On Mother Barat's tracks: Anna du Rousier

In 2003, The Society of the Sacred Heart in Chile was celebrating the 150th anniversary of the arrival of the first missionaries in Chile. The leader of the trio was Mother Anna du Rousier, who had inherited the mystical spirit and the teaching ability of Madeleine Sophie Barat and the dynamism of Philippine Duchesne.

Her childhood in Poitou (France) was already marked by the cross: during the exterminations of the Vendees, her father was bound to a galloping horse and shredded because of too much sympathy with the Vendees. Little Anna would never forget that event and her father's body. In 1814, the boarding school of Poitiers took her and her sisters in. In 1818, Philippine Duchesne, going to the United States convinced her to change her life project. She was thinking to the Carmel but decided to have an apostolic life, with the same generosity. At the age of 15, she asked to enter the novitiate. Mother Grosier left her in the boarding school: this was not so different than the novitiate !

Her habit taking is quite original. At the end of the retreat, the bishop invited those who had heard the call of God to come and receive the habit of the alliance with Jesus Christ... and the timid Anna came forward. Her novitiate continued in Paris, in an increasing union with Madeleine Sophie, in who lived a fire. And this union between Anna and Mother Barat never failed, what ever happened. At the age of 19 years old, Anna made her vows in Turin and started a successful career of teacher. She fulfilled functions of increasing importance and her influence spread over the whole region: spiritual life, congregations, libraries, preparation to the Holy Communion, activities for the people in the villages... She advises the teachers, as well educational as spiritual: "I try to consider all teachers with love and respect, let my thoughts on the feet of our Lord, give my opinion sweetly, maintain peace and cordiality in relations, to be good and firm together, looking for union and learn to work hard and limit expenses for household". You may recognise the spiritual and educational heritage of the Sacred Heart Society: in her union with the Heart of the Christ, the teacher finds the meaning of the personal relation with every child. Education is cooperation, in a family mood. In Piedmont, this education of solid women will allow to re-open in 1883 the school closed and destroyed during the revolution of 1848.

Mother du Rousier had a large number of mails with Mother Barat, demonstrating a love which did not fail during the crisis of 1839-1843, that opposed ultramontans (Rome) et gallicans (Paris), although she was mislead by the opinion of Mother Pauline de Limminghe, which was opposed to the founder.

The successful years of Mother du Rousier ended with the revolution in Piedmont. She identified her then with the suffering Christ, and she offered her life during the troubles up to the expulsion in 1848. From 1848 to 1853, she lived in Paris and experienced unfounded prosecution, no success with the children who do not respond to her spiritual fire. Only with young sisters she could share her intense internal life and her enormous zeal for mission.

She was still thinking to mission, especially to Brazil. At that time, she was designed for visiting the foundations in the United States. The journey was incredibly dangerous and visiting the foundations was very tiring for her physical resistance limited by her austere life. As she didn't know English, she needed a translator; she was sad of the lack of religious personnel; the climate was hard. But she was happy to receive the benediction from Philippine Duchesne, who had decided her to become a sister, and who starved the after. It was then decided to found a Sacred Heart School in Chile and Sainte Madeleine Sophie gave her that responsibility.

During a night of prayer, a real fight took place in her heart. The enormous difficulties prevented her to say yes, but a long prayer overcame her whole body, heart, imagination and sensibility and peace and confidence came in her heart. That peace helped her to stay firm when crossing the Isthmus of Panama she fell in a precipice. A small tree retained her up to the arrival of aid... She continued to cross that immense country of Chile, creating foundations, participating to all works, welcoming the sisters coming for reinforcement. With 85% of analphabetism, she founded a normal school, where she must teach everything tot he normalians. !

Thanks to her personality and her history, she was fully corresponding to the leading social class, originating from Castillo and Basque country: profound and solid piety, sense of the family, of the work and other worthies: union, simplicity, responsibility, austerity, economy and industriousness. Those qualities were also present in the public services organised by the leaders of that time. Such a sympathy may explain the success of Anna at her arrival; she could realise in a short time what could have appeared impossible to three sisters who knew merely Spanish and who didn't find a house to stay at her arrival.

Anna was fully dedicated to the mission, with the help of various groups of sisters coming from Europe and the United States. Up to 1864, seven groups came, with a total of 28 sisters, among with several ones were still very young and inexperienced. Together with her intense apostolic activity, Anna was taking a high care of the life of the community, the prayer and the education of the young sisters. She was giving conferences every week, with the inspiration of the Bible or the Constitutions of the Society, or looking for preachers for conferences and retreats to improve the religious life.

In 1864, she participated to the General Council and had the opportunity to meet Mother Barat again. When she came back to Chile, the expansion continued. The seed was present in Peru and Argentina. The day she was buried, founders embarked to Buenos-Aires. Her force was always Eucharist, through work, joy and pains. Her most given advises were: study the Heart of Jesus in the prayer, imitate Him with humility, sweetness and generosity, to reach unity with Him through frequent look, pure love and unlimited confidence. She gave her last energy in that spirit.

When reading her life, we may ask what was the most prominent, the quantity of adventures and difficulties she was confronted to, or the force of her spiritual life which made her conform to the Heart of Jesus.

Among the large bibliography about her, let us mention two books:

Last update: 2006-01-02