Before long Jeanne-Marie and Marie received requests from various parish priests and other people connected with the Church who thought they would be a great help in their parishes or their schools. But none of these ideas seemed quite right to Jeanne-Marie. Even when the CardinaI, the highest church official for miles around, tried to persuade her to join different groups he had in mind, she refused. He became quite exasperated and asked: What will you do then? She calmly replied:
I will live at home with my parents until God makes his will known.
However, for Marie the waiting became unbearable. She felt quite torn between staying with her dearest friend and making a start on some special project for God. Eventually amidst tears she left Coutouvre to help in a school in a parish called Belleville where. a group of women had begun a type of religious life.
Jeanne-Marie was heart- broken, yet she understood her friend so well and knew she had to let her go.
Soon afterwards she visited their old friend and adviser, Jean-Philibert Lefranc. He was now an ordained priest and lived some miles from Coutouvre. She poured out her heart to him, asking if perhaps, she should have gone with Marie.
After a long silence, the young but wise father Lefranc said:
The religious order which you will join is not yet in existence.
Jeanne-Marie had no idea what this meant, but went • prepared to wait some more for God to make known his plans.
Meanwhile in Belleville Marie had thrown herself into her new home, but within a very short time she become ill. Deep in her heart realised that this was not - after all - what God wanted of her. In: of great opposition from the others there, she left Belleville and straight to see father Le.franc. When he sow the terrible state Marie. in, he told her to go home, to get well and to wait until she knew be what God wanted. Marie did exactly what he said and everyone delighted to have her bock, especially Jeanne-Marie, who took care of her.
Before long Jeanne-Marie and Marie received requests from various parish priests and other people connected with the Church who thought they would be a great help in their parishes or their schools. But none of these ideas seemed quite right to Jeanne-Marie. Even when the CardinaI, the highest church official for miles around, tried to persuade her to join different groups he had in mind, she refused. He became quite exasperated and asked: What will you do then? She calmly replied:
Soon afterwards she visited their old friend and adviser, Jean-Philibert Lefranc. He was now an ordained priest and lived some miles from Coutouvre. She poured out her heart to him, asking if perhaps, she should have gone with Marie.
