Subj : =?UTF-8?Q?2_January_=E2=80=93_Blessed_Maria_Anna_Blondin_SSA?= To : All From : rich Date : Fri Jan 01 2021 09:12:04 From: rich 2 January =E2=80=93 Blessed Maria Anna Blondin SSA Also known as Esther Blondin Sister Marie-Anne Marie-Anne Blondin Memorial 2 January 18 April (Canada) =C2=A0Religious and Foundress of the Sisters of Saint Anne, apostle of the Holy Eucharist and Divine Providence, Teacher =E2=80=93 born Esther Blondin= on 18 April 1809 in Terrebonne, Quebec, Canada and died on 2 January 1890 at Lachine, Quebec, Canada of natural causes. Esther Blondin, in religion =E2=80=9CSister Marie Anne=E2=80=9D, was born i= n Terrebonne (Quebec, Canada) on 18 April 1809, in a family of deeply Christian farmers. From her mother she inherited a piety centred on Divine Providence and the Eucharist and, from her father, a deep faith and a strong patience in suffering. Esther and her family were victims of illiteracy so common in French Canadian milieu of the 19th century. Still an illiterate at the age of 22, Esther worked as a domestic in the Convent of the Sisters of the Congregation of Notre Dame, that had been recently opened in her own village. A year later, she registered as a boarder in order to learn to read and write. She then became a novice in the Congregation but had to leave, due to ill health. In 1833, Esther became a teacher in the parochial school of Vaudreuil. Little by little, she found out, that one of the causes of this illiteracy was due to a certain Church ruling, that forbade that girls be taught by men and that boys be taught by women. Unable to finance two schools, many parish priests chose to have none. In 1848, under an irresistible call of the Spirit, Esther presented to her Bishop, Ignace Bourget, a plan she long cherished =E2=80=93 that of founding a religious congregation =E2=80=9Cfor the education of poor country children, both girls and boys in the same schools=E2=80=9D. A rather new project for = the time! It even seemed quite rash and contrary to the established order. Since the State was in favour of such schools, Bishop Bourget authorised a modest attempt so as to avoid a greater evil. The Congregation of the Sisters of Saint Anne was founded in Vaudreuil on 8 September 1850. Esther, now named =E2=80=9CMother Marie Anne=E2=80=9D,= became its first superior. The rapid growth of this young Community soon required larger quarters.=C2=A0 During the Summer of 1853, Bishop Ignace Bourget transferred the Motherhouse to Saint Jacques de l=E2=80=99Achigan. The new chaplain, Father Louis Adolphe Marechal, interfered in an abusive way in the private life of the Community. During the Foundress=E2=80=99 absence= , Father changed the pupils=E2=80=99 boarding fees. Should he be away for a while, he asked that the Sisters await his return to go to confession. After a year of this existing conflict between the chaplain and the Foundress, the latter being anxious to protect the rights of her Community, Bishop Bourget asked Mother Marie Anne, on 18 August 1854, =E2=80=9Cto resign.=E2=80=9D He called for elections and warned Mother Mari= e Anne =E2=80=9Cnot to accept the superiorship, even if her sisters wanted to re-elect her.=E2=80=9D Even though she could be re-elected, according to the Rule of the Community, Mother Marie Anne obeyed her Bishop whom she considered God=E2=80=99s instrument. And she wrote:=C2=A0 =E2=80=9CAs for me, my Lord,= I bless Divine Providence a thousand times for the maternal care he shows me in making me walk the way of tribulations and crosses.=E2=80=9D Mother Marie Anne, having been named Directress at Saint Genevieve Convent, became the target of attacks from the Motherhouse authorities, influenced by the dictatorship of Father Marechal. Under the pretext of poor administration, Mother Marie Anne was recalled to the Motherhouse in 1858, with the Bishop=E2=80=99s warning: =E2=80=9Ctake m= eans so that she will not be a nuisance to anyone.