As a family, the Ratisbonnes are honest and upright and concern themselves with the welfare of the poor within their community in Strasbourg. He begins to study law, first in Paris, then in Strasbourg. He will opt, instead, to take charge of schools opened by his father for Jewish families living in poverty in Alsace, whilst continuing to study natural and medical sciences. The teachings combine philosophy with theology, and exalt faith above reason.
The course is held in the house of Louise Humann. He takes charge of a section of a school in Strasbourg, teaches catechism, and is appointed by the Bishop as a curate, with parish duties. In , he will join with a small group of fellow young priests in opening schools in Strasbourg. The schools enjoy a good reputation and grow rapidly. A year later, he will assume the responsibility of chaplaincy to an orphanage of children.
Raising my eyes to this chapel, radiant with light, I saw Mary, ⦠full of beauty and mercy⦠She did not speak but I understood everything! Alphonse will enter the Jesuit novitiate five months after the vision in Rome.
Over the next eight years, he will pronounce his first vows and be ordained as a priest. Since his encounter with the Virgin Mary in Rome, Alphonse has been urging his older brother to do more for Jewish families in need, whose plight he has witnessed in Strasbourg and the Alsace region of France. He waits to have the blessing of Pope Gregory XVI, then responds to a request from a Jewish parent in need, accepting to raise her daughters, with the help of two women who have been assisting him with parish work.
Other families confide their children to the group and more women join the effort to support the children. The women feel strongly drawn to religious life and ask to be established as a religious institution. The first consecration is made, without vows.
