St. Therese of Lisieux’s pen and inkwell on a facsimile of handwritten pages from her Story of a Soul. St. Teresa was greatly influenced by Mother Genevieve, foundress of the Carmelite convent of Lisieux. (CNS file photo)
On Dec. 5, 1891, Mother Genevieve of St. Teresa, foundress of the Carmelite convent of Lisieux, died. Regarding Mother Genevieve, St. Therese wrote, “what a joy it was to have lived for some years with a soul whose holiness was not inimitable, but lay in the practice of simple and hidden virtues. More than once she was to me a source of great consolation.”
Mother Genevieve was born Claire-Marie-Radegonde Bertrand on July 5, 1805, in Poitiers. She entered the Carmel of Poitiers in 1830. In 1838, the Carmel of Lisieux was founded and Mother Genevieve served as subprioress and novice mistress. A few years later, the prioress, Mother Elizabeth, died and Mother Genevieve succeeded her, and so it was Mother Genevieve who was considered the “foundress.”
The religious sisters loved Mother Genevieve very much and elected her prioress as often as the Rule allowed until her health prevented her fulfilling the office any more.
When Therese’s older sister, Pauline, entered Carmel on Oct. 2, 1882, it was one of the periods when Mother Genevieve was not eligible to be elected a third term; Mother Marie de Gonzague was prioress at the time.
On Jan. 31, 1883, Mother Genevieve was re-elected for the last time. Hence she was the prioress when Pauline received the habit.
At the end of 1884, Mother Genevieve became an invalid. When the elections came around on Feb. 3, 1886, it was clear that the 80-year-old foundress was not well enough to serve, and Mother Gonzague was elected again.
Hence, Mother Gonzague was prioress when Marie (Oct. 15, 1886) and Therese (April 9, 1888) entered Carmel. Still, a close spiritual bond existed between Mother Genevieve and the Martin sisters, especially Pauline and Therese. Mother Genevieve called Pauline “our angelic novice.”
The priest who supervised the Lisieux Carmel, Canon Jean-Baptiste Delatroette, vigorously opposed Therese’s entrance at such a young age. When the priest was visiting Mother Genevieve, she bravely (but in vain) asked him to consent to Therese’s entrance.
When Mother Genevieve was sick, Therese visited her. Therese recalled: “One Sunday I went to the infirmary to pay her a visit, but, as two of the older nuns were there, I was retiring quietly, when she called me and said, with something of inspiration in her manner: ‘Wait, my child, I have just a word for you; you are always asking me for a spiritual bouquet; well, today I give you this one: Serve the Lord in peace and in joy. Remember that Our God is the God of peace.’”
As Mother Genevieve was dying, Therese was placed at the foot of the bed and witnessed her slightest movements. Therese described her experience at the time of Mother Genevieve’s death: “In an instant I was filled with an indescribable joy and fervour, as if the soul of our blessed Foundress made me share in the happiness she already enjoyed—for I am quite convinced she went straight to heaven.”
After the death of Mother Genevieve, the religious sisters hastened to claim something belonging to her. Therese noticed that during Mother Genevieve’s agony, a tear glistened. That last tear of Mother Genevieve did not fall, and Therese still saw it shining when her body was exposed in the choir. When evening came, Therese approached with a little piece of linen to wipe the tear, and kept it as a relic.
Therese had a consoling dream regarding Mother Genevieve. She described: “I thought I saw her giving to each of us something that had belonged to herself. When my turn came, her hands were empty, and I was afraid I was not to receive anything; but she looked at me lovingly, and said three times: ‘To you I leave my heart.’”
珍妮姆姆啟發了小德蘭
里修的加耳默羅修院創院的珍妮姆姆，卒於1891年12月5日。有關珍妮姆姆，小德蘭寫道：「能和珍妮姆姆一起生活了幾年光景，確實是一件樂事。她的聖善並非高不可攀，而是建基於簡樸和不張揚的聖德上。她對我來說，不止一次是我的慰藉了。」
珍妮姆姆1805年7月5日出生於普瓦捷。她於1830年進入普瓦捷的加耳默羅修院；1838年，里修的加耳默羅修院創立時，她任副院長和初學師；不多年，她繼逝世的依撒伯爾姆姆任院長，所以她亦被認為是修院的創辦人。珍妮姆姆深受眾人愛戴，常是院長的熱門人選，直到她的健康轉差，難以稱職為止。
1882年10月2日，小德蘭姐姐寶蓮加入立斯.加耳默羅修院時，珍妮姆姆剛好按會規不能連任第三屆院長，瑪利.龔撒爾姆姆事其職。1883年1月31日，珍妮姆姆再被選為里修.加耳默羅修院院長；在她任內，寶蓮領受了會衣。1884年底，八十高齡的珍妮姆姆患重病，故此，1886年2月3日選舉中，瑪利.龔撒爾姆姆重新執掌院長重任。馬定家中的姐姐瑪麗（1886年10月15日）及妹妹小德蘭（1888年3月9日）進入修院時，正在龔撒爾姆姆的掌管下。不過，珍妮姆姆對馬定姊妹們疼愛有加，稱寶蓮做「我們天使般的初學生」。
監督里修.加耳默羅修院的卡諾.若翰.狄勒高域神父，極力反對年輕的小德蘭入修院。珍妮姆姆當面請求神父同意讓小德蘭入院。
小德蘭憶述探望患病的珍妮姆姆情況：「一個主日，我到病房，打算探望珍妮姆姆，但當時已有兩位年長修女造訪中，我便準備迴避一下；誰知姆姆煞有屆事地把我叫住，說：『我的孩子，我有話對你說。你不是要我給你一些靈修花束嗎？好，我今天就給你：在平安與喜樂中侍奉天主吧。記著：我們的天主是和平的天主！』」
珍妮姆姆彌留時，小德蘭在她的床腳看守著，因而能仔細地觀察到姆姆每個絲毫動作。小德蘭形容珍妮姆姆離世時的感受：「我那時卻又感到難以言喻的喜悅和熱切，好像我正在分享著這任修院創院姆姆已嚐到的喜悅！我確信她的靈魂會直升天堂。」
珍妮姆姆死後，眾人爭相拿她的遺物留念；只是，小德蘭注意到姆姆病苦最後一滴閃亮的淚水，停留而沒有掉下來。追悼後，小德蘭小心翼翼地把手帕輕輕把那滴淚水拭去，留作聖髑。
小德蘭一則有關珍妮姆姆的夢：「我想我看到她向我們每人都派發她的遺物，但輪到我時，她空著雙手，我生怕我得不到什麼；姆姆慈愛地望著我，說了三遍：『我留給你我的心。』」