CHAPTER 21 - FRANCE
Was a hint of spring in the air--and was more than a hint of ice in the household? Relatives and acquaintances had gathered to see the Baroness off as she entered monastic life. Not only was the thought of her entrance into monasticism looked upon as ludicrous, but founding a small monastery of her own was seen as completely out of the realm of rationality. Jane de Chantal’s only consolation was that many of the saints were looked upon in the same way.
One of her relatives told her that she was turning her back on her family. Her eldest son, a mildly wild teenager, stretched himself across the threshold of the doorway at someone's insistence. If she went through with this plan, she was told that she would always be thought of as the woman who stepped over her son's very body to enter monastic life. So it was. When she began to cry while stepping over the young man someone in the crowd ridiculed her. She responded simply with, "I am a mother."
The small band of four women made its way to a house called the “Gallery,” on the shores of Lake Annecy. Francis de Sales met them there and, within a simple liturgical ceremony, placed a veil on each of their heads--a short black one which stopped shortly below the waist
The co-founder returned often and gave the novices conferences about the spiritual life and monasticism. He himself was not a monastic, but rather a bishop. He did, however, possess a monastic heart and had spent years studying the fathers and mothers of the desert and their monastic way of living. The Bishop taught them his simple three-note chant and they learned to celebrate the various parts of the Divine Office together.
The little group often met in the monastery garden, surrounded by flowers and embraced by the aroma nature offered them. The Bishop used imagery from nature, such as from the way bees collected honey, and compared it to the soul gathering graces. He spoke on various topics--prudence, humility, the role of the superior, obedience, the holy rule, and much more. Though few in numbers, the little community sank deep roots into the spiritual life. The time was soon coming when they would be permitted to take their first vows.
Jane de Chantal was decorating the chapel for the profession ceremony. She wanted a golden dorsal, a hanging of gold material for the wall behind the altar, to mark this special day in history. The community did not have the money for that. The only money she had was a small emergency fund that the Bishop had provided. She took it upon herself to use that money to buy the dorsal. This did not meet with the Bishop's approval. He did not like it when Jane de Chantal engraved the name of Jesus over her heart, he cut off worldly consideration by giving the community its short simple veil, and now he expressed some disapproval over Jane de Chantal's use of the emergency fund.
These were the three main disagreements between the spiritual couple. Because their communication was typically so harmonious, these events struck a very discordant note--but each learned more about the other through these experiences. They used their differences as a vehicle for growth. Francis de Sales was a born psychologist and Jane de Chantal was a good mother and had been a good wife to the Baron. The humanity of each of the founders became a foundational part of Salesian spirituality, a spirituality that was to span centuries.