Jeanne Delanoue (Joan of the Cross) (18 June 1666 – 17 August 1736) was the founder of the Congregation of St. Anne of Providence, and is a saint in the Roman Catholic Church.

Biography

Early life

Delanoue was born in

Saumur Saumur () is a commune in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France. The town is located between the Loire and Thouet rivers, and is surrounded by the vineyards of Saumur itself, Chinon, Bourgueil, Coteaux du Layon, etc.. Saumur statio ...

, located in the region of Anjoú, France, the youngest of twelve children. Her parents had a shop not far from the shrine of Notre-Dame-des-Ardilliers. Her father was a draper, who died when she was six years old. She helped her mother run the shop selling religious goods, catering to pilgrims to the shrine. She took over the business at the age of 25 when her mother died. She also provided accommodations to pilgrims who were visiting the shrine. A skillful businesswoman, she kept the store open even on Sundays and holydays,"Jeanne Delanoue (1666-1736)", Vatican News Service
/ref> which was considered somewhat scandalous in 17th century France. Her early life was characterized as one of self-centeredness, pride and avarice.

Conversion

Pentecost Pentecost (also called Whit Sunday, Whitsunday or Whitsun) is a Christianity, Christian holiday which takes place on the 50th day (the seventh Sunday) after Easter Sunday. It commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles in the Ne ...

1693, Delanoue encountered Francoise Fouchet, a poor widowed pilgrim from Rennes, who predicted that Jeanne would one day spend her life caring for the poor. She greeted this prediction with some skepticism; but as time passed, caring for the less fortunate began to take up more of her time. She began by visiting the poor in her neighborhood. Eventually she closed the family business to commit herself more fully to this work. Her house, near the Loire, had caves and cellars similar to those of wine merchants, in which she provided shelter for orphans, the sick, the aged, and the indigent. Delanoue gave particular attention especially to abandoned single mothers and prostitutes.Duffy, Patrick. "Aug 17 – St Jeanne Delanoue (1666-1736) Founder", ''Catholic Ireland'', 17 August, 2012
/ref> A landslide during the earthquake in 1703 destroyed her home, but undeterred, she found another. Many of the poor could only find shelter in the caves carved out of the tuff along the Loire. She made them as comfortable as she could. In 1704, she was joined by a few other young women who shared her vision of helping the needy. Thus was founded the Sisters of Saint Anne of Providence of Saumur. Her work was endorsed by noted preacher Louis de Montfort."Jeanne qui es-tu?", Diocèse d'Angers
/ref> Delanoue founded Providence House, which during the famine of 1709, cared for about 100 people.Trochu, F., "Jeanne Delanoue", '' The Oxford Dictionary of Saints''
5th rev. ed., (David Farmer, ed.) OUP, 2011, That same year,

Michel Poncet de La Rivière Michel Poncet de la Rivière (11 July 1671 in Strasbourg, France – 2 August 1730 in Château d’Éventard, near Angers, France) was a French clergyman, preacher and, from 1706 to 1730, the 79th bishop of Angers. He was the son of Vincent-Ma ...

, Bishop of Angers approved the constitutions of the small congregation. She took the name in religion of Joan of the Cross. In 1715, she established Saumur's first home for the poor. Worn out by her labors, Delanoue died on 17 August 1736 at Fencet, France, of natural causes. At the time of her death there were twelve communities of her sisters, spread throughout France, serving the poor and needy. "The poor and the Lord are all one." -Jeanne Delanoue/Joan of the Cross

Legacy

Jeanne Delanoue was beatified on November 8, 1947 by

Pope Pius XII Pope Pius XII ( it, Pio XII), born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli (; 2 March 18769 October 1958), was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 2 March 1939 until his death in October 1958. Before his e ...

, and canonized in October 1982 by Pope John Paul II.Joseph SJ, P.J., "St. Jeanne Delanoue", Vatican Radio
/ref> Her feast day is August 17. "In Saumur, in 1736, Saint Jeanne Delanoue, virgin. With total confidence in the Providence of God, she first welcomed home orphans, old women, the sick, and lost women, then, with companions, she founded the Institute of the Sisters of Saint Anne-of-Providence." --''Roman martyrology''
/ref> The congregation Jeanne founded was renamed the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Anne of Providence on 3 December 1964. As of 2021, over 400 members serve the poor in France, Madagascar and

Sumatra Sumatra is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the sixth-largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 (182,812 mi.2), not including adjacent i ...

. ''La Nef ardente'' is an oratorio by Michel Bosc about Jeanne Delanoue.

References

External links