St. Louise de Marillac
Since our last two reflections were focused on Blessed Frederick Ozanam and St Vincent De Paul, I thought it only right that we should also give consideration to St. Louise de Marillac, a close friend of St Vincent and a profound inspiration in her own right.
So even though we all know the story, here is a brief refresher…
Louise de Marillac was born probably near Meux, France, in 1591. Educated by the Dominican nuns at Poissy she first pursued a religious life with the Dominicans, but on the advice of her confessor, she married Antony LeGras, an official in the Queen’s service, in 1613.
After her husbands death twelve years later, she met St. Vincent de Paul, who resisted but eventually became her spiritual adviser. From this time, she devoted the rest of her life to working with him. She helped direct his Ladies of Charity in their work of caring for the sick, the poor, and the neglected.
Later, in 1633 she set up a training center for candidates seeking to help in her work. This was the beginning of the Sisters (or Daughters, as Vincent preferred) of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul (though it was not formally approved until 1655).
She took her vows in 1634 and attracted great numbers of candidates. She wrote a rule for the community, and in 1642, Vincent allowed four of the members to take vows. When formally approved, her community was placed under Vincent and his Congregation of the Missions, with Louise herself as the Superior.
She traveled all over France establishing her Sisters in hospitals, orphanages, and other institutions. By the time of her death in Paris on March 15, the Congregation had more than forty houses in France. Since then they have spread all over the world. She was canonized by Pope Pius XI in 1934, and was declared Patroness of Social Workers by Pope John XXIII in 1960. Her feast day is March 15th.
All too brief a summary of a life reaching across the centuries even today, simply helping those in need.
Let us keep in mind that these great accomplishments were achieved by many people doing little things with her great leadership, organizational skill and example of devotion.
Few, if any of us are bound for canonization; but each of us, both individually and together as a team can continue to dedicate ourselves to doing the little things…the very same little things which add up to great service.
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Closing Prayer:
O God, we stand in gratitude for our vocation to be a Vincentian,
– give us the grace to offer our heart and friendship to the poor.
May we have the desire to serve the needy by person-to-person contact,
– give us the grace to invite others to join the Society.
May we have the grace to put our faith into action, to meditate upon it,
– and to adapt it to our changing world. Amen.
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