IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 1.1 11.25 Li 128 |28 |25 m ■ 4.0 ■ 2.2 Ul US lis u DMu 6" Photographic Sciences Corporalion 23 WIST MAIN STRUT WIISTIR,N.Y. USSO (716)«71-4S03 /J CIHM/ICMH Microfiche Series. CIHM/ICMH Collection de microfiches. Canadian Institute for Hittoricai IVIicroreproductions / inttitut Canadian de microreproductions liistoriques :\ Tachnical and Bibliographic Notaa/Notas tachniquaa at bibiiographiquaa Tha Instituta has attamptad to obtain tha bast original copy availabia for filming. Faaturas of this copy which may ba bibliographically uniqua, which may altar any of tha imagas in tha raproduction, or which may significantly changa tha usual mathod of filming, ara chaclcad balow. 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Les diagrammes suivants iilustrant la m6thode. i errata d to It le pelure, pon k n 1 2 3 32X 1 2 3 4 5 6 '^]J^\/''^ 1 ^^^^^^^K1 1 ■f. \ AW] MAE 'N A NARI DURING I A NOVICE, an; THE HOTEL WITH ADB TO WHICH SIX MONTHS' BY Kt ''Come out of takers of her sin piagues."-.Rev. W. a6, Pate] AND ALl AWFUL DISCLOSURES OP MARIA MONK, A8 BXHIBITBD IN A NARRATIVE OF HER SUFFERINGS DURING A RBSIDBNCB OP PIVE YEARS AS A NOVICE, AND TWO TEARS AS A BLACK NUN, IN THE HOTEL DIEU NUNNERY AT MONTREAL. WITH ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. TO WHICH IS ADDED, THE NUN ; OR, SIX MONTHS' RESIDENCE IN A CONVENT. BY REBECCA THERESA REED, Ml ' Come out of her my people, that ye be not par- ' takers of her sins, ana that ye receive not of her plagues."—* Rev. xviii. 4. LONDON : W. WCHOLSON & SONS, Limited, a6, Paternoster Square, E.C., AND ALBION WORKS, WAKEFIELD. !l' ' f K oiiss Iv !■ hoped thai ■oppoM thftt iti thai I have delil doahrad, that tb( as a ToloDtaryl whioh ara nhieh aha haa a| her paat azpeilaj riorofthauotai of the Roman My faalinga i raooUaetionofwl day I have Uttta Elaaaing laeollc now not what i what will ha the among atrangera,! the tnith, ao far i they an general that any fiMta whJ worda whene?er t the Hotel Dien li ahle e^denee tha floe, giTon in thia them; forwhatei ehangea whieh n< toally eoneeal; a in that Iiiatitatio] There are litini 3 leak, without fei blythefarteetimi eonikrm myatatei nddeetoaeaatlil now? or will the] SoperlorB have m hi the eella have i Bi^ haa been ail« the haa time to a< PR£FAC£. Iv !■ hoped that th« reader of the enenlnfr namUTO will not ■appoie that it la a Action, or that the aeenea and peraoni that I haTO delineated, had not a real exiatenoe. It la alao deaired, that the author of thia Tolnme may he regarded not as a tolnntttry nartioipator in the Tory goilty tranaactiona whleh are deaenhed; bm leeeiTO sympathy for the triala nhich she haa endured, and the pecoliar aitoation in whieh her paat ezperienee, and eaeape from the power of the 8upe* rior of the Hotel Diea Nnnneir, at Montreal, and the anai^ of the Roman Prieats in Canada, have left her. My feelinga are freouently diatreaaed and agitated by the recoueetion of what I haTO pasaed throngh, and by night and day I have little peace of mind, and few perioda of calm and pleasing recollection. Fntnrity also appeara meertain. I know not what reception thia little work may meet with, and what will be the effect of ita pnbiication here or in Oanada. among atrangers, fHenda, or enemiea. I have given the world the tmth, so far aa I haye gone, on anMecta of which I am told they are generally ignorant; and I feel perfect eonfldenae^ that any fiusta which may vet be diaoovered, will confirm my worda whenever they can be obtained. Whoever ahall explore the Hotel Dien Nunnery at Montreal, will find mtqcestionf able evidence that the descilptiona of Uie interior of ^b^^ edi- fice, given in thia book, were ftoiished by one fiuBil&tft with them; for whatever alterationa may be attempted, thei« are changea which no maaon or carpenter can make and effee- tnally conceal; and therefbre there must be plentiful evldeoea in that Ihstitntion, of the tmth of my description. There are living witnessea, alao, who ought to be made to 3 leak, withoQt fear of penancee, tortorea, and death, and pos- bly thefar teatimony at aome fatnre tlmoi may be addeo, to confirm my atatementa. There are witneesea I ahoald greatly ngoice to iee at liberty; or rather there werv. Areth^lifing nowt or will they bo permitted to live after the Frieata and finperiota have teen thia book f Perhapa the wretched nima in tha eella have already suffered fbr mv aake perhapa Jana Bay has been aileneed for ever, or will ba mnrdered, befoia •he haa time to add her moat hnportant teatiBMiiy to odKak '.\H Ti. P&BFACn. But tpttdj dtfttb hi ttlatloii only to tlili world, etn bt no frMtodaml^tothoiowlioloodtMMIiofoBan. TImbmo iMoUodon Off It tlwajt mokio mo nlitnblo. It woold dls- tNii tho Nodtr, ■honld I fopoot tho dioanui with whioh I m ofton tORlflod at nlgbt; tat I tomotlniei funaf myiolf pnr^ mod bj my wont onomMo: flroqntntly I Mom m If agaiii ibnt vp In tho OonTont; ofton I Imoglno mytelf pmtnt ol tbo Mpotttion of tho wont Monoo thot I bovo hfanod at or dti- onbod. Sometlmot I itond by tho loorot plaoo of Intoimeut In fho ooUar; lometlmoi I think I oan boor tho ibilokf of tho bolploio femoloo In tbo bonds of atrodooo mon; and oome- timoo olmoot loom oetnoUy to look ogain vpon tho oalm and plaeid IJMtnrea of 8t Franeei, at abo appoarod whon 8ar> roondod by her mnrderora. I oannot banish tho sconos and eharaotor of this book from jgH momory. To mo It oan noror appoar Uko an amnslng '^nio, or loss Its Intorost and Importanoo. Tbo stonr li ono whidi Is oontlnoally bofon mo, and most rotnm f^tu to my mtakd, with palnlbl amotions, aa long aa I llvo. With time, and Christian Instmotlon, and tho sympathT and oxaaiplet ^ of tho wise and good, I bono to learn snbmlsslTely to bear whatoTor trials aro appointed mo, and to Improro nndor them all. Impressed aa I oontlnnally am with tho frigbtfbl reality of tho palnftd eommonioations that I have made In thla volume, I ean only offer to all penona who may doubt or dIoboUeve my statements, these two things : Permit mo to go throngb tho Hotel Blen Nnnneiy, al Mon> treal, with some impartial ladioa and gontlomon, thatther may eompare my aooonnt with the Interior parts of tho bnuding, Into whioh no persons bat the Roman Biabop and Priests are •veradmittod; andlffhoydonotflndmTdoseriptlontraothen disesyrd me as an Impostor. Bring mo ooftnro a oonrt of jni* tiee-*-theK I am willing to meet Xolsreire, Di^tnt, PAmm, BMiin, and Rieharii. and their wioked eompanions, with tht Btpeilor, and any of the nuns, bofon a thonssnd man. HABIA MONK. K^ York, Jmmutury 11, ISSC. early Ut^] — Kntranoo OMy-Brlef googregatlQ Nonneiy— I tlonsreeelTi ^7 parents Msident in 1 marriage, wl city I hare e St. John'i, n father waa an •nd mj moth «onnt ereiy s Acoordinffl tentivo to hlJ passage from in after life. him; bntaftc noeiyed anj even brought i tlthoagh nom tentidii to her well €l the Jhnfiahee. Tc home, and my can traea my ■c^jilainno Wnenabont AWFUL DISOIiOSURES. OHAPTER I. . BAELT BVOOLLEOnOMI. Bwly Iilf«— Religion Bdueatlon NtglMtad—llnl 8«lio«l — Bntranot Into tli« ftohool of (ho OoafromtloBal Nmi^ neiy—Briof Aoooont of the NonnerlM In MoBtnol— Tht CoDgregttional Nminoiy— Tho Black Nvnnoiy— Tbt Orof Ntmnory— Pnblio Beopoet fat theM f nitltatloBO— Inolrao* tloni NMlTod— TlM Gatoehliim— Tbo BIblo. Mt pMrentB wm both from Seotland, but bad been redaent in Lower Canada tome time before %|^^ ,. marriage, whioh took plaee in Montreal, and in Wflf citj I baye apent most of my life. I waa bom at St. Jobn'a, where they liyed for a abort time. My father waa an oiBeer nnder the Britiah Goremment, and my mother baa enioyed a penaion on thai ae- eouit OTexy ainoe bia death. Aoeording to my earliest recoUeetlomi, be waa al- tentiva to ma ftunily, and often repeated to na a passage from the Bible, whieb often oeeiu«d to mo m after life. I may probably baTO been taught by him ; bnt after bia death I do hot reeolloot to ba^o received any instmetion at home, and waa not even brought np to read the Scriptnrea ; my mottier althongh nominally a Protestant, did not pay ai- tentiDa to her ehildren. She waa inelined to think well of the Oatholiea, and often attended their ehnrdbea. To my want of religiona inatroelfca al home, and my ignorance of Qod and my dnty, I can traoe my introdnetion to conTonta, and the leenea I am now lo deaeribe. When about aix or aeren years of age, I^ent la .-wmg^mii^imf 8 MAMA MOMK. ■ehool to ft Mr. Worknuui, % Protestant, who tanffht in Saorament street, and remained iOTeral months. There I learnt to read and write, and arithmetio as far as division. All the progress I e?er made in those hranohes was in tiiat school, as I hare neyer inproTed in m of them sinee. A number of girls of mj aeqnaintanee went to school to the nans of the Cfongregational Nunnery, or Sisters of Chariij. The s19K. Ihii iht Idld »• WM alwayi reqnirtd of Protoftant •8 mU M Oatholie children. Th«n won abont fifty girls in the lehool, and the nnna profeaied to toaeh reading, writing, aritbm^tici and geography. The methocb, howoTor, were Tory impmeet, and little attention waa deroted to them, the time being engrossed with lessons in needle- wimAe* whieh waa performed with mnch skilL Tho aims had no rery regular parts assigned them in tho management of ue schools. They were rather un- polished in their manners, often exclaiming, <* O'est an menti,'' (that'a a lie,^ and ** mon Dien,*' (my God,) on tho most teiTial oocasions. Their writing I WIS poor, and fliey often put a capital letter in tho nidcue of a word. The only book of geography which we studied, waa a catechism ci geography, from which wo learnt by heart a few questions and lanswera. We were sometimea referred to a map, |bat it waa only to point out Montreal or Quebec, or WM other prominent name. It may be necessary to mention, that there are Omivents in Montreal, founded on diifereni plans, and gOYemed 1^ different roles. Thefar les are aa followa ; — 1. The Congregational Nunnery. 2. TheBlaek fumeiy, or Convent of Sister Bourgeoise. . 8. Tho ' By Nunnery. llie first of (hose professes to bo devoted entirely » the edncation of ahrla. But with tho exception fneedlo^work, haimy any thing ia tausht bntprayor idcataeiiism; the instruotioii in reading, wlltmg, ., amo)Hptinf to Toy little and often to nothing, lis OaJmsiiiM adjacent to the Osey Nunnonr iep- itedliw|(lWonIybyawall. TheaoeondprqfuiSB 10 MiJUA MONK. to bt a charitable liiatitation for the oare ol the siok, and the supply of bread and medielnee to the poor ; and ■omethmg is done in eharity, though bat littie compared with thesiieof the buildings, and the nam< ber of inmates. The Grey Nnnnery, situated in a distant part of the city, is » large edifice, containing departments for the care of insane persons and foondlings. With this I have less acquaintance than with the others. I have often seen two of the Grey nuns, and know their rules ; they do not confine them always within their walls, like Uiose of the Black Nunnery. These two Gonvents have their common names (Black and Grey) from the colours ol the dresses worn by their inmates. ' In these three Convents there are certain apart- ments into which strangers can gain admittance, bat others from which they are always excluded. InaU, lar^ quantities of ornaments are made by the nuns, which are exposed for sale in the Ornament Boonu^ and afford large pecuniary