Sœur (Sister) Emmanuelle, N.D.S. (16 November 1908 – 20 October 2008) was a

Religious Sister A religious sister (abbreviated ''Sr.'' or Sist.) in the Catholic Church is a woman who has taken public vows in a religious institute dedicated to apostolic works, as distinguished from a nun who lives a cloistered monastic life dedicated to pr ...

of both

Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct languag ...

and French origins, noted for her involvement in working for the plight of the poor in

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

and

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

. She was honoured with Egyptian citizenship in 1991.

Life

She was born Madeleine Cinquin in

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

, Belgium, the daughter of a French father, Jules Cinquin, and a Belgian mother, Berthe Lenssens. Her parents were wealthy lingerie manufacturers; their background was from

Saint-Omer Saint-Omer (; vls, Sint-Omaars) is a commune and sub-prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais department in France. It is west-northwest of Lille on the railway to Calais, and is located in the Artois province. The town is named after Saint Audomar, ...

. Her paternal grandmother, Laure Mélanie Dreyfus, was the daughter of an Alsatian Jew named Emmanuel Moïse Augustin Dreyfus and a Christian mother. He was born in

Wissembourg Wissembourg (; South Franconian German, South Franconian: ''Weisseburch'' ; German: ''Weißenburg'' ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Bas-Rhin Departments of France, department in Grand Est in northeastern France. It is situated on the li ...

Bas-Rhin Bas-Rhin (; Alsatian: ''Unterelsàss'', ' or '; traditional german: links=no, Niederrhein; en, Lower Rhine) is a department in Alsace which is a part of the Grand Est super-region of France. The name means 'Lower Rhine', referring to its low ...

, and started the family

lingerie Lingerie (, , ) is a category of primarily women's clothing including undergarments (mainly brassieres), sleepwear, and lightweight robes. The choice of the word is often motivated by an intention to imply that the garments are alluring, fashio ...

business. At the age of six she saw her father

drown Drowning is a type of suffocation induced by the submersion of the mouth and nose in a liquid. Most instances of fatal drowning occur alone or in situations where others present are either unaware of the victim's situation or unable to offer as ...

. She was educated at the

Sorbonne Sorbonne may refer to: * Sorbonne (building), historic building in Paris, which housed the University of Paris and is now shared among multiple universities. *the University of Paris (c. 1150 – 1970) *one of its components or linked institution, ...

, earning a degree in

philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...

. In 1929, she

professed A vow ( Lat. ''votum'', vow, promise; see vote) is a promise or oath. A vow is used as a promise, a promise solemn rather than casual. Marriage vows Marriage vows are binding promises each partner in a couple makes to the other during a weddin ...

vows and became a Religious Sister in the Congregation of Our Lady of Sion. In the 1930s, Sister Emmanuelle started teaching at the Notre-Dame de Sion High School in

Istanbul Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...

, where she lived until the 1960s, with teaching assignments by her congregation of several years in

Tunis ''Tounsi'' french: Tunisois , population_note = , population_urban = , population_metro = 2658816 , population_density_km2 = , timezone1 = CET , utc_offset1 ...

and

Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandria ...

in between. In 1971, Sister Emmanuelle witnessed the impoverished conditions of the trash collectors in

Cairo Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metro ...

, Egypt, and decided to live among them. She remained there until 1993, when she returned to

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. It was upon her return that she gained the status of a media sensation in France, as she was well received by audiences and talk-show hosts. In addition to her charity work, she was known for her unorthodox religious views, including her approval of the use of

contraception Birth control, also known as contraception, anticonception, and fertility control, is the use of methods or devices to prevent unwanted pregnancy. Birth control has been used since ancient times, but effective and safe methods of birth contr ...

and of the idea of allowing

priests A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in p ...

to marry. She was voted one of the most popular people in both

and

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

, and was compared to

Mother Teresa Mary Teresa Bojaxhiu, MC (; 26 August 1910 – 5 September 1997), better known as Mother Teresa ( sq, Nënë Tereza), was an Indian-Albanian Catholic nun who, in 1950, founded the Missionaries of Charity. Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu () was bo ...

, although she herself regarded the comparison as "ridiculous". In 2003, a French

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

station broadcast the documentary, ''Soeur Emmanuelle: An Exceptional Woman''. In 2005 she ended in fifth place in the Walloon version of

Le plus grand Belge ''Les plus grands Belges'' ( French for "The Greatest Belgians"), is a television show that aired in 2005 on the Belgian French-speaking public channel RTBF. In the program the audience could vote for the greatest Belgian by using the website, se ...

