Her Reliquary in Gaillac.
Emily de Vialar or Émilie de Vialar (1797–1856) was a
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
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 founded the
missionary
A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Tho ...
congregation of the
Sisters of St. Joseph of the Apparition
The Sisters of Saint Joseph of the Apparition (French: ''Sœurs de Saint-Joseph-de-l'Apparition''; Latin: ''Institutum Sororum a S. Joseph ab Apparitione''; abbreviation: ''S.J.A.'') is a religious institute of pontifical right whose members pr ...
. She is venerated as a
saint
In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of Q-D-Š, holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and Christian denomination, denominat ...
by the
Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
.
Life
Emily de Vialar was born on 12 September 1797 to Jacques and Antoinette Portal de Vialar, in
Gaillac
Gaillac (; ) is a commune in the Tarn department in southern France. It had in 2013 a population of 14,334 inhabitants.
Its inhabitants are called Gaillacois.
Geography
Gaillac is a town situated between Toulouse, Albi and Montauban. It has g ...
. Her father was a doctor. Emily was born 3 years after the
Reign of Terror
The Reign of Terror (french: link=no, la Terreur) was a period of the French Revolution when, following the creation of the First Republic, a series of massacres and numerous public executions took place in response to revolutionary fervour, ...
, in the same year as
Pope Pius VI
Pope Pius VI ( it, Pio VI; born Count Giovanni Angelo Braschi, 25 December 171729 August 1799) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 15 February 1775 to his death in August 1799.
Pius VI condemned the French Revoluti ...
was taken prisoner by French troops. She was the oldest of 3 children and was baptized in secret. At a young age, Emily was taught by her mother how to read.
At the age of thirteen she went to the Parisian college of the
Abbaye-au-Bois Ladies, for young ladies of quality, accompanied by her mother, who became ill on the long journey. Despite the best efforts of Emily's father, on 17 September 1810 her mother died at the age of 35. At the age of fifteen, Emily returned to Gaillac to live with her father and two younger brothers. She found that her father, overwhelmed with grief had relinquished management of the household to Toinon, a devoted but autocratic servant.
[Agasso, Domenico. "Sant 'Emilia de Vialar", Famiglia Cristiana]
/ref>
In her attempts to help the poor, the old and the destitute, Emily invited them to the house, causing considerable tension in the household. Other young women joined her efforts. In 1832 her maternal grandfather left her an inheritance, with which she bought a house for herself and her companions. Inspired by Matthew 1:20, where an angel appeared to Joseph
Joseph is a common male given name, derived from the Hebrew Yosef (יוֹסֵף). "Joseph" is used, along with "Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the mo ...
to reassure him: "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary, your bride, because what is generated in her comes from the Holy Spirit," and with the help of the bishop of Albi
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Albi (–Castres–Lavaur) (Latin: ''Archidioecesis Albiensis (–Castrensis–Vauriensis)''; French: ''Archidiocèse d'Albi (–Castres–Lavaur)''), usually referred to simply as the Archdiocese of Albi, is a ...
, François-Marie de Gauly, on Christmas, Emily and three other women established the congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Apparition
The Sisters of Saint Joseph of the Apparition (French: ''Sœurs de Saint-Joseph-de-l'Apparition''; Latin: ''Institutum Sororum a S. Joseph ab Apparitione''; abbreviation: ''S.J.A.'') is a religious institute of pontifical right whose members pr ...
.[
Her brother Agostino lived in ]French Algeria
French Algeria (french: Alger to 1839, then afterwards; unofficially , ar, الجزائر المستعمرة), also known as Colonial Algeria, was the period of French colonisation of Algeria. French rule in the region began in 1830 with the ...
and proposed to open a hospital in Boufarik
Boufarik is a town in Blida Province, Algeria, approximately 30 km from Algiers. In 2008, its population was 57,162.popul ...
, near Algiers. Emily and her first companions arrived at a time of an outbreak of cholera. She used the money her grandfather left her to open hospitals and schools. Emily and 17 other sisters received a formal approval for the rule of congregation in 1835. However, in 1843 the bishop of Algiers had all the nuns return to France. Emily left France to establish schools and hospitals in Cyprus, Tripoli, and Beirut.[
In 1845, Emily was on her way from Tunisia to Algeria when the ship on which she was traveling was caught in a terrible storm for nine days. Emily vowed “that wherever they landed safe and sound, she would open a house and dedicate it to St Paul”. The ship came to rest at Malta, where St. Paul had also been shipwrecked. There Emily opened one of the first Catholic schools for young ladies.
Meanwhile back in Gaillac the local superior, deceived by an unscrupulous businessman, had accumulated debts. She abandoned the Congregation and sued for the return of his dowry. Beset by slander and creditors Mother Emily was forced to leave her hometown. Her inheritance now long gone on the many institutions she built, in 1852 Emily found help and hope in Marseilles with the benevolent acceptance of ]Eugène de Mazenod
Eugène de Mazenod (born Charles-Joseph-Eugène de Mazenod; 1 August 1782 – 21 May 1861) was a French aristocrat and Catholic priest. When he was eight years old, Mazenod's family fled the French Revolution, leaving their considerable wea ...
, founder of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate
The Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI) is a missionary religious congregation in the Catholic Church. It was founded on January 25, 1816, by Eugène de Mazenod, a French priest born in Aix-en-Provence in the south of France on August 1, ...
.[Hoesle, Paola. "Sant 'Emilia de Vialar Virgin, foundress", Santi e Beati, August 23, 2004]
/ref>
Emily de Vialar died in Marseilles on 24 August 1856. "The saint is dead," said the poor people who knew her kindness. She was declared on 24 June 1951; her feast day is 24 August in the General Roman Calendar, and celebrated on 17 June by the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Apparition.
/ref>
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vialar, Emily de
People from Gaillac
1797 births
1856 deaths
19th-century Christian saints
French Roman Catholic saints
Canonizations by Pope Pius XII
Founders of Catholic religious communities
Incorrupt saints
Christian female saints of the Late Modern era
19th-century French nuns