virtues ; the Sisters, before applying them- 
 selves to the instruction of externs, or the duties 
 
''\^'f 
 
 208 *'/!.V/:AM//AA' SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 of the schools, should prepare for it, by the ex- 
 ercise of prayer, pious reading, mortification of 
 the senses, and all other virtues proper to their 
 state. The Blessed Virgin followed her Divine 
 Son to the foot of the cross, like a good mother 
 who could not lose sight of him ; the Sisters 
 should always keep themselves as much as pos- 
 sible in the presence of God, in imitation of their 
 glorious model." 
 
 Although the rules of religious institutes are 
 not intended for general reading, yet the follow- 
 ing extracts are so simple and practical that we 
 think their translation excusable: 
 
 " Hoiv we must bear with the defects of our neigh' 
 bor. — I am bound to believe that my faults and 
 imperfections are greater than those of others, 
 and that they have to do violence to themselves 
 in order to bear with my shortcomings; therefore 
 it is my duty to be patient with them, in imita- 
 tion of God, who is patient with all, who supports 
 all, and endures all, notwithstanding our many 
 defects, and the disproportion that exists between 
 us and Him. 
 
 " On fidelity in little things. — Our good God is 
 contented with little virtues, if they are the re- 
 sult of our love for Him, and he knows how to 
 increase them in our souls if they are performed 
 with purity of intention. It is necessary, then, 
 that I try to do everything for His love, and for 
 that alone. 
 
liOIS. 
 
 VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 209 
 
 y the CX- 
 
 kation of 
 r to their 
 icr Divine 
 )d mother 
 he Sisters 
 ch as pos- 
 on of their 
 
 titutes are 
 the foUow- 
 al that we 
 
 }f our neigh- 
 T faults and 
 of others, 
 themselves 
 therefore 
 in imita- 
 o supports 
 our many 
 ,ts between 
 
 lod God is 
 
 ire the re- 
 
 rs how to 
 
 [performed 
 
 ;ary, then, 
 
 ^e, and for 
 
 " On death. — * It is appointed for man once to 
 die, and after that the judgment.' This thought 
 should oblige me to live always in the state in 
 which I wish to be found when the last moment 
 shall arrive. Then, death may come suddenly, 
 but not unproindedly. My resignation will be 
 much easier, the thought of the last hour sweeter, 
 and the inevitable consequences less to be 
 feared. 
 
 "(9// Raillery. — We sometimes wish to make our 
 conversation appear witty, and we succeed, per- 
 haps at the expense of eJiarity^ by using expressions 
 of raillery, jest, or mockery, without perceiving 
 that we give pain to our neighbor. A person 
 addicted to this vice receives as much prejudice 
 from it as the one who is the object of it, and a 
 frequent use of unkind raillery stains the bril- 
 liancy of the baptismal robe, which we are bound 
 to bring unspotted before the judgment-seat of 
 God, and loosens the bonds of charity that should 
 hold together all Christian communities. 
 
 ''On respect in the Honse of God. — A church 
 where the Blessed Sacrament is preserved, is the 
 place where God most readily receives our pray- 
 ers, and where he has promised to answer them. 
 But that promise is 2l contract between our Father 
 in heaven and ourselves, for the due performance 
 of which He exacts certain conditions on our 
 part. These are chiefly respect and devotion. 
 Without these conditions we pray in vain, as 
 
2 lo VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 Cod will not hear us. We lack respect for the 
 presence of God when we act with levity in 
 church, or use indecent postures, and we lack de- 
 votion when we pray with precipitation, without 
 attention, or in a manner that indicates we have 
 only attended through a meaningless formality. 
 "(9« Christian huntility, — It is good for us at 
 times to reflect on the greatness and the lowli^ 
 ness of the Virgin Mother of God. She was by 
 her privileges and virtues infinitely exalted above 
 all creatures, yet far from preferring herself to 
 others, she regarded herself as the last of all. 
 'The Lord hath regarded the humility of His 
 handmaid.' We would be both blind and culpa- 
 ble if we preferred ourselves to any one, either 
 for talent, science, personal attraction, or any 
 other cause whatever, because self-love often 
 blinds us, and we do not see ourselves as others 
 
 see us." 
 
 The omitted portions of her rule are filled with 
 similar beautiful sentiments. But, as an instance 
 of her peculiar spirit of confidence, we quote the 
 following prayer: 
 
 *' O eternal and all powerful God, I have not 
 the humility that I ought to have, but my ex- 
 treme misery constrains me to acknowledge that I 
 am the most abject of all your creatures, because 
 being tainted by original sin I am, in a certain 
 sense, lower than the brute creation, and on ac 
 count of my actual sins, I deserve to be cast into 
 
RGEOIS. 
 
