St. Marguerite D’Youville was the foundress of the Sisters of Charity and the first Canadian to be canonized a Saint. She was born in Varennes, Canada on October 15, 1701 to Christopher an Renee de Varennes Dufrost de Lajemmerais. Her brother was La Vérendrye, the famed explorer who discovered the Rocky Mountains.

In 1722, she married Francois D’Youville and bore him six children, four of whom died young. Francois was himself engaged in the illegal liquor trade and died in 1730. While working and raising her remaining sons, who became priests, she administered a local hospital and gathered companions to form a new congregation designed to offer the people of Quebec medical care imbued with Christian charity.

The women lived in a small house, and in June of 1753 received permission to incorporate their activities. On August 25, 1755, Marguerite and her companions received a gray habit (The rule of the Sisters of Charity, called the Grey Nuns, had been approved years before.)

In 1747, Marguerite was given charge of General Hospital in Montreal, called the Hotel-Dieu. When the hospital was destroyed by a fire in 1766, Margaret knelt in the ashes to sing the Te Deum, accepting the terrible loss with religious calm. She died on December 23, 1771 in Montreal.