THE FOUNDATION
OF S. JOSEPH'S CONVENT
AT GRANADA
By the Ven. Mother Anne of Jesus
Discussion
█ Account of the Monasteryof S. Joseph
at Granada
January 20, 1582
On the feast of Saints
Fabian and Sebastian
▀ Envisioning a Foundation at Granada
■ Mother Anne's Perspective
▀ Preparations and Arrangements
▀ The Foundation of Granada
January 20, 1582
■ Poverty of Spirit
■ Providence
■ The Fruits of the Convent
▀ Relocation to a new House
August 1582
■ New Nuns enter Carmel
▀ A Further Relocation
of the Convent
▀ Mother Anne of Jesus
▀ Dona Ana de Penalosa
|
____________________________
[The above Drawing is from:
"St Teresa of Jesus of the Order
of Our Lady of Mt Carmel
embracing The Life , Relations,
Maxims, and Foundations"
Edited by John J. Burke, C.S.P.
from www.books.google.com]
█ Account of the Monasteryof S. Joseph
at Granada
January 20, 1582
On the feast of Saints
Fabian and Sebastian
"That of Granada was made
by Anne of Jesus
with the help of S. John of the Cross,
S. Teresa,
being at the time,
unable to make the journey
because of the foundation
to be made in Burgos."
[Foundations: Introduction ]
"At the request of Father Gratian,
then Provincial
of the Discalced Carmelites,
Anne of Jesus wrote
the following account
of the foundation of Granada.
|
▀ Envisioning a Foundation at Granada
Sister Anne of Jesus seems
to be referring to
October 1581
which would have been
"four years since".
"In October eighty-five
it was four years since
Father Diego
of the Blessed Trinity
"...Prior of Seville and
Vicar-Provincial of Andalucia..."
"he began speaking seriously
about our coming to Granada"
- that "…many
of the most prominent persons
as well as some wealthy young ladies
of good family
- desired a foundation
and
- oftered substantial donations.
[ Foundations: Granada: #2
& Foot Note #1 -Anne of Jesus]
- "that the Licentiate Laguna,
auditor at the Court of Granada,
and
Father (Gaspar) Salazar
of the Society of Jesus,
had promised him privately
to obtain the license
of the archbishop.
[ Foundations: Granada: #3
- Ven. Anne of Jesus ]
■ Mother Anne's Perspective
▲ Her concerns
▪ Questionable reliability
of promises of help
"It seemed to me
that it was only his own good faith
that made him believe
in their promised help;
...I thought
- their offer an empty compliment,
- that they would do nothing"
▪ Difficulty in obtaining permission
"nor would the archbishop…
"Don Juan Mendez de Salvatierra,
archbishop of Granada since 1576"
[Granada: Foot note #2 ]
grant permission for a convent
founded in poverty"
▪ Granada was very poor at that time
"...there were already so many other
(monasteries and religious orders)
which could hardly maintain themselves,
as Granada had lately been laid waste,
and
the harvest had failed for several years"
[ Foundations: Granada: #3
- Ven. Anne of Jesus ]
▲ Prayer
"I earnestly commended it to God
and begged the sisters to ask Him for light
whether the foundation should be made.
His Majesty gave us
to understand very clearly
- that we were to expect
neither human aid
nor favour,
- but that we ought to found the house,
confiding in His providence
as we had already done elsewhere
under similar circumstances,
and
- that He
-- would take care of it and
-- would be greatly served in it.
This came to me after Communion
when the Father Visitor had been at Veas
for three weeks
urging the foundation of the convent.
[ Foundations: Granada: #4
- Ven. Anne of Jesus ]
▲ Consultation with her Confessor,
Father John of the Cross
“that I may tell him as my confessor
what God has made known to me.'
[ Foundations: Granada: #5
- Ven. Anne of Jesus ]
|
▄ Preparations and Arrangements
■ Obtaining a License
for a Granada Convent
from the Provincial
of the Discalced Carmelites,
13th November 1581
[ Foundations: Granada:
Foot Note #3 ]
“Father John thought
we should acquaint Father Visitor
so that he might write to your paternity
(Father Jerome Gratian)
for the license.
