Sister Marie of the Sacred Heart to Sr Françoise Thérèse
+ Jesus September 24, 1918
My darling little sister,
Madame de Castelnau sent Miss Mikaëlle some money to buy us grapes for September 30th. She believes this saintly lady that Caen is very close to Les Buissonnets and that they can quite easily bring you grapes, for she wants you to have some too.
Isn't that tricky of her. I therefore put in this letter a mandate from Madame de Castelnau asking your good Mother to have Caen buy grapes or other fruit if you wish, but it seems to me that it is the grapes that are the most advantageous, because there are no fruits this year. On the market we saw 4 dozen pears selling for 60 frs.
You will have to thank Mme de Castelnau for the grapes, not to mention the money, because she believes that the grapes will come to you straight from Ms. Mikaëlle.
Did I tell you, dear little sister, that Father Pichon was arriving on October 3 to preach the retreat to us. I wonder if he will be able to go through with it, because he has been so sick this summer. It is certainly his last retreat. Poor fugitive life where everything passes quickly! So much the better, soon we will reach the port! But no, we must not say so much the better since while we are traveling here below we can take with us poor lost souls who run towards the abyss. Let us make them run towards Heaven by our sacrifices. When I think of our little Thérèse's zeal for the salvation of souls, I am confused. What divine charity! She does not even want to enjoy the happiness of Heaven, she must first think of sinners. "No, I will not be able to take any rest until the end of the world but when the Angel will have said: "The time is no more!" "Only then will I rest, I will be able to enjoy, because the number of the elect will be complete".
How I love to meditate on these words! what selflessness! What an apostle!!!... We too, dear little sister, let us be generous, fear neither work nor pain. Jesus is with us. He will help us until the end, he only asks for our good will.
Your preacher little sister, Sr. M. of the SC
Respectful tributes to your beloved Mother.
It is indeed Sr. St. Raphaël who painfully climbed the stairs and who is very happy today to run in the gardens of Heaven...
