ThE LITTLE DESIgN

The life of Father Jean Pierre Médaille,SJ

“I love LOvE, and I let LOvE, love through me”

– FAThER MéDAILLE

Father Médaille spent many years as a missionary, serving the poor in remote areas of south-central France.

More than three centuries ago, a Jesuit priest in the city of Le Puy, France, met a group of women who wished to serve God by living openly in the world and helping the poor. They wanted to combine the spirituality and piety of cloistered groups with a life of apostolic service. Father Médaille called this idea “The Little Design.”

The group founded with his guidance became the Sisters of St. Joseph. They spread from France across several continents and are still ministering today. One such group is the Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange.

Leaving prosperity to serve GodMany details of the life of Father Médaille

are unknown, but materials in the Jesuit archives tell us something of his story.

Jean Pierre Médaille was born on October 6, 1610, in Carcassonne, a medieval walled city in southwest France. His family belonged to the “robe” class, which was a step above the middle class, and they lived comfortably.

The Sisters of St. Joseph were founded in 1650 with six women who wanted to devote their lives to helping the poor and bringing God’s love to all.

When he was 15 years old, upon completion of his studies at the local Jesuit college, Jean Pierre left the prosperity of his family to enter the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits), an order of priests and brothers who served all classes of people, often in missionary situations. As a novice, he prepared for the poor and humble life that would lead him to preach and minister to people from many walks of life.

The missionaryFrom the time of his entrance into the Society

of Jesus, Father Médaille’s superiors recognized him as a person of remarkable intellect and apostolic zeal. They also judged him to be

“healthy but fragile.” Despite these cautions, his superiors wrote that he was “born for the missions” and for preaching.

Father Médaille spent his apostolic years in the rugged terrain of the Massif Central, one of the poorest areas of France. The south-central region of the country was thick with forests, volcanic mountains and gorges – all sliced by rivers and streams.

There was great inequality among the French classes at this time, a situation that caused never-ending social and religious upheaval. Life was especially harsh for peasants, who struggled to feed their families. Survival was even harder for the outcasts of society, the poor and sick, orphans and people so desperate that they committed crimes to survive. Many of the most downtrodden would congregate at bridges and entrances to villages and cities to beg for food or coins.

Love and strive after, especially, the interior gentleness of your soul,

living in peace and in the tranquility of all your passions, and outwardly

doing all things without over eagerness and bearing what you

must bear without any complaint or murmuring or anxiety whatsoever.

MAxIM 60

Kindred spirits in God’s workAs a missionary trudging up steep mountain

paths through wilderness regions, Father Médaille was deeply moved by the sight of profound privation and suffering. Despite his own weakness of health, he was known for his willingness to endure hardships in order to serve people regardless of social or economic status.

While stationed in the city of Le Puy in the Auvergne region, Father Médaille met some kindred spirits: unmarried women and widows who were so moved by the despair around them that they wanted to join together and dedicate their lives to the service of others.

Some of the women were lace makers by trade. Among the wealthy classes in 17th century Europe there was great demand for lace as decorative trimming on clothes and linens. Le Puy was noted for its exquisite and intricate handiwork. Making lace allowed these women to not only support themselves, but also to work together in an atmosphere that fostered connection and spiritual growth.

The Little DesignThese women shared a common vision: to

live together, seek God and minister to their most vulnerable neighbors. They came from various classes, and because most of them were widows or of the servant class, they could move rather freely in public.

When Father Médaille met some of these women during his missionary visits to Le Puy, he saw the potential for a new form of service. The women in the group he envisioned would come from diverse backgrounds, have religious vows and live in community. They would care for orphans and also go out to the neighborhoods, towns and villages of their remote region to bring spiritual and physical care to those in need. He called this idea the “Little Design.” It became a reality when six women came together in 1650 as the Sisters of St. Joseph.

A prominent description of the “Little Design” is found in what has become known as “The Eucharistic Letter.” Under Father Médaille’s guidance, the Sisters of St. Joseph would embrace all, with their spirituality centered on the Eucharist: “To be conformed to the hidden life of Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament.”

Secrecy and the dear neighborTwo prominent themes of the “Little Design”

were the secrecy of the association of women and its ministry to those Father Médaille called the “the dear neighbor.”

Secrecy served two purposes. Spiritually, it represented the Sisters’ devotion to Christ hidden in the Eucharist. Practically, it allowed them the independence they needed to walk among the common people and serve them at a time when such freedom was allowed only to widows. Given the cultural norms at that time, it would have been improper or even dangerous for most women to walk alone in town or visit someone’s home unaccompanied by a male escort. The Sisters dressed like widows so they could move freely and serve wherever they were needed.

