On 26 April, a group of Associates of the Daughters of the Holy Spirit travelled to Taden in Brittany, near Dinan, to follow in the footsteps of the ‘Charitable Spouses’ Claude Toussaint Marot (1675-1755) and Marguerite Picquet de la Motte (1681-1757), Count and Countess of La Garaye, and then in the footsteps of the first Daughters of the Holy Spirit.
Coming from the Orne, Manche and 3 Breton departments, we gathered at the Château de la Garaye in Taden, on the very spot where Claude and Marguerite lived most of their lives.
As the funeral celebrations of Pope Francis began in Rome, we entered into communion with the universal Church and entrusted our pilgrimage to the Holy Spirit: ‘Spirit of God, visit us, Tenderness of the Father and the Son…’. This song will accompany us throughout the day.
In front of the ruins of the castle, the morning is devoted to recalling the exemplary life of this couple who, around 1710, decided to give up their life of luxury to give themselves entirely to God in the service of the poor.
After a shared picnic in a large room in the La Garaye gite, we set off to follow in the footsteps of the first Daughters of the Holy Spirit who came from Plérin to Taden in 1729, in the house of ‘Petit Bon Espoir’ donated by the Count and Countess. We had the chance to visit the place where the sisters of the ‘Petit Bon Espoir’ lived and worked with schoolchildren, the poor and the sick in their own homes. We met the owner, thanks to whom the buildings of what was once a spiritual retreat house have been preserved.
To bring this moving day to a close, we prayed and sang to the Holy Spirit in the church in Taden, where the couple used to take part in Sunday services with their parishioners.
Then we took time to share with each other, asking the following questions: “What light and what calls have I received today during this Pilgrimage to the Sources? What will I leave with?” Many of us were able to express our thanks for this day.
It’s fair to say that at the end of the day, we weren’t quite the same people we were when we arrived that morning. The emotion we experienced together, on the very spot where this couple lived, made us perceive the work of the Spirit who worked in the hearts of Claude and Marguerite, through their self-giving life, the only path that seemed possible to them: that of service to others and sharing their faith.
Their tombstone, just outside the church, remains a moving reminder of their presence here.
Special thanks to the people who welcomed us to La Garaye and Le Petit Bon-Espoir and opened the doors of the church in Taden.
Bernard Schoenhenz, with the DHS Archives Service.
Published on 2 July 2025, the anniversary of the death of the Comte de La Garaye on 2 July 1755, when a mass will be celebrated in Taden church.
