In 1915, one year after the beginning of the war, while the fighting dragged on in the trenches, all the families in France knew that a visit from a government official meant that someone had been killed in battle. When, therefore, on July 25th 1915, Madame de Guigné opened the door to the Mayor of Annecy-le-Vieux, she knew at once that her husband, who had already been wounded three times, would never return home.
“Anne, if you want to comfort me, you must be good” her mother said to her four year-old daughter, the eldest of her four children. From that moment on, this child who had been, up till then, rather disobedient, arrogant and jealous led a continuous and bitter fight to become good. Her interior transformation was obtained thanks to her will-power certainly, but above all, as she herself said, by prayer and the sacrifices she imposed on herself. One would see her becoming red in the face and clenching her little fists in order to control her temper when difficulties arose. Little by little, these crises became less frequent and her family began to have the impression that she was content with everything. Her love for her mother, whom she wished to comfort, was thus to become her path towards God.
This path was marked by many of Anne’s reflexions which show the intensity of her spiritual life and by the great number of testimonies from her friends and family which tell of the continual efforts she made to progress in her conversion. For Anne, the guiding light on the path of her conversion was her first communion which she desired with all her heart and soul and prepared with joy. When the time came, as she was too young, the bishop made her undergo a test which she passed with the greatest of ease. “I wish we could all have the same level of religious instruction as this child” said the examiner.
The rest of her short life was filled with the peace that comes from great happiness caused by her love of God, which as she grew older, spread to an ever-widening circle of people: her friends, her family, her acquaintances, the sick people the poor and the non-believers. She lived, prayed and suffered for others. At an early age, she suffered from rhumatism and so knew what suffering meant. She would immediately offer it, saying: “Jesus, I offer it to you” or “Oh no, I am not suffering, I am learning how to suffer”.
In December 1921 she contracted a cerebral disease, probably meningitis, which forced her to take to her bed. She repeated continuously: “Oh God, thy will be done!” When prayers were being said for her recovery, she would add “... and may all the other sick people recover!” Anne de Guigné died at dawn on January 14th 1922 after this last conversation with the nun who was with her: “Sister, may I join the angels? – Yes, my dear little girl. – Thank you, Sister, thank you!”
“This little girl is a saint” was the general verdict. Testimonies started pouring in, articles appeared in the press and in 1932, the Bishop of Annecy started the beatification procedure. Up until this time, the Church had never had to judge the sanctity of a child who had not been a martyr. The studies carried out in Rome on the possibity of sanctity in children were concluded in a positive manner in 1981 and on March 3rd 1990 the decree, stating that Anne de Guigné was “venerable”, was proclaimed. “An exceptional soul for such a young child.”
Official Website of the Anne Guigné’s Friends Association. https://www.annedeguigne.fr/en/biography/a-great-soul.html
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