Historical background

The Congregation of the Sisters of the Cross was born at Chavanod, a small village of Savoy, in the Southeast of France in 1838. The situation created by the French revolution (1789-1797) and the Industrialization of Europe (1750-1830) affected very much the socio-economic and political conditions of France and especially the region of Savoy. Ignorance and misery prevailed along with exploitation of the poor. The situation of girls was particularly difficult.

Mother Claudine Echernier – Our Foundress

At this time, there lived at Chavanod, in the service of the presbytery, a pious, energetic and devoted person: Claudine Echernier. She was a native of Féternes, a small village in Chablais, and she belonged to an extremely poor family. Having lost her mother at the early age of 15, she had to bring up her little brothers and sisters and could leave her home only when she was 27. In the presbytery at Chavanod, she began to gather around her, children and young girls of the parish, in order to teach them reading, writing and catechism. Her God experience generated in her a great passion to make the good God known and loved.

Fr. Peter Mermier – Our Founder

Fr. Peter Mermier, a zealous priest and Founder of the Missionaries of St. Francis de Sales, was deeply moved by the poverty and illiteracy that prevailed among the poor in the society and he sought for ways and means to remedy the situation. He envisaged the founding of a new type of religious Congregation which would enable poor young women to live a consecrated life in the midst of the world. He met Claudine Echernier during the Mission he preached at Chavanod in 1838. Animated by the fervour she communicated, some girls who approached her every Sunday yearned to dedicate themselves totally to God and to the service of His people.

A Dream Takes Shape

The intuition of Fr. Mermier and his apostolic sense enlightened by the Holy Spirit and stimulated by the needs of the times, permitted this nucleus of young women, gathered around Claudine, to become the first community of the Sisters of the Cross. Thus was born, in extreme poverty and great simplicity, a Congregation of a new type for those times. It permitted in fact poor young women to live a consecrated life in the midst of the world, either continuing their work at home, or at their Master’s or living together in community. They could thus help one another in their work, be witnesses of the Gospel in their milieu, and be educators of the poorest. By their services and life example, these Sisters “set the tone” in their parishes and helped others to come out of their condition of ignorance and poverty. At the time of the death of Claudine Echernier in 1869, there were already 300 Sisters in the Congregation.

Our Spirituality

“We, the Sisters of the Cross, today, revisiting our origin and history, we live our vocation as Sisters of the Cross, at the very meeting point of a double heritage, the Ignatian and Salesian Spirituality” (GC2007) It is a treasure which is offered to us to witness to the liberating power of the Paschal Mystery in this world.

“Our charism is the special seed which the Lord had sown in the heart of our foundress, Mother Claudine and nourished by Fr. Peter Mermier. This seed has sprouted, grown and borne abundant fruits specific to the Mystery of Jesus, dead and risen. Today we accept and own that this unique spirituality, which nourishes our life as Sisters of the Cross is part of our identity, expressed in our rule of Life and lived by the sisters.” GC 2019

Thus the specific feature of our Charism is seen clearly in the choice of our fundamental text: Phil 2: 6-11 "Taking the form of a Servant, being born in the likeness of men, And being found in human form He humbled Himself, He became obedient unto death, Even death on the Cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him……." As Sisters of the Cross, we receive the special call to live more intensely the mystery of the Cross.

The spiritual vigour of the Sisters is important for the progressive development of the whole Congregation and the continuity of its mission in the church and in the world. ROL 37/2