Today, April 30th, is the Feast Day of the Saint Marie of the Incarnation, an Ursuline Sister who was born in Tours, France in the 16th century. God’s graces inspired her to go beyond her borders of the French Ursuline monastery and venture forth to Canada, New France in 1639 to educate the young Indian and French-Canadian girls. She respected their culture and customs and attained mastery of their languages: Algonquin, Iroquois, Huron and Montagnais. Marie even composed grammars and dictionaries in these languages.
Her work began 370 years ago and flourishes today as the Ursuline Monastery in Quebec and numerous Ursuline schools throughout Canada and Japan. She is the first Ursuline missionary and was declared a saint by his Holiness Pope Francis on April 3, 2014. Marie was crucial in the spread of Catholicism in New France. She is credited with founding the first girls’ school in the New World. Due to her work the Catholic Church declared her a saint and even the Anglican Church of Canada celebrates her with a feast day.
Let us pray,
Loving God, you led St. Marie of the Incarnation to follow the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to go outside her borders of France to North America to spread the Gospel of Jesus to native Canadian Children and their families. May we be inspired to follow in her spirit of Serviam to serve others and be messengers of God’s love and mercy.
This we ask through Our Lord Jesus Christ your Son. Amen.