Feast of St. Marguerite Bourgeoys
St. Marguerite Bourgeoys has been described as a woman of dreams and action, despite her fragile health. Growing up in a Catholic schools where I was educated by the Sisters of the Congregation of Notre Dame, I learned to appreciate the many gifts and virtues of this holy and determined founder of this teaching Order. The one trait that stands out the most in my mind is her obedience to God in carrying out His desires despite the many obstacles and hardships she faced.
Born in Troyes, France in 1620, Marguerite assumed a leadership role in her family at age 19 due to the death of her mother. The following year, through the inspiration of the Blessed Virgin Mary, she felt called to withdraw from the world and to consecrate her life to the service of God. She immediately became a member of the Extern Congregation of Troy, a group of women who were dedicated to teaching poor children in the town. While remaining active in this apostolate, she first sensed a call to missionary life.
This call became concrete in 1652, when Monsieur de Maisonneuve, founder and governor of Ville Marie (Canada) returned to France and asked her to volunteer her services to teach the French and Indian children in the new settlement begun in New France. Our Lady confirmed the call. "Go, I will not forsake you." she told Marguerite. With this assurance, Marguerite left Troyes, France in a spirit of detachment and sailed across the ocean to this new young colony.
Her first action was to arrange for the restoration of the Cross-on Mount Royal which had been destroyed by the Indians. She also restored the chapel and in doing so, attempted to restore the faith of the colonists.
In 1658, she opened the first school in Montreal in an abandoned stable and soon realized that she must also educate and teach domestic skills to the young mothers who were now part of this new society. She became their mother, social worker, counselor, and friend.
She was a practical woman and worked realistically within the structures she found. Although she began her first school in an abandoned stable, she was able to combine the practical with the ideal form of education. She understood the necessity of teaching girls Christian values, as well as the importance of teaching vocational skills - to prepare them to be capable and competent mothers and homemakers.
Her curriculum included: reading, writing, arithmetic, singing, as well as religion, while back in her native country, France, people continued to argue the usefulness of teaching women to write.
She sailed across the ocean three times to France to obtain additional volunteer teachers. The group of teachers who joined her in her life of prayer, of poverty, and of service to others, bonded together as a religious group. Thus, in 1698, Marguerite founded the Congregation of Notre Dame -- an uncloistered Order who would continue the missionary work she had started.
She generously offered herself as a sacrifice of prayer for the return of the health of a young Sister and died in Montreal on January 12, 1700.
More than 2600 Sisters of the Congregation of Notre Dame work in various fields of service today in Canada, the United States, Japan, Latin America, Cameroon, and in France.
Marguerite Bourgeoys was beatified on November 12, 1950 by Pope Pius XII. Pope John Paul II canonized her on October 31, 1982, making her Canada's first woman saint.
Favorite Quote of St. Marguerite Bourgeoys
A time of sickness is a time of grace. It is then that we reap a harvest for an eternity.
~ Jean M. Heimann
St. Marguerite Bourgeoys has been described as a woman of dreams and action, despite her fragile health. Growing up in a Catholic schools where I was educated by the Sisters of the Congregation of Notre Dame, I learned to appreciate the many gifts and virtues of this holy and determined founder of this teaching Order. The one trait that stands out the most in my mind is her obedience to God in carrying out His desires despite the many obstacles and hardships she faced.
Born in Troyes, France in 1620, Marguerite assumed a leadership role in her family at age 19 due to the death of her mother. The following year, through the inspiration of the Blessed Virgin Mary, she felt called to withdraw from the world and to consecrate her life to the service of God. She immediately became a member of the Extern Congregation of Troy, a group of women who were dedicated to teaching poor children in the town. While remaining active in this apostolate, she first sensed a call to missionary life.
This call became concrete in 1652, when Monsieur de Maisonneuve, founder and governor of Ville Marie (Canada) returned to France and asked her to volunteer her services to teach the French and Indian children in the new settlement begun in New France. Our Lady confirmed the call. "Go, I will not forsake you." she told Marguerite. With this assurance, Marguerite left Troyes, France in a spirit of detachment and sailed across the ocean to this new young colony.
Her first action was to arrange for the restoration of the Cross-on Mount Royal which had been destroyed by the Indians. She also restored the chapel and in doing so, attempted to restore the faith of the colonists.
In 1658, she opened the first school in Montreal in an abandoned stable and soon realized that she must also educate and teach domestic skills to the young mothers who were now part of this new society. She became their mother, social worker, counselor, and friend.
She was a practical woman and worked realistically within the structures she found. Although she began her first school in an abandoned stable, she was able to combine the practical with the ideal form of education. She understood the necessity of teaching girls Christian values, as well as the importance of teaching vocational skills - to prepare them to be capable and competent mothers and homemakers.
Her curriculum included: reading, writing, arithmetic, singing, as well as religion, while back in her native country, France, people continued to argue the usefulness of teaching women to write.
She sailed across the ocean three times to France to obtain additional volunteer teachers. The group of teachers who joined her in her life of prayer, of poverty, and of service to others, bonded together as a religious group. Thus, in 1698, Marguerite founded the Congregation of Notre Dame -- an uncloistered Order who would continue the missionary work she had started.
She generously offered herself as a sacrifice of prayer for the return of the health of a young Sister and died in Montreal on January 12, 1700.
More than 2600 Sisters of the Congregation of Notre Dame work in various fields of service today in Canada, the United States, Japan, Latin America, Cameroon, and in France.
Marguerite Bourgeoys was beatified on November 12, 1950 by Pope Pius XII. Pope John Paul II canonized her on October 31, 1982, making her Canada's first woman saint.
Favorite Quote of St. Marguerite Bourgeoys
A time of sickness is a time of grace. It is then that we reap a harvest for an eternity.
~ Jean M. Heimann
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