receipts every year, which contribute much to their income. The nuns ofi these Convents are devoted to the charitable object apj^ropriated to each, the labour of making different t^des known to be manufactured by tiiem, and the religious observances, which occupy much of their time. They are regarded with much respect by the people at large; and when a novice takes I the veil, she is supposed to retire from the tempt- ations and troubles of this world into a state of holy] seclusion, where, by prayer, self-mortification anil good deeds, she j^repazes herself for heaven. SomC' j times the Snpenor of a Convent obtains the eha^l actor of working miracles: and when she diMj lUKIA MOMK. 11 erowds Ourong the Convent, who think indnltteneee ere to be dwiTed from bits of her elothee and other thinffi ihe has possessed; and many have sent artiefes to be tonehed by her bed or ohair, in which yirtne is thought to remain. I osed to participate in such ideas, and looked npon a nan as the hap- piest of women, and a Convent as the most holy, and delightful abode. Pains were taken to impress snoh views npon me. Some of the prissts of tiie Seminaiy oft^ visited the Congreptionsl Nnnnery , tnd catechised and talked on religion. The Super- ior c^ the Black Nnnneiy also eame into the school, and eidarged on the advantage we enjoyed in hav- ing snch teachers, and dropped something now snd then relating to her own convent, calculated to make ns entertain the highest ideas of it, and make us sometunes think of the possibility of get- ting into it Among die instructions given us by the priests, •ome of the most pointed were directed against the Protestant Bible. They often enlarged upon the evil tendency of that book, and told us that but for it many a soul condemned to hell, and su^Bring eternal punishment might have been in happiness. They could not say anything in its favour; fear thit would be spealdng against religion and against God. They wsmed us against its woe, &ud rep- leiented it as a thing very dangerous to our souls. In confirmation of tms, they would repeat some of I the answers taught us at catechism ; a few of which I will here give. We had litUe catechisms, (** Les Petits Catediismes*') put into our hands to study; bst the priests soon began to teach us a new set of imwen,^ whioh were not to be found in our books 1 < A lil ■* 1;^ M MABIA MORK. from fome of which I neeiTod new ideis, and got, u I thought, important light on reUj^onsaabjects, whioh eonfinned me more in my behef in the Bo- man Catholic doctrinea* Thoae qneationa and an- awera I can atill recall with tolerable accuracy, and some of them I will add here. I noTcr have read them aa we were tanght them only by word of month. **QuetHon* PorqaoilebonDienn'apaafaittoni leacommandemens?'* — "Eetporue. Faroe que 1* homme n'eat paa ai toti qn'il pent garder tont sei eommandemena.'' ** Question. Why did not God make all the com- mandments?*'— **^fUfoer. Becaoae man is not atrong enough to keep them." And another; ** Q. Porquoi lliomme ne lit pai V Evangile ?" — ** 22. Parce que Peaprit de Thomme est trop borne et trop f aible pour comprendre qu'est { ce que Dieu a ecrit.*' ** Q, Why are men not to read the New Testa- 1 ment ?" — ** A. Because the mind of man ia too limi* ted and weak to understand what God haa written." These questions and answers are not to be found in the conmion catechisms in use in Montreal and . other places where I have been, but all the childreo in the Congregational Nunnery were taught thein,| and many more not found in Uiese books. CHAPTER IL OONCIBBOATIONAL NimKaBY. 8101]^ told bj ft F«Uow PapU againit a PriMt-Othal StOflM— Pntiy Maiy— Oonnis to Father Riobardi-]lif| nbaeqaont Oonfonioii— Initiuetions in the Gateohifla| Thbbs waa a ghrl thirteen yean old whom knew hi the School, who resided in the neighboi MARIA MOHK. It hood of H7 mofhwy and witti whom I had boon fUniliar. 8ho told mo ono daj at iohool, of tho eondvei of a vrieai with hor aftoonfoiaion, at whidi I waf aatoilahod. Itwaaofiooiiimnalaiidahamo- fol a oaiiiMi I ooold hardly bolioTO it, and yet I had 10 mnoh eonfidonoo that aho apoko tho troth, that I ooold not diacfodit it 1^0 waa partly persnaded by tho piioat to bolioTO ho eoold not ahi, boeaaso ho waa a pxioat, and that any thing ho did to hor would aanetify hor ; and I jet aha aoomed aomewhat donhtfol how aho ahonld aet A nrieat, ahe had boon told by him, is aholy man, and appointed to a holy oflKoo, and thoref oro what wonld bo wiokod in other men, oonld not bo go in bin. 8ho told mo aho had informed hor mother of it, who expreasod no angor nor diaap- piobation: bat only enjoined it npon her not to ipeak of it; and remarked to her aa prieata were not like men, bat holy and aent to mafroet and [liTe ua, whateTor they did waa ri^t. I afterwarda oonfeaaed to tho prieat that 1 had Ihaazd tho atoiy and had a penanee to perform for indnlging a ainfol ooiioaity in making inqnirieaii ind £e girl had another for eonmianioatfaig it f ifterwarda learned that other ohildren had liiii treated in tho aame manner, andalaoof aimilar pro- [ceedinga. IndMd it waa not long before aneh langoage waa lued to me, and I well remember how my ^wa of light and wrong were ahaken by it Another giri •t the aehool, nom a plaoo aboTo Montraid, oaUed ttte Lae, told mo the following atory of whi^ had loeeBifad reoently in that fieinity. A yoong aqaaw, yied Iia Belle Marie, (pretty Maiy,) had been '-^^^ u MABIA MOMK. ■MB goiiig to eonfMiioii al the home of the wriest, who lived ft little out of the Tillege. LeBeUeMarie wai afterwaide miued, end her murdered bodj wm found in the river* A knife wm also found bearing the priMt'a name* Great indignation wm ezdtel among