Sister Augustine, from the Trappist abbey "Fille-Dieu"de Romont, Portrait of Saint Marguerite Bays (1815-1879) / Portrait sainte Marguerite Bays, peint en 1929, soit 50 ans après sa mort / Retrato da santta Margarida Bays / Retrato de la santa Margarita Bays. http://www.mysticsofthechurch.com/2015/02/blessed-marguerite-bays-lay-mystic-and.html
Sainte Marguerite Bays
Sainte
laïque (+ 1879)
Née le 8 septembre 1815 à Pierraz en Suisse et morte à Siviriez, le 27 juin 1879.
Tout en exerçant le métier de couturière à domicile, elle mit tout son cœur à se rendre utile de toute manière à son prochain, sans jamais négliger la prière au canton de Fribourg en Suisse.
- canonisée le 13 octobre 2019
vidéo, «nous avons tous besoin de guérison»
Dans son homélie, le Pape a commenté l’évangile du jour pour décrire les trois étapes du «chemin de la foi» : invoquer, marcher, remercier. Trois étapes parcourues par ces saints, par qui le Seigneur a fait briller Sa lumière «dans les obscurités du monde».
- Sainte Marguerite Bays, une existence «colorée par la relation avec Dieu»
Béatifiée le 29 octobre 1995 par Jean-Paul II.
- décret de reconnaissance du miracle attribué à la bienheureuse Marguerite Bays, le 15 janvier 2019 (en italien)
- La bienheureuse Marguerite Bays bientôt canonisée, VaticanNews
- au consistoire du 1er juillet, annonce de la canonisation de John Henry Newman, Giuseppina Vannini, Maria Teresa Chiramel Mankidiyan, Dulce Lopes Pontes et de Margarita Bays.
- Marguerite Bays, une géante de la sainteté à hauteur des petits (l’abbé Martial Python, biographe de la bienheureuse fribourgeoise)
"Marguerite Bays était une humble laïque, dont la vie était cachée avec le Christ en Dieu (cf Col 3, 3). Il s'agit d'une femme toute simple, avec une vie ordinaire, en qui chacun de nous peut se retrouver. Elle n'a pas réalisé de choses extraordinaires, et, cependant, son existence fut une longue marche silencieuse dans la voie de la sainteté."...
(source: Homélie de Jean-Paul II - site de Marguerite Bays)
Martyrologe romain
SOURCE : https://nominis.cef.fr/contenus/saint/10976/Sainte-Marguerite-Bays.html
Marguerite Bays, une
authentique sainte du quotidien
Marzena
Devoud - publié le 11/10/19 - mis à jour le 26/06/23
Canonisée le 13 octobre
2019 et fêtée le 27 juin, cette laïque, appartenant au Tiers-Ordre de saint
François d'Assise au XIXe siècle, était une véritable mystique du quotidien.
Décryptage avec l'abbé Martial Python, curé de Romont et biographe de la future
sainte.
« Marguerite Bays
était une humble laïque, dont la vie était cachée avec le Christ en Dieu. Il
s’agit d’une femme toute simple, avec une vie ordinaire, en qui chacun de nous
peut se retrouver ». Ces paroles de Jean Paul II,
prononcées le 29 octobre 1995 à l’occasion de la béatification de Marguerite
Bays, résonnent de façon encore plus saisissante à quelques heures de la
canonisation de la bienheureuse fribourgeoise. Une sainte à part dans le même
sillage de lumière que saint François d’Assise. C’est en tous cas le constat de
l’abbé Martial Python, curé de Romont en Suisse, et auteur de La vie mystique de Marguerite Bays : stigmatisée suisse (ed.
Parole et silence).
Née le 8 septembre 1815 à
la Pierra, dans la campagne fribourgeoise, en Suisse, Marguerite est la
deuxième d’une fratrie de sept enfants issue d’une modeste famille
d’agriculteurs. Vive et enjouée, elle a cependant déjà un attrait pour la
prière dans la solitude et le silence. Ses proches pensent qu’elle entrera au
couvent mais ce ne sera pas le cas : elle vivra de son métier de couturière.
Engagée dans les différents mouvements de la paroisse, elle s’occupe de
nombreux enfants notamment en leur confectionnant des habits et en les emmenant
à la chapelle de Notre-Dame du Bois. Et, en vraie disciple de saint François,
elle entre très vite dans le Tiers-Ordre franciscain de Romont.
Guérie miraculeusement
d’un cancer
Atteinte d’un cancer des
intestins à l’âge de 39 ans, Marguerite fait l’expérience du Salut : elle est
miraculeusement guérie le 8 décembre 1854, jour de la proclamation du dogme
de l’Immaculée Conception. Au retour de la messe, sa famille,
la pensant mourante, la retrouve en train de préparer le déjeuner… Peu de temps
après, Marguerite reçoit des stigmates qu’elle portera jusqu’à sa mort. Elle
entre en extase chaque vendredi, au cours de laquelle elle revit la Passion du
Christ. Mais cette vie mystique intense reste un secret entre Marguerite et le
Seigneur. « Les stigmatisés sont assez rares, environ une vingtaine parmi
tous les saints », commente l’abbé Martial Python. « Ils ont tellement
aimé la charité qu’ils sont devenus le miroir du Christ, le sceau de l’émoi de
Dieu. Ce sont les géants de la sainteté ».
Pour Marguerite la
création est la perfection même du Christ en tant que vrai Dieu et en tant que
vrai homme.
Discrète sur son
expérience mystique, elle confie que l’union à Dieu passe par la prière et en
même temps à travers chaque frère qu’elle rencontre. Le frère est en fait comme
un sacrement : dans chacun, surtout le plus faible il y a la présence de Dieu.
Pour Marguertie Bays, être chrétien c’est passer de l’Évangile à la vie et de
la vie à l’Évangile, explique son biographe. C’est prendre l’Évangile comme une
règle de vie. Traduire en geste humain l’être même de Dieu.
Marguerite Bays aime les
longues marches. Celles qui nous dépossèdent de nous mêmes, pour nous mettre en
présence de Dieu. Comme saint François d’Assise, elle contemple l’invisible à
travers le visible. La beauté de la création est un signe de la présence de
Dieu. Le chant du pinçon l’émeut jusqu’aux larmes, comme elle peut être bouleversée
en admirant les fleurs. « Pour Marguerite la création est la perfection
même du Christ en tant que vrai Dieu et en tant que vrai homme », souligne
l’abbé Python. Christocentrique, la future sainte est en permanente relation
avec Jésus à
commencer par la messe chaque matin. Pour elle le quotidien doit être coloré
tous les jours par la présence divine. Et les témoins de l’époque affirment que
lorsqu’ils la rencontraient, c’est comme s’ils touchaient Dieu.
Martial Python, La vie mystique de Marguerite Bays :
stigmatisée suisse, Parole et Silence, 2011, 16,30 euros.
Lire aussi :« Nous sommes tous des mystiques en puissance »
SOURCE : https://fr.aleteia.org/2019/10/11/decouvrez-marguerite-bays-une-authentique-sainte-du-quotidien/
Sainte Marguerite Bays,
une existence « colorée par la relation avec Dieu »
Canonisée ce dimanche 13
octobre à Rome par le Pape François, la fribourgeoise Marguerite Bays offre un
exemple de «sainteté dans le quotidien», comme l’a souligné le Saint-Père dans
son homélie. C’est aussi ce que nous montre son principal biographe, l’abbé
Martial Python. Entretien.
Entretien réalisé par
Adélaïde Patrignani – Cité du Vatican
La vie de
sainte Marguerite Bays (1815-1879) est irriguée par les relations, humaines et
spirituelles. Née dans une modeste famille d’’agriculteurs à La Pierra, dans la
campagne fribourgeoise, en Suisse, elle devient couturière et laïque du
tiers-ordre franciscain. Marguerite ne fonde pas d’institution religieuse ou
d’œuvre de charité, elle n’écrit pas de savants traités, mais l’humble terrain
que constitue sa vie quotidienne forme celui de sa sanctification.
13/10/2019
L’Église
compte cinq nouveaux saints canonisés par le Pape François
Recevoir le Seigneur pour
se / Le donner
«Elle s’est d’abord
sanctifiée dans sa famille», explique l’abbé Martial Python, curé modérateur et
doyen pour la région de la Glâne (canton de Fribourg). Une famille où
l’atmosphère est souvent éprouvante, agitée, en raison du comportement de
certains de ses proches. Au milieu des difficultés, l’amour du Christ se
déploie dans le cœur de Marguerite, un «amour
charité» qu’elle «traduit en gestes humains, en paroles et en actes»,
témoignant par-là de «l’être même de Dieu, à l’image du Christ dans la
scène du lavement des pieds», souligne l’abbé Python.
Quotidiennement, la
fribourgeoise se rend dans des lieux où puiser des forces pour sa foi -
l’église de son village, l’abbaye cistercienne de la Fille-Dieu, l’une ou
l’autre de ces chapelles dont la région regorge -, tout en suivant plus
spécialement les pas de saint François d’Assise et ceux de Jésus Christ dans sa
Passion. Ainsi unie au Seigneur, notamment par l’Eucharistie, elle se peut se
mettre «au service des plus fragilisés, des enfants orphelins, illégitimes»,
elle donne des cours de catéchismes, vient en aide au plus pauvres, conseille
tous ceux qui frappent à sa porte.
21/08/2019
Marguerite
Bays, la sainteté quotidienne proposée aux croyants d'aujourd'hui
Marguerite
Bays, une géante de la sainteté à hauteur des petits
La «sainteté de la
porte d’à côté» (Pape
François)
Un quotidien simple et
apparemment terne n’empêchait pas à Marguerite de rayonner, toute transfigurée
par sa relation intime et solide avec Dieu. «C’était quelqu’un comme nous,
mais à part», ont résumé des personnes de son entourage. «Quand on voyait
Marguerite, on accourait à elle» renchérit l’abbé Python, qui compare la
sainte fribourgeoise à une «Marthe Robin du 19e siècle».
