Reverend Mother Claudine Echernier was born at Feternes, in Chablais, in France on 29th of May 1801. Her father Francis Echernier and mother Anne Dutruel, had nine children of whom four died in their infancy. From the time she was ten years old Claudine was employed as a shepherdess in the house of Mr. Maillet, a rich land owner of Champanges near Feternes. The Holy Spirit himself formed the spirit of this girl by His divine inspirations. Having found a loyal heart, He supplied all that lacked with regard to formal education, and rendered her who was nothing in the eyes of the world, capable of great things. With her kindness and gentleness she won the hearts of her friends and while grazing she found some time to learn to read from a neighbour. Her mother died when Claudine was 15 years old and she courageously shouldered the care of the household and the upbringing of her brothers and sisters. Being diligent and skilful she became a seamstress and then she went from house to house to do stitching.
At the age of 26 Claudine freed from her obligations to the family and went into the service of the parish priest of Feternes and then in the presbytery of Chavanod. Very quickly she took stock of the situation of the parish – moral miseries which were the result of ignorance. Claudine threw open her kitchen to the poor girls of Chavanod in order to make them learn the alphabets as well as to teach them the rudiments of stitching and knitting, and while doing so, she spoke to them of God. At the age of 30 she went to a boarding school at Carouge in Geneva run by Religious, to learn to write and then returned to the presbytery of Chavanod to transmitted the knowledge to the little girls.
She had the desire to belong entirely to God for the service of her neighbour. She wrote “I consecrate my virginity to Jesus forever – at the age of 34 years. I have been thinking of it from the time I was 20 years old.” Her Maxim was “to make the Good God known and loved” and her only preoccupation was to know the will of God for her and accomplish it. She wanted to remain in close union with God. Some young girls, drawn by her example and desirous to imitate her, asked to share her life. Her director Fr. Peter Mermier guided zealous Claudine with the nucleus of young girls gathered around her, to become the first community of the Sisters of the Cross. Mother Claudine Echernier was endowed with all the qualities of ‘Chosen ones of God’. She was richly gifted with common sense and practical wisdom. She had courage, love for work, an enlightened mind, solid piety, and childlike obedience in doing the Will of God. She placed great trust in divine Providence. The virtue that was dominant in her and the virtue which included all the others was her love for God. In all her actions in all her undertakings she had only the glory of God in view. She often said “I desire to know Him better and to make Him known to others.” Towards the end of her life there were 300 sisters in the Congregation.
She had a special devotion to Holy Virgin Mary whom she had chosen and had given us as Mother and Patroness. She used to make pilgrimage to La Salette where Queen of Heaven appeared. On 10th August 1869, at 4’o clock in the morning, Mother Claudine Echernier calmly breathed her last moving her lips by saying “Jesus, my Jesus” and awakened in the bosom of her Divine Spouse. She was buried in the cemetery of Chavanod. Her tomb was covered with a simple Cross and a stone on which was engraved these words: The Cross was her book; the Cross will be her glory.
