The Society of Helpers, formerly known as the Society of the Helpers of the Holy Souls, is a
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
religious congregation
A religious congregation is a type of religious institute in the Catholic Church. They are legally distinguished from religious orders – the other major type of religious institute – in that members take simple vows, whereas members of religio ...
of women founded in
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
, France, in 1856, with the objective of assisting the
souls
In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being".
Etymology
The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...
in
Purgatory
Purgatory (, borrowed into English via Anglo-Norman and Old French) is, according to the belief of some Christian denominations (mostly Catholic), an intermediate state after physical death for expiatory purification. The process of purgatory ...
through their service to the needy of the world. The Sisters use the
postnominal
Post-nominal letters, also called post-nominal initials, post-nominal titles, designatory letters or simply post-nominals, are letters placed after a person's name to indicate that the individual holds a position, academic degree, accreditation, ...
initials of "A.P." (french: Auxiliatrices des âmes du purgatoire) in Europe, or, alternately, "H.H.S" in English-speaking countries.
History
Eugénie Smet
Eugénie Smet (1825–1871), also known as sœur Marie de la Providence, was a French nun who founded the Society of the Helpers of the Holy Souls in 1856. Her
feast day
The calendar of saints is the traditional Christian method of organizing a liturgical year by associating each day with one or more saints and referring to the day as the feast day or feast of said saint. The word "feast" in this context d ...
is 7 February.
She was born in
Lille
Lille ( , ; nl, Rijsel ; pcd, Lile; vls, Rysel) is a city in the northern part of France, in French Flanders. On the river Deûle, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region, the Pref ...
on 25 March 1825, the daughter of Henri Édouard Joseph and Marie Pauline Joseph Taverne Smet. Her father was a trader from Lille. From 1836 to 1843 she was educated at the Convent of the Sacred Heart in Lille, where she demonstrated a particular devotion to the
Guardian Angels
A guardian angel is a type of angel that is assigned to protect and guide a particular person, group or nation. Belief in tutelary beings can be traced throughout all antiquity. The idea of angels that guard over people played a major role in ...
.
[
In November 1853, she discovered her mission in the Church. In 1855, the ]Curé d'Ars
John Vianney (born Jean-Baptiste-Marie Vianney; 8 May 1786 – 4 August 1859), venerated as Saint John Vianney, was a French Catholic priest who is venerated in the Catholic Church as a saint and as the patron saint of parish priests. He is oft ...
confirmed her in her mission. She went to Paris on 19 January 1856 (the society dates its foundation from this day); three days later, Smet obtained permission of Archbishop Sibour
Marie-Dominique-Auguste Sibour (4 August 1792 – 3 January 1857) was the French Catholic Archbishop of Paris from 1848 to 1857.
Life
Sibour was born at Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux in Drôme in 1792. After his ordination to the priesthood ...
to establish her congregation in Paris. The community Mademoiselle Smet had gathered round her took possession of No. 16, Rue de la Barouillère, on 1 July 1856.["Society of the Helpers of the Holy Souls." The Catholic Encyclopedia]
Vol. 7. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1910. 27 June 2019
On 27 December 1857, Smet, with five of her first companions, pronounced her first religious vows
Religious vows are the public vows made by the members of religious communities pertaining to their conduct, practices, and views.
In the Buddhism tradition, in particular within the Mahayana and Vajrayana tradition, many different kinds of re ...
. A Jesuit
, image = Ihs-logo.svg
, image_size = 175px
, caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits
, abbreviation = SJ
, nickname = Jesuits
, formation =
, founders ...
was appointed chaplain
A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a Minister (Christianity), minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a laity, lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secularity, secular institution (such as a hosp ...
, and the Rule of St. Ignatius was adapted.["Our Story", Society of Helpers -UK]
/ref> The congregation was dedicated to Our Lady of Providence.[Garside, Charles Brierly. ''The Helpers of the Holy Souls'', London: Burns & Oates, 1874]
/ref>
Eugénie Smet died on 7 February 1871, of breast cancer, at the age of 45. She is buried in the Montparnasse cemetery. She was beatified
Beatification (from Latin ''beatus'', "blessed" and ''facere'', "to make”) is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a deceased person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in their nam ...
in Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
on May 26, 1957 by Pope Pius XII
Pope Pius XII ( it, Pio XII), born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli (; 2 March 18769 October 1958), was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 2 March 1939 until his death in October 1958. Before his e ...
