Ursuline Sisters of the Blessed Virgin Mary
South African Province • Diocese of Mthatha
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Who We Are & Our Legacy
The Ursuline Sisters of the Blessed Virgin Mary (South African Province) are an active, uncloistered religious congregation deeply woven into the spiritual fabric of the Mthatha Diocese. Our global family tree began in Dole, France, in 1606, under the courageous vision of Venerable Mother Anne de Xainctonge. Over the last 418+ years, this charism of empowerment has spread to almost every corner of the globe.
Our specific journey in South Africa began in 1934, when the first five pioneer Swiss missionary sisters arrived in the region. For nine decades, these sisters and the generations of local vocations who followed thrived in education, pastoral ministries, medical assistance, and vital social work—always aiming to empower and uplift the communities they serve. Recently, on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, our Province joyfully celebrated its historic 90th Jubilee Anniversary (1934–2024). As we navigate this Jubilee Year of Hope, we look to the future through our Foundress’s eyes, seeking to continue serving humanity and responding faithfully to contemporary needs.
The Pillars of Our Institute
| Canonical Dimension | Provincial Definition and Mandate |
| Our Sacred Motto | “Mihi vivere Christus est…” (“For me to live is Christ and death is my gain” – Philippians 1:21). |
| The Charism | Education. This is the intentional formation and empowerment of individuals, particularly focusing on the Christian education of girls and women to transform family life and society. |
| The Vision | The Salvation of Souls. |
| The Apostolic Mission | “To be all things to all…” Mother Anne de Xainctonge beautifully summarized our life: “Our device is that of St Paul: ‘To be all things to all men’… To be of service to everyone, and especially to those of our own sex, to instruct, to console, to admonish… everywhere to give the example, at every hour to pray for the conversion and perfection of souls… that is the métier of the Ursules…” |
Prayer for the Intercession of Venerable Anne de Xainctonge
O Holy and Eternal God, You filled the heart of Venerable Anne de Xainctonge with a burning zeal to establish uncloistered schools and empower girls and women through Christian education. You granted her the strength to face exile, hunger, and trial to fulfill Your holy will.
Grant that we, inspired by her historic example of boldness and deep love for the Holy Eucharist, may respond faithfully to the contemporary needs of our communities. We ask that You glorify Your servant Anne, and through her intercession, grant us the special graces we stand in need of today. Amen.
Our Lady, Patroness of our Society, pray for us.
The Birth Story: A Revolutionary Vision
Our story began in 16th-century France with a devout woman of action, Anne de Xainctonge (1567–1621). Born into a prominent, wealthy family of lawyers in Dijon, Anne grew up in a home filled with deep Catholic piety, learning meditation, Eucharistic adoration, and regular Mass attendance from her youth. However, God was preparing her for something radical. Looking out the window of her family home, she consistently observed young boys crossing the street to enter the Jesuit College, where they received a comprehensive, life-changing education. Moved by the Holy Spirit, Anne pondered a question that would challenge the centuries: “What if girls could receive the same?”
At the time, societal norms strictly confined girls to domestic duties, and formal education was a luxury reserved exclusively for the wealthy. Anne felt a profound divine calling to dismantle these barriers. She prayed fervently, bringing her desires before her parents and spiritual directors. Though her parents were willing to provide physical resources, a major conflict arose: Anne felt an unyielding calling to establish her mission not in her hometown of Dijon, but in the town of Dole.
During this era, France and Spain were locked in deep conflict. Dijon was safely under French control, but Dole, while culturally French, was under Spanish influence, making them technically enemy territories. As a loyal subject of the French King, Anne’s father absolutely refused to support his daughter establishing an organization in an "enemy state". Anne endured tremendous internal turmoil, wrestling with her deep filial respect for her father and her undeniable call from God, constantly asking why it had to be Dole when Dijon possessed all the necessary wealth and comfort. She turned to deep prayer for clarity and strength.
In 1596, at the age of 29, Anne sat silently at the family dinner table while her father and guests discussed intense parliamentary issues. Noticing her silence, her father asked for her opinion. Seizing the moment, Anne expressed her unwavering commitment to begin her work in Dole. Her response provoked immediate anger. Viewing her choice as a rebellious act against both his authority and the state, her father explicitly declared: “As for you, Mademoiselle, you may consider yourself free to leave my house whenever you please. Go to the Spaniards, since you share the sentiments of the enemies of our King.” (Anne de Xainctonge Her Life and Spirituality:86).
