Marie de La Ferre

The major work of Marie de La Ferre began in 1636 in La Flèche, when she joined forces with Jérôme Le Royer de La Dauversière to found the congregation of the Hospital Sisters of Saint Joseph. On May 18, 1636, accompanied by her friend Anne Foureau, she joined three servants already active at the Hôtel-Dieu of La Flèche to care for the sick in a spirit of poverty and devotion. Officially recognized in 1643 by the Bishop of Angers, Claude de Rueil, the community elected Marie de La Ferre as its first superior. Under her leadership, the institute developed rapidly and spread to other cities, notably in Moulins in 1651, where she established a new community. Her actions laid the foundations for a hospital congregation that would later extend to New France (Canada), actively participating in the founding of Montreal and its Hôtel-Dieu under the impetus of Jeanne Mance.

The spiritual journey of Marie de La Ferre is marked by a constant search for the divine will and an unconditional love for the most destitute. Nicknamed the "holy young lady" by the inhabitants of La Flèche, she distinguished herself by her humility, her spirit of poverty, and her Marian and Eucharistic devotion, inherited from her mother. Her spirituality rested on an absolute trust in Providence, which she strove to transmit to her hospital sisters. She conceived the service of the sick not as a simple material task, but as an intimate encounter with the suffering Christ. Her reputation for holiness, firmly established during her lifetime by her heroic dedication during epidemics, was confirmed after her death by the fervor of the faithful and the sisters who continue to be inspired by her virtues and her example of perfect charity.

The process for the beatification of Marie de La Ferre was conducted to examine the heroic nature of her virtues. On April 3, 2009, Pope Benedict XVI authorized the promulgation of the decree recognizing her heroic virtues, thus conferring upon her the title of venerable, two years after her co-founder Jérôme Le Royer de La Dauversière. As no miracle has yet been officially validated by the Holy See for her beatification, her cause remains actively supported by her congregation and the associated dioceses. Her liturgical feast is celebrated on July 28, the anniversary of her death in 1652.

The spiritual legacy of Marie de La Ferre remains alive through the Religious Hospitallers of Saint Joseph (RHSJ), who continue their mission of compassion for the sick and the elderly in France, Canada, and several countries in the Americas. In La Flèche, the historic house preserves the memory of the founders, and a residential care facility for dependent elderly people (EHPAD) proudly bears her name. Her spiritual influence also marked the history of Canada, where the first sisters of her community arrived in 1659 to care for the settlers of Ville-Marie (Montreal). In September 2025, an icon of the venerable was solemnly blessed and installed in the chapel of the diocesan house of Le Mans, testifying to the ongoing devotion she receives in her region of origin.