La Chapelle, March 23,1640
Monsieur,
Please excuse me for imposing on your Charity. I had promised myself to get news of you every week, either personally or through someone else. Since this has not been possible, I am taking the liberty of interrupting the holy occupations of your Charity to ask you humbly to bring me up-to-date on the state of affairs in the establishment of our daughters.
I am a bit concerned about them because 1 was supposed to have come to see them but could not because of my trip. I am so subject to committing faults that I should not be surprised by this. Since I am good for nothing, I can but hope that God can and will often derive glory from persons such as I, showing thereby that in His power He has no need of His creatures to carry out His plan.
With the help of God, the three sisters1 that I promised will leave without fail on Tuesday. It took longer than I expected to send them because of the difficulty we had in withdrawing them from where they were. I assure you, Monsieur, that they are the elite of our remnant except for one sister who is very necessary here. It would be a fault on my part not to recommend them to your charity because I have so many reasons for believing that our loving God has committed this enterprise to it. I have but one humble favor to ask of you, Monsieur, which is to pardon me for my failure to provide spiritual nourishment for these good sisters and to have the charity to correct me so that by mending my ways I may see to it that you have less difficulty with those who will come later.
I do not recall if in my earlier letters I presented to you the humble greetings of Monsieur Vincent. I will make up for this omission in this one which I conclude by humbly begging you to honor me by a continued remembrance in prayer. I ask this in the belief that I am, in the love of Jesus Crucified, Monsieur, your very humble daughter and most obedient servant.