Born in Bordeaux, France, in1556, Jeanne’s father was a fervent Catholic, her mother a convinced Calvinist. Jeanne was drawn to Catholicism, while her mother continually tried to undermine the child’s faith. In the end, Jeanne opted to follow her father.
While she would have loved to become a religious, in 1572, in response to her father’s bidding, she married Gaston de Monferrat, bearing him seven children. Five of them survived. Widowed at the age of 41, Jeanne managed the affairs of her estate and castle by herself. Two of her daughters entered religious life and in 1603, Jeanne decided to enter the Cistercian monastery in Toulouse, where the harsh life made her seriously ill. Her superiors, recognising God’s hand in her illness, encouraged her to found an order of women devoted to Our Lady. The moment she left the convent she miraculously recovered.
Jeanne gathered some young girls about her, and when the plague hit Bordeaux in 1605, they served as nurses. Some priests saw the need to educate girls in the faith and counteract the influence of Calvinism. Under their guidance and with the support of the local Bishop, the Daughters of Our Lady were founded in 1610.
There were troubles ahead. For three years Jeanne was humiliated and persecuted, but her great meekness triumphed. Jeanne spent the remaining years of her life visiting houses of the congregation and setting its spirit firmly in the members. She died in 1640. Saint Jeanne, teach us to serve God ardently.
