Wilmont Kreis

March 23, 2018
More Marguerite Bourgeoys:
Marguerite soon registered as a member of the Congregation of Troyes, a group of young women devoted to charity and the teaching of children from the poor parts of town. She became dedicated to the work, but did not wish to be cloistered, which would require she was limited in what she could do outside the confines of the Congregation. It was here in 1652 she met Monsieur de Maisonneuve, the founder and governor of the new settlement of Montreal in Canada. He was visiting his sister and also looking for someone who would follow him to Canada and teach the French and Indian children of his new village. His sister introduced him to Marguerite. More next week. Read More 

Born in Troyes in Champagne, France in April of 1620, Marguerite was interestingly born on Good Friday. Baptized on the day of her birth, she was the sixth child in a family that would eventually reach 12! Her parents had means and she was raised in a comfortable middle class family that was strongly Christian. She is rumored to have told a story that during a religious procession at the age of 20 she felt a need to withdraw from the world and serve God. Something she did from that time on with total fidelity to the service of God. More next week. Read More 

Based on input from last week's post, I have decided to spend more time on Marguerite Bourgeoys. Much of this comes from sources in Montreal as well as the wonderful book "Marguerite Bourgeoys and Montreal, 1640-1665". (cover above). Patricia Simpson follows this enigmatic woman from her lowly roots in Troyes, France to becoming an icon of French Canada as well as its first saint. If you become intrigued, I recommend Simpson's book. More next week. Read More