Feast Day of Blessed Rosalie Rendu

Today, we celebrate the Feast Day of Blessed Rosalie Rendu. Blessed Rosalie was born at Confort, France on September 9, 1786. She entered the Daughters of Charity on May 25, 1802, just after the Community was reestablished in France following the French Revolution. Her zeal for helping the poor drove her to educate poor children, care for infants, support the elderly, and supervise young working girls.

One disciple in her mission of service was Frédéric Ozanam, founder of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. After 50 years of dedicated service to the poor in the Mouffetard district in Paris, she died on February 7, 1856. Pope John Paul II beatified Sister Rosalie in 2003.