Inspirational Lives
Lives of virtue and compassion
Impelled by love and compassion to take action and respond to critical issues and the realities around them, these women and men served to be the compassionate face of God to many.
Saint John Eudes (1601-1680)
St. John Eudes is the founder of both the Congregation of Jesus and Mary, also known as the Eudists, and the Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Refuge, from which Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd has its source. A prolific spiritual writer who wrote the liturgical worship of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, St. John Eudes authored many books that offered to inspire and strengthen the faith.
He was born in France and grew up in an era of opposing religious opinions and serious social and political problems. His mission of ministering to victims of the plague led him to face great risks to his own life. His later work as a French missionary earned him a reputation for being an exceptional preacher and confessor. It was through this ministry in various parts of France that he witnessed firsthand the dire condition and needs of women in situations of prostitution – his unique response to which greatly influenced the direction of our mission of reconciliation and mercy.
He died at Caen on August 19, 1680, at the age of 79, and was proclaimed a saint by the Church on May 31, 1925. His feast day is August 19.
Saint Mary Euphrasia Pellettier (1796-1868)
St. Mary Euphrasia is the founder of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd (OLCGS). The Congregation has its roots in Our Lady of Charity of the Refuge, which was founded by St. John Eudes. A bold and creative woman, St. Mary Euphrasia overcame resistance from the Church, social prejudices, misunderstandings, and challenges and was known to never back down in the face of obstacles.
She was born in France to parents who had been exiled by French revolutionaries and grew up during its turbulent aftermath. At the age of 18, she entered Our Lady of Charity of the Refuge, having been particularly attracted to the ministry of caring for girls and women in difficult situations. Impelled to better respond to the emerging needs of the rapidly changing 19th-century society, she audaciously worked towards reform of the Congregation’s government, thus enabling the Generalate to be established. This was a painful significant milestone as she and many of her sisters had to separate from the Congregation founded by St. John Eudes for the birth of the new Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd. Alongside apostolic sisters, she founded communities of contemplative sisters for those who wished to live a life rooted in a deep spirituality and witnessing to the contemplative dimensions of life.
By the time of her death in 1868, she had founded 110 convents on five continents. She was proclaimed a saint by Pope Pius XII in 1940. Her feast day is April 24.
Blessed Maria Droste zu Vischering (1863 – 1899)
Also known as Mary of the Divine Heart, Blessed Maria Droste zu Vischering was born on September 8, 1863, in Münster, Germany, into a wealthy aristocratic family. She entered the Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd on November 21, 1888.
Known for her devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Holy Eucharist, she fervently worked to spread this devotion and managed to influence Pope Leo XIII to consecrate the world to the Sacred Heart.
On June 8, 1899, the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, she passed away at the Good Shepherd Convent in Porto. Portugal. Her body was found to be incorrupt and a process towards canonization was initiated. Her relics are displayed in the Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Ermesinde, Portugal. Some of her relics are enshrined at the sanctuary of Christ the King in Almada, Portugal.
She was beatified by Pope Paul VI on November 1, 1975, in recognition of her exceptional virtues and holiness.
Blessed Marie Thérèse de Soubiran (1834-1889)
Blessed Marie-Thérèse de Soubiran is the founder of the Congregation of the Sisters of Marie-Auxiliatrice, which aimed to respond to the needs of the time by focusing on education, healthcare, and charitable works. She was a woman who remained steadfast in her mission, despite having faced various challenges, including opposition and financial difficulties.
She lived during a period marked by social and economic challenges in France during the mid-19th century. Having been falsely accused of financial mismanagement, she was forced to abandon the congregation she founded. In 1874, she was welcomed to enter the Sisters of Our Lady of Charity in Paris.
She died on June 7, 1889, and was beatified on October 20, 1946, after two miracles were attributed to her intercession. Her feast day is June 7.
Blessed María Agustina Rivas López (1920 – 1990)
Antonia Luzmila Rivas López, born on June 13, 1920, and known in religious life as María Agustina or ‘Aguchita’, was a Peruvian sister of the Sisters of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd. She pursued her studies in Lima before dedicating herself to religious life, making her perpetual vows in 1949.
Bl. Aguchita worked as a teacher for children and played an active role in caring for and educating indigenous communities and poor women. During her lifetime, the Shining Path movement, a communist-oriented group, was gaining strength and posed a threat to local religious communities.
On September 27, 1990, she was murdered by the Shining Path while she was carrying out her pastoral mission in the town of La Florida, Peru.
The process for her beatification began in Peru in 2017, leading to her beatification in La Florida, Peru, on May 7, 2022, following Pope Francis determining that her killing was motivated by “odium fidei” (hatred of the faith) and giving his blessings for her beatification.