Rose Virginie learns love-in-action beside parents who open their island home to refugees of the French Revolution.

Born on 31 July 1796 on Noirmoutier, Rose Virginie Pelletier witnesses the upheaval of revolution and the suffering it leaves behind.

Her parents, Dr Julien Pelletier and Anne Mourain, transform their home into a refuge—healing the sick, welcoming the displaced, and modelling mercy.

These early experiences ignite a conviction: compassion must be seen and felt. She would later insist, ‘It is not enough that you love them, they must know that you love them.’

Loss and leadership within the Sisters of Our Lady of Charity deepen her resolve to restore dignity for vulnerable women and girls.

Orphaned of both parents by her late teens, Rose confronts grief and the insecurity known by the very people she hopes to serve.

At eighteen she enters the Congregation of Our Lady of Charity in Tours, taking the name Mary of Saint Euphrasia and immersing herself in education, governance, and community care.

Working with abandoned women reveals the need for structured learning and compassionate order—a new kind of leadership begins to take shape.

She dreams of one congregation capable of swift, compassionate response wherever girls need safety and opportunity.

In 1829 Mary Euphrasia establishes a Good Shepherd refuge in Angers, France—pairing pastoral care with education and meaningful work.

Seeing the limits of isolated convents, she petitions for a centralized congregation that can send sisters quickly to emerging needs.

By 1835 Rome approves the Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd, naming her the first Superior General and establishing a global motherhouse.

One hundred and ten foundations in sixty-eight countries carry her mission of mercy, education, and justice worldwide.

Mary Euphrasia sends Good Shepherd communities across Europe, Asia, the Americas, and Australia to shelter and elevate women and girls.

Her leadership blends courage with humility: ‘I did nothing great… I only loved… with all the strength of my soul.’

On 24 April 1868 she dies in Angers, leaving a living network of sisters whose charism continues to kindle hope in every culture they enter.