In this monastery Alacoque received several private revelations of the Sacred Heart, the first on 27 December 1673 and the final one 18 months later. It is said that she was assigned to the infirmary and was not very skillful at her tasks. Finally, she was admitted to profession on 6 November 1672. A fellow novice described Margaret Mary as humble, simple and frank, but above all kind and patient. ![]() She was admitted to wearing the religious habit on 25 August 1671, but was not allowed to make her religious profession on the same date of the following year, which would have been normal. Margaret Mary, Church of San Michele, Cortemilia, ItalyĪlacoque was subjected to many trials to prove the genuineness of her vocation. As a result, she determined to fulfill her vow and entered, when almost 24 years of age, the Visitation Convent at Paray-le-Monial on, intending to become a nun. ![]() He reproached her for her forgetfulness of him yet he also reassured her by demonstrating that his heart was filled with love for her, because of the childhood promise she had made to his Blessed Mother. One night, after returning home from a ball for Carnival dressed in her finery, she experienced a vision of Christ, scourged and bloody. Out of obedience, and believing that her childhood vow was no longer binding, she began to accompany her brothers in the social events, attending dances and balls. When she was 17, however, the family regained their fortune and her mother encouraged her to socialize, in the hopes of her finding a suitable husband. During this time, her only consolation was frequent visits to pray before the Blessed Sacrament in the local church. According to her later account of her life, she had visions of Jesus Christ, which she thought were a normal part of human experience and continued to practice austerity.Īlacoque lost her father at a young age, and the family's assets were held by a relative who refused to hand them over, plunging her family into poverty. In recognition of this favor, she added the name "Mary" to her baptismal name of Margaret. At the end of this period, having made a vow to the Blessed Virgin Mary to consecrate herself to religious life, it is said she was instantly restored to perfect health. From early childhood, Margaret was described as showing intense love for the Blessed Sacrament, and as preferring silence and prayer to childhood play.Īfter her First Communion at the age of nine, she practiced in secret severe corporal mortification, until rheumatic fever confined her to bed for four years. Early life Īlacoque was born in 1647 in L'Hautecour, Burgundy, France, now part of the commune of Verosvres, then in the Duchy of Burgundy, the only daughter of Claude and Philiberte Lamyn Alacoque, who also had several sons. ![]() ![]() The devotion to the Sacred Heart was officially recognized 75 years after Alacoque's death. A noted exception was the Jesuit Claude de la Colombière, later a canonized saint, who supported her. She was initially rebuffed by her mother superior and was unable to convince theologians of the validity of her visions and revelations. She worked to prove the genuineness of her vocation and her visions of Jesus and Mary relating to the Sacred Heart.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |