Bonniot, Father James Mary August, Lafourche à Duclos, Louisiana, to Father Stephen Rousselon, New Orleans, Louisiana, 1853 June 30

If he spoke "secundum hominem" he would have to say that it was arch folly to return to Missouri instead of returning at once to France last May. But he hopes this trip which cost him so much will not be lost in the eternal mercies. Father John Mary Irenaeus St. Cyr is not entirely innocent of the present difficulties. In order to free himself of the burdensome part of his parish and give it to Bonniot, he gave a poetic description of this mission. According to St. Cyr, Bonniot was: 1. To find a comfortable lodging in a safe and pious house. He found only a miserable one, a thousand times worse than those of Covington and the Third Municipality of sad memory. 2. He is lodged at the home of three old widows, who in the last century had made their First Communion prepared by the saintly Father Donatien Olivier with whom, for two years, Bonniot had a close connection, 22 years ago. He sometimes met old people, eyewitnesses of the miraculously apostolic life of this holy man. 3. Bonniot should have fresh vegetables; he gets only potatoes, beans, etc. Gardening is unknown to these lazy people. 4. Great consolations were promised from these simple and devoted parishioners; they are insolent, indifferent and grasping, even more so than those of the Third Municipality, Covington, or Pascagoula. He preached in vain to get them to convert two miserable barns into decent chapels. He has been preaching about it for four years and more. He had to use three pails of water to purify the corporals and purificators of a single church. In this mission, as in his last two, he combines two churches, 12 miles from each other. One is St. Anne, the other St. Philomena. The first was established by Father Francis Xavier Dehmen, C.M. D'hamen whom Bonniot knew well, pastor of Ste. Genevieve and the whole area. He bought a fine large piece of land to fix the parish of St. Anne. Father A.H. Gandolfo, C.M. Gondolfon sold this land, comprising 40 acres of cleared land, for a miserable horse! The Lazarists Vincentians were to be ? withdrawn from the Missouri parishes at that time. 5. Bonniot believed that he was to have a parish extending only 10 miles; he has two extending more than 30 miles. 6. St. Cyr spoke of a very healthy locality. The house where he stays is near a small stream. The leaves collect and rot and give forth a perfumed enchantment, transporting him on the wings of Father Adrien Rouquette, to Covington or not far from the cemetery of Bonnet Quarré. In regard to Rouquette, this poet sent some of his works to the Archbishop of St. Louis, who showed them to St. Cyr. The Bishop and pastor made fun of them, and rightly. This will recall to Rousselon what Bonniot wrote him last year from Covington. Bonniot, in order to visit his parishes, has already made 8 trips on horseback under a hot sun. Each time he has had fever for 2 or 3 days. The advice Rousselon wrote him when he was in New York, not to return to this fever prone Louisiana, was wise. However, Bonniot found life in the fresh water at Biloxi. Although, according to Father Napoleon Joseph Perché Bonniot is just a faded flower, Bonniot does not think it useless to water it. Perché is on the first list of Bishops in America and not on the new one. Without the healing waters Bonniot would be gravely ill as he was 20 years ago at Pointe Coupé . In going up and down the river, he sees this old church so ugly now. On the eve of this illness, Bonniot had learned the sad news of the death of the most lovable and perfect bishops Bonniot had ever known. Since Bonniot left New Orleans, his life has not ceased to be apostolic. He asks for hospitality for a few days in New Orleans because of his belongings, in order to go to France. If Rousselon has not already given Father John F. Cambiaso, S.J. the 240 piastres of Bonniot's annuity, he is to keep it and Bonniot will get it before he leaves and in case of Bonniot's death 240 Masses are to be said. In case Rousselon has lost the formula for the testimonial letters Bonniot gave him, he sends the one he will ask for before leaving. He gives the formula here in Latin. Before settling in his mission, Bonniot visited it with St. Cyr, he on horseback, Bonniot in a cart over terrible roads. He discovered at once the pious deception of the pastor of Ste. Genevieve. However, he thought he ought to try this mission until his health would make certain that he could no longer work there. A month sufficed for that. All his effects are at St. Cyr's. :: VI-1-e A.L.S. French 8pp. 4to. 10