the Indians, and the nnest immediately ab- ■oonded* and wm never heaia from. A note was foond on hia table addresMd to him, telling him to fly, if he wm goilty. It WM aapposed that the priest wm fearful that his eondnet might be betrayed by this young female i and he ondertook to elear huHwlf by killing her. TheM atoriea stniek me with aoiidse at first, but I gradually beoan to f m1 diffnently, even supposing them true, and to look upon the priests m men in- eapable d afai ; beaidM. when I flrst went to con- f easiMi, whieh I did to Father Bioharda in the old Fkwneh ehuieh, sinM taken down, I heard nothing improper; and it wm not untU I had been several timM that the.priesta bMame more and more bold, and were at length indeeent in their queationa, and even in their eonduiA when I eonf eased to them in the Saeristie. Thia aubjeet» I believe, ia not un- dentood nor auapeeted among Protestanta ; and it ia not ngr intention to apeak of it very particularly, beeaoM it ia impoasible to do ao wimout Mying tiiinga both ahameful and democaliaing. I wOl only My here, that when quite a ehild, I heard from the moutha of the priests at eonfeasion, what I eannot repeat, with treatment eonrMpond- ing; and aeveral femalM in Canada have aMured me that they have repMtedly, and indaad regularly, been lequiied to answer the same and other liki fuMtloiia, many of whidi ptcipMnt to the mind deadi '■f MARU MONK. 15 whifih fh« nuMk iniqnitom and ooxrapt heart eoald luurdly invent. There was a freqaent ehange of teachers in the Bchool of the Nonnery, and no regnlar qrstem was pnnmed in onr inafanietion. There were muij nuiB who came and went while I was there, being [frequenfly called in and ont without any percepti- reason. They anpply school teachers to many |of Uie conntry towns, nsnally two to each of the iwns with wldch I was acquainted, besides sending listers of Charity to many parts of the TJniteS Itates. Among those whom I saw most was Saint atrick, an old woman for a nnn, that is about lorty, Tciy ignorant and gross in her manners, ith quite a beard on her fSse, and yeiy cross and Me. She was sometimes onr teacher in lewmgy and was appointed to keep order among ns. e were allowed to enter only a few of the rooms the Gongregational Nunnery, although it was iOt considered one of the secluded Convents. In the Black Nunnery, which is very near the mgregational, is an hospital for sick people from e city; and sometimes some of our boarders, eb as were indisposed, were sent there to be ued. I was once taken ill, and sent there for a iw days. There were beds enough for a number mora. A attended it dauy, and a number of the nuns of tliat Convent spend most of their metlMUNi. Thi^ wottld also sometimes read Inures and pMjfiis to us. After I had been in the Congregatiolial Nunnery yearn, I left it, and attended several schools 16 MAMXJl mohol ft ihorl timt. BailsoonbeeamediMttislUdthaT- ing nuaxj ftrtre triali to andim «l horn*, whioh m7 leeUnfli will not allow mo to doMiibo; and m my Galhouo aoqnaintaneos had often apoken to me In iwifoju of thttr fidth, I waa inoBned to belieTe il although I knew little of any leligion. If I had known anything of trae leHgion I Miere I ahonld m&wK hiTO thought of becoming a nnn. CHAPTER III. BLACK MUmiBBT. PMpantioiit to bteome a Nofie* in tho Black Nonnery- Bntnae*— Ooeopatloiit of tho Nofiooi— 'The oportmonts to whtah tbij had aeoooa— Fint Interriow with Jane Bay* Bofomioo for tho Soporior— A wondorftil Nan— Uor Bell' eoflo— Tho Holy Good Shophordt or Namoloaa Nun— Con* ftiilonorNofiooo. Ax length I detennined to beeome a Blaek Nnn, and called npon one of the oldest prieata in thil Seminary, to whom I made known my intention. The old priest waa Father Bocqne. He la still I alite. He waa at that time the oldeat priest in thi Semlnaiy, and canned the Bon IMen, Good Ood, as the SaeraniBntal wafer la called. When going lo administer it^b any conntiy place, he used to .ride with a man hefore him, who rang a bell as i signaL When the Canadians heard it, whose hab* itatioos he passed, they wooldmostrate themselvei totheearth, worshippuigUasOod. Hewaaamu of great age, and wore luge carls, so that he some' what resembled his predecessor, Father Bone. Hi| waa at thai time at the head of the Seminaiy. This institntion is a large edifice, situated neartbdj ••"'•••.'•12S2£S'S «A«Ult01IK. 17 M the ThiM Bi^«ri!riT*?"™*«7Mfcr down hundred and lllSr^SS ^L*"'^ ^"w^t «m |«giin in two w«S ?r^f3»^ my edUu P» '••J* •» the ihoMe o?I wZfi."? "? •»»«• • >!»»»•• dewSd ^i^* Tf*"*" «' «»»• hooie Me S«p«ter ^^ ■"* 1«^ • %h wSS Rffi; world'eSiinre ^**»^ *» S. FpMi««eeiTOnS«S? "''••»««• lie K where the norti^^"^'''**' "• latoahw. Nation of gewfag.""^' •"* •"««««» in the h"in^S£^«/t^«J-«.Vwer.,n ^ f . s 18 MARIA MOMS. dows: bnt in each group wiui one of the Teiled nnni of Uie eonvent, wboM abode wm in tbe inte- rior epartmente, to wbicb no noiiee was admitted. Ab we entered, the Superior infoimed them that a new noTiee had eome, and desired any present who might haye known me in the world to signify it Two Mils Fengnees, and a Miss Howard from Vermont, who h^l been my feUow-pnpils in the Congregational Nunnery, immediately reoognized me. I was then placed in one of the groups at a distance from them, uid furnished by a nun, ealled Sainte Clotilde, with materials to make a puree, sueh as priests use to carry the consecrated wafer in, when they administer the sacrament to the sick. I well remembermy feelings at that time, sitting among a number of struigers, and expecting with pamf nl anziiBty the arrival of the dinr tt .