Beaucoup venaient jusqu’à
sa maison de Siviriez, parfois depuis l’étranger, afin de bénéficier de
ses «nombreux charismes: discernement, prophétie», de recevoir un conseil,
une parole de réconfort ou d’encouragement.
En 1854, la vie mystique
de Marguerite Bays franchit une étape avec l’expérience de la stigmatisation.
Chaque vendredi, la sainte revit la Passion du Christ dans sa chair. Unie à
Jésus, elle offre les souffrances qu’elle endure dans le silence et l’intimité
de sa chambre, à l’abri des regards. Toutefois, «Marguerite n’est pas
sainte à cause de ses stigmates mais de ce qu’elle a été» affirme son
biographe. Une existence qui appelle les croyants d’aujourd’hui à «vivre
chacun selon sa tache humaine, mais en présence de Dieu». L’humble couturière
de Siviriez «nous rappelle que la vie de sainteté n’est pas le propre des
cardinaux, des prêtres ou des religieuses, mais de chacun selon son état de
vie» souligne l’abbé Python. Marguerite Bays, observe-t-il, est
une «sainte populaire» parmi le peuple suisse, qui l’a compris
d’instinct: la sainteté n’est pas réservée à une élite. «Celle-ci, on
l’aime beaucoup parce qu’elle est comme nous», entend-on en terre helvétique.
Marguerite Bays, une
géante de la sainteté à hauteur des petits
Le 15 janvier dernier, le
Pape François promulguait le décret reconnaissant un deuxième miracle attribué
à l’intercession de la bienheureuse Marguerite Bays, ouvrant la voie à sa
canonisation, qui aura lieu ce dimanche 13 octobre. Entretien avec l’abbé
Martial Python, biographe de la bienheureuse fribourgeoise.
Entretien réalisé par
Adélaïde Patrignani – Cité du Vatican
«Marguerite Bays était
une humble laïque, dont la vie était cachée avec le Christ en Dieu. Il
s’agit d’une femme toute simple, avec une vie ordinaire, en qui chacun de nous
peut se retrouver»: les paroles de saint Jean-Paul II, prononcées le 29 octobre
1995, à l’occasion de la béatification
de Marguerite Bays, se confirment jour après jour. C’est en tous cas le
constat de l’abbé Martial Python, curé Unité pastorale Bienheureuse Marguerite
Bays à Romont, en Suisse. Il connaît bien ces terres du district de la Glâne où
Marguerite a vécu. Là-bas, dans la petite église de Siviriez et la maison de La
Pierra, les pèlerins sont nombreux à venir pour un temps de découverte et de
prière. Beaucoup de groupes d’enfants, mais aussi des adultes, familiers ou non
de la future sainte. «Ça ne les laisse pas indifférents», confirme le
prêtre, parfois témoin de véritables conversions.
15/01/2019
La bienheureuse
Marguerite Bays bientôt canonisée
Une fillette sauvée d’un
grave accident agricole
Cette nouvelle étape de
la canonisation entrainera certainement quelques aménagements des lieux de vie de Marguerite
Bays. «On se donnera les moyens pour toujours mieux accueillir les
pèlerins», assure l’abbé Martial Python. Mais quel est ce miracle,
officiellement reconnu par l’Église, qui permet à Marguerite de devenir sainte?
Il concerne une fillette de deux ans, tombée sous les roues d’un tracteur en
1998 à Siviriez. Témoin de l’accident, son grand-père avait invoqué la
bienheureuse avant d’amener sa petite-fille à l’hôpital. Après trois jours
d’observation, les médecins constatent que l’enfant est indemne, hormis de
rares égratignures. Le dossier fourni à Rome par le diocèse de Lausanne, Genève
et Fribourg, après quinze ans d’instruction, contenait de nombreux témoignages,
y compris ceux des médecins impliqués. La commission médicale a reconnu le
caractère inexplicable de cette protection.
Mystique et charité
Un miracle inexplicable,
non dépourvu de sens. Durant sa vie, Marguerite Bays s’est dévouée sans compter
à son entourage, dans un amour de prédilection pour les pauvres, les malades et
les enfants. L’humble couturière a elle-même fait l’expérience du salut: elle
est miraculeusement guérie d’un cancer aux intestins le 8 décembre 1854, jour
de la proclamation du dogme de l’Immaculée Conception. Au retour de la messe,
sa famille, la pensant mourante, la retrouve aux fourneaux, en train de
préparer le déjeuner. Peu de temps après, alors qu’elle a 39 ans, Marguerite
reçoit les stigmates, qu’elle portera jusqu’à sa mort. Elle entre dans des
extases les vendredis, au cours desquelles elle revit la Passion du Christ.
Mais cette vie mystique intense reste un secret entre Marguerite et le
Seigneur. À ceux qu’elle côtoie, la sainte préfère transmettre le fruit concret
de ces faveurs divines: un amour authentique, au parfum d’Évangile. Une «géante
de la sainteté» qui s'est faite humble pour inspirer les croyants
d’aujourd’hui.
Marguerite Bays
Auteure/Auteur: Francis
Python
8.9.1815 à
Chavannes-les-Forts, 27.6.1879 à Chavannes-les-Forts, catholique, de
Siviriez. Fille de Pierre-Antoine et de Marie-Joséphine née Morel,
agriculteurs. Marguerite Bays suivit deux à trois ans l'école primaire, puis
travailla comme couturière. Très pieuse, elle participa activement à la vie
paroissiale et fréquenta de nombreux pèlerinages. Restée célibataire, elle
adhéra au tiers ordre séculier de saint François en 1860 et entretint des liens
étroits avec l'abbaye de La Fille-Dieu où une de ses filleules entra comme religieuse.
Atteinte d'un cancer en 1853-1854, on attribua sa guérison, le 8 décembre 1854,
à l'intercession de la Vierge dont le pape Pie IX proclama au même moment
le dogme de l'Immaculée Conception. Dès lors, Marguerite Bays fut considérée
comme une mystique et en présenta divers signes. Elle manifesta, par exemple,
un sommeil extatique accompagné de stigmates tous les Vendredis saints. A la
demande de son curé, un médecin procéda à un examen; marqué de scepticisme,
celui-ci conforta toutefois les croyants. Ces manifestations, ainsi que la
simplicité et l'honnêteté des mœurs de Marguerite Bays, la créditèrent de son
vivant déjà d'une réputation de sainteté. Le chanoine Joseph Schorderet, à la
tête du clergé fribourgeois activement engagé dans la résistance au libéralisme
et dans l'édification d'une cité catholique, perpétua le souvenir de Marguerite
Bays avec l'Œuvre de l'Apostolat de la Presse (imprimerie, journal et
congrégation) qu'il créa en 1873. La spiritualité de Marguerite Bays, centrée
sur la dévotion au Sacré-Cœur et à la Vierge, était très typique de la religion
populaire diffusée dans le canton de Fribourg au XIXe siècle. Une première
procédure en vue d'une béatification fut engagée dès 1927; reprise en 1953,
elle aboutit à la reconnaissance par Rome de l'héroïcité de ses vertus et d'un
miracle opéré en 1940. Sa béatification fut décrétée le 29 octobre 1995. Elle
fut canonisée le 13 octobre 2019.
Sources et bibliographie
R. Loup, Marguerite
Bays, 41980
H. Conus, Positio
super virtutibus, 1986
SOURCE : https://hls-dhs-dss.ch/fr/articles/009662/2019-11-07/
Canonisation de
Marguerite Bays
En 2002, alors que
j’étais jeune desservant de notre chapelle de Granges-Paccot, j'ai été autorisé
à commander un vitrail pour cette chapelle avec la représentation de Marguerite
Bays. Je rêvais alors que ce soit le premier vitrail de cette suissesse béatifiée
le 29 octobre 1995. En effet, ce n'est qu'à compter de leur béatification que
les serviteurs de Dieu peuvent être représentés sur les vitraux des églises
(cf. Droit canonique : CIC (1917) can. 1277 ou CIC (1983) can. 1187).
Le 13 octobre de cette
année, il manquera désormais quelque chose à cette image. Ce jour-là, la
bienheureuse sera élevée à l'honneur des autels, c'est-à-dire canonisée. Il
faudrait maintenant qu'elle soit représentée avec une auréole, ce qui n'est pas
le cas sur le vitrail à notre chapelle de Granges-Paccot.
Un exemple et une source
d’encouragement
L'exemple de la
bienheureuse Marguerite montre que l'on peut se sanctifier dans n'importe quel
état de vie. Chacun, peu importe sa situation ou sa profession, est appelé à
devenir un saint : qu'il soit moine, roi, mère de famille ou encore une
personne célibataire qui vit dans le monde (comme ce fut le cas pour notre
bienheureuse).
Marguerite Bays est aussi
la preuve visible que le don de grâces particulières n’est pas lié
exclusivement à la vie dans un monastère, mais cela peut aussi se retrouver
chez des personnes très simples qui suivent le chemin de la vie chrétienne
ordinaire au milieu du monde. Nous y reviendrons tout à l’heure.
Des doutes sur cette
canonisation ?
Certains pourraient
rétorquer que les canonisations d'aujourd'hui doivent être considérées avec
suspicion et que les exigences pour prétendre à la canonisation et à la
béatification ont été considérablement abaissées. Il est juste que les
canonisations des dernières décennies doivent être soumises à un regard
critique. Alors qu’en est-il de Marguerite Bays, cette grande personnalité
suisse ? Lisez donc sa biographie que je vous propose dans ses grandes
lignes et jugez-en par vous-même !
Une vie exemplaire
Marguerite est née le 8
septembre 1815. Deuxième d'une famille de sept enfants, elle a grandi dans le
petit hameau de La Pierraz. Civilement, ce hameau appartient à la commune de
Chavannes-les-Forts et religieusement à la paroisse de Siviriez (canton de
Fribourg). Du côté de sa maman, elle était de famille avec le bienheureux
prêtre capucin et martyr Apollinaire de Posat (1732 - 1792). Pendant la
Révolution française, ce religieux, né à Prez-vers-Noréaz (près de Fribourg),
fut exécuté avec d'autres prêtres pour sa fidélité à la foi catholique.
