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Sisters of St. Paul of Chartres

The Congregation of the Sisters of St. Paul of Chartres(SPC) was founded in Levesville-la-Chenard in 1696 by Fr. Louis Chauvet, a French Theologian from Pertuis. The aim in life of the Sisters of St. Paul of Chartres is to further the growth of the Kingdom

The Spirit and Mission of the Congregation. After the example of St. Paul, spurred on by the love of Christ (2 Cor. 5:14), the sisters make themselves all things to all men. The spirituality of the Sisters is Christocentric-Paschal. The love of Christ impels them to manifest his goodness and love to all. They are serving the people of God through education, care of the sick and pastoral care in the 5 continents of the world spread out in 44 countries.

In these present times, we, the Sisters of St. Paul of Chartres are likewise founders. Our communities, the basic units of the Congregation, have thus received this call to be founding communities. This can be done in the creative ways whereby we re-invent community life daily as we seek to remain faithful to the dynamism of our origins.

Being creative means, to foresee, to search one’s way and to step into the unknown, as our Sisters have done in the past. After going through the previous pages of our history, we, as women of the future, now dare to turn a new page to write the present of this future.
(excerpts from Mother Myriam's letter in the 46th General Chapter)

The Church in this present age urges us to enter into the Life of the Spirit,

            making us seek to desire to really live as moved by
            the Spirit; 
            be discerning - personally and as a community - of
             the new signs of the Spirit in persons, in
            communities and in world events;
            allow ourselves - in the light of our discernment - to
            be moved, disturbed and be converted like Saint
            Paul, so as to take new orientations;

let ourselves be swept up in the Spirit’s dynamic Life, with humility and joy, like Mary. (CA 2007 P.17)

Origins

Sisters of St. Paul of Chartres

The setting was, at the end of the 17th century. France was beset with misery. Fr. Louis Chauvet who was assigned in Levesville-la-Chenard as parish priest set out a program to uplift the the human and spiritual condition of the villagers. This was made possible through the help of Lady Marie Anne de Tilly. Together they prepared the first teachers of the school, Marie Michaeu, the first superior and teacher and Barbe Foucault, who stayed behind in Levesville when the sisters grew in number and moved to Chartres in 1708. Mother Barbe Foucault was the first Superior General elected by her Sisters in 1717. When Fr. Louis Chauvet presented the sisters to the Bishop of Chartres, Msgr. Paul Godet de Marais, he immediately approved and recognized the Community. He gave the name "Sisters of St. Paul of Chartres" to the sisters in honor of his Patron Saint, who also became the patron saint of the sisters. Later on the Sisters were given a house in the suburb of St. Maurice. On June 15, 1710 even though he was sick in bed, Father Chauvet, in his own handwriting, and in perfect clarity, made some corrections to the will that he wrote on November 7, 1706. Four years have passed, "His dear daughters” have been entrusted to the Bishop, and therefore he had complete trust in the Bishop’s representative, Father Claude Maréchaux. Canon Claude Marechaux was appointed "Ecclesiastical Superior." He later on revised and completed the rules started by Fr. Louis Chauvet. The Community of Levesville is the result of the love that comes from God and sees in everyone a creature of God. Redeemed by Jesus Christ. The initiative of love is in God. He alone can bring forth this absolute gift. He alone challenges, requests and begs for love, more still, he gives the grace with which to respond while respecting the basic freedom of every human being. 2 RTE p.17 The Sisters of St. Paul of Chartres are sisters of charity striving toward the perfection of charity. The first sisters lived out this gift and had passed it on to the next generation.

Via della Vignaccia, 193 - 00163, Rome, Italy Tel. No. 0039-06664 FAX no.: 0039-0666414013 Website: http://www.stpaulrome.com

