Rosalie Rendu
Bl.Jeanne Marie Rendu, D.C. 
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| Born | 9 September 1786 Confort, Ain, Kingdom of France |
| Died | 7 February 1856 Paris, France |
| Venerated in | Catholic Church |
| Feast | 7 February |
Rosalie Rendu, D.C., (9 September 9, 1786 - 7 February 1856) was a Daughter of Charity who was a leading worker and organizer of care for the poor of 19th-century Paris' teaming slums, suffering from the rapid migration of people to the cities during the course of the Industrial Revolution. She had been beatified by the Catholic Church for the holiness of her life. Her feast day is February 7.
She was born Jeanne-Marie Rendu, on 9 September 1786, in Confort, France, not far from Geneva. The eldest of four girls, her parents, simple mountain people and small property owners, enjoyed a certain affluence and respect throughout the area. She was baptized the day she was born in the parish church of Lancrans. Her Godfather by proxy was Jacques Emery, a family friend and future Superior General of the Society of Saint-Sulpice (Sulpicians) in Paris.
Rendu was three years old when the Revolution broke out. Starting in 1790 it was compulsory for the clergy to take an oath of support for the civil Constitution. Numerous priests, faithful to the Church, refused to take this oath. They were driven from their parishes, some were put to death and others had to hide to escape their pursuers. The Rendu family home became a refuge for these priests, some fleeing to Switzerland. The Bishop of Annecy found asylum there under the assumed name of Pierre. Jeanne-Marie was fascinated by this hired hand who was treated better than the others. One night she discovered that he was celebrating a Mass.
It was in this atmosphere of solid faith, always exposed to the dangers of denunciation, that Rendu was educated. She would make her First Communion one night by candlelight in the basement of her home. This exceptional environment forged her character.
The death of her father, 12 May 1796, and that of her youngest sister, at four months of age, on 19 July of the same year, shook the entire family. Rendu, aware of her responsibility as the eldest, helped her mother, especially in caring for her younger sisters.
In the days following the Terror, life slowly began to develop a new normality. Madame Rendu, concerned about the education of her eldest daughter, sent her to the Ursuline Sisters in Gex. Jeanne Marie stayed two years in this boarding school. She was “highly intelligent” but her education was essentially practical. During her walks in town, she discovered the hospital where the Daughters of Charity cared for the sick. She had only one desire, to go and join them. Her mother gave her consent that Jeanne-Marie, in spite of her young age, might spend some time at this hospital. There she gained some experience in caring for the sick.
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