Marguerite Rutan

After her spiritual and practical formation according to the charism of Saint Vincent de Paul and Saint Louise de Marillac, Sister Marguerite Rutan was sent to several hospitals in France. She exercised her ministry to the sick and the poor in Pau, Brest, Fontainebleau, Troyes, and other localities, acquiring solid experience in hospital management and nursing care. In August 1779, at the age of 43, she was appointed superior of the Saint-Eutrope Hospital in Dax, an establishment undergoing major restructuring under the impetus of the local bishop. Sister Marguerite proved herself a true pioneer of social action there. Under her leadership, the community of the Daughters of Charity did not merely care for the sick: she opened a school for boys and girls, established a home to welcome abandoned young girls, and organized the distribution of food and alms to needy families. Her dedication and skills earned her the esteem and affection of the population of Dax.

When the French Revolution broke out, the political climate quickly became hostile toward religious congregations. Despite the suppression of religious orders, the Daughters of Charity of Dax chose to remain in the service of the sick under the name of "Ladies of Charity." In October 1793, the authorities demanded that they take the constitutional oath. Faithful to the Church and their faith, Sister Marguerite and her companions categorically refused to swear. Due to the immense utility of their services, the authorities did not dare to expel them immediately. However, the Terror took hold in Dax. At the end of 1793, Sister Marguerite was denounced and accused of "incivisme" (lack of civic spirit). She was specifically accused of having sought to corrupt the republican and revolutionary spirit of the wounded soldiers treated at the hospital. She was arrested on December 24, 1793 (Christmas Eve) and incarcerated in the local detention house. During her detention, she underwent several interrogations and was kept in isolation, while maintaining remarkable dignity and inner peace. On April 9, 1794 (20 Germinal Year II), the revolutionary tribunal sentenced her to death. She was led to the scaffold the same day, tied back-to-back on the cart with a refractory priest, Abbé Jean-Eutrope Lannelongue (pastor of Gaube). During the journey to the place of execution, Sister Marguerite courageously sang the Magnificat. After witnessing the priest's martyrdom with serenity, she was guillotined in her turn, offering her life while forgiving her executioners with all her heart.

The process for the recognition of her martyrdom opened at the diocesan level in 1907, in the Diocese of Aire and Dax. In 1917, the cause was officially introduced to the Holy See under the pontificate of Pope Benedict XV, conferring upon her the title of Servant of God. After a long period of stagnation due to historical difficulties, the cause was revived at the beginning of the 21st century. On July 1, 2010, Pope Benedict XVI authorized the promulgation of the decree recognizing the martyrdom of Sister Marguerite Rutan, killed "in hatred of the faith" (in odium fidei). As it concerned a martyrdom, no miracle was required for her beatification. The solemn beatification ceremony was celebrated on June 19, 2011, in the arenas of Dax. It was presided over by Cardinal Angelo Amato, Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, personal representative of Pope Benedict XVI, in the presence of the Bishop of Aire and Dax, Mgr. Philippe Breton, and thousands of the faithful.

The spirituality of Blessed Marguerite Rutan is deeply rooted in the Vincentian charism: to see and serve Christ through the person of the poor and the sick. Her martyrdom is not an isolated act, but the crowning of an entire life given out of love. She knew how to combine immense professional and organizational competence with boundless charity, becoming the protector of abandoned children, single mothers, and the excluded. Today, she is venerated as a model of courage in the face of persecution and of fidelity to the Christian conscience. Her individual liturgical memory is fixed on April 9, the day of her birth into Heaven. In the Vincentian Family, she is also celebrated on June 26, in association with the other Daughters of Charity who were martyrs of the French Revolution (the Martyrs of Arras).