The idea of serving the “dear neighbor” in the spirit of Jesus was the group’s way of responding to the social and religious climate of the day. France in the 17th century was a stratified society. Everyone had his or her “place” in a hierarchical social structure, one that had been ravaged by war and religious persecution. Brutality and poverty were rampant. It was in this divisive atmosphere that the Sisters of St. Joseph were founded, not only to help others, but to bring kindness and gentleness to their world.

The Sisters of St Joseph had to provide for themselves while ministering to others. Many made lace, a luxury industry that catered to the wealthy across Europe.

Live out your life with one desire only: to be always what God wants

you to be, in nature, grace, and glory, for time and for eternity.

MAxIM 73

A Legacy 350 years laterThe first women who became Sisters of St.

Joseph did not have their founder present with them for very long. However, he did leave them a book called “Maxims of the Little Institute.” The maxim format was widely used in Catholic circles to enable the largely illiterate population to memorize and repeat spiritual insights frequently as folks went about their daily tasks.

Designed to help people grow in virtue and experience God’s love in work, the maxims of Father Médaille encourage humility, patience, hope and, above all, love of God.

Always fragile in health, Father Médaille was quite ill in his last years. He died on December 30, 1669, in the Jesuit house in Billom. He was 59 years old.

Today, more than 350 years later, Father Médaille’s “Little Design” continues to thrive. There are thousands of Sisters of St. Joseph

around the world who honor him as their founder and continue to carry out his vision by helping people of various social classes and backgrounds through their ministries of education, health care and social services.

For the three faculties of your soul desire this perfection: for the memory to forget things and self

in order to remember little else but God; for the intellect, to see God in all things: God’s glory, God’s will, God’s contentment solely; for the

will, the one freedom to go to God, to love God, to embrace all the

dictates of God’s Providence with all the love of your heart.

MAxIM 93

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The life of Father Jean Pierre Médaille

Father Jean Pierre Médaille founded the Sisters of St. Joseph in Le Puy, France, in 1650. Today, they serve across the U.S. and France, and in 50 other countries.

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Maxims OF ThE LITTLE INSTITuTE

for those who aspire to great virtue

A prevalent literary device found throughout oral and written history, maxims are “words

to live by,” simple and memorable rules or principles to guide behavior for a life well lived.

Father Médaille’s “Maxims of the Little Institute” consist of 100 maxims that provide guidance for the ministry of the Sisters of St. Joseph. These examples represent a way of living, deeply rooted in faith in God, love of neighbor and a life of service.

Keep always in mind the aim of your vocation which is sublime; and never do anything which

contradicts the commitment to a life full of modesty, gentleness, and holiness.

MAxIM 1

Always speak well of others and value highly the good in them, excusing and covering up, in the best way you can, the faults they may have.

MAxIM 11

In your greatest troubles and dangers hope with a firm confidence not that God will

comfort or deliver you but that God will effect in you and through you God’s holy and loving will and live perfectly at peace with this hope.

MAxIM 31

Pursue above all the pure glory of God, your salvation and perfection, the salvation and

perfection of the neighbor, and not the satisfaction and consolation often

found in these pursuits. MAxIM 48

The sampling of maxims presented here and throughout are drawn from the work of Marcia Allen, CSJ, of Concordia, Kansas, titled Love’s Design: An Invitation to Reflect on the Maxims of the Little Institute; published by the Sisters of St. Joseph in Concordia, and reprinted here with permission. For additional information and resources, visit: cssjfed.org/resources/spirituality.

Interpret all things from the best possible point of view.

MAxIM 52

When you work for the neighbor do it with a very unselfish love which expects no reward

for its services, and aim at nothing other than helping him or her and being at the

same time pleasing to God. MAxIM 55

Be constant in the way of life and virtue you have chosen, changing nothing about it

except to improve it. MAxIM 62

Be exact and diligent to do what you are advised or what is required by your duties,

especially when these are useful or necessary for the neighbor.

MAxIM 65

Never go ahead of grace by an imprudent eagerness, but quietly await its movements, and, when it comes to you, go along with it with great gentleness,

humility, fidelity, and courage. MAxIM 84

When you meet contradictions, strengthen yourself against human fears,

continuing to hope when everything seems to throw you into hopelessness regarding

the success of your undertakings. MAxIM 97