Saint of the Day: Blessed Catherine of St. Augustine
"Among the founders of the Church of Canada in its spiritual springtime can be numbered Marie Catherine, this Augustinian whose hand, as well as her heart, was nothing other than charity."
~ Pope John Paul II
Catherine of Saint Augustine (1632-1668) was an Augustinian Hospitaller Sister of the Mercy of Jesus who cared for the poor and sick in Quebec.
Marie Catherine Simon de Longpré was born May 3, 1632 at Saint-Saveur, France. Following the advice of Saint John Eudes, she entered the Augustinian Hospitaller Sisters of the Mercy of Jesus in 1644.
At the age of 16, she volunteered for the community's mission in Quebec, Canada, much to the displeasure of her parents. Her father was so strongly opposed, that he even petitioned the French courts to stop her. But Catherine was adamant in her mission to serve the poor and sick of Quebec. She arrived there in 1648. Her father later experienced a change of heart.
On her voyage to Quebec, Catherine contracted the plague. She recovered and, when she arrived there, spent much energy caring for poor people who were suffering from sicknesses and hunger.
In spite of spiritual aridity and a debilitating, long-term illness of her own (which she hid from others), Catherine was consistently loving, kind, and gracious toward all. She was a victim soul who offered up her pain for those who had grown distant from their faith.
Catherine died on May 8, 1668 at the age of 36. She was beatified by Pope John Paul II on Easter Sunday, April 23, 1989.
Quote
“My God, I adore Your divine perfections; I adore Your divine Justice; I abandon myself to it with my whole heart.”
~ Information complied by Jean M. Heimann
~ Pope John Paul II
Catherine of Saint Augustine (1632-1668) was an Augustinian Hospitaller Sister of the Mercy of Jesus who cared for the poor and sick in Quebec.
Marie Catherine Simon de Longpré was born May 3, 1632 at Saint-Saveur, France. Following the advice of Saint John Eudes, she entered the Augustinian Hospitaller Sisters of the Mercy of Jesus in 1644.
At the age of 16, she volunteered for the community's mission in Quebec, Canada, much to the displeasure of her parents. Her father was so strongly opposed, that he even petitioned the French courts to stop her. But Catherine was adamant in her mission to serve the poor and sick of Quebec. She arrived there in 1648. Her father later experienced a change of heart.
On her voyage to Quebec, Catherine contracted the plague. She recovered and, when she arrived there, spent much energy caring for poor people who were suffering from sicknesses and hunger.
In spite of spiritual aridity and a debilitating, long-term illness of her own (which she hid from others), Catherine was consistently loving, kind, and gracious toward all. She was a victim soul who offered up her pain for those who had grown distant from their faith.
Catherine died on May 8, 1668 at the age of 36. She was beatified by Pope John Paul II on Easter Sunday, April 23, 1989.
Quote
“My God, I adore Your divine perfections; I adore Your divine Justice; I abandon myself to it with my whole heart.”
~ Information complied by Jean M. Heimann
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