Page:A Dictionary of Saintly Women Volume 2.djvu/77

65 B. MARY OF THE ANGELS 65 ecstasies, and when recovering from ill- ness, the infirmarian forbade her to staj in heaven more than half an hour at a time for fear of exhaustion, and used to go up to her very softly in church, and only in thought exhort her to return to her senses ; she at once obeyed as if she had been shaken or loudly commanded. As a Carmelite nun she could not do much for the poor, but she was very kind to any of the nuns who were ill, especially one who suffered from cancer, and she was able to be charitable to the wounded in the siege of Turin, 1706. She was often consulted by B. Sebas- tian Valfre of the Oratory. The people having deserved a pestilence, her prayers procured a mitigation and they had instead a cattle plague, from which they applied to her to release them. In 1713, after the peace of Utrecht, Victor Amadeus became king of Sicily, as well as duke of Savoy. In 1719 he lost Sicily and became king of Sardinia. While in Sicily, he wrote to Mary to pray for him. Her answer only promises the prayers of the community, expresses her great regard for him, and gives a little advice. Afterwards she wrote to beg the life of a deserter. The king refosed. She prayed at the foot of the cross, saying, *' Oh, if I had come to You first ! " Very soon after, the king sent her the pardon she had asked for. She was elected prioress for the third time in 1 706. In the same year the French besieged Turin. The royal 'family were sent to Gbneva, but before they went they called on the saint and recommended themselves to her prayers. Many persons consulted her as to whether they should go away. She said to them, " If you have provision for four months, you can stay." And sure enough, in four months exactly, the town was relieved. Among her other writings, Father Anselmo reproduces a most sympathetic letter to the king on the death of his son, at the age of sixteen ; and later, the queen writes to beg her prayers, and Mary, in a letter full both of humility and tenderness, tells her that Christ wishes her to console herself with His love, and that the great gift of comforting souls He has reserved to Himself. VOL. II. The story of the foundation of the Nunnery of Moncalieri is thus told by her biographer :— A certain pious widow, Anna Maria Sapino, died there in 1700, leaving her house, by will, to be given for a convent to the first nuns who should come and establish their Order in Moncalieri One of her executors, the Prebendary Eavero, thought the house was much too small to be used as intended by the widow. He went to Turin and consulted B. Sebastian Valfre, — who knew that Mary had long had it in her mind to found a new house of her Order, — and said to Eavero that he thought this a special interposition of God in favour of her pious intention, and thereupon took him to St. Christina's. Mary was delighted and at once began to take measures for the work she bad at heart ; but there was considerable delay in getting all the necessary permissions : first the consent of the superiors of the Order, then that of the king had to be procured with due formalities. In 1702 the convent was begun. She had to build a little church, as well as to alter the house. She borrowed money, and when any one asked her how she expected to pay her debt, she said that St. Joseph would not leave her in the lurch. She sot up a bag for alms; fabulous sums came out of the bag ; the building went on, and in 1703 the nuns took possession. Three of the holiest and most capable were chosen from St. Christina's to pre- side. They set off from Turin in one of the royal carriages, accompanied by two ladies of the Court — the Marchionesses Pallavicino and Tana. They were fol- lowed by the provincial of the Order, and other ecclesiastics, and by many ladies and gentlemen; the procession being closed by musicians. They entered Moncalieri to the sound of bells, amid the applause of the citizens, and went first to the palace of a certain count, where the Sindaco and Decurioni and other personages were waiting for them. Then there followed a grand religious ceremony and sermon. All the monks and multitudes of people went in pro- cession to the new church, and after the benediction the host was placed on the F