Jeanne-Marie Chavoin, Foundress of the Marist Sisters, was born on 29th August 1786 in the French village of Coutouvre. Her father, Théodore Chavoin, was a tailor, while her mother, Jeanne Verchère,  worked as a servant.

Jeanne-Marie Chavoin spent 30 years of her life in the village of Coutouvre. From the front door of her family home she could see the village square and the church just beyond. Jeanne-Marie’s life in Coutouvre was people-oriented. From the Chavoin home her father ran a tailor’s shop. Customers came daily, exchanging the latest news, sharing the joys and concerns of the village.

God of creation,
we praise and thank you for the birth of Jeanne-Marie Chavoin,
our foundress, Mother St Joseph.
We thank you for her parents, Théodore and Jeanne,
for their love, their courage, their acceptance of responsibility and all they taught Jeanne-Marie.
May our foundress intercede for us today,
that we may present a Marian face in our world –
a face of compassion, understanding and love,
a face which accepts people as they are,
yet encourages them to grow in goodness.
With them, may we be brought forth to the life of grace.
We pray this in the name of Jesus your Son.