Father Lewis Sabran of the Society was lately arrived in England, and being in our neighbourhood, my father, out of civility, went to meet him, and invited him to our house. He had heard of my long sickness, and desired to see me. He spoke very freely and confidently to me, and offered to say Mass for me in my chamber, which my father would not propose of himself; but I was obliged to keep my bed. He asked afterwards why I had not made the ten Fridays in honour of St. Xaverius, and understanding what had passed, he advised my confessor to make me begin them anew. In some private discourse I had with him he gave me courage and confidence, and bid me hope that at the end of the ten Fridays I should find a great change.

In this my sickness my youngest sister had a vocation to become a religious, though I could not but resent much her departure, yet I both encouraged her in it and gave full consent to it. She was to have passed the seas with Father Sabran; but his affairs calling him away on a sudden, she lost the opportunity. This Father seemed sent from God, not to take her away, but to raise me that I might accompany her: for unless he had urged it, I should not have begun this second devotion, particularly seeing my confessor was not very forward in proposing it, and having care of many souls, found difficulty to be with us every Friday for ten weeks together.