Chapter 12 : The Eleventh Star or Splendour of the Crown of Excellence of the Mother of God
Continuing our translation of the 1845 reprint of Fr François Poiré's Triple Crown of the Mother of God (1643 French edition).
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| Notre Dame des Grâces, Cotignac.(Poggi, 2020) |
She has been and is still recognized and called blessed by all generations in the world
§ 7. How she was recognised and honoured in the Regular Orders
The Order of the Visitation of Holy Mary[1]
35 This Order was founded in the town of Annecy in Savoy on the 6th of June 1610 by blessed Francis de Sales, Bishop and Prince of Geneva. From the beginning it was known as the Order of the Visitation of Holy Mary because the first three nuns at the foundation of the Order had a great devotion to this sacred mystery in which may be seen most clearly the wonderful virtues of humility and charity demonstrated by the Blessed Virgin when she visited Saint Elizabeth.
In order to honour this mystery in the most perfect way they could, they bravely applied themselves to serving and bringing consolation to the sick, especially those with no-one to care for them. The wonderful example of these exceptional virtues, especially charity, humility and modesty, produced a fragrance which spread throughout not only the town of Annecy (where in a short while the sisters made remarkable progress), but also to other parts of France. As a result, they were summoned to Lyon by Cardinal de Marquemont, who made the decision that they were to follow a strictly cloistered life and henceforth to serve God and the glorious Virgin under the rule of Saint Augustine. This meant that they were no longer able to visit the sick and offer them help outside. They retained however this idea within the walls of their convents, with the result that this Order would be available for the infirm of body and those already advanced in years who would scarcely have been able to endure the austerity of life in other Orders. With this in mind, they restrict themselves to the Little Office of the Virgin which they recite with deep devotion, making it part of their profession to honour her through the praises they sing to her and through the frequent practice of humility and charity in imitation of her. The Holy Virgin, to whom they have dedicated themselves, has been so pleased with their work that in less than twenty-two years they have founded in various places more than fifty monasteries.
Footnotes
[1] The Visitation Order, whose members are known as the Nuns of the Visitation of Mary, the Visitandines and the Salesian Sisters.
The Order of Ursulines, the Order of Our Lady and the Order of the Congregation of Our Lady
36 I am linking these three Orders together because firstly, they were all founded on the same date, namely on the ides of June in the year 1612: the first in Paris, the second in Bordeaux and the third in Nancy (which is in Lorraine). Secondly, they each have the same objective and use the same methods. The aim of each Order is to raise the young women in their care to a life of piety and virtue, helping them to serve God more effectively no matter what this may take, in accordance with His divine Providence. This undertaking is no less replete with difficulties than it is honourable and useful. For this reason they had need of powerful support and accordingly they placed themselves under the Virgin’s great mantle so as to benefit from her favour and her protection. They did this for two reasons: because it is properly her role and privilege to prepare worthy spouses for her beloved Son; and secondly, because the Holy Virgin supervises the way her Son’s riches are distributed and it would be impossible for them to make any progress if she did not favour what they were doing. It was, moreover, no mean ambition that they had of using these tender young plants to push back as far as they could the boundaries of service and honour being offered to the most glorious Virgin. Insofar as we may judge that for their part they acquitted themselves most worthily, we shall also see clearly just how the Queen of Heaven blesses them and accompanies them in the fulfilment of their plans. This is so much the case that it would be difficult to find any place in Christendom which would not wish to enjoy the fruits of their charitable works.
Other female Orders
37 Any continuation of this discussion would lead me to consider various religious Orders of girls and women whose courage made up for any weakness and whose virtue triumphed over the natural infirmity of their sex. The majority of these are in fact to be found marching under the same banners as those Religious whose orders I have taken the time to describe above. In this number are the Canonesses Regular of Saint Augustine, the Sisters of Saint Benedict, of Saint Bernard, of Saint Dominic, of Saint Francis of Assisi, of Saint Francis of Paola, the Carmelites and others such as these. It is clear that having partaken of the spirit of these great servants of the Virgin, they also share their love for her, this being all the more so when we consider that their sex attaches them closely to the woman who is the honour of their sex. I shall conclude with the sentiment expressed by King David the Prophet[1]: it is a source of great, joy to see the Queen by the side of the King her Spouse, wearing a great mantle richly embroidered and surrounded by her people who honour her with one and the same heart, even though they have different liveries. These are the various religious Orders of the Church who all seek shelter under her protection and dedicate themselves to her service, with the aim of carrying her name to the four corners of the earth and of leading people to recognise in her the idea of perfection in the Evangelical counsels and the model of all holiness.
Footnotes
[1] Ps. xliv. 10. The queen stood on thy right hand, in gilded clothing; surrounded with variety.
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SUB tuum præsidium confugimus, Sancta Dei Genitrix. Nostras deprecationes ne despicias in necessitatibus, sed a periculis cunctis libera nos semper, Virgo gloriosa et benedicta. Amen.
The Vladimirskaya Icon. >12th century.
Totus tuus ego sum
Et omnia mea tua sunt;
Tecum semper tutus sum:
Ad Jesum per Mariam.
© Peter Bloor 2025
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