PICCOLE SUORE DEI PALESTINI - Enciclopedia Cattolica, Vol. IX, p. 811

Machine translation of the 1948–1954 Italian original. The original text is authoritative.

PICCOLE SUORE DEI PALESTINI. — Founded by Fr. G. B. Sevres and Gabriella Adele Raoux, at Mauriac (diocese of St-Flour) in 1860.

BIBL.: Arch. of the S. Congr. of Religious, A. 49. Giulio Mandelli

PICCOLE SUORE DELLA SANTA FAMIGLIA. — Institute founded by Fr. Camillo Lefebvre of the Congregation of St. Cross, who in 1874 had called some sisters of his Congregation to assist at St. Joseph College (Memramcook, Canada).

As the number of postulants grew, Fr. Lefebvre was authorized by his superiors in 1880 to establish an autonomous religious congregation, with the cooperation of Mother Maria Leonia, who became its first superior. When the sisters transferred to the diocese of Sherbrooke on 1 Oct. 1885, they were regularly approved by Bishop Mons. Larocque on 26 Jan. 1896. The Holy See approved them on 2 March 1937. Devoted to service in colleges and religious houses, the sisters number 1,450 in 59 houses at present.

BIBL.: H. Legros - Sr Paul Emile, La Diocèse d'Ottawa 1847-1948, Ottawa 1948, p. 733; Le Canada ecclésiastique, Montreal 1949, pp. 941-45. Silverio Mattei