This week in Christian history: Mount Holyoke Female Seminary founded; Amy Carmichael arrives in India

Anne-Marie Javouhey born - Nov. 11, 1779

This week marks the anniversary of when Anne-Marie Javouhey, the founder of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Cluny, who did charity work in Africa and South America, was born in France.

Raised during the French Revolution and the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte, Javouhey became a nun and worked extensively to care for children in France and abroad.

She founded the Sisters of St. Joseph of Cluny in 1812, and the Roman Catholic order eventually spread to 32 countries and colonies by the time of her death in 1851.

“At the government’s request, Mother Javouhey undertook some very unusual tasks. For example, she spent four years supervising the establishment of a colony for blacks at Mana, French Guiana,” explained Loyola Press.

“Six hundred slaves were to be liberated in Guiana, and she was asked to prepare them for emancipation by training them in the ways of religion and civilized society. As each family was ready to be freed, Mother Javouhey arranged for them to have money, some land, and a cottage.”