Marie Rivier

blessed mother Marie Rivier

Marie Rivier (born December 19, 1768 in Montpezat-sous-Bauzon , France , † February 3, 1838 in Bourg-Saint-Andéol , France) was a Roman Catholic nun and founder of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Presentation of Mary (Congregationis a BMV presentations). On May 23, 1982 she was beatified by Pope John Paul II . Her feast day in the liturgy is February 3rd.

Life

Marie Rivier was born on December 19, 1768 in Montpezat-sous-Bauzon. In 1770 little Marie fell out of bed at the age of 16 months and was injured so badly that she could no longer stand and walk. It was difficult for her to move on the floor or with crutches, she was of poor health and only developed physically. Her mother was a woman of great faith and turned to the Blessed Mother every day asking for healing for her daughter. She often visited a performance of the Pietà in a nearby chapel with Marie , where she prayed and meditated for hours. On September 8, 1774, Marie was able to walk wonderfully with the crutches again and was soon able to move around without them. Out of gratitude for her healing, Marie now devoted herself to the apostolate among the girls of her age and visiting the poor.

As Marie was being prepared for First Communion , she recognized her calling to a consecrated life. In 1780, her mother and an older sister took her to a boarding school with the Sisters of Notre Dame in Pradelles . Marie was twelve years old at the time, but looked much younger. After finishing school, she asked to be admitted to the monastery. However, she was refused admission because of her weak physical constitution.

Chapel of the mother house in Bourg-Saint-Andéol

Marie returned to her hometown and in 1786, at the age of 18, received permission to open a school. In addition to her work as a teacher, she was also involved in the Third Order of St. Dominic and St. Francis , cared for the youth, visited the sick and the needy. However, with the outbreak of the French Revolution , their engagement became very difficult. She held services and catechesis in secret , as there was no longer a priest on site. In 1794 Marie had to close her school. She left her hometown to go to the neighboring village of Thueyts . There soon some like-minded young women gathered around Marie. On November 21, 1796, the feast of the Presentation of Mary in the temple , Marie and her four companions consecrated themselves and their work to the Blessed Mother with the permission of the Vicar General . This marked the birth of the new Congregation of the Sisters of the Presentation of Mary . The following year, again on November 21, Marie and now eleven companions took their vows based on a rule of the order written by the Sulpizian father Louis Pontanier .

The Concordat between France and the Holy See of July 15, 1801 improved the situation of the Catholic Church in France. Marie and her sisters could now devote themselves more freely to their commitment to school education and to caring for the poor. In 1803 the sisters opened the first novitiate. In the years between 1802 and 1810, 46 convents were founded.

The founding house in Thueyts soon became too small. Therefore, in 1815, Marie bought a former convent of the Visitation Sisters in Bourg-Saint-Andéol on the Rhone . This then became the motherhouse of the congregation. In 1820 the Congregation was already represented in eight dioceses in France and had a good 88 houses. Mother Marie Rivier visited the houses again and again and could only be slowed down by the loss of her physical strength.

In 1837/1838 her health deteriorated more and more. On the morning of February 2, 1838, the festival of Jesus' presentation in the temple, there was temporary improvement. However, on February 3, 1838, around 4:30 pm, Maria Rivier died in Bourg-Saint-Andéol, while she was in her place in her office, from where she had led the Congregation until the last day.

Maria Rivier left behind 350 sisters, spread over about 15 dioceses. In 42 years she had founded 141 Houses of the Presentation of Mary. She was buried in the mother house in Bourg-Saint-Andéol.

The shrine with her relics is now under the altar of the mother house chapel.

beatification

Reliquary in the chapel of the mother house

On May 12, 1853, under Pope Pius IX. the beatification process for Mother Marie Rivier opens. Pope Leo XIII. (1878-1903) recognized her the heroic degree of virtue and gave her the title "Venerable Servant of God". On May 23, 1982 Pope John Paul II beatified her in St. Peter's Square in Rome.

The shrine with her relics is located in the chapel of the mother house in Bourg-Saint-Andéol.

Remembrance day

The liturgical feast day is February 3rd, the anniversary of her death.

literature

Fernand Mourret: La Vénérable Marie Rivier, fondatrice des Soeurs de la présentation de Marie de Bourg-Saint-Andéol (Ardèche), 1768–1838 . Desclée, de Brouwer, Paris 1898.
Sœurs de la Présentation de Marie: A Woman apostle. The venerable Mother Anne-Marie Rivier, foundress of the Congregation of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, 1768-1838 . Librairie Beauchemin, Montreal 1913.

Web links

http://www.presentationdemarie.org/ - Homepage of the Congregation (French)
https://presentationofmary-usa.org/marie-rivier - Homepage of the American Province of the Congregation (English)
http://www.santiebeati.it/dettaglio/91847 - biography (Italian)

Footnotes

↑ Fernand Mourret: La Vénérable Marie Rivier, fondatrice des Soeurs de la présentation de Marie de Bourg-Saint-Andéol (Ardèche), 1768-1838 . Desclée, de Brouwer, Paris 1898, pp. 14–15.
↑ Fernand Mourret: La Vénérable Marie Rivier, fondatrice des Soeurs de la présentation de Marie de Bourg-Saint-Andéol (Ardèche), 1768-1838 . Desclée, de Brouwer, Paris 1898, p. 24.
^ Sœurs de la Présentation de Marie: A Woman apostle. The venerable Mother Anne-Marie Rivier, foundress of the Congregation of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, 1768-1838 . Librairie Beauchemin, Montreal 1913, p. 14.
↑ Fernand Mourret: La Vénérable Marie Rivier, fondatrice des Soeurs de la présentation de Marie de Bourg-Saint-Andéol (Ardèche), 1768-1838 . Desclée, de Brouwer, Paris 1898, pp. 113–114.
^ Sœurs de la Présentation de Marie: A Woman apostle. The venerable Mother Anne-Marie Rivier, foundress of the Congregation of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, 1768-1838 . Librairie Beauchemin, Montreal 1913, p. 23.

personal data
SURNAME	Rivier, Marie
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Rivier, Marie Anne; Rivier, Maria; Rivier, Maria Anna
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Roman Catholic nun and founder of the order, Blessed
DATE OF BIRTH	December 19, 1768
PLACE OF BIRTH	Montpezat-sous-Bauzon
DATE OF DEATH	February 3, 1838
Place of death	Bourg-Saint-Andéol

[1] Fernand Mourret: La Vénérable Marie Rivier, fondatrice des Soeurs de la présentation de Marie de Bourg-Saint-Andéol (Ardèche), 1768-1838 . Desclée, de Brouwer, Paris 1898, pp. 14–15.

[2] Fernand Mourret: La Vénérable Marie Rivier, fondatrice des Soeurs de la présentation de Marie de Bourg-Saint-Andéol (Ardèche), 1768-1838 . Desclée, de Brouwer, Paris 1898, p. 24.

[3] Sœurs de la Présentation de Marie: A Woman apostle. The venerable Mother Anne-Marie Rivier, foundress of the Congregation of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, 1768-1838 . Librairie Beauchemin, Montreal 1913, p. 14.

[4] Fernand Mourret: La Vénérable Marie Rivier, fondatrice des Soeurs de la présentation de Marie de Bourg-Saint-Andéol (Ardèche), 1768-1838 . Desclée, de Brouwer, Paris 1898, pp. 113–114.

[5] Sœurs de la Présentation de Marie: A Woman apostle. The venerable Mother Anne-Marie Rivier, foundress of the Congregation of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, 1768-1838 . Librairie Beauchemin, Montreal 1913, p. 23.