Assumption, Religious of the
ASSUMPTION, RELIGIOUS OF THE
The Religious of the Assumption (Religieuses de l'Assomption, R.A.; OCD #3390) is a congregation of teaching sisters with papal approbation (1888), founded in 1839 by Mother Marie Eugénie de Jésus (Anne Eugénie Milleret de Brou, d. 1898, beatified Feb. 9, 1975 by Pope Paul VI) at Paris, France, where the Generalate is located. The congregation is semicontemplative, combining elements of prayer with an active ministry of the transformation of society through Christian education, catechetical, and mission work. In the lifetime of the founder, the congregation established itself in France, England, Spain, Italy, the Philippines, Nicaragua, and El Salvador. By the end of 2000, the congregation had thriving communities in 35 countries in Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Americas. The sisters arrived in the U.S. in 1919, establishing the first community in Pennsylvania, where the provincialate is located. In the U.S., the congregation is engaged in education, spiritual direction, youth formation, counseling, campus ministry, and pastoral and social outreach.
Bibliography: g. bernoville, Les Religieuses de l'Assomption (Paris 1948). c. c. martindale, The Foundress of the Sisters of the Assumption (London 1936). a. m. f. lovat, Life of Mère Marie Eugénie Milleret de Brou (London 1925).
[m. d. blachÈre/eds.]