Feastday: May 15In France, in the XVI century and in Bordeaux, the port at the mouth of the Garonne which became an important centre for Humanism, we approach Jeanne de Lestonnac's life.
Patron: of abuse victims, people rejected by religious orders, widows
Birth: 1556
Death: 1640
Entering her home, we meet Richard de Lestonnac, her father - a counsellor in the Parliament of Bordeaux - and Jeanne Eyquem de Montaigne, her mother. Perhaps Montaigne's name is familiar. You will have heard, maybe, about Michael de Montaigne, the philosopher who wrote the "Essays" and created a new literary genre. He was Jeanne's uncle; they were great friends and his influence can be seen in her work.
Jeanne, the eldest of the Lestonnac - Eyquem de Montaigne family, was born in 1556. During this century a sharp political and religious conflict was raging. The advance of the Protestant Reformation, led by Calvin's followers, clashed with Catholic tradition, and the effects were felt everywhere. While still a child, Jeanne experienced the consequences of the religious differences between her parents. Her father - a fervent Catholic -wished to share his faith with her and had her baptized. Her mother "was convinced that the greatest benefit she could bestow on her daughter was to educate her in the religion of Calvin."
The girl's faith was put to the test and eventually gained from the struggle. Jeanne opted for her father's faith. Her first spiritual experience was as if an interior voice confirmed her choice and left an impression on her for the rest of her life.
"Be careful, daughter. Don't let the fire that I have enkindled in your heart, to serve me so fervently, ever die out."
Her desire to serve the Lord made her search for models of great women, such as St. Scholastica, St. Clare, St. Catherine of Siena, St.Teresa of Avila... but, considering the situation of religious life in France, it was difficult for her to pursue her ideal. When her father proposed that she marry, she took it as a clear sign of God's will.
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Jeanne de Lestonnac, O.D.N., (December 27, 1556 – February 2, 1640), alternately known as Joan of Lestonnac, was a Roman Catholic saint and foundress of the Sisters of the Company of Mary, Our Lady, in 1607. The new institute, approved by Paul V in 1607, was the first religious order of women-teachers approved by the Church. Her feast day is May 15.
Biography
Early years
De Lestonnac was born in Bordeaux in 1556 to Richard de Lestonnac, a member of the Parlement of Bordeaux, and Jeanne Eyquem, the sister of the noted philosopher, Michel Eyquem de Montaigne. She grew up in a time where the conflict between the Protestant reformists and the defenders of the Catholic faith was at its height. This was evident in her own family. While her mother became an enthusiastic Calvinist and tried to persuade her to convert, her father and her uncle Montaigne adhered to the Catholic faith and were her support in remaining a Catholic.
At the age of 17 De Lestonnac married Gaston de Montferrant, with whom she had seven children, three of whom died in infancy. She was married for 24 years when her husband died. This marked the beginning of a very painful period in her life, with the further loss, within seven months, of her father, uncle and eldest son.
Religious life
Following her husband's death, St. Jeanne De Lestonnac, at the age of 46, and with her children now grown, turned to a contemplative life and entered the Cistercian Monastery in Toulouse where she was given the religious name of Jeanne of Saint Bernard. She found great peace and satisfaction in the monastic life, but, after six months, she became very ill and had to leave the monastery. She then went to live on her estate La Mothe Lusié to recover her health, and where she adopted the lifestyle of a secular dévote, performing many acts of charity, including food and alms distribution, and regularly met with young women of her social class to pray and discuss religious questions. She sought for models of Catholic women to be her guides and cultivated an interest in the lives of Saints Scholastica, Clare of Assisi, Catherine of Siena and Teresa of Avila.
A few years later, in 1605, a plague broke out in Bordeaux. At risk to her own life, De Lestonnac returned to her native city to help care for the sick and suffering in the slums of the city.
Foundress
Lestonnac's brother, a Jesuit attached to the college in Bordeaux, arranged a meeting between Lestonnac and two Jesuit fathers: Jean de Bordes and François de Raymond. The Jesuits asked de Lestonnac to serve as founder of a new teaching order for young women. They encouraged her to establish for girls in terms of formal education what they were doing for boys. The three decided upon a cloistered community to follow the Benedictine rule, modified to allow sisters to teach. The group gained the approval of Pope Paul V in 1607. The community took the name of the Compagnie de Notre-Dame.
The group purchased an old priory near the Château Trompette, but moved in September 1610, to a larger old monastery on rue du Hâ. They were well-received and financially supported by the city's elite. The first five members of the new order took their religious vows on December 10, 1610. The community established its first school for girls in Bordeaux. Foundations proceeded in Beziers, Périgueux, and Toulouse through Lestonnac's personal connections as well as her connections with the Jesuits and Bordelaise political elites. By the time she died in 1640, at the age of 84, 30 houses existed in France.
Legacy
De Lestonnac was beatified in 1900 by Pope Leo XIII and was canonized on May 15, 1949 by Pope Pius XII. As of 2016 her religious order has over 1,450 sisters found in 27 countries throughout Europe, Africa, North America and South America.
