«Cuando se fue, empezó a divulgar el hecho con grandes ponderaciones»

EVANGELIO DEL DÍA 13/01/2011

¿ Señor, a quién iremos?. Tú tienes palabras de vida eterna. Jn 6, 68

Jueves de la I Semana del Tiempo Ordinario

Carta a los Hebreos 3,7-14.
Por lo tanto, como dice el Espíritu Santo: Si hoy escuchan su voz,
no endurezcan su corazón como en el tiempo de la Rebelión, el día de la Tentación en el desierto,
cuando sus padres me tentaron poniéndome a prueba, aunque habían visto mis obras
durante cuarenta años. Por eso me irrité contra aquella generación, y dije: Su corazón está siempre extraviado y no han conocido mis caminos.
Entonces juré en mi indignación: jamás entrarán en mi Reposo.
Tengan cuidado, hermanos, no sea que alguno de ustedes tenga un corazón tan malo que se aparte del Dios viviente por su incredulidad.
Antes bien, anímense mutuamente cada día mientras dure este hoy, a fin de que nadie se endurezca, seducido por el pecado.
Porque hemos llegado a ser partícipes de Cristo, con tal que mantengamos firmemente hasta el fin nuestra actitud inicial.

Salmo 95(94),6-7.8-9.10-11.
¡Entren, inclinémonos para adorarlo! ¡Doblemos la rodilla ante el Señor que nos creó!
Porque él es nuestro Dios, y nosotros, el pueblo que él apacienta, las ovejas conducidas por su mano. Ojalá hoy escuchen la voz del Señor:
"No endurezcan su corazón como en Meribá, como en el día de Masá, en el desierto,
cuando sus padres me tentaron y provocaron, aunque habían visto mis obras.
Cuarenta años me disgustó esa generación, hasta que dije: "Es un pueblo de corazón extraviado, que no conoce mis caminos".
Por eso juré en mi indignación: "Jamás entrarán en mi Reposo".

Evangelio según San Marcos 1,40-45.
Entonces se le acercó un leproso para pedirle ayuda y, cayendo de rodillas, le dijo: "Si quieres, puedes purificarme".
Jesús, conmovido, extendió la mano y lo tocó, diciendo: "Lo quiero, queda purificado".
En seguida la lepra desapareció y quedó purificado.
Jesús lo despidió, advirtiéndole severamente:
"No le digas nada a nadie, pero ve a presentarte al sacerdote y entrega por tu purificación la ofrenda que ordenó Moisés, para que les sirva de testimonio".
Sin embargo, apenas se fue, empezó a proclamarlo a todo el mundo, divulgando lo sucedido, de tal manera que Jesús ya no podía entrar públicamente en ninguna ciudad, sino que debía quedarse afuera, en lugares desiertos. Y acudían a él de todas partes. 

Mc 1,40-45

Leer el comentario del Evangelio por 
Odas de Salomón (texto cristiano hebraico de principios del siglo II)
Nº 21 y 25

«Cuando se fue, empezó a divulgar el hecho con grandes ponderaciones»

     Levanté los brazos al cielo, hacia la gracia del Señor.
Echó mis cadenas lejos de mí.
Mi protector me levantó conforme a su gracia y su salvación.
Me despojé de la oscuridad y me revestí de la luz;
mis miembros no experimentaron ningún sufrimiento,
ni angustia, ni dolor.

     El pensamiento del Señor me socorrió;
su luz me exaltó;
caminé en su presencia;
me acercaré a él alabándolo y glorificándolo.
Mi corazón se desbordó, invadió toda mi boca,
saltó hasta mis labios.
El gozo del Señor y su alabanza despejan mi rostro.
¡Aleluya!

     ¡Me escapé de mis cadenas y huí hasta ti, Dios mío!
Tú has sido mi derecha, mi salvación, mi ayuda.
Tú has detenido a los que se levantaban contra mí
y han desaparecido.
Tu rostro estaba conmigo y tu gracia me salvaba.
Era despreciado y rechazado a los ojos de la multitud.
Pero tú me has dado fuerza y ayuda.
Has colocado la luz a mi derecha y a mi izquierda.
¡Que en mí todo sea luz!
Me he revestido con la vestidura de tu Espíritu,
has quitado de mí los vestidos de piel (Gn 3,21).
Tu derecha me ha levantado y ha echado lejos de mí
mi enfermedad.

