Paulists, or Paulines, is the name used for
Roman Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
orders and congregations under the patronage of
Paul of Thebes
Paul of Thebes (; , ''Paûlos ho Thēbaîos''; ; c. 227 – c. 341), commonly known as Paul the First Hermit or Paul the Anchorite, was an Egyptian saint regarded as the first Christian hermit and grazer, who was claimed to have lived alone in ...
the First Hermit. From the time that the abode and virtues of Paul of Thebes were revealed to
Antony the Abbot, various communities of hermits adopted him as their
patron saint
A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, Eastern Orthodoxy or Oriental Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, fa ...
.
[McGahan, Florence. "Paulists." The Catholic Encyclopedia]
Vol. 11. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1911. June 14, 2019
Other congregations, such as the
Barnabites
The Barnabites (), officially named as the Clerics Regular of Saint Paul (), are a religious order of clerics regular founded in 1530 in the Catholic Church. They are associated with the Angelic Sisters of Saint Paul and the members of the Ba ...
, and the
Piarists
The Piarists (), officially named the Order of Poor Clerics Regular of the Mother of God of the Pious Schools (), abbreviated SchP, is a religious order of clerics regular of the Catholic Church founded in 1617 by Spanish priest Joseph Calasanz ...
, were established under the patronage of
Paul the Apostle
Paul, also named Saul of Tarsus, commonly known as Paul the Apostle and Saint Paul, was a Apostles in the New Testament, Christian apostle ( AD) who spread the Ministry of Jesus, teachings of Jesus in the Christianity in the 1st century, first ...
. The
Order of Minims
The Order of Minims (; abbreviated OM), known in German-speaking countries as the Paulaner Order (), are a religious order of friars in the Catholic Church, founded by Francis of Paola in fifteenth-century Italy. The order soon spread to France, ...
(or Paulaner Order) was founded by
Francis of Paola
Francis of Paola, O.M. (also known as Francis the Fire Handler; 27 March 1416 – 2 April 1507), was a Roman Catholic friar from the town of Paola in Calabria who founded the Order of Minims. Like his patron saint (Francis of Assisi), but unlike ...
.
Male congregations
Congregations divided according to gender. Male and female congregations each had distinct characteristics.
Order of Saint Paul, the first hermit
This monastic
Order of Saint Paul the First Hermit
The Order of Saint Paul the First Hermit (; abbreviated OSPPE), commonly called the Pauline Fathers, is a monastic order of the Catholic Church founded in Hungary during the 13th century.
This name is derived from the hermit Saint Paul of Theb ...
was founded in 1215 in Hungary. The founder was
Eusebius of Esztergom
Beatification, Blessed Eusebius of Esztergom (; ; ; c. 1200 – 20 January 1270) was a Hungarian people, Hungarian canon (priest), canon, hermit and the founder of the Order of Saint Paul the First Hermit.
Life Early years
Eusebius was born arou ...
, who united the hermits of Hungary in monasteries under the patronage of Paul the Hermit.
The order spread throughout Hungary and then into Croatia, Germany, Poland, Austria and Bohemia. At one time, over 5000 Pauline monks lived in Hungary alone.
A significant event in the order's history took place in 1382 when it became the custodian of the miraculous picture of
The Black Madonna, believed to be painted by
Luke the Evangelist
Luke the Evangelist was one of the Four Evangelists—the four traditionally ascribed authors of the canonical gospels. The Early Church Fathers ascribed to him authorship of both the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles. Prominent figu ...
. Legend says the icon was brought to Poland by Prince Ladislaus from a castle at Beiz, Russia. He invited the monks to come from Hungary into Poland. The monks established a shrine for the image in the town of
Częstochowa
Częstochowa ( , ) is a city in southern Poland on the Warta with 214,342 inhabitants, making it the thirteenth-largest city in Poland. It is situated in the Silesian Voivodeship. However, Częstochowa is historically part of Lesser Poland, not Si ...
. Today this shrine is the motherhouse of the order, and is also the largest monastery, with over 100 monks. About 500 members of the order remain.
Most of the order's monasteries are located in Poland. Other monasteries and shrines survive in Germany, Slovakia, Croatia, Ukraine, Belarus, Hungary, Italy, United States of America and South Africa.
Hermits of Saint Paul of France
They are also called Brothers of Death. Controversy swirls around the origin of this congregation, but it was probably founded about 1620 by Guillaume Callier, whose constitutions for it were approved by
Pope Paul V
Pope Paul V (; ) (17 September 1552 – 28 January 1621), born Camillo Borghese, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 16 May 1605 to his death, in January 1621. In 1611, he honored Galileo Galilei as a mem ...
(18 December 1620) and later by King
Louis XIII of France
Louis XIII (; sometimes called the Just; 27 September 1601 – 14 May 1643) was King of France from 1610 until his death in 1643 and King of Navarre (as Louis II) from 1610 to 1620, when the crown of Navarre was merged with the French crown.
