A. The daily life of a missionary

There is one constant feature in the lives of those who work for God: the spirit of mission, the strong desire to proclaim the gospel. This is a movement of the heart, first, before it becomes an external activity. It is this which enables God to send whomsoever He wishes wherever he wishes and whenever He wishes. Two great missionaries, Francis Xavier and Father Damian, who were ready to leave all things and to undertake all things, were called at very short notice to replace two missionaries struck down by illness at the moment they were due to set sail. Madeleine-Sophie never left Europe. Nonetheless her whole life was shot through with a missionary spirit, and a missionary perspective influenced all her decisions.

However, it was not Sophie who brought the Gospel to "the frontiers" - to use the phrase beloved of Americans when they speak of the heroic missionary period of the 19th century. ([1])

From 1806 onwards, Madeleine-Sophie knew that she had found what she had asked for from the Lord: that companion who would do this work instead of her. Philippine Duchesne, a Visitation Sister in Grenoble, had seen her own community scattered by the revolution. She who had the strength of the oak-tree, was not going to lie down under these events! After some dangerous and secret undertakings for the underground Church, she set to work, regained ownership of the Monastery of Sainte-Marie-d'en-Haut, offered it to the young Society of the Sacred Heart, and in a spirit of submission became again a novice, this time at the school of someone much younger than herself. It was the start of a life-long friendship lived in service of the Kingdom. A long letter dated 3rd February 1806 should really be quoted in full. In it, Madeleine-Sophie tells Philippine that it is she who will do the work that fills both of them with such zeal. We will pause at just this paragraph :

"A recent event (her election as superior general) has deprived me of my final vestiges of hope… I am nailed to France and the surrounding countries. But does this make me give up my project? No, this same desire increases each day, and I ask that one of my companions may bring it to fruition, the Holy Spirit Himself leading and guiding her…. And now it seems to me that I see you, my dear daughter, prostrate at the feet of Jesus Christ and of your unworthy Mother, asking if it is you yourself whom she - or rather Jesus himself- is calling. You are waiting for the Yes, which you have been searching for and which seems to be so slow in coming…"

This "yes" took twelve years to come. Madeleine-Sophie waited alert for God's hour, while "her friend to whom God seems to give the same desire to make Him known and loved", continued, strongly and persistently, to press her case. Finally, the "yes" was extracted from Madeleine-Sophie in the presence of Monsignor Dubourg, bishop of Louisiana, and on 21st march 1818, the "Rebecca" sailed from Bordeaux carrying Philippine and her four companions to the New World ([2]). From then on it was Philippine who was foremost on the missionary scene, while Madeleine-Sophie did all she could to support her. In what ways did she support Philippine ?

a) by a correspondence with Philippine which continued until the latter's death in 1852. However, there is one puzzling question: why was there a silence between them, of almost ten years ? This caused Philippine great suffering, as she interpreted this break in communication as disinterest, or as disapproval of her actions. It is hard to believe that Mother Barat would have written so little! Perhaps letters did not reach her? Did they go astray on one or other of the ships? Could they have been held back by someone jealous of the intimacy between Madeleine-Sophie and Philippine, an intimacy which united them in a friendship similar to that of David and Jonathan? All hypotheses are possible - and of no use! In 1849 regular two way correspondence began again.

b) by regularly sending missionaries to staff the numerous foundations. While Philippine did all she could to awaken and accompany native vocations, rejoicing at those who spoke English (a language she herself was never able to master) Madeleine-Sophie for her part sent Sisters who were able to meet whatever needs there were, without thinking of their own personal interests. On both sides of the ocean, early death snatched away many gifted religious, and it was difficult to find those who were able to fill the gaps!

c) by frequently sending money and materials. Oh yes, money is often a topic of their correspondence. Philippine's family supported Mother Barat very generously in sending this help. Father Barat himself, strong character and all as he was, carried on a correspondence with Philippine - his "soul-sister",- and found generous people to contribute to her work. Nothing was wasted in those heroic times when in winter, hands would become stuck to door-handles, so fierce was the cold!

d) by sending messengers who brought to Philippine by word of mouth, assurances and signs of affection: by sharing with her, the orientations of general chapters: by encouraging her in times of illness and when death drew near. We will mention just two such messengers: the great figure of Mother du Rousier, heroic pioneering foundress in Chile who visited North America en route to her mission; and Mother Amélie Jouve, Philippine's own niece sent as Visitor to Canada and to the United States, bearer of Saint Madeleine-Sophie' friendship and love to her old friend whose life was coming to its end.

B. Why did she travel ?

Even if she hardly ever left France, Sophie Barat was an indefatigable traveller. She had many reasons for her journeys. There were the foundations, whether these were in places of dire poverty, as in the village of Cuignières near Amiens, or whether they were in more distinguished places where she needed to maintain her freedom in face of donors or patrons. Thus in Turin in 1832. The King and Queen of Sardinia, lofty benefactors, very frequently visited the community. So much so that Mother Barat exclaimed "If His Majesty keeps coming so often to us, Il will go to review his troops!" She wanted to maintain a certain religious simplicity in the midst of very luxurious settings, as when, for example, she had mirrors and paintings and some of the gold leaf décor removed from the Hotel Biron (which is now the Rodin Museum). She had to research places and possibilities for foundations in one or other situation . She needed to get to know those groups who were eager to do good by offering their services, their goods and their life to the young Society of the Sacred Heart - just as in 1804 the remnant of the Visitation community did with lively encouragement from Philippine Duchesne who also offered Mother Barat the ancient convent of Sainte-Marie-d'en-Haut in Grenoble.

