Marie Eugénie Of Jesus, Servant Of God

MARIA EUGENIA of Jesus, Servant of God. - Anna Eugenia Milleret de Brou, foundress of the Institute

of the Sisters of the Assumption, born in Metz on Aug. 25, 1817, died at Auteuil (Paris) on March 10, 1898. Called back to a more vibrant faith and piety by the preaching of Fr. D. Lacordaire, in 1837 she met the Abbot M. T. Combalot, who judged her suitable for the foundation he was planning of a congregation dedicated to the education of young women. M. E., although terrified, consented and after a sort of brief novitiate at the Visitation of Côte-St-André (Dauphiné), she returned to Paris and with other young women began her noviziate on April 30, 1839, thus founding the new Congregation, which, under the motto Adveniat regnum tuum, aimed especially at educating the daughters of the liberal aristocracy of the time, who hated religion or showed indifference toward II. For this reason the sisters were to graft their spiritual formation onto a solid intellectual culture, and therefore, in addition to having a good grasp of the specific subjects to be taught, they were to know Latin, Sacred Scripture, and dogmatic and moral theology well. Difficulties and trials were not lacking as a seal upon the work of God; however, they were transformed into joy with the definitive approval of the Institute in 1888.