May 29, 2025

Dear Friend,

Today’s Pause+Pray encourages us to soak in our blessings—not just list them, but let them saturate our hearts. That’s not always easy in the middle of a busy week or when life feels overwhelming. But I’ve found that when I take even a few moments to notice the small graces—sun through the trees, laughter with my niece, the gift of breath—I’m reminded that God’s presence is constant. Sometimes not flashy but always amazingly faithful!

At Franciscan Media, we’re helping people recognize those blessings in their own lives. Our reflections, videos, and spiritual resources are invitations to pause and see what God is doing. If you’d like to support that work, your monthly gift helps us offer these small moments of light to people across the world who need a reason to stop, breathe, and believe.

Thank you for walking this week with me. I am so grateful to serve you.

Blessings, 

Ela Milewska

Digital Evangelization Strategist

Saint of the Day for May 29:

Madeleine Sophie Barat

(December 12, 1779 – May 25, 1865)

Listen to Saint Madeleine Sophie Barat’s Story Here

The legacy of Madeleine Sophie Barat can be found in the more than 100 schools operated by her Society of the Sacred Heart, institutions known for the quality of the education made available to the young.

Sophie herself received an extensive education, thanks to her brother Louis, 11 years older and her godfather at baptism. Himself a seminarian, Louis decided that his younger sister would likewise learn Latin, Greek, history, physics, and mathematics—always without interruption and with a minimum of companionship. By age 15, she had received a thorough exposure to the Bible, the teachings of the Fathers of the Church, and theology. Despite the oppressive regime Louis imposed, young Sophie thrived and developed a genuine love of learning.

Meanwhile, this was the time of the French Revolution and of the suppression of Christian schools. The education of the young, particularly young girls, was in a troubled state. Sophie, who had discerned a call to the religious life, was persuaded to become a teacher. She founded the Society of the Sacred Heart, which focused on schools for the poor as well as boarding schools for young women of means. Today, co-ed Sacred Heart schools also can be found, along with schools exclusively for boys.

In 1826, her Society of the Sacred Heart received formal papal approval. By then she had served as superior at a number of convents. In 1865, she was stricken with paralysis; she died that year on the feast of the Ascension.

Madeleine Sophie Barat was canonized in 1925. Her liturgical feast is celebrated on May 25.

Reflection

Madeleine Sophie Barat lived in turbulent times. She was only 10 when the Reign of Terror began. In the wake of the French Revolution, rich and poor both suffered before some semblance of normality returned to France. Born to some degree of privilege, Sophie received a good education. It grieved her that the same opportunity was being denied to other young girls, and she devoted herself to educating them, whether poor or well-to-do. We who live in an affluent country can follow her example by helping to ensure to others the blessings we have enjoyed.

Saint Madeleine Sophie Barat is a Patron Saint of:

Educators/Teachers