Authors: 
Joseph Stefanelli, SM
Given our upcoming “Reflecting on the Companions of Adèle” program, Father Joseph Stefanelli’s Companions of Adele is on sale for only $5, plus shipping and handling. (That is an 80% savings.) Order your copy through our bookstore now before this sale expires.

by Joseph Stefanelli, SM.
425 pgs.

Drawn primarily from the Letters of Adèle and Father Chaminade, 145 biographical sketches are presented–133 are sketches of women who entered the Institute of the Daughters of Mary (Immaculate); eight describe women who lived in the convent, but did not join the Sisters; and four are vignettes of “sister-companions,” members of the Third Order. All these women were known to and interacted with Adèle during the twelve years between the founding of the Institute of the Daughters of Mary in 1816 and her death in 1828.

Given our upcoming “Reflecting on the Companions of Adèle” program, Father Joseph Stefanelli’s Companions of Adele is on sale for only $5, plus shipping and handling. (That is an 80% savings.) Order your copy through our bookstore now before this sale expires.

Soeur Saint-Sacrement (Pauline) Yannasch

Pauline was certainly one of the more tragic figures of the early Agen community. Younger than her beautiful and talented sister Clémentine (though how much younger is unknown), she, like her sister, gave herself over to worldly amusements, dances and parties until her conversion by Larribeau. She then dedicated herself, together with Clémentine and their mother, to prayer and works of charity, eventually entering the Association. Though there seems to have been some obstacle to her (and Clémentine’s) entering the new religious foundation, it was overcome; she probably joined the community very shortly after its foundation. She was among those who took perpetual vows on July 25, 1817.

It seems that from the very beginning she experienced severe trials, difficulties and especially scruples. She was in direct correspondence with Father Chaminade, and he made it a point to answer her lengthy letters. By mid-1818, however, Chaminade was losing patience with her. He wrote to Adèle that she should tell Saint-Sacrement he wanted to hear no more of her scruples; let her serve the Lord with confidence and simplicity; and let her confessions be short and simple!

It soon became clear that Saint-Sarement’s mental balance was fragile, and already in 1819 she went through a period of severe instability. When, in January of1820, Soeur Stanislas was ill, Saint-Sacrement replaced her for a few days in the classroom, but the strain proved too much for her. She experienced what Adèle called an attack of nerves, her thoughts became confused, and she followed Adèle around wanting always to talk to her. Her head, Adèle wrote to Chaminade, was in a terrible state and, though her condition did not seem as bad as the previous year, it continued for several weeks.

Chaminade took pity on her and included her in a special Forty Days of Prayer; he asked Adèle, Mouran and Thérèse (her sister) to do likewise. He wanted Adèle to keep him posted on her condition and promised to give Saint-Sacrement special attention on his next trip to Agen. A week later, Adèle was able to report that Saint-Sacrement was better, almost her normal self.

But the recovery was short-lived. In April (1820), Adèle wrote a long letter to Chaminade detailing her concern. Saint-Sacrement had refused to receive her Easter Communion. She was at times so upset that Adèle would not have been surprised if she simply ran out of the convent. Saint-Sacrement was showing a totally other, and very worldly, self—in her walk, in her stance, in her demeanor, in her speech, in her singing. Though she was much more presentable now, she no longer seemed a religious.

Adèle was not sure but that Saint-Sacrement might even be possessed. Now that she was no longer concerned about humility or any other virtues, she was manifesting a disconcerting amount of intelligence, cleverness and aptitude. She seemed to be able to do almost anything she wanted, without even having learned: embroidery, drawing, painting, making artificial flowers, doing various types of decorating and artwork, making astounding progress in writing, in reading French and Latin, in music. She made two angels of cardboard, dressed them in knitted robes with silver and gold sequins, painted their faces beautifully and even curled their hair.

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Author's Preface
Author’s Note

PART ONE: Entrants at the Refuge (1816-1820)
1 Soeur Thérèse de Jésus (Clémentine) Yannasch
2 Soeur Saint-Esprit (Jeanne) Lion
3 Soeur Marthe
4 Soeur Stanislas (Marie) Treille
5 Soeur Saint-François (François) Anaudel
6 Soeur Marie du Sacré-Coeur (Marie-Agathe) Diché
7 Soeur Saint-Vincent (Marie-Madeleine Cornier) de Labastide
8 Soeur Saint-Sacrement (Pauline) Yannasch
9 Soeur Emmanuel (Marie-Rosalie) Lhuiller
10 Soeur Anne (Catherine-Isabelle) Moncet
11 Soeur Louis de Ganzague (Marie) Poitevin
12 Soeur Sainte-Foy (Madeleine-Virginie) Maréchal
13 Soeur Dosithée (Rose) Gatty
14 Soeur Saint-Joseph (Clarisse) Desgrange
15 Soeur Elisabeth (Adélaïde) Lespès
16 Soeur Agnès (Clara) de Casteras
17 Soeur Marie-Joseph (Françoise-Elisabeth) de Casteras
18 Soeur Catherine (Madeleine) Duffau
19 Soeur Marie Scolastique (Sophie) Dubernard
20 Soeur des Angès de Bernard
21 Soeur Marguerite (the first)
22 Soeur Trinité
23 Soeur Appolonie
24 Soeur Célestine
25 Soeur Assomption
26 Soeur Victoire (the first)
27 Soeur Louise-Marie (Marie-Gabrielle-Virginie) Drenne
28 Soeur Visitation (Jeanne-Foy) Souèges

