Madeleine Pichery 1834-1898
Peace and very humble greetings to Our Lord, who has just recalled to Him our very dear Mother Hermance-Madeleine DU COEUR DE JESUS DU MONT-CARMEL. She was 64 years 9 months old, of which 40 years and 6 months spent in religion.
According to the request she made to us, verbally and in writing, not to have a circular, we will respect her wish, while giving our hearts the consolation of tracing only a few lines to her venerated memory.
Our dear Mother was born in Honfleur, from a very honorable family. She was the eldest of a sister whom she loved dearly and whom her death today plunges into the deepest pain. Both received the most careful education and made brilliant studies which earned our Mother real success in the functions of teacher which she exercised for several years with distinction, thanks to her superior intelligence and her great piety.
Entering our Monastery at the age of 24, she edified our former Mothers by her courage in embracing all our holy observances, despite her most delicate constitution. On the day of her Profession, she prayed to Our Lord to grant her the grace to follow the rule entirely for 15 years. "How I regret," she said later, "not having extended my request for all my life!" Be that as it may, her prayer was answered to the letter: the 15 years expired, she fell into a sort of most painful anemia that she had to bear until her death.
After having exercised the office of Mistress of Novices, she was part, as Sub-Prioress of the small colony sent to found the Carmel of Coutances. On the death of the Reverend Mother Aimée of Jesus, of sweet memory, she was elected prioress and returned to us in 1882, in absolutely ruined health. However his patience and his resignation. in suffering did not contradict themselves, despite all the sacrifices that his state of impotence imposed on him.
What we admired the most in our good Mother of the Heart of Jesus was her always so perfectly religious bearing, her respect, we would almost say her cult for authority, and above all a very great charity in her words, charity carried to the most exquisite delicacy. Thus she prepared herself for the coming of the divine Spouse whom she called for with all her wishes, despite her fear of death and of the judgments of God.
Last year, during the illness of our angelic little sister Thérèse of the Child Jesus, we were reading the life of Saint Louis de Gonzague in the refectory when our dear Mother was struck by the touching and reciprocal affection of the young Saint and a venerable religious of the Society of Jesus, Father Corbinelli: “You are little Louis, she said to our holy child and I am old Father Corbinelli; when you are in Heaven, remember me! »
“Mother, would you like me to come and fetch you soon? »
“No, not yet, I haven't suffered enough. »
“0 my Mother, I tell you that you have suffered enough. »
And Mother of the Heart of Jesus to answer: “I still don't dare to say yes to you... For such a serious thing, we need the sanction of the authority. »
In fact, the request was addressed to us, and, without attaching any importance to it, we gave an affirmative answer. Now, one of the last days of her life, Sister Thérèse of the Child Jesus, who could hardly speak any more, because of her great weakness, received from our dear Mother, a small bouquet of flowers, with to the nurse to send him then, as a thank you, a single word from our angel. And here is what this truly prophetic word was: “Tell Mother Coeur de Jesus that this morning, during Mass, I saw the tomb of Father Corbinelli very close to that of little Louis. » - « That's good, answered all moved, our good Mother; tell Sister Thérèse of the Child Jesus that I have understood! »
From that moment she remained convinced of his approaching death. However, there was no change in her condition until October 17 of this year, when she was taken with a cold which degenerated into bronchitis, and in a few hours put her at the gates of the tomb. to remind us of the prophecy of our little Saint and no longer seemed to fear death
On Thursday the 27th, she received Holy Viaticum and Extreme Unction, a ceremony which made us shed tears, as much by the fervor of our dear patient, as by the touching exhortations of our pious and worthy chaplain, who soon joined the blessings and encouragement of our revered Father Superior. Both promised each other, nevertheless, to come more than once more to renew their consolations to our good mother; and this feeling was confirmed by a real improvement. Bronchitis seemed averted and we had hoped to keep our dear patient for several more weeks, when on the night of October 30, at half past one, after repeating gently to the nun who watched her, how she suffered from being unable to sleep, she suddenly lost consciousness and we only had time to come running with several of our dear daughters to receive her last breath.
We could not help ourselves then, in spite of our pain, from an indefinable feeling of gratitude towards God who, always full of kindness towards our souls, had unexpectedly asked for that of our dear Mother, so well prepared moreover, to spare him the dreaded anguish of the last moments. Here below she called upon material sleep to repair her exhausted forces and the Lord immediately answered her prayer, giving her eternal rest, the sleep of faithful spouses on his Sacred Heart, an ineffable rest that will no longer follow the often painful awakening of the nights of 'exile.
Our devoted doctor, who every day had lavished his eager care on him, did not hide his surprise when, on his morning visit, he found nothing but the mortal remains of our so good Mother. Having seen her, just the day before, smiling at her and talking to her very kindly, with that fine and delicate spirit which characterized her, he could not help saying: “It is really beautiful to see people die in Carmel! How different from the world! Here we die smiling!
May the divine Master have smiled himself at this beautiful soul at the end of life! This is our desire and our hope. Are not such long years of suffering, borne with love, a real purgatory?
However, my Reverend Mother, as the judgments of God are unknown to us, we beg you to return as soon as possible to our very dear Mother of the Heart of Jesus the suffrages of our Holy Order - that she abandons to the souls in purgatory, - by grace a communion of your Holy Community, the indulgence of the Way of the Cross and the six Paters, three Gloria Patri, a few invocations to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, to Our Lady of Mount Carmel and to Saint Joseph. will be very grateful to you as well as we, who have the grace to say to us at the foot of the cross, My Reverend and very honored Mother,
Your humble sister and servant,
Sister Marie de Gonzague,
RC ind..
From our Monastery of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Conception of the Carmelites of Lisieux, November 4, 1898.
