Born in 1579, her mother died when she was young and her father married a woman named Hortense, who hated Germain. 

Germain had been born with a paralyzed right hand which was also deformed. This perceived imperfection was the original source of Hortense’s cruelty but that cruelty multiplied with the years. 

Germain suffered constant physical and verbal abuse from her stepmother and that woman’s children. 

Boiled water was poured on her legs, ashes spread in her meager allotment of food, dirt was poured into her clothing. 

Eventually, she was thrown out of the house and forced to live in the barn, where she tended to the sheep and survived on scraps of food. 

But, through all of this, Germain was not only never bitter, she was forgiving. 

With no education, she longed for Jesus and found him every day at mass. 

She would leave her sheep in the care of The Lord and they were always protected, making her way to mass, rain or shine. 

Once, a farmer was watching as Germain crossed a flooded creek and saw the water part so she could pass. 

Stories of her holiness and love spread throughout the village which made her stepmother hate Germain even more. 

At one point, Hortense saw Germain carrying something in her dress. In fury, she ran out and attacked Germain, accusing her of stealing bread from the house to feed beggars. But, when Germain opened the dress, out poured beautiful flowers that could never have been found in the dead of winter. 

Germain told her, “The Lord wants you to have these, as an offering of forgiveness.”

Because of neglect, Germain struggled with her health all of her life and died at the age of just 22. But, after her death, many miracles were attributed to her and ten years later her body was discovered, uncorrupt. 

St. Germain Cousin, please pray for us.