The Blessed Daughters of Charity, Sisters martyred during the French Revolution, experienced what the Apostle Paul wrote to the Romans: “What can separate us from the love of Christ? … Neither death, nor life… nor things present, nor things to come… nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 8:35-39).
The French Revolution, which began in July 1789, intended to improve the living conditions for the people, and inscribed in its program three words: “liberty, equality and fraternity.” As early as August 1789, the revolutionaries voted to abolish all the privileges enjoyed by the nobility and a large number of members of the Church.
To ensure the life of the Church, after having suppressed the resources it enjoyed, the Revolutionaries drew up the Civil Constitution of the Clergy and asked all priests to accept it. They were asked to take an oath. Many priests considered this constitution a break with Rome and refused to take this oath which they considered schismatic. Priests who did not take the oath were pursued and were forced to flee abroad or go into hiding to avoid imprisonment, death or deportation. Numerous Christians refused to participate in the Masses of priests who had taken the oath. At the risk of their freedom and their lives, they hid these priests who went into hiding and clandestinely pursued their ministry.
The Revolutionaries then attacked all those who, in their eyes, symbolized the monarchy and privilege. Arrests increased. In August 1792, the King was imprisoned with his family, and religious orders were suppressed. The death of King Louis XVI, guillotined on 21 January 1793, marked a turning point: events speed up and provoked an outbreak of violence: the Reign of Terror spread throughout the country.
An oath of adherence to the Revolution, the oath of liberty-equality, was imposed on all members of religious orders performing a service remunerated by the state. Taking this oath was seen as a break with the Church, and those who refused it were considered counter-revolutionaries.
Like many other religious, the Daughters of Charity who served the poor in Houses of Charity or in hospitals would be ordered to take this oath. They were faced with a dilemma: remaining faithful to the Church by refusing the oath would result in expulsion from the hospital. Then, who would care for the sick? Staying with the sick by taking the oath, wouldn’t that be breaking with the Church and the Christian faith?
On 9 April 1792, the Superioress General of the Daughters of Charity, Sister Antoinette Deleau, sent the Sisters some points to guide their reflection:
“I beg you not to abandon the service of the poor, if you are not forced to do so… In order to be able to continue the service of the poor, lend yourselves to all that can honestly be demanded of you in the present circumstances, provided there is in it nothing contrary to religion, the Church or your conscience.”
The attitude of the revolutionaries varied from one region to another. Some religious houses would not be disturbed; others would suffer much harassment. In some regions, the Sisters would spend long months in prison. In Angers, Dax and Arras, the Daughters of Charity would be led to witness by their lives to their dedication to Jesus Christ.