Jarnosse
A SPECIAL MISSION FOR OUR FOUNDRESS
Jarnosse is a little village near to Coutouvre where Jeanne-Marie Chavoin, our Foundress was born.
It was there that our Foundress arrived in 1855 with three other sisters to establish a new community and live the life which Jeanne Marie had envisioned.
“It is a fact that our country sides are in a bad state, there is so much wretchedness, much ignorance, physical and moral evil. No one comes to the help of all this suffering. No one sees the good that could be done, here there is a splendid opening for any Christian. The Marist Sisters are opening a little convent in Jarnosse. No one would have dreamed of choosing a poky hole like that, but Providence sees further than people and does not disdain the last and the least. At the head of the work is the Foundress of the Marist Sisters. She is already an old woman, a generous soul and above all has a heart filled with love.”
RMJ 223:2
They were made very welcome by the local people and the Parish provided a small house where the sisters lived until their Convent was built.
It was a difficult mission, but Jeanne-Marie and the community were not daunted by this, they placed all their confidence in God knowing that they were responding to a great need of the time
It was here that on 30th June 1858 Jeanne-Marie Chavoin, (Mother Saint Joseph being her name in religion) died with these words on her lips; “Be very united among yourselves, love simplicity, love work and the hidden life”
RMJ doc.108
