Our Life
Daughters of Charity, Servants of the Poor
We are called to contemplate, experience and share the unconditional love of the Father for every person; love that is expressed to the full in the “most loving, most generous and most patient spirit” of the Son who gave His life freely for all.
We live community life where, each day, we learn to recognize the presence of the Lord. Like real Sisters, we share what we are and have, trying to discern and carry out God’s project while learning to give and receive love and growing in freedom.
We are present in the 5 continents in 32 countries, working in the fields of education, evangelization, pastoral care of the sick, formation of lay people in the apostolate, facilitating Spiritual Exercises, where we are committed to live Magdalene’s greatest desire: “above all make Jesus known and loved”, giving preference to the poorest. www.canossian.org/
The Beginning of the Canossian Mission in the Philippines
St. Magdalene of Canossa (1774-1835) Foundress of the Canossian Daughters of Charity Servants of the Poor in 1808 in Verona, Italy founded four more Houses before her death. She longed to be turned into dust to make Jesus known and loved to all parts of the world. This was realized on February 27, 1860 when six Daughters of Charity afire with missionary zeal were sent to proclaim the good news to mission territories. They sailed from Italy to Hong Kong and arrived there on April 12, 1860.
From the Canossian Mission in Hong Kong were born “other missions” in Asia and the Pacific, including the Canossian foundation in the Philippines. In 1878, M. Maria Stella, pioneer missionary in Hong Kong together with some companions went to Manila for mission appeal for their orphanage dormitories. They had a second visit in Manila in 1890. During their stay, they quietly stirred a flow of Canossian vocations to the Philippines. In fact, from 1886 to 1940 forty-two Filipinas had joined the Canossian Missions who served in Hong Kong, Macau, China, Timor, even Singapore.
Six decades later, on February 2, 1954 Mother General, M. Antonietta Novello missioned M. Ida Tamburlini and M. Marley Sardinha of Hong Kong to assess the possibility of a Canossian Foundation in the Philippines. M. Vittoria Garre, Delegate General of Hong Kong, joined them later and visited the Nuncio in Manila, Msgr. Egidio Vagnozzi. There they met Bishop Alejandro Olalia, Bishop of Lipa which comprised the provinces of Laguna and Batangas. He welcomed the Canossian Sisters to his Diocese and gave them two mission choices. The Sisters chose the unobtrusive town of Sta. Rosa, Laguna as the fitting place to start the work of love and service to the poor in the country. Members of the first Community were M. Zita Beretta, M. Ana Bautista, M. Cecilia Pereira, M. Miriam Tavecchio, M. Teresina Cantu and M. Carolina Colombo as Superior. The old Dominican Convent in Sta. Rosa Parish became the first Canossian Convent in the Philippines. Thus began the missionary presence of the Canossian Sisters in the Philippines which originated in Laguna, spreading to the different regions of the country and beyond.
In 1984, each Canossian organism in a particular country was encouraged to discern the opening of a House outside the boundaries of its own country. In 1992, the Sacred Heart Province, renewed in the missionary spirit, opened itself to new fields of mission by responding to the invitation of Archbishop Peter Korungku, of the Archdiocese of Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea to engage in evangelization through coordinating Religious Education Program in the Archdiocese and in the pastoral care of the sick by providing health care to the poor at St. Therese Clinic and in settlement villages. Inspired by the same renewal in missionarity, many Sisters offered to be sent to mission territories of the Institute. Presently, Filipina Sisters are missionaries in Australia, East Timor Japan, Indonesia, USA, Mexico, Italy, France, Albania, Togo, Tanzania and Sudan.