The matter was decided
on that very same day
…to the great joy
of the fathers and
of the whole community
who knew that the foundation
had been decided upon.
[ Foundations: Granada: #5
- Ven. Anne of Jesus ]
Fr Gratian”…granted all our requests,
leaving to our holy Mother
the choice of the nuns
whom we considered requisite.
[ Foundations: Granada: #6
- Ven. Anne of Jesus ]
■ Writing to Mother Teresa of Jesus
“We wrote to our holy Mother
Teresa of Jesus”
(who was in Avila)
▫ Arranging for Nuns for the new consvent
“begging that four nuns might be sent
from Castille
for the new foundation
which we asked her
to come
and make herself
as we felt confident of its success.”
▫ Arranging for the Fathers to accompany them
On the journey to Granada
“We also arranged
that Father John of the Cross
with another religious
should go and meet the nuns,
taking all that was required for them
on their journey.
[ Foundations: Granada: #6
- Ven. Anne of Jesus ]
▫ Father Diego of the Blessed Trinity
goes ahead to Granada
"...Prior of Seville and
Vicar-Provincial of Andalusia..."
the Father Vicar Provincial,
Diego of the Trinity,
went to Granada...
- to obtain some fulfillment
of the promises made him
and
- to get the license
from the archbishop.
[ Foundations: Granada: # 9
- Ven. Anne of Jesus ]
- ...to hire any house he could,
so that we might enter,
as the nuns had now arrived
from Castille."
[ Foundations: Granada: # 10
- Ven. Anne of Jesus ]
■ Obtaining a House
"...two of the senior auditors,
Don Luis de Mercado
and
the Licentiate Laguna...
[ Foundations: Granada: # 10]
helped the Father secretly
and managed to persuade
a magistrate of the city
to let a house to us.
[ Foundations: Granada: # 11
- Ven. Anne of Jesus ]
But Later
“the person
who had let the house to Father Vicar
which we were to enter,
retracted
his promise
and
the agreement made with
Don Luis de Mercado and
the Licentiate Laguna,
alleging that he had not known
it was to be rented for a convent;
...and refused to be influenced
by our two friends
though they offered him
fifty thousand ducats security."
[ Foundations: Granada: # 17
- Ven. Anne of Jesus ]
▪ Dona Ana de Peilalosa offers her home
"Don Luis de Mercado said
to his sister,
Dona Ana de Peilalosa... [11]
'Sister, as these nuns are already
on their way,
it would be a good thing
if we
- could offer them hospitality
in our own house
and
- were to give them a room
until they can find some corner
in which to shelter themselves.'
[ Foundations: Granada: # 17
- Ven. Anne of Jesus ]
This excellent lady...
immediately set to work to
prepare her house and
get everything ready
for the chapel and
for our lodging.
She gave us very good accommodation
although the space was limited,
the house being small.
[ Foundations: Granada: # 18
- Ven. Anne of Jesus ]
|
▀ Journey to Granada
■ Obstacles to their travel
- Severe storm,
- the bad state of the roads,
- the devil's anger at their plans
for the Convent, and
- the illness of Mother Anne of Jesus
"I heard a loud outcry
of confused shouts
which appeared to me
to come from devils
who were very angry
because a messenger was coming
with a letter telling us
to go to Granada.
While I was thinking this,
the noise grew so loud
that I became faint and feeling ill."
[ Foundations: Granada: # 12
- Ven. Anne of Jesus ]
■ The Sisters Arrive at Beas
December 8, 1581
The nuns that were selected
for the founding of the Convent
at Granada:
▪ From Avila
Mother Mary of Christ
Sister Antonia of the Holy Ghost
▪ From Toledo
Sister Beatriz of Jesus
[ Foundations: Granada: # 7
- Ven. Anne of Jesus ]
▪ From Beas
Anne of Jesus
as the future prioress
Beatrice of S. Michael,
Eleanor Bautista of Jesus and
Lucy of S. Joseph;
▪ From Seville
Mary of Jesus and
Mary of S. Paul
[ Foundations: Granada: # 7
- Ven. Anne of Jesus ]
▪ Two lay sisters
from Villanueva de la Jara
were sent back because of
lack of "sufficient means
nor the necessary accommodation
for so many nuns...
on the advice
of the Vicar-provincial and
of S. John of the Cross"
[ Foundations: Granada:
Foot Note #6 ]
▪ St. Teresa could not come, herself
"Her Reverence could not come herself
as she was just leaving
for the foundation of Burgos
which took place at the same time.
