Léonie Aviat was born in Sézanne on 16 September 1844 to shopkeepers Theodore Aviat and Emilie Caillot; she was
baptized on 17 September in the local parish church. When she was eleven, she attended a convent school of the
Order of the Visitation of Holy Mary in
Troyes as a
boarder. While attending the school, she was taught – and received spiritual guidance – from
Marie de Sales Chappuis (the superior) and the chaplain
Louis Brisson. Aviat received both her
First Communion and her
Confirmation from
Bishop of Troyes, Pierre-Louis Coeur, on 2 July 1856. Both her parents wanted her to wed a certain rich man, and when Aviat announced her intention to become a religious, her father voiced his opposition. In 1866 she made a spiritual retreat for discernment regarding her future. Aviat made the profession of her vows on 11 October 1871 to Monsignor de Ségur. The new Superior General demonstrated a clear lack of respect and consideration for Aviat, which others spoke about. Aviat did not complain nor mention it and offered her interior suffering to God. In 1881 this Superior General resigned after a tenure mired with complications and the new one, Louise-Eugenie, sent Aviat to the French capital of Paris to run a boarding school at Rue de Vaugirad. Aviat earned their respect through commitment to her work. ==Veneration==