Saint Emily de Vialar

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Saint Emily de Vialar
Feast Day	June 17
Liturgical Class
Patronage	Single laywomen, abandoned children, the sick, Sisters of St. Joseph of the Apparition
Birthplace	Gaillac, Tarn, France
Death Place	Marseille, France
Cause of Death	Hernia complications
Primary Shrine	Église Saint-Pierre, Gaillac, France

Saint Emily de Vialar (September 12, AD 1797 – August 24, AD 1856), also known as Émilie de Vialar, was a saint, French nun, and foundress of the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Apparition, dedicated to serving the poor, sick, and children. Born in Gaillac, Tarn, France, to Baron Jacques de Vialar and Antoinette de Portal, she was secretly baptized due to post-French Revolution anti-Catholic sentiment. After her mother’s death in AD 1810, she managed her father’s household, resisting marriage to pursue religious life. In AD 1832, using an inheritance from her grandfather, she founded her congregation, named for the angel’s apparition to Saint Joseph (*Matthew 1:20*). She established missions in Algeria, Malta, Beirut, and beyond, despite financial ruin by AD 1851 due to mismanagement. Relocating to Marseille in AD 1852 with Saint Eugene de Mazenod’s support, she founded 40 houses worldwide. Beatified on June 18, AD 1939, and canonized on June 24, AD 1951, by Pope Pius XII, her feast day is June 17, or August 24 in the General Roman Calendar. She is patron of single laywomen, abandoned children, the sick, and her congregation.

Her relics are venerated in Église Saint-Pierre, Gaillac. Emily’s charity, like Saint John Francis Regis’s outreach to the marginalized, and her missionary zeal, akin to Saint James of Nisibis, left a global legacy. Miracles, including healing a sick girl, supported her canonization.

Biography

Birth

Saint Emily de Vialar was born on September 12, AD 1797, in Gaillac, Tarn, France, to Baron Jacques de Vialar, a physician, and Antoinette de Portal, daughter of Louis XVIII’s doctor. The eldest of three children, she was secretly baptized amid post-French Revolution persecution.

Early Life

Taught to read and catechized by her mother, Emily attended the Abbaye-au-Bois college in Paris from AD 1810. Her mother died that year, and at 15, Emily returned to Gaillac to manage her father’s household. Resisting marriage, she devoted herself to prayer, celibacy, and aiding the poor, earning the title “good angel of Gaillac.”

Occupation

Emily was a nun, missionary, and foundress. In AD 1832, using her grandfather’s inheritance, she founded the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Apparition with three companions in Gaillac. Approved in AD 1835, the congregation opened hospitals and schools in Algeria during a cholera outbreak. She established missions in Cyprus, Beirut, and Malta, overseeing 40 houses by AD 1856.

Vocation

Emily’s vocation was serving the poor and spreading Christianity. Like Saint John Francis Regis, she focused on marginalized groups, founding shelters and schools. Her missions in colonized Algeria faced cholera and geopolitical strife, yet she persevered, mirroring Saint James of Nisibis’s zeal. Financial ruin in AD 1851, due to a mismanaged inheritance, forced her to Marseille, where she rebuilt with Saint Eugene de Mazenod’s aid. Her motto, “Love one another,” defined her legacy.

Death

Emily died on August 24, AD 1856, in Marseille, France, aged 58, from hernia complications sustained in youth during charity work. Buried in Marseille, her remains were transferred to Église Saint-Pierre, Gaillac, in AD 1972, where they are venerated.

Significant events

• Baptized secretly, September 12, AD 1797.
• Founded Sisters of St. Joseph of the Apparition, December 25, AD 1832.
• Congregation approved, AD 1835.
• Missions in Algeria, AD 1835–1843.
• Financial ruin, AD 1851.
• Relocated to Marseille, AD 1852.
• Died, August 24, AD 1856.
• Beatified, June 18, AD 1939.
• Canonized, June 24, AD 1951.

Significant locations

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Legend

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Parishes

Saint Emily de Vialar
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Canonization

Servant of God

Emily’s recognition as a Servant of God began post-mortem, with miracles reported in Gaillac and Marseille by the late 19th century, per congregational records.

Venerable

Declared Venerable in AD 1932 by Pope Pius XI, based on her heroic virtue and charity.

Beatification

Beatified on June 18, AD 1939, by Pope Pius XII, with miracles like healing a sick girl.

Canonization

Canonized on June 24, AD 1951, by Pope Pius XII, her feast set for June 17, or August 24 in the General Roman Calendar, due to her death date.

Miracles

Miracles include healing a sick girl, curing a woman’s severe head injury, and posthumous cures, supporting her canonization.

Miracle for beatification

Healing a sick girl was key for her AD 1939 beatification.

Miracle for canonization

Curing a woman’s head injury was cited for her AD 1951 canonization.

Other notable miracles

• Safe landing in Malta after a storm, AD 1845, leading to a school dedicated to Saint Paul.
• Conversions in Algeria during cholera missions, AD 1835–1843.

Patronage

Emily is patron of single laywomen (her celibacy), abandoned children, the sick (her hospital work), and the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Apparition.

Feast day

Her feast day is June 17 for her congregation, August 24 in the General Roman Calendar, marking her death.

Veneration

Emily is venerated in the Roman Catholic Church, with devotion in Gaillac and Marseille. Pilgrimages to Église Saint-Pierre, Gaillac, honor her relics. Her image, with a cross or book, adorns churches like Saint Emily de Vialar Chapel in Malta. Feast day liturgies emphasize her charity, akin to Saint John Francis Regis’s outreach and Saint James of Nisibis’s missions.

Books

Written about the saint

• Lives of the Saints, Vol. VI by Alban Butler
• The Life of Emilie De Vialar, Foundress of the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Apparition by Anonymous
• A Saint with a Fortune by S. M. R.

Written by the saint

• None attributed; her writings were administrative, not published.

External links

• Saint Emily de Vialar at CatholicSaints.Info
• St. Emily de Vialar at Catholic Online
• St. Emily de Vialar in the Catholic Encyclopedia
• Saint Emily de Vialar at Wikipedia