Anne-Madeleine Remuzat (29 November 1696 – 15 February 1730) was a French
Roman Catholic nun
A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 599. The term is o ...
who was instrumental in spreading Catholic devotion to the
Sacred Heart
The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus ( la, Cor Jesu Sacratissimum) is one of the most widely practised and well-known Catholic devotions, wherein the heart of Jesus is viewed as a symbol of "God's boundless and passionate love for mankind". This devo ...
.
Life
Anne Remuzat was born at Marseilles, 29 November 1696, into a pious, wealthy family,"Vénérable Anne-Madeleine Rémuzat", Nominis /ref> and was baptized the same day in the Église Notre-Dame-des-Accoules. Her father was a merchant. At nine years of age she asked to be allowed to enter the convent of the Visitation. After initially refusing, her parents finally allowed her to enter the second Monastery of the Visitation, where one of her relatives was a nun.Sister Susan Marie. "Life of Ven Anne Madeleine Remuzat VHM of Marseilles", ''Visitation Spirit'', December 30, 2016 /ref>
In 1709 Remuzat returned home and became active in various works of charity. Her vocation grew stronger in contact with the sick and the poor. In 1711 she entered as a postulant the First Monastery of the Visitation (the 'Grandes-Maries'), where there was a chapel dedicated to the Sacred Heart.Bonato, Mauro. "Anne-Madeleine Remuzat Religiosa visitandina", Santi e Beati, June 25, 2020 /ref> On 14 January 1712 she became a novice, receiving the veil from
Henri François Xavier de Belsunce de Castelmoron
Henri François Xavier de Belsunce de Castelmoron (3 December 1671 at the Château de la Force, in Périgord – 4 June 1755 in Marseilles) was a French Jesuit who became Bishop of Marseille. Belsunce is remembered for his tireless efforts t ...
,
Bishop of Marseille
The Archdiocese of Marseille (Latin: ''Archidioecesis Massiliensis''; French: ''Archidiocèse de Marseille'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in France.Dedieu-Barthe, Joseph. "Ven. Anne-Madeleine Remuzat." The Catholic Encyclopedia Vol. 12. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1911. 25 September 2022
She applied herself to prayer, and progressed in the contemplative life. On 17 October 1713, she reportedly experienced a "particular and extraordinary" revelation of Jesus "concerning the glory of his Sacred Heart". As the repute of her sanctity became known, many consulted Anne-Madeleine in the parlor of the monastery. She wrote the statutes for the Association of Perpetual Adoration of the Sacred Heart, which was established in Marseilles by Mgr de Belsunce in April 1718. A number of Monasteries of the Visitation promoted the Association in their Churches.
In 1720, during the plague at Marseilles, the Lord enjoined her to institute a feast in honour of the Sacred Heart, which Mgr de Belsunce established on 22 October 1720. On 1 November he solemnly consecrated the city and the Diocese to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. In response to requests from French bishops,
Pope Pius IX
Pope Pius IX ( it, Pio IX, ''Pio Nono''; born Giovanni Maria Mastai Ferretti; 13 May 1792 – 7 February 1878) was head of the Catholic Church from 1846 to 1878, the longest verified papal reign. He was notable for convoking the First Vatican ...
promulgated the feast of the Sacred Heart in 1856.
Sr Anne-Madeleine fell gravely ill at the end of January and died on February 15, 1730. Her heart is preserved in a reliquary at
Sacré-Cœur, Paris
The Basilica of Sacré Coeur de Montmartre (Sacred Heart of Montmartre), commonly known as Sacré-Cœur Basilica and often simply Sacré-Cœur (french: Sacré-Cœur de Montmartre, pronounced ), is a Roman Catholic church and minor basilica in Par ...
Margaret Mary Alacoque
Margaret Mary Alacoque, VHM (french: Marguerite-Marie Alacoque) (22 July 1647 – 17 October 1690), was a French Catholic Visitation nun and mystic who promoted devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus in its modern form.
Summary
She worked t ...
for her promotion of devotion to the Sacred Heart.
In 1888 her cause was submitted to the Sacred Congregation, and she was declared "Venerable" on December 24, 1891, by
Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII ( it, Leone XIII; born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2 March 1810 – 20 July 1903) was the head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 to his death in July 1903. Living until the age of 93, he was the second-old ...
."Anne Madeleine Remuzat, Venerable", ''New Catholic Dictionary'', 1910 In April 2009, Msgr. Georges Pontier, archbishop of Marseille, re-opened her cause.