The Foundress of the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary, Helene de Chappotin, was born in France in 1839. She lived a remarkable life. Deposed by the pope as Superior of her own order then reinstated, a prolific writer (more than 33,000 letters and essays), Helene moved from a life of enclosed prayer to a life amongst the people. Her personal legacy is now present on every continent on Earth.

Helene at 21. Helene knew well that with mission came risk. She also knew that risk brought new opportunities. The small girl from Nante who learned about the world on her Father's knee now saw the world with new eyes. For Helene, the world was a global village… an idea a century ahead of its time.		Helene at 50. Whatever the work, Helene wanted her sisters to develop a "life relationship" with those they served, regardless of creed or background. Helene believed that everyone was a child of God and that love was the greatest virtue. She would say, "Love at all times, act at all times. This is the secret of the heart that has understood the love of God."
Helene at Les Chatelets. This photograph was taken on a bridge at Les Chatelets, France. Helene stands on a log. She wants to be tall enough to put her arms around her friends, two of her sisters. If any image captures Helene's spirit, it is this. Just like Francis of Assisi... all peoples were her sisters and brothers.	Helene at 60. The growth of the Institute was staggering. By the time of her death in 1904, the Institute had some 2,000 sisters in 25 countries spread over four continents. Today, the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary number some 7,800 women in more than 70 countries collaborating with tens of thousands of lay people.

Also known by her religious name, Mary of the Passion, Helene de Chappotin was a risk taker who reached out to the poor. Her experience of the poor and marginalised, especially the plight of women, brought her into dialogue with the justice issues of her time. She would say, "To go to the poor is a need of my soul."

In her twenties, Helene made the life-changing decision to enter religious life. Then in 1865 she was sent to South India to a challenging mission. Life there proved very different and difficult. In 1876, she went to Rome to get permission to found the Missionaries of Mary, a women-specific missionary order run by a woman with missionary experience. In 1877 her constitutions for the new group were approved.

Helene's experience confirmed for her the need for both prayer and work - contemplation and action. Her deep devotion to the Eucharist provided the energy for her spirituality and the poverty and simplicity of St Francis of Assisi inspired her lifestyle.

In 1882, the small Institute she founded - the Missionaries of Mary - was taken into the Franciscan family and became the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary. Helene's vision of sharing God's love across international boundaries led her to desire her sisters to be "citizens of the world".

Helene de Chappotin was beatified by the Church in 2000.

There is a video on the life and times of Helene de Chappotin. To order your copy of "Uncharted Territory" select the Email Us link from the homepage.

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