Après avoir fréquenté
l'école du village pendant deux ou trois hivers, Marguerite a travaillé comme
couturière du village. Chaque jour, elle assistait à la sainte Messe et se
rendait ensuite dans différentes familles. Avant de commencer son travail de
couture, elle ne manquait pas de prier le chapelet avec toutes les personnes de
la maison. Après la pause de 10 heures, elle rassemblait tous les enfants de la
famille autour d'elle et leur racontait quelques passages des Saintes Écritures
ou de la vie des saints. Dans n’importe quelle maison où elle entrait, elle
apportait toujours la paix avec elle. Elle se caractérisait par une joie
débordante et une générosité jamais mise en défaut pour rendre service. Elle ne
prenait aucune part aux ragots du village et elle n'a jamais laissé échapper un
mot peu aimable sur ses contemporains. Sa piété, par laquelle elle édifiait les
autres, n'était cependant pas du tout ostensible. Jean-Baptiste Jaccoud, futur
recteur du Collège St-Michel de Fribourg, curé de Siviriez et son directeur
spirituel pendant de nombreuses années, a écrit au sujet de Marguerite Bays le
témoignage suivant : « Marguerite Bays était une personne pieuse,
mais extrêmement réservée et modeste, en bonne santé, de tempérament calme,
gardant toujours son sang-froid ; sans aucun sentimentalisme, et aussi sans
tendance à exagérer ni à être exubérante. Elle n'avait aucune de ces
particularités dont sont habituellement accusées des "âmes pieuses",
évitant de réclamer le prêtre sans nécessité, venant à la confession et à la
communion quand personne n'était dérangé et au moment le plus opportun ; elle
n'intervenait jamais dans les choses qui ne la concernaient pas. Dans la
conduite de sa conscience, elle n’avait aucune particularité, mais seulement
une soumission éclairée aux instructions de son confesseur. Sa plus grande
aspiration était d'être inconnue du monde entier.»
Clouée à la croix avec le
Christ
La prière préférée de
Marguerite Bays, prière qu'elle a écrite elle-même et qui respire une dévotion
très profonde, est la plus belle révélation des dispositions de son cœur :
« O Sainte Victime, attirez-moi après Vous, nous marcherons ensemble. Que
je souffre avec Vous, cela est juste. N’écoutez pas mes répugnances ; que
j’accomplisse en ma chair ce qui manque à vos souffrances. J’embrasse la Croix,
je veux mourir avec Vous. C’est dans la plaie de votre Sacré-Cœur que je désire
rendre le dernier soupir. »
Le Bon Dieu répondit à la
demande de la zélée couturière et la conduisit sur le chemin de la croix. En
1853, elle fut frappée par un cancer aux intestins. Comme cette maladie lui
causait un profond sentiment de honte, elle n'a pas osé, pendant longtemps,
demander l'aide des médecins. Une opération bien nécessaire mais apparemment
sans espoir fut finalement réalisée fin novembre ou début décembre 1854. Le 8
décembre, elle fut guérie soudainement de sa maladie : c’était le
jour mémorable où le Pape Pie IX a proclamé le dogme de l'Immaculée Conception
de la Bienheureuse Vierge Marie. A cette occasion, Marguerite implora
l'Immaculée de lui en envoyer une autre croix au lieu de la souffrance qui lui
causait beaucoup de honte. Et le Bon Dieu l'a prise au mot.
Les stigmates
Peu après sa guérison,
elle reçut les stigmates du Sauveur. Dans son extraordinaire humilité, elle a
su garder longtemps secret ce merveilleux miracle de la grâce. Elle portait des
gants qui ne laissaient voir que le bout de ses doigts, cachant le dos de sa
main et la paume aux yeux des curieux. Seul de rares personnes en ont été les
témoins.
Le Vendredi Saint 1873,
le curé Villard profite du fait qu’elle se trouve en extase pour envoyer un
médecin examiner ce phénomène extraordinaire. Cela rendit public le fait
miraculeux longtemps gardé secret. Pour cette raison, la stigmatisée demanda au
bon Dieu de lui enlever ces stigmates visibles. Et cette fois encore, sa
demande a été exaucée. Au cours des six dernières années de sa vie, les
stigmates ont complètement disparu. Mais depuis lors, elle a commencé à
souffrir de maux de tête cruels, il est probable qu'elle eut la grâce de
participer à la douleur du couronnement d'épines du Christ, mais sans que cette
souffrance se manifeste par des signes extérieurs.
Sur le chemin de la
canonisation
Le 27 juin 1879, vendredi
dans l'octave de la fête du Sacré-Cœur de Jésus, dans l'après-midi vers 15
heures, Marguerite Bays quitta cette terre. Tous ceux qui assistaient à ses
funérailles étaient convaincus qu'un jour on l’honorera comme une sainte élevée
à l’honneur des autels.
Le procès de
béatification de Marguerite Bays a été ouvert en 1927 par Mgr Marius Besson. Le
16 mai 1929, la première exhumation de son corps a eu lieu au cimetière du
village. Puis, elle a été enterrée de nouveau à l'entrée de l'église
paroissiale.
Le 9 juillet 1953, les
restes du corps de Marguerite Bays sont à nouveau exhumés en présence de Mgr
François Charrière. Le 26 juillet de la même année, les précieux ossements de
la servante de Dieu furent placés dans un double cercueil de zinc et de bois et
enterrés dans la tombe de la nouvelle chapelle extérieure de l'église de
Siviriez. Plusieurs évêques, un grand nombre de prêtres, des religieux, les
autorités et environ 15’000 fidèles ont participé à cette grande célébration.
Le même jour, le nouveau
tribunal diocésain a tenu sa séance d’ouverture dans l'église de Siviriez. Au
cours des 108 sessions, la cour a reçu les dépositions de 142 témoins. Le 7
juin 1955, le processus d'information diocésain a été clôturé dans la
cathédrale Saint-Nicolas de Fribourg. Le dossier complet fut scellé et envoyé à
Rome, où il fut ouvert par la Congrégation du Rite le 14 juin 1955. Le 23
octobre 1956, la première session du processus de béatification a été réunie
par la Congrégation des Rites.
Plus tard, Mgr Pierre
Mamie (1987) et Mgr Charles Morerod (2014) se sont mobilisés pour demander la
canonisation.
En vue de la canonisation,
le Vatican a reconnu les deux miracles suivants. En 1940, un jeune alpiniste a
miraculeusement survécu à un accident d'escalade à la Dent de Lys après avoir
appelé Marguerite Bays à son secours ; et en 1998, une petite fille a survécu à
un accident de tracteur sans subir la moindre blessure.
Lors de la cérémonie de
béatification, le jour de la fête liturgique de Marguerite Bays a été fixée au
27 juin.
Déjà le 10 octobre 1929,
Mgr Marius Besson, évêque de Fribourg, exprimait dans une lettre pastorale le
désir ardent que cette simple femme soit un jour élevée à l'honneur des autels
: « Chacun, du reste, comprendra quelle gloire et quelle sainte joie ce
serait pour notre diocèse tout entier, si cette humble et pauvre fille des
champs, toute proche de nous par le temps où elle vécut, par le pays qu´elle
habita, par la vie modeste que fut la sienne, était rangée au nombre des
Bienheureux.
Que Notre-Seigneur
Jésus-Christ, source de toute sainteté, daigne nous accorder cette consolation,
et qu´Il vous bénisse, nos très chers Frères, aussi abondamment que nous le
souhaitons pour vous. »
SOURCE : https://fsspx.ch/fr/canonisation-de-marguerite-bays
Eglise paroissiale de Siviriez, où repose Marguerite Bays.
Profile
The second of seven children born
to Pierre-Antoine Bays and Josephine Morel, she grew up in a pious farm family.
Lifelong lay woman in
the archdiocese of Lausanne, Switzerland,
she supported herself as a dress
maker and seamstress.
She never married,
but devoted herself and her life to caring for the people of her parish and
city especially sick, children, young women,
and the poor.
Marguerite was known for a deep prayer life,
devotion to Our
Lady, and for lengthy periods spent in Eucharistic adoration. She joined
the Secular Franciscans in 1860.
Marguerite developed
intestinal cancer at
age 35, asked for the intercession of the Blessed Virgin
Mary, and was miraculously healed on 8 December 1854,
the day that Blessed Pope Pius IX declared
the dogma of
the Immaculate
Conception. Following the healing,
each Friday Marguerite would experience a period of paralysis during
which she would relive the Passion of Jesus. She received the stigmata.
Born
8
September 1815 in
Siviriez, Fribourg, Switzerland
3pm on Friday 27 June 1879 in
Siviriez, Fribourg, Switzerland of
natural causes
10 July 1990 by Pope John
Paul II (decree of heroic
virtues)
29 October 1995 by Pope John
Paul II
the beatification miracle involved
the healing on 25 March 1940 of
a middle school student (who
grew up to become a priest)
who was injured in a mountain climbing accident
13 October 2019 by Pope Francis at Saint
Peter’s Basilica, Rome, Italy
Additional
Information
books
Our Sunday Visitor’s Encyclopedia of Saints
other
sites in english
webseiten
auf deutsch
Katholische Internationale Presseagentur
sitios
en español
Martirologio Romano, 2001 edición
sites
en français
fonti
in italiano
Dicastero delle Cause dei Santi
nettsteder
i norsk
strony
w jezyku polskim
MLA
Citation
“Saint Marguerite
Bays“. CatholicSaints.Info. 21 January 2023. Web. 26 June 2023.
<https://catholicsaints.info/saint-marguerite-bays/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/saint-marguerite-bays/
St. Marguerite Bays
Feastday: June 27
Patron: Franciscan tertiaries
Birth: September 8, 1815
Death: June 27, 1879
Beatified: October 29, 1995, Saint Peter's Basilica, Vatican City by Pope John Paul II
Canonized: October 13, 2019, Saint Peter's Square, Vatican City by Pope Francis
Marguerite Bays was born
the daughter of simple, pious farmers on 8 September 1815 in La Pierraz,
Siviriez, near Fribourg, Switzerland. She was educated locally and worked as a
dressmaker.
