St. Emily de Rodat was born in France in 1787. She became a teacher at 18 and when she realized that many of the local children were too poor to attend school, she opened a school for them and taught for free.
After entering a few congregations, she realized that she wasn’t called to any existing religious orders. Emily instead devoted her life to teaching the poor, and brought in other young women to help her. Her school’s numbers grew rapidly, and many more women were needed to help teach. These women became the Religious Congregation of the Holy Family of Villefranche.
This congregation cared for the elderly, prisoners, and orphans and taught in schools for the poor.
Emily died of cancer at Villefranche on Sept 19, 1852. At the time of her death, she had opened 38 charitable institutions. She was made a saint in 1950.
