FRANCESCANE MISSIONARIE D'EGITTO. — A female religious institute founded in Cairo in 1859 on the initiative of Sister Caterina Troiani di S. Rosa, who, together with five nuns from the monastery of the Oblate Poor Clares of Ferentino, had departed for Egypt at the invitation of the apostolic delegate, Msgr. P. Guasco.
Having settled in Cot Bey, she opened a house there with an attached school for the instruction and education of young women. Since the monastery of Ferentino was unable to sustain the new work in Cairo, Mother Troiani obtained, by decree of the Sacred Congregation of Propaganda Fide dated 3 July 1868, permission to constitute it as an institute sui iuris under the name of F. M. d'E. Thus having opened the way for expansion, the foundress devoted herself energetically to organizing her work, so that it was able to grow and open new houses, increasing the number of boarders. The Anglo-Egyptian War of 1882 dealt a severe blow to the new institute, which nevertheless proved able to withstand the ordeal. Today it is highly developed and widespread in Egypt and the Near East, in Italy, Tunisia, Tripolitania, and Brazil.
In 1945 there were 130 houses with 1,485 religious, all devoted to teaching.