Congregation of the Holy Family
The Congregation of the Holy Family ( Engl . Congregation of the Holy Family , religious symbol : CHF ) is a women's orders in the Roman Catholic Church . The religious community was founded in 1914 in Thrissur ( Kerala , India ).
history
Mariam Thresia Chiramel Mankidiyan , who was beatified in 2000, took over the care and welfare of the sick and poor in 1902 and went with her three colleagues to the families in need. They also went to the slums and offered their help. In 1913 she built a prayer and meditation house , where she lived with her staff in a monastic and religious community.
On May 14, 1914, she received approval from her diocesan bishop to found the "Congregation of the Holy Family". First, the community adopted the rules of the order of the Sisters of the Holy Family of Bordeaux , who had a settlement in Sri Lanka . In 1926, the anniversary of the foundress' death, the congregation had 55 sisters who looked after 30 boarding school students and 10 orphans . The main task is still today on nursing and caring activities for people in need. The papal approbation was granted on August 1, 1978 by Pope Paul VI. Their working methods are reminiscent of the Missionaries of Charity , who later came into being , which Mother Teresa founded in Calcutta in 1948 .
organization
The last statistic shows that the congregation (status of 2000) has over 1584 nuns and 119 novices . The community renders its service in 7 religious provinces , which are divided into 198 convents worldwide . The conventions are active in India (192 convents), Italy (2 conventions), Africa (2 convents), Germany (1 convent in Monschau ) and America (1 convent). The congregation administers 176 houses. The Generalate still has its seat in Thrissur .