A Brief History

The history of the Marianist Sisters begins with its founders, Venerable Adele de Batz de Trenquelleon and Blessed William Joseph Chaminade. They lived through the French Revolution when Christianity was all but destroyed and the Church was left in structural ruin.

Led to renew the Church and re-Christianize France in the spirit and faith of the early Christians, Mother Adele and Father Chaminade formed small communities of lay Christians who, devoted to Mary, supported one another in living a life of faith and worked for the faith formation and corporal needs of the people. These communities came to be known as Sodalities, which means friends.

The communities grew and eventually some women and men formed the nucleus of two religious congregations. The Marianist Sisters – officially named the Daughters of Mary Immaculate – established in 1816. The Marianist Priests and Brothers – officially the Society of Mary – established in 1817.

Today, we find our world needing the same revitalization of our Christian faith by connecting it to our everyday lives. Just as Mother Adele reached out to the poor and invited young women into an association for sharing their faith and providing mutual support, we also work to transform our society through faith communities.