PART TWO: Entrants between September 1820 and July 1824
29 Soeur Elisabeth (Elisabeth) Deger
30 Souer Thérèse de Saint-Augustin (Euphrasine) Degers
31 Soeur Félicité
32 Soeur Félicité (Marie) Nicolas
33 Soeur Rosalie (the first)
34 Soeur Julie (Marie) Ransan
35 Soeur Ursule
36 Soeur Angélique (the first)
37 Soeur Hélène
38 Soeur Hélène Habé
39 Soeur Antoinette (Elisabeth) Chales
40 Soeur Anastasie Rangouse
41 Soeur Sainte-Claire Delmas
42 Soeur Suzanne Duffau
43 Soeur Rose (Marie) Armagnac
44 Soeur Justine (Elisabeth) Cordé
45 Soeur Adélaïde (the first)
46 Soeur Marie de l’Incarnation (Charlotte) de Lachapelle
47 Soeur Séraphine (Justine-Barthélemé) Robert
48 Soeur Julienne (the first)
49 Soeur Mélanie (Jeanne) Boé
50 Soeur Saint-Sauveur (Marie) Caillet
51 Soeur Saint-Paul
52 Soeur Présentation
53 Soeur Louise-Marie (Marie-Jeanne-Sophie) de Portets
54 Soeur Isabelle
55 Soeur Marie Des Anges (Sophie) Latourette
56 Soeur Victoire (the second)
57 Soeur Trinité (Marie Prébousteau
58 Soeur Scolastique (Marie-Désirée) Laffuge
59 Soeur Saint-Benoît
60 Soeur Saint-Laurent (Marie) Faget
61 Soeur Saint-Joseph (Marie) Durrenbach
62 Soeur Angélique (Rosette)
63 Soeur Saint-Denis
64 Soeur Nativité
65 Soeur Marguerite (the second)
66 Soeur Ma(g)deleine (Marie-Anne) Tissandier
67 Soeur Geneviève de Saint-Pierre (Geneviève) Prêtre
68 Soeur Madeleine de Pazzi
69 Soeur Marie Gabrielle (Charlotte) Waller
70 Soeur Gabrielle
71 Soeur Françoise (Marie-Catherine) Gary
72 Soeur Sophie (the first)
73 Soeur Sophie (the second)
74 Soeur Elisabeth Sénac
75 Soeur Clotilde (Catherine) Delpech-Sauve
76 Soeur Clotilde Lorman
77 Soeur Clotilde Barrier
78 Soeur Brigitte (Antoinette) Marche-Destouet
79 Soeur Victoire de Marie (Angèle) Destouet
80 Soeur Agnès (Marie) Boudet
81 Soeur Agathe
82 Soeur Adélaïde (the second)
83 Soeur Euphrasie (Aglaé)

PART THREE: Entrants between July 1824 and January 1828
84 Soeur Ignace (Marie-Thérèse) Schmeder
85 Soeur Xavier (Françoise-Agathe) Schmeder
86 (Soeur) Caroline
87 Soeur Luce (Marie) Bouzeran
88 Soeur Julienne (the second)
89 Soeur Marguerite (the third)
90 Soeur Marguerite (Anne) Bitali
91 Soeur Saint-Augustin (Seconde) Mandibéron
92 Soeur Eulalie (Naïs) Lafourcade
93 Soeur Eulalie (Clotilde) Saubeau
94 Soeur Josephine (Elisabeth) Barbier
95 Soeur Elisabeth (the first)
96 Soeur Gertrude (Emilie) Boé
97 Soeur Pélagie 
98 Soeur Pélagie Cézérac
99 Soeur Ursule (Catherine) Castaing
100 Soeur Rosalie (the second)
101 Soeur Dorothée (Marie) Castillon
102 Soeur Eléonore Grandet
103 Soeur Trinité [Saint-Esprit] (Marguerite) Lafforgue
104 Loeur Angélique Dayrenx
105 Soeur François-Régis (Marie) Thévenin
106 Soeur Elisabeth (the second)
107 Soeur Marie de Jésus (Agnès) Bernède
108 Soeur Brunet
109 Soeur Léocadie (Thérèse) Voirin
110 Soeur Jean-Baptiste
111 Soeur Marie-Thérèse (Louise) de Maignol
112 Soeur Sainte-Claire (Pauline) Brun
113 Soeur Marie de la Croix Piquard
114 Soeur Victorie [Emilienne] (Marie) Goux
115 Soeur Théotiste (Jeanne) Dumais
116 Soeur Agnès Bernès
117 Soeur Eléonore
118 Soeur Germaine
119 Soeur Assomption Silhères
120 Soeur Thérèse de Jésus Silhères
121 Soeur Marie-Hyacinthe (Antoinette) Hybres
122 Soeur Saint-Louis (Françoise) Campunant
123 Soeur Angélique (Marie) Joly
124 Soeur Angélique (the second)
125 Soeur Angélique (the third)
126 Soeur Marie-Constance (Catherine) Leroy
127 Soeur Sainte-Marie (Anne) Charmel
128 Soeur Etienne
129 Soeur Delphine (Marie Magdeleine) Moura
130 Soeur Marie de Chantal
131 Soeur Elisabeth Maillet
132 Soeur Isabelle Bordes
133 Soeur Cécile (Marthe) Schmit

PART FOUR: In the Convent, but not Members of the Institute
134 Madame Yannasch
135 Eulalie
136 Mlle Dardy
137 Mlle Bruite
138 The Dames du Paravis
139 Mélanie (protégée)
140 Madame Clairefontaine
141 Madame Moira

PART FIVE: Companions outside the Walls
142 Marie-Thérèse-Foy Diché Belloc (Soeur Jeanne de Jésus)
143 Amélie de Rissan (Soeur Louise de Saint-Joseph)
144 Florentine Abeilhé (Soeur Thérèse de Saint-Augustin)
145 Mélanie Figarol (Soeur Xavier)

Index

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Intermediate