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Fast Facts

 

Mother Mary Lange

Mother Mary Elizabeth Lange was born in 1784. Records differ on where precisely she was born, but tradition has always held that she came from the French colonies in Haiti. Daughter of a merchant, she and her family immigrated to Baltimore in 1813.

At the time, the Baltimore and coastal Virginia areas had started to see a mass influx of Caribbean immigrants due to the hastening end of French colonialism in the region. A rough community grew up in the area, and there were many community services that needed to be filled. Mary Elizabeth Lange stepped into this breach and started the first of her works.

Mary Elizabeth Lange made her name by opening a school for children of immigrants as well as slaves. Maryland was a slave state, and teaching slaves was illegal, but Mother Lange was determined to bring a better life to everyone regardless of their circumstances. She herself found many barriers in her way, not only because of her color and gender, but also because of the language difference. Though she knew English, French was her native tongue.

Partly as a result of these challenges, Mother Lange’s school ran into financial troubles and was forced to close. It was during that time that she was approached by a priest, James Joubert, who proposed that she create her own religious order. With the approval of the Archbishop, Mother Lange started the Oblate Sisters of Providence in 1829.

The Oblate Sisters of Providence were the first exclusively black religious order in the Catholic Church. Over the years, the order has spread beyond the US to Africa, the Caribbean, and beyond. They focus their efforts on education and service to the poor. They are most active in inner cities, setting up schools and other mission programs.

Mother Mary Elizabeth Lange died in 1882. She is currently being considered by the Vatican for canonization.

Word Wise

Shout Out

Mother Lange trusted that God  and good   would win out , even in the most difficult circumstances When did you make it "through the storm" and discover God  and goodness on the other side?  Testify!

  

Words to Love By

Our sole wish is to do the will of God.

 - Mother Mary Lange

 

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