 VEN/SNABLE SIS TER MARGARET BO U RGEOIS. 2 I I 
 
 )ect for the 
 h levity in 
 \ we lack de- 
 :ion, without 
 ates we have 
 ss formality. 
 Dod for us at 
 nd the lowlu 
 
 She was by 
 exalted above 
 ing herself to 
 le last of all. 
 mility of His 
 ind and culpa- 
 ny one, either 
 ction, or any 
 ,elf-love often 
 
 Ives as others 
 
 are filled with 
 as an instance 
 we quote the 
 
 ,d, I have not 
 e, but my ex- 
 owledge that I 
 itures, because 
 
 , in a certain 
 in, and on ac 
 
 o be cast intoj 
 
 hell. The confidence I desire to have in prayer, 
 but do not possess, I expect from your bounty 
 and mercy, because you have given your only 
 Son to redeem us by His precious blood, and I 
 would rather lose a thousand lives than fail to 
 believe the truth of His words. Grant mc this 
 grace, my God; it is my strength and my confi- 
 dence. As to the perseverance I should have in 
 prayer, the consideration of the many graces I 
 have received from you oblige me to testify my 
 gratitude to the last hour of my life, and on 
 through eternity. For, if I have the happiness 
 of being admitted after death into the company 
 of the blessed, I shall persevere in prayer, if 
 you so permit, and unceasingly implore your 
 mercy for the community. I ask neither wealth, nor 
 honors, nor pleasures of this life; I only ask that 
 your holy will may be fully accomplished, and 
 that we may follow the road you have pointed out 
 to us, and which the Blessed Virgin herself has 
 so faithfully trodden. I earnestly beg that 
 every member of our community, and those who 
 shall succeed them, as also those who contribute 
 to their spiritual advancement, may be of the 
 number of the predestined. I believe, dear Lord, 
 that my demand is just, and I make it in the 
 name of our Lord Jesus Christ, of Mary, His 
 holy mother, of her glorious spouse, St. Joseph, 
 and of all the blessed inhabitants cT chc celestial 
 court." 
 
I t 
 
 212 
 
 VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 We will conclude this chapter by giving an 
 outline of the funeral oration pronounced by M. 
 de Belmont, Superior of the Montreal seminary, 
 at the sepulture of Sister Bourgeois' heart. The 
 orator took for his text the words of St. Paul, 
 " Be ye imitators of me, as I also am of Jesus 
 Christ," and then reminded the Sisters, that al- 
 though nature exacts many tears for the death 
 of those we love, tears which religion does not 
 condemn, provided they are kept within reason- 
 able bounds, and sanctified by prayer and sacri- 
 fice, yet it was fitting, at the inhumation of the 
 heart of their Foundress, to terminate the duties 
 both of nature and piety regarding her they all 
 equally mourned. 
 
 " You have lost her visible presence," he said, 
 "yet, being the custodians of her heart, you 
 should revive within you her spirit, by reproduc- 
 ing in your lives the virtues of which she has 
 given so many examples. It is for this special 
 purpose God has permitted the division of her 
 mortal remains, because He wills that both her 
 heart and spirit shall be yotir treasure, and she was 
 never more truly your superior and model, than 
 when during life she strove to imitate Jesus 
 
 Christ." 
 
 He made an ingenious allusion to her love of 
 the cross, by comparing the virtues for which she 
 was most remarkable with the emblem of man's 
 redemption. " Her humility," he said, " was the 
 
 II 
 
giving an 
 
 :ed by M. 
 
 seminary, 
 
 eart. The 
 
 St. Paul, 
 n of Jesus 
 rs, that al- 
 
 the death 
 n does not 
 hin reason- 
 r and sacri- 
 .tion of the 
 e the duties 
 her they all 
 
 ce," he said, 
 heart, you 
 ly reproduc- 
 ich she has 
 this special 
 lision of her 
 at both her 
 and she was 
 [model, than 
 itate Jesus 
 
 her love of 
 )r which she 
 !m of man's 
 Id, " was the 
 
 VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 213 
 
 foot of the cross, which had a deep foundation in 
 the earth, and solidfied her other virtues, while 
 poverty and mortification were the arms of the 
 cross, and embraced a great number of holy and 
 pious practices." He then felicitated the Sisters on 
 the glory of their mother, and promised they sliould 
 partake of it, according to the words of our Lord 
 addressed to His apostles before his passion ; 
 ** You who have remained with me in my temp- 
 tations," etc. *' Even so does your venerable 
 mother address you from heaven my dear Sisters," 
 he said, "'you who have been faithful to humil- 
 ations, and sufferings, which is the only heritage 
 I leave you on earth, be faithful to the end, and 
 you shall partake of my present glory.' And she 
 further addresses you in the words of the Gospel, 
 *I have begotten you in Jesus Christ.' ' It is I,' 
 your departed mother continues to say, 'who 
 have assembled you as a company of Christian 
 Amazons, ready to battle with the enemy of 
 your salvation, not only in the cloister, but amid 
 the tumult of the world.' Labor faithfully, there- 
 fore, in your glorious vocation, because you are 
 the children of a saint. Do honor to your 
 mother, walk in her footsteps, and perpetuate her 
 earthly labors. This is an assured means by 
 which to please your celestial Spouse, and parti- 
 cipate with her in the glory and merit of the 
 apostolic ministry." 
 
 It was not difficult for him to eulogize the cour 
 
i.:u, 
 
 !! 
 
 214 
 
 VHNERAlUJi SISTHR MARGARET BOUKUHOIS, 
 
 age of Sister Bourgeois, which had certainly been 
 marvcllousj and far above what is common to 
 her sex, the two wings that carried her onward 
 and upward being faitJi and confidence in God. 
 He said her faith resembled that of Abraham, 
 because like him, she heard the voice of God 
 saying, " Leave thy country and thy kindred, and 
 I will make thee the mother of a numerous pos- 
 terity, and of a chosen nation." Imitating the 
 patriarch she did not hesitate a moment, but 
 came to the New World, poor and unprotected 
 well knowing that He who inspired the design 
 was powerful enough to give success to the un- 
 dertaking. *'You, my dear Sisters, are the chiM en 
 of Mary's faithful client," continued the speaker, 
 "you are the first fruits of the new people of God, 
 of whom she was the spiritual mother." He con- 
 cluded his discourse, as he had commenced it, 
 by commending his auditors to the care of their 
 good mother, praying that she would obtain for 
 them by her intercession, a love of the Holy 
 Cross, a great zeal for the salvation of souls, and 
 an unbounded confidence in God, which is the 
 source of all true courage. 
 
