Quotations

Paris Benedictines Obits and Notes

XIII. 1690. Some Briefe Remarkes of our Religious Sister Scholastica Hodson Lay sister departed this life the 31 of May 1690.

Sister Scholastica Hodson of Jesus Maria was Borne in the Parish of Layland, in Lancastershier in England of vertous catholike & Englishe parent (she was eldest sister to the afore sayd sister Gartrude Hodson) and forsakeing the vanitys of the world went first over to the English Benedictine Dames of our Blessed Lady of consolation at Cambray our Mother house where she espowsed herselfe to God by the holy voues of Religion the 24 of February 1642, the Very Reverend Father Clement Rayner being then Presedent of the Englishe Benedictin congregation, and the Reverend Mother Christina Brent Abbesse of the sayd Monastery.

This our Religious sister made so great progres & advancement in all vertue, & perfection that 9 yeears after her Profession her superiours judged her fit to be sent with the Reverend Mothers, Mother Clementia & Mother Maria Carys, who were the first that by order of holy obedience came to begine this our Monastery of our Blessed

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Lady of Good Hope in Paris (about al Saints in the yeare 1651). And she being very descreet & prudent, was a great comfort & helpe to our Reverend Deare Mother Clementia who was very sickly, by most carefully attending & continually assisting her in their journy & lodgings, procuring for her the best accomodations & solaces she could without any Regard to her owne sufferances & inconveniences which are incident to happen in such occations. Though she also was very tender & infirme, she was likwise so exacte & exempler in her Religious dutys that it caused great edification to al that saw her. And being of an Interne & retiered spirite, al the time she could by her vigilency & care draw from her imployments, she spent in Prayer & recolection at the foot of the Alter, by which she atained to so good a habit of recolection, that one may say she performed al her obedences as it were in the Presence of God, doeing al things with much peace & serenity of minde.

She was also very considerat, compassionat, & carefull of the sicke & Infirme, not only when she assisted in the Infirmary, but in other offices &c: And when she did actually assist there both the sicke & dieing found much comfort & solace, as wel in mind as body by her sweet & humble carage towards them. And this in her, with her other vertous & Religious comportment, was very resplendent & remarkable not onely to her companions the lay sisters but also to the Quir Religious to whom she caried herselfe with so much respect & reverence even to the young'st, that it caused them to have a perticuler regard & love to her, & al the Religious were extreemly animated & incouraged by her example. Her patience was admirable in bearing with the humers & rebukes of her sisters, which she receaved as sent from God for her greater profit & humiliation & indeed it was the divine pleasure that this his sarvant should passe through many great exercises, both Interiour and exterior in which she most faithfully adhered to God.

Our venerable Mother Prioress Mother Justina Gascoigne, had a very great esteeme of this our Religious Sister, & in her last sicknes they had a long & serious discourse toge[ther] in which our venerable Mother tould her it would not be long before she should follow her, & acordingly it happened; for this our Deare sister, fell sicke seven days after the decease of our sayd venerable Mother Prioress of whom she had a high esteeme, & veneration; & was observed to pray one time longer then ordinary at her grave, from whence she came with a certaine transport, & also a fever; & she being lead to the Infirmary, her sicknes continued the space of seven days in al which time, she was very cheeful & in great peace, that contrary to her usuall dispossion not aprehensive of death.

And one of the Religious goeing to see her, not Imageing she was so neer her death, sayd to her: Sister Scholastica, are you contented to goe see our Very Reverend & Most Deare Mother Prioresse. She answered: yes with al my hart; then the other sayd againe: pray when you doe, desire her to pray for us al, but perticulerly for me her poore child who have most need of her prayers, to which she answered smilling she knoweth best, who hath most need. Her sicknes much increasing

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she received with great devotion al the holy sacraments of the church. Her Agony lasted neer 20 hours and she happily departed this life the 15th day after our venerable Mother Prioress, in the same month, the same day of the weeke, at the same hour of the day. & lastly the same year, being 1690 the 31 of May (and the 68 of her age & 48 of her Profession) in this our Monastery of our Blessed of Good Hope aux Champt D' Allouet in Paris. Yet least through human frailty there should remaine any spots or imperfections to be purified in the other Life, lett us asist her with our prayers, that she may with the more speede come to that Filicity which lasteth for ever resiting for her the deprofoundis this being her Anniversay day. Requiescat in Pace. Amen.