The first time Marguerite Bourgeoys came to New-France was 1653, with the Recrue de 1653 pour Ville-Marie when they needed people to come live in Montreal during the stressful days when the First Nations, especially the Iroquois tribe, were trying to keep the French out.

Marguerite went back to France several times to gather prospective wives for the "colons".

She probably knew Jeanne Bouvier de la Motte Guyon, as they had common friends in the Fenelon family.

Marguerite knew the brother of Fenelon, who lived in Canada, as is related by Marguerite Bourgeoys(April 17 1620 - January 12 1700) when Marguerite mentions him in connection with her 1670-72 trip to France when she writes:

"They told me I needed to go to France for Patent Letters (from the King of France,Louis XIV, permission for her new congregation) and to bring back a few girls (which were to be married and needed a chaperon until they would find husbands).
I received several certificates, both from the Quebec and Montreal Seminaries, went to Quebec, where I felt ill and spent a few days at the hospital (Jeanne Mance and her were close friends).
When they told me it was time to sail I asked Monsieur de Fenelon to give permission to his servant to take a box of my things aboard the ship, which he promises. I went to the benediction of the Saint Sacrement and to get blessed by the Archbishop.
When I return the servant assures me all has been done and is on board. It is getting dark and I look for my things but cannot find them. Night comes. In the morning I still cannot find anything. Monsieur de Fenelon wants to give me a coin of forty sols to go back to Quebec for my things, but we are near sailing time, so instead I write to M. Dupuy, major of Montreal, who happens to be in Quebec city, requesting him, if he finds my things, to send me my papers to France and to return my box to Montreal"

If the Vatican made Marguerite Bourgeoys a Saint in 1952, it was mostly due to the incessant efforts of Josephine Elisabeth Cheval dit St-Jacques(Sept 4 1858 - May 23 1926), called Sister Ste-Eulalie-de Barcelone, who spent most of her lifetime documenting Jeanne Delanoue's life after she became Marguerite Bourgeoys and the testimonies of the witnesses to some miracles occuring.

There is a lot more to the life of Marguerite Bourgeoys, and the website of the Congregation Notre-Dame documents it well.

Thanks, Danielle

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