-hour. Then, ae I knew» eeiemonies were to be performed, for which I wai bnt ill prepared, as I had not yet heard the rules by which I was to be governed, and knew nothing of the forms to be repeated in tiie daily ex- ereises,'«xcqpt the creed in Li^. This was during the time of recreation, as it is called. The onlj reereatioii there allowed, is that of the mind, and j of this bat little. We were kept at work, acid pe^ i mitted to speak with each other only in hearing of the old nuns. We proceeded to diimer in couples, | and ate in silence while a lecture was read. The novices had access to only eight of the I apartments ; and whatever else we wishra tp know, we could only conjecture. The sleeping room wai in the second story, at the end of the westen wing* The beds were placed in rows, without 01I^ tains or anything else, to obstruct the view; and| :# in 006 eonaer wmm a mw^^n whwh WM the bed irfSr.S*?? l«««oiied oft ja which rteeouMloS^S.^™*'^ *•*'••• ««»"«? whieh ehowed e^rythfaff £ w j?*.*" oon into the ] termined to jd bemg requirec (which usually •nd is abridgec •ny exemplapv «al» the veil iH fo^ priest to b »5«thisexpr •ndahieiMly f^ MABU MOVK, tl edneation: nor oflbred any adTantagaa lor ftoring Ibeir minds, or polishing their mannors; Ihej an not tanght tren reading, wiithig, or aiithmetie; much less any of the more advanced branohea of knowledge. My time was ehiefly employed, at first, in work and prayers. It ia tme, dnrmg the last year I stadied a oreat deal, and was required to work bnt Tory little ; bat it wu the stady of vray- ers in French and Latin, which I had merely to commit to memory, to prepare for the eai^ repeti- tion of them on my reception, and after I shoud he sdmitted as a nnn. Among the wonderf ol events which had happen- ed in the Gonvent, that of the sadden conversion of a gay yoong lady of the city into ft nan appear- ed to me one of the most remarkable. The story which I first heard while a novice, made a deep im- piession npon my mind. It was nearly as follows : The danghter of a wealthy citizen of Montreal was passing the charoh of Bon Secoon one even- ing, on her way to a ball, when ahe waa sad- denly thrown down apon the steps or near the door, ind received a severe shock. She was taken np, and removed first, I think, into the charch, bol soon into the Black Nannery, which ahe soon de- tennined to Join as a nnn; instead, however, of being required to pass through a long novitiate, (which asaally occupies about two years and a half, and is abridged only where the character is peculi- arly exemplary and devout,) she was permitted to tani the veil without delay, being declared by God to a priest to be in a state of aanetity. The mean- ing 01 this expression is, that she waa a real saint, and already in a great measure raised above ^'' ¥*'j KABU M OHK. -/ world and its Inflneneeff and ineapaUt of ■famiBg ; poiMMiiiff the power of intereesiioii, tad e proper objeet to bo admsied in prayer. Thii lemarkaDle iodiTidaal, I waa farther informed, waa atill in ttie Convent, Uiongh I noTor waa allowed to aee her; aho did not mingle wiih the other nnna, either at work, worahip or meala; for ahe had no need of food, and not only her aonl, bat her body, waa in heaven a great piurt of her time, What added, if poaaible, to the reyerenee and myaterioaa awe with which I thoaght of her, waa the fact I learned, that ahe had no name. The titlea need in apeaking of her were, the holy aaint, reverend moUier, or aaint bon paateor, (the holy good ahepherd.) It ia wonderfal that we ooald have carried oar reyerenee for the Superior ao far aa we did, althoagh it waa the direct tendency of many instraotiona and regnlationa, indeed of the whole aystem, to permit, even to foater, a aaperatitioaa regurd for her. One of oa waa oecaaionally oaUed into her r6om to out her naila, or dreaa her hair ; and we woold often col- lect the dippinga, and diatiibatoibem to each other, or pi eaerv o them with the otmoat care. I once picked np aU her atray haira I coold find after combing ner head, boand them together, and kept them nntil ahe told me I waa not worthy to poasess thinga ao aaored. Jane M*Goy and I were once sent to alter a dreaa for the Saperior. I gathered np all the bita of thread, made a little bag, and pat them ii^ it for aafe preaervation. Thia I wore a long time ronnd my neck, ao long, that I wore cot a nnmber of atringa, which I had replaced with new onea. I bdieved it to possess the power of remov- ing pain, and often prayed to it to core the tooth- MABU MOmL n •0b6, A«. Jan* Bay loiiittiiiiM pfofenad to outgo Qg all In daTotion to tho Snpoior, and wovld piek op the fetlhars altar maklaf h«r bad« Thaaa aho would dlBtribnta among u, sajiog, **Whoii aha dieii reliea will begin to grow aeareo, an^an had better anpplj yoonelyaa in aeason." Tien aba woald treat Uie whole matter in soma way to tnm it into ridlonle. EqnallT eontradietofy , wai^d aha appear, when oecaaionally abe woidd amdit Jaava from her Superior to tell her dream. Witti n lariona faee, whioh sometimes imposed npon alltof ns, and made na half bdieye she waa in a perfeeiatalaof aaae- tify, aba would naiiata In Frenon soma onaoaount- able vision whiah she said she had enjoyed; then tuning round, would say, *' There are aoma who do not understand ma ; you all ought to bainfonn- ed.