Marie Roudaut

Background

Marie-Renée Roudaut was born in Guissény, Brittany, France, on 3 March 1847 to a farming family.

Career

She was the sixth child of René Roudaut and Marie-Jeanne Lessec. Her cousin could not complete her novitiate due to poor health, but returned to Brittany where she talked to Roudaut, who decided to join the congregation. In October 1871 Roudaut left for the Postulate of Vans, at the age of twenty four.

On 26 January 1874 she arrived in Algeria where she was assigned to the orphanage of Street Charles at Kouba, Algeria, now a suburb of Algiers.

She received the habit on 23 June 1872 as Sister Marie-Salomé, and made her first profession on 6 July 1873. On 23 January 1874 she was sent to the mission of Street Cyprien of the Attafs, a village for orphans whom the church had raised to adulthood.

She was recalled to Street Charles in November 1877, and in March 1878 was sent to a new mission at Ouadhias, Kabylia. On 21 October 1879 she was elected Assistant General of the order.

In 1880 she was appointed head of the novitiate.

At the third General Chapter of the society, on 14 September 1882 Mother Marie-Salomé was elected of the "Sœurs Enseignantes et Hospitalières de Notre Dame des Missions d’Afrique". On 6 April 1885 Lavigerie, now a Cardinal, dissolved the congregation and relegated its members to the Attafs. He felt the sisters, many of whom were poorly educated, were not qualified for responsible missionary work.

Other concerns were the lack of money, difficulty obtaining equipment, difficulties of recruitment and a scandal caused by the defection of one nun.

In September of that year she was unanimously reelected as of the congregation. During the summer of 1887 Mother Salomé opened postulates at Lyon, France and Maastricht, the Netherlands.

In 1888 Rome issued a Decree of praise of the Congregation of the "Sisters of Our Lady of the Missions of Africa", followed by approval of the society"s constitution for five years. That year Mother Salomé traveled in Europe, Algeria, Tunisia and Canada.

On 13 December 1893 the congregation was finally given autonomy under the Sacred Congregation of Propaganda Fide.

Rome decreed that the had full authority for government of the society. Under the leadership of Marie Salome the congregation provided a wide range of services to the people in Algeria including running dispensaries, training housewives and providing schools. The first Caravan to the Equator left of 12 June 1894, and the first Caravan to Sudan left on 23 October 1897.

Throughout the years that followed Mother Salomé continued to be reelected as She ceased traveling due to poor health in 1917, and resigned on 28 June 1925.

Mother Salomé died at Street Charles on 18 October 1930 at the age of 83.

Connections

Cousin:

Charles Lavigerie