 " Every time you assemble in this place," he 
 said, *' to perform your religious exercises, raise 
 your eyes to her heart, the sanctuary of so many 
 virtues, and formerly the tabernacle of the Holy 
 Spirit. Imagine you hear her addressing to you 
 these last words of the Apostle : 
 
;/:0/S. 
 
 VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 215 
 
 taiiilybeen 
 ommon to 
 ler onward 
 ce in God. 
 Abraham, 
 ice of God 
 indred, and 
 lerous pos- 
 litating the 
 loment, but 
 nprotected 
 the design 
 5 to the un- 
 the child "en 
 the speaker, 
 3ple of God, 
 He con- 
 imenced it, 
 are of their 
 obtain for 
 the Holy 
 t souls, and 
 lich is the 
 
 place," he 
 
 Ircises, raise 
 
 of so many 
 
 (f the Holy 
 
 jjing to you 
 
 " My children, my joy, and my crown, perse- 
 vere in the spirit of fervor, take care to advance 
 in perfection, and procure the sanctification of 
 all confided to your care, so that, having been on 
 earth united by the bonds of charity, and the 
 other virtues proper to our state, we may not be 
 separated in Heaven." 
 
 Such, as we have given them in this chapter, 
 are a few of the pious maxims and admonitions 
 by which Sister Bourgeois endeavored to lead 
 her spiritual daughters in the paths of perfection, 
 always proposing to them the example of Mary 
 and inspiring them with the most sublime views 
 of faith, in order to keep them constantly in the 
 presence of God. But we refrain from multiply- 
 ing extracts, as her spiritual writings, maxims, and 
 reflections would require a separate volume to do 
 them justice, and we earnestly hope that such a 
 volume maybe forthcoming at no distant day, as 
 it would prove a lasting benefit to any religious 
 community, so practical, so simple, and yet so 
 sublime are the workings of Sister Bourgeois* 
 mind, having been directed and inspired by the 
 Holy Spirit. 
 
I i I 
 
 
 Mi, \ 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 A RECAPITULATION OF THE PRINCIPAL EVENTS 
 OF THE LIFE OF SISTER BOURGEOIS. 
 
 On reading this life, one cannot help being 
 struck with wonder and admiration, at the great 
 work Sister Bourgeois undertook and accom- 
 plished. We behold a simple country girl form- 
 ing the then astonishing project of going to 
 Canada, in the hope of founding a city bearing the 
 nameof Mary, there to teach religion and morality 
 to persons of her own sex. What seemingly in- 
 surmountable obstacles presented themselves to 
 her view. She must undertake a voyage of many 
 thousand leagues, must traverse immense and 
 unknown seas, must expect to live in the wilds 
 of primeval forests, exposed to the fury of cruel 
 sav/agcs, who unceasingly attacked the weak ram- 
 Darts of Ville-Marie. And what means did she 
 
 A 
 
 possess to surmount these difficulties? Had she 
 
 ' riiiitr Had she any available human support? 
 
 .Va^» :.he high-born or powerful? Had she wealth 
 
 at ne« ^"'iposal? To all these questions we must 
 
 216 
 
 I I 
 
VKNERAfiI.E SISTER MARGARFT BOURGEOIS. 
 
 217 
 
 \L EVENTS 
 
 EOIS. 
 
 help being 
 
 it the great 
 
 and accom- 
 
 y girl form- 
 
 f going to 
 
 bearing the 
 
 d morality 
 
 emingly in- 
 
 mselves to 
 
 t of many 
 
 ense and 
 
 the wilds 
 
 ry of cruel 
 
 weak ram- 
 
 1ns did she 
 
 Had she 
 
 I support? 
 
 she wealth 
 
 s we must 
 
 answer, no. Her hopes of success centered only 
 in an unbounded confidence in the providence of 
 God. Young Margaret possessed the strength of 
 soul and resolution necessary for great designs, 
 the noble intrepidity that rises superior to danger, 
 the firmness that obstacles cannot shake, the fer- 
 tile and ingenious mind always equal to the occa- 
 sion, and a sublime spirit of piety and devotion 
 that was useful everywhere. While she felt her- 
 self in a manner pushed towards Canada, she 
 prayed unceasingly, consulted spiritual directors, 
 listened respectfully to the voice of her superiors, 
 and listened interiorly to the voice of heaven. 
 Nothing could arrest or retard her progress, and 
 she fearlessly set out for the new New World that 
 claimed her zeal. At the age of ten she gathered 
 around her little children to form them to virtues. 
 At a later period she was to establish a religious 
 Congregation in the Church, whose members 
 should aspire to the highest sanctity. Scarcely 
 had the vessel on which she embarked set sail, than 
 her zeal was called into active service. She in- 
 duced the entire ship's crew to unite in daily 
 prayer and pious reading. Several soldiers falling 
 sick, she nursed them with sisterly charity, eight 
 of them dying in her arms. Arriving at her des- 
 tination, she finds no home ready to receive her, 
 and takes up her dwelling in a stable, which is for 
 her a happy omen, as it resembles the stable of 
 Bethlehem. There .she opens school; from thence 
 
