St. Claudine Thévenet
"How Good God Is!" — Exploring the life, pedagogy of love, and lasting ideal of our beloved foundress.
Who Was Claudine Thévenet?
Claudine Thévenet was a woman called by God to form the Congregation of the Religious of Jesus & Mary. Her work was born in a heart crushed by the pain of personal tragedy during the French Revolution. Her brothers were shot to death before her and the family was distressingly scattered. Claudine was then 19 years of age. This event was a decisive turning point in her life.
God works in such wondrous ways to realize His designs. She concluded that there was more ignorance than malice in all the violence she witnessed. The thought of those who live and die without knowing God haunted her and caused her anguish. Far from closing in upon herself in suffering, she opened her heart to the miseries surrounding her.
Led by the Spirit, Claudine opened her doors to welcome two orphans—a door that would never close. Many young people would later cross the threshold of the J.M. Houses founded throughout the world.
Her response to the Call of God took form in her total commitment of herself to following Christ. A Religious Family was born in the Church...
Prayer to Obtain Grace
Through the Intercession of St. Claudine Thévenet
God our Father, you granted Saint Claudine Thévenet an intimate experience of Your merciful goodness and You called her to dedicate her life to the education of the young, giving her the grace, to draw from the Heart of Your Son, an ardent zeal to make Jesus & Mary known and loved.
Help us, like her, to be witnesses to Your love, given over to the action of the Spirit and open to the needs of our brothers and sisters, especially the most deprived.
Grant us, through her intercession, and for the praise of Your glory the grace for which we now pray. (Mention your intention)
St. Claudine Thévenet,
Pray for us.
Claudine's Pedagogy
Hers was a Pedagogy of Love — A love that she drew from the heart of Jesus pierced on the cross for the salvation of mankind.
Different social structures and environments require different forms of application and so make new demands on our creativity. Today, as in the times of Claudine Thévenet, the work of EDUCATION IN LOVE remains the best reform we can offer. The finest method of education affects nothing without Love.
Claudine's Ideal
Claudine's Ideal was to make God known and loved by means of CHRISTIAN EDUCATION in all social milieu.
This ideal remains the Aim of the Congregation, with the preference, inherited from the Foundress, for the young and among these for the POOR.
Persons she wished to form
What kind of persons did she wish to form in her work with the young?
- Persons of FAITH in God, themselves, and others.
- Persons capable of CREATING happy homes.
- Persons whose very PRESENCE anywhere would exude goodness and touch the lives of others.
- Persons CAPABLE OF EARNING A LIVING by their honest work.
Desires for Collaborators
What did she desire of her Religious and lay Collaborators?
- To be living WITNESSES in their own lives of the values they teach.
- To be completely dedicated to the young and be REAL MOTHERS to them.
- To have FORESIGHT and THOROUGHNESS in preparing and carrying out their duties.
- To be IMPARTIAL.
- To have great SIMPLICITY in doing all things to please GOD.
- To be COURTEOUS but without affectation, in their manner, deportment, and behaviour.
- To be CLEAN and ORDERLY in their work and appearance without pretense.
Vision Statement
We, the Sisters of the Congregation of Jesus and Mary, serving India since 1842, commit ourselves to the promotion of a more just and humane society in our country. The inspiration provided by our Foundress Claudine Thévenet since 1818, continues to strengthen this commitment.
In the India of today, the pressures of casteism, communalism, poverty, and exploitative structures make it imperative to equip our students not only with intellectual skills but also with a set of attitudes imbued with social, moral, and spiritual values.
Our commitment to this kind of education is made in order to serve especially the young and, among them, the poor. We will also seek to concretize them of their rights and struggle with them in the face of ongoing oppression and exploitation.
We invite our Collaborators, students, and parents to work with us in realizing our challenging vision of bringing about a New India.
Objectives of the Religious of Jesus & Mary
We are essentially an Apostolic Community whose special mission is to make GOD known and loved according to the Charism of our Foundress, St. Claudine Thévenet. We direct our service of Education to all people, especially the young and the underprivileged.
We accept responsibility for the development of the child by preparing her/him to live confidently in a rapidly changing world. To involve themselves in the social problems of our times and to be effective agents for the transformation of society.
We accept responsibility for the development of the child by helping her/him grasp basic human values — to internalize these into their behaviour and to be ever open to the Spiritual.
We accept responsibility for the development of the child by unfolding and activating her/his unique potential, equipping themselves with skills to earn their livelihood, stimulating their creative ability so that they will have an impact on their home, neighbourhood, and country.
We accept responsibility for the development of the child by awakening in them a social consciousness and a spirit of availability and ready service at all times and in every sphere of life.
“Thus, by helping her/him leave school with principles and ideals which will guide and motivate them through life and help them strive to influence, share and use the Blessings of their education for the benefit of others. It is a 'FAMILY SPIRIT' that exists in a Jesus and Mary School.”
The children must learn to look upon 'school' as an extension of their home and do their best to cherish and preserve in school a spirit of Love and Happy Living.