- 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=
caption=
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 aRoman Catholic saint and founder of order The Company of Mary Our Lady. Though she lived in the XVII century her body remainsincorrupt .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 enthuasiaticCalvinist , 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 inBordeaux . 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 byPope Leo XIII and wascanonized onMay 15 ,1949 byPope 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
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