Marguerite Bays
Canonized Catholic laywoman (1815-1879)
Feast: 27 June (not on the universal Roman calendar; kept in the Roman Martyrology or local calendars)
The Vatican record
- 15 January 2019 — Miracle through their intercession approved (decree list, 2019)
Who they were
Marguerite Bays was born on 8 September 1815 in the canton of Fribourg, Switzerland. A laywoman and a Franciscan tertiary, she worked as a seamstress in her family home, taught the village children the catechism, and gave herself to the needs of others. The five wounds of the crucifixion appeared on her body, causing her great pain, which she carefully hid. She died on 27 June 1879.
The miracles
A young seminarian — Dent-de-Lys, Switzerland — 25 March 1940
Climbing the Dent-de-Lys mountain, a young seminarian survived, inexplicably, when the rope of his party broke.
A little girl — Siviriez, Switzerland — 6 March 1998
In Marguerite's own village a small girl was run over completely by the wheel of a farm tractor, and survived, inexplicably.
Why that counted as sanctity
The case of a young seminarian was examined by the Church's doctors and theologians and approved as a miracle, opening the way to beatification. The case of a little girl was examined by the Church's doctors and theologians and approved as a miracle, opening the way to canonisation. Canonisation followed on 13 October 2019 by Francis.
- Dicastery for the Causes of Saints - biography of St Marguerite Bays, with both miracles
- Dicastery for the Causes of Saints — promulgated decrees (causesanti.va), summarised in our own words
- Wikidata Q3290670 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
- English Wikipedia — Marguerite Bays (CC BY-SA)
Checked against the sources listed on 21 September 2026. Corrections welcome.