Sophie-Thérèse de Soubiran La Louvière
7 June | |
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| Attributes | Religious habit |
| Patronage | Sisters of Marie-Auxiliatrice |
Sophie-Thérèse de Soubiran La Louvière French pronunciation: [maʁi teʁɛz d subiʁã la luvjɛʁ] (16 May 1834 - 7 June 1889) was a French Roman Catholic nun who established the Sisters of Marie-Auxiliatrice.[1] She adopted the name of Marie of the Sacred Heart in 1877 after she had become a nun.
Pope Pius XII beatified her on 20 October 1946 after the recognition of two miracles found to have been attributed to her intercession.[2]
Life
Sophie-Thérèse de Soubiran La Louvière was born in 1834 in France to Joseph Paul Comte de Soubiran and Noemi de Gélis. She received her First Communion on 29 June 1845.
At the age of 20 she renounced her plans to become a
Trouble began in 1869, the year after the community was authorized, with the profession of a new sister, who claimed to be a widow. Louvière trained her to keep the books of the order. In 1870 she fled to London due to the Franco-Prussian War and returned home after the Treaty of Frankfurt in May 1871. When she returned, she found herself accused of financial mismanagement by the new sister, with evidence out of the books. As a result, Louvière was forced to leave the community. It took a few years for her to find a community that would accept her; to support herself in the meantime, she took in embroidery. Finally, she was accepted by the Paris monastery of Our Lady of Charity[3] in 1874, where she took vows three years later under the name Marie of the Sacred Heart.
Her health began to take a steep decline after 1881 and she taught at various places in France. Despite the pain she endured she continued to teach catechism to people. She died on 7 June 1889 with her last words being: "Come, Lord Jesus, come!"[2]
Two years later, a new Mary Help of Christians superior reviewed the allegations, as Louvière's book-keeping nemesis had fled the convent, and her husband had come looking for her. As a result of the subsequent examination, it was discovered that the fled book-keeper had embezzled monies of the order, and falsified the books so as to throw the blame on Louvière. The founder was vindicated, and her reputation was restored.
Sainthood
The beatification process started in
Two miracles attributed to her were approved in 1945 and Pius XII beatified her on 20 October 1946.
See also
References
- ^ JStor website, The Society of Marie Auxiliatrice: A Centenary and the Foundation of an English Noviciate, Life of the Spirit (1946-1964), Vol. 9, No. 100 (October 1954), pp. 181-183, by Gerard Meath
- ^ a b "Blessed Marie Therese de Soubiran La Louviere". Santi e Beati. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
- ^ National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church in Ireland website, 2015 report
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