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Father of a family, Jérôme Le Royer de la Dauversière, founded a community of Daughters Hospitallers of St. Joseph with Marie de la Ferre, a steadfast and strong woman...

Jérome Le Royer De La Dauversière

Jérôme le Royer was born in La Flèche, France, on March 18, 1597, on the eve of the Feast of St. Joseph, this great saint to whom he will have the mission of spreading devotion throughout his life. In his home town he studied at the College, which was founded by King Henry IV and directed by the Jesuit Fathers. The royal establishment included professors, missionaries on leave from New France and pupils called to play an important role in the mission that Jérôme would carry out as an adult. Jérôme left the College towards 1617, intellectually and morally prepared to take his place in society and Church. At the death of his father in 1621, he inherited the little estate “La Dauversière,” whence comes the title attached to his name. Jérôme succeeded his father in the position of tax-collector for the La Flèche Region. From his marriage with Jeanne de Baugé were born five children.


A man of faith and action, Mr. Le Royer collaborated in the administration of the old Maison Dieu (House of God), where the sick poor received care; the three women who were at their service lived from alms obtained in the city. Jérôme wondered what to do to improve their situation. Humble and with little wealth, he prayed, consulted and hoped to discover the will of God in the events. Now, the Lord himself intervened:


On February 2, 1630, on the Feast of the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple, with his wife and three young children, Jérôme participated at Mass at Notre Dame du Chef du Pont (Our Lady at the Head of the Bridge). After having received communion, animated by a great fervour, Jérôme felt inspired by God to institute a Congregation of Daughter Hospitallers of St. Joseph at La Flèche, dedicated to the Holy Family under the particular protection of St. Joseph, for the service of “the sick poor.”

As the young father of a family, could he respond to such a request? Jérôme knew that if it were the Lord who had spoken to him, He would help him. Furthermore, an interior call told him that God had confided to him another mission even more difficult than the first:

to promote on the Island of Montreal, a centre of colonisation and evangelization where there will be two schools, then a hospital which will be served through the Daughters of the community that he must found.

Mr. Le Royer wanted very much to believe his counsellors, who told him that these were “pious pipe dreams”; nevertheless, he did not forget that a community of Daughters would provide a great service to the poor of the hospital in La Flèche. His meeting with Marie de la Ferre convinced him that God was at work.

 

Marie de La Ferre

Marie was born around 1589, in Roiffé, a little village situated in a region won over to the Protestant Reform Movement. Towards 1601, she lost her mother; her father married a woman who was a Calvinist (Huguenot). Fearing for the faith of her niece, Catherine de Goubitz welcomed her into her manor in Ruigné, near La Flèche. The social life was bustling there and the young girl loved it. But, towards the age of 18, Marie de la Ferre became aware that only the love of God and her neighbour could give meaning to her life. Her aunt wanted her to make a brilliant match; but Marie decided to consecrate her life to the Lord. Several experiences of religious life having failed, Marie devoted herself to her aunt’s service, as well as to those wounded by life. The people, witnesses of her charity, called her “the holy woman”.

After the death of her aunt, Marie visited the sick poor in the little Maison Dieu in La Flèche. One day in 1634, she saw with the eyes of her heart a row of beds and heard a voice whisper to her: “There is your work and the way of satisfying the precept of love ...” It is thus that the Lord prepared her to become a collaborator of Jérôme Le Royer.