Saint Germaine (1579-1601)
Patron Saint for the abandoned, the abused, the physically challenged, and country girls.
This relatively “lesser known” Saint has quite an interesting story and certainly packs much relevancy for today’s young people, especially girls.
Germaine Cousin (pronounced coo-zan) was born in France in 1579. She only lived until the age of 22 but in her short life she was a tremendous witness for Christ as a model of kindness, perseverance, patience, sacrifice, love and courage.
Germaine came from a poor rural family. Her father worked on a farm and her mother died while Germaine was just an infant. Germaine was a very sickly child, suffering from scrofula, which is a tuberculous infection of the skin in the neck, usually contracted by inhaling bacteria contaminated air. Scrofula causes enlargement of the lymph nodes in the neck and elsewhere. This could lead to draining infected, ulcerated sores. It also produced fever, chills and sweats. Germaine also suffered from a deformed and paralyzed right hand which she had at birth. Unfortunately when her father remarried, he married a terribly abusive and mean woman named Hortense. Germaine’s father was weak in character and for the most part ignored her and Hortense abused her. She would beat Germaine and scald her with boiling water if she thought Germaine did something wrong. What’s even more tragic is that Germaine would get abused this way even if Hortense just imagined that Germaine did something wrong. Hortense despised Germaine for her illnesses and deformity. She was afraid Germaine would somehow infect her own children so Germaine was forced to stay away from her stepbrothers and stepsisters. Germaine was forced to sleep in the stable or under the outside steps on a straw pallet. For dinner, this poor child was fed the uneaten scraps from the dinner table. She often had to crawl like a dog to a bowl to eat.
In spite of all this torment, Germaine was sincerely religious at an early age. She loved Jesus and had a great devotion to Our Lady and prayed the rosary regularly, a rosary she made from knotted string. Germaine would help the children of her village learn simple lessons from the catechism. Most importantly, she NEVER missed Mass. Even when working in the fields as a shepherdess, she would run to church for Mass when she heard the church bells ring. She would place her shepherds crook in the ground and have her Guardian Angel tend the flock while she was at Mass and the sheep never strayed, nor were any sheep lost to the high number of wolves in the area. Once a swollen river actually parted (like the Red Sea) so Germaine could cross and get to Mass on time!
In addition to her physical suffering and emotional suffering suffered at home, this young devout girl also suffered ridicule from local people. They made fun of Germaine for her love of Jesus, the Church and for her overall religious devotion. At night Germaine would return home, often to the abuse that had become a terrible part of her life.
Though very poor, Germaine was extremely generous with those whom she felt were in need, especially children. She often shared her scraps of food with others. One winter day Germaine gathered some of her uneaten scraps of food in her apron and was heading out to share them with the poor when her stepmother, Hortense, accused her of stealing bread. She threatened to beat Germaine with a stick. When Germaine opened her apron, only roses (a summer flower) fell out. She gave one of the flowers to her stepmother and said, “Please accept this flower, Mother. God sends it as a sign of His forgiveness.” After this, her stepmother, her family and the neighbors finally started treating her like the holy person she was. Germaine was invited to rejoin the rest of the family for meals, socially and was invited to sleep inside the house. Germaine chose to continue to live the way she had and offered it all for the love of Christ and the conversion of sinners.
In 1601 at the age of 22, Germaine was found dead on her straw pallet bed. She was buried in the village church in Pibrac, France where she visited daily for Mass to receive Our Lord in the Holy Eucharist.
43 years later, workmen were preparing another grave in the church when they accidentally uncovered Germaine’s body. They were astonished to find her body incorrupt and beautiful. They were also astonished when a tool from one of the workmen, accidentally slipped and hit Germaine’s nose, - and her nose began to bleed! (Remember she’d died 43 years earlier!) Her remains once again are buried in the Church and many pilgrims continue to visit the church.
Miracles:
Over 400 documented miracles are attributed to the intercession of Saint Germaine. These miracles include cures of blindness and diseases of every kind imaginable. Once, a poor town in France, in the mid 1800’s received a multiplication of food through Germaine’s intercession.
Germaine was beatified on May 7, 1864. She was canonized on June 29, 1867 by Pope Pius IX. Her Feast Day in June 15.
Germaine is the Patron Saint for abandoned people, victims of abuse, the physically challenged, the sick, shepherdesses, young people who have lost their parent’s, and girls from rural areas.
A Prayer Written by Saint Germaine:
"Dear God, please don't let me be too hungry or too thirsty. Help me to please my mother. And help me to please you."
Some Things to Think About:
We should appreciate the courage that Germaine displayed in her life in the face of so much ridicule, abuse and neglect. Her kind, Christian demeanor towards those who abused her is inspiring and amazing, and it demonstrates what a powerful and pure love she had for Jesus to be able to withstand such torment and maintain such grace. We could certainly understand it if Germaine would have been hateful, vengeful, and unforgiving towards her family and neighbors for the injustices she suffered by them, - but time and time again, the Saints, through the grace of God, demonstrate a power that is stronger than that of the evils they suffer.
They continue to love. They continue to forgive. They continue to maintain a genuine happiness in their soul.
We often are so quick to become defensive and hateful when we suffer the slightest injustices. We can hold grudges for years against those whom we believe have wronged us. Might we do well to draw some inspiration from Saints like Germaine?
Germaine suffered from real illness and was physically challenged. Yet she still walked to Mass every day. This gave her a strength of character and soul that helped her rise above her very rough life. How much effort do we put into getting to Mass even once per week? Are we missing out on the most important thing in our lives when we miss Mass. You bet we are!
Germaine was very poor and very generous. Are we very rich and very stingy?
Think about it.
Germaine didn’t possess the “perfect looks” that are so often promoted in today’s culture.
Many people spend an enormous amount of time, money, and passion pursuing exterior beauty by the world’s standards, often at the expense of developing interior beauty by God’s standards. What is more important; the body or the soul? Which do we spend the most time concerned about? The Lord used a sickly, disabled young girl to spread His light where it was needed. There are many spiritually dark places in the world that desperately need the light of Christ. Might we dispose ourselves in a manner that the Lord may use us for His purpose?
Sources Used: Catholic Online, Patron Saints Index, Mysteries Marvels Miracles in the Lives of the Saints, Catholic Encyclopedia, Lives of the Saints.