Sisters of St. John the Baptist
The Sisters of St. John the Baptist ( English Congregation of the Sisters of St. John the Baptist , religious symbol : CSJB; Italian Congregazione Soure San Giovanni Battista , religious symbol: CSSGB) are a Roman Catholic institute of consecrated life . They are also known as "Baptestines".
history
The starting point was the devastation caused by the wars in the late 1800s . The south of Italy was particularly hard hit and in the small town of Angri many children lost their parents, many women lost their husbands and children lost their fathers. The local pastor Alfonso Maria Fusco took on these fates and organized relief measures. The date of foundation goes back to September 26, 1878. In Angri, which lies in the former diocese of Nocera , the priest Alfonso Maria Fusco had this religious community together with the noble Magdalena Caputobrought to life. On August 2, 1888, the order of women received episcopal approval from Bishop Luigi del Forno of Nocera. Father Fusco saw a very rapid growth in the sisterhood that had spread throughout Italy and established its first convent in the United States in 1906 . The papal approbation of Pope Benedict XV. (1914–1922) took place on June 24, 1917. Pope Pius XI. (1922–1939) on March 1, 1927, sustained the Congregation as an Institute of Consecrated Life. On May 7, 1935, also by Pope Pius XI., The statutes of the order were recognized and approved. Their patron saint is John the Baptist .
Tasks and organization
The nuns see their main task in the care of the elderly and the sick, in educational work and in the field of pastoral care . In 2005 the religious order had almost 900 members who serve in over 128 religious institutions. The generalate has its seat in Rome and is provided by the general superior , a vicar general and three councilors. The order is divided into the provinces of Brazil , Italy with Poland , Madagascar , Moldova and Romania , Zambia with Malawi , South Africa and Cameroon , the United States and India . The religious provinces are headed by a provincial prioress. Vice-provinces have been established in the Philippines and Chile together with Argentina , which are led by a prioress . A religious delegation is headed in Canada .
Order founder
Alfonso Maria Fusco was born on March 23, 1839 in Angri near Salerno , Italy. He was ordained a priest in 1863 and worked as a local pastor in Angri. He was particularly concerned about the poor and sick and finally founded the "Suore di San Giovanni Battista" in 1878. He died on February 6, 1910 and was beatified in 2001 by Pope John Paul II (1978-2005) . His feast day is February 6th.
Web links
- CSSJB website (English)
- Website Order Province America (English)
- Website Order Province Italy (Italian)
- Message from Pope John Paul II to the participants in the General Chapter of July 11, 2002