Saint Marie de l'Incarnation
Saint Marie de l'Incarnation, OSU (28 October 1599 – 30 April 1672), born Marie Guyart, was a French Ursuline nun and a pivotal figure in the establishment of the Catholic Church in New France. Known as the "Mother of the Catholic Church in Canada," she founded the first Ursuline monastery and girls' school in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada, in 1639, dedicating her life to educating French and Indigenous girls. A mystic whose visions shaped her missionary zeal, she mastered Indigenous languages, compiling dictionaries and catechisms in Algonquin, Iroquois, and other tongues to evangelize Native peoples. Her extensive writings, including over 12,000 letters and an autobiography, provide a rich historical record of early New France. Canonized by Pope Francis in 2014 through equipollent canonization, her feast day is celebrated on April 30 by the Catholic Church and the Anglican Church of Canada.
Marie’s spiritual journey began with a mystical vision at age seven, which set her on a path of deep devotion. Despite an arranged marriage and motherhood, she pursued her calling to religious life after being widowed at 19. Joining the Ursuline order in Tours, Centre-Val de Loire, France, she experienced a divine vision in 1633, directing her to Canada to "build a house for Jesus and Mary." Arriving in Quebec City in 1639, she faced colonial hardships, including a devastating convent fire in 1650, yet persevered in rebuilding and expanding her educational mission. Her business acumen, honed as a young widow managing a transport company, proved instrumental in sustaining the Ursuline community. Known as the "Teresa of New France" for her mystical writings, Marie’s legacy endures in Canada’s educational and religious history.
Stored in Cargo: Saint Marie de l'Incarnation
| Saint Marie de l'Incarnation | |
| Feast Day | April 30 |
|---|---|
| Liturgical Class | |
| Patronage | Canada, Ursuline Order, Missionaries |
| Birthplace | Tours, Centre-Val de Loire, France |
| Death Place | Quebec City, Quebec, Canada |
| Cause of Death | Natural causes |
| Primary Shrine | Ursuline Monastery, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada |
Biography
Birth
Marie Guyart was born on 28 October 1599 in Tours, Centre-Val de Loire, France, and baptized the following day in the former church of Saint-Saturnin. The fourth of eight children of Florent Guyart, a master baker, and Jeanne Michelet, she grew up in a devout Catholic family with ties to the noble Babou de La Bourdaisière lineage. Her childhood in a bustling artisan household provided a solid education and early exposure to business management, as she assisted in her father’s bakery. At age seven, she experienced her first mystical vision, where Jesus asked, “Do you wish to belong to me?” to which she replied, “Yes,” shaping her lifelong commitment to faith.
The Tours of Marie’s youth was a vibrant center of trade and religion, with local parishes fostering a strong Catholic community. Her early inclination toward meditation and devotional reading set her apart from peers, as she often withdrew from childish games to pray. This spiritual intensity, combined with her practical skills, laid the foundation for her later work as a missionary and educator in the challenging environment of New France.
Early Life
Marie’s early life was marked by a tension between her spiritual aspirations and familial obligations. At 14, she expressed a desire to enter the Benedictine convent, but her parents arranged her marriage to Claude Martin, a silk weaver, in 1617. The couple had a son, Claude, in 1619, but Martin died that same year, leaving Marie a widow at 19. Facing financial ruin from her husband’s bankrupt business, she took up embroidery and later managed her brother-in-law’s transport company, demonstrating remarkable administrative skill. Her success in stabilizing the business allowed her to support her son while deepening her spiritual life through prayer and penance.
In 1620, Marie experienced a profound mystical “conversion,” intensifying her sense of divine union. She continued to care for her son but prepared him for their eventual separation, believing it was God’s will. By 1631, entrusting young Claude to her sister, she entered the Ursuline monastery in Tours, a decision that caused emotional pain for both, as Claude famously tried to storm the convent gates. Taking the name Marie de l’Incarnation in 1633, she embraced her religious vocation, guided by visions that would soon lead her to New France.
Occupation
Before entering religious life, Marie worked as an embroiderer and business manager in Tours. After her husband’s death in 1619, she supported herself and her son through embroidery, a skill reflecting her creativity and precision. By 1621, she took on a managerial role in her brother-in-law’s transport business, overseeing goods, employees, and finances with such competence that the company prospered. These experiences honed her organizational and leadership abilities, which later proved invaluable in managing the Ursuline monastery in Quebec City.
