Marie Rose Ferron

[3] Ferron was born in Saint-Germain-de-Grantham, Quebec, as the tenth child of a large and devout Catholic family which moved to Fall River, Massachusetts in 1906.

[4] At the age of 13, Ferron was stricken with a mysterious paralysis and painful contraction of the muscles, forcing her to walk with crutches for several years until her twisted and clubbed feet confined her to a bed for the rest of her life.

Because her muscles would sometimes painfully contract, making it very difficult to straighten once again, a flat board was placed on her narrow bed to which she was rigidly strapped.

She also suffered an intestinal problem that made it difficult to digest solid food and contracted tetanus and pyorrhea.

[5] The Diocese of Providence issued a formal decree stating that "any further action to promote the cause of Rose Ferron is not warranted.