EMILIA MARIA GUGLIELMA DE RODAT, saint. — Foundress of the Sisters of the Holy Family, born in the castle of Drouello (Rodez) on 6 September 1787, died at Villefranche on 19 February 1852. From her earliest youth she felt drawn to the religious life, but having tried in vain to enter various religious institutes, she devoted herself to expressing the ardor of her charity by assisting the humble, especially the children of the poorest and most needy families, the sick, orphans, and prisoners. In 1815 she opened in her little room at Villefranche the first school for poor girls, and already the following year, 1816, she moved into a poor house with some companions, where, guided by her spiritual director A. Marty, she began her institute, which she subsequently governed for 52 years.
In addition to overcoming the hardships of poverty in the
