Mary Fabyan Windeatt - St. Margaret Mary

THE CHILDREN OF FATIMA

And Our Ladys Message to the World

THE CUR OF ARS

The Story of St. John Vianney, Patron Saint of Parish Priests

THE LITTLE FLOWER

The Story of St. Therese of the Child Jesus

PATRON SAINT OF FIRST COMMUNICANTS

The Story of Blessed Imelda Lambertini

THE MIRACULOUS MEDAL

The Story of Our Ladys Appearances to St. Catherine Laboure

ST. LOUIS DE MONTFORT

The Story of Our Ladys Slave, St. Louis Mary Grignion De Montfort

SAINT THOMAS AQUINAS

The Story of The Dumb Ox

SAINT CATHERINE OF SIENA

The Story of the Girl Who Saw Saints in the Sky

SAINT HYACINTH OF POLAND

The Story of the Apostle of the North

SAINT MARTIN DE PORRES

The Story of the Little Doctor of Lima, Peru

SAINT ROSE OF LIMA

The Story of the First Canonized Saint of the Americas

PAULINE JARICOT

Foundress of the Living Rosary & The Society for the Propagation of the Faith

SAINT DOMINIC

Preacher of the Hail Mary and Founder of the Dominican Order

SAINT PAUL THE APOSTLE

The Story of the Apostle to the Gentiles

SAINT BENEDICT

The Story of the Father of the Western Monks

KING DAVID AND HIS SONGS

A Story of the Psalms

SAINT MARGARET MARY

And the Promises of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

SAINT JOHN MASIAS

Marvelous Dominican Gatekeeper of Lima, Peru

SAINT FRANCIS SOLANO

Wonder-Worker of the New World and Apostle of Argentina and Peru

BLESSED MARIE OF NEW FRANCE

The Story of the First Missionary Sisters in Canada

Nihil Obstat:	Joseph D. Brokhage, S.T.D. Censor Librorum
Imprimatur:		Paul C. Schulte, D.D. Archbishop of Indianapolis Feast of Saint Margaret Mary October 17, 1953

Copyright 1953 by Saint Meinrads Abbey.

First published in 1953, as A Grail Publication, by St. Meinrads Abbey, Inc., St. Meinrad, Indiana, under the title Mission for Margaret: The Story of the First Fridays. Retypeset and republished in 1994 by TAN Books, an Imprint of Saint Benedict Press, LLC. The type in this book is the property of TAN Books, and may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, without written permission from the Publisher. (This restriction applies only to this type, not to quotations from the book.)

Library of Congress Catalog Card No.: 90-71825

ISBN: 978-0-89555-415-4

Printed and bound in the United States of America.

To those
who make known and loved
The Sacred Heart of Jesus

O Heart of Love, I put all my trust in Thee; for I fear all things from my own weakness, but I hope for all things from Thy goodness.

Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque

An indulgence of 300 days. A plenary indulgence once a month under the usual conditions, if this invocation is repeated daily with devotion, (Pius X, Rescript in his own hand, May 30, 1908, exhib. June 3, 1908; S.P. Ap., March 10, 1935.)

Grateful acknowledgment is due to the Reverend Thomas H. Moore, S.J., Editor of The Messenger of the Sacred Heart and National Secretary of the Apostleship of Prayer, for his help and encouragement in preparing this little story of Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque. Also to the Reverend Adrian Fuerst, O.S.B., S.T.D., Head of the Department of Social Studies at St. Meinrad Major Seminary, St. Meinrad, Indiana, and to the Reverend Victor L. Goossens, Pastor of St. Marys Church, Indianapolis, Indiana, for the loan of much valuable source material.

SAINT MARGARET MARY ALACOQUE
1647-1690
THE APOSTLE OF THE SACRED HEART

T HE PLUMP, good-natured face of Father Anthony Alacoque wore a worried frown as he trudged through the fields from his parish church at Verosvres to the neighboring farm of Lhautecour. True, the crops were splendid in this year of Our Lord 1660, and he himself in excellent health. Parish finances were satisfactory, too. But things were far different at Lhautecour for his widowed sister-in-law, Madame Philiberte Alacoque, and her poor little invalid daughter Margaret.

Its a shame the way my own sisters are treating those two, mumbled the priest, pausing for a moment to survey the fertile countryside. A shame and a disgrace. Today I must give Benedicta and Catherine a good talking-to.

But even as he neared Lhautecour and started purposefully toward the smaller of the two stone farmhouses, a womans shrill voice echoed angrily from the kitchen.

Philiberte, you clumsy fool! Youve broken another dish! What in heavens name is the matter with you?

There was a moments silence, then a burst of uncontrolled sobbing.

But I couldnt help it, Benedicta! Truly I couldnt

Thats a likely story! Youll go without your dinner for this, my fine lady. Mark my words. Now, clean up that mess at once, do you hear? At once!

But I dont feel well

Listen, stupid, if you dont do what I say

There was another burst of tears. Then, after a moment: All right, Benedicta, Im sorry. Ill pick up the pieces. Only please dont be angry with me! It was all just an accident. Truly it was!

Father Anthony sighed and shook his head. Poor Philiberte! Her lot in life had certainly changed for the worse since the death of her beloved Claude five years ago. Before that she had been undisputed mistress of Lhautecour, and Claude the best and most generous of husbands.

Too generous, reflected Father Anthony ruefully, picking his way past the bedraggled geese, chickens and ducks aimlessly scratching in the courtyard. Now if Claude had only been a bit more careful with his money, a bit more insistent that his law clients pay their bills and that the servants should not waste their time, Lhautecour would certainly never have gone to rack and ruin. Then sharp-tongued Benedicta Delaroche and her husband Toussaint would not have had to try to save the place from bankruptcy. Or illtempered Catherine either. As for Grandmother, Toussaints crotchety old mother who had also come to live at the farm

Well, may the Will of God be done, murmured the priest, bracing himself for the ordeal that lay ahead. Lord, give me the right words to say to my sistersand to Philiberte, too.

There was good need for such a prayer. As Father Anthony pushed open the kitchen door, a frail, blackclad matron of some thirty-eight years immediately abandoned the bits of crockery which she had been trying to sweep into a pile and rushed tearfully toward him.

Oh, Father! Thank God youve come! I Im so miserable I could die!

The priest managed a reassuring smile. There, there, my dear, whats the trouble? Surely you and Benedicta havent been quarreling again!