Dom Jean-Baptiste Delaveyne, O.S.B., (1653-1719)[1] was a French Benedictine monk and priest, who founded a religious institute which continues to serve throughout the world.
Delaveyne was born to a wealthy family in the village of Saint-Saulge in 1653, in the ancient province of Nivernais.
[1] The Benedictine priory of Saint-Saulge being in a deplorable material state, Delaveyne settled comfortably with his parents and led “a life more worldly than religious”.
[2] Two years later, a chance remark by the pastor of a neighboring village contrasting his way of life to that of St. Benedict re-ignited the religious fervor of Delaveyne's youth.
He wrote a rule including the life of prayer and the practice of charity and ensured their skills by sending them to train with other nuns and then with doctors from Nevers.