Feast of St. Jane

February 4th was the feast of St. Jane Valois. She was the daughter of King Louis XI of France. The king wanted a son and was very disappointed at the birth of Jane, especially due to her physical deformity. At the age of five, he had her sent to live with other people. Despite this cast off, Jane was good and gentle, finding her strength in the confidence of Jesus' and Mary's love. Jane decided not to marry, but to dedicate her life to God. Her father ignored her wishes and forced her to marry the Duke of Orleans. She was a devoted wife for 22 years. However, when the Duke became King, he sent Jane to live by herself in a far-off township. Rather than be resentful, she immersed her life in prayer and practiced penances and acts of kindness. She gave all her money to the poor. She even started an order of sisters. She spent the rest of her life joyfully serving Jesus and Mary.

St. Jane reminds us that we are precious to God, no matter how others treat us. She also inspires us to to be patient, forgiving, and sacrificial. In honor of St. Jane, we pulled out our sacrifice beads which Prez had made last week while learning about patterns in Math class.