Pope John Paul II beatified Sister Rosalie Rendu, a Daughter of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul, on Sunday, November 9, 2003. Sister Rosalie spent 54 years working in Paris with the poorest of the poor (1802 – 1856). Twenty-one Vincentians from across the United States made a pilgrimage to Paris and Rome to attend the celebration in honor of Sister Rosalie.
After the foundation of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul in 1833, Blessed Frédéric Ozanam and the other original Vincentians went to see Sr. Rosalie. President Emmanuel Bailly, the first President General, suggested that they ask Sr. Rosalie for direction in how they might minister to the poor. Sister Rosalie gave them names and addresses in her area of Mouffetard for home visits, taught them how to use vouchers for bread and firewood, and, above all, she reminded them that they were to treat the poor with the highest respect and dignity, because, in reality, they were ministering to the person of Jesus.
God gave a sunny and blue sky for the ceremonies on Sunday. In his homily, Pope John Paul II said, “In an era troubled by social conflicts, Rosalie Rendu joyfully became a servant to the poorest, restoring dignity to each one by means of material help, education and the teaching of the Christian mystery, inducing Frédéric Ozanam to place himself at the service of the poor. Her charity was inventive. Where did she draw the strength to carry out so many things? From her intense prayer life and the continuous praying of the Rosary, which she never abandoned. Her secret was simple: to see the face of Christ in every man and woman…Let us give thanks for the witness of charity that the Vincentian Family gives unceasingly to the world!”
For the full article visit the SVDP National site.