She spent all her life in
her own neighbourhood. In her parish she was an exemplary committed lay person,
especially dedicated to children and young girls. She also visited the sick and
the dying with tireless ardour. She was a true friend of the poor, whom she
called "God's favourites". She introduced missionary activities into
the parish and contributed to founding the Catholic press at the time of the
Kulturkampf.
She developed intestinal
cancer at the age of 35 and asked Our Lady to intercede with her Son to
exchange her suffering for the kind of pain that would enable her to share more
directly in the Passion of Our Lord. She was miraculously cured on 8 December
1854 at the moment when Pius IX pronounced the dogma of the Immaculate
Conception. Instead, she had to bear a "mysterious affliction" which
immobilized her in ecstasy every Friday when, physically and spiritually, she
relived the phases of Jesus' passion from Gethesmane to Calvary. She also
received the stigmata, like St Francis, which she did her best to hide.
SOURCE : https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=7413
Blessed
Marguerite Bays, lay mystic and stigmatic
Blessed Marguerite Bays
-a Swiss mystic who received the stigmata later in life
-Was born on the birthday of the Virgin Mary and miraculously cured on the day
that Pope Pope Pius IX solemnly proclaimed the Dogma the Immaculate
Conception of Mary.
Marguerite Bays was born on September 8, 1815--the Feast of the Birth of
the Blessed Virgin Mary--in La Pierraz, a hamlet of Chavannes-les-Forts,
Fribourg, Switzerland, in a French-speaking part of the country.
Marguerite Bays was the second eldest child of Pierre-Antoine Bays and of
Josephine Morel Bays. Her father was a cobbler and had a family farm. The
Bays had five more children: Jean, Mariette, Joseph, Blaise (who died at the
age of 12) and Seraphine (the youngest daughter). Marguerite was confirmed in
1823, and received her First Communion in 1826. She attended school in
Chavannes-les-Forts for a few years. As she grew into young adulthood,
Marguerite learned the craft of a seamstress, and she made ends meet as a
"day laborer" seamstress, offering her services each day from one
household to another.
Daily life: Prayer, Mass and Work
Without jumping too far ahead in this little biography of her life, Marguerite
spent her entire life in the little hamlet of La Pierraz. She was humble in her
silence and kept all the favors that God granted her a secret. No extraordinary
acts drew attention to her. On the outside nothing distinguished her from her
fellow villagers. She remained quiet, unnoticed and this was her intention.
Privately in her bedroom she had erected an altar where the statue of the
Blessed Virgin Mary stood among iridescent bunches of primroses, daisies and
violets. She would wake up very early, recite a prayer before the statue
of the Blessed Virgin Mary, then she would help milk the cows and help with the
other farm work of the morning. Then she would grab her missal and set off for
daily Mass--the Church was a 20 minute walk, and she went each day, year round.
After daily Mass, she would go from household to household, diligently
performing her work as a seamstress. Marguerite was not only loved for the
quality of her work, but also for the positive influence she had on children.
When she took a break from work, she took an interest in them and told them
about the life of Jesus.
Fervent prayers for the conversion of sinners
Marguerite always sought to live continually in the presence of God without
drawing attention to herself. She was discrete and quiet, shunning gossip and
arguments, which can easily lead to malicious rumors and slander. Without
speaking very much herself, while at work she would listen and pay very close
attention to the stories the women would tell concerning this or that person in
town, for she cared very deeply about the conversion of sinners and the
salvation of souls. Her experience was not limited to her own personal
salvation, and it deeply hurt her to hear of or see people living in sin, and
not practicing their Catholic faith. So she would take these persons to her
prayers, praying for their conversion. She offered her sacrifices and
sufferings for them. She went as far as to spend half of her nights praying
when she knew that someone was behaving badly. She prayed in reparation for
their sins, and occasionally she would very discreetly ask one or two devout
friends to pray with her for a certain sinner.
Her humility
Marguerite considered herself as a mere sinner before God. She once said "Only the soul which knows her own misery can have great confidence in God, and unless she has such knowledge, it is impossible for her to have true confidence in Him."
While at first glance, Marguerite Bays seemed to be just like anyone else,
however those who came to know her were immediately struck by her humility. She
always tried to stay in the background and did not want to attract attention to
herself. Yet, Marguerite's humility acquires a new dimension for us when we
know the divine favors that she received. She did not talk at all about them
and endeavored to hide them. The greater God's graces, the more humble she
became.
Marguerite makes eleven 125 mile pilgrimages on foot to the Chapel of
Einsiedeln
Notre-Dame des Ermites (Our Lady of Hermits) is a sanctuary situated in
Einsiedeln, in the canton of Schwyz. In the 19th century, pilgrims went to
Einsiedeln on foot. Marguerite was 20 years old when she went there for the
first time. At the crack of dawn, she would leave La Pierraz with her bundle.
She would then meet her companions and they journeyed together, saying the
rosary and other prayers of the faithful. The 125-mile walk took three days,
that is to say about 40 miles each day from dawn to dusk. At night, they slept
in a barn, giving their hosts a little money. The next two mornings,
although very tired and sore, they rose early and without complaint despite the
burning sun, the long roads, the weariness and the foot injuries--all for the
love of Jesus and the Blessed Virgin Mary! After a couple of days spent in
prayer and devotion, they would make the return trip, once again on foot. All
told, Marguerite made eleven of these 120 mile (240 mile round trip)
pilgrimages on foot to the Chapel of Einsiedeln.
Marguerite is miraculously healed on the day the Pope proclaimed the Dogma of
the Immaculate Conception
In 1853, at age 38 Marguerite began to experience dizziness, acute pain in her
stomach and nausea which caused her to vomit. Up until this point in her life
she had never had any health troubles despite her frail appearance, and she was
in fact a very active woman, generous in her work and capable of walking for
hours, as we see in her pilgrimages to Notre-Dame des Ermites in Einsiedeln.
At first she wanted to hide her disease, not take any medicines and suffer
silently. However, when her family noticed her critical condition, they made
her see a doctor. The diagnosis was serious: intestinal cancer. Surgery was
useless in changing the course of the disease and Marguerite's condition became
increasingly worse. Marguerite turned to God through the intercession of the
Virgin Mary. Her prayers were answered and a miracle took place on December 8.
On December 8th, 1854, Pope Pius IX solemnly proclaimed as a sacred Dogma the
Immaculate Conception of Mary. On that day, Marguerite Bays was bedridden and
suffering great pain. She prayed nevertheless, sharing the joy of the Church
with her heart full of faith. She prayed the Virgin Mary while applying a medal
bearing the image of the Immaculate Conception to her wound. At the same
moment, she regained her strength, the pain disappeared and the wound healed.
Suddenly she was able to stand up. When her family got back from church, they
found her sitting on the big stone stove in her room. She was saying the
rosary. She was miraculously cured in an instant. She had received from the
Blessed Virgin Mary the great grace that she had asked for. However, she did
not beg God to ease her pain. On the contrary, she offered herself to God to
suffer for the conversion of sinners in any way that He may choose.
Marguerite receives the stigmata
To this writers knowledge, there does not seem to be a description from
Marguerite of exactly how she first received the stigmata. What is known is
that shortly after her miraculous cure at age 39, Marguerite saw and felt
intensely burning red blotches appear on her hands, on her feet and on her
chest, and from then on, she was to be linked very closely to Jesus' suffering
in His Passion. Marguerite began falling into ecstatic raptures on
Fridays, during which she relived the painful Passion and Crucifixion of Jesus
Christ. Bleeding wounds opened in her hands, feet and side, and in her
great humility, Marguerite hid the wounds from the outside world to the best of
her ability, but eventually word got out and the news spread about the miracle.
Marguerite's reaction to the reception of the stigmata was deeply humble. Her
humility made her strongly avoid being seen as an elected soul. After receiving
the stigmata and recovering from the vision of our Lord's Passion, she was very
concerned that her secret might be discovered against her wishes. Fearing that
she would be publicly exposed, she supplicated the Lord that He remove the
visible marks from her body. The Lord granted her prayers and the stigmata
disappeared for awhile. However, Marguerite continued to be closely linked to
the Passion of Christ. On Fridays---especially on Good Friday--she experienced
the particular grace of accompanying Our Lord as He climbed up Mount Calvary bearing
His Cross. Never did she talk about the divine favors and the confidences
she received. When the stigmata reappeared, she would wear gray cotton mittens
which covered her hands, except for her fingers.
Except for the medical examination in April 1873, only a handful of people had
ever seen her stigmata. One of those who witnessed it was the former regional
prefect Jules Grangier who stated:
"...I had vaguely heard of a person bearing the stigmata in the area of
Siviriez. I asked a few clerics for information and they told me that a very
simple and modest woman from La Pierraz had actually experienced supernatural
phenomena on every Good Friday for fifteen or twenty years. I asked if I could
see her, but it was pointed out that Marguerite wanted to remain unknown as far
as possible and that her family did not like receiving visitors. However, my
curiosity kept growing and, like Thomas, I wanted to see to believe. One day, I
was ushered into Marguerite's room. I saw a woman in her 50's lying on a bed with
her forehead bound. She seemed to be suffering in great pain. I only saw her
right hand. On the back of the hand between the bones linking the middle finger
and the ring finger, I noticed a round, indented wound...The palm did not bear
any marks."
A neighbor of Marguerite, the Dean Prancois Menetrey, wrote the following
testimony*:
"On every Good Friday at 3 pm, she was transported out of herself, living an ecstasy which lasted one hour. I keep very clear memories of having been able to contemplate the Servant of God during her ecstasy... Marguerite gradually fell in a deathlike state. All life seemed to have faded away from her. She looked like a real corpse. I had been there since 3 pm. Signs of life gradually reappeared a few minutes after 4 pm. She would begin to breathe again, slowly at first, then very fast, then normally. Color came back to her cheeks. She seemed to be awakening from a sound, deep sleep. Divine and intense joy illuminated her face. She then sighed and then she said words ablaze with faith, love and gratitude to God, Our Lord Jesus Christ."
