Cor unum : aperçu sur les oeuvres des Sœurs de Charité de Gand : Maison Mère et affiliations - avant la guerre de 1914-1915 (Brussels Bulens, 1915)
"The Sisters of Charity of Jesus and Mary will unite the contemplative life with the working life" (Rule, 1816). This role is not limited to education, but is also very significant in the field of health and welfare. From 1816 it is a Congregation of Roman Law, but until 1958 there was a male Superior General, appointed by the Bishop of Ghent. At the end of the 19th century, the congregation took its first steps outside its own borders, to England, Congo, Ceylon and India. This led to the internationalisation of the congregation and its division into provinces in 1966. The nine provinces have great autonomy, yet there is great unity of spirit. As the motto of the Sisters of Charity says, "Cor Unum, Anima Una" (One Heart, One Soul).
The convent of Terhagen in the Molenaarsstraat in Ghent is the motherhouse of the congregation and served as the headquarters of the Generalate or General Administration of the Sisters of Charity of Jesus and Mary from 1805 to 1968. When the provinces were established, the Generalate moved to Brussels (Saint-Gilles).After the move, Convent Terhagen became an 'ordinary' community of sisters, but the place continued - and continues - to function as a motherhouse.
Keywords: 20th Century (1901-2000); Religion; Catholicism; Ghent (Belgium)