Javouhey's Hesit Joseph De Cluny

Due to the nature of her enterprise, Javouhey was neither liked nor popular in Cayenne. According to Curtis, because French Guiana depended heavily on slave labor, to the majority of French colonial residents, Javouhey’s project was only useful in that it distanced “semi-free blacks” and “the slaves who guaranteed their livelihood.” Even those who were not unequivocally against the Sisters of Saint-Joseph de Cluny’s efforts had concerns regarding the liberation of slaves because, more often than not, they were slave owners themselves. She warned her sisters to “ne croyez rien des absurdités qu 'on vous débite” and that “tout cela n 'est dirigé que contre Mana, qu 'ils voient réussir et qu 'ils ont juré de détruire par tous les moyens imaginables.” …show more content…
When Autun prevented Javouhey’s return to Mana, the Minister of the Navy interceded on her behalf. Attempting to alleviate the situation, he wrote to Autun, “Comme il s 'agissait d 'une œuvre d 'humanité, de charité et de religion, on n 'avait pas pu prévoir qu 'il surviendrait quelque opposition de la part de l 'autorité ecclésiastique. Sans quoi on se serait empressé de se concerter d 'avance avec Mme la Supérieure pour lever toute difficulté...” Consequently, any changes to administration, either in French Guiana or in Paris, worried her greatly because the new appointee might not be as communicative or as favorable to her cause as his predecessor. Although the Sisters of Saint-Joseph de Cluny coped with less than helpful administrators, they were nonetheless relieved when administrators were supportive of their mission. In 1841, when she learned that Duperré was returning to his post as Minister of the Navy and the Colonies, she expressed her happiness, writing to him: “Je me suis donc encouragée moi-même en pensant que j 'avais, grâce à votre haute protection, un titre de plus pour m 'adresser au gouvernement du Roi dont vous êtes le très digne organe.” No political upheaval concerned her more than the July Revolution of 1830, which dredged up memories of religious persecution during the revolution of 1789. To a clergyman in Limoux, on the July Revolution she wrote, “ Hélas ! cette terrible catastrophe nous met sur la bouche d 'un volcan qui, d 'un moment à l 'autre, peut nous engloutir.” During the early years of the July Monarchy, the Office of the Minister of the Navy regarded Javouhey’s enterprise with indifference. The new minister, M. de Rigny, advised Javouhey that “elle ne devait plus espérer désormais aucune assistance de son