*From: Summarium, part 1, p. 238
The medical inquiry into her stigmata
Given the interest aroused by her stigmata, the priest of Siviriez made a wise
decision and opened an inquiry. He sought the unbiased opinion of Dr. Alex
Pegaitaz, a 35-year-old doctor from Bulle whose diagnoses were well respected.
Known for his keen intelligence and scientific ideals, his skepticism made him
a great candidate for an investigation. The diocese tacitly approved of his
engagement. On Good Friday, April 11 1873, not long before 3 pm, Doctor
Pegaitaz arrived-in La Pierraz with a few clerics. District prefect Jules
Grangier gave his own account of Pegaitaz' inquiry:
"At the beginning of the examination, the doctor only accepted the
presence of Marguerite Bays' niece. I do not know what happened between the
doctor and his patient. All I can say is that we could hear poor Marguerite
sighing and screaming loudly from the nearby room. More than once we had to
calm the mayor, her brother, for he wanted to throw out the doctor who was
increasing his sister's suffering. When the screaming had finally died down,
the clerics went into Marguerite's room. I was also allowed to do so.
"Doctor Pegaitaz bared Marguerite's feet and let us see the stigmata,
which were perfectly similar to those on her hands. I then withdrew to
the nearby room. The moaning gradually died down and stopped completely. The
ecstasy had begun. It was around 3:20 pm. All the visitors entered to see the devout
woman. She was immobile, with her eyes closed and a smile on her lips. She
seemed totally absent . from what was happening around her. The doctor wanted
to overcome her insensibility. So he began to tickle the soles of her feet.
Then he pricked her between the toes with a sharp instrument until she bled.
Nevertheless, her limbs remained motionless and her features expressed nothing.
The doctor decided to deal with Marguerite's head. He inserted an instrument
into her nose, in her eyes and under her eyelids. In vain. The doctor then
successively opened both her eyes, but. they did not follow the movements of
the light he shone on them. On the contrary, they seemed to focus on a fixed
object sometimes to the right, sometimes to the left. He also tried to light a
candle and put it right under her nose, but it did not work any better. So he
took pliers to remove skin from the stigmata on Marguerite's feet and showed it
to us, saying the skin had been burnt. The stigmatized seemed dead. The doctor
then closed one of her hands, it stayed closed. He raised one of her arms, it
fell back softly. He made her sit on her bed, she fell back naturally.
"After about half an hour of ecstasy, the scientific trials over, leaving
Marguerite in peace, she eventually woke up smiling and looking around her. The
Vicar went up to her and asked her how she was doing. 'I'm fine, I'm fine, I'm
very well, oh I'm feeling very well!' she answered. And her face was glowing
with joy."
"All agreed that Dr. Alexis Pegaitaz carried out a reliable examination
and he had to admit that there was something he had not been able to analyze.
He stated: "What confusion! What astonishment! I have been confronted with
the supernatural and prodigious state of this stigmatized persons and it is
beyond science. Science cannot understand or explain this phenomenon."
Years later Dr. Alexis Pegaiiaz died in Lausanne. When he became seriously ill,
he had his friend Rev. Dean Henry Python, the chaplain of Les Sciernes
come to visit him. He asked for and received the last rites of the Church with
great faith.
Visions and prophesies
One day as she was praying in her room, she "saw" three travelers
walking towards La Pierraz. They went past the Notre-Dame du Bois chapel. One
of them, a Brother from the Hauterive Abbey, entered the chapel and said a
prayer to Mary. When the three of them reached the Bays' farm, Marguerite
said: "Brother Joseph, it was good of you to go and pray the Blessed
Virgin as you went past her chapel!"
At times she was given to know of certain events in the future. Mariette was
the daughter of her brother Jean. Mariette's piety was so great that the
sisters from the Fille-Dieu Abbey wanted her to share their devout life. But
Marguerite told the Abbess: "Mariette will not come because she is
going to get married. But her daughter will one day join your Community." And
so it was that her great-niece Bernadette, who was born three years after
Marguerite's death, eventually entered the Fille-Dieu Abbey and later she
became Its Abbess, just as Marguerite had predicted many years earlier.
Her last years were a painful martyrdom. She spent most of the time lying in
her room. A kind of inner fire kept burning her. She suffered acute pain in her
head, in her throat and in her chest. Nobody knew what was wrong with her. And
she would not say a word. She lived only on the Eucharist and drank primarily
cool herbal tea and she had become very thin. Her brother Jean said that she
felt like a bag of bones when he carried her. Her illness however did not make
her at all demanding. She did not want to be relieved and did not do much to
ease her suffering. She was given vinegar compresses and ice. She was
administered unsuitable medicines, which she first took but then gave up.
Eventually she became totally worn out, however she did not complain and
patiently endured her great suffering. She did not want people to visit her
because she did not want to show how much she suffered.
During Lent 1879, her state continued to deteriorate and she suffered
tremendously before she died. She could only stand a few herbal tea's and a
panade (a light bread soup with a little milk) every two days. A witness said
that an ordinary person would not have survived so long and that Marguerite
must have been strengthened by God. Rev. Dean Francois Menetrey alleged that
she only lived on the Holy Communion at the end of her life.
An Angel gives her Holy Communion
Another extraordinary grace was reported by Sister Lutgarde Fasel, the
Fille-Dieu Abbess and one of Marguerite's great-nieces. One day, her
grand-father, Jean, confidentially told her: "I am going to tell you
something I have never told anyone before. I am the only one to know this story
along with Dean Jean Maillard and my sister, because my sister told him. During
her last illness, Marguerite had longed all night for the Eucharist, we tried
but we had not been able to fulfill her wishes. So the Good Lord took pity on
His servant and an angel came and brought her the Holy Communion. I saw it, and
I myself could not believe what I was seeing."
Her holy death on the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Marguerite never complained. She endured her pain with angelic patience. She
submitted silently to the medical treatments even if she had already realized
that human remedies were useless. She suffered without telling anybody, simply
repeating that one has to resign oneself. She often kissed her crucifix and
contemplated the picture representing Notre-Dame des Sept Douleurs (Our Lady of
the Seven Sorrows). She said that praying gave her patience. Marguerite
had begged God the grace to die during the feast day of the Sacred Heart and
God answered her prayers. She gave her beautiful soul back to God during the
octave (eighth and last day) of the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. And so
it was that on Friday, June 27, 1879 at 3 pm. the Servant of God died, worn-out
by her suffering and sacrifices. She had once said "I am willing to
breath my last breath in the wound of Thy Sacred Heart." and since
she died on the feast day of the Sacred Heart, it seems that the good Jesus
granted this special grace to her.
Beatification/Canonization
Marguerite Bays' reputation of sanctity has spread beyond Switzerland and
numerous pilgrims have come from abroad to see and pray in the places where she
lived. Her beatification by Pope John Paul II on October 29,1995 officially
confirmed her sanctity, and reinforced the current of fervor and confidence in
her holy intercession before God.
On January 15, 2019 Pope Francis approved the two miracles attributed to
Marguerite as part of the canonisation process, and she is scheduled to
formally be canonized a Saint late in 2019.
-Blessed Marguerite Bays, pray for us!
A few sayings of Blessed Marguerite:
-"We will pray for each other. Pray for me especially because I am really pitiful. I need the love of God; this love for which I have so much difficulty in meriting."
-"Honor Our Lady of Seven Sorrows. We will never realize how much She suffered for us."
-"Oh holy Victim! Draw me to Thy side and we shall walk together!"
-"I am willing to breath my last breath in the wound of Thy Sacred Heart."
-"The poor are the favorite friends of Our Lord"
-Blessed Marguerite Bays
-Primary Source: "A closer acquaintance with the Blessed Marguerite
Bays" by Father Claude Morel, 2008.
SOURCE : https://www.mysticsofthechurch.com/2015/02/blessed-marguerite-bays-lay-mystic-and.html
BLESSED MARGUERITE BAYS
1815-1879
Marguerite Bays was born
the daughter of simple, pious farmers on 8 September 1815 in La Pierraz,
Siviriez, near Fribourg, Switzerland. She was educated locally and worked as a
dressmaker.
She spent all her life in
her own neighbourhood. In her parish she was an exemplary committed lay person,
especially dedicated to children and young girls. She also visited the sick and
the dying with tireless ardour. She was a true friend of the poor, whom she
called "God's favourites". She introduced missionary activities into
the parish and contributed to founding the Catholic press at the time of the
Kulturkampf.
She developed intestinal
cancer at the age of 35 and asked Our Lady to intercede with her Son to
exchange her suffering for the kind of pain that would enable her to share more
directly in the Passion of Our Lord. She was miraculously cured on 8 December
1854 at the moment when Pius IX pronounced the dogma of the Immaculate
Conception. Instead, she had to bear a "mysterious affliction" which
immobilized her in ecstasy every Friday when, physically and spiritually, she
relived the phases of Jesus' passion from Gethesmane to Calvary. She also
received the stigmata, like St Francis, which she did her best to hide.
Marguerite Bays put the
greatest trust in prayer, the focus of her life, to which she had been inclined
since childhood. She had deep love for Our Lady, whom she venerated by
frequently reciting the Rosary and visiting her shrines. She also had immense
love for Jesus in the Eucharist, before which she spent long hours in
adoration. She lived constantly in God's presence. Thus she suffered from the
sight of the weak faith she saw around her and prayed that it would be
strengthened. Her focus on the eternal prevented her from being distracted by
the pleasures of this world or by personal advantage of any kind. God was her
greatest love. She deplored human indifference to him and insistently demanded:
"What can we do to love God more?". Her constant concern to be
centred on God made her profoundly humble. She felt she was the lowliest of
creatures and a great sinner, and fought the self-love that dampened her
ardour. She fled attention and always sought to hide the great marks of favour
she had been granted.