...she would not herself
found the house at Granada
because she believed
(that) God wished me
to undertake the work."
[ Foundations: Granada: # 7
- Ven. Anne of Jesus ]
"It seemed to me impossible
to undertake any foundation
without her reverence,
so I was distressed
when,
on the feast of the Conception
of our Lady
the sisters arrived at Veas without her.
...she wished she could have come
but that our great God
had otherwise ordained;
She felt quite certain
-- that I should manage matters
perfectly well at Granada
and
-- that His Majesty
would help me greatly"
[ Foundations: Granada: # 8
- Ven. Anne of Jesus ]
▀ Arrival at Granada to the house
of Dona Ana de Peilalosa
20th January 1582
"We arrived there
on the feast of Saints
Fabian and Sebastian
at three o'clock in the morning,
this being the most suitable hour
as we wished to keep the matter secret.
[ Foundations: Granada: # 18
- Ven. Anne of Jesus ]
...we sang Laudate Dominum
overjoyed at seeing the chapel
which she had prepared for us
although as we had no licence
from the archbishop
I begged them to close it;
I also asked
the friars and the Father Vicar
...not even to think
of ringing a bell
or
of saying mass
either publicly or privately
until we had the consent
of the archbishop"
[ Foundations: Granada: # 19
- Ven. Anne of Jesus ]
"Anne of Jesus spent the rest
of the night in
finishing the decoration
of the chapel and
preparing it for Mass"
[ Foundations: Granada:
Foot Note # 13 ]
■ Obtaining the Archbishop's Permission
Previously the archbishop had refused
to give permision several times before
when asked at different times by
Father Diego ot the Blessed Trinity
and
two of the senior auditors of Granada
Don Luis de Mercado
and
the Licentiate Laguna"
"a (Lightening) bolt fell in Granada
on the Archbishop's own house,
near the room where he slept,
burning part of his library...
It alarmed him so that he fell ill,
and they say
that the fright made him feel
more kindly towards us"
[ Foundations: Granada: # 16
- Ven. Anne of Jesus ]
Anne of Jesus "trusted to Providence
he would soon grant(permission)."
[ Foundations: Granada: # 19
- Ven. Anne of Jesus ]
"I wrote to him
announcing our arrival and
begging him to
come and
give us his blessing and
place the Blessed Sacrament
in our chapel,
for although it was a feast day
we should not hear Mass
without his permission.
He answered very kindly
telling us
- we were welcome,
- that he was exceedingly glad
that we had come,
and
- would have liked to get up
and say our first Mass for us,
but as he was ill
he sent his provisor
...Don Antonio Barba...
to say it and
to do whatever else I might require"
[ Foundations: Granada: # 20
& Foot Note #14
- Ven. Anne of Jesus ]
|
▀ The Foundation of Granada
20th January 1582.
Don Antonio Barba
"arrived soon afterwards,
at seven o'clock in the morning.
I begged him
to say Mass,
to give us all Holy Communion and
to place the Blessed Sacrament
on the altar.
He did so
with great solemnity
in the presence of
the auditors and
so great a concourse of people
that it was wonderful
how they could have heard
of the matter thus quickly.
By eight o'clock in the morning
of the day we came,
- the Blessed Sacrament had been placed
in the chapel
and
- more Masses were being said."
[ Foundations: Granada: # 21
- Ven. Anne of Jesus ]
"All Granada came to the place
as if they had come to gain a Jubilee"
[ Foundations: Granada: # 22
- Ven. Anne of Jesus ]
_______________________
▪ Provision for the Monastery at Granada
"The alms bestowed on us by Dona Ana
were very small
and other people gave us nothing
as we were living in her house...
Thus, no one supposed
that we were in want
and on several days
we should not have been able
to feed ourselves
on what this lady gave us
if our Discalced Fathers
of the convent of Los Martires (Martyrs)
had not sent us some bread and fish."
