Congregation of women founded at Roy, Picardy, France, 1625, by Father Pierre Guerin, Françoise Unalet, and Marie Fannier, for the Christian education of girls. Madame Marie I'Huillier de Villeneuve established a house for the community near Paris, 1651, where she introduced the obligation of taking vows, hitherto unknown in the society. Opposition to this innovation resulted in the separation of religious and secular branches of the congregation. Destroyed during the Revolution and reorganized, 1837, the institute spread widely. The mother-house is at La Louviere, Belgium. The congregation is diocesan. It has approximately 15 houses in Belgium, France, India, England, and the United States, where they are established in the Diocese of Alexandria, Louisiana, numbering 79 religious, and have 6 schools, including Saint Vincent's College and Academy, at Shreveport.
This dictionary contains not only definitions and explanations of every subject in Religion, Scripture, tradition, doctrine, morals, sacraments, rites, customs, devotions and symbolism, but also accounts of the Church in every continent, country, diocese; missions, notable Catholic centers, cities, and places with religious names; religious orders, church societies, sects and false religions. It has brief articles also on historical events and personages, on the Old Testament and New, and on popes, prelates, priests, men and women of distinction, showing what the Church has done for civilization and correcting many errors which have hitherto passed for history.Wikipedia
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