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of Our Lady of the Rosary. The foundress, who was church was completed. Its
sick that day, had to be transported there on a mat- doors were open to all the
tress laid in a cart. Her five companions and nine poor poor, and to all those who
persons followed. The building entrusted to her was were accepted nowhere
in a pitiful state—the walls were full of cracks, the else: epileptics, lepers,
roofs had holes in them everywhere, 1,226 windows women of ill-repute to be
were missing... Two very elderly Hospitaller brothers rehabilitated, wounded or
lived there, serving four poor, sick persons. Thanks to sick English prisoners. In
help from many individuals, Marguerite and her com- 1761, Mother d’Youville
panions gradually rectified the situation. However, it established a nursery for
remained precarious. foundlings and received
The idea to merge the hospital in Montreal with 328 of them in eleven
that in Quebec dawned on the Canadian administra- years. For these poor little
tion. One fine morning in 1751, Madame d’Youville ones, wet-nurses were lo-
learned from a town crier that the 1747 contract that cated and paid.
entrusted her with the administration of the hospital On June 15, 1755, Yet, the series of or-
had been nullified, and that she was to give up her Monseigneur de Pont- deals had not come to an
position to the nuns of Quebec. But Marguerite did briand, Bishop of Quebec, end. In 1756, the French
not see things that way—with fearless eloquence, she approved the new institute and Indian War began
pleaded her case before the civil and religious author- and, on August 25, Mar- between France and Eng-
ities. From then on, she was able to depend on public guerite d’Youville and her land, who had long fought
opinion. For four years, the people had observed the eleven companions donned over the New World. It
work carried out by her companions in the hospital. the grey dress and black ended with British victory,
They had seen how the women were peaceful and headdress they had chosen sanctioned by the Treaty
good, merciful towards all human misery. as their distinctive costume.. of Paris in 1763. The evils
In addition, Marguerite, with her feminine intui- stemming from the war
tion, found the means of making opposition fall—she were numerous—famine, price increases in Montreal
offered to pay all the state’s debts in the business, which was flooded with refugees, fear for the future
down to the last penny, and these debts were enor- and for the survival of religious communities, an exo-
mous. In 1753, she could finally take the hospital back dus of protectors, friends, and relatives to France, re-
into her hands. Two years later, the bishop elevated sulting in a perceptible decrease in collections despite
Marguerite’s little group of companions to the status the increasing numbers of poor to relieve, the devalu-
of a religious community. In the spirit of humility and ation of the currency, etc. Marguerite d’Youville and
forgiveness for the ridicule endured at the beginning her Sisters sacrificed themselves to the best of their
of the foundation, the name chosen for the Sisters ability.
was “Gray Sisters,” (Soeurs grises), and their chosen “Be calm...”
habit was, indeed, the color gray. They had had to But another calamity struck: the blaze of May
endure sixteen years of hard work, bitter struggles, 18, 1765 which, after having consumed more then
and trials of every kind in order to arrive at this official one hundred homes in the city, reached the hospi-
recognition. tal, destroying it and forcing 118 individuals onto the
Overwhelming activity streets. In this desperate situation, Mother Marguerite
Madame d’Youville did everything possible to d’Youville drew from her faith the courage to set to
help the hospital grow. She accommodated women work again without any fuss. First, she gathered her
pensioners. She and her daughters busied themselves frightened daughters and told them, “My children, we
with all sorts of sewing work, including clothing for are going to thank God on our knees for the cross He
the king’s troops, dress for the Indians, ornaments for has just sent us, by reciting the Te Deum (prayer of
the tribal chiefs. They embarked upon the production thanksgiving).” After that, as she was getting up, she
of hosts and candles, the restoration of an abandoned said these words, inspired by Heaven: “Don’t worry,
brewery, the sale of lime, building stone, sand... All the house will not burn again.”
the poor in the hospital who could help were occu- Saint Marguerite d’Youville’s attitude in the face
pied in some sort of useful work. At the restored farm of this disaster is an heroic example of faith in Divine
at Saint Charles’ Point, pastures for animals were set Providence, which overlooks nothing. Saint Catherine
up. A boat for voyages and excursions was brought of Sienna said to those who are scandalized and rebel
into commission for the public, with profits going to against what happens to them: “Everything comes
the hospital. All this activity bore fruit. The Brothers’ from love, all is ordained for the salvation of man;
debts were paid in full, and money was put into sav- God does nothing without this goal in mind.” And
ings to ensure the security of the poor. Many buildings Saint Thomas More, shortly before his martyrdom, u
were constructed; the hospital was expanded, and its

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