Louise de Marillac, born out of wedlock into an aristocratic family, young widow and mother of a son, fully committed her life to all those who were suffering, regardless of who they were. In Paris together with St. Vincent de Paul she founded a community of Sisters, who dedicated themselves to care for the sick and for the poor. The Daughters of Charity, one of the largest Catholic women religious communities are active today in more than 100 countries. Available from Amazon.com
Louise de Marillac was a wife, mother, widow, teacher, nurse, director of the Confraternities and Ladies of Charity, and cofounder with Vincent de Paul of the Daughters of Charity. Patron of Social Workers, Louise knew personal suffering, and she also knew the suffering of God’s poor people. She was an organizer, a radical thinker who lived life intensely and whose quest was to do the will of God with a deep faith in divine providence.
Praying with Louise de Marillac is a book in the Companions for the Journey series of meditation guides on Christian spirituality. Authored by Audrey Gibson, DC, and Kieran Kneaves, DC, it was published by Saint Mary’s Press, Christian Brothers Publications, Winona, Minnesota, in 1995. ISBN O-88489-329-4 Copies may be obtained directly from the publisher or on-line at www.amazon.com
The Vincentiana Collection at DePaul University’s Archives and Special Collections today acquired a 1637 edition of the Roman Pontifical (Bishop’s Sacramentary) issued under the authority of Pope Urban VIII and the Archbishop of Paris. The volume belonged to Saint Louise de Marillac and is autographed: “ex libris Ludovici de Marillac.” This is an important and exciting purchase to add to DePaul University’s growing Vincentian Special Collections.
Former superior general Robert Maloney examines what the heart of Jesus meant to Vincent de Paul and Louise de Marillac. Vincent prayed that the Congregation would have the heart of Jesus, or the zeal, to bring God’s love to the poor. The missionaries were also to exercise gentleness and humility, the qualities Jesus attributed to his heart in Matthew 11:29. For Louise, this heart meant “charity that was both affective and effective.” She created many paintings of Jesus’s heart, some of which are described in the article with accompanying images. The historical development of devotion to the heart of Jesus, in which Francis de Sales played a role, is explained. Maloney explores five meanings Jesus’s heart has for us. It “heightens our awareness of the limitless love of God.” It calls us to be gentle and humble, makes us aware of our limitations, and helps us find wisdom and practice discernment. Finally, it encourages us to imitate Jesus’s love, which is “expansive” and “affective and effective.”
“The Heart of Jesus in the Spirituality of Vincent de Paul and Louise de Marillac” is an article published in the Vincentian Heritage Journal, Volume 32, Issue 1, Article 8 available at: https://via.library.depaul.edu/vhj/vol32/iss1/8
Sr. Peggy O’Neill, is a Sister of Charity and long-time peace activist, who has worked in El Salvador for the past 30 years. Her life is dedicated to the causes of peace, justice and service to others. Known for her energy, determination, sense of humor and unflagging commitment to the community, she currently serves as the founder of El Centro Arte Para la Paz. In this lecture she talks more about her healing work, how it connects to Louise de Marillac, and the roles of Vincentian leaders in our world.
This rare early stereoview shows the Church of Saint Laurent in Paris before the 1864 renovations caused by the construction of the Boulevard Magenta. During these renovations the Baroque facade of the church as known by Saint Vincent and Saint Louise was replaced with the present neo-gothic facade. The baroque facade itself had been added to the original 15th century gothic church. During the final years of Vincent and Louise’s lives the church bell-tower was added. The church was the parish church for the area around Saint-Lazare and was the location of Louise’s burial from 1660 to 1755.
It has been recently announced that the feast of Louise de Marillac has been moved to May 9th (the anniversary of her beatification in 1920). We have been able to find a number of commemorative postcards from her beatification celebrations. Today’s postcard is from the Church of Notre Dame du Rosaire in Tunis, Algeria. Algeria was a french colony from 1830 to 1962, and the French colonists established a colonial version of French Catholicism including, dioceses, convents, monasteries, schools, and parishes. Most of these disappeared with the end of the colonial period. The Lazaristes and Filles de la Charites were part of this implanted religious colonialism. This postcard reminds us of this chapter in French imperial history and French religious imperial history as well.
Louise de Marillac was a woman of many gifts. She learned to wait patiently to discover God’s will and then she did it. She had tremendous organizational abilities. She related well to a wide variety of people and imparted that ability to others. Louise helped others cultivate their capacities for service by “collaborating humbly” with them. An independent thinker, she had talent for seeing long-term consequences. Examples from Louise’s life illustrate her gifts. Some of the main aspects of her spirituality, drawn from her testament, are also described.
“The Gifts of Saint Louise de Marillac: The Future of the Legacy” is an article published in the Vincentian Heritage Journal, Volume 12, Issue 2, Article 10 (1991) available at: https://via.library.depaul.edu/vhj/vol12/iss2/10
In this reading, Sr. Carol Schumer, D.C., unfolds the life and legacy of Saint Louise de Marillac. Hear a history of Louise’s life, her education, her spiritual development, her trials and doubts, her spiritual friendship with Vincent de Paul and her ministry with the poor and eventual foundation with Vincent of the Daughters of Charity.
“Louise de Marillac: A Wife, A Mother, A Foundress” was developed by Srs. Frances Vista, D.C., and Carol Schumer, D.C. as part of a Vincentian Integration Experience in 2010. The text was published in FAMVIN and is available at: https://vinformation.org/en/vincentian-formation-resources/presentations-media-games/mosaic-life-of-st-louise/