Sr Geneviève de la Ste Face to her sister Françoise Thérèse
+ Jesus June 1, 1913
My darling Leonie,
I'm so used to starting my letters on this side for the countless business letters I send that I was wrong for this one, forgive me and accept your little Celine's wishes for your wedding anniversary. ' Birth gold!
That's right, you're six years older than me and I've just turned 44. On this subject I said to our Mother: I have both 4. She answered me: “well! you are going to go to Heaven four by four, be holy four by four, do everything four by four!” May she say true for the first two wishes, as for the last one, I'm not doing badly, because I work tirelessly.
Presently I'm going to take care of arranging the room in Alençon where Therese was born. Yesterday we sent our architect there who will come to give us news of what he sees as urgent to do in view of the pilgrimage.
Mr and Mrs Grant receive an average of 50 people there a day. We say nothing to Mrs. Hassebroucq owner and nothing to Jeanne either, especially do not sell us! Jeanne and Francis do not understand our way of doing things, they tighten the reins for everything. Jeanne told us in the last parlor that devotion to Therese was a will-o'-the-wisp, a fleeting enthusiasm, that all that would fall. And we who know that worship will only grow and beautify! Finally it is better to hear that than to be deaf and it is our ordeal not to be supported, encouraged; no doubt that the good Lord supports this to bless us doubly...
You know that Mgr went to bless the altar at Les Buissonnets, His Grace said that she would say the first mass there, Mgr Lemonnier found everything very well. Mgr de Teil also Mgr Lemonnier wanted us to buy the Dauphin property to knock down the wall that touches the house, but Dauphin does it for 20.000 francs while it is worth 2.000 at the most. You understand that we don't want it. And to think that Papa had bought the little Gervais garden that we covet and that he had only paid 800 francs for it. It was my uncle who sold it. In short, we only want this strip of land there, but we won't pay 20.000 francs for it.
The hoteliers and coachmen say that Thérèse made the fortune of Lisieux, they all take their pilgrims to Les Buissonnets, it's a well-known place now, this little house lost in an alley!!! Ah! How wonderful are the returns of God!...
Darling little sister, in saying that I think, by contrast, that they are as scary as they are lovable. We are all impressed by the death Mr. Fleuriot our neighbor who did not see the priest, did not confess. Our Father Superior is overwhelmed by this and says that it is supremely sad. The day before he had gone there and this time had said openly that it was time. The patient replied: "It's fine weather, I'm going to recover": He said he would warn. Here is a firm statement! So the good Lord did not wait for his signal. Our Father said that these things never happen among the poor, while these rich people end up in impenitence. Mme de Moidrey (Berthe F.) comes to see me quite often.
I see that I have no more room, yet I wanted to tell you that the Hassebroucqs were in Rome and that they are trying to hang up on our Mother and others here, but the Bishop doesn't want it, nor do we.
I kiss you my darling little sister. Your Celine
Sr Geneviève of Ste Thérèse rci
My affectionate respect to your good Mothers. Happy birthday again! My communion will be for you on the 3rd...
Mr Annould, author of the painting of Thérèse in Nazareth sent me his painting so that I can touch up Thérèse, I assure you that she is not bad.
