Saint Marie of the Incarnation​

The first missionary woman to the New World, Marie was born in Tours, France, in 1599. Denying her own attraction to religious life, Marie honoured her father’s wishes and married Claude Martin in 1617. Claude died only three years later. Soon after, Marie began receiving revelations concerning the Incarnation, the Sacred Heart, and the Blessed Trinity. After seeking spiritual direction, she entered the Ursuline monastery in Tours..Encouraged by a dream, she set sail with two other Ursulines, arriving in Quebec City in 1639. There, they opened their first school in Lowertown. The school grew despite sickness, poverty and strained relations with the Native peoples. When Quebecers were threatened by tensions with the Iroquois nation, Marie was recalled to France but she chose to remain in New France. She composed catechisms in Huron and Algonquin, and a dictionary of French and Algonquin. Marie died in Quebec in 1672. She was beatified in 1980 and canonized in 2014.

REFLECTION FOR THE DAY

Do not let your hearts be troubled. John 14:1

 So often in the last year, our hearts have been troubled. We continue to grieve our former lives. We are saddened by the loss of civility in our nation, by the loss of jobs and the loss of loved ones. So much has changed so quickly in fundamental ways that have affected us all. Yet Jesus assures us he is with us. He has not changed; he has never left us. We can count on him. His loving words to his disciples and to us are so full of tenderness and compassion, we cannot help but be comforted by them. In faith, we step out to embrace our changed lives, following his way, his truth and the new resurrected life he holds out to us. Whenever you feel confused, anxious or full of dismay, hear him speaking these words to you. As the many parts of the Body of Christ here on earth, let us reassure one another with that same benevolence, that same steadfast love.