Marguerite bourgeoys cartoon

Both the United States and Canada begin the new year honoring several of their native sons and daughters. For the United States, it’s Sts. Elizabeth Ann Seton and John Neumann. For Canada, it’s Brother André Bessette and Marguerite Bourgeoys.

Canada’s first female saint, Marguerite Bourgeoys, was born in 1620 and died in 1700. That means she was born the same year the Pilgrims set sail for America and died three-quarters of a century before American independence. That she was instrumental in building up the Church in then-New France (now Canada) reminds us that a lot more was going on in North America (especially its French and Spanish sectors) than a narrow focus on the “13 colonies” might suggest.

She came from Troyes, a city about 100 miles southeast of Paris. At 20, during a procession on the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, she felt an urge to serve the Church, though the process of that dis

•