2 1 8 VENERABLE SISTER MARGA RET nO ( RGEOIS. 
 
 she daily departs to perform innumerable good 
 works. But the harvest ripens quxckly, and the 
 laborers are few. Overflowing with zeal she again 
 traverses the broad sea in search of help, and 
 leads back many generous volunteers. Again she 
 returns to procure letters patent for the consoli- 
 dation of her establishment. In the court of a 
 king, in the centre of a camp, she solicits the 
 favor and obtains it. On returning to the city of 
 her love, she resolves on securing ecclesiastical 
 approbation for the rules of her institute, and for 
 this purpose travels on foot through blinding snow- 
 storms. A hundred times would she have crossed 
 the continent rather than fail to accomplish 
 the -will of God, and her courageous zeal was 
 eventually blessed by heaven, a crowd of de- 
 voted young girls ranging themselves under her 
 standard. 
 
 The capital and provinces were alike eager to 
 obtain a foundation of her Sisters, and in a few 
 years all Canada experienced the happy effects of 
 her institute, which for nearly two centuries has 
 not ceased to spread about the odor of sanctity 
 and the knowledge of our holy religion. Being at 
 all times desirous to do good, she established tem- 
 porarily a House of Providence, for virtuous 
 poor girls, where they might be saved from the 
 snares of a treacherous world. Placing her confi- 
 dence in God more than in man, she undertook 
 to build a plain, substantial house, to serve the 
 
7E0/S. 
 
 able good 
 /, and the 
 I she again 
 help, and 
 Again she 
 ,e consoli- 
 :ourt of a 
 oiicits the 
 the city of 
 clesiastical 
 te, and for 
 ding snow- 
 Lve crossed 
 iccomplish 
 » zeal was 
 kvd of de- 
 under her 
 
 eager to 
 in a few 
 effects of 
 Ituries has 
 »f sanctity 
 Beingat 
 lished tem- 
 virtuous 
 from the 
 Iher confi- 
 mdertook 
 Iserve the 
 
 VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 J 19 
 
 triple purpose of convent, boarding and day- 
 school, and though at the start she had neither 
 money nor credit, the building was completed. 
 At another time she was inspired to build a church, 
 and the church was built. Travelling in Paris 
 she was reduced to extreme poverty, and heaven 
 sent a man from the depth of a Canadian forest 
 to pay her an almost forgotten debt. An estab- 
 lishment of her daughters was demanded for 
 Quebec, and she permitted them, to go and live 
 in a stable pro tern., until better accommodations 
 were offered. The intended property at Quebec 
 having been unjustly contested, she relinquished 
 her rights, and an unknown hand gave her suffi- 
 cient money to make a clear purchase. But not 
 only was her confidence in God most remarkable; 
 she possessed all other virtues in an eminent 
 degree. In youth she made a vow of chastity, 
 and preserved that beautiful virtue amidst many 
 dangerous occasions, compelling a regiment of 
 soldiers to respect her, although she was frequently 
 the only woman on board. Yet of all her per- 
 sonal virt".es none was more extraordinary than 
 * her spirit of mortification. She seemed to live 
 for the express purpose of afflicting her body, 
 using her food alw&ys too hot or too cold, mixing 
 ashes with her drink, sitting at meals in a painful 
 position, sleeping on the bare earth with a wooden 
 plank for her pillow, and taking little sleep at 
 that. She never approached the fire in winter, 
 
m 
 
 
 220 VENERABLE SISTIIR MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 and frequently made use of disciplines, hair-shirts, 
 and a frightful crown of thorns, that she con- 
 cealed on her head. How truly she hated her 
 flesh such severe penances as these prove. When 
 summoned to Quebec by her bishop, she made 
 the journey on foot, through ice and snow, often 
 wading across Canadian swamps. When she 
 undertook a foundation she carried the furniture 
 on her own shoulders, saying with Solomon: " I 
 do not ask for the community either wealth, 
 honors, or the pleasures of this life." Of her 
 holy resignation also we have many striking in- 
 stances. When all was ready to build the church of 
 Bon Secours, knowing that nothing could be more 
 uesful to the young colony than such a work, and 
 that unnecessary delays would ruin the material, 
 yet when ecclesiastical superiors forbade her to 
 continue, she instantly obeyed, without murmur 
 or reply. The Bishop refusing for many years to ap- 
 prove her rule, which was nevertheless an epitome 
 of divine wisdom, she ceased importuning, and 
 silently awaited the time appointed by Divine 
 Providence. In one short hour she lost by fire 
 her convent, and everything it contained, the 
 bodies of two dear Sisters being consumed in the 
 flames. Yet her resignation triumphed over fire 
 and death. For several years she experienced the 
 most frightful interior desolation, neither prayers, 
 reflections, communions, nor spiritual advice af- 
 fording her the least relief. Yet in silent submis- 
 
GEOIS. 
 
 hair-shirts, 
 t she con- 
 hated her 
 fQ. When 
 she made 
 now, often 
 ^hen she 
 e furniture 
 )lomon: " I 
 er wealth, 
 " Of her 
 striking in- 
 e church of 
 lid be more 
 [ work, and 
 material, 
 de her to 
 murmur 
 ears to ap- 
 n epitome 
 ning, and 
 )y Divine 
 )st by fire 
 ined, the 
 cd in the 
 over fire 
 enced the 
 prayers, 
 dvice af- 
 submis- 
 
 VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOITRGEOIS. 
 
