Mechtilde of the Blessed Sacrament

Mechtilde of the Blessed Sacrament, born Catherine de Bar (31 December 1614 – 6 April 1698) was a French nun, the founder of the order of Benedictine Nuns of Perpetual Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, who was recognized as the Servant of God in the Catholic Church.

Servant of God Mechtilde of the Blessed Sacrament O.S.B.
Foundress
Born	31 December 1614 Saint-Die, Vosges, France
Died	6 April 1698 (aged 83) Paris, France
Venerated in	Roman Catholic Church
Patronage	Eucharistic Adorations

Life

Catherine de Bar was born at Saint-Dié, Lorraine in northeastern France, on 31 December 1614, the third child of Jean and Marguerite de Guillon de Bar. They belonged to the lower nobility.

Catherine joined the Annonciade, taking the name Sister Saint-John the Evangelist. In May 1635, Mother de Bar, and the nuns of the convent in Bruyères were forced to flee before the Swedish army. Some nuns exhausted by hardships fell ill with the plague. Catherine de Bar found shelter with the Benedictines in Rambervillers.

In 1654 in Paris she founded the Order of the Benedictine Nuns of Perpetual Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.[1] This was the first society formally organized for the Perpetual Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament[2][3]

See also

• First Friday Devotions
• Maria Candida of the Eucharist
• Marguerite Guillot

References

1. Georges. "Saint-Dié." The Catholic Encyclopedia Vol. 13. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1912. 1 Oct. 2015
2. McMahon, Joseph. "Perpetual Adoration." The Catholic Encyclopedia Vol. 1. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1907. 10 October 2015]
3. Addis, William E., A Catholic Dictionary, Thomas Arnold 2004 ISBN 0-7661-9380-2 p. 656