| Canossian Daughters of Charity | |
|---|---|
| Abbreviation | Canossian |
| Formation | 1828 |
| Type | Catholic religious order |
| Headquarters | Via della Stazione di Ottavia, Rome, Italy |
| Website | http://www.fdcc.org/ |
The Canossians is a family of five Catholic religious institutions tracing their origin or inspiration to Magdalen of Canossa (1774 - 1835) who was declared a saint by the Roman Catholic Church in 1988.
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1. Canossian Daughters of Charity (FDCC) , Servants of the Poor (briefly Canossian Sisters), is a Catholic religious order founded by Magdalen of Canossa in Verona, Italy in 1828. They strive "To Make Jesus Known and Loved" addressing the needs of the poor and abandoned through sharing bread, understanding, education, evangelization, pastoral care of the sick, formation of the laity and spiritual exercises. Today they count eighteen provinces with approximately 2700 Sisters in more than 336 communities and in 35 countries around the world. (FDCC or F.D.C.C is an Italian abbreviation of "Figlie Della Carità Canossiane").
2. Canossian Sons of Charity (FdCC) , Brothers and Priests, briefly Canossian Fathers, were founded in Venice in 1831. They count today about 200 members, dedicated to the education of children and young people through cathechesis in schools, orphanages, youth centers (Oratories) and other works of charity towards the poor and the least. They are present in Italy, Brazil, Kenya, Tanzania, India and the Philippines. (FdCC means "Figli della Carità Canossiani").
3. Association of Lay Canossians (ALC) (Canossian Tertiaries or Collaborators) are married and unmarried lay men and women of diverse nationalities who feel called to live the charism and the spirituality of the Canossian Family in their personal, family and social life. They received their "Plan for the Tertiaries" in 1835 and today serve in Asia, Europe, Oceania, Africa and the Americas. They are counting about 2,150 members. (ALC stands for "Associazione Laici Canossiani"). .
4. International Canossian Voluntary Service (VOICA) (Canossian Volunteers) was legally established in 1996 to support and direct young people and adults from all parts of the world who are seeking to deepen the meaning and purpose of their lives by a personal experience of shared community life in a short or long term voluntary service of the poor. They are presently sharing in Canossian missionary projects in Togo, Congo, Uganda, Albania, Indonesia, Angola, Paraguay and Brasil. (VOICA is abbreviation of "VOlontariato Internazionale CAnossiano").
5. Canossian Foundation (ONLUS), established 2004 in Rome, is a legal non-profit entity for human development, to promote, coordinate and sustain initiatives that favour the poorest and the most excluded in the world and also to raise funds for the Canossian Missions in Brazil, the Philippines, India, and Africa. (ONLUS in Italian stands for "A Non-Profit Organization": "Organizzazione Non Lucrativa di Utilità Sociale").
The foundress of the Canossians, Magdalen of Canossa (1774-1835), was canonized a saint on 2 October 1988 by Pope John Paul II. Mother Josephine Bakhita of Sudan (1869-1947) was also named a Canossian saint on 1 October 2000 by Pope John Paul II.