. Her feast is kept on February 7, the anniversary of her death.[
Lady Georgiana Fullerton wrote a biography of Eugénie Smet, ''Mere Marie de la Providence''.]["The society of Helpers of the Holy souls", ''The Sacred Heart Review'', Volume 9, Number 21, 15 April 1893]
/ref>
Communities
The first branch house was established at Nantes in July 1864. In 1867 six nuns were conducted by Bishop Adrien Languillat to Shanghai to take charge of an orphanage. In December, 1869, a house was established in Brussels. The Helpers did good work in the ambulances for the wounded of both nations during the Franco-Prussian War. On 25 June 1878, the constitutions of the order were approved by Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII ( it, Leone XIII; born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2 March 1810 – 20 July 1903) was the head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 to his death in July 1903. Living until the age of 93, he was the second-old ...
. From 1874 to 1880 communities were established at Cannes, Orléans, Tourcoing, and Montmartre.[
]
Present day
The Helpers profess vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, and follow an Ignatian spirituality Ignatian spirituality, also known as Jesuit spirituality, is a Catholic spirituality founded on the experiences of the 16th-century Spanish saint Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuit order. The main idea of this form of spirituality comes from ...
. They have worked with the poor and the marginal of their societies since their founding. They work in a variety of ministries, with the goal of working for peace and justice in a lifestyle based in contemplation
In a religious context, the practice of contemplation seeks a direct awareness of the divine which transcends the intellect, often in accordance with prayer or meditation.
Etymology
The word ''contemplation'' is derived from the Latin word '' ...
. Rather than focus on a particular ministry, Smet decided to respond to such needs as presented themselves.[ As of 2015 they numbered some 500 Sisters in twenty four countries.
]
In the United Kingdom
The first foundation in the UK was in the Archdiocese of Westminster
The Catholic Diocese of Westminster is an archdiocese of the Latin Church of the Catholic Church in England. The diocese consists of most of London north of the River Thames and west of the River Lea, the borough of Spelthorne (in Surrey), and th ...
, at 23 Queen Anne Street, Cavendish Square. They removed to Gloucester Avenue, Regent's Park, in 1882.[ As of 2019, sisters serve in London, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Liverpool and Burnley.
]
United States province
In May, 1892, seven "Helpers" sailed to New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
, and were heartily welcomed by Archbishop Michael Corrigan
Michael Augustine Corrigan (August 13, 1839May 5, 1902) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as the third archbishop of New York from 1885 to 1902.
Early life
Michael Augustine Corrigan was born August 13, 1839, in Ne ...
. The first convent was a small house in Seventh Avenue; there they laboured for nearly three years, when they removed to 114 East 86th Street. During 1905 a course of lectures on hygiene and first aid to the injured was given. In 1906, they had five houses in the same neighbourhood. Children from the public schools came to the convents for religious instruction and preparation for First Communion and Confirmation,[ and there were sewing classes for girls.
In May 1903, some Helpers were sent to St. Louis, Missouri, led by Mother Mary St. Bernard. Archbishop John J. Glennon asked them to work among the African-American community. Home visitation was a major part of the Sisters’ work in North St. Louis.
In 1905, the Sisters went to San Francisco, where they settled in a house in Howard Street, which was destroyed in the earthquake of 1906.][
The leadership team of the U.S. Province is located in Chicago. The province produces an annual publication, ''Voices of Hope''.The Society of Helpers -US Province]
/ref>
References
External links
Society of Helpers
name day index
{{Authority control
Religious organizations established in 1856
Catholic religious institutes established in the 19th century
Catholic female orders and societies
Women's congregations following Ignatian spirituality
1856 establishments in France
French beatified people
Founders of Catholic religious communities