*' And then she would say aomething totally different in English, whioh put us to the greatest agony lor fear of laughing, Somethnea aba would say wa expaetad to m Superior herself one of those days. While I waa in the Congregational Nunnery, I bad gone to the parish ohuroh, to confess, for al- though the nuna had a private confession-room In the building, the boardera were taken in partiea through the streets, by some of the nuna, to con- fess in the ehureh ; but in the Black Nunnery, aa we had a chapd, and priests attending in tha con- fessionala, we neyer left tha building, Our confessions there as noTioes ware always perfonned in one way. Thoae of us who ware to eonfaia at a particular time, took our plaeea on our knees near the confession-boz, and, after hayhig repeated a number of prayers, &e., prescribed in our MARIA MONK. oook, eaine up jibe at a time and kneeled beside a fine wooden ttttioe work, whieh entirely sepaiated the eonfeeior from ne, yet permitted mi to place our faces almost to his ear, and nearly eoneealed his comitenance from onr view. I recollect how the priests used to recline their heads on one side, and often coyer their faces with their handkerchiefs, while they heard me confess my sins, and put questions to me, which were often of the most ui- proper and reyolting natnre, naming crimes both unttionght of and inhmnan. Still, strange as it may seem, I was persaaded to believe that all this was their dnty, or that it was done withoat sin. Veiled nans wonld often appear in the chapel al confession ; though, as I nnderstood, tbey ^ene^ ally confessed In private. Of the plan of ti^eir con- fession-rooms I had no information; bat I sup* posed the ceremony to be oondacted mach on the same plan as in the chapel viz., with a lattice inte^ posed between the confessor and the confessins. Punishments were sometimes resorted to while I was a novice, thoagh bat seldom* The first time I ever saw a gag, was one day when a yoong novice had done something to offend the Sapexior. This girl I always had compassion for, becaose she was very yoong, and an orphan. The Superior sent for a gag, and expressed her regret at bemg compelled, by the bad conduct of the child, to proceed to such a punishment; after which she put it into her mouth, so far as to keep it open, and then let it re- main some time before she took it out. There was a leathern strap fastened to each end, and tackled to the back part of the head. MARIA MONK. CHAPTER. IV. iDltplMMd with the ^GonTent— Left It— Reeldenee tAt Denis^Belios— Mutiage— Betorn to the Bleek Nunne^— Objeotioni made by tome NoTieee. After I had been a noyice foar or fiye years, from le time I commenced school in the Convent, one lay I was treated by one of the nuns in a manner rbieh displeased me, and becaase I expressed some ssentment, I was required to beg her pardon* Not mg satisfied with this, although I complied with le command, nor with the coldness with which the Superior treated me, I determined to quit the Con- rent at once, which I did without asking leave. lere would have been no obstacle to my depar- ), novice as I then was, if I had asked permiss- m ; but I was too much displeased to wait for lat, and went home without speaking to any one. I soon after visited the Town of St. Denis where saw two young ladies with whom I had formerly acquainted in Montreal, and one of them a Dhool-mate at Mr. Workman's School. After some DiiTersation with me, and leaminff that I had known \ lady who kept a school in the ^ace, they advised le to apply to her to be employed as her assistant ler ; for she was then instructing the govem- mi school in that place. I fisited her, and found her willing, and I en- jed at once as her assistant. The government society paid her £20 a year : ^e was obliged to teach ten children gratuitously ; jht liiive fifteen pence a month, for each ten tolars more, and then she was at liberfy, accord- : to the regulations, to demand as much as she leMed for the other pupils. The course of i i I 26 MARIA MONK. instraetfon leqnired by the lodefy «iiilinoed onlj rMding, ¥ncitmg, and what was called eiphering. The booki used were a spelling book, V InstractioB i de la JeiinesBe,the Catholie New Testament, and P Histoire de Canada. When these had been read through, in regular tneoession, the children wen dismissed as having oompleted their edncation. No difficulty is found in malong the common Frenobl Canadians content with such an amount of instnu'l tion as this ; on the contraiy, it is often found Yeiyf hard indeed to prevail upon them to send tiiieir chilJ dren at all, for tiiey say it taketf too much of thel love of God from them to send them to schooll The teacher strictly complied with the reqni8ii| tion of the society, and the Roman Catholic oat»| chism was regularly taught in the school, as mudl from choice, as from submission to authority, u\ she was a strict Catholic. I had brought with nul the little bag in which I had so long kept the cUn pings of the thread left after making a dress for tJuj Suj^or. Such was my regard for it, that I coo tinned to wear it constantly round my neck, and I feel the same reverence for it as before. I oce sionally had the tooth-ache during my stay at Denis, and then always relied on the influence my little bag. On such occasions I would say- ** By the virtue of this bag may I be delivered f the tooth-ache !" and I supposed that when it ci it was owing to that cause. While engaged in this manner I became acqt ed with a man who soon proposed marriage ; an young and ignorant of the world as I was, I he his offers with favour, On consulting with friend, she expressed a friendly interest for me,. MARIA MONK. m isad me sgainst iakiiig saeh » step, and Mpedally R I knew so litfle aliioat the mtn, except that 9 re- port was eircnlated nnfayonrable to his ehaiaeter. Jnfortiinately, I waa not wise enough to listen to iet advice, and hastily married. In a few weeks I occasion to repent of the step I had taken, as le report proved tme which I thought justified, ad indeed required, our separation. After I had ;eii in St Denis ahout three months, finding my* }lf thus situated, and not knowing what else to do, determined