Marie Therese de Lamourous
1754-1836
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Founders Mary Chaminade de Trenquelleon de Lamourous Meyers |
Marie Therese, the eldest of 11 children, was of a noble, but
relatively poor family. Her father, a lawyer, apparently was not skilled at
being a business manager and had to sell various parcels of the family's
property in order to make ends meet. All that remained for Marie Therese's
inheritance was a portion of her mother's estate, a country home and farm at
Pian en Medoc, some 12 miles northwest of Bordeaux.
Born and raised in Barsac, she moved to Bordeaux with her family when she was
12. Very close to her mother - they related almost as equals - she became head
of the family at the latter's death in 1785. When nobles were forced out of the
port cities in 1794, she retired to the family estate at Pian. The pastor at the
local church there was a Constitutional cleric, so she refused to attend
services. But she remained on good terms with the man and was instrumental in
having him renounce his civil oath. With his departure, the parish church was
abandoned; Marie Therese filled this void, and she became the heart and soul of
the parish community for the next six years. She gathered the parishioners for
prayer, religious instruction, family counseling, and secret Masses celebrated
by disguised and fugitive priests. For all practical purposes, she was the
"pastor" of the flock and was dearly-beloved by all. In fact, when the
Revolution was over and priests could function in the open again, she had a hard
time persuading "her" parishioners to go to the church again instead of coming
to her.
She kept in touch with Chaminade during his three-year exile, 1797-1800. On his
return she worked with him at developing the Sodality. But her major work after
1800 was breathing life back into a badly needed service in Bordeaux: providing
a place to live and an opportunity to change for the many prostitutes who wished
to redirect their lives.
Such a work had been begun before the Revolution by two of her friends. When
calm was restored, one of them, Jeanne Germaine de Pichon, took it up again.
When she approached Chaminade to ask for Marie Therese's help, his response at
first was negative; he had counted on Marie Therese for his work with the
Sodality and was unwilling to let her spend energy on something else. On second
thought, he left the decision up to her. She herself at first would not hear of
it. But, after a couple of visits to the house where the prostitutes had been
sheltered, Marie Therese changed her mind.
Even though she had been in poor health since her birth almost 50 years before,
she approached her work with incredible energy, determination, compassion, and
creativity. When the number of prostitutes proved too large for several
different rented locales, she made a leap of faith. Without funds, but with
great confidence in God, she purchased at auction a former convent, named it
Maison de la Misericorde (the House of Mercy, or Loving-kindness), and took in
as many prostitutes as it could hold - eventually up to 400 at one time. The
only condition for entry was that the women wished to change their way of life.
They came freely; they stayed freely. And despite overwhelming obstacles and
difficulties, the work prospered. Through all the years until Marie Therese's
death, Chaminade was at her side with his encouragement, fundraising, spiritual
guidance, and personal friendship.