June 29, 2025 - "Blessed Catherine of Saint Augustine"

Catherine de Longpré was born on May 3, 1632, in Saint-Sauveur-le Victome, Normandy, France.  She was raised primarily by her maternal grandparents. As a child she was given a good education.

 

At age five, she had some strong mystical prayer experiences where she felt direct contact with God.  When she was eight, she came to the realization that the Holy Spirit was calling her to be a saint.  When she was twelve, she decided to enter the Canonesses of Saint Augustine of the Mercy of Jesus (also known as Augustinian Hospitalier Sisters of the Mercy of Jesus).

 

She entered their novitiate on October 24, 1646, and received as her name in religion Catherine of Saint Augustine.  At fifteen, she offered herself for the recently established Canadian mission of her religious community. She made her solemn profession as a nun at age 16 on May 4, 1648, in Nantes and set sail for New France (present day Canada) on May 27, 1648.  The ship arrived in Québec on August 19, 1648.  Catherine soon began to learn the languages of the First Nations people and looked after the sick. In the spring of 1649, she adopted as her model the recently martyred Saint Jean de Brébeuf. Between 1654 and 1668, she served as treasurer for the Canonesses of Saint Augustine in Québec, director of the hospital owned and operated by her community, and novice director for her community.

 

Sister Catherine had deep experiences of prayer and, at the same time, inner temptations that caused her great turmoil.  She also had health problems.  In 1654 she promised to remain in Canada and, four years later, she offered herself in a spirit of reparation for the salvation of New France.   For this reason, she is considered a co-founder of the Church in Canada.

 

Catherine was sensitive to the evils of sin and felt solidarity with sinners. At one point she remarked: “I found myself overwhelmed by the intolerable weight of all the crimes I witnessed…. I let it draw me into being helpful with souls.” She prayed for the end of the sale of alcoholic beverages in Québec, because of the violence it provoked among the First Nations people.  She offered her suffering to Jesus with a prayer it would call down God’s mercy on the colony.

 

Catherine fell ill and died on May 8, 1668, at the age of 36.  At the time of her death, she had the reputation as a holy person both in Canada and in France.  Both her religious superior and Saint Marie of the Incarnation, an Ursuline nun who was stationed in Québec at the same time as Blessed Catherine of Saint Augustine, attested to the sweetness of her disposition that she exhibited in dealing with others throughout her life, despite the harsh way of life in seventeenth century New France. Saint François de Laval, the first Bishop of Québec wrote, “I don’t need to see any extraordinary signs from her to be convinced of her holiness, because her virtues made me perfectly aware of it.”  She was beatified by Pope Saint John Paul II on April 23, 1989.

 

May Blessed Catherine of Saint Augustine pray for us!

Until next week.

Fr. John