and had established several successful missions. The former, therefore,
were obliged to use as auxiliaries an extern congregation composed of
virtuous young girls, who lived in their own families, but assembled on
Sundays and festivals for the exercise of works of charity. They went
two and two together, wherever the glory of God or the good of their
neighbors required, always subject to the appointment of the
religieuses. Most of the young ladies of the city belonged to this
association, which was of course secular (enclosure not being suitable
to their work), and they willingly admitted Margaret Bourgeois among
them. It was in this edifying association that God manifested his
designs on her future life, and it was for her a real apprenticeship in
the school of virtue. Once received, she was soon distinguished for zeal
and fervor, and was to be seen everywhere, exercising the duties of
Christian charity. Her distinguishing trait, however, was the
instruction of the ignorant, and teaching young girls the principles of
religion, as well as the rudiments of education. It may be truly said of
her from that period, that the animating principle of all her actions
was to unite them in spirit with the human actions of the Mother of God.

She never relaxed in her efforts to imitate this high model of sanctity,
and never ceased by word and example to animate the Christian virgins
who afterwards joined her religious order to imitate as closely as human
infirmity would permit, the daily actions of Mary during her sojourn on
earth. To quote her own words will best exemplify her spirit. She said:
"Our Lord before His ascension into heaven left behind Him on earth a
kind of congregation or community that would embrace persons of every
condition of life, the first superior being His own divine Mother. The
holy spirit in the Gospel has given us the name of this community, which
had a two-fold object, and was to serve as a model for all future
associations of women to be established in the Church. This was no other