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| DAUGHTERS OF CHARITY |
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Saint Louise de Marillac, D.C., (August 12, 1591 - March 15, 1660) was the co-founder, with St. Vincent de Paul, of the Daughters of Charity. She is venerated as a saint by the Roman Catholic Church.
The faults of children are not always imputed to the parents, especially when they have instructed them and given good example. Our Lord, in His wonderous Providence, allows children to break the hearts of devout fathers and mothers.
Thus the decisions your children have made
don't make you a failure as a parent in God's eyes.
You are entitled to feel sorrow, but not necessarily guilt. Do not cease praying for your children; God's grace can touch a hardened heart. Commend your children to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. When parents pray the Rosary,at the end of each decade they should hold the Rosary aloft and say to her,"With these beads bind my children to your Immaculate Heart", she will attend to their souls. (Published from EWTN: 2/19/13-6:49AM; 3/19/13-6:12AM; 4/19/13-6:25AM)
SAINT LOUISE DE MARILLAC
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Louise was fortunate to have a wise and sympathetic counselor, St. Francis de Sales, and his friend, the Bishop of Belley, France. Louise realized she needed guidance and a tempering of her intensity and drive. This was to come from her relationship with Vincent de Paul.
In 1629, Vincent invited Louise to get involved in his work with the Confraternities of Charity. She found great success in these endeavors. By the end of 1633, he too had received the guidance needed for them to bring the Daughters of Charity into existence.
"Love the poor and honor them as you would honor Christ Himself," Louise explained. This was the foundation of the Company of the Daughters of Charity, who received official approbation in 1655.
"What would Jesus do in this situation?" The key for Louise was letting go of her personal plan and surrendering to God's will. She wrote near the end of her life, "Certainly it is the great secret of the spiritual life to abandon to God all that we love by abandoning ourselves to all that He wills."
Nearing her death, she wrote to her Sisters: “Take good care of the service of the poor. Above all, live together in great union and cordiality, loving one another in imitation of the union and life of our Lord. Pray earnestly to the Blessed Virgin, that she might be your only Mother.”
Today, she continues to live in her spiritual followers: the Daughters of Charity, Sisters of Charity, Ladies of Charity, and many collaborators serving throughout the world.
Louise de Marillac was beatified by Pope Benedict XV in 1920 and, on March 11, 1934, she was canonized by Pope Pius XI. Her feast day is March 15. To this day, her remains are enshrined in the chapel of the motherhouse of the Daughters of Charity in Paris. She was declared Patroness of Christian Social Workers by Pope John XXIII in 1960.
