Missionary Sisters of Our Lady
The Missionary Sisters of Our Lady ( French : Religieuses de Notre Dame des Missions , abbreviation : RNDMs; Eng . : Sisters of Our Lady of the Missions ) are a congregation of missionary sisters in the Roman Catholic Church . The religious community was founded in Lyon ( France ) in 1861 by the nun Euphrasia Barbier . The missionary sister's guiding principle is based on the New Testament : “Go out into the whole world!” ( Matthew 28:19 EU and Mark 16:15 EU )
The founder of the order
Adèle Euphrasie Barbier was born on January 4th, 1829 in Caen (France), she grew up in a Christian-humane family. In 1847 she entered the "Congregation of the Benedictine Sisters of Calvary" as a novice and two years later made her pledge to poverty, chastity and obedience . In 1851 she sent the mother house to the sisters in London . In connection with an identity crisis, Euphrasia switched to the Marist Sisters and was ordered to Oceania . She returned to France on August 15, 1861 and, with the support of the Marist Sisters, founded the congregation of the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady. She now bore the religious name "Mary of the Heart of Jesus". Sister Maria established the first chapter of the order and was elected the first general superior in 1864 . Mother Mary of the Heart of Jesus died on January 18, 1893 in Sturry ( England ).
history
The years of the order's growth lay between 1861 and 1893, as early as 1865 the first missionary sisters were sent to New Zealand by the founder of the order . From Lyon, further assignments followed at set intervals. The missionary work in Central Oceania had to be given up and a new field of work arose in East Bengal . Following a providence, Sister Barbier decided to send her sisters to England and northern France. After the foundress died, the community of Missionary Sisters consisted of 205 members.
The further expansion of the missionary work took place between the years 1894–1937. Sisters moved from New Zealand to Australia in 1897 , at the same time they started working in Canada . In 1901 the congregation left France and established its permanent seat in Canada. Over the next fifteen years, thirteen mission institutions were further established in Manitoba and Saskatchewan . In 1920 the order province of India was established and in 1924 the missionaries began their work in North Vietnam . In the same year the first sisters were able to return to the founding country France.
Stability and renewal
By 1938 the congregation had grown to 850 members and by 1966 had a membership of 1240. The political, social and economic developments resulted in some restructuring and expansion, so in 1954 the order had to leave North Vietnam and Burma . After the Second Vatican Council , the General Chapter decided to reorganize the mission organization again, the goal being tighter and more effective missionary work.
organization
Today the General House in Rome heads the following religious provinces, which in turn are headed by Provincial Superiors :
- the province of Australia became part of the province of Papua New Guinea ,
- Canada was assigned to the province of Peru ,
- the province of New Zealand built its provincial house on Samoa and
- the two European provinces decided to merge into the African provinces of Kenya and Senegal .
Superior General
- 1861 to 1893: Marie du Coeur de Jésus (Euphrasia) barber
- 1894 to ????: Marie du St. Rosaire (Françoise Eugénie) Wicht
- ???? to ????: Marie St. Pacôme
- 1925 to ????: Mary St Basil (Alicia) Prendergast
- 1938 to 1954: Marie St. Denis McSweeney
- 1954 to 1966: Mary Dominic Savio (Marie-Madeleine) replica
- 1972 to 1984: Marie Bénédicte (Jeanne) Ollivier
- ???? 1993 ???: Claire Himbeault
- 2002 to 2014: Maureen McBride (* November 8, 1953; † November 26, 2016)
- 2014 to ????: Josephine Kane