Biography of saint mary euphrasia

Saint Mary Euphrasia’s Childhood

Saint Mary Euphrasia was born on 31 July on the island of Noirmoutier, off the west coast of France.

She was the 8th child of her father, Dr Julian Pelletier and her mother, Anne. They gave her the name, Rose Virginie Pelletier. Her name “Rose” signifies love and “Virginie” is purity.

She learnt compassion from her parents as the Pelletier family often took in hungry children, sick people and refugees. Even as a child, she valued everyone as unique individuals.

Sadly, she did not attend school when she was growing up as there were not a single girls’ school at Noirmoutier at that time. Later, a school was set up and she was one of the first few pupils to enrol at the age of 12 years old.

Her father died when she was 10 years old and her mother fell ill when she was 14 years old. She was sent to a boarding school and was 17 years old when her mother died.

Driven by her understanding of what it meant to grief for your loved one

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Under the warm rays of divine love, the beautiful and elegant young lady was transformed into the “virtuous woman” (Eccl ), who stood undaunted amid the waves of adversity, aridity, persecution and anxiety.

 

The island of Noirmoutier emerges like the prow of a ship from the waters of the Atlantic Ocean, not far from the mouth of the flod i frankrike River.

The island is separated from the continent bygd a narrow sea kanal. In  it was funnen that it could be reached bygd foot during low tide, following a one-league trail along the exposed sea floor. The sinuous path, however, was only passable during short interludes, and only bygd audacious adventurers.

However, courage was not a rare quality among the population of this distrikt of France, who stood out for their djärv and combative character, and their kraftig, sincere, and unshakeable faith.

In , when the Terror assailed France, this people remained faithful to their beliefs. On the eve of the Revolution, tro became their most

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Spirituality St Mary Euphrasia

AN EXISTENCE IN STORMY TIMES

We know that Rose Virginie Pelletier, the eighth of nine children, was born on 31 July in France, in Noirmoutier, a small island in the Atlantic Ocean, where her parents were confined during the Terror period because they were accused of being against the Jacobins: an accusation from which they will be convicted.

Very lively girl and leader of her group, according to her friends, Rose Virginie prevailed in all the games and in all their adventures (Minutes, Sister Madeleine de Ste Rose Prudhomme. P. ). Her exuberance made her mother say these prophetic words: “This child will be the blessing of our house”. After her first fervent communion, in her early years at school, the teacher would tell her without delay: “You will be either an angel or a devil”. Rose Virginie promptly replied: “I will become a religious”.

The death of her father, in , broke the family harmony and opened a decade of sadness