Letters of Maria Celeste:

26 November 1630

Most Beloved Lord Father

Sunday morning at the fourteenth hour, our Suor Violante passed on to the other life; seeing how she suffered her long and debilitating illness with great patience and compliance with the will of His Divine Majesty, we can piously hope that she has gone to her salvation; and indeed for the past month she had been reduced to such a miserable state, unable even to turn over in bed by herself, and struggling so to swallow the tiniest bit of food, that death seemed almost desirable to her as the final end of all these trials: I wanted to let you know before now, Sire, but it was impossible for me to find the time, which remains scarce even now, to write; wherefore I will say no more except that we are all well here by the mercy of God; and I want to know if the same is true of you, and of those close to you and especially of our little Galileino. I must also thank you for the quilt you sent me, which was really more than I deserve: I pray the Lord to reward you for all the good you have done for me and do continually, by blessing you with His holy grace in this life and granting you the glory of Paradise in the next: and here with all my heart I send you my love together with Suor Arcangela and Suor Luisa.

From San Matteo, the 26th day of November 1630.

Your most affectionate daughter,
S. M. Celeste