Founded by Mary Ward at Rome, 1633; reconstituted from her first congregation suppressed in 1630. Pioneers of the unenclosed orders for women, the founder and her companions met with little encouragement before Pope Clement XI approved their Rule, that of Saint Ignatius, in 1703, when they numbered six foundations. The work of the Institute is educational (primary, secondary, and university), principally for girls. Owing to the variety of names and the independence of branches and houses, the essential unity of the Institute is not readily recognized, e.g., the Irish branch of Loretto Nuns, founded from the York establishment in 1822, has its own mother-house at Rathfarnham and special constitutions approved by the Holy See. The several generalates into which the Institute has been split up are those of Bavaria, Austria, Mainz, Ireland, and Toronto (Canada). The institute has 228 houses, including training colleges, boarding and day schools, technical schools, an institute for the deaf and dumb, and orphanages in England, Ireland, Germany, Rumania, Hungary, Austria, Czechoslovakia, Spain, Africa, India, Australia, the United States, and Canada.
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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