Anniversary

2012 marks the 150th anniversary of the death of Pauline Jaricot. Today as then, countless missionaries depend on the work of her band of helpers and their successors throughout the world, including the Pontifical Mission Societies in Ireland; World Missions, Ireland. The World Mission Sunday collection, which amounted to €2.2 million, along with all the other monies donated to the Pontifical Societies during 2010, was distributed to projects in 27 countries during 2011. The 'mustard seed' now has 159 national offices across the world. Pauline's missionary dream became a reality, her faith giving life and sustaining hope.

Her Faith Gave Her Life

The little girl stood beside the family well as her mother filled her bucket. "Oh! How I'd like to have a well of gold to give some to all the unfortunate, so that there wouldn't be any more poor people at all and so no one would cry."

The year was 1807 and Pauline Jaricot was 8 years old. Little did she then know that she would spend her life creating many miniature life-giving wells from which literally millions of poor people across the world would draw hope. Although she herself would shed many tears during her 53 years, her time and energy would be completely dedicated to alleviating the pain of others. Indeed, Pope Paul VI would say, "More than others, Pauline had to encounter, accept, and overcome with love a number of objections, defeats, humiliations, and renunciations which would give her work the mark of the Cross and its mysterious fecundity."

Pauline was born in Lyons on July 22 1799, the daughter of the owners of a silk factory, shortly after the closure of the French Revolution. She was a very normal child with great imagination. From her early childhood, she and her brother Phileas, who was two years older, played 'missionaries' and dreamed of travelling to distant lands, especially to China, in order to spread the Gospel message. In those days, China, with its ancient civilisation, magnificent artwork and dazzlingly beautiful textiles, captured the popular imagination.

Meanwhile the stories told by intrepid missionaries painted a picture of a vast land with 'fields white for the harvest' if only more Christians could undertake to imitate their endeavours. Again and again, they appealed for funds and materials to support their work amongst the 'Descendants of the Dragon', as the Chinese still call themselves. There was one problem: Pauline was a girl and Phileas was a boy.

She was automatically excluded from any major attempt to become a foreign missionary at a time when even Religious Sisters were not seriously considered to have a vital role to play outside the strict enclosure of Contemplative orders. Phileas was sympathetic, but as he was ordained and headed towards China, he consoled her (he thought) by saying, "Little sister, you cannot come; but you shall take a rake, rake in heaps of gold and you shall send it to me in barrels."

In many ways Pauline was a daughter of her times, compelled to live within the chauvenist established social customs of 19th century France, which dictated a vast selection of things which 'a lady' might or might not do. Yet Pauline was also way ahead of the society and Church into which she was born. Able to 'think outside the box' she conceived ingenious initiatives. It was such a simple idea to recruit ten people who would each encourage ten more who would, in turn, each find ten others. In no time at all, ten people would be one hundred and then one thousand. Even the very poor could afford to contribute one monthly sou, the smallest coin in 19th century French currency, to help support missions and missionaries - and that was exactly how Pauline started what is, today, the world's oldest and largest missionary charity, the Association for the Propagation of the Faith. Yet when she spoke of her idea to her parish priest, he was scarcely complimentary even whilst encouraging her to continue! Father Würtz told her, "Pauline, you are too stupid to have thought up this plan... Clearly, it comes from God. Also, not only do I permit it, but I strongly advise you to put it into operation! " read more...

What It Takes To Give: A Story by Michael Glynn

You could say that Pauline Jaricot had it made. She had everything going for her. She was young, rich, beautiful. She had a wonderful home and a wonderful time. She was in love, and her family got along fine with the boy. Having a millionaire (in francs, anyway) for a father meant that there was a country house for the summer and a house in town for the season. Pauline was the belle of the ball during the season.

And there was that heady thing, the envy of the other girls - envy, and that sincerest form of flattery, imitation. They copied her hair styles. She was clever at designing accessories for her dresses; they copied those, too. It's something to turn the head, being a leader of fashion at seventeen.

There was one other thing. Pauline Jaricot was a very good girl, despite a hasty temper, a quick tongue, and a lot of vanity.

Choosing her path in life

She had courage too. It took great courage to do what she did one Sunday. She came to Mass in a hideously ugly dress. It was dullish purple, and it hung like a sack. There were titters in church, half-suppressed gasps. She was mortified, naturally. She was humiliated, sick with shame. But she knew what she was doing; it was quite deliberate. She was making a break with triviality. She had only one life. She was going to make it mean something.

You don't suddenly retire from the jet set without feeling the claws - she could have written a book about that. But she didn't have time.

Others people's troubles and deprivations, that's what she wrote about. Her country was in turmoil, and its practice of religion had slipped. People were suffering in hospitals. Children were being abandoned in China. The missions were in need of all kinds of support. All this bothered her. Her sympathy extended to the poor because of their squalid homes and wretched working conditions as well as to the rich who had lost their money. read more...