     Tu verdad me ha robustecido y tu justicia me ha santificado.
He sido justificado por tu amor tan suave,
y tu descanso es para mí por los siglos de los siglos.
¡Aleluya!

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jueves 13 Enero 2011

Bautismo de Nuestro Señor Jesucristo

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Andaba San Juan Bautista por las orillas del Jordán bautizando y exhortando a penitencia, cuando llegó a él el Salvador del mundo, de treinta anos de edad.

Al acercarse al Bautista, conoció éste, por luz sobrenatural, que el que venia a pedirle el bautismo era el Mesías verdadero; y así, al ver al Salvador, exclamó: Pues qué, Señor, ¿Vos venís a mí a ser bautizado, cuando debo yo ser bautizado de Vos?

EL Señor le contestó que convenía sujetarse a los decretos de la divina Sabiduría. Abrióse el Cielo y vio San Juan que el Espíritu Santo bajaba sobre Jesucristo en figura de paloma, y al mismo tiempo oyó una voz que decía: Este es mi Hijo querido, en el que tengo Yo todas mis complacencias.

Bautizándose Jesús, nos enseñó la necesidad del bautismo para todos, y además su humildad; autorizó el bautismo del Bautista; el Espíritu Santo declaró la divinidad del Salvador, y por último, santificó las aguas habilitándolas para redimir los pecados.

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Oremos

Señor, Dios nuestro, luz ardiente de todas las naciones, concédenos una paz estable a todos los pueblos de la tierra, y haz que aquella luz resplandeciente, que condujo a los magos al conocimiento de tu Hijo, ilumine también nuestros corazones. Por nuestro Señor Jesucristo, tu Hijo.


Bautismo del Señor
Dios todopoderoso y eterno que proclamaste solemnemente a Cristo como tu Hijo amado, cuándo era bautizado en el Jordán y descendía el Espíritu Santo, sobre Él, concede a tus hijos de adopción, renacidos del agua y del Espíritu Santo, que se conserve siempre digno de tu complacencia. Por nuestro Señor Jesucristo, tu Hijo.

Calendario de fiestas marianas: Nuestra Señora de las Victorias, Praga Czechoslovakia (1620), hogar de Niño Jesús de Praga.

"The man went away and began to publicize the whole matter"

DAILY GOSPEL: 13/01/2011

«Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.» John 6,68

Thursday of the First week in Ordinary Time

Letter to the Hebrews 3:7-14.
Therefore, as the holy Spirit says: "Oh, that today you would hear his voice,
'Harden not your hearts as at the rebellion in the day of testing in the desert,
where your ancestors tested and tried me and saw my works
for forty years. Because of this I was provoked with that generation and I said, "They have always been of erring heart, and they do not know my ways."
As I swore in my wrath, "They shall not enter into my rest."'"
Take care, brothers, that none of you may have an evil and unfaithful heart, so as to forsake the living God.
Encourage yourselves daily while it is still "today," so that none of you may grow hardened by the deceit of sin.
We have become partners of Christ if only we hold the beginning of the reality firm until the end,

Psalms 95(94):6-7.8-9.10-11.
Enter, let us bow down in worship; let us kneel before the LORD who made us.
For this is our God, whose people we are, God's well-tended flock. Oh, that today you would hear his voice:
Do not harden your hearts as at Meribah, as on the day of Massah in the desert.
There your ancestors tested me; they tried me though they had seen my works.
Forty years I loathed that generation; I said: "This people's heart goes astray; they do not know my ways."
Therefore I swore in my anger: "They shall never enter my rest."

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark 1:40-45.
A leper came to him and kneeling down begged him and said, «If you wish, you can make me clean.»
Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand, touched him, and said to him, "I do will it. Be made clean."
The leprosy left him immediately, and he was made clean.
Then, warning him sternly, he dismissed him at once.
Then he said to him, "See that you tell no one anything, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses prescribed; that will be proof for them."
The man went away and began to publicize the whole matter. He spread the report abroad so that it was impossible for Jesus to enter a town openly. He remained outside in deserted places, and people kept coming to him from everywhere.

