Celebration of the tercentenary of the arrival of Blessed Marie-Louise of Jesus at St-Laurent-Sur-Sèvre.
During the Eucharist of October 11th, 2020, Sr Rani Kurian, Congregational Leader of the Daughters of Wisdom, in her opening message, conveys to us the meaning of the festivities.
To come to St-Laurent is to wish to follow in Montfort’s footsteps in search of Wisdom. It is, following the example of this ardent missionary, to commit oneself to the extraordinary adventure of God who favours humble paths. It means wanting to proclaim hope to the poor and the love of eternal and incarnate Wisdom for human beings.
St-Laurent sur Sèvre October 11th, 2020
Sr Rani Kurian, D.W.
Congregational Leader
Good morning to each and every one of you who have come today to experience this annual Montfortian pilgrimage and to celebrate the tercentenary of the arrival of Blessed Marie-Louise de Jésus at St-Laurent-Sur-Sèvre. This event is a milestone for the entire Montfortian family who gather today to give thanks. Fr. Luiz Augusto STEFANI, Superior General of the Montfort Missionaries and Brother John Kallarackal, Superior General of the Brothers of St Gabriel represented by Brother Dionigi Taffarello, Vicar General here present, could not make the trip to join us because of the resumption of the pandemic. They are present with us through prayer and fraternal affection.
Why is it so important to celebrate the arrival of Marie-Louise de Jesus in this place? I believe that this audacious gesture made by our foundress in June 1720, still enlightens today the meaning of the journey of many pilgrims, who like you, come to this holy place alone or in groups.
Coming here to St-Laurent for Marie-Louise is to perpetuate the memory of a saint whose spirituality remains the Source to which we always come to drink in order to better live our baptism.
To come to St-Laurent is to wish to follow in Montfort’s footsteps in search of Wisdom. It is, following the example of this ardent missionary, to commit oneself to the extraordinary adventure of God who favours humble paths. It means wanting to proclaim hope to the poor and the love of eternal and incarnate Wisdom for human beings.
Coming to St. Laurent, near the tomb of St. Louis-Marie, is for Marie-Louise the ideal place to establish the Congregation of the Daughters of Wisdom. She wanted to make sure that she would pass on to her daughters the rich spiritual path that Montfort transmitted to her and to the whole Church, and it is still for us today the assurance of receiving its spiritual fruits.
Marie-Louise arrived alone in St-Laurent on the octave of the feast of Corpus Christi, June 1720. She lived in a house bought by a benefactor, Mme de Bouillée. This house is called the longhouse because it was 73 meters long. The sisters lived there on the second floor and the ground floor was used as a public school for boys and girls and as a hospice. This house is located on the present property of the Montfort Missionaries. The establishment of this young congregation, an unusual form of religious life for the time, was not so well received by the parish priest and the people of the time. But Marie-Louise de Jésus and her daughters by their devotion to the neediest won the hearts of the people.
By this audacious gesture, living in the greatest precariousness but always deeply rooted in the mystical path of Montfort, Marie-Louise de Jésus is at the origin of the beginning of the three Montfortian Institutes. It is thanks to her invitation that the Montfort missionaries came to settle there.
Marie-Louise lived in St-Laurent for 39 years. In this basilica, she is as present as Montfort… the two were deeply linked by the Love of Wisdom which was the heart of their life and mission.
I will conclude by quoting a sentence of Marie-Louise that reflects her entire spiritual journey and can still today be a word of wisdom that gives full meaning to our lives:
Do all your actions out of love and with love!
Isn’t that the most important thing!
Good celebration!