Missionary Sisters of the Holy Family
The Missionary Sisters of the Holy Family ( Latin : Congregatio Sororum Missionariarum Sanctae Familiae , pol .: Misjonarki Świętej Rodziny ; Order abbreviation : MSR ) are a congregation under episcopal law in the Roman Catholic Church . It was founded in 1905 by the Blessed Bolesława Maria Lament (1862–1946) in Mahiljou , Belarus . Her original idea for founding this religious community was to promote unity with the Orthodox Church .
history
In 1907 the religious order had to leave Mahiljou for political reasons and move to Saint Petersburg . Here they taught religion to children and adolescents . The first rules of the order of the missionary sisters were based on the "Society of Jesus" founded by St. Ignatius of Loyola (1491–1556) .
Political turmoil
Due to the political situation, these basic rules were approved in a verbal note by the Archbishops of Minsk-Mahiljou Apolinary Wnukowski (1908–1909) and Wincenty Kluczynski (1910–1914).
It was not until 1914 that Auxiliary Bishop Jan Cieplak (1908–1923) of Minsk-Mahiljou granted the episcopal license to practice in writing. This was lost in the chaos of the First World War and was renewed on June 24, 1924 by Archbishop Eduard von der Ropp . The activities of the religious order under episcopal law were initially limited to the area of the Archdiocese of Minsk and on October 27, 1925, Bishop Romuals Jalbrzykowski also took over for the Diocese of Łomża ( Poland ).
Construction in Poland
The missionary sisters built their first mother house in Poland as early as 1922 and began with a completely new structure. The sisters in Chełmno built the first monastery to which a hostel for girls was attached . The sisters could now shape and present their lives in public. In 1923 they bought a house to house the first novices . Since the episcopal approval was not given, this house was used as a school, kindergarten and holiday home for children. In 1926 the new motherhouse with novitiate was opened in the Ratowo monastery near Mogilno . Since 1921 the founder of the order, Mother Bolesława, held the office of superiors , and under her leadership the religious community expanded increasingly in eastern Poland ( diocese of Pinsk ). In addition, new monasteries were founded in Warsaw , Tallinn ( Estonia ) and Rome . In all of these monasteries, the sisters organized vocational schools , dormitories, kindergartens , daycare centers, orphanages , kitchens for the unemployed , shelters for homeless women, nursing homes and hospitals. They also worked in hospitals and parishes .
reconstruction
Of the 33 monasteries built in Poland so far, 27 were destroyed during the Second World War . At the same time, three new monasteries were opened in other locations. In the first post-war years the "Missionary Sisters of the Holy Family" experienced a great boom. They set up new branches in Giżycko, Konstantynow, Olsztyn , Hajnówka , Mrągowo , Szczytno , Morąg and Mława . In 1946 two new monasteries were founded in Reszel and Orneta , and in 1947 there were two more in Kętrzyn and Lidzbark . Again, it was the political changes initiated by the communist government in Poland that led to the closure of several monasteries and institutions.
organization
On July 7, 1967, the religious community received from Pope Paul VI. the “ Decretum laudis ”. With the collapse of the communist-ruled countries in Eastern Europe and Russia , a new expansion began. Today the missionary sisters focus on the Christian education of young people. The Congregation has 338 members and its general house with mother house in Komorów near Gubin , the novitiate has its seat in Chełmno. They managed 44 facilities and had offices in Belarus, Italy , Lithuania , Russia, Kenya , Tanzania , Zambia and the United States .