Many journeys were necessary in order to govern the Society. The General Council met in different places. She had to cross the Alps and Italy to reach Rome so as assure the Holy Father of her total loyalty (despite accusations of gallicanism), to solicit his advice and secure his approbation of the constitutions of the Society. There is much that could be written about the relations between the Saint and the Holy See, total loyalty on her part, and the great esteem that several of the popes had for her, on theirs. At the time when her foot, recently cured, was severely burnt, and she had to remain in the Villa Lante, Pope Gregory XVI himself climbed the stairs to give her his blessing.

And finally, those journeys gave Mother Barat the opportunity to share in the exodus experienced by her daughters who had to flee revolutions, riots and persecutions. We will mention here just some of those difficult times in France and in Italy. First the revolution of 1830 in Paris, with the tragic-comic events mentioned above. The religious fled. The novices were sent to Montet, in Switzerland. Following the riots in Lyon a few years later, there was fear for Montet. With good reason. In 1847 religious were expelled from Switzerland and the borders of that country were closed to them.

In Italy too which was not yet unified, the different States were shaken by revolutionary movements. In 1848 the house in Turin had a terrible week in which it was besieged and threatened. They had to leave. An attempt at gathering together in Pignerol failed. They did not want to be totally dependant on civil authority. Religious were expelled also from Salucia and from Palermo (in the latter place, in the middle of the night.) In 1849, it was the turn of the Villa Lante community to face expulsion. Those in the Trinitá dei Monti lived in fear of the house being looted and taken over.

C. Adventure

The stage-coach offered no comfort, and was very risky. Even if attacks on the coach were rare, still there were all the difficulties along the way. On slopes, or when the descent was steep, one had to get off, possibly even to push the vehicle. It was necessary to adjust to the moods of other passengers. So, in the coach which in 1818 brought the Society's first missionaries to Bordeaux, to set sail from there to America, an officer launched into a repertoire of shady songs. Perhaps it was because of the presence of the four religious. However, a response was not long in coming: a seminarian immediately entoned the psalms.

It was the coach that Saint Madeleine-Sophie used most often for her innumerable journeys, and there is no lack of good stories told either by herself or by those who accompanied her. The Journal of Poitiers (1806-1808) which, apart from her letters, was the only writing she left, is full of accounts of her journeys.

13th of July 1806 : we took the public coach as far as Moulins. Our companions on the journey were honest men, by the world's standards, but although they seemed well instructed in their religion, they had few of the emotions which it should inspire. They joked with us a bit, though nicely and we pretended to be interested.

16th July 1806 : on the trip from Moulins to Limoges, our sole companion was the coach-man. He liked variety, and as if it were too boring to go and return without incident, he was delighted when the coach turned over, or fell into some ditch or into a snow-drift in winter. But we trusted in God that no harm would come to us. A touch of illness calmed down our driver …. And I would have been able to enjoy sweet silence if my companion had been as convinced as I was, of its sweetness…

Nights spent in the inns offered no greater comfort. The well-merited expression "Spanish inn" is an indication of what the traveller would find there -exactly what he would have brought with him. "We had asked for only one bed, thinking that it would be easier, in such a poor house, to find one clean bed rather than two. So that is what we got, - and what we did for the rest of the journey… This bedroom served as the rats' university, and they held their assemblies there, in the middle of the night…

We ask the coachman to stop in the village when we hear the bell for Mass. Cadence agrees to this - he is the one who has his own rhythm and his own ideas. We cover only seven leagues each day, which leaves us "plenty of time to read, sing, pray, meditate, etc…" At long last, after ten days travelling from Lyon, they arrived in Poitiers, at the home of two candidates for religious life, in a driving rain which did nothing to improve the state of their clothes !

In 1830 she had to cross Paris at the height of the revolution. Providence sent a Saint Joseph on a different kind, a strong supporter of the Charter who set himself up as her coachman. He celebrated with many drinks and by shouting at the top of his voice "long live the Charter!" he was the best of safe-conducts ! When they came to barricades which were impassable by coach, he made a way through and carried Mother Barat over the barricades in his arms. She was quite embarrassed by this form of crutch !

Two years later, en route to Turin, the police thought her companion was a celebrated fugitive disguised as a religious and held her at the station. Invited to continue her journey alone, Mother Barat refused. She got down from the coach (her foot was not yet cured at that time) and by her kindness quickly won over the policeman, who prepared a little snack for her.

There is one feature, a feature of the time, which cannot be passed over in silence: that is the "water-coach". As a teenager, at the end of her short holidays during the grape-harvest, Sophie took this coach from Joigny to Paris where her brother directed her studies and her spiritual formation. The embarkation office is still there, in Joigny. A Barat cousin took care of the young traveller and within three days the peaceful waters of first the Yonne and then the Seine, brought her to Paris.

[1] There were 7 000 Americans in Rome on 2nd July 1988 for the canonisation of Philippine Duchesne, native of Grenoble. The French numbered only 500, perhaps because they are more used to having their compatriots canonised. There were very many movements founded in the French Church during those very difficult times.

[2] Read : Sainte Philippine Duchesne 1769-1852 by Raymond Peyret, Editions du Peuple Libre, Desclée De Brouwer

Last update: 2006-01-02