Subj : April 24th - St. Mary Euphrasia Pelletier To : All From : rich Date : Thu Apr 23 2020 10:20:25 From: rich April 24th - St. Mary Euphrasia Pelletier [At Angers in France, St. Mary Euphrasia Pelletier, virgin and foundress of the Institute of the Good Shepherd Sisters, whom Pius XII, Sovereign Pontiff, enrolled among the number of the saints.] ROSE Virginia Pelletier was born in 1796 in the island of Noirmoutier off the coast of Brittany; her parents had been forced to seek shelter there in the war of La Vend=C3=A9e. Having been sent to school at Tours, Rose came to learn something of the Convent of the Refuge. This belonged to a religious congregation founded in 1641 by St. John Eudes for the rescue of =E2=80=9Cfallen=E2=80=9D women and the protection of thos= e in danger. It was known as the Institute of Our Lady of Charity of the Refuge, and it had a house in Tours. Rose joined the noviceship there in 1814, and some eleven years later, when she was still only twenty-nine, was elected superior. In this office she was prevailed upon to make a new foundation at Angers and she herself went temporarily to take over a house of refuge which had existed there years before under the invocation of the Good Shepherd. Her success was marvellous, but there was a sad reaction when she was compelled to leave Angers and return to her own proper community at Tours. In the end, after much negotiation and rather painful controversy, Mother Pelletier was made prioress of the new founda=C2=ADtion. Coming before long to realize the difficulties which would hamper their work if each house, as was the ease with the Institute of Our Lady of Charity, stood alone, remaining under control of the bishop of the diocese and training its own novices, Mother St. Euphrasia (as she was now called) became convinced that a centralized organization was necessary, having one common noviceship, and a superior general who could transfer subjects from one house to another as need required. In spite of strong opposition and the anguish of mind entailed by taking so independent a line, Mother Euphrasia stood firm in what she clearly saw to be a wiser policy to promote the great cause they had at heart. While deeply humble and respectful of authority, the young prioress, who, as one of her admirers said, =E2=80=9C=C3=A9tait de taille a gouverner= un Royaume=E2=80=9D, succeeded, God's providence helping, in creating = at Angers what was virtually a new institute, =E2=80=9Cof the Good Shepherd=E2=80=9D.= Papal approbation was obtained in 1835, and the developments were rapid, immense good being visibly effected wherever new foundations were made. When Mother Euphrasia died in 1868, the Good Shepherd nuns numbered 2760 and were known all over the world. In all her manifold trials and difficulties, including charges of rash innovation, personal ambition and impatience of authority, St. Mary Euphrasia displayed heroic fortitude, cheerfulness and trust in God; =E2=80=9CHaving brought to birth all our young sisters in the Cross=E2=80=9D, she said once= , =E2=80=9CI love them more than life itself. And the root of that love is in God and in the knowledge of my own unworthiness, for I realize that at the age at which they are professed I could not have supported such deprivations and hard work.=E2=80=9D She was canonized in 1940. There are full biographies in French, both in two volumes, by Mgr Pasquier (1894) and by Canon Portais (1895), and a more recent one (1946) by G. Bernoville in which use has been made of unpublished beatification documents; shorter ones by F. Georges (1942) and H. Joly (1933) in the =E2=80=9CLes Saints=E2=80=9D series. A religious of the congr= egation published a life in English in 1933, and Redemption (1940), by G. F. Powers, is a good popular account of the saint; the biography by A. M. Clarke is founded on the books of Pasquier and Portals. Saint Quote: The day you learn to surrender yourself totally to God, you will discover a new world, just as I am experiencing. You will enjoy a peace and a calm unknown, surpassing even the happiest days of your life. -- Saint Jaime Hilario Bible Quote: "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven."=C2 (Matthew 5:10) <><><><> Reading from Journey of the Mind to God Christ is both the way and the door. Christ is the staircase and the vehicle, like the "throne of mercy over the Ark of the Covenant," and "the mystery hidden from the ages." A man should turn his full attention to this throne of mercy, and should gaze at him hanging on the cross, full of faith, hope, and charity, devoted, full of wonder and joy, marked by gratitude, and open to praise and jubilation. Then such a man will make with Christ a "pasch," that is, a passing-over. Through the branches of the cross he will pass over the Red Sea, leaving Egypt and entering the desert. There he will taste the hidden manna, and rest with Christ in the sepulcher, as if he were dead to things outside. He will experience, as much as is possible for one who is still living, what was promised to the thief who hung beside Christ: "Today you will be with me in paradise." -- Saint Bonaventure --- NewsGate v1.0 gamma 2 * Origin: News Gate @ Net396 -Huntsville, AL - USA (1:396/4) .