Saint of the day for January 12: the story of Santa Marguerite Bourgeoys

(April 17, 1620 - January 12, 1700)

“God closes a door and then opens a window,” people sometimes say when they are dealing with their own disappointment or with someone else's. This was certainly true in the case of Marguerite. Children from European and Native American backgrounds in XNUMXth-century Canada benefited from his great zeal and unwavering trust in God's providence.

Born the sixth of 12 children in Troyes, France, Marguerite at the age of 20 believed she was called to the religious life. His questions to the Carmelites and the Poor Clares were unsuccessful. A priest friend suggested that perhaps God had other plans for her.

In 1654, the governor of the French settlement in Canada visited his sister, an Augustinian canoness in Troyes. Marguerite belonged to an association connected to that convent. The governor invited her to come to Canada and start a school in Ville-Marie (eventually the city of Montreal). When it arrived, the colony had 200 people with a hospital and a Jesuit mission chapel.

Immediately after starting a school, she realized her need for colleagues. Returning to Troyes, she recruited a friend, Catherine Crolo, and two other young women. In 1667, they added classes in their school for Indian children. A second trip to France three years later brought six other young women and a letter from King Louis XIV authorizing the school. The Congregation of Notre Dame was founded in 1676 but its members did not make formal religious profession until 1698, when their Rule and constitutions were approved.

Marguerite founded a school for Indian girls in Montreal. At the age of 69 he went from Montreal to Quebec in response to the bishop's request to establish a community of his sisters in that city. When she died, she was called the "Mother of the Colony". Marguerite was canonized in 1982.

Reflection

It's easy to get discouraged when the plans we think God must approve are frustrated. Marguerite was called not to be a cloistered nun but to be a founder and educator. God hadn't ignored her, after all.