Servant of God Élisabeth Leseur

Pauline Élisabeth Arrighi was born into a wealthy family in Paris on Oct. 16, 1866. She was sick as a child and suffered from health issues throughout her life. Élisabeth grew up conventionally religious. Her highly educated socialite circles were generally antireligious, including her husband Félix Leseur. Félix was a doctor and a leader in the anticlerical movement. He had told Élisabeth that he lost his faith during his medical studies

Élisabeth and Félix wed in 1889. The couple was close, even though they disagreed on the matter of religion. Initially Félix had agreed to respect Élisabeth’s practice of the faith, but as time went on, he grew more critical, even openly ridiculing her beliefs. For a time, Élisabeth abandoned her relationship with God.

In 1897, Félix gave her a copy of The History of the Origins of Christianity by Ernest Renán, a book critical of the Church. Finding the arguments in the book weak, Élisabeth began to explore Christianity deeper. This study led her to a deeper devotion; she underwent a conversion. She read the scriptures, Church Fathers, and mystic writers. She worked with charities that helped the poor and continued to pray for her atheist husband.

As she grew deeper in her faith, she began a spiritual, mystical connection to God. She followed the instruction of St. Francis de Sales in organizing an internal spiritual life of prayer, reading, meditation, and writing. In 1899 she began a spiritual journal. She aimed to be not just a well-educated Catholic but a devout Catholic.

She continued to bear criticism and ridicule from her husband and their friends, but she worked to bear the sufferings in silence and pray for them. In 1907, her health deteriorated and she became an invalid. She would receive visitors and devoted much time to prayer.

Élisabeth Leseur died of cancer on May 3, 1914. After her death, Félix found a note from her predicting that he would not only come to believe but become a priest. Thinking it a ridiculous superstition, he went to Lourdes, renewed to prove Christianity false. He wanted to show that the reports of healing at the Marian shrine were fake. However, at Lourdes, Félix had a conversion.

Félix went on to publish Élisabeth’s religious writings and some of her letters.

In 1919 Félix became a Dominican, and in 1923 he was ordained a priest.  

Élisabeth Leseur is currently in the process of canonization and holds the status of Servant of God.

“By the serenity that I mean to acquire I will prove that the Christian life is great and beautiful and full of joy.” -Servant of God Élisabeth Leseur