 221 
 
 sion she drank the chalice to the dregs, without 
 one atom of human consolation. 
 
 What afifiict'jd her most during this ordeal was 
 not the fear of hell, to which she believed herself 
 condemned ; no, it was lest she should be reduced 
 to the horrible alternative of hating God, whom 
 she wished to love in time, if she could not in 
 eternity. Humility was another of her charac- 
 teristic virtues, for, after she had solidly estab- 
 lished her institute, and formed the Sisters in her 
 spirit, her chief desire was to be exempted from 
 all honorable functions in the community, to be- 
 come the last and least in the holy obedience. 
 They complied reluctantly with her desires in 
 such matters during the remaining years of her 
 saintly life, but all respected her, and remembered 
 with gratitude how much they owed her. She her- 
 self recalled only her sins and infidelities. Such 
 shining virtues were the result of her extraordi- 
 nary devotion to the Mother of God, to whose ser- 
 vice she had consecrated herself from childhood, 
 and to whose glorified earthly actions she had 
 united her own. Believing that Magdalen and 
 Martha were the great models of religious life, she 
 regarded Mary Immaculate as their Mistress, and 
 loved to represent her instructing young virgins, 
 and assisting to form the Church of Jesus Christ. 
 She came to Canada for the express purpose of 
 living in a city named after Mary — Ville-Marie. 
 She called her Congregation Notre Dame — Our 
 
222 VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET tiOURGEOIS, 
 
 'i; I 
 
 Lady — and wished that everything connected with 
 it should bear the name of Mary, But the Queen 
 of Heaven did not allow herself to be outdone in 
 generosity. The statue shone with celestial light 
 before the eyes of young Margaret at Troyes. 
 On the Feast of the Assumption this privileged 
 soul saw in the Holy Host an infant a thousand 
 times more beautiful than the children of men, 
 looking love into her eyes. In a dream she saw 
 as distinctly as in life one of Mary's most devoted 
 clients, M. de Maisonneuve, and finally the 
 Blessed Virgin assured her personally of protec- 
 tion by the solemn words, "Go to Canada. I 
 will never abandon you." If charity is the queen 
 of virtues, Sister Bourgeois practised it to heroism. 
 In girlhood she courageously put on her father's 
 burial-shroud with her own hands, which charita- 
 ble ofifice for the poor became afterward a favor- 
 ite duty of her life. Being informed that a few 
 reckless libertines were leading off a young girl 
 to make her the victim of their debaucheries, she 
 followed them with a crucifix in her hands, and 
 despite their menaces to kill her, heroically 
 snatched from them their prey. A soldier once 
 being benumbed with cold, she gave him her only 
 mattress; another received her bed, and two other 
 unfortunates her comforters, her own couch in 
 consequence being the cold ground. A Sister 
 having fallen into her agony, the holy Foundress, 
 who was far advanced in years, cried out to God : 
 
/RGliOJS. 
 
 nnected with 
 jtthc Queen 
 c outdone in 
 ;elestial light 
 t at Troyes. 
 is privileged 
 : a thousand 
 Iren of men, 
 earn she saw 
 nost devoted 
 finally the 
 7y of protec- 
 ) Canada. I 
 is the queen 
 it to heroism, 
 her father's 
 hich charita- 
 i^ard a favor- 
 that a few 
 a young girl 
 ucheries, she 
 hands, and 
 heroically 
 soldier once 
 lim her only 
 d two other 
 vn couch in 
 , A Sister 
 Foundress, 
 ut to God : 
 
 VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 223 
 
 *• Take me, O Lord, I am old and usdess. This 
 young Sister may yet render you great ser- 
 vice." The noble sacrifice was accepted, the 
 Sister in her agony recovering, while the 
 Foundress was stricken unto death — a victim of 
 the most heroic charity. We need not be aston- 
 ished at the extraordinary brightness of her face 
 after death, nor at the wonderful cures effected 
 by touching her body, nor at the red blood that 
 trickled from the burned relic of her heart. All 
 is possible, all is easy to charity. 
 
 This rapid glance at the life of Sister Bourgeois 
 proves that the name of so uncommon a woman 
 deserves to be bettor known in the history of 
 the Church, because she has been one of its most 
 beautiful ornaments. Such names as those of 
 Montcalm, and of Montgomery, are of less value 
 in the sight of God, than the Christian heroine's 
 title of *' The St. Genevieve of Canada." And 
 we may well say of her with the prophet, "The 
 Lord is admirable in his saints." Mirabilis Deus 
 in Sanctis suis. 
 
CONCLUSION. 
 
