Marie-Louise Trichet

The life and work of Marie-Louise Trichet are inseparable from the foundation and development of the Congregation of the Daughters of Wisdom. In 1715, the Bishop of La Rochelle, Mgr Étienne de Champflour, invited Marie-Louise Trichet and Catherine Brunet to settle in his diocese. They opened a free school there for poor young girls, which met with immediate success, quickly welcoming nearly 400 students. On August 22, 1715, Marie-Louise, Catherine Brunet, as well as two new recruits from La Rochelle (Marie Valleau and Marie Régnier), received the bishop's approval to pronounce their religious vows. Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort then appointed Marie-Louise as the first superior of the young congregation of the Daughters of Wisdom. After the sudden death of Father de Montfort on April 28, 1716, in Saint-Laurent-sur-Sèvre, Marie-Louise found herself alone at the head of the nascent community. Despite extreme poverty, slander, and the loss of several young sisters, she maintained the work with great strength of soul. In June 1720, Marie-Louise transferred the motherhouse and the novitiate to Saint-Laurent-sur-Sèvre, near the tomb of the founder, thanks to the help of lay benefactors such as Madame de Bouillé and the Marquis de Magnanne. It was there that the congregation took root and developed. Under her prudent and energetic leadership, the Daughters of Wisdom multiplied foundations in the west of France, dedicating themselves to the care of the sick in hospitals, visiting the poor in their homes, and providing free instruction to children. At the time of her death in 1759, the congregation already counted 35 houses (or foundations) and more than a hundred professed religious sisters.

Marie-Louise of Jesus led a life of total self-denial, marked by heroic charity and absolute trust in Divine Providence. In 1750, at the age of 66, she undertook a long and arduous journey on horseback to visit each of the congregation's houses individually in order to support and encourage her sisters. Upon returning to Saint-Laurent-sur-Sèvre, her health declined severely, particularly after a bad fall that left her suffering for several months. She passed away on April 28, 1759, in Saint-Laurent-sur-Sèvre, the anniversary of the death of Saint Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort (which had occurred exactly 43 years earlier). Her final words were an exhortation to care for the poor and words of praise to the Virgin Mary. She was buried in the parish church of Saint-Laurent-sur-Sèvre (which has since become the Basilica of Saint-Louis-Marie-Grignion-de-Montfort), right next to the tomb of the saintly founder. On September 19, 1996, Pope John Paul II made a pilgrimage to Saint-Laurent-sur-Sèvre to reflect and pray at their two adjacent tombs.

The cause for the beatification of Marie-Louise Trichet was instructed by the Diocese of Luçon. On July 10, 1990, Pope John Paul II signed the decree recognizing the heroic nature of her virtues, thus proclaiming her Venerable. On March 7, 1992, a miracle obtained through her intercession was officially approved by papal decree. Marie-Louise Trichet was solemnly beatified on May 16, 1993, by Pope John Paul II in Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican. Her liturgical feast is set by the Holy See on May 7 (the anniversary of her birth and baptism) so as not to coincide with the feast of Saint Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort, celebrated on April 28 (the day of their common death).

The spirituality of Blessed Marie-Louise of Jesus is intimately linked to that of Saint Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort. It rests upon the passionate search for Christ, Eternal and Incarnate Wisdom, through a total consecration to Jesus through Mary (the "Totus Tuus"). She lived the "folly of the Cross" by choosing to humble herself among the poorest and the excluded of society.

In her spiritual testament, she exhorts her daughters to faithfully preserve the primitive spirit of the congregation: "a spirit of humility, of poverty, of detachment, of charity, of union with one another."

Today, the legacy of Marie-Louise Trichet is perpetuated through the Congregation of the Daughters of Wisdom, which has become international and is present on all five continents, working actively in the fields of health, education, and pastoral care among the most destitute.