Guingamp 1676 Hennebont 1676-1687 Vannes 1683 Caen 1641 Rennes 1673 Tours 1714 La Rochelle 1715 Paris 1724 1600 s 1700s Initially the development of Our Lady of Charity was slow. There were only 8 foundations established in one century, including one foundation that did not last more than 10 years.
It took 3 attempts before a house was established in Paris in 1724. There were many historical reasons for this slow development including obstacles from the Church and obstacles from the Government. There were also financial hindrances and hindrances from the sisters themselves and from the mentality of the times.
1800s- 1900 s After the turmoil of the French Revolution Our Lady of Charity expanded outside of France but there was also the rupture with the foundation of Angers. There were 14 foundations in France during the 19 th Century and also 14 foundations outside of France in the following countries: Ireland, U.S., Italy, Spain, England, Canada and Austria.
20 th Century up to 1960 During this time new foundations were made in Mexico, Tunisia, Portugal and Kenya. Around 1960 there were 44 convents of Our Lady of Charity in 10 countries with about 1,500 sisters. Development of ministry parallels in many ways what took place in the Good Shepherd Congregation.
At the close of the 19 th century there were usually large land areas where the sisters and girls lived in self contained premises. Here they grew their own food, baked their own bread, made their own shoes, etc. There were also income generating activities such as laundries. In some of these convents there were as many as 600 persons living in separate quarters.
Another feature which parallels that of the Good S hepherd was the development of various groups of consecrates with different names, difference costumes and different forms of commitment. There was also a group called the Oblate Sisters of Our Lady of Charity which eventually was integrated into Our Lady of Charity in 2002.
Slowly Moving Toward an International Union In 1931, the house at Caen, considered the cradle of the Institute issued a circular announcing the holding of a Chapter. The goal was to find a more real and effective union based upon authority Only 23 out of 40 houses sent representatives.
The proposal for some form of general government, whether absolute or moderate was discussed but the assembly be came polarized and in the end the status quo was maintained. The idea of a generalate did not go away and those sisters in favor pursued their efforts to have it established. In 1932 through the intervention of the Congregation of Religious another vote was held and this time 24 out of 47 convents gave their approval. Pope Pius ⅩⅠ found this majority insufficient. Between 1935 and 1938 after a canonical visitation which stipulated that those who wanted a generalate should join the Good Shepherd Sisters, 11 convents asked to affiliate with the Good Shepherd.
The Birth of the Federations of Our Lady of Charity The world and society kept evolving and an increasingly pressing need for restructuring and regrouping was felt again. To meet this need federations came into existence. A federation is different from a generalate in the sense that the President has no authority over the houses in the federation. Each house remains juridically autonomous and the President is responsible for maintaining the links between the houses.
Thus, in 1944 an American Federation was founded, in 1945, a French Federation, in 1948 an Irish Federation and in 1957 an English Federation. In 1944 American Federation In 1957 English Federation In 1945 French Federation In 1948 Irish Federation
From Federations to Unions As the drawbacks and limitations of federations became increasingly apparent there was a gradual movement toward a more centralized model. In fact, a union is the same as a generalate with the Superior General having the same powers as the Superior General of a generalate.
The following four Unions were created between 1967 and 1989: 1967 Latin Union 1989 Irish Union 1978 North American Union 1982 English Union
In 1989 the Constitutive Chapter of the Union of Our Lady of Charity was held in Rome. The Chapter voted the drafting of the Constitutions and elected a Superior General and council.
The International Union received approval ad experimentum in 1990 and definitive approval in 1995. Subsequently other Unions or Federations applied to join and as of today only the Mexican Federation (9 houses, one Sister from Canada and a small community in Arkansas, USA remain outside the International Union. Historically autonomy has been so strongly identified with the founding spirit of St. John Eudes that it has taken more than 350 years for OLC to de-link the two.