Mission Statement
We, the Sisters of St. Paul, are joyful, creative, women, passionately on fire with God’s love. Animated by hope and characterized by tranquil daring, we see God in each other,…
WELCOME
To the Sisters of St. Paul de Chartres USA website
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Founded in the 17th century in France, and established in 1963 in the USA.
We have been helping spread God’s love throughout local communities and the entire world.
Within this website, you will find a variety of information about the Sisters of St. Paul including prayers and quotes, news and helpful information for those looking to become a Sister.
The SPC Poster
Sr. Josephine Que Ramada, SPC
We are the SPC Sisters. SPC stands for Sisters of Saint Paul of Chartres. St. Paul is our patron. We have a special devotion to the Apostle St. Paul, “for not only did he imitate our Lord perfectly in his poverty, humility, and sufferings, but he also set an example which we wish to follow so we may zealously engage in teaching and earn a living from the work of our hands” (Draft of the Rule 1).
We were founded in 1696 by Fr. Louis Chauvet, parish priest of a little French village, Levesville-la-Chenard. In 1708 the small community of Sisters was entrusted to Msgr. Paul Godet-des-Marais, a French bishop of Chartres. The bishop gave us a small house and the name of Saint Paul of Chartres.
Each letter of the SPC corresponds to the life and mission of the Sisters. In the letter “S,” the pictures highlight the fraternal life of the Sisters. They live in communities and are brought together by providential circumstances. The “P” emphasizes the life of prayer of the Sisters. These moments of renewal give new vigor to our love for God and ensure the authenticity of our apostolic charity. “C” features the life of mission of the Sisters. We share in the apostolic mission of the Church and are consecrated to God, to live and work among all, eager to announce the Good News to all.
The wheat calls attention to the early deaths in the history of the SPC Sisters, the first Sisters, including our founder, Fr. Louis Chauvet, in 1710. Their deaths, imitating the Paschal Mystery of the Lord Jesus and of St. Paul, gave great impetus to the further growth and development of our Congregation, for “unless a wheat grain falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single grain; but if it dies, it yields a rich harvest” (Jn. 12:24).
In the Bible, an anchor is used as a symbol of our hope in Jesus that gives us stability and steadfastness in life. All throughout the life of the SPC’s and in all circumstances, we are confident of the Lord’s victory, even when exposed to contradiction, radiating a joy that is serene and a hope that is invincible.
The background is the convent building in Marquette. The District of USA home since 1968.
We strongly encourage you to scan the QR code to have a perspective of the US District of the Sisters of St. Paul of Chartres.
The background music that you will hear was the theme song of our 325th Founding Anniversary entitled, “Abounding Grace.” The song speaks of God’s abounding grace bestowed upon the Sisters of St. Paul of Chartres all these years. From this tiny village of Levesville-la-Chenard, the Sisters’ mission of charity slowly spreads out to the 5 continents of the world. Marked by the paschal seal of Christ, since its humble beginnings until now, God’s outpouring of goodness and faithfulness has continuously become the spiritual backbone and support of the Sisters. Sister Helena Nam Jiin, SPC, from Daegu, Korea, was the composer/musician, while Sr. Genevieve Rose Cenit, SPC, from the Philippines, wrote the lyrics of the song.
My gratitude to Jessica Ruffins, a graduate of NMU, who assisted in putting the pictures together.
Through this humble SPC poster, we urged you to help us promote vocation to the consecrated life. Your prayerful support would enable us to go ahead to the finish line while our whole life proclaims the coming of the Kingdom.