to return to the Convent, and pursue ly former intention of becoming a Black Nun, yM I gain admittance. Knowing the inquiries 16 Superior would make relative to me during my sence, before leaving St. Denis I agreed with the iy with whom I had been associated (when she ^ent to Montreal, which she did very frequency) say to the Lady Superior I had been under her )tection during my absence, which would stop ler inquiry; as I was sensible,. should they low I had been married I should not be admitted. I soon returned to Montreal, and, on reaching ^6 dfy, I visited the Seminary, and in another in- dew with the Superior conmmnicated my vrish, id desired her to procure my re-admission aa a »yice. After leaving for a short time, she returned and Id me that the Superior of the Convent had eon- ited, and I was introduced to her. She blamed le for leaving the nunnery, but told me Uiat I ight to be ever grateful to my guardian angel for ' ' ig care of me, and bringing me in safety back. jreqnested that I might be secured against the re- shes and ridicule of all the novicas and nuns. ^ I HARU M OMK. which I thought some might oast upon me, prohibited by the Superior; and this the proi me. The money nBoally required for the adiL eion of noTices had not been ezpeeted from me. had been admitted the first time without any sue requisition ; but now I choose to pay for my admission. I Imew that she was able to dispei with such a demand, and she knew that I was In possession of any thing like the sum required. But I was bent on paying to the Nunnery, accustomed to receive the doctrine often repc to me b^ore that time, that when the advantage! the church was consulted, the steps taken we Justifiable, tet them be what they would ; I the fore resolved to obtain money on fdse pretene confident that if all were known, I shomd be from displeasing the Superior. I went to brigade-major, and asked him to give me the moD payable to my mother from her pension, wl amounted to about thirty dollars, and witho questioning my authority to receive it in her : he gave it me. From several of her friends I obtained sums under the name of loans, so that altogether] had soon raised a number of pounds, with which [ hastened to the Nunnery, and deposited a parti the hands of the Superior. She received money with evident satisfaction, though she ma have known that I could not have obtained honestly; and I was at once re-admitted ui novice. Much to my gratification, not a word fell the lips of my M associates in relation to mj eeremoidous departure, nor my voluntary rel # MABIA MONK. he Superior's orden, I liad not ft doubt, had been lioitiy laid down, and they certainly were care- [y obeyed, for I never hem an alliudon made to at subject daring my subsequent stay in the Con- int, except that, when alone, the Superior would metimes say a little about it. There were numbers of young ladies who enter- awhile as noyices, and became weary or disgnst- with some things they observed, and remained i a short time. One ef my cousins, who Hved at aobine, named Reed, spent about a fortnight in 16 Convent with me. She however, conceived leh an antipathy to the priests, that she used ex- dons which offended the Superior. The first day that she attended mass, whUe at ler with us in full community, she said before all, *' What a rascal that priest was, to preach it his best friend t" 'All stared at such an unusual exclamation, and l^me one enquired what she meant. "I say*' she continued, ** he has been preaching ist him who has given him his bread. Do you ippose that if there were no devil, there would be b; priests?'* This bold young novice was immediately dismiss- and in &e afternoon we had a long sermon the Superior on the subject. It happened that I one day got a leaf of an Eng- i Bible which had been brought into the Convent, kpped round some sewing silk, purchased at a ore in the city. For some reason or other, I de- frmined to commit to memory a chapter it contain- 1, which I soon did. It is the only chapter I ever it in the Bible, and I can now rtpeat it It is my ^**^ 80 MABU MOMS i the Mcond of St. Matthew's gospel. **Now whflQ JesuB WM bom at Bethlehem of Jndea," Sso, It hap. pened that I was observed reading the paper, and when the nature of it was discovered, I was condemn' I ed to do nenance for my ofiTence. 6hreat dislike to the Bible was shown by those who conversed with me about it, and several have re< marked to me that if it were not for that book, Catho- lies would never be led to renounce their own faitb, I have heard passages read from the Evangile, n> lating to the death of Christ; the conversion ol Paul; a few chapters from St. Matthew, and pe^ haps a few others. The priests would also 8om6< times take a verse or two, and preach from it. l| have read St, Peter's life, bat only in the book call< ed the ** Lives of the Saints.'' He, I understood,! has the keys of heaven and hell, and has founded onr church. As for Saint Paul, I remember, ss I was taught to understand it, that he was once a great persecutor of the Roman Catholieif until he becami convicted, and confessed to one of the father e<»\ fetiorit I don*t know which. For who can exj to be forgiven, who does not become a Catholic, andj eoniessf CHAPTER y. lUotlvad Oonftrmatlon—Painflil Feelingi— Speoimtiii of Tb>| ttraedons iMrtved on the 8iitt|eot. Ths day on which I received Confirmation wasi distressing one to me. I believed the doctrine d the Roman Catholics, and according to them I wu guflty of three mortal sins ; concealing something aleonfesiion, sacrilege, in patting the body of Chiul| in the itcrament under my feet, and by receivin IIABIA MONK. 31 rhile not In * state of grace ! and now I had