The Basics: Born September 26, 1815, in France; died March 4, 1877, in France; beatified May 6, 1951, by Pius XII; feast day, March 4. Woman religious.
The Story: Have you ever found it hard to live up to someone’s image of your predecessor? It 
often seems that the person who did a job or oversaw a ministry before us was perfect. Consider Placide’s situation. When she was eighteen, she visited a cousin who was among the early followers of Mary Magdalen Postel, founder of the Sisters of Christian Schools of Mercy congregation (and who was canonized in 1951). Placide, the child of Normandy fishers, determined she had a vocatioin as well and joined the congregation two years later. She became superior general in 1846 when Mary Magdalen died. Placide held the position for the next thirty years and spurred a period of significant growth. Under leadership, the congregation’s order gained papal approval; the number of convents in France grew from 37 to 105; the first house outside France was established in Germany; and three dozen schools for girls were founded in Normandy.
Placide’s Wisdom: “If Jesus told an eager heart: be patient, it will; if he told a cold and unkind heart: be hot and charitable, it will; if he tells a heart filled with affection for the world: be detached, it will be changed soon.”
What We Can Learn from Placide: Where are you holding back because you inherited a ministry or job from a powerhouse or beloved person? Pray about where the Lord wants you to take things. Don’t be content to just maintain the status quo.
To Learn More About Placide: Visit the congregation’s Web page about her life.
To Learn More About Other Women Saints and Blesseds: Come back next week, or consider buying my book, Sisterhood of Saints: Daily Guidance and Inspiration.
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