Who is saint Marguerite Bourgeoys?

Marguerite Bourgeoys, C.N.D. (17 April 1620 – 12 January 1700), was a French nun and founder of the Congregation of Notre Dame of Montreal in the colony of New France, now part of Québec, Canada. Born in Troyes, she became part of a sodality, ministering to the poor from outside the convent.

Did Marguerite Bourgeoys have a husband?

In 1722, she married the dashing François d’Youville, a young fur trader who supplemented his income through the illegal sale of alcohol to the local native population. Married life was not a happy one for Marguerite.

What is Marguerite Bourgeoys cultural heritage?

Marguerite Bourgeoys was born in April 1620 in Troyes, in the Champagne region of France. A childhood spent among craftspeople – her father was a candle-maker-imbued her early on with a sense of practicality and ambition that would define her throughout her entire life.

How did Marguerite Bourgeoys become a nun?

In 1640 Marguerite Bourgeoys joined a noncloistered congregation of teachers attached to a Troyes convent directed by the sister of Governor Maisonneuve of Ville-Marie (Montréal). She sailed for Canada in 1653 and in 1658 opened a girls’ school in a stable on Montréal Island.

Why is St Marguerite Bourgeoys a saint?

She helped care for the young girls of the colony and she organized practical education with an emphasis on kindness in teaching. She became known as the “Mother of the Colony”. St. Marguerite was the first Canadian female saint, canonized (named a saint) by Pope John Paul II, in 1982.

Where was saint Marguerite Bourgeoys born?

Troyes, FranceMarguerite Bourgeoys / Place of birth

Where is Marguerite Bourgeoys from?

Why was Marguerite Bourgeoys a woman ahead of her time?

Marguerite was a woman ahead of her times, as noted by her biographer Helene Bernier. She insisted upon free education, even for girls, in a century when France was wondering whether daughters in the lower classes should receive education. She required her teachers to be trained and skilled.

What was Saint Marguerite known for?

Why is Marguerite Bourgeoys important to the formation of New France?

In 1653, she crossed the ocean to New France with a group of new colonists. Since there were not enough children to open a school, she helped Maisonneuve develop the mission. As soon as there were enough children, Marguerite Bourgeois opened the first school in Montréal.

What was saint Marguerite known for?

Why is Marguerite Bourgeoys important to Canada?

The French religious Blessed Marguerite Bourgeoys (1620-1700) was the founder of the Congregation of Notre Dame, the first religious community for women established in Canada.