Sisters of the Good Shepherd

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Sisters of the Good Shepherd.

The Sisters of the Good Shepherd , in Latin Congregatio Filiarum BMV a Caritate Boni Pastoris , religious symbol RGS (rare ULFGH) are founded in France in 1835 international Congregation , which currently comprises over 5,000 sisters in operations in about 65 countries on all five continents. The community is particularly committed to working for disadvantaged women and girls. As a non-governmental organization (NGO), it has had special consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) since 1996 . Currently (as of November 2007) 3,051 organizations have consultant status there.

In the province of Austria-Switzerland-Czech Republic there are currently eleven branches of the congregation in which a total of 85 sisters live. In Germany today the order has 25 convents in the dioceses of Erfurt , Cologne , Limburg , Munich-Freising , Münster , Paderborn , Regensburg , Trier and Würzburg . In addition, particularly in Europe, where the community has a shortage of sisters, lay associates also work with the Order.

The symbol of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd is a cross with a heart drawn behind it; A bishop's staff stands in front of the long wood of the cross .

Order development

The Congregation of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd goes back to the Order of Our Lady of Love ( recognized by canon law in 1651 ), which was established under Saint John Eudes (1601–1680) in Caen ( Normandy ), France, in 1641 as an aid to prostitutes who give up their profession wanted, had been launched. The rapidly growing order expanded its work to include other services for girls and women.

Maria Euphrasia Pelletier .

In 1829, the later canonized nun and general superior Maria Euphrasia Pelletier (1796–1868) and five other sisters founded a branch in a dilapidated calico factory in Angers (on the Loire ), which she called the Good Shepherd House . Pelletier organized the developing community with a generalate in Angers (later relocated to Rome ) in order to network the houses of the Good Shepherd that were newly founded in several places. On January 9, 1835, Pelletier was recognized as Superior General of the Congregation of Our Lady of the Good Shepherd's Love and the decree was approved seven days later by Pope Gregory XVI. approved .

In 1838 the first house was built abroad, in Rome; In 1840 the sisters came to Germany and first founded the House of the Good Shepherd in Munich and in 1848 the Monastery of the Good Shepherd in Aachen . In 1864 the community, divided into eight "provinces", already comprised 92 houses with 1868 sisters and 349 novices. In addition to the socially engaged houses, Pelletier also founded a contemplative branch of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd, which supported the work of the other houses through prayer.

Also in the following years the order grew strongly. But now there is a shortage of sisters, especially in Europe. Several houses (e.g. in Trier and Schwandorf (1996)) have been given up in recent years, and cooperation with “associated laypeople” is increasingly being sought.

Superior General

  • Maria Euphrasia Pelletier (1835–1868)
  • Maria Pierre de Coudenhove (1868-1892)
  • Maria Marine Verger (1892-1905)
  • Maria Domitille Larose (1905–1928)
  • Maria Jean de la Croix Balzer (1928–1940)
  • Maria Ursule Jung (1940–1960)
  • Maria Thomas d'Aquin Lee (1960–1973)
  • Maria Bernadette Fox (1973–1985)
  • Maria Gema Cadena (1985-1991)
  • Maria Liliane Tauvette (1991-2003)
  • Brigid Lawlor (2003-)

literature

  • Kirsten Gläsel: Between salvation and human dignity. Transformation processes of female Catholic religious orders in Germany. The Sisters of the Good Shepherd (1945–1985) . Aschendorff, Münster 2013. ISBN 978-3-402-13026-1 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Entry on Sisters of the Good Shepherd on Order online
  2. ↑ a b Our global commitment at www.guterhirte.de (accessed November 24, 2007)
  3. ↑ The Congregation throughout the world on the pages of the Good Shephard Sisters Worldwide ( Memento from January 1, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) (accessed November 24, 2007)
    According to the German page, there are " more than 70 " countries: Our worldwide commitment on www .guterhirte.de (accessed November 24, 2007)
  4. ^ Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd on the pages for Economic and Social Development of the United Nations (accessed November 24, 2007)
  5. ↑ NGO Database
    There are currently 3051 organizations in consultative status with ECOSOC. according to DESA NGO Section on the pages for Economic and Social Development of the United Nations (accessed November 24, 2007)
  6. ↑ International Congregation of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd (accessed November 24, 2007)
  7. ↑ www.guterhirte.de ( Memento from August 20, 2006 in the Internet Archive ) Gudula Busch: Together on the way. New provincial leadership started work (accessed November 24, 2007)
  8. ↑ Community , founded on www.guterhirte.org (accessed 3 January 2009)
  9. ↑ Rosa Virginia Pelletier on www.guterhirte.de ( Memento from October 25, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) (accessed November 24, 2007)

See also

Web links