Venerable Pauline Marie Jaricot
The saint of the day for January 9th is Venerable Pauline Marie Jaricot, a French lay woman who founded the Association for the Propagation of the Faith, which later became the Society for the Propagation of the Faith. Born into a very pious and wealthy family in Lyons, France in 1799, Pauline developed into a deep, thoughtful girl during her teen years through tragedy. First, a serious fall caused her to retreat from the world to heal physically. Then, the death of her mother caused great emotional pain for the young girl. At the age of 17, she began to lead a life of self-denial and self-sacrifice, and on Christmas Day, 1816, took a vow of perpetual virginity. Pauline’s prayer life was nurtured at this time by her brother Phileas who was studying to be a priest. Phileas shared stories of the missions of their time with his sister, telling her of the struggle to establish the faith in China and another large mission land of the time, the United States. At the age of 18...