world, He prevented her by the unction of His grace, and prepared
beforehand faithful hearts, who were willing to enter the new society,
and consecrate themselves to the service of God under her guidance. Six
young persons responded to her call. Their names were Sisters Elizabeth,
Genevieve, Constantine, Durant, Marianne, and Margaret. Filled with holy
joy, and accompanied by her new companions, Sister Bourgeois went to
cast herself at the feet of her Bishop, and offer him the fruit of her
journeyings and prayers.

M. de Laval was at that time in the college of Foreign Missions in
Paris, not only in quality of Bishop of Petree, Vicar-Apostolic of
Canada, as he had been up to that period, but also as the first Bishop
of Quebec. For it was not until the year 1672 that the important
question of erecting the church of Quebec into a titular Bishopric was
at last happily decided. The prelate approved the Sister's persevering
labors, bestowed the most ample benedictions on herself and her young
recruits, and received their first religious consecration to the service
of God and the Church. He placed no bounds to his favors, and renewed
the general permission given before, to erect schools, and form any
other religious establishment in his diocese that they should judge
beneficial to the colony. Everything seemed to succeed with this holy
woman, and she attributed all her past success, as well as what the
future might develop, to the special protection of the Blessed Virgin.
Her confidence in her good Mother was boundless, and she considered it
an essential duty to depend on her in all things, and inspired her
daughters with a similar devotion. She wished it to be perpetuated in
the Institute, and desired that the name and livery of Mary might be
distinctly traceable in their houses, their furniture, and their
personal appearance forever.