Euphrasia barber

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Euphrasia barber

Euphrasia Barber (born January 4, 1829 in Caen , † January 18, 1893 in Sturry, Kent , England ) was a French Roman Catholic nun and founder of the Order of Missionary Sisters of Our Lady , RNDM.

life and work

Childhood and youth

Euphrasia, whose paternal grandmother had returned from Guadeloupe as a widow , grew up in Caen as the eldest child in modest circumstances, but attracted attention early on with her intelligence and energy. From 1843 to 1846 she was an apprentice in a delicatessen laundry, then she worked independently in her own workshop. At the age of 17 she lost a 14-year-old sister.

Calvary Sister in Cuves

At the end of 1848 she followed her calling to missionary work and entered the novitiate in Cuves in the canton of Nogent , Haute-Marne , a bishop founded in 1840 by the local pastor Nicolas Chantôme (1810–1877) and by Pierre-Louis Parisis (1834–1851) von Langres , a community of sisters she had heard of in Caen through Chantôme herself. The community was called Soeurs du Calvaire (Calvary Sisters, from 1864 belonging to the Servitinnen OSM ). Euphrasia was under the spiritual direction of Félix Philpin de Rivières (1814–1908), later the author of numerous publications, whose theology saw Mary at the center of the Trinity. In the summer of 1849, Euphrasia was dressed and took the religious name Marie du Coeur de Jésus (Mary of the Heart of Jesus).

London

In order to realize the missionary ideal, the Order sent Euphrasia and a fellow sister to England, the classic starting point for world missions, in March 1851, in order to prepare the relocation of the rest of the community in London (September 1852). Initially, euphrasia lived under the harshest of conditions, contracted smallpox and remained weak in the stomach for life. With ironing and gold embroidery, she earned money for the congregation, which is now called Sisters of the Compassion of Our Lady ( Soeurs de la Compassion de Marie ). The nuns were spiritually accompanied by the oratorians , above all Frederick William Faber . From Faber, Euphrasia, who was novice master from 1853, ultimately had a healing crisis.

From London to Lyon

On December 14, 1860, Euphrasia was deposed as assistant to the superior and novice mistress and moved back to the last place in the novitiate. The motives are unclear; it may have been a test that was considered beneficial for their sanctification. Euphrasia did not resist, obeyed without a word, but in the long term the injustice could not remain without consequences, all the more since the community, in contrast to Euphrasia, had meanwhile lost sight of the world missionary goal. On August 12, 1861, Euphrasia left her congregation (together with a fellow sister) and went to the Marist Fathers in Lyon, who were looking for consecrated women for missionary teaching in New Zealand . This initiative was mediated by the Marist Sisters based in London (also: Marist Sisters or Marist Mission Sisters).

The difficult relationship with the Marists

What began now was a lifelong collaboration, but also constant confrontation with the Marists, who felt themselves to be Euphrasie's superiors, while she herself gratefully recognized their help, but did not want to be interfered with in the interests of her own congregation. The Marists had professed missionaries since 1836, with Pierre Chanel the first martyr and Jean-Baptiste Pompallier the first bishop in New Zealand. They also looked after lay missionaries, above all the pioneer Marie- Françoise Perroton (1796–1873) in Wallis and Futuna since 1846 , followed by other women from the Third Order of the Marists. For many years, the main point of contention will be the portion of monastic contemplation with cloister and habit demanded by Euphrasia, which the Marists opposed to practical aspects in tropical surroundings with the need to adapt to local conditions.

Founding of the congregation in Lyon with branches in New Zealand and Australia

With the help of the Marists, Euphrasie moved into a house in Lyon ( rue Cléberg 7 ) on November 25, 1861 (together with her sister) to found the congregation “Notre-Dame des Missions” (Missionary Sisters of Our Lady) was canonically erected by Cardinal de Bonald at Christmas. Euphrasia wrote a first version of the rule of the order, shaped (together with the Marist François Yardin) the incoming callings (in 1863 there were 14 novices, including herself) and made profession in June 1864. During several sister missions in Napier (on New Zealand's North Island, February 1865), Sydney (1867, abandoned in 1868 after conflict with the Marist Victor-François Poupinel, 1815-1884), Christchurch (on New Zealand's South Island, late 1867), and Nelson (South Island, February 1871), Euphrasie relocated the Lyons parent company to Chemin de Montauban 14 in March 1864 , where it was to last until 2007. At the first general chapter (August / September 1867) Euphrasia emphasized the Triune God as the source of mission.

Twice in Rome, then in England

Not least because of the constant conflict with the Marists, the necessity of a rule of the order approved by the Pope became apparent. Euphrasia traveled to Rome in February 1869 and received a decree of praise from Pius IX in June . , which confirmed the autonomy of their congregation, but could not eliminate the problems with the Marists, since they were needed at least in the missions as priests. Euphrasia stayed in Rome in June 1870 for permission to establish further missions and to set up a novitiate in New Zealand and was on the 18th of Pope Pius IX. received in audience. Despite the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian War , she traveled twice to England in the same year and on October 13th founded a branch in Deal in the county of Kent. In 1871 the motherhouse served as a hospital, while the superior traveled tirelessly to collect alms.

First visitation trip around the world 1872–1876

The matron's long postponed visitation trip to Oceania lasted from October 1872 to September 1876. It led through the Suez Canal via Ceylon to Christchurch (January 1873), Nelson (February 1873), Napier (June – November 1873), Tonga , Haʻapai , Apia on Samoa , Wallis and Futuna ( Mata-Utu and Kolopelu ), again Apia (December 1873-May 1874), then again Wallis (May 1874-January 1875), again Samoa (February-March 1875), again Tonga (April- June 1875), then again New Zealand (August 1875 to May 1876) and finally the journey home via San Francisco, Laramie and New York.

