Rebecca Molina MW 9:00-10:00 am September 27, 2017

My birthday: August 26, 1997

St. Elizabeth Bichier

Joan Elizabeth Lucy Bichier des ges (French:

Jeanne-lisabeth-Lucie Bichier des ges) (5 July 1773 26
August 1838) was a French religious sister, commonly
referred to as Elizabeth Bichier. Together with Andrew
Fournet, she founded the Daughters of the Holy Cross,
Sisters of St. Andrew, a religious congregation which was
established for the care of the poor and the instruction of rural
children in the Diocese of Poitiers in 1807. She also helped to
inspire the founding of a community of priests dedicated to
missionary service, the Congregation of the Sacred Heart of
Jesus of Betharram. She has been declared a saint by the Catholic Church.

As a little girl, her favorite game was building castles in the sand. Many years
later, this holy French woman had to take charge of building convents for the order of
nuns she founded. "I guess building was meant to be my business," she joked, "since I
started it so young!" In fact, by 1830, eight years before her death, Elizabeth had
already opened over sixty convents. During the time of the French Revolution,
Elizabeth's family lost everything they owned. This was because the republicans were
taking property from the nobility. But this intelligent young woman of nineteen studied
law so she could fight her family's case in court. When she won and saved her family
from ruin, the village shoemaker exclaimed- "All you have to do now is marry a good
republican!" Elizabeth, however, had no intention of marrying anyone--republican or
noble. On the back of a picture of Our Lady, she had written: "I dedicate and consecrate
myself to Jesus and Mary forever." With the help of St. Andrew Fournet, Elizabeth
started a new religious order called the Daughters of the Cross. We celebrate St.
Andrew Fournet's feast on May 13. This new order taught children and cared for the
Rebecca Molina MW 9:00-10:00 am September 27, 2017

sick. Elizabeth would face any danger to help people. Once she found a tramp lying sick
in a barn. She brought him to the convent hospital and did all she could for him until he
died. The next morning the police chief came to tell her she could be arrested for
sheltering a man believed to be a criminal. Elizabeth was unafraid. "I only did what you
yourself would have done, sir," she said. I found this poor sick man, and took care of
him until he died. I am ready to tell the judge just what happened." Of course, the saint's
honesty and charity won her great respect. People admired her straight, clear answers.
The order's co-founder, St. Andrew Fournet, died in 1834. St. Elizabeth wrote to the
sisters, "This is our greatest and most sad loss." St. Elizabeth died on August 26, 1838.
She was proclaimed a saint by Pope Pius XII in 1947. St. Elizabeth Bichier was
courageous and energetic. We can pray to her if we realize that we are not as generous
in our Christian vocation as we should be. She will help us be generous followers of
Jesus.

The trait that I want to imitate form Saint Elizabeth Bichier is her being straightforward
and clear of her answers. I always wanted to be confident enough to stand on my
decisions and clearly know what I really want.