Odette was born to Augusto Cardoso Ferreira and Alice Vidal, who were both Portuguese immigrants. Her father died before her birth and her mother remarried to a wealthy merchant, Francisco de Oliveira, who raised her as his own child. Although she had a privileged upbringing, the girl showed a special concern for the poor, visiting orphanages with her mother and asking household staff to give to the poor and needy. From the time she was four, she purportedly had intimate dialogues with
Jesus Christ. She often accompanied her mother to church. At the age of five she began to attend catechism classes at the College of the Immaculate Conception. She loved lilies, prayed the
rosary daily and thought that
Saint Joseph did not receive enough honor for his support of
Mary and Jesus. Odette died of
meningitis at the age of nine. After her death, her parents devoted themselves to good works that were inspired by Odette's love for the poor. ==Beatification process==