Congregation of the Josephites
The congregation of the Josephites (Latin: Institutum Josephitarum Gerartimontensium or Congregatio Josephitarum, order abbreviation : CJ) is known as the "Josephites of Geraardsbergen". It is a congregation , i.e. a religious institute of the Roman Catholic Church, and was founded in Geraardsbergen ( Belgium ) in 1817 by the canon Constant Van Crombrugghe . Its main task is the promotion, education and training of young people and missionary work .
history
On May 1, 1817 Constant Van Crombrugghe convened the first meeting in the convent of the Carmelites one. In 1818 Van Crombrugghe announced the first rule of the order for the religious community of lay people . The vow included the virtues named after the " evangelical counsels " that manifest themselves through poverty, chastity and obedience. From 1823 to 1826, during the political turmoil, the community was put under pressure and had to stop its work. In 1830 the community was recognized by Bishop Jan-Frans van de Velde (1779–1838) of Ghent as a “Congregation of Episcopal Law”. In the first few years it was a lay organization and developed into an institution for the training and education of middle-class youth. In 1835 the new Catholic University of Leuven was opened and on behalf of Engelbert Cardinal Sterckx the religious order took over teaching activities at the affiliated "Holy Trinity College". With a royal decree of May 11, 1901, the universities received their state recognition. In 1837 Saint Joseph was chosen as the patron saint and namesake of the institutes . Hence the name "Josephites" comes from.
Consultations on the admission of priests began in 1840, and in 1842 Bishop Lodewijk-Jozef Delebecque put the new rules into effect. On September 26, 1863, the Congregation received from Pope Pius IX. the Decretum laudis , with this the nomination to the congregation of papal law was made. In 1897 the Congregation of the Josephites was transformed into a clerical institution and in 1901 by Pope Leo XIII. approved.
Organization and facilities
The General House and the General Superior , Robert D. Hamilton since 2001, are based in Melle . The Provincialate is located in Leuven , and the Josephites have branches in Geraardsbergen and Ath. The Congregation maintains in the United States and in the UK universities and colleges . In addition, she headed the Mweka diocese ( Congo ) in Africa and worked in Rwanda from 1912. They opened a college in Kinshasa and have mission stations in Cameroon . In 2004 the congregation had 14 houses with a total of 113 members, 84 of whom were priests.
The Congregation of Sisters
The Congregation of the Daughters of Mary and Joseph (DMJs) is a sister congregation of the Josephites was founded in Alost in 1817 , also by Constant Van Crombrugghe.
See also
Individual evidence
- ↑ Catholic Church in Rwanda ( Memento from July 20, 2008 in the Internet Archive )