Today we celebrate the memorial of Saint Louise de Marillac, Patron Saint of Social Wokers.

Louise was born close to Meux, France. She lost her mother when she was a young child and her beloved father when she was only 15 years old. Her desire to be a nun got rejected by her confessor, and she found herself in an arranged marriage. One son was born of this union. But soon Louise found herself caring for her devoted husband as he battled a protracted illness that ultimately claimed his life.

Louise was lucky to have Francis de Sales as a knowledgeable and kind advisor, followed by his friend, the bishop of Belley, France. She occasionally had access to both of these men. Nevertheless, after experiencing an internal illumination, she realized she would lead another person she had not yet met in a significant project. This person was Saint Vincent de Paul, a saintly priest who went by the name of Monsieur Vincent.

Being preoccupied with his “Confraternities of Charity,” whose members were aristocratic ladies of charity assisting him in caring for neglected children and the poor, a pressing need of the time, he was initially hesitant to be her confessor. But the ladies were occupied with various obligations and worries of their own. He required much more assistance, especially from those who could relate to the poor and win their hearts because they were peasants. Also, he needs a teacher and organizer.

Vincent de Paul didn’t understand Louise to be the answer to his prayers for a very long time; it took place as he got to know her more. Despite her poor condition, she was intelligent, humble, physically strong, and resilient. Four uncomplicated young women ultimately joined her due to the missions he gave her. Her rented Paris home was the training facility for those chosen to serve the sick and impoverished. Rapid expansion necessitated the creation of a purported “rule of life,” which Louise, with Vincent’s help, devised for the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul.

Throughout his interactions with Louise and the new group, Monsieur Vincent had always been methodical and cautious. He claimed that God did everything and that he had never thought of creating a new community. He added, “Your convent will be the residence of the sick; your cell, a leased room; your chapel, the parish church; your cloister, the streets of the city or the hospital wards. It took several years before Vincent de Paul finally agreed to let four ladies take yearly vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. There were still several years to pass before Rome formally approved their enterprise and granted it to Vincent’s priestly community.

The young women were mostly illiterate. Nonetheless, the care of abandoned children was something the new society undertook reluctantly. Despite being sick, Louise was always volunteering everywhere she could. She moved her community members into hospitals, orphanages, and other facilities as she traveled throughout France. More than 40 households belonged to the congregation in France at the time of her death on March 15, 1660. Vincent de Paul died six months after she did.

In 1960, Louise de Marillac was named the patron saint of social workers after being canonized in 1934.

Source: franciscanmedia.org