Saint Louise de Marillac (1591-1660) (Her body never decomposed which is one of the signs of a saint and is in a glass Case in Paris, France

A Good friend of my wife and I was a Daughters of Charity Nun who passed away in the SF Bay area at 95 years old. So, we know something about the Daughters of Charity from her. The Flying Nun of TV fame was a Daughter of Charity. The habit of the Flying Nun was Daughters of Charity then. 

Her Uncorrupted physical form is in a glass case in a church in Paris alongside of glass cases containing Saint Vincent de Paul and Saint Catherine de Laboure who are two other saints who never decomposed. 

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Saint Louise de Marillac (1591-1660) was a 17th-century French noblewoman, widow, and co-founder with St. Vincent de Paul of the Daughters of Charity, a revolutionary order of women serving the poor and sick outside traditional cloistered life, making her a pioneer in social work and lay collaboration, and a patron saint of social workers, widows, and orphans. Despite early struggles with religious vocation, personal loss, and spiritual darkness, she became a leader, establishing hospitals, schools, and homes for the needy, integrating deep prayer with intense action, and seeing God in the faces of the suffering. 

Key Aspects of Her Life & Legacy:

• Early Life & Vocation: Born out of wedlock, she received a good education but faced family opposition to joining a convent, eventually marrying and having a son, Michel.
• Spiritual Guidance: After her husband's death, she found profound spiritual direction from St. Vincent de Paul, who recognized her potential to serve the poor directly.
• Founding the Daughters of Charity (1642): She established this new form of religious community, allowing women (often of peasant stock) to live among the poor and provide practical aid, a radical departure from cloistered nuns.
• Organizer & Leader: She was the organizational genius behind many Vincentian works, setting up schools, hospitals, and homes for the aged, bringing structure to charity.
• Spirituality: Her motto was to "Love the poor and honor them as you would honor Christ Himself," emphasizing an incarnational faith where God is found in suffering.
• Patronage: Catholic News Agency, Vinnies, and DePaul University note she is the patron saint of social workers, sick people, widows, and orphans. 

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Significance:
Louise de Marillac's life exemplifies the integration of contemplation and action, demonstrating how personal suffering can transform into a powerful mission to serve others, making her a timeless model for compassionate, organized, and effective charity. 

• 12 Insights about St. Louise de Marillac - SVDP Georgia

  She integrated contemplation and action, often saying: “Love the poor and honor them as you would honor Christ Himself.” Reflectio...

  

  SVDP Georgia

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Patroness St Louise de Marillac - Vinnies

She also visited sick men in the prison hospital and established a house near the hospital where, each day, many women would cook ...

Vinnies

Louise & Friends - DeHUB - DePaul University

St. Louise de Marillac lived in 17th century France. She was an organizer, a radical thinker who lived life intensely and paved a ...

DePaul University