Mother Marie Louise de Meester was born on April 8, 1857 in Roeselare, Belgium.

As a
student, she always been a leader well-organized, self-controlled, compassionate and friendly.
As a teenager, she studied to become a teacher. Mother Marie Louise was a competent and kind
teacher who was admired and respected by her students. Later, she decided to leave the school
where she taught to be able to serve the poor.

A process of spiritual maturation brought Maria gradually to the conviction that

she must set her whole self freely at the disposal of God’s Kingdom through consecration in the
religious life. Through reflection and prayer, she had come to a decision of entering the
Canonesses of St. Augustine.

At home with her parents, she immediately brought the subject up. Her mother
did not object. But her father said “NO....NEVER!!!”

Maria patiently waited until April 16,1879 on Easter Monday. She entered the
congregation with the approval of her father. She joined the Canonesses-Regular of St.
Augustine in Ypres, Belgium in the medieval abbey of Notre Dame de la Nouvelle Plante to
fulfill her missionary dreams. Maria had her Religious Profession on May 4,1881

Missionary foundations

Mother Marie Louise De Meester became the first Missionary Canoness of St.
Augustine, with Sister Marie Ursule, a novice. She set out to start her first foundation in
Mulagumoodo, India.

The heart of Mother Foundress was yearning to save souls, educate youth, help
the poor, the needy... To give shelter to orphans and education to the unlearned. Her heart was a
flame to make God known and loved by everyone, everywhere, up to the farthest corners of the
earth.

In Mulagumoodu, India, Mother Marie and Sr. Marie Ursule started their work of
taking care of 50 abandoned and neglected children. They taught the women lace making to help
support the orphanage. They later on put up more schools and handicrafts as well.

In the Philippines, Mother Marie started her missionary ventures on June 21,1910
of which Tagudin in Ilocos Sur, Bontoc in Mt. Province and the Orphanages in of Tondo, Manila
were among the first established houses and schools.

July 9,1914, Mother Marie Louise and her companion arrived at the Caribbean
where caring of the sick in the hospitals, putting up schools and giving religious education in the
parish, youth and elderly were the primary activities.

In the United States, the two mission places, New York and Philadelphia were
considered as financial resource base to serve the missions.
 In Africa, Mother Marie’s activities were characterized by the following: caring
for the people, seeking nursing help, comfort and medication and putting up a home for the girls
and a school.

Finally in China the sisters and Mother Marie had the following tasks:

• The religious moral, intellectual and technical education for the children

• Religious instruction of the Chinese women

• Care of the sick in their homes and at the dispensary of the Mission and Training of
Chinese young women as religious sisters.

Focus on Mother marie’s work in the philippines

In the early afternoon of June 21,1910, Mother Marie Louise, Sister Marie Charles, Sr.
Marie Lutgarde and Sr. Marie Vincent arrived in Tagudin, Ilocos Sur. They were met by Father
Carlo and Bamps and the entire population with banners and flowers. Mother Marie thanked the
people for the warm welcome and expressed her optimism in the success of their Apostolate in
the Philippines. After her speech the band played, the bells rang and the sisters walked into the
church where the organ meaningfully intoned the Te Deum.

BONTOC, MT. PROVINCE

On February 26,1911, Mother Foundress took the road to Bontoc in the Mt.
Province with sisters Marie-Charles, Marie-Agnes, and Marie-Ignace with them were Father
Jurgens and some Igorots carrying all those needed to make the school, clinic and convent.

The 90-mile journey to Bontoc was not that easy at all. It caused the sisters much
fear most especially when the track was so washed away and ravine so near and steep. Much was
their fear when they crossed rearing crests, turbulent rivers and virgin forests.

On March 1, shortly after the midday, Bontoc emerged at the turn of the trail. The
whole town welcomed the sisters with the jubilation and escorted them in the tumbled-down church.
They were offered sumptuous lunch. With much joy, the Foundress had this to say

“EVENTHOUGH THERE WERE MANY HARD MOMENTS, THERE WAS MORE REJOICING THAN TRIALS.”

The next morning, they begun visiting children, the aged and the ailing. The language
and custom barriers did not stop them form continuing their mission. Because they were afire with the
love of God and His neglected people. Eventually, the children built bridges of goodwill and
understanding.

Ten days after the pronouncement of Sister Marie-Ignace and Marie-Agnes’ religious
vows, the foundress returned to Tagudin
TONDO, MANILA

On May 10,1911, Mother Foundress left for Tondo, Manila with Sr. Marie Lutgar de
and two novices. The beginnings were of the hardest. The first night about there hundreds ruffians
assaulted the convent with dirt and stones accompanied by yelling. The reasons were complex they
were occupying the premises vacated by a very controversial community of Spanish Augustinians. To
accommodate the sisters and their works people squatting around and within the building were asked
by Archbishop to leave at once. Due to this, the radicals of the area resented the coming of the foreign
nuns.

The situation made the other sisters felt disillusion and dismay. On the other hand,
Mother Foundress did not lose hope and found refuge in prayer.

By July, the storm had subsided. The sisters had now hundreds of pupils at their
school and nearly one hundred homeless children found shelter and love at the cold convent. In the
afternoon of July 10, the foundress started her way back to India for a new chapter in the history of
the congregation had begun.

After establishing missions in India, Philippines, China, the United States and other parts of the
world, Mother Marie Louise returned to Belgium in 1923 and on October 10, 1928 died peacefully in
Heverlee at the age of 71.
 A REFLECTION on the Feast Day of Mother Foundress- June 21

Matthew 23, 1-12

The Gospel today speaks about the humbling of oneself and

becoming a servant of all, typical of our Mother Foundress to whom
we are commemorating her feast. All her life, since her childhood,
was spent in serving God through her dedication of doing apostolate
to the people. She exemplifies what the Gospel reiterates about the
importance of humble service and not lofty positions of power if we
are to be pleasing to our Heavenly Father. Furthermore, Jesus
cautions people who love to be seen and acknowledged by all while
they themselves are false, rotten and empty deep inside. Externally
they are impressive, but internally they are deceptive. With Mother
Foundress, who dare the call to mission, she was deeply rooted. She
withstood the typhoons and storms of life. Such situations made
other sisters felt dismay and disillusioned, Mother Marie did not lose
hope and find refuge in prayer. Let us then be inspired by Mother
Marie’s word as she says. “eventhough there were many hard
moments, there was more rejoicing than trials.”

The Gospel then reminds us to be deeply rooted, in spite of the

height you might have soared, to see ones position as a life mission,
not a personal ambition. “Time is passing, eternity is waiting.”May
we all continue to live meaningful lives. May we all go for more depth
rather than height while we are still alive so that at the end of our
lives, we can achieve the highest of all heights- Heaven and avoid the
deepest of all depths- Hell, YES! Dig deep now while you are still
alive so that you can go high when you die.