Charitarian Sainted

When a new saint is to be elevated by the Roman Catholic Church, vast St. Peter's in Rome is made ready for public ceremonial, its walls hung with red-&-gold draperies and great oil paintings depicting the life and works of the candidate. Myriad chandeliers light the enormous basilica. The canonization ceremonies may cost as much as $30,000, which is borne by persons interested in the new saint. Last week St. Peter's was alight, packed with pilgrims from all nations including many a white-bonneted nun. Cardinals Verdier of Paris and Lienart of Lille, and Mrs. Bruno Benziger, wife of a Manhattan publisher, who was there as official representative of the New York Ladies of Charity. Pope Pius XI was borne in, amid cheers, on his high scdia gcstatoria. Gravely he presided over the lengthy canonization ceremony. Then in reply to thrice-repeated petitions the Holy Father pronounced: "Decernimus et definimus. . , . We decree and define that Blessed Louise de Marillac, widow of Antoine le Gras, is a saint." St. Louise de Marillac was born of a noble family in 1591 in Paris. Married to Antoine le Gras, secretary to Queen Marie de Medici, she became a mother at 22, a widow at 34. Thereafter under the guidance of a confessor, who later became St. Vincent de Paul, Mme Le Gras devoted herself to good works. In 1633 she gathered about her four young women whom she trained in caring for the poor. Out of this community grew the Daughters (or Sisters) of Charity--first active, non-contemplative order of women. Mme Le Gras founded schools, foundling homes, homes for the aged and, in 1640, a hospital. In Poland in 1646 the Sisters of Charity were the first women ever to nurse the wounded on a battlefield. In 1655 Mme Le Gras wrote out the rule of her community, which has since been adopted by nearly every other active one. She died in 1660, was proclaimed "Vener- able" in 1895 and beatified with the title "Blessed" in 1920. With 40.000 members throughout the world the Sisters of Charity are the largest Roman Catholic order of active nuns. A lay community not administered by the Church, the Sisters renew their vows of chastity, poverty, obedience and service of the poor every year on March 25. Any pious woman may join or resign at will. Their habit is a rough grey-blue gown and a "cornette" or white-winged headdress such as 17th Century French peasants wore. (In her later years St. Louise wore a form of widow's weeds.) The "Loyola Unit" of the Sisters of Charity were the only U. S. nuns to go overseas during the War. U. S. Sisters have their own candidate for Sainthood: Venerable Elizabeth Ann Seton (1774-1821) who founded a U. S. branch in Maryland and whose cause is being promoted for beatification (TIME, Aug. 3, 1931).

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