Mc 1,40-45

Commentary of the day 
Odes of Solomon (Hebrew Christian text from the beginning of the 2nd century)
Nos. 21 and 25 (trans. J.H. Charlesworth)

"The man went away and began to publicize the whole matter"

I raised my arms on high
on account of the grace of the Lord.
Because he cast off my chains from me,
and my Helper raised me according to his grace and his salvation.
And I stripped off darkness, and put on light.
And even I myself acquired members. In them there was no sickness
or affliction or suffering.
And abundantly helpful to me was the thought of the Lord, and his incorruptible fellowship.
And I was lifted up in the light, and I passed before his face.
And I was constantly near him, while praising and confessing him.
He caused my heart to overflow, and it was found in my mouth;
and it sprang forth unto my lips.
Then upon my face increased the exultation of the Lord and his praise.
Hallelujah.

I was rescued from my chains
and I fled unto you, O my God,
because you are the right hand of salvation and my Helper.
You have restrained those who rise up against me, and they did not appear again
because your face was with me,
which saved me by your grace.
But I was despised and rejected in the eyes of many,
and I was in their eyes like lead.
And I acquired strength from you, and help.
A lamp you set for me both on my right and on my left,
so that there might not be in me anything that is not light.
And I was covered with the covering of your spirit
and I removed from me my garments of skin (Gn 3,21),
because your right hand raised me,
and caused sickness to pass from me.
And I became mighty in your truth,
and holy in your righteousness.
And all my adversaries were afraid of me
and I became the Lord's by the name of the Lord.
And I was justified by his kindness,
and his rest is for ever and ever.
Hallelujah. 

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Thursday, 13 January 2011

St. Veronica of Binasco, Religious (144-1497)

 Other saints of the day

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SAINT VERONICA OF BINASCO
Religious
(1444-1497)

        Veronica parents were peasants of a village near Milan. From her childhood she toiled hard in the house and the field, and accomplished cheerfully every menial task. Gradually the desire for perfection grew within her; she became deaf to the jokes and songs of her companions, and sometimes, when reaping and hoeing, would hide her face and weep.

        Knowing no letters, she began to be anxious about her learning, and rose secretly at night to teach herself to read. Our Lady told her that other things were necessary, but not this. She showed Veronica three mystical letters which would teach her more than books. The first signified purity of intention; the second, abhorrence of murmuring or criticism; the third, daily meditation on the Passion.

        By the first she learned to begin her daily duties for no human motive, but for God alone; by the second, to carry out what she had thus begun by attending to her own affairs, never judging her neighbor, but praying for those who manifestly erred; by the third she was enabled to forget her own pains and sorrows in those of her Lord, and to weep hourly, but silently, over the memory of His wrongs.

        She had constant ecstasies, and saw in successive visions the whole life of Jesus, and many other mysteries. Yet, by a special grace, neither her raptures nor her tears ever interrupted her labors, which ended only with death.

        After three years' patient waiting she was received as a lay-sister in the convent of St. Martha at Milan. The community was extremely poor, and Veronica's duty was to beg through the city for their daily food. Three years after receiving the habit she was afflicted with secret but constant bodily pains, yet never would consent to be relieved of any of her labors, or to omit one of her prayers.

        By exact obedience she became a living copy of the rule, and obeyed with a smile the least hint of her Superior. She sought to the last the most hard and humbling occupations, and in their performance enjoyed some of the highest favors ever granted to a Saint.

        She died in 1497, on the day she had foretold, after a six months' illness, aged fifty-two years, and in the thirtieth of her religious profession.

Lives of the Saints, by Alban Butler, Benziger Bros. ed. [1894]

«Se marchó al descampado y allí se puso a orar»

EVANGELIO DEL DÍA: 12/01/2011

¿ Señor, a quién iremos?. Tú tienes palabras de vida eterna. Jn 6, 68

Miércoles de la I Semana del Tiempo Ordinario

Carta a los Hebreos 2,14-18.
Y ya que los hijos tienen una misma sangre y una misma carne, él también debía participar de esa condición, para reducir a la impotencia, mediante su muerte, a aquel que tenía el dominio de la muerte, es decir, al demonio,
y liberar de este modo a todos los que vivían completamente esclavizados por el temor de la muerte.
Porque él no vino para socorrer a los ángeles, sino a los descendientes de Abraham.
En consecuencia, debió hacerse semejante en todo a sus hermanos, para llegar a ser un Sumo Sacerdote misericordioso y fiel en el servicio de Dios, a fin de expiar los pecados del pueblo.
Y por haber experimentado personalmente la prueba y el sufrimiento, él puede ayudar a aquellos que están sometidos a la prueba.

