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Euphrasie Barbier, the foundress of the Congregation, was born on 4th January 1829, in Caen, France. When Euphrasie was a young adult, the church in France was strong and vibrant with many new congregations being founded to work in France with the growing numbers of poor people or to work overseas in the colonies of the different European imperial powers. At this time Euphrasie was inspired by a Bishop preaching on his experiences in the mission fields. She yearned to be a foreign missionary.
Following her missionary dream, in 1848, Euphrasie entered a newly established missionary institute known as the Sisters of Calvary which had been established in Cuves. She was professed in 1851 and left for a mission in London. As the 1850’s drew to a close she realized that her dream of being a foreign missionary was not going to eventuate if she remained a Sister of Calvary. After prayer and dialogue with advisers Euphrasie left the Sisters of Calvary and returned to France.
In December 1861, Euphrasie Barbier founded a new congregation, Institute de Notre Dame des Missions, in Lyon, aim of working in the foreign missions. The first foreign missionaries, all French, left France in late October 1864 for New Zealand where within the year they were busy teaching children of the European settlers and young Maori girls. Life was not easy for the young foundress. In spite of difficulties the congregation flourished and allowed the establishment of new foundations
In the early days of our Congregation Euphrasie dared to send out her sisters to faraway places such as India, New Zealand and Islands near New Zealand. Travelling in those days was very difficult, as there were no train or cars yet. The only way was sea by ships. It took months to reach the destination.
In 1886, after visiting New Zealand, Euphrasie responded positively to the request of Bishop Ballsieper, Vicar Apostolate of East Bengal and left by boat for Sittwe with Marie du Sacrè Coeur, prioress of Chittagong.
In 1897, 11 years after Euphrasie’s visit there in 1886, three RNDMs (Sr.Catherine Granfield, Sr.Victorine Rotru and Sr. Elizabeth Carroll) left Chittagong by boat for Akyab where they were to replace the German Sisters of the Divine Savior.
Sittwe being a good sea port there were many Anglo Indians, Europeans and Rakhines who were to have good education for their children. Though Euphrasie promised the Bishop to open the school in Sittwe, she could not open this school in her life time. After her death Mother Mary of the Holy Rosary become her first successor as general in 1893. Mother Mary of the Holy Rosary carried out the plan of Euphrasie and in 1897, St. Ann’s Convent, Sittwe was opened for the education of children, and a home for orphans.
RNDMs in Myanmar are convinced they need to follow the guidance of the Church and of their Congregation in their decision-making about how to be religious missionary women in contemporary Myanmar. This is why we have always tried to live in ways that reflect a good harmony between gospel values, our Constitutions, and our Burmese way of life. If we can hold these three together then we are true to the Directive which tells us: “Missionary effectiveness calls us to become inculturated in each milieu we enter by studying the culture with its religions, languages, customs, and philosophies, and to discover with the people Gospel values inherent in the culture”.
In 1986, at our Provincial Chapter, we RNDMs agreed that church and congregation teachings on inculturation would direct us as to what we were to wear. Our decision was to wear Burmese-style dress – a light brown longyi, and a three-quarter sleeve white blouse. What we decided to wear would be uniform, and people could identify who we were by our emblem and by our religious dress. By 20 January 1990, the majority of Sisters under the age of forty-five in the province were wearing our Burmese dress as our way of identifying us as Sisters of Our Lady of the Missions. At that time, there were thirty-five Sisters in the province, and twenty-one adopted our new religious dress. Now we are seventy-two Sisters and all are wearing our Burmese religious dress except for five elderly sisters who have supported us in our decision to change. They encouraged us to remain faithful to our decision to adapt in ways that reflect that we are Burmese Catholic Sisters.
In respect of our religious dress, we took seriously the words of Perfectae Caritatis, Vatican II’s document on the renewal of religious life which taught that: The religious habit, an outward mark of consecration to God, should be simple and modest, poor and at the same becoming. In addition, it must meet the requirements of health and be suited to the circumstances of time and place and to the needs of the ministry involved. (Valiant Women.pg.133)
We are called to be the in Trinitarian relationship: to celebrate God’s presence to live with respect in Creation, to love and serve others, to seek justice and resist evil, to proclaim Jesus, crucified and risen and live the grace of consecration for the Divine Missions through contemplation, communion and mission. (RNDM “missionaries beyond boundary”)
Inspired by the Trinitarian God for our mission and Life, we live in unity for RNDM oneness for Mission. We are interconnected with all life and earth. We are enriched by the TRINITARIAN God who awakes our cosmic consciousness.
As a religious missionary congregation we are called to live the gift of consecration for mission individually and collectively, into the mysterious adventure of discovering the newness that God is calling us to each day. (I am doing something new” pg. 1)
Our Priority as RNDMs is to be present to and work with those who are vulnerable and neglected, those marginalized in our world today, with particular regard to women, children, youth, indigenous people, migrants and victims of human trafficking. (I am doing something new” (pg. 12)
In Myanmar we contextualize our mission through the framework of Integral Evangelization of Liberation from all human suffering and salvation from sins through our works on Evangelization, building faith-based communities and serving the most vulnerable through education, health and human development. As RNDM we pay special attention to girls and women, in protection, promotion and fulfillment of their developmental rights (Socio Pastoral Mission Plan, P.9).
ADDRESS:
No. 1383 (A), Bonyana Street,
Ward (5), 81/2 Mile,
Mayangone Township,
P.O.11061, Yangon, Myanmar
CONTACT No.:
Province Office
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