St. Jeanne of the Cross Delanoue

  Posted on August 18, 2024  by admin  No comments

Born: 18 June 1666 at Samur, Anjou, France as Jeanne Delanoue

Died: 17 August 1736 at Fencet, France of natural causes

Canonized: 31 October 1982 by Pope John Paul II at Rome, Italy.

Also known as Ioanna Delanoue, Jeanne del Croi Delanoue, Joan Delanoue, Johanna Delanoue

Youngest of twelve children. Her father was draper; her mother owned and operated a religious goods store. Her mother died in 1691, and Jeanne took over the business. Smart and hard-working, she made a success of the small business. During the Pentecost season in 1698, Jeanne had two mystic experiences. The first was a vision, the second a series of pious commentaries by Frances Souchet, a widowed pilgrim from Rennes, France. The two events altered Jeanne’s outlook, took her eyes from her safe, bourgious world to a more spiritual level. She closed her shop, turned her mind from worldly comfort and success, and began to serve the poor, the sick, and the neglected. Using funds raised from generous benefactors she’d met in business, she founded and furnished three orphanages. She attracted followers, and in 1704 a small group of them founded the Sisters of Saint Anne of Providence of Samur, and Jeanne became Jeanne of the Cross. Noted for her miraculous healing abilities, she and her companions founded orphanages and hospices throughout France.