Mattie was a pioneer. Born in 1905, she was determined to get an education and help others get an education. She received her teaching credentials at 16 and would hitch a horse to a wagon to ride into Gonzales, La to teach elementary students. She was so young that she still wore bobby socks while teaching. She always embraced change that would make life better. Her pioneering spirit lead her to purchase the first automobile in Gonzales. It was unheard of for a young woman to be so bold.
She met the love of her life, Fellman Paul Blouin. They had a great romance but Fellman felt he was called to the priesthood. While discerning his vocation walking under the great oaks of Grand Coteau, all he could think about was Mattie. They married and had 7 children.
Together they had a deep faith and raised their children well. Mattie continued to teach ultimately retiring from St Amant Elementary then continued to tutor and encourage children to be the best they could be.
Her greatest delight was being the lector at daily mass and encouraging her 20+ grandchildren in the faith. She loved her church and her faith! There was many a day the grandchildren would pop in for a visit and she would be saying a rosary for vocations because she had her own personal “priest”, aka Fellman, and wanted to make sure the faith flourished.
Mattie passed away in 2000. She saw many changes in our society and church during her lifetime but always kept true to her core beliefs. This influential woman knew the importance of education and the value of our priests so we can think of nothing better than to help provide for the education of the future priests for our day.
Burse is a Medieval Latin word which means "purse." The Burse Fund provides financial support for seminarians' livelihood and education until they become ordained as priests, a path that can take up to nine years to complete.
The burse is set up as an endowment. The corpus will not be spent. Your Burse will live on in perpetuity. Only the dividend and interest earned on the principal amount can be used. The balance of the dividends and interest pays for seminary tuition, room and board, travel, retreats and basic needs. Seminarians also receive medical insurance and a monthly stipend. The cost of tuition, room and board for a single seminarian can vary from $40,000 to $65,000 annually depending on the seminary attended.
To create a Burse or for more information please contact:Gwen Fairchild, Director of Stewardship
Diocese of Baton Rouge
225-242-0108 or [email protected]