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Refounder of the Sisters of St. Joseph
Today is the 261st Birth Anniversary of Mother St. John Fontbonne. We the sisters of St. Joseph in Ratlam, held a special prayer of thanksgiving and fondly recalled our history.
Jeanne Fontbonne was born on 31st March 1759 at Bas-en-Basset, France. At the age of 18, she joined the sisters of St. Joseph at Monistrol. St. John Fontbonne was a woman who truly experienced death and rebirth. At the age of twenty-six, she was elected superior of a thriving convent. At 34, because of the French Revolution, she was in prison facing probable execution.
She lost her convent and all its resourced to the political turmoil of that time i.e. the French Revolution. Some of the Sisters were guillotined. Some returned to their homes while some went into hiding.
In these distressing moments, she held on to her values and beliefs which in turn caused her persecution. She was imprisoned and felt helpless. God did not abandon her but used her as a source to revive the Congregation of Sisters of St. Joseph in 1808 at Lyons.
Today her efforts have born fruits as the Sisters of St. Joseph are found ministering in five continents. This is her legacy and the spirit of our heritage.
Sr. Gloria Clarence
SJC – Ratlam, Tanmaya