Foundation in Armentières. License to practice medicine in Rome. Mission of Oceania

In December 1876 five sisters were sent to a school project in Armentières ( rue de la Crèche ), at the opening of which in March 1877 Euphrasie was present. The initiator of this project, the abbé Aimé Coulomb (1839–1908), later became Euphrasie's first biographer. In the summer of 1877 Euphrasia was once again in Rome because the Marists did not give up and were still contesting the leadership of the congregation. This time she obtained the official license to practice medicine by Pius IX. (October 1, 1877). The congregation consisted of 97 nuns. The number of pupils taught was 1446. The nonetheless ongoing dispute with the Marists required their renewed presence in Rome as early as February 1878 (where Pius IX died on February 6th), because in Samoa the dispute with local Bishop Louis Elloy (1829– 1878) continues. On April 16, 1878, Rome finally decided against the Marists, but advised Euphrasia to abandon the islands and keep only the New Zealand mission. So it was. The Soeurs Missionnaires de la Société de Marie (Missionaries of the Society of Mary, SMSM) later emerged from the missionaries who remained on the islands .

Founding of Sturry and Chittagong

As a result, Euphrasia traveled several times to England, where in October 1881 in Westbere, today Sturry (near Canterbury ), another foundation came about. More important and promising was the foundation in Chittagong in what is now Bangladesh , which was decided on October 28, 1882 in Rome between Euphrasia and the initiator, Bishop Jordan Maria Josef Ballsieper (1835–1890), and for the effective start of Euphrasia in February 1883 set off for the second world trip, which was to last four years again.

Second major visitation trip 1883–1887

From late March to late July 1883, Euphrasia was established in Chittagong. Then she traveled on to New Zealand, where the New Plymouth branch was established on the North Island in December . Other communities settled on the South Island in Ashburton (May 1884), on the North Island in Hamilton (September – October 1884) and Pukekohe (May 1885). After another round of visits to all New Zealand monasteries, Euphrasia left the country on May 3, 1886, traveled to Chittagong and from there to visit the later branch of Dhaka . On February 25, 1887, she was back in Lyon.

Last years and death

As a result, Euphrasie made further visitation trips to the French and English houses, and from November 1887 to March 1888 to Rome to approve all new foundations. In September 1888, the third general chapter in Lyons was able to record 172 nuns and 2,625 students. In 1890 a house was founded in Opotiki on New Zealand's North Island , the 8th establishment in New Zealand, the 13th establishment of an existing building. The Constitutions of the Congregation were approved by the Pope on December 6, 1890. In September 1891 the fourth general chapter had 200 nuns and 3,247 students. In recent years, euphrasia is often sick and weak and leads the order by letter. In October 1892 she uses an improvement for her last trip via Armentières to Deal and Sturry. There she was finally bedridden and died on January 18, 1893. She was buried in the St. Anna chapel of the monastery in Westbere (Sturry).

Development of the Congregation

The order took a considerable upswing, especially in Asia, but also in Canada, later in Africa, New Guinea, and Peru. At the height of development (1966) it had 1243 members (in 2004 it was 900). In 1967 the Generalate was moved from Lyon to Rome. The house in Lyon was returned to the Marists in 2007 (now the school complex). In France, the order is now centrally present in Saint-Rambert-en-Bugey (since 1949); it was never in German-speaking countries.

Beatification process

From 1957 the Causa of Beatification was prepared in the Archdiocese of Southwark , the Positio super Causae Introductione was signed in Rome in 1976 , and then in 1994 a historical commission was formed to write a report.

Places of remembrance

In Toulon, there is a building named after her in the Cours Notre Dame des Missions school (673 rue du Dr. Barrois ).

literature

  • Marie Bénédicte Ollivier: Straight is my path. Spirituality of Euphrasie Barbier, foundress of the Congregation of our Lady of the Missions . Congregation of Our Lady of the Missions, Rome 1978.
  • Marie-Bénédicte Ollivier: Missionnaire ... aux quatre vents du monde. Euphrasia barber. Fondatrice de la Congrégation de Notre-Dame des Missions (1829-1893) . Instituto salesiano Pio XI, Rome 2007.
    • (English) Missionary beyond boundaries. Euphrasia Barber, 1829–1893. Instituto salesiano Pio XI, Rome 2007.
  • Mary Philippa Reed, RNDM: Euphrasia. New Zealand 2007 (2016 in Burmese).
  • Román Rios: A Heroine of the Mission Field. Mother Mary of the Heart of Jesus, Foundress of the Institute of Our Lady of the Missions . G. Gill & Sons, London 1944.
  • June Lenzen (Ed.): RNDM poetry. These writings by Sisters of Our Lady of the Missions were gathered as part of the centennial celebration of the birth into fullness of life of their foundress Eupharasie Barbier, 1893–1993. Manitoba 1993.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Ballsieper, Jordan, in: Biographia Benedictina (Benedictine Biography), Version of November 24, 2015, URL: http://www.benediktinerlexikon.de/wiki/Ballsieper,_Jordan
  2. ↑ http://abbayesaintrambert.fr/
  3. ↑ https://www.ndm83.net/infrastructures?lightbox=dataItem-ifwllmrs
personal data
SURNAME Barber, euphrasia
BRIEF DESCRIPTION French Roman Catholic nun and founder of the order
DATE OF BIRTH January 4, 1829
PLACE OF BIRTH Caen
DATE OF DEATH January 18, 1893
Place of death Sturry, Kent , England