St. Louise de Marillac (1591-1660) reached adulthood in the war-torn France of the 17th century, where sickness and poverty coexisted with opulence and indifference. Overcoming the sufferings of her youth, fail health, and an introspective, scrupulous temperament, she brought deep personal holiness and extraordinary administrative ability to the relief of every form of human suffering.
Together with her lifelong friend and collaborator, St. Vincent de Paul, she transformed the character of Christian charity, establishing permanent institutions to put works of charity onto a stable footing. No facet of modern social care - hospitals, child care institutions, homes for the aged, care for those in prison and on the battlefield, psychiatric centers, home nursing care - was beyond the zeal of this remarkable pair. They founded the Ladies of Charity, and later, the Daughters of Charity, who today continue their mission on five continents.
This book, based on original sources, presents a rich selection from the actual words of St. Louise de Marillac - many of which have been unavailable in English. It gives precious quotations from the Conferences of St. Vincent de Paul and St. Louise on prayer, fervent Holy Communion, the vocation of the Daughter of Charity, love and respect for Jesus Christ in the poor, the governing of the community, the first experiences of the Daughters, and the total, unreserved gift of self made by St. Louise and her followers. In St. Louise de Marillac - Servant of the Poor the reader will see a new and beautiful vision of Louise the woman, the foundress, the organizer, and the saint.
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