Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd (Good Shepherd Sisters)

The Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd (also known as Good Shepherd Sisters) is an international congregation of religious women in the Roman Catholic Church, present in 72 countries in five continents.

The Good Shepherd Congregation was founded in Angers, France in 1835 by St. Mary Euphrasia Pelletier. She was born in the island of Noirmoutier in 1796 and was named Rose Virginie Pelletier. She entered the monastery of the Sisters of Our Lady of Charity in Tours and chose the name Sr. Mary Euphrasia. The Order of Our Lady of Charity was founded by St. John Eudes in Caen, France in 1641 for the care of girls and women in difficulty who wanted help to reform their lives. Each monastery was autonomous.

Sr. Mary Euphrasia became the superior of Angers and founded a contemplative community within the same monastery. Known today as the Contemplative Sisters of the Good Shepherd, their mission is to pray for those who under the care of the apostolic Sisters and for the salvation of persons throughout the world.

Requests for the foundation of other monasteries of Our Lady of Charity continued to arrive at the monastery in Angers. Unable to respond to all of these requests from the resources of a single monastery, Sr. Mary Euphrasia was inspired to request from Rome the founding of a Generalate which would link the monasteries together. In this way, there could be a sharing of Sister-personnel as well as other resources. Rome approved her request in January, 1835. With the foundation of the Generalate, the Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd was born. All communities founded from the monastery in Angers were part of this new Generalate as well as any monasteries of the Order of Our Lady of Charity who wished to join.

The Good Shepherd Sisters are called to a mission of reconciliation. They express their charism of merciful love through a contemplative life or an apostolic life. Like other religious, they consecrate themselves publicly to God through vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. As Good Shepherd Sisters, they have an additional fourth vow of zeal.

Their ministry is particularly with women and children who have been wounded by life’s circumstances and live on the edge of society. They accompany those who are in need and also network with other groups to change unjust structures in society.

+603 4256 3852

+603 2011 7406

pcchin@goodshepherd.my

+603 2011 7406

wmowe@globalshepherds.my