Meeting of Notre Dame Congregations with common roots
In Zagreb, May 26 to 29, 2016, there was a meeting of Congregations of Notre Dame of the same roots. At the meeting participated general superiors of seven...
Meeting for Young Consecrated Men and Women in Zagreb
Wake up the world! Croatian Conference of Religious Superiors and Superiors organized on 28 November 2015, in Zagreb a meeting of young religious men and...
HISTORY
The need of enlightenment and education, and also the history of the Congregation of Our Lady Foundations is related to the names of men and women who have dedicated themselves to God and became a model and encouragement for thousands of women, who still live the same charism: St. Peter Fourer (1565th-1640th), bl. Alix le Clerc (1576th to 1622nd), Bl. Teresa Gerhardinger (1797th-1879th), Maria Theresa Franz (1825th to 1911th) and Rosa M. Annunziata Kopunović (1887th-1956th).
They belong to different historical periods and geographical contexts related with the emergence and historical development of our congregation. However, they all follow the same inspiration: through education to give the love of Jesus Christ to the poor and neglected children and young people, especially women. At a time when schools were a luxury, which could afford only the rich, they have raised the educational institutions for poor girls. It was something very bold and progressive for the then reigning mentality of society that supported existing social differences. These great figures of our spiritual heritage have left us the responsibility to continue working in the spirit they started.
In year 1597 St. Peter Fourier with Bl. Mother Alix le Clerc in France founded the Congregation of Our Lady - Canonesses St. Augustine, a religious Congregation which was "dedicated to poor girls teaching them to read, write, count, draw, sing and dance.
Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady - Zagreb is an independent religious institution founded in Subotica in 1930. Mary Anunciata Kopunović was the first general leader of the Congregation, which had its headquarters in Subotica.
It is with the help of Bishop Lajčo Budanović that the educational charisma of the Sisters of Our Lady began to cultivate among the Croatian girls. Because of the political situation in the years before the Second World War we wanted to transfer the administration to Croatia in Zagreb. It was done with the assistance and cooperation of Bl. Cardinal Alojzije Stepinac. The Motherhouse was in 1941 transferred from Subotica to Zagreb. It was a fresh start on the same roots.
After World War II sisters worked in schools and educational institutions, until the communist regime did not make it impossible. Then the main activity of the community become the work at the parishes: the parish religious education, conducting church choirs and parish households ...
Activities of the sisters are aimed at the comprehensive education of the person: starting from kindergartens, through the parish and school catechesis to working in church institutions of higher education. Sisters have dedicated themselves to nurturing church music in parishes and church schools. Our educational method is unconditional acceptance and goodness, which springs from the lived faith. In the spirit of St. Augustine, whose constitutions are in the basis of the Congregations Constitution, Sisters of Our Lady should have the spirit of which he recommended: love above all, and thus love that gives place to joy.
Education is our main goal and the strength to do it is the love of Christ our Lord. Our desire is to "do all possible good", as St. Peter Fourier recommended to the first sisters: be it in our communities, or outside them: at the university, the school, the parish, in the office, in the ministry to our communities. To educate and promote the culture of heart and spirit.