Marguerite d'Youville
| Saint Marie-Marguerite d'Youville | |
|---|---|
Painting of Marguerite d'Youville
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| Mother of Universal Charity | |
| Born |
15 October 1701 Varennes, Quebec |
| Died | 23 December 1771 (aged 70) Montreal, Quebec |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholic Church |
| Beatified | 1959 by Pope John XXIII |
| Canonized | 9 December 1990, Vatican Basilica, by Pope John Paul II |
| Feast | October 16 |
| Patronage | widows, difficult marriages, death of young children |
Saint Marguerite d'Youville (English /ˌmɒrɡəˈrit.djuːˈvɪl/) (October 15, 1701 – December 23, 1771) was a French Canadian widow who founded the religious order the Order of Sisters of Charity of Montreal, commonly known as the Grey Nuns of Montreal. She was canonized by Pope John-Paul II of the Roman Catholic Church in 1990, the first native-born Canadian to be declared a saint.
She was born Marie-Marguerite Dufrost de Lajemmerais in 1701 at Varennes, Quebec, oldest daughter of Christophe du Frost, Sieur de la Gesmerays (1661–1708) and Marie-Renée Gaultier de Varennes. (Pursuant to Quebec naming conventions, she would have always been known as Marguerite, not Marie.) Her father died when she was a young girl. Despite her family's poverty, at age 11 she was able to attend the Ursuline convent in Quebec City for two years before returning home to teach her younger brothers and sisters. Marguerite's impending marriage to a scion of Varennes society was foiled by her mother's marriage below her class to Timothy Sullivan, an Irish doctor who was seen by the townspeople as a disreputable foreigner. On 12 August 1722 at Notre-Dame Basilica in Montreal, she married François d'Youville, a bootlegger who sold liquor illegally to Indians in exchange for furs and who frequently left home for long periods for parts unknown. Despite this, the couple eventually had six children before François died in 1730. By age 30 she had suffered the loss of her father, husband and four of her six children, who died in infancy. Marguerite experienced a religious renewal during her marriage. "In all these sufferings Marguerite grew in her belief of God's presence in her life and of Her tender love for every human person. She, in turn, wanted to make known His compassionate love to all. She undertook many charitable works with complete trust in God, who she loved as a Father."
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