Salmo 105(104),1-2.3-4.6-7.8-9.
¡Den gracias al Señor, invoquen su Nombre, hagan conocer entre los pueblos sus proezas;
canten al Señor con instrumentos musicales, pregonen todas sus maravillas!
¡Gloríense en su santo Nombre, alégrense los que buscan al Señor!
¡Recurran al Señor y a su poder, busquen constantemente su rostro;
Descendientes de Abraham, su servidor, hijos de Jacob, su elegido:
el Señor es nuestro Dios, en toda la tierra rigen sus decretos.
El se acuerda eternamente de su alianza, de la palabra que dio por mil generaciones,
del pacto que selló con Abraham, del juramento que hizo a Isaac:

Evangelio según San Marcos 1,29-39.
Cuando salió de la sinagoga, fue con Santiago y Juan a casa de Simón y Andrés.
La suegra de Simón estaba en cama con fiebre, y se lo dijeron de inmediato.
El se acercó, la tomó de la mano y la hizo levantar. Entonces ella no tuvo más fiebre y se puso a servirlos.
Al atardecer, después de ponerse el sol, le llevaron a todos los enfermos y endemoniados,
y la ciudad entera se reunió delante de la puerta.
Jesús curó a muchos enfermos, que sufrían de diversos males, y expulsó a muchos demonios; pero a estos no los dejaba hablar, porque sabían quién era él.
Por la mañana, antes que amaneciera, Jesús se levantó, salió y fue a un lugar desierto; allí estuvo orando.
Simón salió a buscarlo con sus compañeros,
y cuando lo encontraron, le dijeron: "Todos te andan buscando".
El les respondió: "Vayamos a otra parte, a predicar también en las poblaciones vecinas, porque para eso he salido".
Y fue predicando en las sinagogas de toda la Galilea y expulsando demonios. 

Mc 1,29-39

Leer el comentario del Evangelio por 
Homilía del siglo V sobre la oración
Erróneamente atribuida san Juan Crisóstomo; PG 64, 461

«Se marchó al descampado y allí se puso a orar»

     El sumo bien está en la oración, en el diálogo con Dios... La oración es luz del alma, verdadero conocimiento de Dios, mediadora entre Dios y los hombres. Hace que el alma se eleve hasta el cielo y abrace a Dios con inefables abrazos, apeteciendo la leche divina, como el niño que, llorando, llama a su madre; por la oración el alma expone sus propios deseos y recibe dones mejores que toda la naturaleza invisible. Pues la oración se presenta ante Dios como venerable intermediaria, alegra nuestro espíritu y pacifica el alma.

     Cuando hablo de oración me refiero a la verdadera, no a las simples palabras: la oración que es un deseo de Dios, una inefable piedad, no otorgada por los hombres, sino concedida por la gracia divina, de la que también dice el Apóstol: «Nosotros no sabemos  pedir lo que nos conviene, pero el Espíritu mismo intercede por nosotros con gemidos inefables» (Rm 8,26). Una oración así, cuando Dios la otorga a alguien, es una riqueza inagotable y un alimento celestial que satura el alma; quien la saborea se enciende en un deseo eterno del Señor, como un fuego ardiente que inflama su corazón.

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miércoles 12 Enero 2011

San Arcadio

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Mártir. Se desconoce la fecha exacta de su martirio, pero parece que tuvo lugar en alguna ciudad de Mauritania, probablemente en Cesarea, la capital. Las persecuciones estaban en todo su furor y miles de cristianos eran torturados por los soldados romanos sin esperar la sentencia del juez.

