ORDER OF OUR LADY OF CHARITY OF THE REFUGE. - It was founded by St. John Eudes at Caen (Normandy) in 1641, with the primary purpose of the rehabilitation of fallen women, to whom the religious bind themselves by a special fourth vow. The O. was approved by a brief of Alexander VII of 2 Jan. 1666 and confirmed by a decree of Benedict XIV of 26 Sept. 1741.

The religious follow the Rule of St. Augustine and the Constitutions of the Visitation, adapted to the particular purpose of the Institute. The fundamental devotion is the cult of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, and the sisters wear its emblem on their habit; the habit is white with a black veil. At present the O. has 35 monasteries with about a thousand religious in France, England, North America, Spain, and Italy. The monasteries are autonomous, but many of them have recently been federated in accordance with the apostolic constitution Sponsa Christi; the center of this federation is the monastery of Chevilly-Larue, near Paris. From the O. of Our Lady of Charity of the Refuge were born in 1835 the Sisters of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd (v.), through the work of St. Mary Euphrasia Pelletier.

Since the Rule forbids the inmates to become religious in the same Order, in every monastery there exists a special section of penitents, called "Maddalene," who lead there a monastic and penitential life.

Bibliography4 works

BIBL.: J. M. Ory, Les origines de N.-D. de la Charité, Abbeville 1891; Règle et constitutions de N.-D. de la Charité, in Oeuvres complètes de St. J. Eudes, X, Vannes 1909; anon., Une oeuvre de miséricorde et d'apostolat: N.-D. de Charité du refuge et du Bon Pasteur, Besançon 1923; E. Georges, Trois siècles au service des âmes: N.-D. de Charité de Caen, Paris 1942.

Giuseppe Hamon

@incollection{ec9_ordine_di_nostra_signora_della, author = {Hamon, Giuseppe}, title = {Ordine di Nostra Signora della Carità del Rifugio}, booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica}, volume = {IX}, pages = {241}, note = {Cited by column}, publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico}, address = {Città del Vaticano}, year = {1952}, url = {https://azioneromana.com/article/ordine-di-nostra-signora-della-carita-del-rifugio} }

One of some 20,000 entries brought back from the twelve printed volumes (1948–54). Spotted something? Help us improve it.

Order of Our Lady of Charity of the Refuge

About this entry