Order of the Visitation of Holy Mary

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The Order of the Visitation of Holy Mary or the Visitation Order is a Roman Catholic religious order for women. Members of the order are also known as Filles de Sainte-Marie, Visitandines, Salesian Sisters ^[1] and, more commonly, Visitationists.^[2]

1 History of the order
2 Dispersal
3 Visitation schools in the United States
4 References
5 Websites

[edit] History of the order

The Order was founded in 1610 by Saint Francis de Sales and Saint Jane Frances de Chantal in Annecy, Haute-Savoie, France. The special charism of the Visitation Order combines gentleness with a valiant spirit; initiative with communal support; dedication to prayer with presence in the world; a contemplative life with an apostolic dimension. The order's motto is "Vive Jésus" (French for "Live Jesus").

[edit] Dispersal

The Order spread from France throughout Europe and to North America. According to the Old Catholic Encyclopedia of 1914,

The convent of Georgetown was the first house of the Visitation founded in the United States.... The Visitation of Georgetown founded that of Mobile 1833 and in the same year that of Kaskaskia [Illinois], which was transferred to St. Louis in 1844. In 1837 it founded the Visitation of Baltimore, that of Frederick [Maryland] in 1846, and Philadelphia in 1848. These various convents founded others, and at present there are in the United States 21 houses of the Visitation in relation with Annecy.^[1]

Today the Order numbers approximately 3000 Sisters in 168 monasteries located in most countries of the world. In the United States there are 12 monasteries in two federations. Six are dedicated to the contemplative lifestyle, and the other six (Georgetown, St. Louis, St. Paul, Wheeling, Brooklyn and Minneapolis) add apostolic monasteries to their contemplative life.

[edit] Visitation schools in the United States

In 1799, three Sisters in the order were given permission by Archbishop Leonard Neale to start a girls' school located next to Georgetown University. This school, the Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School, still operates today and is one of several Visitationist schools presently operating in the U.S.