St. Louise de Marillac

St. Louise de Marillac was born on 12 August 1591 near Paris, of a noble family, though born out of wedlock, a circumstance that shadowed her early years. Well educated and of a prayerful disposition, she married Antoine Le Gras and bore a son, but was widowed in 1625 and left to raise her child alone, passing through a time of deep spiritual trial before finding peace and direction under the guidance of St. Vincent de Paul, who became her lifelong collaborator.

Vincent entrusted to her the oversight and formation of the country girls and devout women who were being drawn to the service of the poor, and out of this work, in 1633, the two founded the Company of the Daughters of Charity, a revolutionary form of religious life whose sisters, rather than being enclosed in a cloister, went out into the streets, homes, and hospitals to serve the sick, the poor, orphans, the aged, and the abandoned. Louise governed, trained, and inspired the sisters with tireless energy and holiness until her death in Paris on 15 March 1660. Canonized in 1934, she is a patroness of social workers.