been _ into all those sins in consequence of my mar- [iage, which I never had acknowledged, as it wonld isve cat me o£f from being admitted as a nnn. On the day when I went to the church to be con- led with a number of others, I suffered extremely rom the reproaches of my conscience. I believed, I had been told, that a person who had been lointed with the holy oil of confirmation on the »rehead, and dying in the state in which I was, roold go down to hell, and, in the place where the had been mbbed, the names of my sins would Ee out of my forehead ; these would be a sign by fhich the devUs would know me, and would torment he the worse for them. I was thinking of all this, fhile I was sitting in the pew, waiting to receive le dL I felt however some consolation, when my came to my mind: which I derived from ano- iet docft^lie of the church, viz., that a bishop vuld absolve me from all sins any minute before ij death; and I intended to confess them all More leaving the world. At length the moment ^r administering the ** sacrament" arrived, and a was rung. Those who had come to be con- led had brought tickets from their confessors, Ihioh were thrown into a hat, and carried around a priest, who in turn handed each to a bishop, which he learned our names and applied a UtUe [the oil to the foreheads. This wasimmediately rub- off by a priest with a bit of cloth quite roughly. 1 1 went home with some qualms of conscience, and ithought with dread of the following tale, which vft heard told, to illustrate the sinfiUuess of con- iiot like mine. 1^1 ' MARIA MONE. A pritst WM once traveling, when he was pan. Ing by a honse, hit hone fell on its knees, and would not rise. His rider dismounted and went is to leam the cause of so extraordinary an occurrence, j He found there a woman near death, to whom ij priest was trying to administer the sacrament, but without success ; for every time she attempted to swallow it, it was thrown back out of her moulh in* to the chalice. He perceiyed it was owing to uncon* fessed sin, and took away the holy wafer from heiij on which his horse rose from its knees, and he piu>| sued his journey. I also had been told, that we shall have as manjl devils biting us, if we go to hell, as we have uncon^f fessed sins on our consciences. I was required to devote myself for a year to thil study of theprayers and practice the ceremomefl necessary on the reception of a nun. This I fonnil a vexy tedious duty ; but as I was released from thil daily labours usually demanded of novicei, I felt littiij disposition to eomplain. CHAPTER VL Taking Ui« Yeil^Intervitw afterwardt with the Superior— Si»| priM Mid horror at th« DiielorareB— Besolntion to lubmill I WAS introduced into the Superior's room on tbil evening preceding the day on which I was to takil the veu, to have an interriew with the bishop. Thil Superior was present, and the interview lasted haUl an hour. The bishop on this as on other occasionil ^pearedtobe habitually rough in his mauii6n| His address was by no means prepossessing. Before I took tiie veil, I was ornamented for tlii| eeremony, and was clothed in a dress belonging MABU MUNK. 98 I le Convent, whieh was used on snoh occasions ; id placed near the altar in the chapel, in the yiew > a nnmher of spectators, who had assembled. faking the veU is an affiiir which occnrs so fire- aentiiy in Montreal, that it has long ceased to be sgarded as a novelty ; and, although notice had sen given in the French parish church as nsnal, ily a small audience assembled. Being well prepared with a long training, and Ireqnent rehearsals, I stood waiting in my large owing dress for the appearance of the bishop. [e soon presented himself, entering by a door Bhind the altar : I then threw myself at his feet, id asked him to confer upon me the veiL He [pressed his consent; and then turning to the iperior, I tiirew myself prostrate at her feet, oovdiDg to my instructions, repeating what I ive before done at rehearsals, and made a move* lent as if to kiss her feet. This she prevented, appeared to prevent, catching me by a sudden [otion of her hand, and granted my request I )en kneeled before the Holy Sacrament, that is a jre round wafer held by the Bishop between his fore finger and thumb, and made my vows. [This wafer I had been taught to regard with the lost veneration as the real body of Jesus Christ, le presence of which made the vows uttered before Ibinding in the most solemn manner. [After taking the vows, I proceeded to a small lent behind the altar, accompanied by four 18, where there was a coffin prepared with my 1*8 name engraved upon it: ** Saint Eustaob.'' IMy companions lifted it by four handles attached r' f MABIA MOHK. to it, while 1 threw off my dress, and pnt on that of a nnn of Soenr Bonrgeoise ; and ttien we all returned to the ehapel. I proceeded first, and was followed by four nnns, the Bishop naming a number of world- hr pleasures in rapid suocession, in reply to which I as rapidly repeated, ** Je renounce, je renounce, je renounce,"— I renounce, I renounce, I renounce. i^ The cofSn was then placed in front of the altar | V' and I advanced to place myself in it. This coffin j was to be deposited, after the oeremony, in an oat* I house, to be preserved until my death, when it wai to receive my corpse. There were reflections whicb | I naturally made at that time, but I stepped in, ex* tended myself, and lay still. A pillow had been S laced at the head of the coffin, to support my head! I a comfortable position. A Uiick black cloth wai then spread over me, and the chanting of Latio hymns commenced. My thoughts were not m most pleasing during the time I lay in that situation, The pall, or Drap Mortel, as the