And so began Dominique’s days at the convent of the Carmelite nuns. The work was grueling but a blessing in some ways for Dominique’s broken heart—the constancy of the days gave her little time to miss her father or revel in thoughts of her mother’s betrayal. When Dominique was not on her knees in prayer, she was on her hands and knees endlessly scrubbing the convent’s floors. Mother Superior, true to her word, provided Dominique a life of penance.
Dominique could not understand for what she needed to be penitent, but she did have an understanding that speaking of her gifts of intuition and her ability to “hear” her spiritual guide was not something she could share with anyone. Without the comfort of those inner conversations, though, she might surely have gone mad in those first weeks and months.
Eglise des Carmes, the convent that Dominique could now call home, served the community as an orphanage. The structure was home to some fourteen nuns, the Abbot and two other priests in the Carmelite order. The Abbot, Ian Hargrove, was in charge of the Abbey. Father Pierre, a few years older than the Abbot, managed the upkeep of the cemetery, the gardens, the barn and the working animals. Father Rafael, at 28 years old, was in charge of the ministry and the facilities. He managed the upkeep and maintenance of the buildings. The only other man who served the Church at the Abbey was Father Josef. He was a Benedictine monk on assignment to the Carmelites. Father Josef was from Spain and his assignment was to go through the library and transcribe information. As a monk, he spent most of his time in silence. Dominique saw him only rarely—when she used the library and at meals, during which he never spoke a word.
The grounds boasted two dairy cows and three goats, along with huge gardens. The cows and goats provided milk for drinking, butter and cheese. They also had a cart and donkey which were used to haul in the vegetables at harvest time. Members of the Carmelite order ate no meat, so the production of vegetables was an important task. Dominique had been charged with helping Father Pierre in the gardens, and in doing so, found work at the convent that did not feel like she was being punished.
Her work in the convent gardens and reading were the two activities which brought her not only happiness but peace. Dominique found she shared a passion for plant life with one of the other girls in the convent orphanage, Helene.
Although about the same age as Dominique, Helene’s slight build, dark hair and olive complexion was in sharp contrast to Dominique’s tall, fair-skinned body. Helene and her siblings had been orphaned and were living in the woods like feral animals when the Abbott had stepped in and given them shelter. Life at the convent was equally difficult for Helene who lacked Dominique’s strong faith. Helene did not trust her benefactors, nor did she believe in their God. He had shown Helene none of the blessed kindness they preached in taking her parents from her, meting out only fire and brimstone in her short life.
Father Pierre, one of the friars at the Abbey, offered both girls an anchor in the study of plants and herbs. He spent hours with them teaching them endlessly about the healing properties of plant-life. Father Pierre believed that God had given human beings everything they needed to stay well, staving off sickness, in the plant kingdom. His willing students saw him as their savior, not only for what he taught them but for the kindness and respect he showed them.
Father Pierre stood over six feet tall and had broad shoulders and a barrel chest. Dominique, although tall herself, felt dwarfed by this man whose hands were the size of plates. Although many were intimidated by his stature, Dominique saw only Father Pierre’s loving guidance, so reminiscent of her own father’s. His passion for plant life and all their miraculous properties was contagious. It would have been impossible to study with Father Pierre and not be enthralled by his enthusiasm. While he was not given to sharing on an emotional level, he was supportive and became a valued mentor. He opened up, for her, the world of gardening and the healing properties of herbs. In the convent gardens, Dominique found a peace and contentment she had not experienced since the days of walking to the village hand-in-hand with her father.
But for Helene, the study of herbalism was the beginning of a plan. It would prove to be her way out of the convent and the means of supporting her siblings without dependence on a man. Helene’s daydreams for hours in the convent garden revolved around plans to open an apothecary in the village of Loudun. Closing her eyes, she could see the warm glow emanating through the leaded windows, inviting villagers to health and wellness through the jars of dried herbs and teas which lined the shelves. She would also invite them to open their pockets and support her financially.
While Helene took a more pragmatic approach, Dominique, in contrast, was enthralled with the art of gardening. Her soul filled with colors the earth produced. She felt like an artist as her eye scanned the garden which was her canvas—sunset orange of the courgette flowers, the verdant green of the beans, the feathery purple atop the thistle of the chardon. In this garden, Dominique was close to God, a God she did not find in the pews of the Abbey. While the Abbott’s God was one of fear, spewing fire and brimstone, Dominique’s God was one of love and light. This garden was her proof, manifestation of His love through the riches of the earth which provided His children healing and sustenance.
As Carmelites, the nuns and friars of this Abbey were called upon to serve the community, so the nuns were constantly exposed to death and dying. Father Pierre taught both Dominique and Helene how to mix herbs for maximum healing benefit and before long both girls were ministering to the nuns in the convent and helping with the villagers who came to the convent looking for miracles. Their patients knew of Father Pierre’s rather unorthodox teas but did not question the mixtures. However loathsome the concoctions may have been—the results were welcomed.
While Helene’s functional knowledge served her well and would eventually provide her with a living in this harsh world, Dominique’s intuitive abilities meant that she could combine physical ministries with spiritual, leading her to the path that she was to follow. Both girls had found through Father Pierre the paths that would help them move forward.