Marie Campain 1858-1936
We do not have an official circular.
Marie comes from a well-to-do family in Valognes, her father is confessed but will be widowed very early: the mother dies when Marie is only 9 years old. She entered the monastery at the age of 23. She is a nightingale, writes Marie des Anges, and she is sparkling with spirit. But her unstable temper worries the community a bit: she is alternately elated and then depressed – and very angry. Gonzague and Mother Geneviève (his novice mistress) try with affectionate indulgence to balance it out.
But it was Thérèse who helped her the most: she was immediately very attached to Thérèse, even before she entered. She gave the 9-year-old girl she met in the parlor in 1882 a picture: "to my nice little Thérèse!" Kindness will last through the years. She often sits near her at playtime – and also at laundry (similar to water sprinkling, they say).
She will obtain from Mother Agnès of Jesus permission to seek advice from Thérèse, who has influence over her. Later, with the connivance of Mother Marie de Gonzague, Thérèse will try to bring her out of her melancholy by helping her in the lingerie.
Sister Marie de St Joseph left in 1909, at the request of the new prioress Marie-Ange, who demanded from Dr La Néele a medical certificate justifying the removal from the community for severe neurasthenia.
