Then and now

It is 1813. Petronella Coppens, a single well-to-do lady in the poor city of ’s‑Hertogenbosch, takes care of an abandoned girl. Abandoned children are from the underclass and they often have no parents to take care for them. When Petronella is helping more of these children, the curate (later on: parish priest) of ’s‑Hertogenbosch, Jacobus Heeren, asks other women to assist her. This made him establish the Congregation Dochters van Mary en Joseph, also known as Zusters van de Choorstraat (Sisters of the Choorstreet) in 1820. It is the beginning of a great work of charity, especially in schools, boarding schools, orphanages, old people’s homes and hospitals, in the Netherlands and in other countries.

Saint Vincent and other patron saints
Father Heeren, who is the sisters’ spiritual leader until his death in 1859, chooses Vincentius à Paulo (Saint Vincent de Paul) as the congregation’s most important patron saint. In seventeenth-century France, Vincent is one of the defenders of more compassion with the poor and the underprivileged and sets a good example for others. Besides Saint Vincent, also Mary, Joseph and John become patron saints of the congregation. The motto, which is still in use today, is In Omnibus Charitas, In All Things Love.

Growth and pioneering work
After a hesitant start, the new community of sisters experiences a substantial growth in the second half of the nineteenth century, which can even be called exuberant in the years thereafter. The congregation starts communities in more and more villages and cities, often to undertake tasks like teaching and nursing. Of all the activities the sisters take up, especially the pioneering work at big boarding schools for deaf or hearing-impaired children, mentally or physically challenged children or children with behavioural problems, is extraordinary. Well-known in this respect are the Institute for the Deaf in Sint-Michielsgestel (now: Kentalis), Huize Sint Vincentius (the House of Saint Vincent) in Udenhout, the Paedological Institute (now: PI‑school) in Nijmegen and the Sint Maartenskliniek (Clinic of Saint Martin), also in Nijmegen. In these institutions, the sisters are among the foundresses of several innovative educational, nursing, treatment and pedagogical methods.

Successful mission in Indonesia
Also in other countries (Brazil, China, Indonesia and Congo) the sisters are active. One of these missions, in Indonesia, has grown into a small but lively sisters community with several subcommunities. From there much and many-sided work of charity is being done, such as the education of deaf, hearing-impaired or deaf-blind children, care for the elderly, and help and advice to women and small independent peasants.

Running down and building up
After World War II, the run-down begins, a least in the Netherlands, due to, among other things, the individualization and the vocational crisis. However, the foundation proves to be too strong to let the congregation peter out. In 2010, celebrating the congregation’s 190th anniversary, the Council decides to start up again. As a result of that, the mother house in ’s‑Hertogenbosch has been completed with a House of Spirituality, where you can attend lectures and follow trainings in the field of Christianity and spirituality. New commitments are possible, too.

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