St. Germaine Cousin

St. Germaine Cousin Biography

St. Germaine Cousin was a French peasant girl who lived in the 17th century, and is known for her piety, humility and deep devotion to God. She is also known for the many miracles and healings attributed to her intercession, and her devotion to helping the poor and the sick.

Germaine was born on April 28, 1579, in the village of Pibrac, France, as the youngest of five children in a poor peasant family. Her mother died when she was two years old, and her father remarried and left her with her grandparents. She spent her childhood working as a shepherdess, and showed great devotion to God from a very young age.

In her teenage years, Germaine became severely disabled and was paralyzed from the waist down as a result of an undiagnosed spinal condition. However, her faith and devotion did not diminish, and she continued to serve the poor and the sick in her village, using her own funds and resources to help them.

Germaine’s reputation for holiness grew, and many people began to seek her help and her intercession. Many miracles and healings were attributed to her, and the people in her village started calling her “”The Saint of Pibrac.””

Despite her illness and physical limitations, Germaine continued to live a life of deep devotion and piety. She spent most of her days in prayer and meditation, and in serving the poor and the sick. Her deep devotion to God and her selfless acts of charity earned her a reputation as a saintly person.

Germaine lived a relatively unknown and humble life, and was never formally recognized by the Church during her lifetime, but her reputation for holiness and miracles continued to spread after her death. The people of Pibrac built a chapel in her honor, and her tomb became a place of pilgrimage.

In the 18th century, her story was known by many people and priests began to investigate her life and the miracles attributed to her, leading to her beatification in 1804. Her canonization was done in 1867 by Pope Pius IX.

Today, St. Germaine Cousin is venerated as a saint by the Catholic Church, and her feast day is celebrated on July 27th. She is the patron saint of abandoned children and disabled people, and her intercession is still sought by many people who are facing difficult life situations.

The Life of St. Germaine Cousin

St. Germaine Cousin was born in 1579 in Pibrac, a small village in France. She has been termed “”The saint without a history””. From her earliest years Germaine was a frail, sickly child, and throughout her life was afflicted with scrofula, a tubercular condition, affecting particularly the glands of the neck. In addition, her right arm and hand were deformed and partially paralyzed. In spite of her many afflictions, the emaciated child possessed a charming, sweet disposition.

A Childhood of Great Suffering

Besides bodily sufferings, Germaine endured harsh, cruel treatment from her stepmother, who had a deep aversion and hatred for the little girl. Often her face was swollen and covered with blood from the blows administered by the brutal woman. The child was almost starved to death, being given only a few crusts of moldy black bread daily; her bed was a pile of leaves and twigs under the stairway of the barn, amidst the squalor of the animals.

Abandoned and forlorn, it was here that she spent her nights, cold, hungry and sick. I would seem that the stepmother sought by her inhuman treatment to bring about the child’s death, But God was watching over her. At break of day, summer and winter, Germaine was obliged to drive the sheep into the fields to graze and to watch them until evening. While the sheep were grazing Germaine had to spin. If the allotted wool was not spun, she was severely punished. Even the villagers showed a hostile attitude toward the forlorn child. The children, however, loved to listen to her speak about the goodness and love of God as she shepherded her flock.

With no opportunity to attend school, Germaine never learned to read or write. The catechetical instruction given after the Sunday Mass in the village church, she eagerly drank in as she prepared for her First Holy Communion. Like our Blessed Lady, she “”pondered in her heart”” all she learned about the Lord Jesus and His Blessed Mother. The long hours of solitude in the fields during the day and in the stable at night were spent by this innocent child in sweet communion with God, and she never complained of her hard life. The village church was the only place where Germaine was welcome.

Many Miracles

Each morning she could be seen there kneeling before Our Lady’s shrine after assisting at Mass. In order to reach the church it was necessary to cross the Courbet. Ordinarily it was only a small stream, but after a heavy rain it would become a raging torrent. On several occasions when the stream was full, the villagers were amazed to see the rushing waters separate as Germaine approached, and that she was able to cross to the opposite side on dry land as the Israelites had crossed the Red Sea.

It wasn’t long before the people of Pibrac began to talk about this and the other wonderful happenings in the life of the unwanted child. Although ravenous wolves infested the forest near the village, the stepmother sometimes ordered Germaine to take the sheep there. While other villagers’ flocks had been dispersed and destroyed by these wild animals, never once did they harm Germaine’s sheep. She would strike her staff into the ground and the sheep would huddle at it and remain there safely while she would go to Mass.

One evening as several of the townspeople passed the stable where Germaine slept they heard a heavenly melody. Peering through a crack, they saw the child kneeling in ecstatic prayer, her head crowned with a radiant light. Attempting to enter, the celestial hymn was renewed, and they fled in awe.

