Mary Elizabeth Lange

Servant of God ^[1] Mother Mary Elizabeth Lange, was the founder of the Oblate Sisters of Providence. Elizabeth was born in 1784 in Cuba. Her country of birth is not documented but oral tradition says she was born in Haiti and moved with her family to Cuba.

The Oblate Sisters of Providence were founded by Mother Mary Lange, OSP, and Rev. James Nicholas Joubert, as the first religious congregation of women of African descent. Mother Lange died on February 3, 1882.

This was the beginning of a legacy that has thrived over the past years in 25 cities in the United States, Cuba, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, and most recently Africa.

In 2005 three schools (St. Dominic School, Shrine of The Little Flower and St. Anthony of Padua) combined themselves into Mother Mary Lange Catholic School, thus becoming the first school named after her in America. 2008 was the 180th anniversary of her founding of St. Academy.

References

External links

• Mother Lange Guild
• National Black Catholic Congress bio & story
• Mother Lange’s relics moved to motherhouse as sainthood cause advances
• Mary Elizabeth Lange at Find a Grave