Jandel, O.P., Father Alexander Vincent, Rome, Italy, to Archbishop Anthony Blanc, New Orleans, Louisiana, 1854 November 3

Jandel is embarrassed by his delay in answering Blanc's letter of June 26. When it arrived Jandel was leaving for a visit of their monasteries at Naples. He was sure that the affair of the ex-Dominican Joseph Pascual was the exclusive province of the Scared Office because in their order, they take solemn vows immediately after the novitiate. After 5 years, canon law does not permit the religious to claim nullity of profession. The master of spanish novices could not say otherwise. Jandel could not give Blanc a satisfactory answer before his return to Rome and as Blanc said he had written to Propaganda he had also to know the steps which this Congregation had been able to take. Various circumstances having prolonged Jandel's absence, he did not return until the end of September when vacations were beginning. He hastened to communicate Blanc's letter to Cardinal Alexander BarnabÒ, who had to do some research and consultation, and it was only today that Jandel learned from BarnabÒ that in July of last year BarnabÒ had asked for the dispensation for Pascual. Blanc knows the slowness and secretiveness of this Congregation and so Jandel can only promise to hasten it to the best of his ability. Meanwhile he believes it would be very useful to send the Sacred Congregation the certificate of the marriage celebrated, or rather attempted, in Cuba and especially to affirm that the woman acted in good faith and that she still does not know of the impediment to the marriage. This last circumstance might be the most powerful one to enable one to hope for the dispensation. In regard to the establishment of a monastery of Dominicans in Blanc's diocese: Jandel can only renew the expression of his gratitude for Blanc's kind dispositions and that of his regret of not being able to carry it out. Almost three years ago Jandel sent a visitor, Father Robert Augustine White, O.P. to the United States. He reported the need of 4 European religious. Jandel has not been able to send even one. Because of a misunderstanding, the Provincial in the United States thought he was authorized to found a monastery in Washington which added further to the scarcity of subjects. Jandel has sounded out the situation in France and far from being able to take subjects from there, he has to send to that province, a priest whom he had called to Rome 2 years ago and whom he needed very much. One of its best subjects has just been taken from this province; one who thirsted for the missions and who succumbed to the cholera contracted while visiting the sick two months ago. :: VI-1-h A.L.S. French 3pp. 4to.