Our Visitation Monastery in Nantes France, in its new website, has chosen to honor its Sisters by identifying each one’s spirit with a particular flower as her life story is revealed.
The original is in French: here we will translate or paraphrase her life story in this new series over the next few months.
In February we highlight Mother Mary Constance Bressand, Visitandine, whose spiritual life is characterized by edelweiss.
Flower of the mountains,Marie-Constance was born August 19, 1593, and was professed exactly 26 years later in the Visitation Monastery of the city. After being transplanted several times, she went to heaven from Grenoble October 28, 1668.
St. Francis de Sales esteemed her as a “rare girl,” in 1620, he sent her to Paris to contribute to the foundation of the Visitation under the direction of St. Jane de Chantal. Hidden with Christ in God, Sister Mary Constance knew how to deploy practicality and dedication in the humble tasks of the Community.. As mistress of novices, she had a wonderful anointing to turn souls to God and to grow in joy tasting how the Lord’s yoke is sweet and pleasant.
in 1630, she went to plant a new Visitation in Nantes. During her retreat in 1646, the Lord made her understand that she must let Him do all according to His holy will, wanting nothing but to please him , to be all His everywhere and in everything. And the following year, she left this well established monastery in Nantes with a lasting fragrance as the latter recommendation to her sisters: union of hearts.
Sister Mary Constance returned to Grenoble to direct the Community. She served for more than 20 years as superior, as mistress of novices or in finance. Established in the highest peaks of spiritual life, she shows before leaving this earth solid rock has its roots: Loyalty, sisters, loyalty!
Collect these words springing from the silence of this great contemplative “look at God in all your ways, that is to say, in all our actions, our sorrows, diseases, rules, exercises, practical virtues. Our Lord is content that we think simply because it is necessary that this thought or this look at Him separates us from the rest, as one can not see anything while you stare at the sun. »
Source:
http://visitation-nantes.fr/fleurs-visitandines/La Visitation Sainte Marie de Nantes