1798-1868
Feast Day: April 24
“It is not enough that you love them; they must know that you love them.”
St. Mary Euphrasia
St. Mary Euphrasia, born Rose Virginie Pelletier on July 31, 1796, in Noirmoutier, France, grew up in a family shaped by faith and service during the aftermath of the French Revolution. Her father, a physician, cared for the sick, and her mother served those in need, teaching her that love is lived through action. Experiences of loss, loneliness, and exclusion during her schooling deepened her compassion for those who suffer.
Did you know … Rose Virginie’s young life on the beach at Noirmoutier, instilled in her a deep connection to nature and creation?
A Vocation of Love
While studying in Tours, Rose encountered the Sisters of Our Lady of Charity, founded by St. John Eudes, and felt drawn to their mission of serving women and girls facing poverty and injustice with dignity and love. She entered the congregation at 18, taking the name Mary Euphrasia.
A gifted leader, she was named mother superior at just 29. During this time, she founded the Sisters of St. Magdalen—now known as the Contemplative Sisters of the Good Shepherd—creating a vocation for women called to a life of prayer. This reflected her deep conviction that contemplation and active ministry are inseparable and sustain the mission together.
Did you know … when the bishop did not allow the sisters out of the convent without his permission, Mary Euphrasia had a tunnel built so they could serve the people in need — a testament to her courage and creativity.
A Heart Open to the World
As the need for outreach grew, Mary Euphrasia recognized that the mission must expand beyond local communities. She proposed a new and innovative model of governance, uniting houses under a single central leadership so that sisters and resources could be shared across regions. In 1835, this vision was approved with the founding of the Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd, and she became its first congregational leader.
Did you know … Mary Euphrasia missioned the sisters from the motherhouse in Angers and into the world by sending them out a pair of green doors, a symbol that inspires all those who serve in her name today?
Over 33 years of leadership, she guided the congregation’s rapid growth, establishing 110 communities worldwide by the time of her death in 1868. Canonized in 1940, she is remembered as a bold and compassionate visionary who challenged the limits of her time and affirmed the dignity and worth of every person.
A Mission of Compassion
Today, her legacy lives on through Good Shepherd ministries around the world, continuing her mission of compassion, courage, justice, and hope for women, children, families, migrants, and all who seek a new beginning.