Congregation of Xavières
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Congregation of Xavières is an institute of religious sisters recognized by the
Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
on February 4, 1963, during the
Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the , or , was the 21st Catholic ecumenical councils, ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. The council met in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for four periods (or sessions) ...
. The institute was founded in France in 1921 by Claire Monestès with the support of
Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...
priest Antonin Eymieu and is a part of the Ignatian family of religious congregations. It has been of
pontifical right In Catholicism "of pontifical right" is the term given to ecclesiastical institutions (religious and secular institutes, societies of apostolic life) either created by the Holy See, or approved by it with the formal decree known by the Latin nam ...
since 2010.


History

The congregation takes its name from the admiration that Claire Monestès had for the missionary work of Francis Xavier, who was one of
Ignatius of Loyola Ignatius of Loyola, Society of Jesus, S.J. (born Íñigo López de Oñaz y Loyola; eu, Ignazio Loiolakoa; es, Ignacio de Loyola; la, Ignatius de Loyola; – 31 July 1556), venerated as Saint Ignatius of Loyola, was a Spain, Spanish Catholic ...
's early companions. Ignatius, soon after founding the
Society of Jesus , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...
, decided that the Society would not accept women. There are therefore no women Jesuits or Jesuit sisters as such, but many women's communities are inspired by Ignatian spirituality. Claire Monestès opened her first community in
Marseille Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Franc ...
with Léonie Fabre in 1921, notably to assist young working women. In a room on rue de Breteuil she opened a recreational center and restaurant for young women working near the Old Port. In 1934, she founded a community in the parish of Saint-Médard in
Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
, in the 5th arrondissement. Claire Monestès died on February 14, 1939. The members of the congregation were between 20 and 35 years of age. They were dispersed with the outbreak of
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. It was not until 1960 that the community foundations in France came together again, those at Créteil,
Toulouse Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the prefecture of the French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger region of Occitania. The city is on the banks of the River Garonne, from the Mediterranean Sea, from the Atlantic Ocean and from Par ...
,
Nice Nice ( , ; Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative c ...
,
La Rochelle La Rochelle (, , ; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''La Rochéle''; oc, La Rochèla ) is a city on the west coast of France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime department. With ...
, and
Aix-en-Provence Aix-en-Provence (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Ais de Provença in classical norm, or in Mistralian norm, ; la, Aquae Sextiae), or simply Aix ( medieval Occitan: ''Aics''), is a city and commune in southern France, about north of Marseille. ...
. In 1967 they extended their work to
Abidjan Abidjan ( , ; N'Ko script, N’ko: ߊߓߌߖߊ߲߬) is the economic capital of the Ivory Coast. As of the Demographics of Ivory Coast, 2021 census, Abidjan's population was 6.3 million, which is 21.5 percent of overall population of the country, ...
, Africa, in response to the call of the Jesuits to collaborate with INADES (African Institute for Economic and Social Development, now CERAP). Other foundings followed: in
Korhogo Korhogo is a city in northern Ivory Coast. It is the seat of both Savanes District and Poro Region. It is also a commune and the seat of and a sub-prefecture of Korhogo Department. In the 2014 census, the city had a population of 243,048, making ...
, also in
Ivory Coast Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire, officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital is Yamoussoukro, in the centre of the country, while its largest city and economic centre is ...
, in 1972; in N'Djamena,
Chad Chad (; ar, تشاد , ; french: Tchad, ), officially the Republic of Chad, '; ) is a landlocked country at the crossroads of North and Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic ...
, in 1983; in Abobo, Abidjan, in 2002; in Yaoundé in 2006. The last foundation was in 2012. In July 2017, Sister Christine Danel became the Superior General of Congregation. In May 2019
Pope Francis Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...
named Xaviere Sister Nathalie Becquart along with two other women as consultors for the General Secretariat for the Synod of Bishops on Young People, Faith, and Vocational Discernment, marking a historic first for the Church. In February 2020, she was made undersecretary of the Synod, making her the first woman to have a vote in that body. She had earlier served as the Director of the National Service for Youth Evangelization and Vocations in France, and was the first woman to hold that position. Whether they are secretaries, youth leaders, doctors, engineers, librarians, theologians, teachers, chaplaincy leaders, psychologists, nurses, managers; whether they work in a company or provide school support, the Xaviere live in small communities, close to people's homes and workplace. The Xaviere number about one hundred. They are spread over twenty communities on three continents: Africa, Europe and America.


References


Bibliography

* Anne-Marie Aitken, xav, Paul Legavre, SJ, Paul Magnin et Anne Righini-Tapie, cvx
Naissance en France d'une famille ignatienne
in Christus, n°213, janvier 2007 * Étienne Ganty, Michel Hermans, François-Xavier Dumortier, Pierre Sauvage, Tradition jésuite : enseignement, spiritualité, mission, éd. Lessius, 2002. () * Hervé Yannou, Jésuites et compagnie, éd. Lethielleux, 2007. () * Marie-Françoise Boutemy, Prier 15 jours avec Claire Monestès, fondatrice des xavières, éd. Nouvelle Cité, 2011, () * Geneviève Roux, Petite vie de Claire Monestès, Desclée de Brouwer, 2011, ({{ISBN, 9782220062686) Christian organizations established in the 20th century Catholic female orders and societies 1921 establishments in France