Mary Euphrasia Pelletier
| Saint Mary Euphrasia Pelletier | |
|---|---|
Portrait of Sister Mary of Saint Euphrasia Pelletier
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| Foundress of the Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd | |
| Born |
July 31, 1796 Noirmoutier-en-l'Île, France |
| Died | April 24, 1868 (at 71) Angers, France |
| Venerated in | Catholic Church |
| Beatified | 30 April 1933, Vatican by Pope Pius XI |
| Canonized | 2 May 1940, St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican by Pope Pius XII |
| Major shrine | Abbaye Saint-Nicolas d'Angers (Convent and Mother-House of the Good Shepherd Congregation) |
| Feast | 24 April |
| Patronage | Good Shepherd Sisters |
| Influences | Saint John Eudes |
| Influenced | Blessed Mary of the Divine Heart |
Saint Mary Euphrasia Pelletier (July 31, 1796 in Noirmoutier-en-l'Île – April 24, 1868 in Angers), born Rose Virginie Pelletier, was a French Roman Catholic nun, best known as the foundress of the Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd.
She was born on an island off the coast of France where her parents had been exiled by the French Revolutionaries. She was christened Rose Virginie Pelletier and at the age of eighteen joined the Order of Our Lady of Charity who cared for girls and women in difficulty. Some of the girls were abandoned by their families or orphaned, some had turned to prostitution in order to survive. The Sisters of Our Lady of Charity provided shelter, food, vocational training and an opportunity for these girls and women to turn their lives around. Mother Mary Euphrasia formed the Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd to expand this apostolate to wherever needed.
She died in Angers, France, in 1868 and was canonized by Pope Pius XII in 1940. Her feast day is 24 April.
Rose Virginie was born on 31 July 1796 on Noirmoutier a small island off the northwest coast of France. Her parents had fled there thinking that they could escape the violence of the French Revolution. She was the 8th child of Dr Julian and Anne Pelletier. Her father died when she was ten years old. In 1810 her mother placed Rose Virginie in a boarding school in Tours. Her mother died in 1813.
Near the boarding school was the convent of the Order of Our Lady of Charity of the Refuge, a religious Congregation founded by Saint John Eudes to provide care and protection for women and girls who were homeless and at risk of exploitation. Despite her guardian's reservations Rose Virginie was allowed to join the sisters provided that she not make her vows before she turned 21. She made her profession in 1816, taking the name of Mary of Saint Euphrasia. The sisters of the community had been dispersed at one point during the revolution; the majority had been imprisoned. Rose Virginie joined what was a community of elderly weary sisters. A short time after her profession, she became first mistress of the penitents, and about eight years later was made superioress of the house of Tours. She founded a community, the "Sisters Magdalen" for women who wanted to lead a contemplative life and would support, by their ministry of prayer, the different works of the Congregation. It is now known as the Contemplatives of the Good Shepherd.
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