Blessed Marie Deluil-Martiny

Blessed Marie Deluil-MartinyAlso known as

  • Sister Marie of Jesus
  • Sister Mary of Jesus
  • Marie-Caroline-Philomène Deluil-Martiny

Memorial

Profile

The oldest of five children (she had one brother and three sisters) born to upper middle class parents; she was baptized on the day of her birth. Her father was Paul Deluil-Martiny, a lawyer, and she was the great-niece of Venerable Anne–Madeleine Rémuzat. Marie received a good early education from Visitation Sisters in her home town, and then the Sisters of the Sacred Heart in Lyons, France. She made her First Communion on 22 December 1853, and received Confirmation on 29 January 1854; Saint Eugène de Mazenod assisted at the Confirmation. At age 15, she and some like-minded school friends started a group and called themselves the Oblates of Mary; while it indicated a devotion, their teachers stopped it immediately as there was a risk of them deviating from orthodox Christianity without proper leadership.

Marie began to understand that she had a call to religious life; she starting keeping a spiritual journal, and when she was of age, turned down several marriage proposals. She heard Saint John Marie Vianney preach, and later met with him to discuss her vocation; he encouraged her to follow the call. On 9 March 1864, Marie founded the Guard of Honour of the Sacred Heart, also known as the Association of Presence to the Heart of Jesus, which promoted devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the Eucharist; it received canonical status on 7 June 1872. In June 1865 as part of her work with the Guard of Honour, she met, befriended and inspired Saint Daniel Comboni in his missionary work; they corresponded for years. In December 1866, while on a spiritual retreat conducted in honour of the beatification of Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, Marie heard Father Jean Calage preach on the Sacred Heart; she explained her call to religious life to him, and he became her spiritual director.

On 20 June 1873, with the help of Father Calage, Marie founded the Congregation of the Daughters of the Heart of Jesus in Berchem, Antwerp, Belgium with a mission to promote devotion the Sacred Heart, and to pray continuously for priests. Their constitution, based on the teachings of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, was completed in 1875, they received diocesan approval on 2 February 1876 from Cardinal Victor-Auguste-Isidor Deschamps, Marie and the first sisters made their vows on 22 August 1878, and Sister Marie served as the group’s superior the rest of her life. They established the first convent on 24 June 1879, received a papal decree of praise on 25 February 1888, was granted full papal approval of Pope Leo XIII on 2 February 1902, and continue their good work today in Belgium, France, Austria, Italy and Croatia. Marie saw few of these successes as she was murdered by Louis Chave, an angry, lazy, down-and-out anarchist whom Marie had hired as gardener at La Servianne in order to give him a chance at a better life.

Born

Died

Venerated

Beatified

Patronage

Additional Information

Readings

Let us hasten the triumph of Christ over hell and the hostile powers through prayer and sacrifice. – Blessed Marie

What deep sorrow seizes one at the sight of the ever-increasing godlessness of our time and the seducing triumphs of anti-Christian societies. Oh, could I but expiate with my blood those insults offered to the Divine Majesty! – Blessed Marie

I forgive him. All for the cause. – the dying words of Blessed Marie

MLA Citation

  • “Blessed Marie Deluil-Martiny“. CatholicSaints.Info. 2 July 2023. Web. 23 April 2024. <>