[ Foundations: Granada: #23
- Ven. Anne of Jesus ]
The Monastery
of the Discalced Carmelite Friars
called The Martyrs
"had been founded
by Father Jerome Gratian
on 19th May 1573."
[Foundations: Granada:
Foot Note # 16 ]
▪ Poverty in Spirit
"We had no other bedding
except what we had brought with us....
we hid it from our devout hostess
lest we might be troublesome to her.
As she saw
that we always looked
satisfied and contented,
and believing that we were
good and mortified nuns,
she did not notice
that we required anything more
than she had given us.
It was thus
that we passed the greater part
of the seven months
we lived in her house.
[ Foundations: Granada: # 24
- Ven. Anne of Jesus ]
▪ Providence
"I felt rather troubled at times
by lack of aid
from the inhabitants of the town,
but whenever I thought about it,
I seemed to hear the words
Christ our Lord said to His apostles:
'When I sent you
without purse and scrip and shoes,
did you want anything .' (Luke 22: 35)
and my soul replied:
' No indeed, Lord ! '
in full confidence
that both
in spiritual and temporal matters,
His Majesty would provide
for us abundantly.
[ Foundations: Granada: # 27
- Ven. Anne of Jesus ]
I heard interiorly the words,
uttered with great stress and emphasis:
'He will overshadow thee
with his shoulders:
and under his wings, thou shalt trust.'
(Ps. 90: 4)
I related this
to my confessor,
Father John of the Cross,
and
to Father Master John Baptist de Ribera...
It appeared to both of them
to be a sort of pledge,
given me by our Lord,
that this foundation would be prosperous,
as up to this time,
that is during four years, it has been,
The sisters
who came with me
assure me
that during all this time
they have experienced a deeper sense
of the presence ot His Majesty and
of His communications
than ever before in their lives.
[ Foundations: Granada: # 28
- Ven. Anne of Jesus ]
▪ The Fruits of the Convent
◦ The Nuns' "own advancement"
and
in that which everyone said
was caused by their example
in the convents in the city.
I learnt from the President,
Don Pedro de Castro,
that a great change for the better
had taken place in these nuns
since we came,
and there are large numbers of them
in Granada.
To the favours granted by God
which I have already mentioned
He added another signal grace —
- that of so realising that
our Lord Jesus Christ
kept us company
in the Blessed Sacrament
of the altar,
- that we seemed to perceive
His bodily Presence visibly."
[ Foundations: Granada: # 29
- Ven. Anne of Jesus ]
▀ Relocation to a new House
▪ August 1582
"At the end of this period
we found a house to rent
which we entered in perfect secrecy,
without the knowledge of the landlord,
the former tenant having left it empty.
(Father Gratian) had then
come from Baeza
to look after our interests.
"The house they subsequently entered
▪ belonged to
Don Alonso de Granada y Alarcon.
▪ was situated in the Calk Ehira"
[ Foundations: Granada:
Foot Note # 19 ]
■ New Nuns enter Carmel
"... ten months afterwards
....our Lord began to inspire
some young ladies
of the first families of the city
with a serious desire of joining us.
Encouraged by their confessors...
they came, unknown to anyone,
to take our habit."
[ Foundations: Granada: # 30
- Ven. Anne of Jesus ]
"six of them were clothed
with great solemnity"
[ Foundations: Granada: # 31
- Ven. Anne of Jesus ]
"They were:
Marianne of Jesus (de los Cameros),
afterwards Prioress of Granada
and
foundress of Almodovar and Cabra;
Isabel of the Incarnation
(de Puebla),
foundress of Baeza and
Prioress of Jaen;
Mary of S. John (de Velasco);
Catherine of the Holy Ghost
(de Leyva),
three times prioress of Granada;
Catherine of Jesus
who afterwards went to Malaga,
and
Mary of S. Paul"
[ Foundations: Granada:
Foot Note # 20 ]
▀ A Further Relocation of the Convent
(November 8, 1582)
"When they were professed
we tried to purchase a house
with their dowries
but although we negotiated for several...
yet the purchase was never made
until we decided upon one belonging
to the Duke de Sesa,
...it was
the most suitable for us and
he most favourably situated in Granada.
