Euphrasie- Adele Barbier was born January 4, 1829 in Caen, France.
She was brought up from
her earliest years in a family where human and christian values are the only wealth that
really
matters. Euphrasie imbibes from her mother, Jeanne Leclerc, a deep desire to serve
God. Her
father, Louis Barbier, is a shoemaker by trade and instills in Euphrasie a sense of
honesty and
pride in a job well-done.
Attraction to Distant Lands:
Euphrasie's attraction to distant lands is another family heritage. Her
father was born in
Guadeloupe. While very young Euphrasie listened with delight to her father and
grandmother
as they told her of enchanted islands so different from the narrow streets and alleys of
ancient
Caen.
In 1847 she entered a new missionary institute known as the Sisters of Calvary.
After two years with the Sisters from Cuves, France she
made her religious vows adding a
fourth vow of "zeal for the glory of God and the salvation of souls." In
1851 she was sent to
London and the Sisters of Calvary changed its name to the Congregation of the
Compassion.
Here Euphrasie, constantly progressing in virtue and in the interior life, devoted herself
to
numerous works of charity. Tried by severe illness and painful humiliation, she bore
all with
nobility and fortitude and when it became already obvious that the Institute itself had
deflected
from its missionary purpose, Euphrasie obtained permission to transfer to the Congregation
of
the Marist Sisters so that she could be sent to Oceania.
Euphrasie Barbier arrived in
Lyons, France on August 15th, 1861, where in the special
plan of God she had to wait, and with the cooperation of the Marists she began to found a
new
Congregation to which she gave the title of Our Lady of the Missions.
In 1864 the first Sisters were
sent to New Zealand missions. In 1867 the first General
Chapter was celebrated in which Mother Mary of the Heart of Jesus (Euphrasie Barbier's
religious name) was elected Mother General an office she held until her death.
Although
laboring under poor health, she undertook an arduous journey into Oceania during the
period
1872-76 to visit the Sisters and encourage them in their apostolate, returning to Europe
by America. In the years 1883-87, she went to India and Oceania visiting the
missions of the
Congregation and sparing herself no labour to spread the Kingdom of God.
In 1890 the Constitutions were
approved for a period of seven years and with her
accustomed ardour the Servant of God continued to direct the Congregation with motherly
concern remaining steadfast in the example she gave her sisters. All who knew her
testify to her
extraordinary spirit of penance, but it was a spirit firmly rooted in obedience.
Likewise they
testify to her faith tried by innumerable great sufferings and labours; to her firm hope
in Divine
Providence even in the greatest dangers and obstacles; to the humility of her life hidden
with
Christ in God, and this in the midst of outstanding missionary achievement; moreover, they
testify to her profound wisdom and prudence shining forth in her writings which are quite
numerous; but above all, to her fervent and practical love of God and neighbour combined
with
a spirit of reparation and devotion to Mary and contemplation of the divine mysteries so
that she
appears to be a model to all faithful christians intent on missionary works.
On January 18, 1893 in Sturry, England, Mother Mary of the Heart of Jesus gave back her soul
to God.
What Kind of Person Was Euphrasie Barbier
Perhaps nothing can symbolise better than the interplay of light and shade
Euphrasie Barbier's
outgoing personality resulting from the sharp contrasts in her nature.
"Faith, impetuous will-power, up-rightness,
cordiality - these are the forces that fashioned
the future foundress." (Father Philpin de Rivières)
Small and slight, but
with boundless energy, she was familiarly known as "The little
Mother".
Despite her health having been undermined by privations and illness, she had great
enthusiasm for life. There seems to be no limits to her vitality. She pays
regular visits to her
communities, tramps the roads of France and England in search of funds for her new
foundations and undertakes long trips round the world to visit her far-off missions.
She also
applies herself energetically to manual tasks and, if needs be, she can turn carpenter or
cobbler.
Warm-hearted: Iron-willed.
If Euphrasie left
her contemporaries with an impression and, at
times, an apprehension of her irresistible will power it is because, knowing how
vulnerable she
was, she had to restrain a very affectionate nature. She keenly feels the pain of
separation from
her Sisters when they set out on the missions and, without fearing to appear too human,
she is
not afraid to admit this in all simplicity. But her joy is spontaneous at the
prospect of a new
encounter: "I have only time to tell you that before God who is our bond of
union I do not think
that you can be happier than I am at the thought of seeing each other soon again and of
being
able to have a heart to heart talk."
Unshakeable firmness and
compassionate kindness. Tenacity - another quality inherited
from the Barbier family - interwoven with a life of discipline bringing both body and
spirit under
its sway, forged qualities of leadership in Euphrasie which were sometimes considered
rather
demanding and inflexible.
A woman of strong conviction, she resolutely holds on to
her own ideas without yielding a
single iota when she knows she has the truth on her side. With astonishing
obstinancy she
can be intransigent when a principle is at stake. Mother Marie's path was not
without
differences of opinion and antagonism, but despite these conflicts, people were genuinely
unanimous in recognising her incomparable goodness. Nobody is excluded from her
concern
for her family and her Sisters. Severe in regard to herself, she is careful that
others want for
nothing. She often spends entire days and nights looking after Sisters who are
ill.
A great contemplative firmly
rooted in reality. Her letters to the communities are full of
practical commonplace details. Mother Mary's feet are firmly planted on the
ground. Nothing
escapes her concern for the welfare of others. In personal memories collected from
those who
knew Mother Mary, Father Coulomb, her biographer, highlights her spontaneity and presents
her as a very direct, down-to-earth person endowed with an unmistakable sense of humour.
A woman of action like St. Teresa of Avila whom she
admires very much, Euphrasie is also a
great mystic. Father Bruno, her spiritual director affirms: " She has
climbed every step of the
mystical ladder by which strong souls called to the heights of mystical contemplation
arrive
without even being aware of it."
