Marie Louise Françoise Blin de Bourdon, SNDdeN (also known as Mother St. Joseph; 8 March 1756 – 9 February 1838) was a French noblewoman and Catholic nun.
From the age of six years until she made her First Holy Communion, she attended the school of the Bernardines; she completed her education with the Ursulines of Amiens.
For several years she was one of the gayest members of the brilliant society of her time and was presented at the Court of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette.
Early in 1793 her aged father was imprisoned at Amiens; a few months later she herself was dragged from her home by a frantic mob, all in the name of Liberty.
During his tour in 1829, King William visited the establishment at Namur and was so pleased that he gave the Mother General Dutch citizenship.
The Revolution of 1830 and the assumption of the crown of Belgium by Leopold of Saxe-Gotha had put an end to petty persecutions of religious.
The most important work of Mother St. Joseph's generalate was the compiling and collating of the Rules and Constitution of the Sisters of Notre Dame.
She also drew up a system of instruction based upon that of St. John Baptist de La Salle for the French Brothers of the Christian Schools.
To give greater stability to the government of the institute, a general chapter unanimously approved extension to life-tenure for the office of superior-general.