(The Greatest Belgian). Sister Emmanuelle died on 20 October 2008, in

Callian, Var Callian (; oc, Calian) is a commune in the Var department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. Twin towns Callian is twinned with: * Calliano, Piedmont, Italy * Calliano, Trentino, Italy See also *Communes of ...

, in France. She died in her sleep from natural causes at the age of 99, less than four weeks from celebrating her 100th birthday.Sister Emmanuelle, Revered in France for Candor and Caring, Is Dead at 99
''New York Times'', Retrieved on 2008-10-25. Les Amis de Soeur Emmanuelle (The Friends of Sister Emmanuelle) is a charitable organization based in Brussels. French Singer

Calogero Calogero (from the el, καλόγερος, kalógeros, a familiar term for a monk) is common given name and family name, and a place name of Italian origin. Variants *(Masculine): Calocero **(Hypocoristic): Calò, Gero, Gerino *Feminine: Ca ...

dedicated a song to her named "Yalla", which means "move on, move forward" in

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...

, something she was famous for saying. The song was sung to her for her 98th birthday. In 2018, for the 10th anniversary of her death, the city of Paris decided to name a street after her. The '' is situated on the

boulevard Raspail Boulevard Raspail is a boulevard of Paris, in France. Its orientation is north–south, and joins boulevard Saint-Germain with place Denfert-Rochereau whilst traversing 7th, 6th and 14th arrondissements. The boulevard intersects major roadw ...

, between the

allée Claude-Cahun-Marcel-Moore In landscaping, an avenue (from the French), alameda (from the Portuguese and Spanish), or allée (from the French), is traditionally a straight path or road with a line of trees or large shrubs running along each side, which is used, as its L ...

and the

boulevard du Montparnasse The Boulevard du Montparnasse is a two-way boulevard in Montparnasse, in the 6th, 14th and 15th arrondissements in Paris. Situation The boulevard joins the place Léon Paul Fargue and place Camille Jullian. The Tour Montparnasse and plac ...

, where are the headquarters of Congregation of Our Lady of Sion.Paris: une allée baptisée "Sœur Emmanuelle"
18 October 2018 ''www.bfmtv.com'' ''tr. "Paris: an alley called "Sister Emmanuelle" "'', accessed 11 May 2021

Writings

Works written by Sœur Emmanuelle

* Sœur Emmanuelle (pref.

Jean-Marie Cavada Jean-Marie Cavada (born 24 February 1940 in Épinal, Vosges) is a French politician and former journalist and media executive who last served as a Member of the European Parliament for Ile de France from 2004 until 2019. Since 3 December 2011 he ...

), ''Chiffonnière avec les chiffonniers'', ’Chiffonniere with ragpickers’, Ivry-sur-Seine, Éditions de l'Atelier, 1989 and 2007 () * Sœur Emmanuelle, ''Une vie avec les pauvres'', ‘A life with the poor’, Paris, Éditions de l'Atelier, 1991 () * Sœur Emmanuelle, ''Yalla, en avant les jeunes'', Paris, LGF - Livre de Poche, 1999 () * Sœur Emmanuelle, ''Les Mots du Rosaire'', ‘The words of the Rosary’, Arles, Actes Sud, 2001 () * Sœur Emmanuelle, ''Un pauvre a crié'', le Seigneur l'écoute, ‘A poor man shouted, the Lord listened’, Paray-le-Monial, Emmanuel, 2005 () * Sœur Emmanuelle, ''Vivre, à quoi ça sert ?'', ‘Living, what is the purpose?’, Paris, J'ai lu, 2005, 149 p. () * Sœur Emmanuelle, Agenda 2009. ''Une année avec Sœur Emmanuelle'', Presses de la Renaissance, 21 August 2008 () * Sœur Emmanuelle, ''365 Méditations de Sœur Emmanuelle'', Paris, Presses de la Renaissance, 9 October 2008 () * Sœur Emmanuelle, ''Je Te Salue Marie'', ‘I hail you, Mary’, Bordeaux, Elytis, 15 October 2008 () * Sœur Emmanuelle, ''Les Confessions d'une religieuse'', ‘The confessions of a religious woman’, Flammarion, 23 October 2008 ()

Works written in collaboration with Sœur Emmanuelle

* et

Matthieu Ricard Matthieu Ricard (; ne, माथ्यु रिका, born 15 February 1946) is a French writer, photographer, translator and Buddhist monk who resides at Shechen Tennyi Dargyeling Monastery in Nepal. Matthieu Ricard grew up among the perso ...

