CHAPTER VIII.

New Foundations.

1.

Mother Frances discovers and

defeats a diabolical deception.

Even before the first conferring of the habit, as early as June 13th, 1850, Mother Frances took charge of a poor-house in Juelich. This institution, called the "Inn," or "Hospital of the Holy Ghost," had been attended by Elisabethines until the suppression of religious Orders; then it had been suffered to fall into neglect, until pastor Hennes and the pauper commission called our Sisters. The latter, at the same time, undertook to nurse the sick in their homes. Sister Paula, the sister of Mother Frances, was Superioress of the little community. The young Superioress bravely overcame all difficulties, joyfully underwent all labors and gladly suffered all privations, and soon things were in perfect shape. But her exertions overtaxed her strength. Once, after watching through several nights, she swooned away while assisting at Mass. Regaining consciousness after being carried away, she smilingly observed: "I am not ill; I was only overcome by sleep."

2. After the approval of the Congregation the establishment at Bonn, planned some time before and zealously advocated by Baron Boeselager, was effected. For this and all later foundations Mother Frances demanded, as an essential condition, that the pastors concur; also, that the Sisters be permitted to collect alms and that they should not be responsible to any board or commission concerning the use made of the alms collected, but that they might freely devote them to the use of the institute.

The community in Bonn at first consisted only of three Sisters and a postulant. The young Sister Bonaventure, who labored faithfully in different establishments till her death, May 8th, 1889, was Superioress. The little community at once began nursing the sick in their homes, and soon also established a charity kitchen, for which they begged aid from door to door. In a letter dated October 6th, 1851, Mother Frances exhorts the Superioress to beware of overtaxing herself and the Sisters with too much work, that they might not lose the spirit of recollection. "For," she adds, "your labors would then be unprofitable to yourselves and to your fellow-men." On the 22d of November she writes to Sister Bonaventure informing her that she was confined to her room by a pain in her feet, and remarks: "Well as it is for me to be compelled to escape from the noise and confusion of our daily occupations, it nevertheless appears strange to me not to be with the Sisters. But Our Dear Lord knows for what this is good, and so I leave the care of everything to Him." On January 3d, 1852, she writes: "Oh how sincerely I desire to send you assistance! I can scarcely bide the time until I shall be able to send you a fifth Sister." Then she exhorts the Sisters, who at that time had to go a long way to church early in the morning, to profit by what, in the hard winter, was a great sacrifice. "Always think of Our Saviour carrying His cross, and it will become sweet to you to follow in His footsteps."

3. By request of the royal government, Mother Frances, on the 15th of August, 1851, engaged in a

new, difficult, and in some respects ill-rewarded undertaking, which, however, was most agreeable to God, viz., she took charge of the female prisoners in the House of Detention at Aix la Chapelle. The sad moral condition of such persons is well known. In order to bring about a reformation, the zealous chaplain of the institution, the Rev. Pastor Mettman, had obtained the consent of the magistrate. Sisters Dominica and Jacoba were detailed for the work. At first they remained with the convicts only during day-time; later they took up their abode in the prison. Their labors were signally blessed, and soon other Sisters had to come to their assistance. Many of the convicts reformed. The Sisters took special care to provide for them after their release, the more so because this class of persons generally has difficulty in finding the means of perseverance by obtaining a suitable position. Later, a Sister in the motherhouse was appointed and steadily employed in assisting released convicts and finding a home and employment for them.

Another work of charity, which her magnanimity of heart impelled Mother Frances to undertake about this time, shows her love for unfortunates of all kinds in a clear light. One part of the old Dominican monastery had been furnished as a home for aged and invalid poor by the pauper commission. On every great feast of the Church or the Order she visited, with the Sisters, these poor creatures and treated them to coffee and cake, for which purpose she collected among her benefactors.

4. When, in the course of time, the community became better known, alms also came in more abundantly, and the liberality of Mother Frances. increased in the same, or rather in a greater degree. Yet, sometimes the means did not equal the growing needs, and as a consequence, the community suffered from want; for Mother Frances was more intent on the needs of the destitute than on the demands of her own household. When the treasury was empty, she did not feel uneasy, but confidently placed her entire trust in Providence. Her confidence increased more and more by experience, and was often rewarded by unmistakable proofs of unexpected help. Thus she had to mail a letter, but lacked the means to prepay the postage. On being called to the parlor, she found a benefactress there who, without being informed of her destitution, gave her one hundred thalers.

5. The danger of deception lying in extraordinary, seemingly supernatural occurrences was shown in a most striking manner by an affair as strange as it proved instructive, which happened in 1852. At the same time it is a proof of the rare judgment and firmness of Mother Frances. The object of this diabolical deception was to remove the saintly Foundress from her office, and thus to destroy, or at least to weaken, the Congregation which had just been confirmed.

In explanation of this strange occurrence we premise, that, according to the doctrine of the Church, supernatural, divine powers and workings of grace operate continually, if withal secretly, fortifying and elevating the soul interiorly, and

sometimes even appearing unmistakably in external life. Faith teaches also that on the other hand the moral life of the soul is influenced by the operation of evil spirits, and that often enough it is drawn away from God into the depth of consummate degradation. This diabolical influence sometimes appears manifestly, and increases to demoniac possession, as Holy Scripture and the experience of all nations through centuries prove.

In relating the establishment of the new community we had occasion to mention the oftenrepeated extraordinary influence of God, the reality of which can not be reasonably doubted. A diabolical counterpart, designed for the ruin of this divine plantation, need not surprise us. We may remark in the life of all the saints, that in the same degree as they were elevated above the common ways and virtues of Christian life, by extraordinary gifts of grace, they were also exposed to strange diabolical vexations, which they could overcome only by the grace of God, and with much patience.

6. In the case to which we refer, hell used as its instrument a young girl of Aix la Chapelle, whom Mother Frances had snatched from the clutches of vice. As she promised to reform and do penance, she placed her in one of the branch houses. The incident being of a rather recent date, we confine ourselves to the narration of the main facts, without going into details.

In the branch house alluded to, this person was soon affected with morbid manifestations similar to those observed in somnambulists. Medical aid proved of no avail, and the apparently ecstatic