From Penitence to Charity: Pious Women and the Catholic Reformation in Paris

Marguerite de Silly, who was no mere aristocratic Lady Bountiful permitting Vincent de Paul to carry out his work, but rather an active collaborator in furthering the work of religious instruction of the poor through the Confraternities of Charity (p.207); Louise de Marillac (p.210), who played a active part in creating the Filles de Charité to assist the parish charités; and who in Diefendorf's detailed account, demonstrated the qualities of imagination, initiative, and considerable administrative talent (p. 215-216); Marie Luillier, who desired to further her sister's vision of an open congregation, and took the lead in creating the Filles de la Croix, modeled on the Filles de Roye in Picardy, active in the training of schoolmistresses; Marie Lumague, who seconded Louise de Marillac's work with the charités and started up, in her own house, with support of the archbishop of Paris, the Filles de la Providence to provide an alternative to the Madelonettes in helping young women turn away from prostitution; and Geneviève Fayet, who organized the Dames de la Charité to visit the sick at the Paris Hôtel-Dieu.