CANOSSIANE, FIGLIE DELLA CARITÀ

Canossian Daughters of Charity. — Religious institute founded by the Blessed Maddalena of Canossa in Verona in 1808. The first cradle was the monastery of St. Joseph, where the first young girls were taken in under the guidance of some of the Blessed’s disciples. A second house was opened in Venice in 1812, where the Blessed had been invited by the Cavanis brothers (v.). The rules she drew up were approved by Leo XII on 23 Dec. 1828. The Institute spread rapidly, and new houses arose in Milan, Cremona, Brescia, and elsewhere. In 1859 the Canossian Daughters established themselves in China, where they soon made great progress, rendering great assistance to the missionaries. The Institute’s purpose is the education of girls from the common people, the training of elementary schoolteachers, and the exercise of all works of charity and parochial assistance. It numbers 308 houses divided into 7 provinces, with over 4,500 religious.