"As for me, I place myself entirely
in the Divine Heart of Jesus.
True happiness
is not to be found in this world,
but one may have it
by belonging entirely to Jesus.
As we are going to God, it is better to give
ourselves entirely to Him."
- Bl. Marie Celine
Marie-Celine, known before her entrance into religious life, as Germaine
Castang, was born in a little village in the region of the Dordogne,
in the south west of France, in 1878. She was the fifth child in the
family, which was to number twelve children in all.
Germaine was a lively, somewhat precocious child, dearly loved by all
her family. Her parents were known in the entire district for their
faith, piety and extraordinary charity towards anyone in need.
Germaine’s mother was firm in correcting her children’s failings. She
was regarded as a saint by many who knew her.
The family lived in a large house near the village church. The parents
worked hard to support their family. Germaine loved to visit the church,
inheriting her parents’ faith and love of God.
Suffering came to Germaine at the early age of four years. Coming home
from school with some little companions, one child suggested that they
go paddling in an icy-cold stream. Germaine was eager to join in the
adventure. However she was clearly unwell afterwards and a serious leg
ailment developed. Madame Castang was distraught to see her little
daughter in such pain, scarcely able to walk, and as always she turned
to prayer, begging for a cure. Her prayer was not answered in the way
she ardently desired, but the Lord gave Germaine abundant grace to cope
with her disability. Germaine, too, turned to prayer and, inspired by
her mother’s words, bore her ailment admirably. Her mother spoke to her
of Jesus Crucified, of the patience of the Saints and of Heaven which
would heal all.Germaine found increasing comfort in the nearby Church,
close to the Tabernacle. Her love of Jesus was growing daily. Even as a
child, people noticed how attentive she was at prayer. She eagerly
awaited the day when she would, for the first time, receive Jesus in
Holy Communion.
About this time Germaine’s father began to experience financial problems
and, as a result, he became irritable, angry and difficult. At times he
was harsh towards his gentle wife and the whole family suffered from
the changed atmosphere in the home. Some of the family criticized their
father, but Germaine was never heard to do so. She suffered in silence,
endeavouring to help her mother in every way she could, taking care of
the smaller children and helping with the household duties.
In 1887 the family circumstances were so difficult that they were
obliged to look for help. Those who had given so much in charity were
now forced to receive it. One day disaster struck. Monsieur Castang’s
creditors would wait no longer. His lands, his home and all his goods
were sold to meet his debts.
Early one morning the heart-broken family left their home and walked a
few miles to a field which they still owned. Their father had built a
rough shelter there. It was scarcely fit for animals, yet here the
family which now numbered nine, were obliged to live, for three long
years. They lived in extreme poverty, their father often away in search
of work.
Germaine’s leg condition deteriorated in the dreadful living conditions,
yet she constantly thought of the others and did all she could to raise
their spirits and ease their suffering. On one occasion, conquering her
pride and enduring atrocious pain in her leg , she took a wheelbarrow
and went begging for food at the surrounding farmhouses, desperate to
provide something for her starving brothers and sisters.
One day, overcome by sorrow and realising her powerlessness to save her
family from their dire poverty, Germaine turned to God in most ardent
prayer: she offered her life in sacrifice for them. It seems the
offering was accepted. Shortly afterwards, their father returned from
Bordeaux with the wonderful news that he had found a job and had rented a
little house. At last they could live a normal life once more.
The family reached the city towards the spring of 1890. Germaine’s
burning desire was to return to school so that she could resume
preparations for her First Holy Communion. She was now preparing for
death and longed to receive Jesus before she might die.
In 1891 an operation on her leg was very successful and Germaine was
able to walk fairly easily. Sorrow, however visited the family yet
again. Three of her younger brothers died within the next few months,
and the eldest brother returned from military service in very poor
health.
At about this time Germaine was received as a boarder in a place run by
Sisters in Bordeaux. She was very sorry to be leaving home but glad that
here at last she could prepare for the great grace of her First Holy
Communion.
This long-awaited day dawned on June 16th 1892, the feast of Corpus
Christi. Germaine had always experienced the attraction of Jesus in the
Host. Jesus had been her refuge and comfort in so many trials. He was
her love. Witnesses said: “On this day she shed many tears of joy and
emotion”.
A little while after this sacred occasion, Germaine received the
Sacrament of Confirmation in Bordeaux Cathedral, the Bishop giving her
the name Clare, a providential sign of the future.
The great grace for which Germaine asked on the day of her First Holy
Communion was that she might become a nun. She lived only for God; to
enter the House of God and there completely consecrated to Him, to be
consumed in His service and love, to spend long hours in prayer before
the Tabernacle: that was her ideal of life. Her thoughts turned first
to the Poor Clares.
Before she entered, Germaine endured the sudden death of her mother,
then of Louis, her eldest brother. Germaine nursed him during his last
days. Finally after waiting three more years, the doors of the Poor
Clare enclosure opened for her on June 12th 1896. She was eighteen years
of age. She subsequently received the Poor Clare habit and the name
Sr. Marie-Celine of the Presentation.
Within a short time, Sr. Marie-Celine was diagnosed with a very serious
illness. She was granted permission to make her vows and was professed
on her death-bed, at the age of nineteen. The Lord called her Home to
Heaven on May 30th 1897.
Final vows on her deathbed
The relentless advance of the tuberculosis did not, stop her from fully
immersing herself in the austere lifestyle of the contemplative nuns. Her
love for God, the Church and her Sisters increased and she accepted with
humility the supernatural manifestations of God's love.
When the Superior became aware of the deterioration of her health and
called the doctor, it was too late. Sr. Marie-Céline was permitted to make
her final vows on her deathbed; she died of tuberculosis of the bone on 30
May 1897 when she was only 19 years old.
At the beginning of the 20th century, Sr. Marie-Céline's burial place
at the Convent of the Poor Clares of Talence became a pilgrimage
destination; since June 2006, her mortal remains rest in the Parish Church
of Nojals-et-Clottes, where she worshipped as a child.
The aura of holiness which had surrounded Sr. Marie-Céline in her
lifetime soon led to the introduction of her cause of Beatification. Pope
Pius XII decreed her heroic virtues on 22 January 1957 and in December
2006, Pope Benedict authorized the promulgation of a decree concerning a
miracle attributed to her intercession.
This young nun who wrote: "I am determined to be a violet of humility,
a rose of charity, and a lily of purity for Jesus", lives on as a model
for all those who are ill or suffer from physical handicaps, poverty and'
marginalization.
After her death, she appeared to many via fragrances, which earned her
the nickname: "Saint of the Perfumes".
