10 New Novices Invested: Dominican Teaching Sisters and Their Mission

The School of The Dominican Teaching Sisters of Fanjeaux (France) have received 10 Novices on the 4th of August. The congregation of the Dominican Sisters of Fajeaux was founded in 1975 as a group of 19 Sisters in the Mother House in Tolouse which they left, to remain true to the traditional Liturgy and to the fundamental constitutions.

Today, 35 years later. the "School Sisters of the Dominicans of the Holy Name of Jesus at Fanjeaux" are circa 180 sisters. They operate eight schools.

The Mother house is located in the vicinity of Prouille (in Southwest France) where in 1208 Saint Dominic founded the first Cloister for Women.

God has blessed the Community with many vocations. The Congregation is close to the Society of St. Pius X, who safeguards its rule of spiritual care.

Young women, who are interested in religious life, write (even in the German language or English) requests to the:

Dominican Enseigantes de Fanjeaux
St- Dominique du Cammazou
F-11270 Fanjeaux

Here is a video of the School pilgrimage of the sisters to Lourdes


The School Sisters of the Dominicans of Fanjeaux

For the soul, which thirsts after truth, Saint Dominic asked God and the other great lights of the Order to lead them. The truth, loved and taught, directed their uprightness and their power from the Faith, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and Catholic Tradition: within which lay all our efforts: in service to the Church for the great honor of God and the saving of souls. It is not we who work this sanctification, it is Jesus who is present in the most Holy Sacrament of the Altar. It is He, Who leads the soul to God and makes it receptive to the truth. The scholarly services to the divine truth leads the Dominicans near to the Altar. The Holy Communion is their great strength: It gives God Himself.

The sisters find light in their contemplation and in their relationship to God, wisdom and inspiration, which necessitates that we use both our intellects and our hearts to reach the children, who are entrusted to our care.


The First Year of Formation

Upon their entrance, the postulates take on a task, to work with the children as closely, so that they can be evaluated, as they become capable in the ways of their teaching activity and education. This time of assessment ends with their investiture and entrance into the Novitiate. As it is prescribed by Canon Law, the Novices undertake their religious formation under the direction of the Novice Mistress in view of the nature of their later vocation. Through the reading of Holy Scripture, the study of the Dogmas of the Faith and studying the best authors, they deepen their spirituality and learn to embody to the Dominican character. An introduction to the Liturgy and to the Gregorian Chant allows her to be ever more unified to the living mysteries, which are celebrated every day. The domestic activities, which must fall to her, prepare her especially with each task, which she will later accomplish as an educator of children.

On the Trail of St. Dominic

In the course of the second year of the Novitiate, the sister undertakes further teaching activities, while her formation progresses. They will then have reached temporary vows, which are repeated every year, till they finally take their solemn vows after five years.

During the first two years in her work, she is supported and directed by the Mother Novice Mistress, she will receive the benefit of a religious and secular formation in the light of the Great principles of Saint Thomas. Once she has recognized its importance, and loved the truth for itself and she understands and accepts her Mission, she will pursue for her entire life the desire to deepen this.


"Let the Children Com unto me, For Theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven"

In a time of public spiritual affliction and intellectual poverty - perhaps especially considering, that the affliction is not considered real -- the sisters have been consecrated to the task, to heal the need of our century, in which bring to the souls of the children, "the mercy of the truth". That is our pride and our Christian honor: "To wish nothing else, than a place for love, for true and the sacraments in the lives of our children." (R.P. de Chivre O.P.) Every day the children, if they wish, may attend Mass and pray the Rosary. In every class, from the first to the last, there are three hours set aside weekly for religious instruction. Here the children learn the Catechism and begin the introduction in the life of Holy Scripture, in the observance of the mysteries of the Faith and in the practice of the Sacraments. Before they are received in the chapel, they are especially prepared for the great feasts, whichever falls on the liturgical calender during the course of the school year. For what is the effective sense of the theoretical knowledge of the Faith, if they are not used in daily life?


Observe Culture in the Light of Christ

The mediation of knowledge is not everything; it is especially necessary, in teaching to inform as well as mediate criteria for making judgments. For this reason we pursue a certainly literary education. In fact it serve the classical education of a young girl in our schools to have a very good formation, and prepares her for her future vocation as a Christian mother and woman.

The Education in the Use of Freedom

Considering the danger, that freedom leads to the afflictive path of sin, which is observed often, we require a discipline of life, which has as its object, the situation of each individual soul. Above all however we lay value on the personal relationship of each individual with Our Lord.
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The Education of the Woman

"A courageous Woman -- who can find her? Her wealth lies far beyond the nethermost coasts."

The education does not end at the door of the classroom. In a familiar atmosphere we encourage the students to accompany us on a daily vocation, in order to instill the traditional womanly abilities. The arrangement of the sleeping quarters and the decoration of the classrooms serve each to form the taste of our students -- in the sense of a tasteful and unpretentious beauty.

Moral perversion proceeds from the corruption of women, we work toward upholding the abiding womanly values and work, faithfully with nature, and are molded by:

- an upright and modest demeanor

- an obedient child

- connected with the formation of healthy common sense.

Above all, however, we try to form our girls according to the model in which the eternal value of woman lays, namely, in the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Translated from the German at the German Website of the Society of St. Pius X