Marguerite identified
increasingly with the suffering of Jesus on the Cross. Happy to be called to
follow him, she showed no sign of suffering and on the contrary "could be
heard to utter words of adoration and submission to God's holy will". She
died at 3:00 p.m. on Friday, 27 June 1879, absorbed in her love for the crucified
Lord.
SOURCE : http://www.savior.org/saints/bays.htm
BL. MARGUERITE BAYS was
born the daughter of simple, pious farmers on 8 September 1815 in La Pierraz,
Siviriez, near Fribourg, Switzerland. She was educated locally and worked as a
dressmaker.
She spent all her life in
her own neighbourhood. In her parish she was an exemplary committed lay person,
especially dedicated to children and young girls. She also visited the sick and
the dying with tireless ardour. She was a true friend of the poor, whom she
called "God's favourites". She introduced missionary activities into
the parish and contributed to founding the Catholic press at the time of
the Kulturkampf.
She developed intestinal
cancer at the age of 35 and asked Our Lady to intercede with her Son to
exchange her suffering for the kind of pain that would enable her to share more
directly in the Passion of Our Lord. She was miraculously cured on 8 December
1854 at the moment when Pius IX pronounced the dogma of the Immaculate
Conception. Instead, she had to bear a "mysterious affliction" which
immobilized her in ecstasy every Friday when, physically and spiritually, she
relived the phases of Jesus' passion from Gethesmane to Calvary. She also
received the stigmata, like St Francis, which she did her best to hide.
Marguerite Bays put the
greatest trust in prayer, the focus of her life, to which she had been inclined
since childhood. She had deep love for Our Lady, whom she venerated by
frequently reciting the Rosary and visiting her shrines. She also had immense
love for Jesus in the Eucharist, before which she spent long hours in
adoration. She lived constantly in God's presence. Thus she suffered from the
sight of the weak faith she saw around her and prayed that it would be
strengthened. Her focus on the eternal prevented her from being distracted by
the pleasures of this world or by personal advantage of any kind. God was her
greatest love. She deplored human indifference to him and insistently demanded:
"What can we do to love God more?". Her constant concern to be
centred on God made her profoundly humble. She felt she was the lowliest of
creatures and a great sinner, and fought the self-love that dampened her
ardour. She fled attention and always sought to hide the great marks of favour
she had been granted.
Marguerite identified
increasingly with the suffering of Jesus on the Cross. Happy to be called to
follow him, she showed no sign of suffering and on the contrary "could be
heard to utter words of adoration and submission to God's holy will". She
died at 3:00 p.m. on Friday, 27 June 1879, absorbed in her love for the
crucified Lord.
SOURCE : https://web.archive.org/web/20170726010047/http://ewtn.com/library/MARY/bios95.htm#bays
Santa Margherita
Bays Vergine, Terziaria francescana
La Pierraz, Svizzera, 8
settembre 1815 – Siviriez, Svizzera, 27 giugno 1879
Marguerite Bays nacque
l’8 settembre 1815 a La Pierraz, frazione di Siviriez, nel Cantone svizzero di
Friburgo. Sin dall’infanzia si sentì portata per la preghiera e per una vita
raccolta, ma non volle mai entrare in nessuna congregazione religiosa: preferì
servire i suoi familiari e gli abitanti del villaggio, mantenendosi con il
lavoro di sarta. Dedicò il proprio tempo libero alle visite ai malati e
all’istruzione catechistica dei bambini. Il 22 febbraio 1860 entrò nel
Terz’Ordine Francescano, oggi Ordine Francescano Secolare. Sopportò con
pazienza le ingiurie della cognata Josette, a cui la sua intensa vita di
preghiera sembrava una perdita di tempo, se confrontata con la fatica del
lavoro dei campi. A trentacinque anni le fu diagnosticato un cancro
all’intestino, ma pregò la Madonna di farla guarire pur di non essere
sottoposta a cure che avrebbero messo a rischio la sua intimità. L’8 dicembre
1854, lo stesso giorno in cui il Beato papa Pio IX proclamava a Roma il dogma
dell’Immacolata Concezione, Marguerite fu sanata. Da allora, però, ebbe altri
dolori, collegati alla Passione di Gesù, che riviveva ogni venerdì e durante la
Settimana Santa. Morì il 27 giugno 1879, nella propria casa. È stata
beatificata da san Giovanni Paolo II nella basilica di San Pietro a Roma il 29
ottobre 1995 e canonizzata il 13 ottobre 2019 da papa Francesco in piazza San
Pietro a Roma. I suoi resti mortali sono venerati nella cappella di san
Giuseppe della chiesa parrocchiale di Siviriez.
Martirologio
Romano: Nel territorio di Friburgo in Svizzera, beata Margherita Bays,
vergine, che, esercitando in famiglia il mestiere di sarta, si adoperò con
tutta se stessa per i molteplici bisogni del prossimo senza mai trascurare la
preghiera.
I primi anni
Marguerite Bays nacque l’8 settembre 1815 a La Pierraz, frazione di Siviriez, nel Cantone di Friburgo in Svizzera. Era la seconda dei sette figli di Pierre-Antoine Bays e Marie-Joséphine Morel, modesti agricoltori e buoni cristiani.
Dotata di vivacità e di un’intelligenza eccezionale, frequentò per circa
quattro anni la scuola di Chavennes-les-Forts, imparando a leggere e a
scrivere. Sin da bambina dimostrò particolare inclinazione alla preghiera, per
cui smetteva di giocare con le compagne e si ritirava nel silenzio
dell’orazione. A otto anni ricevette la Cresima, mentre a undici anni fu
ammessa alla Prima Comunione nella parrocchia di Siviriez.
Sarta a servizio della sua famiglia e del suo villaggio
Verso i quindici anni fece un periodo di apprendistato come sarta, mestiere che esercitò per tutta la vita sia a domicilio, sia presso famiglie del vicinato, retribuita a giornata.
Marguerite scartò la possibilità, da più parti sollecitata, di diventare una
religiosa, preferendo rimanere nubile e santificarsi in seno alla sua famiglia
e presso la sua parrocchia, dove praticamente rimase per tutta la vita.
I contrasti con la cognata
Dopo il matrimonio del fratello maggiore con una loro domestica, Josette, Marguerite dovette sopportare l’ostilità e l’incomprensione della cognata, divenuta padrona di casa al suo posto. Fra l’altro, la donna le rimproverava il tempo passato in preghiera o a lavorare in tranquillità col cucito, mentre lei sgobbava duro nei lavori dei campi.
A questo atteggiamento, per quindici anni, Marguerite oppose un silenzio e una
pazienza che suscitavano l’ammirazione di quanti la circondavano. Il suo agire
servizievole e la sopportazione delle ingiurie ricevute, portò alla fine la
cognata a riconoscere i propri torti: non solo, ma sul letto di morte non volle
che nessun altro tranne lei la toccasse.
Marguerite e i suoi fratelli
I tre fratelli e le tre sorelle le erano profondamente affezionati perché lei, cucendo e facendo i lavori di casa, sapeva creare con loro un’atmosfera di buon umore e di pace. Nonostante i problemi che affrontarono durante la vita, Marguerite non li giudicò negativamente, ma continuò a voler loro bene.
Una sorella, Marie-Marguerite, detta Mariette, rientrò in famiglia perché il
suo matrimonio fallì. Un altro fratello, Joseph, celibe, era di carattere
violento e trascorse anche qualche tempo in prigione. Claude, il fratello
maggiore, ebbe un figlio fuori dal matrimonio, François: Marguerite gli domandò
di riconoscerlo ufficialmente e s’incaricò della sua educazione.
La sua vita quotidiana
Sia nella propria casa sia in quelle dove si recava per lavoro, invitava i presenti a recitare con lei una o due poste di Rosario. Assisteva alla celebrazione della Messa ogni giorno e ciò costituiva «il culmine della sua giornata», come lei stessa affermava. La domenica, giorno di festa e preghiera, dopo la Messa, rimaneva in chiesa in preghiera davanti al Santissimo Sacramento, faceva la Via Crucis per un’ora e recitava il Rosario.
Le piaceva fare a piedi lunghi e faticosi pellegrinaggi ai santuari mariani, sia sola che con amici. Viveva costantemente alla presenza di Dio e alimentava questo sentimento con una costante preghiera. Il 22 febbraio 1860 entrò nel Terz’Ordine Francescano, oggi Ordine Francescano Secolare.
Dedicò il suo tempo libero a un apostolato attivo fra i bambini, insegnando loro il catechismo e formandoli a una vita religiosa e basata su seri principi morali. Nel contempo, preparava con sollecitudine le giovani alla futura condizione di spose e di madri.
Visitava gli ammalati e i morenti e aiutava i poveri, da lei definiti «i
preferiti di Dio». Inoltre, introdusse nella parrocchia le opere missionarie e
contribuì alla diffusione della stampa cattolica. Nei rapporti con gli altri
non tollerava la maldicenza e la calunnia, mettendo in pratica la regola d’oro:
«Quando non hai visto una cosa, non devi parlarne; se l’hai vista, taci».
Il cancro e la sorprendente guarigione
A trentacinque anni, nel 1853, fu operata all’intestino per un cancro.
Sconcertata dal tipo di cure che richiedeva, soprattutto perché le considerava
lesive della propria intimità, supplicò la Santa Vergine di guarirla e di
soffrire diversamente, con altri dolori che la facessero partecipare più
direttamente alla Passione di Gesù. Fu pienamente esaudita l’8 dicembre 1854,
lo stesso giorno in cui, a Roma, papa Pio IX (beatificato nel 2000) proclamava
il dogma dell’Immacolata Concezione.
Fenomeni eccezionali
Da quel giorno la sua vita fu tutta trasformata e per sempre legata a Cristo sofferente. Una misteriosa malattia l’immobilizzava in estasi ogni venerdì alle 15 e per tutta la Settimana Santa, facendole rivivere nel corpo e nello spirito le sofferenze di Gesù, dal Getsemani al Calvario.