 'W 
 
 in 
 
 Besides what has been related in the preceding 
 chapters, Sister Bourgeois wrote of several other 
 events, both public and private, that occurred 
 some before and some after her arrival in Canada. 
 We will relate a few, in order to give a more cor- 
 rect idea of the state of things in the isle of 
 Montreal, when she undertook to establish her 
 community there. She says, it was then a vast, 
 impenetrable forest, inhabited only by a great 
 number of savages, who unceasingly attacked 
 the French colonists, to prevent their establish- 
 ment in the country, and as the settlers were 
 then few in number, many of them fell beneath 
 the bloody tomahawks of the relentless Iroquois. 
 In fact it was extremely difficult to induce any 
 one to leave the mother country for the New 
 World, knowing what their fate would be when 
 they reached Ville-Marie, if some moasures were 
 not taken to secure life and property. The gen- 
 eral depression was so great that matters remained 
 unchanged for several years, during which time 
 
 the colonists were literally at the mercy of wild 
 224 
 
VENERABLE SISTER AfARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 225 
 
 he preceding 
 several other 
 hat occurred 
 ^al in Canada, 
 e a more cor- 
 n the isle of 
 establish her 
 then a vast, 
 by a great 
 gly attacked 
 eir establish- 
 Isettlers were 
 fell beneath 
 ess Iroquois, 
 induce any 
 or the New 
 uld be when 
 oasures were 
 The gen- 
 lers remained 
 which time 
 ercy of wild 
 
 savages, to whom mercy was unknown. They lay 
 treacherously concealed in the woods, and sallied 
 forth with hatchet and tomahawk on their 
 murderous rampage, when least expected, to 
 pillage and burn the houses and then massacre 
 the inhabitants. In those days it was impossible 
 to labor singly in the fields. The tillers of the 
 soil were obliged to work in groups, with a gun 
 in one hand, and a scythe or spade in the other, 
 often at the peril of their lives. These intrepid 
 French Catholics had left peaceful, happy 
 homes, and the blessings of a Christian govern- 
 ment, for no other purpose than to convert wild 
 Indians, who were absolutely under the domin- 
 ion of the devil, and to spread abroad the glo- 
 rious Faith over the prairies, and by the lake- 
 shores of this vast continent. Most assuredly 
 their names are emblazoned on the martyr-roll of 
 heaven. It matters little if ungrateful men have 
 forgotten them, and lauded the makers of mow- 
 ing-machines, the inventors of steam-boats, the 
 patented proprietors of the telegraph, the torpedo, 
 the needle-gun, the steam engine, the sewing- 
 machine, etc. All these things being of the earth 
 earthy, shall pass away; nay, may become the 
 civilized (?) instruments of driving the enlightened 
 nations of the nineteenth century back into de- 
 graded barbarism. Have we not an undeniable 
 [proof of this in the uprising of the masses to- 
 day (July, 1877) in their might and wrath, who, 
 
i-# •^,' -i 
 
 ^^^ 
 
 226 VENERABLE SISTER MARGA RET BO URGEOIS. 
 
 believing they have been in many instances, and 
 for long years, the unrequited starving tools of 
 unprincipled un- Christ-like christian masters, have 
 stood before the fiery breath of the steam-engine 
 and said : " Thus far shalt thou go, and no 
 farther;" have torn up the iron railroad tracks 
 of a proud commercial country, and startled 
 the world by the verification of Gamaliel's warn- 
 ing: "If these things be not of God, they will 
 
 perish." 
 
 The truth is that the toil, devotion and blood of 
 the early French settlers of Canada have produced 
 an imperishable work in the propagation of the 
 Faith, and the conversion of the Indians. In 
 Canada these poor people become Christian.peace- 
 ful, and civilized ; at least there exist very few 
 exceptions in the country north of the Great 
 Lakes. And this living, indestructible monu- 
 ment of the martyr's love is the work of Catholic 
 France, and her noble sons and daughters. It 
 became, therefore a matter of necessity at the| 
 time either to abandon the 3^oung colony, or toi 
 save it at all hazards. M de Maisonneuve deter- 
 mined on the latter course for the glory of God^ 
 the salvation of souls, the honor of France, anc 
 the love of the Virgin Mary. In 1652 he returnee 
 to his native land for soldiers to garrison and pro! 
 tect Ville-Marie, feeling confident that if a suf!i| 
 cient number could be induced to volunteer, th< 
 safety and prosperity of Canada would be securec 
 
^GEOIS. 
 
 f 
 
 itances, and 
 ing tools o£ 
 masters, have 
 steam-engine 
 
 go, and no 
 Alroad tracks 
 
 and startled 
 maliel's warn- 
 }od, they will 
 
 ,n and blood of 
 have produced 
 agation of the 
 e Indians. In 
 Christian.peace- 
 
 cxist very few 
 of the Great 
 uctible monu- 
 ,rk of Catholic 
 daughters. It I 
 iccessity at the 
 Ig colony, or tol 
 jonneuve deter- 
 le glory of Godj 
 
 of France, anr 
 [652 he returnee 
 rarrison and pro] 
 It that if a suffil 
 volunteer, W 
 
 ould be securec' 
 
 VENERABLE SJSTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 227 
 
 This gentleman had himself frequently escaped 
 the fury of the savages miraculously. On one 
 occasion, he was seized by a party of Iroquois, 
 who were in the act of choking him to death, but 
 having by a violent effort disengaged himself mo- 
 mentarily from their grasp, he blew out the brains 
 of the chief with a pistol he fortunately had in 
 his possession. The sight of their mutilated 
 fallen leader, and the smell of gunpowder^ scat- 
 tered the balance of the red men, and set the 
 Governor free. Shortly after his departure, a 
 band of nearly two hundred Iroquois presented 
 themselves before the little fort of Ville-Marie, 
 in order to lay siege to it. They knew before- 
 hand that French arms and gunpowder were 
 rather formidable opponents, especially if they 
 should happen to meet another de Maisonneuve, 
 and, as usual, had recourse to concealment. They 
 formed their ambuscade in a ditch which they 
 dug on the very ground that now forms the gar- 
 den of the Congregation convent. There they 
 lay hid, reconnoitering the strength of the place, 
 and having matured their plans, commenced hurl- 
 ing stones and shooting poisoned arrows against 
 the fort, which contained only the small number 
 of sixteen or seventeen men capable of bearing 
 arms. This little troop, commanded by M. Closse, 
 sustained the siege with undaunted bravery. The 
 combat lasted an entire day, and one after 
 another the savages sunk in death, pierced by a 
 

