Thérèse Bacq

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Thérèse Bacq (born September 16, 1825 in Paris ; † June 2, 1896 there ) was a French Roman Catholic nun and founder of the order .

Life

Conversion and entry to the Augustinian women

Élisabeth Bacq grew up in Paris Montrouge as the second child of Protestant parents. In the family on her father's side in Houdeng-Goegnies (today: La Louvière ) in Belgium , she came into contact with the Catholic faith and converted to the Catholic Church in May 1839. In 1841 she took a vow of chastity. In 1843 she entered the Congregation of the Augustinian Sisters of the Inner Mary ( Augustines de l'Intérieur de Marie ) in Montrouge , which was active as an educator, and initially called herself Élisabeth Marie , after her temporary profession Thérèse de Jésus (after Teresa of Ávila ). In 1849 she made her perpetual profession .

Transfer to Bishop Lavigerie in Nancy

In the congregation, which only had this one house, Thérèse became a problem for the superior because of her strong personality (high intelligence paired with a certain individuality), especially from her activity as novice master (1858). In 1863 she abdicated and, together with two sisters, placed herself in the care of the Bishop of Nancy and Toul (of the same age) , Charles Martial Lavigerie , whom she had known and valued since 1852. This began her almost lifelong bond with one of the most prominent figures of the French clergy in the 19th century.

Foundation of the Sisters of the Assumption of Mary

In 1864, together with Lavigerie, she founded a new diocesan congregation (at 33 rue Stanislas in Nancy ), which was initially called "Dames de Marie", from December 1865 the Congrégation de l'Assomption de Notre-Dame (Sisters of the Assumption of Mary) ( canonical establishment in 1867) and, like the Augustinians, educated girls (school and boarding school). The Institute's prosperous development was suddenly interrupted in 1867 when Lavigerie left Nancy for Algiers and his successor showed little interest in the congregation. From then on Lavigeries endeavored to bring the congregation to Algeria and to integrate it into his program of Christianizing Africa.

Moved to Algiers and headed the Congregation of the African Mission

Thérèse still refused in 1868, but was then changed by the events in France in 1870 and 1871 and sent sisters in 1871 and 1872. Lavigerie urged the mother house to be relocated to Algeria, because only then could he take over the supervision of the order again, which was currently the responsibility of the Bishop of Nancy. In December 1873 Thérèse therefore moved with the rest of her house to Saint-Eugène (today: Bologhine) near Algiers. There Lavigerie forced the merger with the Hieronymites in 1876 under the new name "Congregation of the African Mission" and led by Thérèse. The amalgamation was a mistake as the two parts did not match. There was endless friction and alienation between Thérèse and Lavigerie. Thérèse also did not feel valued by the “ White Fathers ”, Lavigerie's important missionary foundation (“Ils nous détestent”, they don't like us). Lavigerie, as the despot of genius that he was, had overlooked the fact that Therese's congregation stood for contemplation and high schooling, not for pioneering existence on the edge of civilization.

Return to the Congregation of the Assumption of Mary in Aix-en-Provence

In March 1879 the merger was dissolved. The Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Africa (also: “White Sisters”) emerged from the Hieronymites . Thérèse with 16 sisters again formed the Congregation of the Assumption of Mary with the house in Saint-Eugène and the house in Aix-en-Provence , acquired with credit from Nancy , where a novitiate was established. After leaving Saint-Eugène in the summer of 1880, only Aix remained. Thérèse wrote to Lavigerie: «Vous avez pu, Monseigneur, briser mon cœur, mon existence morale; vous pouvez aujourd'hui dicter une parole cruelle, mais vous ne réussirez pas à séparer de mon cœur ces sentiments filiaux que vous trouverez encore dans l'éternité »(You broke my heart and my insides, and today you can say a cruel word dictate, but you will never succeed in removing from my heart those feelings of daughter that you will still find in eternity).

Founding of the Little Working Sisters and resignation from their leadership

From Aix there were foundations in Belgium ( Awirs and Landenne in Andenne ) and, at the invitation of Bishop Amand-Joseph Fava (1826–1899), in Vif near Grenoble . The courtesy of this bishop made it possible to move the motherhouse (with novitiate) to Basse-Jarrie (today: Jarrie, in the Grenoble-Alpes-Métropole parish association ). Bishop Fava also referred Thérèse to the Jesuit Jules Sambin (1820-1892), with whom she founded the Congregation of the Little Working Sisters ( Petites Soeurs de l'Ouvrier , Italian: Piccole Suore dell'Operaio , PSO), which was founded in the spirit of Bishop Ketteler and Albert de Mun (1841–1914) took care of the factory workers and their families. Communities were founded in Tourcoing , Lisieux , La Tour-du-Pin , Grenoble, Voiron , Cannes (Notre-Dame des Pins, 1884) and Saint-Chamond . But Thérèse struggled with increasing difficulties, partly financial (the debt burden for the house in Aix), partly interpersonal (clumsy behavior of the spiritual leaders or authority problems in the community). Thérèse felt an obstacle to the harmony of the community and in 1885 resigned from the leadership of the worker sisters.

Incorporation into the Mercedarian Order

In this situation Lavigerie, who had meanwhile risen to cardinal, intervened to save him. He met Thérèse in Cannes on the way to Rome and initiated there with Pedro Armengol Valenzuela (1843-1922) the incorporation of the remaining congregation of the Soeurs de Notre-Dame (as it was now called) into the order of the Mercedarians . In 1887 the community of the Soeurs de Notre-Dame de la Merci (Spanish: de la Merced , Italian: della Mercede , also: Mercedarie , German: Mercedarianinnen ; Merci means "mercy"). She established the motherhouse in Aix (Cannes was lost in 1891, Saint-Eugène still existed) and founded a community in Ajaccio on Corsica .

Death in self-chosen solitude

After Lavigerie's death in 1892, Thérèse was tired of governing and went to Paris to raise money there (and in Belgium) for relief from the crushing debt that lay on the house in Aix. She was only officially the Superior; the congregation was unofficially headed by a Vice-Superior General (Mother Philomène). In the four years of unsuccessful fundraising up to her death, she sank into impoverishment and loneliness, but in the end she had the consolation of help from a nun who had left but was found again. She died in agony but devoutly in the hospital Boulevard Haussmann (her last residence was Rue Cherche-Midi 84). In 1994, the beatification process led to her qualification as "Servant of God".

Development of the Order

The Mercedarians (under papal law since 1912) are present today in Europe, Israel, India and in North and South America. In France and Belgium they have communities in Aix-en-Provence (mother house, 5 rue de l'Aigle-d'Or), Tourrettes (since 1922), Montpellier (since 1923), Saint-Raphaël (since 1962) and Blandain ( Tournai , since 1969). The Generalate is in Rome (via Ostriana 22).

literature

  • Giorgio Papàsogli (1906–1996): “Qui perd sa vie la trouvera”. Mère Thérèse Bacq . Religieuses de Notre-Dame de la Merci, Saint-Raphaël 1982.
  • Paul Thône (1882–1969): La vie et l'oeuvre de Mère Thérèse de Jésus, fondatrice des Soeurs N.-D. de la Merci . E. Aubanel, Avignon 1954.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Papàsogli p. 246
personal data
SURNAME Bacq, Thérèse
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Thérèse de Jésus; Bacq, Elisabeth
BRIEF DESCRIPTION French founder of the order
DATE OF BIRTH September 16, 1825
PLACE OF BIRTH Paris
DATE OF DEATH June 2, 1896
Place of death Paris