Blessed Marielouise Trichet

Biography

Blessed Marielouise Trichet, also known as the First Daughter of Wisdom, Marie-Louise de Jésus, and Marie-Louise of Jesus, was born on 7 May 1684 on the Clain River in Poitiers, Vienne, France. She was the fourth of eight children born to Julien, a court magistrate, and Fran√ßoise Lecocq, a notably pious mother. Growing up in a devout Catholic family, Marie-Louise was deeply influenced by her mother's faith.

Marie-Louise's siblings also followed religious vocations, with one of her brothers becoming a priest and one of her sisters entering religious life as a nun. Her eldest sister, Jeanne, experienced a miraculous healing when she was paralyzed at the age of 13 but was cured at 16 during a pilgrimage to Notre Dame des Ardilliers in Saumur, France. This event left a lasting impression on Marie-Louise and further strengthened her own spiritual journey.

At the tender age of seven, Marie-Louise was sent to be educated by the Sisters of Sainte Jeanne de Lestonac. This early encounter with religious life solidified her desire to serve God and the less fortunate. From the age of seventeen, Marie-Louise devoted herself to the care of the poor and the sick. It was during her time working at the General Hospital, also known as the poor house, in Poitiers, France, that she met and began collaborating with Saint Louis de Montfort.

On 2 February 1703, at the age of 18, Marie-Louise made a formal dedication of herself to God and moved into the Hospital. Although officially classified as an impoverished inmate, she effectively assisted Father Louis in the administration of the institution. Together with Saint Louis de Montfort, she co-founded the Congregation of the Daughters of Wisdom, becoming its first member and assuming the role of its first leader.

When Saint Louis de Montfort left to serve as a traveling missionary, Sister Marie-Louise took charge of the Hospital and worked as a nurse and administrator for the next ten years. She expanded the mission of the Hospital to not only care for the sick but also to feed beggars and open the Hospital of Niort in Deux-Sèvres, France. Her dedication and compassion led her to provide for the needs of the impoverished and neglected.

In 1715, alongside Catherine Brunet, Marie-Louise left Poitiers for La Rochelle, France, where they established a free religious school that quickly grew to accommodate 400 students. Following the death of Saint Louis de Montfort, Marie-Louise assumed full leadership of the Daughters of Wisdom. She returned to Poitiers in 1719 and established the mother-house of the Daughters in Saint-Laurent-sur-Sèvre, France in 1720. This house still stands today and serves as a museum dedicated to the Daughters.

Despite living and working in abject poverty, the Congregation of the Daughters of Wisdom continued to thrive under Marie-Louise's leadership. From 1729 to 1759, she founded thirty new houses for the Daughters, allowing them to expand their charitable mission. They became known for their dedication to educating children, caring for the sick, and feeding the poor, all with an unconditional spirit of charity. The Daughters' houses provided shelter for orphans, the neglected elderly, and abandoned individuals with disabilities.

As Mother Marie-Louise grew older, she embarked on a journey on horseback to visit all the Daughter communities, seeking to inspire and support the sisters in their important work. Unfortunately, upon her return, she had an accidental fall that left her in constant pain and further compromised her health. Eventually, on 28 April 1759, she passed away in Saint-Laurent-sur-Sèvre, Vendée, France from natural causes.

At the time of her death, the Daughters of Wisdom had grown to have 174 sisters and 37 houses, which continued to carry out their meaningful work in France, Spain, Prussia, and Belgium for centuries to come. Recognizing her extraordinary life of virtue and dedication, Pope John Paul II declared the heroic virtues of Blessed Marielouise Trichet on 10 July 1990. Later, on 16 May 1993, Pope John Paul II beatified her at Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome, Italy. Today, she is remembered as a beacon of compassion, love, and service to the marginalized and vulnerable in society.