Marie Rose Ferron (24 May 1902 – 11 May 1936), often called the Little Rose, was a purported

Canadian-American Canadian Americans () are Citizenship of the United States, American citizens or in some uses residents whose ancestry is wholly or partly Canadians, Canadian, or citizens of either country who hold dual citizenship. Today, many Canadian American ...

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

mystic and stigmatist. Ferron was inducted into the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame in 2017.

Life

Ferron was born in

Saint-Germain-de-Grantham, Quebec Saint-Germain-de-Grantham is a municipality in the Centre-du-Québec region of Quebec. The population as of the Canada 2021 Census was 4,922. Saint-Germain-de-Grantham was the birthplace of Marie Rose Ferron. Demographics Population Populati ...

, as the tenth child of a large and devout Catholic family which moved to

Fall River, Massachusetts Fall River is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. Fall River's population was 94,000 at the 2020 United States census, making it the List of municipalities in Massachusetts, tenth-largest city in the state, and the second- ...

in 1906. It is said that she was six years old when she had her first vision of

Jesus Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...

, as a child, carrying a cross. "He was looking at me with sadness in His eyes," she once said.Souza, Kenneth A. "Seventy-five Years, Later Little Roses Devotees Still Pray For Sainthood Cause", ''The Anchor'', Fall River Diocese, May 13, 2011
/ref> At the age of 13, Ferron was stricken with a mysterious

paralysis Paralysis (: paralyses; also known as plegia) is a loss of Motor skill, motor function in one or more Skeletal muscle, muscles. Paralysis can also be accompanied by a loss of feeling (sensory loss) in the affected area if there is sensory d ...

and painful contraction of the muscles, forcing her to walk with crutches for several years until her twisted and clubbed feet confined her to a bed for the rest of her life. Because her muscles would sometimes painfully contract, making it very difficult to straighten once again, a flat board was placed on her narrow bed to which she was rigidly strapped. She also suffered an intestinal problem that made it difficult to digest solid food and contracted

tetanus Tetanus (), also known as lockjaw, is a bacterial infection caused by ''Clostridium tetani'' and characterized by muscle spasms. In the most common type, the spasms begin in the jaw and then progress to the rest of the body. Each spasm usually l ...

and pyorrhea. The family relocated to

Woonsocket, Rhode Island Woonsocket ( ), is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 43,240 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, making it the sixth largest city in the state. Being Rhode Island's northernmost city, Woonsoc ...

in 1925, where, the following year, her

stigmata Stigmata (, plural of , 'mark, spot, brand'), in Roman Catholicism, Catholicism, are bodily wounds, scars and pain which appear in locations corresponding to the Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion Five Holy Wounds, wounds of Jesus in Christian ...

first appeared. By

Lent Lent (, 'Fortieth') is the solemn Christianity, Christian religious moveable feast#Lent, observance in the liturgical year in preparation for Easter. It echoes the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert and enduring Temptation of Christ, t ...

1927 the wounds began to appear regularly every Friday. Ferron lived in constant pain until her death in 1936 at the age of 33. The number of mourners attending her funeral attest to her popularity in the Franco-American community.Kaell, Hillary. "“Marie-Rose, Stigmatisée de Woonsocket”:The Construction of a Franco-American Saint Cult, 1930-1955", ''Historical Studies'', Vol.73, The Canadian Catholic Historical Association, (2007)
/ref> Her attempts at appearing to have stigmata (including a

crown of thorns According to the New Testament, a woven crown of thorns ( or ) was placed on the head of Jesus during the Passion of Jesus, events leading up to his crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion. It was one of the Arma Christi, instruments of the Passion, e ...

) were repeatedly photographed featuring what appears to be a stylized wire thorn pattern made from irritating the skin in the corresponding pattern. There are those that have considered her the first American stigmatist. An inquiry into the cause of Ferron's canonization was conducted by Bishop Russell McVinney of

Providence, Rhode Island Providence () is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Rhode Island, most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. The county seat of Providence County, Rhode Island, Providence County, it is o ...

and ended in 1964 with the bishop deciding against further proceedings. The Diocese of Providence issued a formal decree stating that "any further action to promote the cause of Rose Ferron is not warranted."

Notes

Sources

* Jeanne S. Bonin, ''A Stigmatist: Marie-Rose Ferron'' Editions Paulines, 1988 * Rev. O.A. Boyer, ''She Wears a Crown of Thorns: Marie Rose Ferron'', 1958 ASIN B0007I5UMS *
Marie Rose Ferron –American Mystic, Stigmatic and Visionary (1902-1936)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ferron, Marie Rose Roman Catholic mystics Stigmatics 1902 births 1936 deaths 20th-century Christian mystics People from Centre-du-Québec People from Woonsocket, Rhode Island Canadian emigrants to the United States American Christian mystics Catholics from Rhode Island

Life

See also

Notes

Sources