timeline

The order of the Visitation of Holy Mary was founded in 1610 by St. Francis de Sales and St. Jane de Chantal in Annecy France. At that time, religious congregations stressed austerity and self-denial to such an extent that only women who were physically strong could be admitted.

Furthermore, religious life was open only to young unmarried women. Francis de Sales realized there were widows and single women not attracted to physical austerities who wished to dedicate their lives to God in religious life. For these women Francis and Jane founded the Visitation Order.

The Sisters were to focus their efforts and attention on the love of God and neighbor through interior mortification and the practice of the little virtues of humility, gentleness, simplicity, and total acceptance of the will of God in their lives.

Visitation came to America in 1799 when Alice Lalor and her companions founded a school for girls in Georgetown, D.C.

Their lifestyle was based onthe spirit of liberty, flexibility, optimism, simplicity, and balance found in the writings of St. Francis de Sales. Then in 1816, Archbishop Neale obtained from Rome the privilege for them to be professed as Sisters of the Visitation.

In 1833, eight sisters were sent from Georgetown to establish a monastery in the diocese of St. Louis. From the time of its foundation, the members of this community have combined the contemplative life with the apostolic work of educating girls from preschool through high school. Many lay teachers now cooperate in staffing the academy. In 1983, the Sisters cooperated with Catholic Charities in establishing the St. Jane Community Center.

Today, the Sisters continue their interest in and efforts for this Center which serves the entire north St. Louis County area. Francis de Sales had urged his daughters to be women of prayer whose whole life and exercises were to unite them with God thus enabling them to assist

their neighbor by prayer and sacrifice. Prayer for the world and its people has become a primary ministry for the Sisters.

Here are just a few of the ways in which the Sisters fulfill this ministry:

by offering hospitality to and companioning retreatants,
by teaching Salesian spirituality as a way to God,
by providing spiritual direction to those desiring it
by listening to and praying for those in need.

If you would like a more comprehensive history of the St. Louis Visitation, please click here.