 ■i>liMIII H W*«ii-*-wl' 
 
 228 VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 I \\ 
 
 French bullet. The survivors went off at night, 
 full of rage and shame, having succeeded in inflict- 
 ing no other injury than the firing of an out-house 
 belonging to M. d'Ailbout. During the long 
 combat, M. Closse lost only one man, who was 
 killed by an accidental discharge of a cannon. 
 
 M. Brisac, an officer of the French army, was 
 not so fortunate, however. He had determined 
 to draw off and attack a second body of savages 
 who had come to the assistance of the first party, 
 butthe wily Indians met stratagem by stratagem, 
 and succedded in deceiving him on the route. 
 Seeing that they must perish, as their enemies 
 were ten times as numerous as they, the French re- 
 solved to sell their lives as dearly as possible. 
 They erected a circular barricade of stones, and 
 entrenched themselves within it> firing at random 
 on the furious savages, who howled for their 
 blood. The Iroquois fought like incarnate de- 
 mons, and every stone they flung with unerring 
 precision shattered a white man's skull. Like the 
 Spartan three hundred, this brave French band 
 determined not to be taken alive, so the living 
 supplied the places of their fallen comrades 
 until only five or six men remained. But the In- 
 dians at last effected an entrance within the bar- 
 ricade, and killed the survivors with the most 
 horrible cruelties. M. Brisac, the brave com- 
 mander, was reserved by the savages to die last, 
 that they might torture him at their ease, yeti 
 
RU£OJS. 
 
 )ff at night, 
 ed in inflict- 
 in out-house 
 g the long 
 in, who was 
 1 cannon, 
 h army, was 
 determined 
 y of savages 
 le first party, 
 by stratagem, 
 »n the route, 
 their enemies 
 the French re- 
 k as possible, 
 stones, and 
 ng at random 
 ed for their 
 incarnate de- 
 with unerring 
 ull. Like the 
 French band 
 so the living 
 len comrades 
 But the In- 
 ithin the bar- 
 ith the most 
 brave com- 
 s to die last, 
 cir ease, yet I 
 
 VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGECIS. 
 
 229 
 
 while he was able to speak, he never ceased ex- 
 horting his men to die like Christians. The 
 constancy of the devoted band astonished the 
 Iroquois, who could not refrain from expressing 
 their admiration of the white man's constancy. 
 The death of such heroic Christians is as much 
 to be admired as that of the early martyrs, be- 
 cause like them they combatted and suffered for 
 religion and the glory of God. Sister Bourgeois 
 relates that during the first eight or nine years 
 of the existence of the colony, they could not 
 succeed in raising healthy children, all of them 
 dying at a very tender age, as much on account 
 of the rigorous climate, as of the privations and 
 sufferings which were endured by their mothers, 
 who, being all natives of sunny France, had en- 
 joyed, at least in a moderate way, the good 
 things of this life. In Canada, during these early 
 days, they lacked nearly everything, except good 
 will and an undying love of the Catholic Faith, 
 bequeathed to them by their sainted forefathers. 
 It may be also, that Almighty God wished to 
 to take to Himself these precious children, as 
 the first fruits of the New World. The first girl 
 that arrived at maturity in the country was Jane 
 Loisel. She became a pupil of Sister Bourgeois, to 
 whose care she was confided at the age of four, 
 and remained in the Sister's school to her eigh- 
 teenth year, when she married John Beauchamp. 
 It appears that theirs was the first Canadian mar^ 
 
230 
 
 VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 :l:H:i 
 
 W': 
 
 riage in Montreal. The first boy who escaped 
 an early grave was John Desroches, and the first 
 native of Montreal who consecrated herself to 
 God in the Congregation was Marie Barbier, who 
 became Superior after Sister Bourgeois' resigna- 
 tion. She was a very holy religieuse, and imbibed 
 the spirit ?A ./ r Foundress, subjecting herself to 
 such frightful penances that a dangerous cancer 
 formed in her body, of which, after years of in- 
 tense suffering, she was miraculously cured. The 
 venerable Fuah^iress also leaves the following 
 record of a few ci . *e Indian girls she took un- 
 der her protection; 
 
 " In i6i;5, a you'^i^p X. . :aois mother had a little 
 girl about nine months old, «.v'iich she neglected 
 shamefully, and treated with brutal violence. I 
 endeavored to get the poor little sufferer from her, 
 in order to raise it a Christian, M. Souard as- 
 sisting me to secure it. So after giving the 
 savage mother many presents, she at last con- 
 sented to place the child in my care. But as I 
 was on the eve of my first voyage back to France, 
 I gave it in charge to Margaret Picard during my 
 absence. As soon as I set sail the mother re- 
 tracted, and tried in every possible way to get the 
 child back without our knowledge. Once, while 
 the little one and her vigilant nurse were out 
 taking exercise, the Iroquois woman suddenly ap- 
 peared, and endeavored with violence to snatch 
 away the terrified infant. But she was disap- 
 
