Jan 10, 2010 / 03:14 am
On Tuesday, January 12, the church will celebrate the feast of St. Marguerite Bourgeoys, a young French woman who first traveled to Canada as a lay teacher. Her endeavors led to the establishment of the Congregation of Notre Dame, a pioneering order of teaching nuns.
Marguerite was born in France on Good Friday in 1620 and was the sixth of 12 children. When she was 19, her mother died. The following year she was inspired to consecrate herself to serving God.
She joined a lay group of young girls dedicated to teaching the poor children. Then she met Monsieur de Maisonneuve, a French priest who was working in Montreal, Canada. He convinced her to move to Montreal, where she began to teach the French and Indian children there.
Life in the colony was physically very difficult. When Marguerite arrived, she found that children were not likely to survive to an age suitable for attending school. Nevertheless, she began to work with the nurse in charge of Montreal’s hospital and eventually established her first school in a stable.