Jeanne Chézard de Matel

The major work of Jeanne Chézard de Matel is the foundation of the Order of the Incarnate Word and the Blessed Sacrament. On July 2, 1625, she began this work in Roanne with two companions, settling in a former Ursuline house. The community was initially known as the "Daughters of the Lamb of Jesus." In 1627, the group moved to Lyon, establishing itself on the Montée du Gourguillon on the Fourvière hill. The rule and constitutions of the Order, focused primarily on the education and instruction of young girls, were approved by Pope Urban VIII in 1633. However, Jeanne encountered numerous difficulties and ecclesiastical oppositions. The Archbishop of Lyon, Cardinal Alphonse-Louis de Richelieu, refused for many years the canonical erection of the Lyon monastery, which was not officially recognized until 1655. Despite these trials, Jeanne continued her work and established four main monasteries in France during her lifetime: Avignon (1639), Grenoble (1643), Paris (1644), and Lyon (1655, definitive canonical recognition). The Order is characterized by the autonomy of its various monasteries and a non-centralized regime. Jeanne eventually settled in the Paris convent, where she pronounced her solemn vows and passed away on September 11, 1670.

Jeanne Chézard de Matel is recognized as one of the great mystical figures of the 17th-century French Church. Her life was marked by intense spiritual experiences, ecstasies, and interior revelations. In 1642, at the request of her spiritual directors and following an inquiry ordered by Cardinal Armand Jean du Plessis de Richelieu (conducted by his brother, the Archbishop of Lyon), she wrote her Autobiography. This manuscript of over 450 pages details the graces and spiritual gifts she received. She is also the author of numerous theological and spiritual writings, including the Traité des quatre mariages (c. 1629), which testifies to a profound knowledge of the Scriptures and a remarkable mastery of Latin, a rare feat for a laywoman of her time.

The cause for the beatification of Jeanne Chézard de Matel was introduced to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. On March 7, 1992, Pope John Paul II authorized the promulgation of the decree recognizing the heroic nature of her virtues, thereby officially conferring upon her the status of Venerable.

The spirituality of Jeanne Chézard de Matel is deeply Christocentric, centered on the mystery of the Incarnation and the Eucharist. She conceived her vocation as a participation in the spiritual motherhood of the Virgin Mary, aiming to spiritually "give birth" to Christ in the world.

After her death in 1670, the Order of the Incarnate Word continued to develop in France until the French Revolution, a period during which the monasteries were suppressed and the nuns dispersed. The Order was restored in 1816-1817 in Azerables (Creuse) by Mother Marie du Saint-Esprit Chinard and Father Étienne Denis.

In the 19th century, the institute expanded outside of France. In 1852, nuns left for Texas (United States) at the invitation of Bishop Jean-Marie Odin, laying the foundations for significant development in North and South America. Today, the Religious of the Incarnate Word and the congregations stemming from their spirituality (such as the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word) continue their mission of education and care for vulnerable people on three continents (Europe, America, Africa).