Le apparvero nel corpo le cinque stimmate della crocifissione, che le
procuravano un grande dolore, ma che accortamente nascondeva ai curiosi. Il
vescovo di Friburgo, monsignor Étienne Marilley, volle un consulto medico per
verificare le estasi e le stimmate. L’esame autenticò ufficialmente l’origine
mistica dei fenomeni. Jean, un altro dei fratelli, si preoccupava molto per
quello che le accadeva, specie in relazione alla sua salute.
Gli ultimi anni e la morte
Negli ultimi anni della vita di Marguerite, il dolore si fece sempre più intenso, ma lei sopportò tutto senza un lamento, in totale abbandono alla volontà di Dio. In questo clima compose una preghiera:
«O Santa Vittima, attirami a te,
cammineremo insieme. Che io soffra con te,
questo è giusto.
Non ascoltare le mie ripugnanze:
che io compia nella mia carne
ciò che manca alle tue sofferenze.
Abbraccio la croce, voglio morire con te.
È nella piaga del tuo Sacro Cuore
che desidero rendere il mio ultimo respiro».
Morì nell’ottava della festa del Sacro Cuore, venerdì 27 giugno 1879, alle tre pomeridiane. I parrocchiani di Siviriez e dintorni, all’annuncio della sua morte, dicevano fra loro: «La nostra santa è morta».
I funerali si svolsero il 30 giugno, con la partecipazione di numerosi
sacerdoti e una gran folla di fedeli. I suoi resti mortali, sepolti nel
cimitero di Siviriez, furono in seguito traslati nella chiesa parrocchiale,
precisamente nella cappella di San Giuseppe.
La causa di beatificazione fino al decreto sulle virtù eroiche
La fama di santità di cui godeva in vita, proseguì e si ampliò dopo la sua morte, per cui la diocesi di Friburgo (oggi di Losanna-Ginevra-Friburgo) avviò la sua causa di beatificazione. Nel 1929 si svolse il processo informativo, integrato dal processo supplementare istruito dal 1953 al 1955. Il 25 novembre 1956 si ebbe il decreto sugli scritti, seguito, il 9 marzo 1957, dal decreto sul non culto.
Dopo anni di silenzio e le nuove normative in materia di cause di beatificazione e canonizzazione, anche quella di Marguerite riprese. Il 13 dicembre 1985 venne emesso il decreto di convalida dell’inchiesta diocesana. L’anno successivo fu invece presentata la “Positio super virtutibus”.
I Consultori Teologi della Congregazione delle Cause dei Santi, il 13 febbraio
1990, si pronunciarono favorevolmente circa l’esercizio in grado eroico, da
parte di Marguerite, delle virtù cristiane. Anche i cardinali e i vescovi della
stessa Congregazione, il 19 giugno 1990, diedero il proprio parere positivo. Il
10 luglio 1990, quindi, il Papa san Giovanni Paolo II autorizzò la
promulgazione del decreto con cui Marguerite Bays veniva dichiarata Venerabile.
Il miracolo per la beatificazione
Come possibile miracolo per ottenere la sua beatificazione fu considerato il caso di Marcel Ménétrey, all’epoca diciannovenne, studente al Collége Saint-Michel di Friburgo. Il 25 aprile 1940 partì per un’escursione al Dent-de-Lys, una montagna alta più di duemila metri. Con lui c’erano don Auguste Davet, cappellano di Chavannes-les-Forts (comune nel quale rientra La Pierraz), sua nipote Marguerite Davet e il giovane sacrestano Louis Aubert. Nessuno di loro era esperto di alpinismo.
Nel corso della discesa, dopo aver conquistato la vetta, Marguerite Davet
precipitò, trascinando con sé gli altri. La corda che li legava si ruppe a
circa tre metri da Marcel, il quale, sia durante la salita, sia dopo, aveva
invocato Marguerite Bays. Dopo lo sconvolgimento, riprese a invocarla per poter
arrivare sano e salvo a valle, stringendo il proprio Rosario: così avvenne.
Marcel Ménétrey in seguito divenne sacerdote e morì il 27 ottobre 2000.
Il riconoscimento del miracolo e la beatificazione
L’asserito miracolo venne esaminato nell’inchiesta diocesana relativa, che vide la partecipazione anche di alpinisti esperti e i cui atti furono convalidati il 12 aprile 1991. La Consulta Medica della Congregazione delle Cause dei Santi dichiarò, il 25 febbraio 1993, che l’accaduto era inspiegabile dal punto di vista scientifico.
I Consultori Teologi, il 2 luglio 1993, stabilirono che c’era un nesso tra il fatto prodigioso e l’intercessione di Marguerite. Questa dichiarazione fu confermata dai cardinali e dai vescovi membri della Congregazione delle Cause dei Santi, il 16 novembre 1993.
Infine, il 23 dicembre 1993, san Giovanni Paolo II autorizzò la promulgazione del decreto con cui si dichiarava che quello era un autentico miracolo, ottenuto per intercessione di Marguerite Bays.
Lo stesso Pontefice la beatificò il 29 ottobre 1995 nella basilica di San
Pietro a Roma. Nella stessa celebrazione furono elevate agli onori degli altari
altre due donne svizzere, entrambe religiose: suor Maria Teresa Scherer,
fondatrice delle Suore della Croce di Ingebohl, e suor Maria Bernarda Bütler,
fondatrice delle Suore Francescane di Maria Ausiliatrice. La sua memoria
liturgica fu fissata al 27 giugno, giorno della sua nascita al Cielo.
Il miracolo per la canonizzazione
Come secondo miracolo per ottenere la canonizzazione è stato esaminato un fatto avvenuto il 6 marzo 1998 a Siviriez. Norbert Baudois, agricoltore, si trovava sul proprio trattore insieme alle nipoti Nadine, di otto anni, e Virginie, di ventidue mesi, per ritirare le barriere antineve del proprio campo. A un certo punto, lasciò il volante a Nadine, per gli ultimi metri. Proprio in quell’istante, Virginie, che era seduta sulle ginocchia del nonno, cadde e passò sotto le ruote del mezzo in movimento.
Il nonno scese dal trattore e rialzò la bambina, priva di sensi. Dopo qualche istante, però, scoppiò a piangere. A Norbert venne spontaneo ringraziare subito la Beata Marguerite, cui era molto devoto e a cui chiedeva ogni giorno di proteggere i suoi nipoti, in base al grande affetto che lei ebbe in vita verso i bambini. Altrettanto tempestivamente, portò la nipote in ospedale. Dopo tre giorni in osservazione, la bambina fu dimessa: aveva solo qualche escoriazione superficiale.
L’inchiesta diocesana sull’asserito miracolo si è conclusa il 27 maggio 2014 nella chiesa parrocchiale di Siviriez e ha previsto anche una perizia tecnica sul trattore che aveva travolto la bambina. Virginie oggi lavora come estetista e gode di ottima salute.
Il 15 gennaio 2019, ricevendo in udienza il cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciu, Prefetto della Congregazione delle Cause dei Santi, papa Francesco ha autorizzato la promulgazione del decreto con cui l’accaduto era da considerare un miracolo ottenuto per intercessione della Beata Marguerite Bays. Lo stesso Pontefice l’ha canonizzata il 13 ottobre 2019 in piazza San Pietro a Roma, insieme ad altri quattro Beati.
Autore: Antonio Borrelli ed Emilia Flochini
SOURCE : https://www.santiebeati.it/dettaglio/91709
Margaretha Bays
französischer Name:
Marguerite
Gedenktag katholisch: 27. Juni
gebotener Gedenktag im Kanton Fribourg
nicht gebotener Gedenktag im übrigen Bistum Lausanne-Genf-Fribourg
Name bedeutet: die
Perle (griech.)
Mystikerin, Terziarin
* 8. September 1815 in La Pierraz bei Fribourg in der Schweiz
† 27. Juni 1879 daselbst
Andachtsbild
Margaretha Bays,
zweitältestes von sechs Kindern einer Bauernfamilie, konnte drei Jahre lang
eine Schule besuchen und im Alter von 15 Jahren Schneiderin lernen. Sie lebte
als Bäuerin und Näherin bei ihren Eltern. Und sie nahm ganz bewusst ihre
Berufung als Christin wahr; den Gedanken an einen Eintritt in ein Kloster
lehnte sie ab, weil sie ihr Christentum im Alltag verwirklichen wollte. Die
tägliche Messe, das Gebet - besonders der Rosenkranz und
die Kreuzwegandacht -
sowie Wallfahrten zu
Orten der Marienverehrung
- darunter elf Mal zur schwarzen Muttergottes nach Einsiedeln -
prägten ihr Leben. In ihrer Nachbarschaft sorgte sie sich um die religiöse
Erziehung von Kindern. Durch Spiele im Freien oder im Zimmer vermittelte sie
ihnen den Glauben und besprach die Predigt des Pfarrers oder den Katechismus.
In den Armen erkannte sie die bevorzugten Freunde Christi und
teilte ihnen Gaben aus. Margarethas Fürsorge für Kranke und Sterbende wurde
bewundert, oft wurde sie zu Leidenden gerufen, denen sie mit ihrer Zuversicht
zur Barmherzigkeit Gottes Trost spendete.
Für das von Pauline
Marie Jaricot in Frankreich neu gegründete Missionswerk sammelte
Margaretha eifrig Spenden. Die Gründung der katholischen Zeitung La
Liberté, Die Freiheit unterstützte sie anteilnehmend. Zur Stärkung
ihres geistlichen Lebens besuchte sie nun öfter das Kloster der Zisterzienserinnen im
nahen Romont zu Exerzitien. Um 1853 zeigten sich die ersten Anzeichen einer Art
von Darmkrebs. Im folgenden Jahr wurde Bays unvermittelt und auf wunderbare
Weise am 8. Dezember - zeitgleich mit der Verkündigung des Dogmas von der Unbefleckten
Empfängnis der Jungfrau und Gottesmutter Maria durch Papst Pius IX. -
vom Krebs geheilt. Von da an fiel sie jeden Freitag und während der Karwoche in
Ekstase, zudem zeigten sich an ihren Händen die Wundmale des Gekreuzigten.