=E2=80=9D From this new destituti= on and until her death on 2 January 1890, Mother Marie Anne was kept away from administrative responsibilities. She was even kept away from the General Council deliberations when the 1872 and 1878 elections reelected her. Assigned to mostly hidden work in the laundry and ironing room, she led a life of total self-denial and thus ensured the growth of the Congregation. Behold the paradox of an influence which some wanted to nullify! In the Motherhouse basement laundry room in Lachine, where she spent her days, many generations of novices received from the Foundress a true example of obedience and humility, imbued with authentic relationships which ensure true fraternal charity. To a novice who asked her one day why she, the Foundress, was kept aside in such lowly work, she simply replied with kindness : =E2=80=9CThe deeper a tree sinks its roots into the soil, the greater are i= ts chances of growing and producing fruit.=E2=80=9D The attitude of Mother Marie Anne, who was a victim of so many injustices, allows us to bring out the evangelical sense she gave to events in her life. Just as Jesus Christ, who passionately worked for the Glory of His Father, so too Mother Marie Anne sought only God=E2=80=99s Glory in all she did. =E2=80=9CThe greater Glory of God=E2=80=9D was the ai= m she herself gave her Community. =E2=80=9CTo make God known to the young who hav= e not the happiness of knowing Him=E2=80=9D was for her a privileged way of working for the Glory of God. Deprived of her most legitimate rights and robbed of all her personal letters with her bishop, she offered no resistance and she expected, from the infinite goodness of God, the solution to the matter. She was convinced that =E2=80=9CHe will know well, = in his Wisdom, how to discern the false from the true and to reward each one according to his deeds.=E2=80=9D Prevented from being called =E2=80=9CMother=E2=80=9D by those in authority,= Mother Marie Anne did not jealously hold on to her title of Foundress, rather she chose annihilation, just like Jesus, =E2=80=9Cher crucified Love=E2=80= =9D, so that her Community might live. However, she did not renounce her mission of spiritual mother of her Community. She offered herself to God in order =E2=80=9Cto expiate all the sins which were committed in the Community=E2= =80=9D and she daily prayed to Saint Anne =E2=80=9Cto bestow on her spiritual daughter= s the virtues so necessary for Christian educators.=E2=80=9D Like any prophet invested with a mission of salvation, Mother Marie Anne lived persecution by forgiving without restriction, convinced that =E2=80=9Cthere is more happiness in forgiving than in revenge.=E2=80= =9D This evangelical forgiveness, the guarantee of =E2=80=9Cthe peace of soul which = she held most precious,=E2=80=9D was ultimately proven on her death bed when sh= e asked her superior to call for Father Marechal =E2=80=9Cfor the edification= of the Sisters.=E2=80=9D As she felt the end approaching, Mother Marie Anne left to her daughters her spiritual testament in these words which are a resume of her whole life : =E2=80=9CMay Holy Eucharist and perfect abandonment to God= =E2=80=99s Will be your heaven on earth.=E2=80=9D She then peacefully passed away at t= he Motherhouse of Lachine, on 2 January 1890, =E2=80=9Chappy to go to the Good God=E2=80=9D she had served all her life=E2=80=A6. Vatican.va Saint Quote: Man cannot perform a more holy, a more grand, a more sublime action than to celebrate a Mass, in regard to which the Council of Trent says: "We must needs confess that no other work can be performed ... so holy and divine as this tremendous Mystery itself.=C2=A0 God Himself cannot cause an action to be performed that is holier and grander than the celebration of Mass. --St. Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787), The Holy Mass Bible Quote: Fight the good fight of faith.=C2=A0 Lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art called and be it confessed a good confession before many witnesses. I charge thee before God who quickeneth all things, and before Christ Jesus who gave testimony under Pontius Pilate, a good confession:=C2=A0 (1 Tim. 6:12-13) <><><><> Prayer to the Queen of Carmel O glorious Virgin Mary! Queen of Carmel, Mother of God and of poor sinners; special Protectress of all those who wear thy holy Scapular, I supplicate thee, by the glory that has been accorded thee by the Incarnate Word in choosing thee for His Mother, to obtain for me the pardon of my sins, amendment of my life, salvation of my soul, consolation in my pains, and in particular the grace I now ask, provided it be conformable to the will of thy divine Son. Amen O Queen, who art the beauty of Carmel, pray for us.=20 --- NewsGate v1.0 gamma 2 * Origin: News Gate @ Net396 -Huntsville, AL - USA (1:396/4) .