2025 is a jubilee year for the Church. It is also a year of thanksgiving for the Congregations of the Oblate Brothers and Fathers and the Oblate Sisters of Saint Francis de Sales, as well as for our Visitation Sisters. 150 years ago, Mother Marie de Sales Chappuis died, and the Congregation of priests she had so desired was founded: the Oblates of Saint Francis de Sales.
A Triduum of thanksgiving will take place in Troyes on October 3, 4, and 5, 2025. The events will take place at the Visitation, at St. Bernard College, at the Cathedral, and at our Mother House. On this occasion, a document has been published to make known the Visitandine called the “Good Mother.” We reproduce its content here.
Mother Marie de Sales Chappuis
1793-1875
Who are you?
What is your message?
Faithful to the living tradition of the Church, Mother Marie de Sales Chappuis is the heir to the rich spirituality of St. Francis de Sales, who founded the Order of the Visitation with St. Jane de Chantal. Through the SPIRITUAL DIRECTORY, lived faithfully each day, she teaches constant union with the divine Will. It will be your means of sanctification, she said. Confidante and apostle of the Heart of Jesus, following in the footsteps of St. Margaret Mary, she was joined by St. Thérèse of Lisieux in her life of simplicity and abandonment.
Your testimony speaks to us today
Thérèse Chappuis was born on June 16, 1793, in Soyhières, in the beautiful Swiss Jura, 40 km from Basel. In the turmoil of the Revolution, sheltered from hostile attitudes towards the faith, she discovered the love of God hidden in her heart and the beauty of the Eucharist. She courageously left the tenderness of her large family and the charm of her native region to respond to the Lord’s call.
After taking her solemn vows in 1816 in Fribourg, Sister Marie de Sales, with her strong character and missionary spirit, showed great fidelity to the Salesian charism. A fervent Visitation nun, she was sent to Metz, Troyes, and Paris to revitalize communities weakened by the Revolution. In Troyes, her sisters chose her as their superior eleven times!
During her novitiate, Sister Marie de Sales felt called by the Savior to found a work to spread his mercy throughout the world. She became an apostle, collaborating with Blessed Father Louis Brisson and Saint Leonie Aviat to create two apostolic religious congregations: the Oblate Sisters of Saint Francis de Sales and the Oblate Brothers and Fathers of Saint Francis de Sales, thus spreading the spirit of Saint Francis de Sales throughout the world. On October 7, 1875, at the age of 82, she “entered into Life”: five days before the official founding of the Oblate Congregation… Her mission on earth was then accomplished!
A few words from Mother Marie de Sales:
Oh, to love and pray is to begin eternal life in this life! It is the union of the soul with God in faith…
I trust in you, Lord. I don’t know how, but I am sure of you.
Doing what is our duty for God with a good heart is a prayer.
The good that a kind word produces is greater than we can understand.
The Lord always enlightens a true heart.
