Saint Louise de Marillac (15 March): Butler's Lives of the Saints

About this sermon

St. Louise de Marillac (1591–1660) is one of the great saints of Christian charity. After losing her mother early in life and later becoming a widow, Louise devoted herself entirely to God and the service of the poor. Under the spiritual direction of St. Vincent de Paul, she helped establish the Daughters of Charity, a revolutionary community of women dedicated to caring for the sick, the poor, abandoned children, and the suffering. Unlike traditional cloistered religious communities, the sisters of this congregation lived and worked in the streets, hospitals, and homes of the poor, bringing Christ’s mercy directly to those most in need. Their mission transformed Catholic charity and continues around the world today. Despite fragile health and many spiritual trials, St. Louise showed extraordinary courage, humility, and leadership. Her life stands as a powerful example of Christian service, perseverance, and love for the poor, whom she taught her sisters to honor as Christ Himself. St. Louise de Marillac died on March 15, 1660, only months before her spiritual father, St. Vincent de Paul. She was canonized in 1934 and is today honored as the patron saint of Christian social workers. This reading is taken from Fr. Alban Butler’s “Lives of the Saints”, a classic Catholic work recounting the lives and virtues of the saints throughout the liturgical year. 00:00 Introduction to St. Louise de Marillac 00:25 Why she was called “Mademoiselle Le Gras” 00:48 Her noble family and early life 01:09 Childhood, education, and loss of parents 01:25 Desire to become a Capuchin nun 01:34 Marriage to Antoine Le Gras 01:50 Spiritual trials during her husband’s illness 02:07 Guidance from St. Francis de Sales 02:32 Spiritual vision and call to God’s work 02:57 Meeting St. Vincent de Paul 03:13 The Conferences of Charity 03:38 Need for a new mission of charity 04:10 St. Vincent recognizes Louise’s leadership 04:34 Founding the Daughters of Charity 05:04 Louise’s first missions of charity 05:28 Training young women to serve the poor 06:08 Establishment of the novitiate (1633) 06:32 Beginning of the Sisters of Charity 07:03 Rule of life for the community 07:25 St. Vincent’s vision of charity in the world 07:59 The distinctive habit of the Sisters 08:32 First vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience 08:48 Official approval of the institute 09:04 Caring for the sick and abandoned children 09:45 Louise’s tireless sacrifices for the poor 10:10 Concern for her son Michael 10:42 Final days of St. Louise 11:12 Her last exhortation to serve the poor 11:21 Death of St. Louise de Marillac (1660) https://sensusfidelium.com/the-lives-of-the-fathers-martyrs-and-other-principal-saints/march/ Get Butler's Lives of the Saints here: https://loretopublications.idevaffiliate.com/idevaffiliate.php?id=102&url=1 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 Support Catholic Businesses here - https://sensusfidelium.com/catholic-businesses/ Sensus Fidelium Press - https://sensusfideliumpress.com/ Sensus Fidelium Apps - https://sensusfidelium.tv/ Support Sensus Fidelium - https://sensusfidelium.com/donate-support/ 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 🙏🏻PLEASE HELP OUR CHANNEL GROW 🙏🏻 ▶ 1. Become a Channel Patron: https://www.patreon.com/SensusFidelium ▶ 2. Visit the website https://www.sensusfidelium.com for Gueranger, Saint of the Day, Apologetics, Meditation by the Saints, Scripture Study and more. ▶ 3. Subscribe to Other Video Platforms 🔴 BitChute --- https://www.bitchute.com/channel/Sensus_Fidelium/ 🔴 Rumble --- https://rumble.com/c/c-298311 🔴 My Catholic Tube - https://mycatholictube.com/videos/sensus-fidelium-channel/ 🔴 ODYSEE - https://odysee.com/@SensusFidelium:c 🔴 BrandNewTube - https://brandnewtube.com/@SensusFidelium 🔴 GloriaTV - https://gloria.tv/Sensus%20Fidelium ▶ 4. Paypal, Bitcoin, Anedot, Stripe, Square & PO Box donations - https://sensusfidelium.com/donate-support/ ▶ 5. YouTube: Click Subscribe, then Click "Notification Bell" = 🔔 ▶ 6. Please share this video 📲, and help others find Christ inside the Catholic Church! Please share this video on Facebook and Twitter using the share button. ▶ 7. Follow on Social Media: 🔴 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SensusFidelium/ 🔴 Twitter: https://https://twitter.com/Sensus_Fidelium 🔴 Parler: https://parler.com/profile/Sensusfidelium/posts 🔴 SP3RN: https://www.sp3rn.com/community/pages/14-sensus-fidelium 🔴 GAB: https://gab.com/Sensus_Fidelium 🔴 Bastyon: https://bastyon.com/sensusfidelium 🔴 GETTR: https://gettr.com/user/sensus_fidelium 🔴 INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/sensusfidelium/ 🔴 Telegram: https//t.me/RealSensusFidelium 🔴 Truth Social - @SensusFidelium ▶ 8. Follow on iTunes: 🔴 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sensus-fidelium-catholic-podcast/id1477010758 #SaintLouiseDeMarillac #CatholicSaints #LivesOfTheSaints #SaintOfTheDay #CatholicHistory #VincentDePaul #DaughtersOfCharity #ChristianCharity #CatholicFaith