Monthly Archives: July 2025

Schools are more than just for academics!

1st July 2025

Visit of Sacred Heart Language College to the Heritage House and Tomb of Euphrasie Barbier (Marie du Coeur de Jesus) - Foundress of the Sisters of Our Lady of the Missions, Sturry, Kent.
(Photo with permission)

For some years now I’ve been out of schools and colleges – taking what one would call, early retirement, if one could call it that! I can’t remember when I last stood from 9 to 4 in the classroom and approached a day of teaching. During those days, everything was so focused on getting through the sessions and to bring ...

The Congregation of Our Lady of the Missions was founded in 1861 by Euphrasie Barbier, a young woman from Normandy in France. She had a burning desire for mission and this life of mission for her had to be founded on Communion, Contemplation and Mission since she believed that mission was more than activity. Over the years, the Sisters have moved into several continents, living out their mission through evangelisation and missionary work.

The special aim of the Congregation is to extend the Kingdom of God chiefly through the work of Christian education, pastoral care and development of the human person. The particular focus is women and children, especially those who are marginalised by poverty, ill health, unjust social structures and a lack of opportunity to sustain themselves. This has led the Sisters to become involved in health care projects, setting up schools and orphanages and basically responding to the needs of their situation. The project work is always dictated by the needs of local communities.

Today, the Sisters live and work in 23 different countries from the UK and Ireland to New Zealand, India, Myanmar, Vietnam, Bangladesh, S Sudan and Kenya, with many other countries as well. Thanks to the lives and work of our early missionary Sisters, we are blessed with young, dynamic women from these countries who have become Sisters of Our Lady of the Missions and continue the work among their own people.

Euphrasie Barbier died in Sturry on January 18, 1893 and is buried in Sturry, near Canterbury, South East England and our Heritage House there pays tribute to her life and work.