Oct 16 2006
Feastday of St. Marguerite d’Youville and St. Margaret Mary Alacoque
St. Marguerite d’Youville (1701-1771) is the first Canadian-born saint. In 1737 she founded the Congregation of the Sisters of Charity, known as the Grey Nuns, in Montréal, Québec.
Pope John XXIII beatified her in 1959, calling her the Mother of Universal Charity. Pope John Paul II canonized her in 1990, and gave her to the world as an example of an unconditionally loving person who helped all who needed her. She opened her heart and home to the poor, the sick, the elderly, wounded soldiers, abandoned infants, prostitutes, and the mentally ill. (Taken from a pamphlet published by the Marguerite d’Youville Centre, Montréal, Québec)
“Now I can die content, for the Sacred Heart of my Saviour is beginning to become known. Also because it seems to me that, through His mercy, I am nearly destroyed and annihilated as far as my reputation and the esteem of men is concerned. This consoles me more than I can say.”
(Taken from, The Letters of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, Apostle of the Sacred Heart)