In New France, Marie’s primary occupation became missionary work and education. Arriving in 1639, she established the first girls’ school in North America, teaching French and Indigenous girls literacy, religion, and practical skills. Her business acumen shone through as she negotiated contracts, supervised construction, and managed the convent’s finances despite colonial hardships. She also learned Indigenous languages, compiling dictionaries and catechisms to support evangelization, cementing her role as a pioneering educator and missionary.
Vocation
Marie’s vocation crystallized through mystical visions, particularly one in 1633 where God revealed Canada as her mission field, stating, “It is Canada that I showed you; you must go there to build a house for Jesus and Mary.” Joining the Ursulines in Tours in 1631, she took her vows in 1633 and served as sub-mistress of novices and teacher of Christian doctrine. Her apostolic zeal led her to New France in 1639, accompanied by Madeleine de la Peltrie, a wealthy widow who funded the mission. Despite opposition from her family and religious superiors, Marie’s determination prevailed, supported by her spiritual director and the Jesuits.
In Quebec City, Marie founded the Ursuline monastery in 1639 and a school in 1642, serving as its first superior. Her vision of educating Indigenous and French girls aimed at cultural assimilation and evangelization, though she later focused on French settlers due to challenges with Indigenous conversions. Her writings, including the Ursuline Constitutions of 1647, reflect a universal spirituality, earning her the title “Teresa of New France” from Bishop Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet. Her leadership sustained the Ursuline mission through fires, wars, and epidemics.
Death
Saint Marie de l’Incarnation met her end peacefully in old age on 30 April 1672 in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada, at age 72, after a brief illness. In her final years, she continued to guide the Ursuline community, write to her son (now a Benedictine monk), and mentor novices. Her death was marked by a note to her son, expressing that she carried him in her heart, and her sisters believed she attained “a high place in glory.” Her passing was mourned by the colony, which recognized her as a cornerstone of its religious and educational life.
Her tomb, located at the Ursuline Monastery at 12 Donnacona Street, Quebec City, became a site of veneration. Her extensive correspondence and spiritual writings, preserved by her son and the Ursulines, continue to inspire. The Catholic Church and Anglican Church of Canada honor her legacy, with her tomb remaining a pilgrimage destination in Quebec.
Significant events
- Married Claude Martin in 1617.
- Widowed in 1619, began managing brother-in-law’s transport business.
- Entered the Ursuline monastery in Tours in 1631.
- Founded the Ursuline monastery and first girls’ school in Quebec City in 1639.
- Rebuilt the Ursuline monastery after a fire in 1650.
- Compiled dictionaries and catechisms in Algonquin, Iroquois, Montagnais, and Ouendat languages.
Significant locations
Legend
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Parishes
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Canonization
Servant of God
The process to recognize Marie de l’Incarnation as a Servant of God began in 1897 in the Archdiocese of Quebec, where she lived and died. The diocesan investigation, initiated by the Archbishop of Quebec, examined her life, virtues, and extensive writings, including her letters and autobiography. Her reputation for holiness, evidenced by her missionary work and mystical spirituality, prompted the diocese to forward her cause to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints in Rome, marking the formal start of her path to sainthood.
Venerable
Marie was declared Venerable by Pope Pius X on 19 March 1911, recognizing her life of heroic virtue. The Congregation for the Causes of Saints reviewed her contributions, including founding the Ursuline monastery and her tireless evangelization efforts despite colonial challenges. Her spiritual writings, likened to those of Saint Teresa of Avila, underscored her exemplary faith, advancing her cause without requiring a miracle at this stage.
Beatification
She was beatified on 22 June 1980 by Pope John Paul II in Vatican City. No miracle was required for her beatification, as her continuous veneration in Canada and her significant contributions to the Catholic Church in New France were deemed sufficient. Her beatification allowed her to be called “Blessed” and permitted veneration in Quebec and by the Ursuline order.
