Pastoral Juvenil Vocacional
Congregação Nossa Senhora
da Caridade
do Bom Pastor
LIVES THAT MAKE HISTORY
VIDAS QUE FAZEM HISTÓRIA
The Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd exists thanks to people who, listening to God's call to a specific mission, had the audacity to say yes... This happened not only to our foundress, St. St. John Eudes, from whom he drew all his spirituality and mission, and also all those who share the same spirituality, charism and mission to this day.
A Congregação de Nossa Senhora da Caridade do Bom Pastor existe graças a pessoas que escutando o chamamento de Deus, para uma missão específica, tiveram a ousadia de dizer sim… Isto aconteceu não só com a nossa fundadora, Santa Maria Eufrásia Pelletier, mas também com São João Eudes, de quem bebeu toda a espiritualidade e missão, e ainda, todas/os aqueles que partilham da mesma espiritualidade, carisma e missão até aos nossos dias.
João Eudes was born in Ri, Normandy, France, on November 14, 1601. He is a saint of the 17th century, little known. In his writings he shows us a God who is Love, love that we must give him, Love that must be made known. He founded two Congregations, that of Jesus and Mary, for the doctrinal and spiritual formation of priests and seminarians, that is, the Eudists and the Sisters of Our Lady of Charity, among many other missions carried out by this Saint. He died on August 19, 1680 and was canonized on May 31, 1925 by Pope Pius XI. It has its liturgical feast on the 19th of August.
Santa Maria Eufrásia Pelletier was born on the island of Noirmoutier, in France, on July 31, 1796, having been baptized with the name of Rosa Virgínia.
He entered the Order of Our Lady of Charity, founded by Saint John Eudes, at the age of 18, in Tours. At the age of 29, she was named superior, having always been a religious faithful to the charism and attentive to the signs of the times and the challenges of the Church of her time.
In the exercise of her mission, she founded the Contemplative Sisters and opened several communities for apostolic development. One of them was located in Angers, where the new religious family was born, the Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd, as a result of the restructuring in terms of management and leadership of the different monasteries , created by Santa Maria Eufrásia Pelletier, aged 39 at the time.
Maria Droste, descendant of one of the oldest families of German nobility, was born on September 8, 1863, the feast day of the Nativity of Our Lady, in Munster, together with her twin brother Max. Daughter of Count Clemente Droste Zu Vischering and Baroness Helena Von Galen, she was part of a large family, in all the couple had 11 children, seven girls and four boys.
Maria Droste entered the Congregation of the Good Shepherd, in Munster, on November 21, 1888, where she became Sister Maria of the Divine Heart.
On the 24th of January 1894 Sister Maria was sent to Lisbon where she stayed for nearly three months. After this time, she went to Porto, where she held the position of Superior and remained there until the date of her death, on June 8, 1899, at Rua do Vale Formoso, 417, where she developed a great apostolic work, at the level of the community, of the young students and with all those who sought her out.
OTHER LIVES
Throughout the history of the Congregation, many were those who, having completely identified themselves with the charism left by our Foundress, lived in their consecration and apostolic zeal the radical nature of the Gospel to the last consequences.
Testemunho da Ir. Nazaré Jardim