RGEOIS. 
 
 ho escaped 
 ind the first 
 i herself to 
 Jarbier, who 
 ois* resigna- 
 and imbibed 
 ig herself to 
 jrous cancer 
 years of in- 
 cured. The 
 lie following 
 she took un- 
 
 er had a little 
 [he neglected 
 violence. I 
 srer from her, 
 Souard as- 
 giving the 
 at last con- 
 e. But as I 
 ck to France, 
 rd during my 
 e mother re- 
 iray to get the 
 Once, while 
 se were out 
 suddenly ap- 
 ce to snatch 
 e was disap- 
 
 VBNERABLE SIST^.R MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 23! 
 
 pointed; the child clung convulsively to her 
 French mother, as she called her, and the savage 
 departed, vowing to seize her another time, and 
 then take revenge for the child's preference. 
 In order to prevent a catastrophe, the Sisters 
 hid the child, and the Iroquois eventually gave 
 up the search. This little Indian was baptized 
 and named Mary when she attained her fourth 
 year, M. de Maiscnneuve and Mile. Closse being 
 her sponsors. She was the first Iroquois bap- 
 tized in the colony, and died two years after. I 
 also raised a little Algonquin girl, and an infant 
 Illinois, but both died at the age of nine. We 
 received at a later period, another Algonquin, 
 aged nineteen, who expressed an ardent desire to 
 live with our Sisters. She was admitted on trial, 
 and for a long time was faithful to all the prac' 
 tices of piety in use among us. however contrary 
 they were to her inclinations, or to her Indian 
 proclivities. She died shortly after her baptism, 
 having given great edification to the Sisters. 
 One of the first Canadian members of the Insti- 
 tute, was an Iroquois who had been educated at 
 the Mission of the Mountain. She was received 
 into the community as soon as she arrived at the 
 proper age, and died happily, after laboring twelve 
 years in the mission school where she was instru- 
 mental in effecting much good among her own 
 people." 
 
 As Sister Bourgeois took a singular pleasure 
 
232 
 
 VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 I i 
 
 in recounting these Indian conquests, we do not 
 consider it out of place to i evert to them here, 
 and might add many others, but will conclude 
 by relating a remarkable event that occurred in 
 her time. The father of Mary Teresa Gannen- 
 sagouach, who had been admitted a member of 
 the Congregation, as was mentioned in the fourth 
 chapter, became a Christian, and worshipped the 
 true God with all the ardor of his poetic Indian 
 nature. Many a time did the forests of the 
 island re-echo with his recitations of the holy 
 rosary, and he had the happiness to see his son 
 also follow his example, by receiving the saving 
 waters of Baptism. The graceless son, however, 
 soon forgot his baptismal vows, and returned to 
 his former licentious mode of life. Falling in 
 with a depraved party of his tribe, who had 
 taken the war-path against the peaceful Chris- 
 tian Indians, he assisted in a murderous attack 
 on his native village. The fiends were unhappily 
 successful in their carnival of blood, and each 
 reeking warrior selected his wretched victim 
 among the few survivors to lead him off to a dis- 
 tant encampment and there torture him slowly to 
 death. Young Gannensagouach dragged his cap- 
 tive through forest and swamp with brutal vio- 
 lence; but at last growing tired of listening to 
 the sufferer's groans, commanded him to kneel 
 for his death-blow. He did so, and for the first 
 time since his capture, raised his eyes to the face 
 
RGEOIS. 
 
 VENERABLE SISTER MARGARET BOURGEOIS. 
 
 233 
 
 s, we do not 
 ) them here, 
 n\\ conclude 
 t occurred in 
 esa Gannen- 
 a member of 
 in the fourth 
 )rshipped the 
 Doetic Indian 
 )rests of the 
 , of the holy 
 :o see his son 
 ig the saving 
 son, however, 
 J returned to 
 e. Falling in 
 be, who had 
 aceful Chris- 
 Iderous attack 
 jcre unhappily 
 od, and each 
 tched victim 
 m off to a dis< 
 him slowly to 
 agged his cap- 
 |th brutal vio- 
 f listening to 
 him to kneel 
 d for the first 
 es to the face 
 
 of the would-be murderer. Both were paralyzed 
 with horror — for he gazed upon his apostate 
 son. " Father, forgive him, he knows not what 
 he does," cried the agonized parent, and his 
 prayer was heard. The arm that held the uplifted 
 tomahawk fell powerless by the young man's 
 side, and from that hour the apostate became a 
 penitent. The good old Indian died a peaceful 
 Christian death, a few years later, and to this 
 day, a rude stone cross with an appropriate epi- 
 taph, marks his last resting-place. 
 
 May my soul also die the death of the just. 
 
 NOTE. 
 
 Happily, during the interval that elapsed be- 
 tween the writing and the publication of this 
 book, the process of canonizing Venerable Sister 
 Bourgeois has been commenced, and splendid ec- 
 clesiastical services were held in the spring of 
 1879 i" the city of Montreal, in unison with the 
 canonical proceedings. The canonization of this 
 saintly woman will give to the church in America, 
 a second acknowledged intercessor in heaven, St. 
 Rose of Lima being the firsty and will procure 
 new triumphs for the Faith in "the land of the 
 West," where such triumphs are numerous and 
 marvellous. The Authoress.