Blessed Marie-Anne Blondin: life, foundation and prayers
Blessed Marie-Anne Blondin was a 19th-century Canadian nun. Foundress of the teaching and hospitable congregation of the Sisters of Sainte-Anne, in Quebec, she dedicated her life to the education of children. She was declared Blessed on April 29, 2001, in Rome, by Pope John Paul II.
Biography of Blessed Marie-Anne Blondin
Marie-Anne Blondin, whose birth name was Esther Blondin, was born on April 18, 1809, in Terrebonne, near Montreal, Quebec. She grew up in a devoutly Christian family. Her parents were farmers, but she was not fortunate enough to receive an education, and was still illiterate at the age of twenty. Esther became a domestic servant in the house of a local shopkeeper, and later in the convent of the Congregation of Notre-Dame (founded by Saint Marguerite Bourgeoys in the 17th century).
A year later, she finally became a boarder and learned to read and write. Esther then became a novice. To her great misfortune, she was forced to stop her novitiate due to serious health problems.
In 1833, Esther became a schoolteacher in Vaudreuil, with a friend and former Notre-Dame novice, Suzanne Pineault. Together, they worked to educate children, especially those from poorer families, and devoted the rest of their time to the works of the Saint-Michel parish.
After a while, Esther was appointed director of the so-called "Blondin Academy". In 1848, she received permission from her bishop, Mgr Ignace Bourget, to begin setting up a new religious teaching community. The trial proved conclusive. The congregation of the Sisters of Sainte-Anne was officially founded on September 8, 1850, in Vaudreuil. Esther took the name Sister Marie-Anne and became the first superior of the rapidly growing community.
Marie-Anne dreamed of teaching the basics of education to a large number of children, and therefore of creating mixed classes (a great challenge at the time). Unfortunately, she didn't succeed.
In 1853, Bishop Ignace Bourget decided to move the Mother House from Vaudreuil to the village of Saint-Jacques de Montcalm (near present-day Joliette). Mother Marie-Anne and twenty-seven of her daughters took possession of the premises on August 23. They worked hard to get everything in place to welcome their first pupils in early October.
Marie-Anne soon found herself in trouble with the young parish priest, Abbé Louis-Adolphe Maréchal, who wanted to impose his rules on the convent and the parish. So the Mother Superior, acting reasonably, asked Bishop Ignace Bourget to rule on the situation. After several approaches from both sides, the bishop finally asked Marie-Anne to step down as superior. The nun obediently accepted. For the rest of her life, she remained at the convent, working in the shadows and in humility for her beloved community.
In the autumn of 1889, the nun's health deteriorated considerably. After Christmas, she was diagnosed with severe bronchitis. Marie-Anne Blondin surrendered her soul to the Lord, next to her great friend Suzanne Pineault, on January 2, 1890, at the age of eighty, in Lachine (third Motherhouse). She left other nuns with the memory of a woman of immense kindness, charitable, full of respect for others, generous and patient. Marie-Anne Blondin is celebrated on April 18.
From the 1860s, the congregation founded by Mother Marie-Anne spread to the rest of Canada, including the Far North, and then to other countries such as Cameroon, Chile, the United States and Haiti.
Prayer for the intercession of Blessed Marie-Anne Blondin
"Lord, you gave
to Blessed Marie-Anne Blondin
a heart passionate for your glory
and you called her to serve with tenderness
the young, the poor and the sick.
You kept her in hope
in the most difficult moments of her life
and led her to great serenity.
Bless you, Lord,
for your humble servant,
Blessed Marie-Anne Blondin.
Through her intercession
grant us the favor
which we confidently ask of you.
Amen."
Continue your prayer with Blessed Marie-Anne Blondin through Hozana!
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