• =?UTF-8?Q?16_July_=E2=80=93_St_Marie=2DMadeline_Postel?=

    From rich@1:396/4 to All on Thu Jul 15 10:26:12 2021
    From: rich <richarra@gmail.com>

    16 July =E2=80=93 St Marie-Madeline Postel

    =C2 Religious Sister and Founder of the Sisters of Christian Schools of
    which she is the Patron, Teacher, Franciscan tertiary =E2=80=93 born on 28 November 1756 at Barfleur, Normandy, France as Julie
    Fran=C3=A7oise-Catherine Postel and died on 16 July 1846 at Saint-Sauveur-le-Vicoste, France of natural causes. During the French Revolution she used her then-disbanded school to house fugitive
    priests despite the great risk that posed to her own life.

    Julie Fran=C3=A7oise-Catherine Postel was born on 28 November 1756 in
    Barfleur to the fisherman Jean Postel and Th=C3=A9r=C3=A8se Levallois. She = was
    the aunt to Blessed Placide Viel. The Benedictine nuns oversaw her
    education in Valognes after her initial schooling and it was during
    that time that she discerned a call to serve God in the religious
    life. She took a private vow to remain chaste as a step forward in
    this dream.

    In 1774, she founded a school for girls in Barfleur that became a
    centre for underground religious activities during the French
    Revolution, for those who were unwilling to support the new regime.
    This school had been shut down at the Revolution's beginning.
    Authorisation was granted to her to keep the Blessed Sacrament in her
    house as the conflict continued and she carried it on her person at
    times to provide the Viaticum to those who were ill and at the verge
    of death. The Jacobins often suspected her but never made allegations
    and left her alone.

    The end of the Revolution saw Blessed Marie-Madeline take up teaching
    and catechising in Cherbourg where she taught around 300 children.
    She made her religious profession into the Third Order of Saint
    Francis in 1798 (while assuming her religious name) and founded the
    Sisters of the Christian Schools (initally the words =E2=80=98of Mercy=E2= =80=99 were
    added) in Cherbourg on 8 September 1807,=C2 which was initially rather
    slow to achieve success until 1832 when she acquired a derelict
    convent in St-Sauveur-le-Vicomte to use as her headquarters which then
    prompted growth within the order.

    The Bishop of Coutances, Claude-Louis Rousseau issued diocesan
    approval for her order and it went on to receive the papal decree of
    praise from Pope Pius IX on 29 April 1859 and received full papal
    approval, much later, in 1901. The order based itself on the Rule of
    the Franciscan Third Order, though this later changed in 1837, to be
    based upon that of the De La Salle Brothers which also prompted a name
    change for the congregation.

    Marie-Madeline died in 1846 but her order continues its work in places
    such as Romania and Mozambique and in 2005 had 442 religious in 69
    different locations worldwide.

    The cause for her Canonisation began under Pope Leo XIII on 27 July
    1897, at which stage Postel became titled as a Servant of God. Pope
    Leo XIII later confirmed that Postel had lived a life of heroic virtue
    and named her as Venerable on 31 May 1903. Pope Pius X later signified
    on 22 January 1908 his approval to two investigated miracles
    attributed to her intercession and so Beatified her on 17 May 1908.
    Pope Pius XI confirmed two additional miracles and Canonised Blessed Marie-Madeline on 24 May 1925.

    https://anastpaul.com/2019/07/16/


    Quote/s of the Day =E2=80=93 16 July

    =E2=80=9CSpeaking of Mary=E2=80=9D

    =E2=80=9CIn her, God spun a garment with which to save us.=E2=80=9D
    --Saint Ephrem (306-373) Father & Doctor

    =E2=80=9CWhat shall we say, brethren?
    Is she not our mother?
    Certainly, brethren,
    she is in truth our mother.
    Through her we are born,
    not to the world
    but to God.=E2=80=9D

    =E2=80=9CBut what are we to do for her?
    What sort of gifts shall we offer her?
    O that we might at least repay to her,
    the debt we owe her!
    We owe her honour,
    we owe her devotion,
    we owe her love,
    we owe her praise.
    We owe her honour
    because she is the mother of Our Lord.
    He who does not honour the mother,
    will without doubt dishonour the son.
    Besides, scripture says:
    =E2=80=98Honour your father and your mother.'=E2=80=9D
    =E2=80=9CScripture says, =E2=80=98Praise the Lord in his saints'.
    If the Lord is to be praised in those saints
    through whom He performs mighty works and miracles,
    how much more should He be praised in her,
    in whom He fashioned Himself,
    He who is wonderful beyond all wonder.=E2=80=9D
    --Saint Aelred of Rievaulx (1110-1167)
    From his sermons =E2=80=93 Sermon 20

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