1860 trat sie dem Dritten
Orden der Franziskaner bei. 1873 fand eine vom Diözesanbischof
angeordnete Untersuchung der Wundmale und Ekstasen statt.
Schon bei ihrem Tod wurde
Margaretha Bays von zahlreichen Menschen aus der Umgebung als Heilige verehrt.
Das Haus,
in dem sie lebte, in La Pierraz wird heute von zahlreichen Pilgern
aufgesucht.
Marcel Menétrey überlebte
am Ostermontag
1940 als einziger von vier Personen wie durch ein Wunder einen Kletterunfall in
den Voralpen bei Fribourg:
Der damals 19-jährige machte unter Führung eines 61-jährigen Priesters zusammen
mit seiner 24-jährigen Nichte und einem 14-jährigen Ministranten eine Bergtour
auf den 2017 Meter hohen Dent de Lys. Beim Abstieg waren alle vier Bergsteiger
angeseilt, als das Mädchen plötzlich ausrutschte, in die Tiefe stürzte und die
andern mit sich riss – bis auf Marcel, denn der stieß in diesem
Schreckensmoment das Stossgebet Marguerite Bays aus, und auf
wundersame Weise wurde das Seil zwischen ihm und den andern durchtrennt und er
als Einziger gerettet. Er eilte ins Tal, aber die in Marsch gesetzte
Rettungsgruppe konnte die drei anderen Berggänger nur noch tot bergen. Menétrey
hat das Seil, nachdem er im Tal angekommen war, weggeworfen, es konnte später
nicht mehr gefunden werden. Menétrey, dessen Großeltern mit Margaretha Bays eng
befreundet waren, ist später Priester geworden.
Kanonisation: Bereits
1927 hatte der Freiburger Ortsbischof versucht, ein Verfahren zur
Seligsprechung von Margaretha Bays einzuleiten. Nach dem Wunder am Dent de Lys
unternahm sein Nachfolger 1953 einen weiteren Versuch. 1987 setzte Bischof
Mamie ein nach den Vorschriften des kanonischen Rechtes operierendes Gericht
ein, das Bays bezüglich einer möglichen Seligsprechung zu würdigen hatte und
schließlich erfolgreich klärte, dass der lebensrettende Seilriss von 1940 ihr
als Wunder zugeschrieben werden könne, das zur Seligsprechung nötig ist.
Margaretha Bays wurde dann am 29. Oktober 1995 durch Papst Johannes
Paul II. selig- und am 13. Oktober 2019 durch Papst
Franziskus heiliggesprochen.
In mehreren
Sprachen gibt es von der Stiftung Marguerite Bays eine aufwändig
gestaltete Webseite über
Margaretha Bays.
Artikel
kommentieren / Fehler melden
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Margaretha Bays
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Margaretha Bays
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Autor: Joachim
Schäfer - zuletzt aktualisiert am 23.04.2021
Quellen:
• Newsletter von Radio Vatikan – 31. Juli 2009
• http://www.savior.org/saints/bays.htm
• http://www.kath.ch/pdf/kipa_20080417160310.pdf
• http://www.kirchen.ch/pressespiegel/nzz/0274.pdf
• Margrit Bays. Éditions de Signe, Strasbourg 1995
korrekt zitieren: Joachim Schäfer: Artikel Margaretha Bays, aus dem Ökumenischen Heiligenlexikon - https://www.heiligenlexikon.de/BiographienM/Margaretha_Bays.html, abgerufen am 27. 6. 2023
Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek verzeichnet das Ökumenische
Heiligenlexikon in der Deutschen Nationalbibliografie; detaillierte
bibliografische Daten sind im Internet über http://d-nb.info/1175439177 und http://d-nb.info/969828497 abrufbar.
SOURCE : https://www.heiligenlexikon.de/BiographienM/Margaretha_Bays.html
Den hellige Margareta
Bays (1815-1879)
Minnedag: 27.
juni
Den hellige Margareta
Bays (fr: Marguerite) ble født den 8. september 1815 i La Pierraz, en landsby i
sognet Siviriez i kantonen Fribourg i Sveits. Hun ble døpt dagen etter i
sognekirken. Hun var den andre av seks barn (tre gutter og tre jenter) av
Joseph Bays fra La Pierraz og Marie-Joséphine Morel fra Vilaraboud, enkle, men
fromme bønder. Margareta var intelligent og beskjeden, og hun ble som tre-
eller fireåring sendt til den skolen som nylig var åpnet i Chavannes-les-Forts.
Men hun fikk bare gå tre på folkeskolen for å lære å lese og skrive.
Hun ble fermet
(konfirmert) i sognekirken den 17. august 1823 og mottok sin første kommunion
der som 11-åring. Som 15-åring fikk hun utdannelse som sydame og skredder.
Deretter reiste hun rundt og sydde for folk. Hun tilbrakte hele livet på
hjemstedet. Hun avviste forslaget fra venner om å tre inn i en kongregasjon,
hun ville bo hos familien og leve ut sitt kristne kall som sølibatær legkvinne.
I sin menighet var
Margareta en eksemplarisk hengiven legkvinne, spesielt viet til barn og unge
jenter. Hun ba og lekte sammen med dem og underviste dem i den kristne tro. Hun
besøkte de syke og de døende med utrettelig iver. Hun var en sann venn av de
fattige, som hun kalte «Guds favoritter». Hun innførte misjonsaktiviteter i
menigheten og bidro til finansieringen av den katolske pressen under Kulturkampf.
Hver morgen gikk hun halvannen kilometer til fots til kirken, og den daglige
messen var høydepunktet i hennes liv.
Hun utviklet tarmkreft i
35-årsalderen, og hun ba da Den hellige Jomfru om å gå i forbønn hos sin Sønn
for å gjøre om hennes lidelser til en form for smerte som ville gjøre det mulig
for henne å ta mer direkte del i Herrens lidelse. Hun ble mirakuløst helbredet
den 8. desember 1854 i det øyeblikk da den salige pave Pius IX (1846-78)
proklamerte dogmet om Marias uplettede unnfangelse. Hun var da avmagret til et
skjelett.
I stedet fikk hun en
mystisk lidelse som lammet henne i en slags ekstatisk tilstand hver fredag,
mens hun for sitt indre blikk opplevde de forskjellige stadier av Jesu lidelse
fra Getsemane til Golgata. I likhet med den hellige Frans av Assisi ble hun
også stigmatisert, noe hun gjorde sitt ytterste for å holde hemmelig. Fra 1854
til 1873 var sårmerkene synlige, mens de fra 1873 til hennes død var usynlige,
men enda mer smertefulle. Fra 1873 bar hun også på mystisk vis en tornekrone,
som ga henne ulidelige hodesmerter.
Etter at hennes foreldre
var døde og hennes to søstre hadde giftet seg, overtok Margareta i 1856
ansvaret for husholdningen. Hennes eldre bror Claude drev gården. I 1860 giftet
han seg med tjenestejenta på gården, som dermed ble forfremmet til husfrue på
gården. Hun behandlet svigerinnen Margareta ydmykende, kalte henne overfrom som
kastet bort tiden med å be, og beskyldte henne for å være lat når hun gikk til
sitt rom under påskudd å skulle sy mens hun selv måtte arbeide på markene.
Margareta svarte aldri på fornærmelsene og klaget aldri til noen andre over
behandlingen hun fikk.
Margareta var svært from
og hadde en dyp kjærlighet til Jomfru Maria, som hun æret ved ofte å resitere
rosenkransen og besøke Maria-helligdommer. Hun innførte en daglig Maria-andakt
i menigheten samt hyppige valfarter til den lille kirken «Vår Frue i
skogen» (Notre-Dame du Bois). Hun gikk også elleve ganger til fots de tyve
milene til Vår Frue av Einsiedeln, enten alene eller sammen med venner. Hun
hadde også en enorm kjærlighet til Kristus i eukaristien og tilbrakte mye tid
tilbedelse foran alterets hellige sakrament. Hun spurte stadig: «Hva kan vi
gjøre for å elske Gud mer?». Hun var svært ydmyk og følte at hun var den
usleste av alle skapninger og en stor synder. Hun skydde oppmerksomhet og søkte
alltid å skjule de synlige merkene på den nåde hun hadde mottatt.
Hun identifiserte seg mer
og mer med den lidende Kristus på korset. I fasten 1879 ble hennes helsetilstand
betydelig verre.. Hun hadde bedt Gud om å få den nåde å dø på Jesu Hjertefest.
Hun døde klokken 3 om ettermiddagen fredag den 27. juni 1879 i Siviriez, 63 år
gammel, på oktavdagen for Jesu Hjertefest. Hun ble gravlagt den 30. juni.
Den 10. juli 1990 ble
hennes «heroiske dyder» anerkjent og hun fikk tittelen Venerabilis («Ærverdig»).
Den 23. desember 1993 undertegnet pave Johannes Paul II (1978-2005) dekretet
fra Helligkåringskongregasjonen som godkjente et mirakel på hennes forbønn. Hun
ble saligkåret av paven den 29. oktober 1995 i Roma. Hennes minnedag er
dødsdagen 27. juni.
Hun ble helligkåret
søndag den 13. oktober 2019 på Petersplassen av pave Frans sammen med fire
andre.
Kilder: Holböck
(4), Resch (B3), Index99, EWTN/OR, marguerite-bays.ch, inforomont.ch,
savior.org - Kompilasjon og oversettelse: p. Per Einar Odden -
Sist oppdatert: 2005-07-02 22:20
SOURCE : http://www.katolsk.no/biografier/historisk/mbays
Voir aussi : https://www.marguerite-bays.ch/sa-vie
https://www.womenofgrace.com/blog/67430
https://saintscatholic.blogspot.com/2018/06/blessed-marguerite-bays-laywoman-mystic.html