Father Louis Chauvet, Founder of the Sisters of St. Paul of Chartres

Entrance Into Heaven: June 21, 1710 (age: 46) Father Louis Chauvet was born on February 16, 1664 in Pertuis, an old town in the South of France, situated in the region of Provence known for its fertile valleys and verdant hills delightfully decked with breathtaking views of its vineyards, orchards and fields of lavender. He was the parish priest of Levesville-la-Chenard in Eure-et-Loir from 1694 to 1710. In 1696 he founded the Community of the Sisters of St. Paul of Chartres(SPC) . At the start of the 21st century, there are 4,000 missionary Sisters present in 34 countries. Today the SPC are found in the five continents of the world in 44 countries. On March 3, 1688, at the age of 24, Louis Chauvet was ordained priest in the Chapel of the Palace of the Popes in Avignon, France. Later on he pursued further studies to become Doctor of Theology as attested by documents belonging to the family. After his ordination, he served as vicar, in a parish in Cergy a suburb of Paris from 1690 to 1692. From 1692 to 1694, he served in the parish of Champrond-en-Gatine, diocese of Chartres, where church records show that he signed the documents as the parish vicar. He was a Pastor of Levesville whose life was marked with paschal seal. He was described as a missionary of Christ, a humble and discreet priest, a messenger of God, sensitive to the signs of the times, a friend of the poor, a confidant of his parishioners, companions of the young, formator of consciences, a zealous teacher, support of the needy, brother of all and man of God. Fr. Chauvet was a Doctor of Theology in Avignon. MISSIONARY PASTOR IN LEVESVILLE-LA-CHENARD Sometime in June of 1694, Father Louis Chauvet arrived in Levesville-la-Chenard, having been appointed as the new parish priest. Levesville is a tiny village about 38 kilometers from the city of Chartres. As Levesville’s parish priest, he became pastor as well to the neighboring hamlets of Abonville and Ensonville. For the next 16 years, Father Louis Chauvet dedicated himself to improve the human and spiritual conditions of his parishioners. He was a spiritual Father to every one – the poor, the rich, the widow, the children, the peasants, the artisans, the local nobility. He welcomed them in his rectory, instructed many, administered the sacraments , visited them when they were sick, rejoiced with them at weddings and baptisms and accompanied them in their last hour. Thus the drab and ordinary took on a touch of newness with fine quality…given the fresh perspective of the 30 year old priest from Provence. One thing that was true in the late 17th century is still true today that when one gradually discovers the many, previously unnoticed aspects of the person of Father Chauvet, one sees how the light of his attachment to beauty shines through. It is revealed in the transformations that he brought about in Levesville. Father Louis Chauvet had that distinctive gift of bringing forth transformation. It was not simply in the purely structural aspect of the rectory which to this day boasts of a sundial with the inscription “Ultima latet”(the final hour is unknown). His presence and his ministry also brought changes to the life of the parish as a community. His dedication and zeal in his ministry worked in the manner of the proverbial leaven that transformed the ordinary dough. Much of that transformation was due to the project that he quietly cherished deep in his heart when he begun to identify what was at the root of the sufferings of the poor in the Region of Beauce. Besides the fact that rural areas were generally neglected by government services, they were likewise often the last in getting the care and attention of the Religious Congregations who were mostly established in the cities. THE FOUNDER’S CHARISM When Father Chauvet arrived in Beauce, no organized help was there for victims of plagues and epidemics, nor for the widows and the elderly who were abandoned. The ignorance of God, the absence of opportunity for education among the underprivileged resulted in an oppressive situation that was appalling. The seed of a Religious project took root in his heart and mind. Although he has never spoken publicly about opening a school in Levesville, a specific recorded official act points out the exact date when Fr. Louis Chauvet made a move towards the realization of this project. Henceforth, the foundation of a Teaching Religious community had ceased to be simply a dream. The recorded official act says: “on April 28 1695, the parish priest of Levesville rented out land for the support of a school mistress. “ Soon, under the skeptical view of some opposing souls, Louis Chauvet, the young pastor of Levesville-la-Chenard found means and help to bring about the transformation of an obscure farming village into a basic gospel community. How did he help in the transformation of a Marie-Anne de Tilly from being the dutiful, silently suffering elder daughter of a landed, penniless country nobility to become the teacher- formator of his first recruits? And later on, how did he guide the same fearful, and loving daughter who would brave the threats of her stepmother to live in community with peasant girls and become the second Superior? Where did he get the daring and the certainty that the young Marie –Micheau- who has never known the existence of a school in all her 17 years- would be transformed into a good learner and be the first School Mistress and Superior of the Daughters of the School in1700? And who would think that the shy and silent Barbe Foucault, formerly a domestic employee in a rich Farmhouse, would transform her shyness into a tranquil daring to become successively a hospital nurse, a Superior and 7 years after Fr. Chauvet’s death, in 1717, as the First elected Superior General of the Congregation? Obviously, in the above cases, Marie-Anne, Marie and Barbe, the first Daughters of the School, the transformation came from the heart; it came from a deep faith strengthened by trials and patience in suffering – the paschal way. They were formed in the school of Fr. Louis Chauvet. Their formation and transformation into Christ’s disciples led to the Foundation of the Congregation of the Sisters of St Paul in 1696 and the opening of the First School in 1700 in Levesville and from there to the world. These were the tiny grains of wheat that fell into the ground and died in order to yield a rich harvest. They died young but ripe for eternity:1702- Mother Marie Micheau 19 ; 1703-Mother Marie-Anne de Tilly, 38 ; 1726 - Mother Barbe Foucault, 45. Father Louis Chauvet, Founder of the Congregation of the Sisters of St Paul of Chartres died on June 21, 1710. He was buried in the Church of Levesville on June 22, 1710. In 1843, when Mother Maria Rouyrre was the Superior General, the remains of Fr Chauvet was transferred to the chapel of the Mother House in Chartres.