En tan terribles circunstancias, San Arcadio se retiró a la soledad. Sin embargo, el gobernador de la ciudad al saber que no se había presentado a los sacrificios públicos, capturó a un pariente y lo mantuvo como rehén hasta que el prófugo se presentara. Al saberlo, el mártir volvió a la ciudad y se entregó al juez quien lo obligó a que se sacrificase a los dioses.

Ante su negativa, el juez lo condenó a muerte, cortando cada uno de sus miembros de manera lenta. Al encontrarse totalmente mutilado, el mártir se dirigió a la comunidad pagana, exhortándolos a abandonar a sus dioses falsos y a adorar al único Dios verdadero, el Señor Jesús.- Los paganos se quedaron maravillados de tanto valor y los cristianos recogieron su cadáver y empezaron a honrarlo como a un gran santo.

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Oremos
Señor, danos el espíritu de fortaleza, para que, siguiendo el ejemplo del mártir San Arcadio, aprendamos a obedecerte a ti que a los hombres. Por nuestro Señor Jesucristo, tu Hijo.

Calendario de fiestas marianas: Nuestra Señora de la Calle Ancha, Roma.

"He went off to a deserted place, where he prayed"

DAILY GOSPEL: 12/01/2011

«Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.» John 6,68

Wednesday of the First week in Ordinary Time

Letter to the Hebrews 2:14-18.
Now since the children share in blood and flesh, he likewise shared in them, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil,
and free those who through fear of death had been subject to slavery all their life.
Surely he did not help angels but rather the descendants of Abraham;
therefore, he had to become like his brothers in every way, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest before God to expiate the sins of the people.
Because he himself was tested through what he suffered, he is able to help those who are being tested.

Psalms 105(104):1-2.3-4.6-7.8-9.
Give thanks to the LORD, invoke his name; make known among the peoples his deeds!
Sing praise, play music; proclaim all his wondrous deeds!
Glory in his holy name; rejoice, O hearts that seek the LORD!
Rely on the mighty LORD; constantly seek his face.
You descendants of Abraham his servant, offspring of Jacob the chosen one!
The LORD is our God who rules the whole earth.
He remembers forever his covenant, the pact imposed for a thousand generations,
Which was made with Abraham, confirmed by oath to Isaac,

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark 1:29-39.
On leaving the synagogue Jesus entered the house of Simon and Andrew with James and John.
Simon's mother-in-law lay sick with a fever. They immediately told him about her.
He approached, grasped her hand, and helped her up. Then the fever left her and she waited on them.
When it was evening, after sunset, they brought to him all who were ill or possessed by demons.
The whole town was gathered at the door.
He cured many who were sick with various diseases, and he drove out many demons, not permitting them to speak because they knew him.
Rising very early before dawn, he left and went off to a deserted place, where he prayed.
Simon and those who were with him pursued him
and on finding him said, "Everyone is looking for you."
He told them, "Let us go on to the nearby villages that I may preach there also. For this purpose have I come."
So he went into their synagogues, preaching and driving out demons throughout the whole of Galilee. 

Mc 1,29-39

Commentary of the day 
5th century homily on prayer
Wrongly attributed to Saint John Chrysostom ; PG 64, 461

"He went off to a deserted place, where he prayed"

Prayer, familiar intercourse with God, is our greatest good... Prayer is the light of the soul, true knowledge of God, mediator between God and man. Through it the soul is raised to heaven and holds God inexpressibly in tight embrace. Like a child crying out to its mother, it expresses the eagerness of its desire. It gives voice to its deepest longings and receives in return gifts surpassing all visible nature. For prayer presents itself as a powerful ambassador, rejoicing and pacifying the soul.

When I speak of prayer you should not imagine it to be a question of words. It is a reaching out towards God, an indescribable love, not of human origin, of which the apostle Paul speaks when he says: «We do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit itself intercedes with inexpressible groanings» (Rm 8,26). If God grants someone such prayer as this, it becomes for him an everlasting source of wealth and a heavenly food that fills the soul. The one who has tasted it is seized with an eternal longing for our Lord like a devouring fire that sets his heart ablaze.

