Jeanne de Lestonnac

Jeanne de Lestonnac (born the December 27th 1556 - died the February 2nd 1640) is a woman of the 17th century which lived several vocations: marry, mother, teacher, widow, contemplative, founder of a congregation of apostolic nuns of spirituality ignatienne. Very young person, the Spirit pushed it internally: “Does not let extinguish the flame which I lit in your heart. ”

A life filled well

Sainte Jeanne de Lestonnac, niece of the philosopher Michel de Montaigne, is born with Bordeaux in 1556, year of died of holy Ignace de Loyola, at the time where prevail in France the wars of religion between the Protestant Réforme and defenders of the catholic tradition.

Whereas his/her mother, Jeanne Eyquem de Montaigne, is enthusiastic a Calviniste, his/her father Richard de Lestonnac remains very attached to his catholic faith.

She married in 1572 the baron de Montferrand-Landiras of which she had 5 children then became widowed. She turns then to the contemplative life during a few months at Feuillantines of Toulouse.

She founds in 1607, at 51 years, new a Religious order: the Company of Marie Notre-Dame, whose essential task will be the education of the girls. It opens in Bordeaux the first school of girls whose educational project is a rich person synthesis of the received influences: Montaigne, Calvinistes, the Jesuit S.

At died of Jeanne de Lestonnac in 1640, at 84 years, 30 houses exist in France.

His/her uncle, Michel de Montaigne, spoke about it in these terms:

Very pious, of merry mood, intelligent and beautiful, nature had made a chief of work of it, combining a so noble soul with a so beautiful body and placing a princess in splendid a palais

Jeanne de Lestonnac was béatifiée in 1900 by the Pape Leon XIII and canonized the May 15th 1949 by the Pape Pie XII. She is celebrated the February 2nd .

A strong spiritual experiment: of God alone “to seek and find God in all things”

After having educated her five children, Jeanne thinks of carrying out a desire already foreseen in her youth: to be given entirely to God in the religious life. It will choose the most austere community: that of the Feuillantin be (Cistercien connects disappeared). Its health does not resist it, it must give up this form of life. It is the failure, desolation, the darkness… Jeanne is at the edge of despair. Harms of prayer. The light little by little is done.

Jeanne discovers that it to follow Jesus and to devote themselves to him passes by the service of the brother “to tighten the hand”… Jeanne de Lestonnac conscious of the role of the woman in the company engages then, with four partners, in a new religious form of life which binds action and contemplation, like Marie Notre-Dame, for the education of youth. Marie will be the model and protective work.

The Company of Marie Notre-Dame today

The Company of Notre-Dame traversed, since then four centuries of expansion missionary. Well enracinée in France with died of Jeanne de Lestonnac, Work crosses the oceans and arrives until in Latin America, and North America, then in Africa and Asia… In the countries of Spanish language, the Company of Marie Notre Dame is known under the name of Compañía de María " Enseñanza ". Present in 27 countries, the 2000 sisters live in small communities and carry out their mission of education:

with the service of the young people,
at the sides of the woman,
in the countries, places and human situations which are deteriorated or which present the greatest urgencies of hello.

This mission of Work could be as follows defined:

For us, this world is a call that the Lord launches us. The young people, the woman, the family take a face in the color and the features of all the cultures. They push us to offer to us, like disciples of poor Jesus and humble, to be carrying humanity and to discover the saving force of the Gospel hidden in each person. To tighten the hand in an educational way leads us to believe in the man of each time, therefore ours, to enter its own culture, to contemplate with tenderness its possibilities and to accompany in the Hope the growth by the seeds by Résurrection

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