Venerable Placide Viel

Placide Viel (26 September 1815 — 4 March 1877), born Eulalie-Victoire Jacqueline Viel, was a French Roman Catholic professed religious and mother general who was active in organizing relief during the Franco-Prussian War. Viel joined the Sisters of the Christian Schools in 1833 with the order's founder and mother general Saint Marie-Madeleine Postel being her aunt and served alongside her in various capacities. Viel made extensive travels setting up branches of the order and made several trips to Paris to collect funds for the order's expansion while later travelling across Europe as her aunt's successor for the order's continued growth. Her beatification was celebrated in 1951. Eulalie Victoire Jacqueline Viel was born in France on 26 September 1815 as one of eight children to farmers (she was baptized just moments after her birth with her godparents being Jeanne Viel and Jacques Tournaille). Her aunt was Saint Marie-Madeleine Postel. One sister was Victoire who died in her childhood. Viel was known for being timid but also pleasant and cheerful; she made her First Communion before the mandated age because the parish priest of Quettehou believed she was mature enough. Her parents sent her to learn sewing when she was old enough from the village seamstress Madame Gilles and she taught catechism and the psalms to the local children. Her heart was set on the religious life and she joined her aunt in her new religious congregation on 1 May 1835 while being given the new religious name "Placide" and served at some stage as the novice mistress after having first worked in the kitchens. Her solemn profession of perpetual vows was made on 21 September 1838. Viel studied at Argentan as she entered the order and worked in school administration while founding new convents at her aunt's request. Her aunt also instructed her to go to Paris to collect funds so the order could continue to grow and function.