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General Presentation
Saint Emilie de Vialar was born in Gaillac (south-west of France) on the
12th September 1797.
She belonged to an aristocratic family. While still young she desired to make love Jesus, to help the poor,
the sick and abandoned children.
A few young girls of Gaillac rallied round her, and on Christmas night 1832 she founded a Congregation, soon known as
Sisters of St. Joseph of the Apparition.
This name expresses the Mission and the Spirituality of the Congregation : to reveal God’s loving plan
of salvation, as St. Joseph did when told by the angel to accept Mary who was with child (Mt. 1, 20-21).
The Sisters were called to Algeria, then to Tunisia and other countries round the Mediterranean,
to reveal, by their dedication, God’s infinite love for humanity.
At Emilie’s death, on the 24th August 1856, her sisters were the first to settle in Australia.
This site gathers together writings
of St. Emilie, translated from the original French documents. To date, the following translations are on-line :
1. A special text, an Account of Graces that she received from God,
written to the Archbishop of Albi, to shed light on her vocation.
2. 90 out of 550 known letters of Emilie de Vialar; they
are classified in chronological order.
3. The rule of the House of Charity established in
Gaillac in January 1834; the first
Constitutions, composed by her for her Congregation, published in
Gaillac in 1835; and a text to explain the spirit of the rules.
4. The Handbook on the Running of Christian Schools for the use of
teaching Sisters in her Congregation, also published in Gaillac in 1835.
Every writing of St. Emilie de Vialar is linked to the French original text and
to a numerical photo of the corresponding French document in the Archives.
On the
French website
one can find all texts of St. Emilie and the inventory of the Archives of the Mother House of the Sisters of
St. Joseph of the Apparition.
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