Mother Marie-Anne de Tilly, Co-Foundress and Co-Formator of the Sisters of St. Paul of Chartres

Entrance Into Heaven: September 28, 1703 (age:38) Mother Marie-Anne de Tilly was born in Allaines in 1665. Lady Marie Anne de Tilly was a devoted and pious parishioner in Levesville. Mademoiselle Marie-Anne de Tilly was from a rural nobility, the eldest daughter of Louis de Tilly and Anne des Fesnières. Father Louis Chauvet had the heart of the pastor. His first encounter with his parishioners moved his heart with compassion. They are poor, uneducated, baptized but not catechized. So, he considered asking the help of Lady Marie-Anne who could teach the young ladies to become good school teachers. Marie-Anne accepted to be a co-formator with Father Chauvet. On April 28, 1695 Fr. Chauvet obtained approval of the Fabrique to set aside the lease of a land for a School Mistress. The first recruits were Marie Micheau, 17 and Barbe Foucault, 19. In 1700, the School of Levesville (for girls) was opened. This became later the first house, the “cradle” of the Sisters. This was the first apostolic work, first classroom, FIRST SAINT PAUL SCHOOL of the Sisters. The Sisters of St. Paul were the pioneers in Education in the region of Beauce in France. The opening of the School revealed the existence of a Community with a formator, a superior, a charism, rule of life and apostolate. After the death of the First Superior, Marie Michaeu on November 15, 1702, Father Chauvet appointed Marie Anne de Tilly as the Second Superior but 10 months later, on September 28, 1703, Marie Anne de Tilly also died after a long illness. She wrote on her Last Will and Testament states, “The only regret I have in leaving this world is to abandon my mission of forming four girls to become good teachers ........ all the insults I had to endure for having given myself to God, for the good of the church and the service of neighbor… Her remains was buried inside the Church of Levesville, at the foot of the Altar of the Virgin Mary along with Mother Marie Micheau.

Mother Marie Micheau, First Superior

Entrance Into Heaven: November 15, 1702 (age: 19) The Death Certificate, registered for the Catholic parish of Levesville-la-Chenard testifies: "On 15 November this same year (1702) died Sister Marie Micheau daugther of Pierre Micheau and the late Marie Poirier, aged nineteen years. This same day she was buried in the church by me, priest and Pastor, as signed below, after living with great piety in the Community of the Daughters of the school where she was Superior...." In the presence of Anne Lerat and Catherine Sirou. Signed: L. Chauvet Mother Marie Micheau was the first one to answer God's call through Father Louis Chauvet, the Founder. We thank God for giving us Mother Marie Micheau who was a woman of faith, humility and charity. Filled with love for the Church, she dedicated herself to serve the poor and the first Community.

http://www.stpaulrome.com Official website of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Paul of Chartres Editor: Sr. Ma. Lourdes Casas, SPC (SPC Generalate WebMaster and Administrator.)