Claret de la Touche, Louise
CLARET DE LA TOUCHE, LOUISE
Visitandine and mystic; b. Saint-Germain-en-Laye, March 15, 1868; d. Vische, May 14, 1915. Her health was fragile. At 11 she made a vow of virginity, and on Nov. 20, 1890, entered the Visitation at Romans. While there were no sensible visions recorded in her life, she experienced many mystical graces. These are difficult to isolate in character because she recorded them as they occurred from day to day and no synthesis has yet been made of them.
In 1902 she records that Christ said to her: "Margaret Mary showed my heart to the world; you will show it to priests." About 1913 opposition arose to her promulgation of this message and as a result she was detached from her community. Under the authority of Monsignor Filipello, she made a new foundation at Vische in March 1914, which, while following the rule of the Visitation, practiced greater exterior austerity and recited the full office. This community is now known as Bethany of the Sacred Heart and sponsors L'Alliance Sacerdotale, which encourages priests to study and imitate the mercy of the Sacred Heart. In 1933 an informative process was opened by the bishop of Ivrée.
Bibliography: Messagère de l'amour infini: Mère Louise Marguerite Claret de la Touche (Paris 1937), an anonymous work with a preface by r. p. hÉris.
[j. verbillion]