St. Marguerite D'Youville

Marguerite Dufrost de Lajemmerais, born Oct. 15, 1701 at Varennes, Quebec, was the eldest of the six children of Christophe Dufrost de Lajemmerais and Renee de Varennes; niece of the explorer, Pierre Gaultier de Varennes, sieur de La Verendrye discoverer of the Rocky Mountains.

Her father died when Marguerite was seven. Educated for two years by the Ursulines in Quebec, she returned home at age 13 to help her mother raise her younger siblings. Her mother re-married to an Irish physician who was considered an outsider by their friends.

The family fell out of favour in their own town and moved to Montreal. There on Aug. 12, 1722 at age 21, Marguerite married François de Youville. François proved to be a negligent, adulterous bootlegger. Marguerite was mother of six children, four of whom died in infancy. The two surviving sons became priests.

Marguerite was widowed in 1730 at age 28. Her husband left her deeply in debt, so she opened a small store to support her family. Nevertheless, she spent much of her profits helping those even poorer than herself.

With the help of Father Louis Normant du Faradon and three like-minded women, she founded the Sisters of Charity of the General Hospital of Montreal (Grey Nuns) on Dec. 31, 1737. The congregation received diocesan approval in 1755. She and the sisters took over the failing and decrepit General Hospital in Montreal on Oct. 7, 1747.

Marguerite lived in the hospital the rest of her life, served as its director, and through the work of the sisters it became a success and beacon to outcasts. The hospital was nearly closed several times due to financial problems and armed conflict between the English and French for the region.

Marguerite and the sisters made clothes which were sold to traders in order to raise money. Their care for sick English soldiers caused them to avoid damage to the building. Today, the Grey Nuns work throughout Canada, the United States, Africa, and South America.

Marguerite died after a brief illness on Dec. 23, 1771. She was declared venerable on April 28, 1890; declared blessed in 1959 by Pope John XXIII. She was canonized Dec. 9, 1990 by Pope John Paul II, becoming the first Canadian-born saint.