(pref. Sœur Emmanuelle), ''Enfants du Tibet : De cœur à cœur'' avec Jetsun Pema et Sœur Emmanuelle, ‘Children of Tibet : from heart to heart' with Jetsun Pema and Sœur Emmanuelle, Desclée de Brouwer, 2000 () * Sœur Emmanuelle et Edmond Blattschen, ''L'Évangile des chiffonniers'', ‘The Gospel of Ragpickers’, Bruxelles, Alice, 2000 () * Sœur Emmanuelle et Philippe Asso, ''Richesse de la pauvreté'', ‘The wealth of poverty’, Paris, Flammarion, 2001 () * Sœur Emmanuelle et Marlène Tuininga, ''Jésus tel que je le connais'', ‘Jesus as I know him’, Paris, J'ai lu, 2003 () * Sœur Emmanuelle et Philippe Asso, Vivre, ''à quoi ça sert ?'', ‘Living, what is the purpose?’, Paris, Flammarion, 2004 () * Sœur Emmanuelle et Marlène Tuininga, ''Le Paradis, c'est les autres'', ‘Paradise is the others ‘, Paris, J'ai lu, 1995 () * Sœur Emmanuelle et Sofia Stril-Rever, ''La Folie d'Amour. Entretiens avec sœur Emmanuelle'', ‘The Madness of Love. Interviews with Sister Emmanuelle ‘, Flammarion, 2005 () * Jacques Duquesne, Annabelle Cayrol et Sœur Emmanuelle, ''J'ai 100 ans et je voudrais vous dire…'', ‘I’m 100 years old and I would like to say to you…’, Plon, 20 August 2008 () * Sofia Stril-Rever, ''Mon testament spirituel: De Sœur Emmanuelle'', ‘My Spiritual Testament: of Sœur Emmanuelle’, Paris, Presses de la Renaissance, 2008 ()

Works dedicated to Sœur Emmanuelle

* Pierre Lunel (pref.

Bernard Kouchner Bernard Kouchner KBE (born 1 November 1939) is a French politician and doctor. He is the co-founder of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and Médecins du Monde. From 2007 until 2010, he was the French Minister of Foreign and European Affairs ...

), ''Sœur Emmanuelle, la biographie'', Paris, Anne Carrière, 2006 () * Sœur Emmanuelle, ''Mille et Un bonheurs : Méditations de Sœur Emmanuelle'', Paris, Carnets Nord, 2007 () * ''Documentaire Sœur Emmanuelle, le cœur et l'esprit'' (réalisé par Elisabeth Kapnist) - diffusé sur France 5 en 2007. * Spectacle de Pierrette Dupoyet intitulé ''"L'Amour plus fort que la mort ou une Fleur chez les chiffonniers"'' (création Festival d'Avignon 1997)- texte paru aux Éditions La Traverse année 1999 (Show by Pierrette Dupoyet entitled "Love stronger than death or a flower among the ragpickers" –for the Avignon Festival 1997- Text published in Éditions La Traverse année 1999 (ISSN 1262-3423) * Fabell chante ''Sœur Emmanuelle: Ma grande sœur Emmanuelle, in Tout feu, tout femme!'', ‘My great sister Emmanuelle, in All fire, all woman!’, Rouge Orange 2013 (Sacem RO201311/1/1) * "Yalla", crée et chantée en 2004 par Calogero, en son honneur et par reconnaissance de son action auprès des enfants d'Égypte (‘Created and sung in 2004 by Calogero, in her honor and recognition of her work with the children of Egypt’)

References

External links

95-year-old nun is France's favourite womanFrance's beloved nun Sister Emmanuelle dies at 99

De Madeleine Cinquin à Sœur Emmanuelle
{{DEFAULTSORT:Emmanuelle, Soeur 1908 births 2008 deaths Anti-poverty advocates Roman Catholic activists 20th-century Belgian Roman Catholic nuns Belgian emigrants to France French expatriates in Turkey French expatriates in Egypt French expatriates in Tunisia Grand Officers of the Legion of Honour People from Brussels University of Paris alumni 20th-century French nuns