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Wednesday, 12 January 2011

St Marguerite Bourgeoys (1620-1700)

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ST MARGUERITE BOURGEOYS
1620-1700
Foundress of the Sisters
of the Congregation of Notre-Dame 

         Marguerite Bourgeoys was born in Troyes, in the province of Champagne (France), on Good Friday, April 17, 1620. She was baptized on the same day in the church of Saint-Jean, a church that was located near her home. Marguerite was the sixth child in a family of twelve. Her parents were Abraham Bourgeoys and Guillemette Gamier, and she was privileged to grow up in a milieu that was middle class and thoroughly Christian.

         Marguerite was nineteen years of age when she lost her mother. In the following year, 1640, in the course of a procession held on October 7 in honor of Our Lady of the Rosary, she had an unforgettable experience. Her eyes rested on a statue of the Blessed Virgin, and at that moment she felt inspired to withdraw from the world and to consecrate herself to the service of God. With that unchanging fidelity to what she believed to be God's will for her, a fidelity that characterized her life thenceforth, she set about to discern her specific vocation.

         She registered, at once, as a member of the extern Congregation of Troyes, an association of young girls devoted to the charitable work of teaching children in the poor districts of the
town. While engaged in this apostolate she learned about the foundation of Ville Marie (Montreal) in Canada. The year was 1642, and at that time she sensed a first call to missionary life. This call was rendered concrete in 1652 when she met Monsieur de Maisonneuve, founder and governor of the settlement begun in New France, who was in search of someone who would volunteer her services for the gratuitous instruction of the French and Indian children. Our Lady confirmed the call addressed to her: "Go, I will not forsake you", she said. Thus assured, Marguerite left Troyes in February, 1653, in a spirit of complete detachment. She arrived in Montreal on the following 16th of November, and without delay she set to work to promote the best interests of the colony. She is rightly considered co-foundress of Montreal, with the nurse, Jeanne Mance, and the master designer, Monsieur de Maisonneuve.

         In order to encourage the colonists in their faith expression, she arranged for the restoration of the Cross on Mount Royal after it has been destroyed by hostile Indians, and she undertook the construction of a chapel dedicated to Notre-Dame de Bon Secours. Convinced of the importance of the family in the building of this new country, and perceiving the significance of the role to be exercised by women, she devoted herself to the task of preparing those whose vocation it would be to preside in a home. In 1658, in a stable which had been given to her by the governor for her use, she opened the first school in Montreal. She also organized an extern Congregation, patterned after the one which she had known in Troyes but adapted to the actual needs. In this way, she could respond to the needs of the women and young girls on whom much depended as far as the instruction of children was concerned. In 1659, she began receiving girls who were recommended by "les cures" in France, or endowed by the King, to come to establish homes in Montreal, and she became a real mother to them. Thus were initiated a school system and a network of social services which gradually extended through the whole country, and which led people to refer to Marguerite as "Mother of the Colony".

         On three occasions, Marguerite Bourgeoys made a trip to France to obtain help. As of
1658, the group of teachers who associated themselves with her in her life of prayer, of heroic poverty, and of untiring devotedness to the service of others, presented the image of a religious institute. The group was inspired by the "vie voyagere" of Our Lady, and desired to remain uncloistered, the concept of an uncloistered community being an innovation at that time. Such a foundation occasioned much suffering and the one who took the initiative was not spared. But the work progressed. The Congregation de Notre-Dame received its civil charter from Louis XIV in 1671, and canonical approbation by decree of the Bishop of Quebec in 1676. The Constitutions of the Community were approved in 1698.

         The foundation having been assured, Sister Bourgeoys could leave the work to others. She died in Montreal on January 12, 1700, acknowledged for her holiness of life. Her last generous act was to offer herself as a sacrifice of prayer for the return to health of a young Sister. Forty memberg of the Congregation de Notre-Dame were there to continue her work.

         The educative and apostolic efforts of Marguerite Bourgeoys continue through the commitment of the members of the community that she founded. More than 2,600 Sisters of the Congregation de Notre-Dame work in fields of action according to the needs of time and place - from school to college or university, in the promotion of family, parish and diocesan endeavours. They are on mission in Canada, in the United States, in Japan, in Latin America, in Cameroon, and most recently they have established a house in France.

         On November 12, 1950 Pope Pius XII beatified Marguerite Bourgeoys. Canonizing her this October 31, 1982, Pope John Paul II gives the Canadian Church its first woman saint.