Our Heritage & Founders

The Historical Cradle: Chavanod, 1838

In the nineteenth century, Savoie, like the rest of France, was deeply affected by the consequences of the Revolution of 1789 and the rigours of Jansenism. Ignorance and misery prevailed along with exploitation of the poor. The situation of girls was particularly difficult and it was a great preoccupation for certain zealous and devoted priests.

Father Peter Mermier, who would in the course of time be the Founder of the Missionaries of Saint Francis de Sales, was one of them and he searched for ways and means to remedy this evil. At this time, there lived at Chavanod, in the service of the presbytery, a pious, energetic and devoted person: Claudine Echernier.

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Mother Claudine Echernier (1801 - 1869)

She was a native of Féternes, a small village of Chablais, and 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 years old. In the presbytery of Chavanod, she began to gather around her children and young girls of the parish, in order to teach them reading, writing and catechism.

Nearly ten years thus passed by, during which Claudine had a wonderful influence in the parish. She even took the initiative for the first parish mission given at Chavanod by the Missionaries of Saint Francis de Sales, contributing to the expenses of this mission from her savings.

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A Congregation of a New Type

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 girls 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 poor young girls to live a consecrated life in the midst of the world, either continuing their work at home, or with their masters, 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.