Where her father spoke in anger, Anne heard the voice of God granting her the long-awaited permission to fulfill her vocation. Knowing there was no time to lose, she prayed for divine support to break the bonds holding her back. With the assistance of an estate agent and a fiercely loyal family helper named Margaret, Anne escaped from her home to Dole.
Upon her arrival, she met Father Jean Falquestion, SJ. In a stunning confirmation of Divine Providence, Father Falquestion revealed that a local group of women had spent the last nine days praying a strict Novena, begging God to send someone to guide them in establishing a school for girls. Anne had arrived on the exact ninth day of their prayers—she was the direct answer to their Novena.
Defending the Vocation: The Objections of 1604
Life in Dole was a test of survival. Anne faced intense intimidation, starvation, and literal homelessness, alongside emotional manipulation from her mother, who even faked a severe illness to trick her into coming home. In 1604, Anne returned to Dijon, where her father arranged a formal tribunal of judges to critically evaluate her vocation. The three major historical objections raised by the judges, and Mother Anne's brilliant, systematic defenses, laid the groundwork for modern active women's congregations:
🔵 Objection I: The Church’s Stance on Women Teaching Religion
The Tribunal argued that women did not possess the canonical authority to teach formal religion.
Mother Anne’s Defense: She countered that teaching was historically not a novelty for holy women. She argued clearly that her desire was simply to teach young girls everything relevant to their state of life, equipping them spiritually to become good, devout Christians who could uplift their future families.
🔵 Objection II: Disregarding the Strict Rule of Cloister (Enclosure)
The judges insisted that consecrated women must remain strictly enclosed behind convent walls, safe from worldly distraction.
Mother Anne’s Defense: She presented a beautiful Christocentric argument, explaining that Jesus Christ Himself was fully active in the world, moving among the people to heal and instruct. She declared that all faithful servants share directly in His active ministry, regardless of gender, and that her daughters would find their sanctuary in the streets.
🔵 Objection III: Deep Concerns Over Utilizing Jesuit Confessors and Directors
The judges expressed systemic anxiety regarding women regularly utilizing Jesuit priests for spiritual direction.
Mother Anne’s Defense: She provided clear examples of holy nuns who consistently confessed to the same priests without issue. She established that her daughters must have the right to choose confessors—specifically Jesuits—whose intellectual rigour and Ignatian spirituality matched their active charism of education.
Through her inspired responses, Mother Anne completely convinced the judges, who formally approved the founding of an active society for women. Proving their commitment to redemption, their very first house was the Marenchess Estate—a notorious, former venue for gambling and prostitution. Its transformation into a holy convent signaled the transformative power of their mission. With the crucial assistance of a supportive lawyer wielding a papal bull from Pope Clement VIII, the society finally obtained full parliamentary approval.
The Origin of Our Name
Mother Anne originally desired her community to be titled the Company of Mary. However, to avoid the extensive canonical delays involved in approving a completely new name, church authorities advised her to utilize the name **"Ursuline"**, since Saint Ursula was already the universal patroness of education and an Ursuline Rule had prior papal approval.
On June 16, 1606, Dean Boutechoux officially recognized Mother Anne and her companions as a constituted religious congregation: the Society of St. Ursula. Century after century, the order flourished. Finally, in 1902, under the pontificate of Pope Leo XIII, the name of the **Blessed Virgin Mary** was formally added to the title. This addition permanently distinguished them from cloistered, monastic Ursulines, creating the **Ursuline Sisters of the Blessed Virgin Mary** and beautifully fulfilling Mother Anne's original, century-old desire from eternity.
Our Spiritual Life Today
From the lives of our pioneers, the society has embraced a deep, permanent devotion to the Holy Eucharist and Our Lady, a sincere love for deep interior prayer, and a firm, unyielding commitment to active ministry. Grounded firmly in the Spirituality of St. Ignatius of Loyola, we find God in all things. As we look to the future, we continue to walk with hope and purpose, keeping our hearts burning with the same fire that drove Mother Anne de Xainctonge.
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