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This Friday’s missionary hero was a Belgian pioneer whose missionary work lives through the missionary work of her followers throughout the world. Her name was Marie Louise de Meester.
Marie was born on April 8, 1857 in Heverlee, Belgium. When she was a teenager, she studied to become a teacher. As a teacher, she was very competent and kind to her students.
But Marie had a desire to serve the poor, so she left teaching and, in 1881, joined the Canonesses Regular of Ypres, Belgium.
Sometime during the 1880’s, her community received a request from a priest in India asking if some Sisters could come and help administer an orphanage. Sr. Marie was thrilled with the possibility of becoming a missionary, so she immediately volunteered and was granted permission.
Sr. Marie and a novice set sail for India. When they arrived, they discovered that the priest who had invited them had died, and the local bishop was not supportive of their work. Ignoring these difficulties, Sr. Marie and the novice took over the orphanage. Soon, they had to find local women to help them, and this was the beginning of a new religious community. But Sr. Marie realized that this group in India would have to break ties with the Order in Belgium, for if they didn’t, all the new members of the community would have to travel to Belgium for their formation program.
So, in 1897, Marie founded a new order that was initially called the Missionary Canonesses of St. Augustine. Marie, now known as Mother Marie as the superior general of the order, and her sisters soon established schools and missions in India. Mother Marie then went to the Philippines with three companions in 1910 at the request of the Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, also known as the Scheut Fathers. First, they opened St. Augustine’s School in the basement of their convent with 225 students, but by the end of the month, they had 300. In time, the congregation had schools and colleges throughout the Philippines.
Mother Marie Louise de Meester died on October 10, 1928 at the age of 71.
In 1963, the congregation associated itself with the Scheut Fathers and became the Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (I.C.M.).
Today, the Missionary Sisters are serving in Asia, Africa, Central America, Europe, and North America.
