To return to the beginnings⦠of our Institutes is to go to that root to drink from it, as from a fountain, and to be able to respond in a just manner. A classic journey of consecrated life in the missionary impulse of the 19th century? Not really! Her path was strewn with pitfalls and ruptures, enlightened by a profound experience of God. Mary of the Passion , her name sums up her life. Education to a deep faith, quite severe, with a deep respect for the Pope and the Church, willingly idealized.
Assured instruction at home. Joy of an extended family life. But life also brings its tragedies: the death of a young cousin and two of her sisters; a time of political upheaval in France and Rome, which was keenly felt in her family environment. One day, religious life imposes itself on her as the only way to respond to Love.
Her desire for religious life was delayed by the sudden death of her mother. Finally the time comes when she can leave and must choose. I became a daughter of St.
Poverty, even destitution, joy⦠There, God seized her again. It was on January 23, , a key date in her life. An event so overwhelming that she fell ill, had to leave the Monastery and return to her family. Where to go? Finally, she was led by Fr. Petit, SJ, to request her entry into the Society of Mary Reparatrix , a recent Ignatian congregation dedicated to the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament in a spirit of reparation for the sins of the world.
On August 15, , she took the habit and received the name of Mary of the Passion. Behold I come to be Mary of the Passion. I want to be among the small number of those who truly love Jesus Crucified. She was sent, still a novice, to the mission of Madurai in India , recent mission of the Jesuits who requested the collaboration of the Reparatrixes for the formation of Indian nuns.
