St Peter Fourier was also known as the Good Father of Mattaincourtan.
He was an Augustinian canon regular and founder of the Congregation of Notre Dame.
He was born on November 30 1565 in Mirecourt, Vosges, France. He died on December 9 1640 in Gray, Haute-Saone, France.
We celebrate his feast day on December 9 every year in the Catholic Church.
| St Peter Fourier Biography | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Date of Birth | November 30 1565 |
| Place of Birth | Mirecourt, Vosges, France |
| Profession | Augustinian canon regular |
| Place of Work | France |
| Date of Death | December 9 1640 |
| Place of Death | Gray, Haute-Saone, France |
| Feast Day | December 9 |
| Beatification | By Pope Benedict XIII on January 20 1730 in Rome |
| Canonization | By Pope Leo XIII on May 27 1897 in Rome |
| Patron Saint of | |
St Peter Fourier’s Life History
St. Peter Fourier, born on November 30, 1565, in Mirecourt, Lorraine, France, was the eldest of three sons in a devout Catholic family with a cloth merchant father.
At 15, he entered the newly established Jesuit University of Pont-à-Mousson (later merged into the University of Lorraine) and served as a tutor to noble families’ sons.
In 1585, he became an Augustinian Canon Regular at the Abbey of Chaumousey, France. Ordained at Trier at 23 in 1589, he returned to university, mastering patristic theology and memorizing the Summa Theologica of Saint Thomas Aquinas.
Facing hostility from fellow canons upon his return to the canonical community, including attempted poisoning, St. Peter Fourier chose patient acceptance over confrontation with his abbot.
As a reforming priest in Mattaincourt, Vosges, France, he revitalized the spiritual life, and established charities, and a community bank offering interest-free loans for the poor.
Living an extremely pious life, he spent nights in prayer, refused a housekeeper, and directed parish income to the needy. His self-denial extended to nursing the sick of the town during the night.
St. Peter Fourier was a spiritual mentor to Blessed Alix le Clerc. In 1598, he founded the Daughters of Our Lady for girls’ education and the Sodality of the Immaculate Conception, also known as Children of Mary. However, his attempt to establish a similar order for boys failed.
Ordered to reform his order in Lorraine in 1621, he later preached against Calvinism in Salm, successfully bringing back fallen-away Catholics within six months. In 1629, he helped found the Congregation of Our Saviour and served as its superior general in 1632.
Refusing to swear allegiance to King Louis XIII, St. Peter Fourier spent the rest of his life in exile in Gray, Haute-Saone, France. He died on December 9, 1640.
Beatified on January 20, 1730, by Pope Benedict XIII and canonized on May 27, 1897, by Pope Leo XIII, he is typically depicted in art as a man wearing a rochet, distributing images of the Blessed Virgin Mary and chaplets to children.
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