Saint Germaine’s story begins a lot like Cinderella’s story. Like Cinderella, Saint Germaine’s mother died when she was a young girl and her father married a woman who did not like her. Unlike Cinderella, Saint Germaine was born with a deformed hand and a skin disease that left her covered in sores. Perhaps this is why her stepmother would not let her stay in the house and forced her to live in the barn.
Saint Germaine’s stepmother was very mean to her. She did not give her stepdaughter enough food. She made her sleep on a pile of leaves and twigs, and forced her to do many chores that would be difficult for a person with two arms. Saint Germaine became a shepherdess, taking care of the family’s sheep all day, every day.
Saint Germaine’s true love was Jesus, and she walked to Mass every day to receive him. In order to attend Mass, Saint Germaine had to leave the sheep untended. She simply asked God to watch over them until she returned. The villagers were amazed that Saint Germaine’s sheep never wandered off or were attacked by wolves.
One cold winter’s day, her stepmother accused her of stealing food to give to the poor. Saint Germaine opened her apron and miraculously, beautiful spring blossoms fell out. Saint Germaine handed a flower to her stepmother and said, “God sends this as a sign of his forgiveness.” After this event, her stepmother repented and asked Saint Germaine to move back into the house. Saint Germaine chose to stay in the barn, however. The townspeople began to recognize how holy Saint Germaine was. One person said that when Saint Germaine was walking to Mass, he saw a swollen river divide in two, so that she could walk through on dry land.
Saint Germaine died at the young age of 22. Forty years later, when a relative was buried near her grave, her body was found to be incorrupt, in a perfect state without any decay, and even more surprising, without any of the sores or scars from her disease! Soon, miracles began to happen from her intercession. She was canonized a saint 250 years after she died.
Saint Germaine was a poor girl, from a small village. She never did anything great or famous. She was humble. But she loved God and that was enough to make her a saint. Let us always remember that we can be saints in our simple everyday lives if we love God and seek to do HIs will.