Mary Euphrasia Pelletier

In 1829, at the request of the bishop, Mary Euphrasia left Tours for Angers to establish a house of Our Lady of Charity, which she opened the same year. Confronted with the dispersion of the autonomous monasteries of the Refuge, she conceived a bold reform: to endow the work with a central government placed under the authority of a superior general, in order to be able to freely found new houses and send nuns there. This reform led to the erection, approved by Pope Gregory XVI in 1835, of the congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd of Angers. Mary Euphrasia became its first superior general and remained so until her death, that is, for thirty-three years. Her institute was dedicated to the reception, instruction, and rehabilitation of women and young girls, particularly those rejected by society. She also founded, as early as Tours, a contemplative branch, the Sisters of Saint Mary Magdalene, intended to support the apostolate of the active nuns through prayer. The expansion was rapid: at her death in 1868, the congregation counted approximately one hundred and ten houses spread across the five continents.

The spirituality of Mary Euphrasia Pelletier draws from the evangelical image of the Good Shepherd who goes in search of the lost sheep: she wanted her religious sisters to welcome despised women not with condescension, but with a charity capable of restoring their self-esteem. Her pedagogy, ahead of its time, rejected humiliation and favored concrete kindness; she is credited with the advice given to her sisters: "A cup of warm milk given at the right time accomplishes more than long sermons. Avoid preaching too much and above all never humiliate them; always lift them up in their own eyes." Animated by an intense missionary zeal, she multiplied foundations despite opposition and difficulties, supported by a deep trust in Providence. Her reputation for holiness, already vivid during her lifetime due to her devotion to the most abandoned, was confirmed after her death. Pope Leo XIII declared her venerable on December 11, 1897, recognizing the heroic nature of her virtues.

The process for the recognition of the sanctity of Mary Euphrasia Pelletier first led to her declaration as Venerable by Pope Leo XIII on December 11, 1897. She was subsequently beatified by Pope Pius XI on April 30, 1933. The canonization was proclaimed by Pope Pius XII on May 2, 1940, making her one of the great figures of 19th-century female charity raised to the honors of the altar. Her liturgical feast is set for April 24, the anniversary of her death. In accordance with the canonical procedure of the time, the beatification and canonization were based on the recognition of miracles attributed to her intercession and submitted to the examination of the Congregation of Rites; as the sources consulted do not allow for their details to be specified with certainty, these facts are not developed here.

The legacy of Saint Mary Euphrasia Pelletier continues through the Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd, which remains an international congregation today, present in many countries where its sisters pursue an apostolate of protection, education, and promotion of women, young girls, and children in difficulty, as well as a social and humanitarian commitment. Recognized as a pioneer of Christian social action toward marginalized women, she has remained a reference for works of rehabilitation and reintegration. Her body is preserved at the motherhouse in Angers, which remains a place of memory for the congregation. Her figure continues to inspire the spirituality of the Good Shepherd, centered on mercy and the dignity of each person, and her name is borne by numerous educational and charitable institutions founded in the wake of her work.