One wintry day, shortly before her death, some of the village folk saw the stepmother pursuing Germaine as she drove the sheep down the road. Screaming loudly, she accused the girl of having concealed in her apron some bread she had stolen from the home of her stepmother. Threatening to strike the child, she demanded that Germaine unfold the apron. When she obeyed, fragrant flowers, not grown in that region, fell to the ground. The villagers’ attitude of contempt now changed to one approaching veneration, but Germaine’s life on earth was nearing its end.

One night early in the summer of 1601, at the age of twenty-two, she died, as she had lived, alone with God. Her remains were interred in the village church, as was the custom in those days. In 1644 a relative desired to be buried next to Her. When the stones were removed, to the astonishment of the grave-digger there was found the body of a beautiful young girl in a state of perfect preservation. His pick had struck the girl’s nose, and the wound was bleeding. Some of the older residents identified the girl as Germaine Cousin.

Miracle after miracle occurred. On June 29, 1867, the neglected little child of Pibrac was enrolled upon the list of Saints by Pope Pius IX. In 1877 the citizens of Toulouse erected a stone monument in Saint Germaine’s honor. Annually thousands of pilgrims visit the church of Pibrac, where the sacred body of Saint Germaine is enshrined.

Popular St. Germaine Cousin Medal and St. Germaine Cousin Rosary

Prayers to St. Germaine Cousin

Prayer for the Intercession of St. Germaine Cousin for Children

O Saint Germaine, look down from Heaven and intercede for the many abused children in our world. Help them to sanctify these sufferings. Strengthen children who suffer the effects of living in broken families. Protect those children who have been abandoned by their parents and live in the streets. Beg God’s mercy on the parents who abuse their children. Intercede for handicapped children and their parents.

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Prayer to St. Germaine Cousin

Dear St. Germaine,

You were known for your strong faith and devotion to God, even in the face of adversity and suffering. I ask for your intercession as I face my own challenges and difficulties. Help me to remain steadfast in my beliefs and to trust in the Lord’s plan for me.

May your example of humility and charity inspire me to be a kind and compassionate person, always seeking to do good for those around me.

Amen.

Prayer to St. Germaine Cousin

St. Germaine,

You experienced much hardship and suffering in your life, yet remained steadfast in your faith. Help me to remember that trials and difficulties are opportunities for growth and spiritual development.

May your unwavering trust in God give me the strength to endure any difficulty that may come my way.

Amen.

Prayer to St. Germaine Cousin

O St. Germaine,

You were known for your miracles and your ability to heal the sick. I ask for your intercession on behalf of (name someone in need of healing), that they may be restored to full health in body, mind, and spirit.

May your faith and devotion to God give me the courage to pray for healing and to have faith in the power of the divine to work wonders in our lives.

Amen.

St. Germaine Cousin: The Patron Saint of Shepherds and Abandoned Children

St. Germaine Cousin is the patron saint of shepherds and abandoned children. This designation stems from her life story, which includes her being raised by her grandparents who were shepherds.

St. Germaine was born in France in the early 1600s and was known for her devotion to God from a young age. Despite facing many challenges and hardships, including the death of her parents and her being considered an outcast due to her physical deformities, she remained steadfast in her faith and dedicated her life to serving others.

In recognition of her life and her devotion to God, St. Germaine was canonized by the Catholic Church and is now venerated as the patron saint of shepherds and abandoned children. This is because of her association with shepherds, who were often seen as being on the margins of society and in need of protection, and because of her compassionate spirit and her dedication to serving those in need.

Today, Catholics around the world continue to look to St. Germaine as an example of courage, perseverance, and devotion, and they invoke her intercession on behalf of shepherds and abandoned children. Through their own acts of kindness and generosity, they strive to embody the ideals of St. Germaine and to continue her mission of serving those in need and spreading the love of God to all people.

Reflection on the feast day of St. Germaine Cousin

The feast day of St. Germaine Cousin is celebrated on July 28th.

St. Germaine Cousin was a French peasant girl who lived in the 16th century. She was born with a physical disability and was abandoned by her parents at a young age. Despite her difficult circumstances, she is known for her deep faith and her devotion to God. She is the patron saint of the physically disabled and of those who are abandoned or marginalized.

On the feast day of St. Germaine Cousin, we remember her perseverance and her deep faith despite the challenges she faced in her life. Her example teaches us that no matter what difficulties we may face in life, we can always turn to God for strength and guidance.

In today’s world, there are many people who feel marginalized, abandoned, or overlooked. On the feast day of St. Germaine Cousin, we are reminded that each and every one of us is precious in the eyes of God and that we are never truly alone.

As we celebrate the feast day of St. Germaine Cousin, let us take inspiration from her example of perseverance and deep faith. Let us be reminded that, no matter what our circumstances, we are never alone and that God’s love and grace is always with us.

In addition, let us also remember St. Germaine as the patron saint of the physically disabled and of those who are marginalized and abandoned, and to support them as much as we can, and to offer our help and our love to them.

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