Uncertainties remain about this modest, extraordinary woman who lived in the small industrial town of Cours (Rhône). She was born on April 30, 1787 (and not 1766 as some have written).
She would have been a schoolteacher (at least around 1836). But the important thing is that she came to Ars dozens of times (forty?). The first time was around 1828, when the saintly Curé’s reputation was beginning to spread far and wide, thanks to the many parish missions to which he had lent a helping hand.
Étiennette came to see him to ask his advice about a spiritual work in favor of the souls in purgatory, which she believed in but whose difficulties made her doubt it.
For these souls, she offers nights of prayer, masses and privations. Saint Jean-Marie Vianney restored her confidence with these words: “Your mission is beautiful and very pleasing to God. Oh! masses, masses for the souls in purgatory! What could be more precious? God will give you the grace, he will bless you, he will grant you many more years of happiness for these poor holy souls”.
From then on, she began to beg for the souls in purgatory: at the church door, but also in the city. “A penny, please, for the souls in purgatory,” she used to ask shamelessly. It seems no one has ever dared oppose her, despite the originality of her approach… and of her person.
It’s not for nothing that she’s nicknamed “la Gniatse” in the local dialect, meaning “la Niaque”, because of her astonishing energy… Once she’d packed her little bag, she set off on foot to walk the good fifty kilometers to Ars, through the Beaujolais mountains, begging for room and board.
Despite the difference in altitude, she admits to finding the return easier than the outward journey: no doubt due to the joy of a mission accomplished! The Curé d’Ars always welcomed her and celebrated a few Masses himself, while she offered all the others to her confreres. Hundreds of masses for the souls in purgatory are celebrated thanks to her.
Blind and helpless at the end of her life, people came to take care of her. Several times, they are surprised to find everything in order, even though they were careful to close the door every time. “It’s the souls in purgatory who’ve come this morning,” she assured us with a smile.
She died on November 23, 1873, probably at the age of 86. What is certain is that her triumphant funeral attests to the reputation she had earned at Cours. Witnesses report that the city’s factories were shut down and crowds of workers, bosses and clergy accompanied him to his final resting place. No doubt his soul was pampered when he arrived among his fellow human beings!
From Annales d’Ars no. 344 [mai – juin 2013].
