Saint Marie-Eugénie de Jésus

Marie-Eugénie de Jésus (born Anne-Eugénie Milleret de Brou; 25 August 1817 – 10 March 1898) is a French saint and the foundress of the Religious of the Assumption. Born in a country emerging from years of revolutions, war, and political turmoil, Marie-Eugénie saw a need for the radical transformation of society. To this end, she founded the Religious of the Assumption in 1839, a contemplative and apostolic congregation dedicated to transformative education. Her beatification was celebrated under Pope Paul VI in 1975 while her canonization was celebrated on 3 June 2007 under Pope Benedict XVI. Anne-Eugénie Milleret de Brou was born during the night of 25 August 1817 in Metz as one of five children to Jacques Milleret and Eleonore-Eugénie de Brou. Her father, a follower of Voltaire and a liberal, made his fortune in the banking world and in politics. Her mother had a deep concern for the poor and tended to needy families with the help of her children. Her family was not religious, but her First Communion on Christmas Day 1829 affected her deeply: she was seized by the immensity of God with "a bond of love". The rest of her life, Anne-Eugénie would refer frequently to this spiritual experience as she recognized it as the original grace from which everything else flowed. In 1830, due to the financial context of the July Revolution, her father went bankrupt and the family château was sold. The Millerets was forced to separate: Mr. Milleret remained in Metz to rebuild his fortune while Anne-Eugénie moved to Paris with her mother. After losing her mother to cholera in 1832, Anne-Eugénie was entrusted to the care of a wealthy family friend. While she appreciated the luxurious lifestyle, she could not reconcile it with the spirit of faith and justice that her mother had taught her. In 1835, she moved in with Parisian relatives but quickly found their narrow piety stifling.