Feasts of Our Lord
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Ven. Anne-Marie Javouhey – July 15
Biographical Selection:
Anne-Marie Javouhey was born in 1779, the fifth of nine children of a wealthy farm couple in Burgundy. From her childhood she revealed great energy, alertness and independence. During the French Revolution she helped to hide and care for the persecuted priests and fooled the guards during the celebration of the Holy Mass.
She was joyful and active; at age 16 she looked like the other girls of her time but actually exercised the a great control of herself. She liked wine but stopped drinking it to not scandalize a servant. She appreciated jewelry, fine dress, social meetings and dances, but abandoned everything to dedicate herself to the apostolate of teaching poor children. A young man asked for her hand in marriage; she ended by convincing him to become a Trappist monk.
Her life was a great fight to realize her goal: The foundation of a Religious Congregation turned toward educating the youth and the evangelization of the black people. Anne Marie had an uncommon faith and never became discouraged. She received visions of the Most Holy Virgin and St. Teresa who encouraged her in her difficult mission.
In 1817 she saw the first results of her efforts when her schools, hospitals and mission houses began to spread not only in France but also in Guadeloupe, Guyana, Senegal and Cayenne, where they were also dedicated to helping the black people.
It was a difficult epopee because many of her religious companions abandoned her and often the Apostolic Prefects [Bishops of the Mission countries] would not welcome her.
At age 60 she maintained the same ardor she had at age 16. She faced and conquered everyone: children, black leaders, ministers and kings. The black leaders used to call her “the Great Lady” (la Grande Dame)
Her sisters were in 32 countries and colonies at her death in 1851. She was beatified on October 15, 1950.
Comments of Prof. Plinio:
First, we can see that already in her youth she was quite shrewd to be able to deceive the evil police of the French Revolution. It is a quite different characteristic than what some people expect of a saint, is it not? She was able to hide the good priests and to lead the police away from the places where they said their Masses. She was a true Saint practicing the evangelical virtue of astuteness.
Indeed, Our Lord told us to join the innocence of the dove to the astuteness of the serpent. She had the innocence of the dove: She was a Saint. She had the astuteness of the serpent: She was a Saint.
Second, when the selection says that she looked similar to the other girls of her time, it adds that she had a great control over herself. She had to have this self-control because to look like the girls who were more superfluous, she had to enter their level, to look and act somewhat like them, that is, to look a little foolish. One of the hardest ways to show a great self-control is to look like everyone else and be accepted by the average person when, in fact, you are much more.
Third, it is interesting to note that the black leaders acknowledged her majesty and dignity when they called her la Grande Dame.
Forth, we see that her life provides us a great example of effort and courage. When you will be out on the streets tomorrow collecting signatures against the communist infiltration into the Church, if you feel tired either before the campaign or during it, think about the efforts that Ven. Anne Marie Javouhey had to make in her apostolate.
Think also about the ardor the communists have for their evil cause. Remember that what you are doing is for Our Lady’s cause, the opposite of what the communists are doing for their cause. See how ardent they are in their fight! What demonic ardor they have! Let us supersede their fervor with our love, dedication and ardor for the cause of Our Lady!
The Saint of the Day features highlights from the lives of saints based on comments made by the late Prof. Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira. Following the example of St. John Bosco who used to make similar talks for the boys of his College, each evening it was Prof. Plinio’s custom to make a short commentary on the lives of the next day’s saint in a meeting for youth in order to encourage them in the practice of virtue and love for the Catholic Church. TIA thought that its readers could profit from these valuable commentaries.
The texts of both the biographical data and the comments come from personal notes taken by Atila S. Guimarães from 1964 to 1995. Given the fact that the source is a personal notebook, it is possible that at times the biographic notes transcribed here will not rigorously follow the original text read by Prof. Plinio. The commentaries have also been adapted and translated for TIA’s site.
Anne-Marie Javouhey was born in 1779, the fifth of nine children of a wealthy farm couple in Burgundy. From her childhood she revealed great energy, alertness and independence. During the French Revolution she helped to hide and care for the persecuted priests and fooled the guards during the celebration of the Holy Mass.
Anne-Marie Javouhey (1779-1851) showed great shrewdness & self-control from her youth
Her life was a great fight to realize her goal: The foundation of a Religious Congregation turned toward educating the youth and the evangelization of the black people. Anne Marie had an uncommon faith and never became discouraged. She received visions of the Most Holy Virgin and St. Teresa who encouraged her in her difficult mission.
In 1817 she saw the first results of her efforts when her schools, hospitals and mission houses began to spread not only in France but also in Guadeloupe, Guyana, Senegal and Cayenne, where they were also dedicated to helping the black people.
Teaching the blacks in her mission at Guyana
At age 60 she maintained the same ardor she had at age 16. She faced and conquered everyone: children, black leaders, ministers and kings. The black leaders used to call her “the Great Lady” (la Grande Dame)
Her sisters were in 32 countries and colonies at her death in 1851. She was beatified on October 15, 1950.
Comments of Prof. Plinio:
First, we can see that already in her youth she was quite shrewd to be able to deceive the evil police of the French Revolution. It is a quite different characteristic than what some people expect of a saint, is it not? She was able to hide the good priests and to lead the police away from the places where they said their Masses. She was a true Saint practicing the evangelical virtue of astuteness.
She faced every obstacle without losing her equinamity & founded the Sisters of St. Joseph of Cluny
Second, when the selection says that she looked similar to the other girls of her time, it adds that she had a great control over herself. She had to have this self-control because to look like the girls who were more superfluous, she had to enter their level, to look and act somewhat like them, that is, to look a little foolish. One of the hardest ways to show a great self-control is to look like everyone else and be accepted by the average person when, in fact, you are much more.
Third, it is interesting to note that the black leaders acknowledged her majesty and dignity when they called her la Grande Dame.
Forth, we see that her life provides us a great example of effort and courage. When you will be out on the streets tomorrow collecting signatures against the communist infiltration into the Church, if you feel tired either before the campaign or during it, think about the efforts that Ven. Anne Marie Javouhey had to make in her apostolate.
Think also about the ardor the communists have for their evil cause. Remember that what you are doing is for Our Lady’s cause, the opposite of what the communists are doing for their cause. See how ardent they are in their fight! What demonic ardor they have! Let us supersede their fervor with our love, dedication and ardor for the cause of Our Lady!
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The texts of both the biographical data and the comments come from personal notes taken by Atila S. Guimarães from 1964 to 1995. Given the fact that the source is a personal notebook, it is possible that at times the biographic notes transcribed here will not rigorously follow the original text read by Prof. Plinio. The commentaries have also been adapted and translated for TIA’s site.