{"id":1096,"date":"2025-03-04T10:07:54","date_gmt":"2025-03-04T10:07:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.zrsmaria-ing.be\/history-foundation-belgium\/"},"modified":"2025-07-31T13:49:54","modified_gmt":"2025-07-31T13:49:54","slug":"history-foundation-belgium","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/zrsmaria-ing.be\/en\/history-foundation-belgium\/","title":{"rendered":"History foundation Belgium"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Belgium<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>[\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]\n

The rich history of our congregation<\/h1>\n

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Origin: Foundation in Belgium<\/span><\/h2>\n

Our founder, Can. Pieter Jacobus Dufort, <\/b>(Ledegem 1720 – Tournai 1782) was appointed parish priest of Ingelmunster at the age of 29. He was strongly inspired by the French priest Vincent de Paul<\/b>, (1581-1660) who gave a new impetus to religious life and care for the poorest of the poor.<\/p>\n

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Sisters of Mary Ingelmunster celebrated their 250th anniversary on Sunday, July 7, 2019<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On July 2, 1769<\/strong>, feast of Mary’s visit, Can. Dufort, founded the Congregation of the Sisters of Mary with the twofold purpose of helping the poor children to study and work, as well as assisting the needy and the sick of the parish. It was at a time of plague epidemics and of great poverty.<\/p>\n

Two women, Francisca Goethals and Isabella Catulle<\/b>, were the first to move into a house purchased by the parish priest. They founded a school for the poor. As such, they taught girls to read and write and instructed them in sewing and dressmaking, so that they could provide for their families.<\/p>\n

Empress Maria Theresa recognized the congregation and its aims as a foundation. In 1774, the first two sisters were able to make their profession and the “group” was recognized as a congregation under diocesan law. The foundation grew and developed rapidly. It survived the French occupation and Dutch rule.<\/p>\n

By 1910, the congregation already numbered more than 30 sisters.<\/p>\n

In 1927, the Sisters of St. Vincent of Dadizele joined the congregation.<\/p>\n

In the years that followed, houses were opened in other parishes, so the apostolic field expanded.<\/p>\n

In 1954-1955, three more sister communities joined: the Sisters of Saint Vincent of Merkem, the Sisters of Saint Vincent of St. Eloois-Winkel, and the Sisters of Charity of Izegem.<\/p>\n

In 2003, the Sisters of Saint Vincent of Kortrijk Sacred Heart joined the congregation.<\/p>\n

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The apostolate works, grown from our congregation but now continuing as separate Non-Profit Associations (NPO’s) with their own governing body, are primary and secondary schools, the ‘Engelbewaarder’ day care centre, the Saint-Jozefs clinic in Izegem, the residential and care centres Maria Rustoord in Ingelmunster, Saint-Jozef in Sint-Michiels Brugge, Ten Anker in Nieuwpoort, De Groene Verte in Merkem, H. Hart in Kortrijk and Assisted Living SaMENSpel in Izegem.<\/p>\n

Several communities closed due to the reduction of the sisters:<\/p>\n