Tuesday, January 12
ST. MARGUERITE BOUGEOYS (b France 1620, d Canada 1700)
Missionary and Foundress, Congregation of Notre Dame sisters
Canada's first woman saint migrated in 1653 from France, where she had been turned down by
two nuns' congregations, to start a school in the then new colony of Ville Marie (present
Montreal). She would go back three times to France to recruit more missionary helpers
dedicated to the needs of children and women, French as well as Indian. She established
the order in 1676 but its Rules were not approved till 1698. At 69, she walked from Montreal
to Quebec when the bishop asked her to establish a school there. By the time she died, she
was known as 'mother of the colony'. She was canonized in 1982.
OR for 1/22-1/12/10:
Benedict XVI to the diplomats accredited to the Vatican:
'Violating the dignity of man is a wound to creation'
Other papal stories in this double issue: coverage and papal texts from the Mass of the Baptism of Our Lord on
Sunday and the subsequent Angelus, and the Pope's visit Saturday evening to Cardinal Etchegaray in a Rome
hospital; am editorial on the Pope's address to the diplomatic corps; the Pope's message of condolence on the
death last Jan. 9 of Cardinal Armand Gaetan Razafindratandra, 85, Madagascar's first and only cardinal so far.
The cardinal retired as Archbishop of Antananarivo in 2005. The only other Page 1 story: Obama says he is not
sending US troops to fight in Yemen and Somalia.
No events scheduled for the Holy Father today.
Pope mourns death of
Madagascar cardinal
Translated from
Cardinal Armand Gaétan Razafindratandra, emeritus Archbishop of Antananarivo (Madagascar, formally
the Republic of Malagasy), died Saturday, Jan. 9, at the age of 85.
The Holy Father sent the following telegram of condolence to the present Archbishop, Mons. Odon Marie
Arsène Razanakolona. The telegram is in French:
H.E. MGR ODON MARIE ARSÈNE RAZANAKOLONA
ARCHBISHOP OF ANTANANARIVO
Having learned that your predecessor, Cardinal Armand Gaetan Razafindratandra, has been called
back to God, I express my profound union in prayer with the Archdiocese of Antananarivo, with
the family of the deceased and with all the persons affected by this loss.
Entrusting him to the mercy of the Lord, I thank God for the ministry of this ardent Pastor who spent
all his life in the service of the Malagasians, as a diocesan priest, then as Archbishop of Antananarivo,
giving the best of himself so that Christ could be announced.
With the maternal intercession of the Virgin Mary, Queen of Africa, may the Lord welcome his faithful
servant to his Kingdom of peace and light!
To you, to your diocesan faithful, and to the archbishop's family and friends, and to all those who will
gather for the funeral rites, I impart from my heart the Apostolic Blessing.
BENEDICTUS PP XVI
[Modificato da TERESA BENEDETTA 12/01/2010 18:57]