Saint Louise de Marillac visits St. Vincent's

Courtesy of Saint Vincent de Paul School

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Courtesy of Saint Vincent de Paul School

SALT LAKE CITY — As part of the "Living Saint Program," the librarian teacher at St. Vincent de Paul School, Mrs. Airriess, was invited to visit the students during Catholic School Week as Saint Louise de Marillac. After researching the life and times of this co-worker of St. Vincent de Paul, a costume was made and a two-part presentation (15 minutes each) was prepared to make the visit as authentic as possible.

Speaking in a French accent, Mrs. Airriess shared the life of Saint Louise, from her beginnings as a member of a noble family in Paris to becoming an orphan being raised by nuns. St. Louise then married into nobility, bore a son, and became a widow. In despair, she prayed and received a message telling her to talk to Father Vincent de Paul. He saw both her connections with nobility and the poor as an asset to help him with the care of the orphans, the sick and the imprisoned.

She soon discovered that by improving the lives of the poor, her own purpose in life improved. Discovering her skills for organizing, public speaking, hard work and enthusiasm, she attracted both rich and less fortunate women toward her efforts. She and St. Vincent formed the Daughters of Charity, which became an example of religious women working outside of the cloistered convent walls and reaching out to those who were most in need.

In addition to hearing her words, the children were shown pictures from history books and they were quick to realize that St. Vincent and St. Louise de Marillac lived 400 years ago, during the time of the pilgrims. It was a time of great changes, much like what is occurring today, when needs of the poor need more attention than ever.