...
(May, 1621).
[
The two classes of monasteries were those in the cities, obliged to maintain at least twelve members, who visited the poor, the sick, and prisoners, attended those condemned to death, and buried the dead; and those outside the city, which were separate cells in which solitaries lived. The community assembled weekly for choir and monthly to confess their sins. Severe fasts and disciplines were prescribed. The name Brothers of Death originated from the fact that the thought of death was constantly before the followers. At their profession the prayers for the dead were recited; their ]scapular
A scapular () is a Western Christian garment suspended from the shoulders. There are two types of scapulars, the monastic and devotional scapular; both forms may simply be referred to as "scapular". As an object of popular piety, a scapular ...
bore the skull; their salutation was 'remember you're to die'; the death's head was set before them at table and in their cells. This congregation was suppressed by Urban VIII
Pope Urban VIII (; ; baptised 5 April 1568 – 29 July 1644), born Maffeo Vincenzo Barberini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 6 August 1623 to his death, in July 1644. As pope, he expanded the papal terri ...
in 1633.[
]
Hermits of Saint Paul of Portugal
Among the conflicting accounts of the foundation of this congregation, the most credible is that it was established about 1420 by Mendo Gomez, a nobleman of Simbria, who resigned military laurels to retire in solitude near Setúbal
Setúbal ( , , ; ), officially the City of Setúbal (), is a city and a municipality in Portugal. The population of the entire municipality in 2014 was 118,166, occupying an area of . The city itself had 89,303 inhabitants in 2001. It lies withi ...
, where he built an oratory and gave himself up to prayer and penance, gradually assuming the leadership of other nearby hermits.
Later, a community of hermits of the Sierra de Ossa, left without a superior, prevailed on Mendo Gomez to unite the two communities under the patronage of Paul of Thebes
Paul of Thebes (; , ''Paûlos ho Thēbaîos''; ; c. 227 – c. 341), commonly known as Paul the First Hermit or Paul the Anchorite, was an Egyptian saint regarded as the first Christian hermit and grazer, who was claimed to have lived alone in ...
, the first recognized hermit.
At the chapter held after the death of the founder (24 January 1481), constitutions were drawn up, later approved, with alterations, by Gregory XIII
Pope Gregory XIII (, , born Ugo Boncompagni; 7 January 1502 – 10 April 1585) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 13 May 1572 to his death in April 1585. He is best known for commissioning and being the namesake ...
in 1578, at the request of Cardinal Henry of Portugal, who obtained the privilege of adopting the Rule of St. Augustine.
This congregation was later suppressed. Probably the most celebrated member was Antonius a Matre Dei, author of , a commentary on the Proverbs
A proverb (from ) or an adage is a simple, traditional saying that expresses a perceived truth based on common sense or experience. Proverbs are often metaphorical and are an example of formulaic language. A proverbial phrase or a proverbial ...
of Solomon.
Female congregations
Blind Sisters of Saint Paul
The Blind Sisters were founded in Paris in 1852, by Abel-François Villemain (d. 1870), Anne Bergunion (d. 1863), and Jugé. Its mission is to enable blind women to lead a religious life, and to facilitate the training of blind children in useful occupations. A home was established for blind women and girls with defective sight.
Sisters of Saint Paul of Chartres
The Sisters were formerly known as "Daughters of the School." In 1696, the congregation was founded by Louis Chauvet, parish priest of Levesville-la-Chenard, a village in the region of Beauce, some 60 miles southeast of Paris.
Marie Anne de Tilly, a member of the first community of three Sisters, prepared her companions for their mission: to instruct the daughters of farm laborers, to teach poor village girls, to visit the poor and the sick and to serve in the hospitals in small communities of two or three sisters. As early as 1708, Chauvet entrusted the growing community of the School Sisters to Paul Godet des Marais
Paul Godet des Marais (1647–1709) was a French Bishop of Chartres, and served as spiritual director for Françoise d'Aubigné, marquise de Maintenon, Mme de Maintenon.
History
Marais was born at Talcy, Loir-et-Cher, Talcy, near Blois. He st ...
, Bishop of Chartres
The oldest known list of bishops of Chartres is found in an 11th-century manuscript of Trinity Abbey, Vendôme. It includes 57 names from Adventus (Saint Aventin) to Aguiertus (Agobert) who died in 1060. The most well-known list is included in the ...
. Godet provided a house in the St. Maurice suburbs, an ecclesiastical superior in the person of Marechaux, and a name, that of the Apostle Paul who was to be their patron and model. From the time of its birth, one foundation followed another in rapid succession. One of their houses in Chartres formerly belonged to a sabot-maker, and this gave them the name of "", by which they were originally known.
