For reasons we do not know, Brother Victor asked the Founder to spend several days with his family in St-Just-en-Chevalet. The Founder shares very intimately with him his plans for Viriville, the school where Bro. Victor is teaching. If Fr. Champagnat was toying with the idea of establishing a preparatory novitiate or juniorate in Viriville, he apparently never acted on it, for there is no mention of it anyplace else but here. On the contrary, two months later, in October 1838, according to Bro. Avits annals (214.106, pp. 8-9), Fr. Champagnat will decide to withdraw the brothers because they were too poorly paid. The parish priest, Fr. Jean-Pierre Cussier, when he does not see the brothers arriving, will plead with the Founder, in a letter of 25th October 1838, to send them back, promising him that in the future he would see that they got everything that was due them (AFM, 129.56).

J.M.J.

Notre Dame de lHermitage, 12th August 1838

My very dear Brother Victor,

I give you permission to go to St-Just. If you cannot postpone this trip any longer, you may leave a week before the vacations in order to arrive here with the others and begin the retreat with them; as you know, it begins immediately.

I thank your parish priest for all he is doing for you. For our part, we will not forget the establishment of Viriville. We are even thinking of establishing there our preparatory novitiate. We are very pleased with the novices we have received from Viriville. We will work out an agreement about it with His Lordship of Grenoble and your parish priest. Give him my very best wishes.

Our business in Paris is not yet finished, but I have good reason to be hopeful. A Dieu, dear friend, I love you all, as you well know, in the Sacred Hearts, etc….
Champagnat

Edition: Translation from: Lettres de Marcellin J. B. Champagnat (1789-1840) Fondateur de l?Institut des Frères Maristes, présentés par Frère Paul Sester,1985.

fonte: Daprès lexpédition autographe AFM 111.46