Canonization
Marie was canonized on 3 April 2014 by Pope Francis in Vatican City through equipollent canonization, a process that waived the requirement for miracles due to her longstanding veneration and well-documented sanctity. The canonization, celebrated at a Thanksgiving Mass in Saint Peter’s Basilica on 12 October 2014, declared her a saint, extending her veneration to the universal Catholic Church. Her feast day was set for April 30, recognizing her as a model of missionary zeal and education.
Miracles
Miracle for beatification
No miracle was required for Marie de l’Incarnation’s beatification, as her continuous veneration in Canada since her death in 1672, coupled with her extraordinary contributions to the Catholic Church in New France, satisfied the requirements for beatification. The Congregation for the Causes of Saints and Pope John Paul II recognized her heroic virtue and historical significance, particularly her role in founding the first girls’ school in North America and her evangelization efforts. Her beatification on 22 June 1980 was based on this “odor of sanctity” rather than a specific miraculous event.
The absence of a miracle did not diminish her reputation, as her life itself was seen as a testament to divine grace. Her perseverance through colonial hardships, including wars, epidemics, and the 1650 convent fire, was considered miraculous in spirit by her contemporaries and later devotees. This recognition strengthened devotion to her in Quebec, particularly among the Ursulines and educators.
Miracle for canonization
Similarly, no miracle was required for Marie’s canonization, as Pope Francis employed equipollent canonization on 3 April 2014, acknowledging her longstanding veneration and well-documented holiness. This rare process, also used for other figures like Saint Angela Merici, founder of the Ursulines, relied on her extensive spiritual writings and the enduring impact of her educational mission in Canada. Her canonization affirmed her universal significance as a missionary and mystic, with her feast day celebrated globally.
The decision to canonize without miracles highlighted Marie’s exceptional legacy, including her mastery of Indigenous languages and her role in shaping Canada’s Catholic identity. Her writings, preserved by her son and the Ursulines, provided ample evidence of her sanctity, influencing the Congregation for the Causes of Saints to recommend her for sainthood. Her canonization Mass in 2014 drew pilgrims from Quebec, led by the Archbishop of Quebec, Cardinal Gérald Cyprien Lacroix.
Other notable miracles
- No additional miracles have been officially authenticated by the Catholic Church for Saint Marie de l’Incarnation beyond those associated with her equipollent canonization.
Patronage
Saint Marie de l’Incarnation is the patron saint of Canada, the Ursuline order, and missionaries. Her patronage reflects her foundational role in Canadian Catholicism, her leadership within the Ursulines, and her missionary work among Indigenous and French populations in New France.
Feast day
Her feast day is celebrated on April 30 in the Catholic Church and Anglican Church of Canada, commemorating her death and her contributions to education and evangelization in Canada.
Veneration
Saint Marie de l’Incarnation is venerated through prayers, novenas, and pilgrimages to her tomb at the Ursuline Monastery, 12 Donnacona Street, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. The monastery, a National Historic Site, houses her relics and attracts devotees seeking her intercession for education, missionary work, and spiritual growth. A statue by Joseph-Émile Brunet, erected in 1965, stands before the Quebec Parliament and Basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré, symbolizing her civic and religious significance.
She is depicted in artworks like a 1672 oil painting attributed to Hugues Pommier, showing her in Ursuline habit with a book and crucifix, reflecting her roles as educator and mystic. Her life inspired the 2008 documentary-drama Folle de Dieu by Jean-Daniel Lafond, starring Marie Tifo. Her writings, including Selected Writings (1989), edited by Irene Mahoney, and her letters, are studied at the Centre d’Études Marie de l’Incarnation at Laval University. Her shrines and relics influence Quebec’s religious culture, with annual feast day celebrations fostering devotion.
Books
Written about the saint
- Marie of the Incarnation: Selected Writings (Sources of American Spirituality Series) by Irene Mahoney
- Word from New France: The Selected Letters of Marie de l’Incarnation by Joyce Marshall
Written by the saint
- No complete books by Saint Marie de l’Incarnation survive as standalone works, but her autobiography, written for her son, and her letters (over 12,000) are preserved in works like Word from New France: The Selected Letters of Marie de l’Incarnation (1967), edited by Joyce Marshall.
- Her dictionaries and catechisms in Algonquin, Iroquois, Montagnais, and Ouendat are archived by the Ursuline Monastery in Quebec City.