...I resolved to try to obtain it,
for two years ago the sister
who acts as my secretary...
told me
that our Lord had three times given her
to understand
that the convent was to be
in the Duke's house,
and she knew this with such certainty
that nothing would be able to prevent it.
Now it has come to pass,
as your Reverence is aware,
and we are living there at present
[ Foundations: Granada: # 32
- Ven. Anne of Jesus ]
It is "Situated Calle San Matias;
it still serves as convent
of the Teresian nuns."
[ Foundations: Granada:
Foot Note # 21 ]
|
▀ Anne of Jesus
"This remarkable nun
• was born
at Medina del Campo,
25th November 1545,
her father being Don Diego de Lobera,
her mother Francisca de Torres.
• A deaf-mute from birth
she was cured of her affliction
during a pilgrimage to a shrine of our Lady.
• Bereft of both parents at the age of nine,
she was brought up by her grandmother
• Ann...placed herself under the direction
of a saintly Jesuit, Pedro Rodriguez,
who tried her
by apparent harshness
but finally consented
to her seeking admission
into S. Teresa's convent at Avila,
1st August 1570."
• Salamanca
- St. Teresa
"took her to the foundation of Salamanca,
where she made her mistress of novices
even before profession,
which took place 22nd October 1571."
• Beas
"Anne accompanied S. Teresa to Veas (1575)
and remained there as Prioress
enjoying the friendship and direction
of S. John of the Cross
during his sojourn at Baeza.
When her term of office drew to its end,
S. Teresa requested the nuns
not to re-elect her
as she had chosen her
for the foundation at Granada
then in contemplation.
• Granada
S. John of the Cross went to Avila
to induce S. Teresa herself
to come to Granada
but failing this
he was glad to have Anne of Jesus.
Anne remained at Granada
about four years
• Madrid
after which she was commissioned
to carry out another project of Teresa's,
then deceased,
namely a foundation at Madrid
where she remained eight years..."
• Salamanca
"From 1594 till 1604
she resided at Salamanca,
the convent of her profession,
where she filled for some years
the position of Prioress.
• Paris, France
Meanwhile
negotiations had been carried on
with a view towards
establishing the order in France,
and Anne was chosen
as first prioress
of the convent of Paris;
• Belgium
other foundations followed,
but owing to difficulties
she withdrew to Belgium
where she was cordially welcomed
by the Infanta Isabel Clara Eugenia,
the daughter of Philip II.
Having set on foot
a number of foundations (there)....
• Her Efforts to Preserve
the original Teresian Constitution
In this period falls a great trial;
the Superiors of the Discalced Carmelites
having resolved to improve
(as they thought)
on S. Teresa's work
changed the constitutions of the nuns,
a proceeding which was
not only resented
but actively resisted
by Anne and
a considerable number of nuns
who appealed to Rome.
They gained their point
but were subjected to severe penalties
by the superiors in Spain,
the punishment meted out to Anne of Jesus
being particularly severe.
During these years she procured
the publication by Fray Luis de Leon,
of the writings of S. Teresa
( with the exception of
"the Book of Foundations" and
"the Letters" )
for which purpose she collected
the original manuscripts,
even that of "the Life"
which until then had remained
in the hands of the Inquisition."
• "She died at Brussels,
4th March 1621
in the odor of sanctity.
Her process of Beatification
has reached that stage
where she is declared
a 'Venerable servant of God,
[ Foundations: Granada]
|
▀ Dona Ana de Penalosa
▪ Sister of Don Luis de Mercado
who was one of the senior auditors
at the Court of Granada.
▪ "the widow of Don Juan de Guevara
who died in 1579.
▪ "She was a penitent
of S. John of the Cross,
who wrote at her request
the Explanation of his poem,
"The Living Flame of Love"
"The last letter preserved of him
is addressed to her;
It bears the date
Penuela, 21st September 1591,
that is less than three months
before his death"
[ Foundations: Granada: Foot Note #11 ]
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End of the Discussion
of The Foundationof S. Joseph's Convent at Granada
by the Ven. Mother Anne of Jesus
Book of the Foundations
|
