Mother Maddalena wrote of their preparations for the trip to America: WHEN THE DAY FOR OUR DEPARTURE FROM THE MONASTERY HAD BEEN DECIDED UPON, WE BEGAN TO MAKE UP OUR BUNDLES; BUT IN ORDER NOT TO GRIEVE OUR GOOD SISTERS, [HER POOR CLARE COMMUNITY IN ROME], WE WERE OBLIGED TO DO IT AT NIGHT, WITH THE HELP OF OUR GOOD SISTER THERESA, WHO, WEEPING, HELPED US; THIS GOOD SISTER ALWAYS WAS VERY ATTENTIVE TO US IN OUR NEEDS. THE REVEREND MOTHER, SISTER MARY CLARE PAPI, ABBESS IN OUR MONASTERY, WAS NOT AT ALL SATISfiED THAT WE SHOULD LEAVE, AND SHE HAD SAID: ‘WHEN THE DAY FOR THEIR DEPARTURE COMES, I WILL LEAVE THE ENCLOSURE KEY ON THE BENCH NEAR THE ENCLOSURE DOOR; THEY THEMSELVES WILL HAVE TO OPEN THE DOOR.’ BUT, FORTUNATELY, JUST ON JULY 28, THERE WAS THE NEW ELECTION, AND GOD PERMITTED THAT SISTER CLARE FRANCIS SIMONETTI WAS ELECTED ABBESS FOR THE THREE COMING YEARS. THIS MOTHER WAS INDEED VERY SORRY TO SEE US LEAVE THE MONASTERY, BUT WE WERE THANKFUL TO GOD THAT WE WERE NOT OBLIGED TO LEAVE WITHOUT THE BLESSING OF OUR VERY REVEREND MOTHER ABBESS.