 | |
| Religious, missionary and foundress | |
| Born | Helene-Marie-Philippine de Chappotin 21 May 1839 Nantes,Loire Inférieure, France |
| Died | November 15, 1904(1904-11-15) (aged 65) Sanremo,Imperia, Kingdom of Italy |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholicism (Third Order of St. Francis) |
| Beatified | 20 October 2002,Vatican City, byPope John Paul II |
| Majorshrine | Generalate of the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary, via Giusti, Rome, Italy |
| Feast | 15 November |
Hélène Marie Philippine de Chappotin de Neuville (Nantes, 21 May 1839 –Sanremo, 15 November 1904), known asMary of the Passion (French: Mère Marie de la Passion), was aFrenchreligious sister andmissionary, who founded theFranciscan Missionaries of Mary inBritish India in 1877, currently one of the largestreligious institutes in theCatholic Church.
Helene-Marie-Philippine de Chappotin was born in 1839 inNantes, then in theDepartment ofLoire Inférieure, part of the region ofBrittany.[1] The death of her two sisters and a beloved cousin affected her deeply and drove her to seek the meaning of life, guided by the strong beliefs of her mother. During aspiritual retreat in April 1856, she had a deep experience of God's love and a call to serve God, which was to guide her for the rest of her life.[2]
As a result of this experience, she determined to commit her life to religious service. However in 1859, when Helene was twenty years of age, her mother died suddenly and she took on the responsibilities of mistress of the household.[3] In December 1860, with the permission of theBishop of Nantes, de Chappotin entered the local monastery of thePoor Clares, whose ideal ofFranciscan simplicity and poverty drew her. On the following 23 January, while still apostulant, she had a profound experience of God's inviting her to offer herself as a victim for the Church and for the pope. She soon fell ill, however, and had to leave the monastery.
In the spring of 1864, when Chappotin had recovered her health, on the advice of herconfessor, she entered the monastery of theSisters of Mary Reparatrix, areligious congregation just recently founded in 1857 by Mother Mary of Jesus, which had opened a house inToulouse in 1860. They were anenclosed religious order, dedicated to contemplation and the training of women inIgnatian spirituality through the experience of theSpiritual Exercises.
On 15 August 1860, she received thereligious habit of the congregation and was given the newreligious name ofMary of the Passion. Before the end of hernovitiate, however, she was assigned to accompany a group of the Sisters to theVicariate Apostolic of Madurai in India, which was under the administration of theSociety of Jesus. There, in addition to their own apostolate, they were to help establish a native congregation of Religious Sisters. It was there that Sister Mary of the Passion made her firstreligious vows in the congregation on 3 May 1866.[4]
Due to the many talents she had shown, she had gained the confidence of Mother Mary of Jesus, the foundress, and was immediately named the Superior of the community. When she made her final and permanentreligious profession a year later, she was appointed as theProvincial Superior of the three communities of the Sisters of Mary Reparatrix in the Vicariate. Under her leadership, some tensions which had previously been experienced by the various communities were apparently ironed out and the work of the congregation began to flourish. Growth reached a point where she was able to staff a new convent in Oocatamund (Udhagamandalam),Tamil Nadu, a popularhill station deep in theNilgiri mountains, located in the Vicariate Apostolic ofDiocese of Coimbatore, established under the authority of theParis Foreign Missions Society.[4]
The tensions which the communities in Madurai had previously exhibited, however, arose again in 1876. This time Mother Mary was unable to resolve them. The 33 Sisters of the Province were forced to choose between testifying against her and her advisory council or leaving the congregation.[5] As a result, 20 of the Sisters left, including Mother Mary of the Passion. They gathered in the new convent in Oocatamund — which was the property of the Vicariate, and, with the approval of the localVicar Apostolic, resolved to continue their commitment in a new community. Mother Mary then traveled toRome to secure the permission of theHoly See for this new foundation. On 6 January 1877, she obtained the approval ofPope Pius IX for the group, which was to have an entirely missionary orientation. They took the name ofMissionaries of Mary, with Mother Mary of the Passion elected as their Superior.[2]
Mother Mary's vision was to maintain their commitment to a life in which the Sisters combinedcontemplative prayer with their service. One characteristic which the new congregation adopted, which distinguished it from their previous one, was the provision of medical care to the local people, especially for the women of India, who were strictly segregated from men in the traditional system ofpurdah. Mother Mary had seen the need for this and, as women themselves, the Sisters began to visit homes where they could enter the parts restricted to females.
At the suggestion of the Sacred Congregation ofPropaganda Fide, responsible for all activities of the Church in non-Catholic countries, Mother Mary opened anovitiate for the new congregation inSaint-Brieuc, in her native region of Brittany in France. The response was great and soon many young women entered the congregation for service overseas.[4]
Mother Mary had to return to Rome in 1880 to resolve some legal difficulties for the congregation. She had to return yet again in June 1882, and this visit was to prove pivotal in the identity of the congregation. Firstly, she was given approval to open a house in Rome itself, which was a great honor. Secondly, she came into contact with theMinister General of theOrder of Friars Minor. As a consequence, she was able to return to her Franciscan roots, and was received into theThird Order of St. Francis at the Franciscan Church ofAra Coeli on the following 4 October, thefeast day of SaintFrancis of Assisi.[2]
A period of trial began in March 1883, when allegations arose against Mother Mary. She was removed from office and ordered not to communicate with the Sisters in India. An inquiry was ordered byPope Leo XIII, in which she was cleared of all charges. At theirGeneral Chapter held in July 1884, she was re-elected as theSuperior General of the Institute.[4]
The Institute continued to grow. On 12 August 1885 they received official recognition as a congregation by the Holy See, at which time they also adopted the Rule of theFranciscan Third Order Regular. They then became theFranciscan Missionaries of Mary. Their Constitutions received final approval in 1896.[4]
The Franciscan Missionaries began to be sent out to a number of countries, wherever there was need, even the remotest locations known. They undertook these assignments often facing great personal risk. In 1900, Mother Mary had the experience of losing the community of Sisters inTaiyuan, China, who were executed during theBoxer Rebellion. These 7 Franciscan Missionaries of Mary werecanonized in A.D. 2000.[6]
Mary of the Passion remained in office as Superior General of the Institute until her death. Worn out, she died after a brief illness in the town ofSanremo in 1904, at the age of 65. At that point, there were 2,000 Franciscan Missionaries of Mary serving in 86 communities on four continents. She was buried in the chapel of the GeneralMotherhouse in Rome.[4]
In 1918, an inquiry into the life of Mother Mary was opened by theDiocese of Ventimiglia, in whose territory she had died. Her cause was formally opened on 30 June 1923, granting her the title ofServant of God.[7] The unexplained healing of a Franciscan Missionary of Mary fromPott disease was judged as miraculous and due to her intercession. She was beatified by Pope John Paul II, on 20 October 2002, observed that year as World Mission Day in the Catholic Church.[2]
Currently there are about 6,700 Franciscan Missionaries of Mary, citizens of 80 nations, serving in 76 countries around the globe.[8]
