St. Germaine Cousin (1579 - 1601) was born in France. She lost her mother at a very young age. She was a weak and ill girl who also had a deformed right hand that was paralyzed. Her step-mother was very cruel to Germaine because of her disability. Germaine was given so little food that she used to crawl to the dog's bowl to get some food. Her step-mother once made her care for the chickens in a drain and left her there for three days. Her step-siblings used to put ashes in her food and their mother found it entertaining. All this made Germaine more ill and this made her step-mother worry for her step-siblings from getting sick and so she put Germaine out of the house. Germaine slept outside the house in the cold and only had a sheep to keep her warm (the sheep slept out too). Germaine was also tasked to look after sheep. Germaine used to let God take care of the sheep during mass times when she went to the church. God always took care of all of the sheep. When people of her village started talking about her holiness Germaine's step-mother got more angry and was looking for an opportunity to find Germaine doing something wrong. Germaine used to share the food scraps she had with beggars. One day she had a cloth wrapped up in a bundle and when her step-mother saw that, she thought that Germaine stole food and so she started to yell and scream at her. Germaine opened up the bundle of cloth and gave her step-mother beautiful flowers from the bundle saying: "Please accept this flower, Mother. God sends it to you in sign of his forgiveness." (This happened in the middle of winter when there were no flowers blooming in that area). This softened her step-mother's heart and she was invited back home. Germaine did not go back inside because she was used to sleeping outside and she died at the young age of 22 in her straw bed.
Forty years later her body was exhumed and found to be incorrupt.
St. Germaine please pray for all abused kids to get relief.
Patron of: Victims of child abuse.
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