
Selected Letters of Saint Jane Frances de Chantal (Annotated)
Enriched Edition. Catholic Spiritual Letters on Visitation Convent Life, Discernment, and Divine ProvidenceBy Saint Jeanne-Françoise de ChantalLength7h 24m
About this audiobook
Selected Letters of Saint Jane Frances de Chantal gathers the intimate spiritual counsel, practical governance, and affective theology of one of the great voices of seventeenth-century Catholic reform. Written in a style at once maternal, disciplined, and piercingly clear, these letters illuminate the spirituality of the Visitation Order: humility, gentleness, obedience, and abandonment to divine providence. They belong to the rich epistolary culture of early modern devotion, where correspondence became a vehicle for direction, community formation, and sanctity. Saint Jeanne-Françoise de Chantal (1572–1641), widowed noblewoman and co-founder with Saint Francis de Sales of the Order of the Visitation of Holy Mary, wrote from a life marked by bereavement, administrative responsibility, and mystical aspiration. Her letters reflect not abstract theory but tested wisdom: the struggles of religious superiors, the needs of lay penitents, and the inner purification demanded by love of God. This volume is recommended to readers of Christian spirituality, religious history, and women's writing. It offers not merely devotional consolation, but a disciplined art of living, revealing how holiness is formed through ordinary duties, suffering, friendship, and steadfast interior freedom.
This enriched edition has been carefully crafted to add value to your reading experience.
- A comprehensive Introduction outlines these selected works' unifying features, themes, or stylistic evolutions.
- A Historical Context section situates the works in their broader era—social currents, cultural trends, and key events that underpin their creation.
- A concise Synopsis (Selection) offers an accessible overview of the included texts, helping readers navigate plotlines and main ideas without revealing critical twists.
- A unified Analysis examines recurring motifs and stylistic hallmarks across the collection, tying the stories together while spotlighting the different work's strengths.
- Reflection questions inspire deeper contemplation of the author's overarching message, inviting readers to draw connections among different texts and relate them to modern contexts.
- Lastly, our hand‐picked Memorable Quotes distill pivotal lines and turning points, serving as touchstones for the collection's central themes.
Audiobook details
GenreSpirituality and Religion
Length7 hrs 24 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateNov 25, 2023
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1Selected Letters of Saint Jane Frances de Chantal (Annotated)
2Introduction
3Historical Context
4Synopsis (Selection)
5PREFACE
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6TRANSLATORS' PREFACE
7JUDGMENT OF ST. FRANCIS DE SALES ON THE VIRTUES OF MOTHER DE CHANTAL
8I. To St. Francis de Sales.
9II. To the Same.
10III. To M. Legros at Dijon.
11IV. The Duke of Savoy to St. Jane Frances de Chantal.
12V. To Madame d'Auxerre, Foundress of the Monastery of the Visitation at Lyons.
13VI. To St. Francis de Sales.
14VII. To the Sisters of the Monastery of the Visitation of Annecy.
15VIII. To Sister Jeanne Charlotte de Bréchard, Assistant and Mistress of Novices at Annecy.
16IX. To Sister Péronne Marie de Châtel at Lyons.
17X. To Mother Marie Jacqueline Favre, Superior at Lyons.
18XI. To the Same.
19XII. To the Same.
20XIII. To Sister Péronne Marie de Châtel at Lyons.
21XIV. To Mother Marie Jacqueline Favre, Superior at Lyons.
22XV. To Sisters Péronne Marie de Châtel and Marie Aimée de Blonay.
23XVI. To Mother M. J. Favre.
24XVII. To Madame de Gouffier.
25XVIII. To Mother Jacqueline Favre, Superior at Lyons.
26XIX. To Sister Marie Aimée de Blonay, Mistress of Novices at Lyons.
27XX. To the Same.
28XXI. To Mother Marie Jacqueline Favre, Superior at Lyons.
29XXII. To the Same.
30XXIII. To Mother Jeanne Charlotte de Bréchard, Superior at Moulins. On the death of the Saint's daughter, Madame de Thorens.
31XXIV. To M. de Neuchèze, the Saint's nephew.
32XXV. To Mother Marie Jacqueline Favre, Superior at Lyons.
33XXVI. To Madame de la Fléchère.
34XXVII. To Sister Paule Jéronyme de Monthoux, Mistress of Novices at Annecy.
35XXVIII. To M. Michel Favre, Confessor to St. Francis de Sales, and to the Religious of the Visitation at Annecy.
36XXIX. To Sister Anne Marie Rosset, Assistant at Annecy.
37XXX. To Sister Paul Jéronyme de Monthoux, Mistress of Novices at Annecy.
38XXXI. To Madame de la Fléchère.
39XXXII. To Mother Jeanne Charlotte de Bréchard, Superior at Moulins.
40XXXIII. To Mother Péronne Marie de Châtel, Superior at Grenoble.
41XXXIV. To Mother Marie Jacqueline Favre, Superior at Lyons.
42XXXV. To Sister Marie-Avoye Humbert, at Moulins.
43XXXVI. To the Sisters of the Visitation of Bourges.
44XXXVII. To the Sisters of the Visitation of Moulins.
45XXXVIII. To Mother Péronne-Marie de Châtel, Superior at Grenoble.
46XXXIX. To Mademoiselle de Chantal.
47XL. To Mother Jeanne Charlotte de Bréchard, Superior at Moulins.
48XLI. To Mademoiselle de Chantal.
49XLII. To Sister Marie-Marthe Legros, at Bourges.
50XLIII. To Madame du Tertre.