Sisters of Our Lady of Apostles

Identity area

Type of entity

Corporate body

Authorized form of name

Sisters of Our Lady of Apostles

Parallel form(s) of name

  • OLA

Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules

    Other form(s) of name

      Identifiers for corporate bodies

      Description area

      Dates of existence

      1876-2024

      History

      The Congregation of Our Lady of Apostles (OLA) was founded in Lyon in 1876 by Father Augustine Planque and immediately began to recruit girls in Ireland. The Irish Sisters would eventually settle in Ardfoyle Convent in Ballintemple, Cork from 1913 onward and became their own OLA Province on the 25th of November 1930. The Irish Province was initially comprised the OLA houses in Ireland, the Vicariate of Benin, and the Vicariate of Niger, with the latter of these two now being present day Nigeria. Sometime between 1930 and 1938 the OLA communities in the Gold Coast, now modern day Ghana, were included in the Irish Province. In 1950 the Irish Province began assuming responsibility of the French Generalate’s convents and foundations in England starting with their house in London, followed soon after by their property in Lancaster in 1953. For three years from 1949-1952 the Irish OLA had a foundation in Niger where they were involved in primary school education, and in 1957 the Irish Sisters began a new foundation in the United States.

      In addition to setting up their own foundations, the Irish Province also assisted in the work of other OLA communities abroad in Egypt, Algeria, France and Argentina. And in 1974 the Irish Province sent their own sisters to help staff hospitals in Kenya and Zambia. In the 1990’s the original foundations in Nigeria and Ghana became self-sufficient and independent OLA provinces of their own, and so, the Irish Province opened a new frontier in Tanzania in 1991, and also sent Sisters to South Sudan to aid refugees where they remained until 1997. In 2024 the Irish Province became an OLA District alongside Tanzania with both Districts being independent.

      Places

      France, Ireland, England, Nigeria, Niger, Benin, Ghana, Tanzania, South Sudan, Kenya, Zambia, Algeria, Egypt, Argentina.

      Legal status

      Functions, occupations and activities

      The Sisters of Our Lady of Apostles are an international group of religious sisters who seek to serve the poor and marginalized communities around the world, especially women and children. They work in areas of education, health care, social and pastoral works, and interreligious and intercultural dialogue. They also engage in non-violent actions for justice, peace, and the integrity of creation.

      Mandates/sources of authority

      Internal structures/genealogy

      General context

      Relationships area

      Access points area

      Subject access points

      Occupations

      Control area

      Authority record identifier

      OLA

      Institution identifier

      Rules and/or conventions used

      Status

      Level of detail

      Dates of creation, revision and deletion

      Language(s)

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          Sources

          Maintenance notes