Jeanne de Lestonnac

Infobox Saint
name= Jeanne de Lestonnac
birth_date= birth date|1556|12|27|mf=y
death_date= death date and age|1640|2|2|1556|12|27|mf=y
feast_day= May 15
venerated_in= Roman Catholic Church


imagesize=
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birth_place= Bordeaux, France
death_place=
titles=
beatified_date=
beatified_place=
beatified_by= Pope Leon XIII
canonized_date= May 15, 1949
canonized_place=
canonized_by= Pope Pius XII
attributes=
patronage= abuse victims, people rejected by religious orders, widows
major_shrine=
suppressed_date=
issues=

Saint Jeanne de Lestonnac (alternately known as Joan of Lestonnac) (born December 27, 1556 - February 2, 1640) is a Roman Catholic saint and founder of order The Company of Mary Our Lady. Though she lived in the XVII century her body remains incorrupt.

Biography

Early years

Sainte Jeanne de Lestonnac was born in Bordeaux, France in 1556 to a prominent family. Her father, Richard de Lestonnac, was a member of the French Parliament while her mother, Jeanne Eyquem, was the sister of the philosopher, Michael 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 family. While her mother was an enthuasiatic Calvinist, her father and her uncle Montaigne, adhered to the Catholic tradition.

At the age of 17 she married Baron de Montferrand-Landiras and had 7 children. She was married for 24 years before her husband died. This marked a painful time in her life where not only her husband but her father, uncle and oldest son also died.

Religious life

Following her husband's death Jeanne de Lestonnac turned to a contemplative life and enters the Cistercian Monastery in Toulouse at the age of 46 and changed her name to Jeanne of Saint Bernard. After the leaving the monastery she lived in the La Mothe countryside and began a period of deep discernment. In 1607, at the age of 51, and with the approval of Pope Paul V she establishes the religious order: The Company of Mary Our Lady. She envisions the essential task of the order is to educate girls. Soon the order establishes its first school for girls in Bordeaux. By the time she dies in 1640 at the age of 84, 30 houses exist in France.

Legacy

Jeanne de Lestonnac was beatified in 1900 by Pope Leo XIII and was canonized on May 15, 1949 by Pope Pius XII. Today her religious order has over 2,500 sisters and are found in 17 countries throughout Europe, Africa, North America and South America.

External links

* [http://www.lestonnac.org/quienes_somos/sta_juana_en.php The Company of Mary Our Lady Official site]
* [http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/saintj94.htm Catholic Forum]
*worldcat id|lccn-n85-341155