St. Marguerite Bourgeoys
Feast day: January 12
Born in Troyes, France, Marguerite had a special devotion to Our Lady. She was turned away by several religious communities, but after meeting the founder of what is now Montreal, Canada, she traveled there to open a new school. She helped teach French and Native American children in the New World. From that first school, her ministry grew, and she founded the Sisters of the Congregation of Notre Dame de Montreal. She managed to keep her sisters uncloistered and served as superior for many years. Pope St. John Paul II canonized Marguerite in 1982, and she became Canada’s first woman saint.
Collect
O God, who called your handmaid Saint Marguerite Bourgeoys
to seek you before all else,
grant that, serving you, through her example and intercession,
with a pure and humble heart,
we may come at last to your eternal glory.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.
