Jean Paul Médaille (29 January 1618 – 15 May 1689) was a French Jesuit missionary, and founder of an order of Catholic religious sisters.
Médaille was born at Carcassonne, Department of Aude, France. He entered the Society of Jesus, 15 August, 1640, and after completing his studies spent a number of years in the classroom, teaching both the lower and higher studies of the college courses and particularly, for the space of six years, philosophy. Later he was applied to preaching, his life's work; to this he gave himself up almost exclusively for eighteen years, until advancing age forced him instead to take up directing sodalities and hearing confessions.
He was one of the number of missioners formed in the school of St. Francis Regis of the Society of Jesus, and spent the best years of his life in the evangelization of Velay, Auvergne, Languedoc, and Aveyron. Pious sodalities, lacked certain elements which Father Medaille regarded as necessary. Their members, although devoted, were hampered in many ways and by many ties. Father Medaille resolved, therefore, to start a congregation of nuns who should give themselves up wholly to all the spiritual and corporal works of mercy. Having matured his plans, he laid them before Henri de Maupas, who gave them his fullest approval. Shortly after, Father Medaille founded the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph.
The general idea of the congregation was drawn, at least to a certain extent, from the works of St. Francis de Sales, but the details of its practical development were based almost entirely on the constitutions of the Society of Jesus. He died at Auch, Department of Gers, France.
The only one of his writings that survives, aside from some correspondence, except the "Constitutions pour la Congrégation des Soeurs de Saint Joseph". These constitutions have been incorrectly attributed to Father Peter Medaille, S.J. It is true that Father Peter Medaille contributed much in later years to the congregation, but at the time of its foundation he was still a novice.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed (1913). Catholic Encyclopedia. Robert Appleton Company.