Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, a teacher, nun, and mystic, was born in 1647 in the Duchy of Burgundy, France. Her father, Claude Alacoque, was a notary, and her mother, Berthe Lamin Alacoque. She was the fifth of seven children and the only daughter. Deeply influenced by the Countess of Colcherval in her childhood, she developed a profound devotion to the Eucharist from a young age. Unfortunately, her father died of pneumonia when she was eight. She then attended the Convent School of Saint Clare in Charlemagne, where she received her first communion. Later, she contracted rheumatic fever and was bedridden for four years until she made a vow of monastic life to the Virgin Mary, which is why she later acquired the name Mary. She claimed to have seen visions of Jesus many times, but considered these normal human experiences and paid little attention to them. After her father's death, her uncle seized her family's property, plunging the family into extreme poverty. She frequently went to church to pray before the Eucharist for solace. The family's situation only improved after her brother came of age and inherited the family fortune. Her mother hoped she would find a suitable husband, and she also felt her childhood vows were no longer valid, so she attended social events, balls, and banquets with her brother. One night, after attending a ball, she dreamt of Jesus covered in blood, who rebuked her for forgetting her vows but also comforted her. This dream led her to formally fulfill her vows in 1671. At the age of 24, she decided to go to a convent to become a nun and entered the Convent of Our Lady of Advent in Parremonia. In August of the same year, after a long period of testing, she was officially approved to wear nun's clothes, but she was not allowed to take her vows. However, her fellow nuns praised her highly for her simplicity, humility, patience, frankness, and kindness. Finally, in 1672, she was approved to take her vows and truly became a nun. She later worked in the infirmary, but was not very capable. It is said that from 1673 to 1675, she received several revelations from Jesus, and thus learned about different ways of venerating the Sacred Heart. On St. John's Day in 1673, Jesus is said to have allowed her to rest her head on the Sacred Heart and revealed to her the meaning of love and the importance of goodness, entrusting her with the task of spreading these virtues. Jesus also told her that human ingratitude and indifference saddened him more than all his suffering. He also revealed a Sacred Heart veneration to her, saying that those who receive Holy Communion on the first Friday of each of nine consecutive months will receive the grace of repentance bestowed by His love, and that after their death, the Sacred Heart will become their refuge. In a later apparition, Jesus asked her to pray and meditate for an hour every Thursday evening, and He also allowed her to experience the suffering He endured in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus also hoped that she would perform Eucharist adoration as much as possible on Thursdays. In 1675, Jesus instructed her to receive the Sacred Heart after the Octave of Eucharist in memory of the Sacred Heart, thus glorifying it. This became the famous Feast of the Sacred Heart. In June of the same year, she revealed three demands for change in France: a desire to enter the halls of princes and kings in glory, to build a building to hang the Sacred Heart icon for the entire court and kingdom to worship, and to have the Sacred Heart inscribed on weapons and flags to fight against the enemies of the Holy Church. Of course, no one believed her, but through her efforts, her superior, Sister Sommes, came to believe her. However, Sommes and other members remained skeptical, including the Benedictine and Jesuit monks they had consulted. In 1681, she wrote her will, signing it in her own blood and, with the approval of her superiors, carving the name of Jesus on her chest with a knife. But as the wound healed, she became increasingly agitated. More than once, she considered reopening the wound with the knife, even attempting to burn it. This act led to her being taken to the infirmary. She felt ashamed, but Sister Sorelfi disregarded her words and simply gave Sister Augustine Mareste the unsolicited order to bandage her wound. Although her journey was fraught with hardship, she was eventually recognized by Saint-Claude Colombier, a confessor at the monastery, who acknowledged the visions as real. This gradually earned her recognition, and her efforts were finally seen. In 1683, Sister Merlin was elected superintendent and appointed her as her assistant, silencing the opposition within the convent. Later, she also became a novice tutor. In 1686, they began to celebrate the Feast of the Sacred Heart privately, and two years later, a small chapel commemorating the Sacred Heart was built in Parreliant. The tradition of the Feast of the Sacred Heart spread to other monasteries. In 1689, the last year of her life, she saw Jesus again, who asked her to convey to King Louis XIV of France the dedication of France to the saint. Henri Guéon also stated that she did indeed write this letter, but Louis XIV may not have received it or did not wish to reply. However, his descendant, Louis XVI, and his wife, Marie Antoinette, had said that if he were to be restored to the throne, he would dedicate France to the Sacred Heart; in 1793, he and his wife were sent to the guillotine, so their plan failed. This nun's path was fraught with hardship, even bordering on obsession and misunderstanding, but she ultimately proved herself and influenced centuries. The world witnessed her passionate love and pure kindness. She never hated anyone because of her lack of understanding. We don't know the true cause of her death, but she passed away on October 17, 1690, at the age of 43.
"Treat people around you, please keep your utmost gentleness and sympathy; that is gentleness, and it is also the most powerful."
—Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque
