St. Louise was intelligent, self-effacing, and possessed a supernatural endurance that belied her continuing feeble health. Her rented home in Paris became a training center for other women who discerned a call to serve the sick and poor.
The number of women who joined her grew rapidly and soon there was the need for a so-called “rule of life.” Louise herself, under the guidance of St. Vincent, composed the rule for the Daughters of Charity. Their dress was to be that of the peasant women. Of this community, St. Vincent wrote: “Your convent will be the house of the sick; your cell, a hired room; your chapel, the parish church; your cloister, the streets of the city or the wards of the hospital.”
At the time of her death on March 15, 1660, the congregation had more than 40 houses in France.
Originally her feast day was March 15, the anniversary of her death, but in 2016 Rome decreed that her feast day be changed to today, May 9, the anniversary of her beatification by Pope Benedict XV in 1920. Louise de Marillac was canonized in 1934 and declared patroness of social workers in 1960.
Her holy life certainly serves as an inspiration to the members of our St. Vincent de Paul societies, and to all of us. We all do well to discern in what ways we can bring the goodness and compassion and charity of God to the sick, poor, and downtrodden of our own native places. How we are called to organize with other people of good will, to carry out the holy work of God.
Service to the poor is often a daunting work—their needs are so great, their obstacles so seemingly insurmountable. But writing to one of her sister Daughters of Charity about their often difficult work, she said, “I know, my dear Sister, that it is very difficult for us to carry out our responsibilities well, but God who has given them to us will not deny us His grace. Let us humble ourselves profoundly so as to obtain it. This we can do by manifesting holy distrust of ourselves and great confidence in His goodness, which will lead us to ask Him quite simply what He wants us to do.”
Through the intercession of St. Louise de Marillac, may we all humble ourselves profoundly in order to receive the grace needed for all of our great responsibilities, in our daily lives, in our service of the poor, in the mission of the Gospel, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.
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That all Christians may grow in charitable attentiveness to the needs of the poor in our midst.
That all those searching and longing for Christ may find him through the witness of His Holy Church.
That the work and ministry of all Vincentian organizations and charitable institutions may bear fruit for the spread of the Gospel.
For all the needs of the sick and the suffering, the homebound, those in nursing homes and hospitals, the underemployed and unemployed, immigrants and refugees, victims of natural disaster, war, and terrorism, for all those who grieve the loss of a loved one, and those who will die today, for their comfort, and the consolation of their families.
For all who have died, and for all the poor souls in purgatory, and for X. for whom this Mass is offered.
Incline your merciful ear to our prayers, we ask, O Lord, and listen in kindness to the supplications of those who call on you. Through Christ our Lord
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