There were no lay-sisters. Every sister must be prepared to undertake any kind of work. The postulancy lasts from six to nine months, the novitiate
The novitiate, also called the noviciate, is the period of training and preparation that a Christian ''novice'' (or ''prospective'') monastic, apostolic, or member of a religious order undergoes prior to taking vows in order to discern whether ...
two years, after which the sisters take vows annually for five years, and then perpetual vows.
The congregation was dispersed under the Commune at the French Revolution, but it was restored by Napoleon I
Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...
. He gave the sisters a monastery
A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of Monasticism, monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in Cenobitic monasticism, communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a ...
at Chartres, which originally belonged to the Jacobins, from which they became known as "".
After its revival the congregation numbered 1200 sisters and over 100 houses in England, Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe is an Overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department and region of France in the Caribbean. It consists of six inhabited islands—Basse-Terre Island, Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre, Guadeloupe, Grande-Terre, Marie-Galant ...
, Martinique
Martinique ( ; or ; Kalinago language, Kalinago: or ) is an island in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the eastern Caribbean Sea. It was previously known as Iguanacaera which translates to iguana island in Carib language, Kariʼn ...
, French Guiana
French Guiana, or Guyane in French, is an Overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department and region of France located on the northern coast of South America in the Guianas and the West Indies. Bordered by Suriname to the west ...
, Korea
Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...
, China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
, Japan
Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
, Further India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
, the Philippines
The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...
, etc. In China, a novitiate was established for native subjects; and in Hong Kong
Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...
, a school for European children, along with various benevolent institutions. In the Philippines, schools, hospitals, pastoral centers including and a leper
Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a long-term infection by the bacteria '' Mycobacterium leprae'' or '' Mycobacterium lepromatosis''. Infection can lead to damage of the nerves, respiratory tract, skin, and eyes. This nerve da ...
hospital, and a formation house for candidates wishing to belong to the Congregation.
They settled in England in 1847 at the invitation of Nicholas Wiseman
Nicholas Patrick Stephen Wiseman (3 August 1802 – 15 February 1865) was an English Roman Catholic prelate who served as the first Archbishop of Westminster upon the re-establishment of the Roman Catholic hierarchy in England and Wales in 1 ...
. In 1907, they had fifty-six houses in various towns; their work in England was mainly educational, schools were attached to all their houses. Until 1902, they had over two hundred and fifty houses in France where, besides schools, they undertook asylums for the blind, the aged, and the insane, hospitals, dispensaries and crèches. More than one hundred and sixty of these schools were later closed because of the laicist policy of the Waldeck-Rousseau
Pierre Marie René Ernest Waldeck-Rousseau (; 2 December 184610 August 1904) was a French Republican politician who served for three years as the Prime Minister of France.
Early life
Pierre Waldeck-Rousseau was born in Nantes, Brittany. His ...
government and succeeding governments in France, as were thirty of the hospitals, military and civil, in the French colonies, three convent
A convent is an enclosed community of monks, nuns, friars or religious sisters. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community.
The term is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglican ...
s at Blois
Blois ( ; ) is a commune and the capital city of Loir-et-Cher Departments of France, department, in Centre-Val de Loire, France, on the banks of the lower Loire river between Orléans and Tours.
With 45,898 inhabitants by 2019, Blois is the mos ...
and a hospice
Hospice care is a type of health care that focuses on the palliation of a terminally ill patient's pain and symptoms and attending to their emotional and spiritual needs at the end of life. Hospice care prioritizes comfort and quality of life b ...
at Brie
Brie ( ; ) is a soft cow's-milk cheese named after Brie (itself from Gaulish ''briga'', "hill, height"), the French region from which it originated (roughly corresponding to the modern of Seine-et-Marne). It is pale in colour with a slight gre ...
. They opened five or six hospitals in the French colonies, six hospitals and 39 schools in the Philippines
The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...
, and three educational houses and Saint Louis Hospital in Thailand
Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...
.
Guided by the motto of the congregation, (The Charity of Christ Urges Us), at present, some 4000 Sisters of Saint Paul of Chartres work in 34 countries.[ ]
References
{{Catholic, wstitle=Paulists
Further reading
Gino Todisco (1983), ''Note e ricerche su Abel-François Villemain'', Cassino
Cassino () is a ''comune'' in the province of Frosinone at the southern end of the region of Lazio. It's the last city of the Valle Latina, Latin Valley.
It is located at the foot of Monte Cairo near the confluence of the Gari (river), Gari and ...
, Frosinone
Frosinone (; local dialect: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Italian region of Lazio, administrative seat of the province of Frosinone. It is about southeast of Rome, close to the Rome-Naples A1 Motorway. The city is the main city of th ...
: S. Benedetto.
External links
Official website
USA official website
National Shrine of Our Lady of Częstochowa
(a Paulist church and retreat house in the United States) official website (see also: National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa)
de:Paulisten (Begriffsklärung)
hr:Pavlini