CLAUDINA THEVENET-by Carmen Mosquera

Today I am going to talk about a wonderful, brave and good woman: Claudina Thevent, our founder. As you know her life wasn’t a piece of cake and she had to work really hard since she was young.

Anyway, I am going to tell you her story to remember it:

• Claudina, Glady for her family, was born in Lyon, France on 30 th March 1174. She was the second of seven siblings: 4 sisters (Elisabeth, Fany, Leonor and herself) and 3 brothers (Luis Antonio, Francisco Maria and Juan Luis).
• Her mother, Maria Antonieta, and her father, Filiberto, worked as silk makers, so Claudina and her siblings helped them a lot.
• At school, Claudina learnt to read, to sew, to draw, to pray, etc.
• When Claudina was 15 years old, the French Revolution broke up and two of her brothers, Luis Antonio and Francisco Maria, went to this devastating war to fight for their country. Unfortunately, they were taken prisoners. Claudina was very sad and she always tried to see and bring them some food. In January 1794, their brothers were killed in front of Claudina. Before they died they said to Claudina: “Forgive us as we also have forgiven”.
• When the French Revolution finished (1789), there were hundreds of orphaned children without food, clothes, homes, etc.
• Claudina decided to help orphaned girls and she opened schools to teach them how to read, draw, write, pray, etc. Most of the days Claudina took more orphaned girls in, so she and her friends had a great idea: live in houses where the orphaned girls could play, study, sleep, etc. These houses needed a name so they chose one “Jesus-Maria Religious”. The nuns helped the girls a lot and the girls were very happy.
• Claudina died on 3rd of February 1837 and her last words were: “How good is God ”.

I think Claudina is one of the best examples to be followed.

Nowadays, our society is surrounded by violence, so now is our turn to make this world more peaceful.