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OUR FOUNDER:

Bishop Itienne Larue, Wf

    "I am perfectly willing to spend all I have and to be expended in the interest of your souls." 2 Cor 12: 15

    Bishop Larue was born at. St. Christopher in Brinnais in France on 11^th June 1865. He joined the society of the White Fathers and was ordained priest on 28^th May 1891 in the Bassilica of St. Louis in Carthage. On 3^rd July 1891, he was appointed professor at the seminary of St. Anne in Jerusalem. He left Jerusalem on 30^th August 1899 to go Binson in the diocese of Reims in France to work at the White Father’s seminary of Philosophy.

    On 1^st July 1902, he took the boat from Marseilles for the Apostolic Vicariate of Nyasa in Africa. This Vicariate included part of Malawi, and current dioceses of Chipata, Kasama, Mpika and Mansa in Zambia. On his arrival in Chilubula Mission (The first Cathedral in Zambia earlier founded by Bishop Joseph DuPont, wf in 1898) on 24^th September 1902, he took charge of the mission. He left Chilubula for France on 12^th October 1905 where he remained until November 1907. In 1908, he was again appointed to Chilubula as Secretary and Counselor to Bishop DuPont as well as Bursar for the Vicariate. In 1909, Larue was appointed Regional Superior (Official Visitor) of the White Fathers in the Nyasa Vicariate.

    In 1912, the Holy See divided the huge Vicariate of Nyasa into two: the Nyasa (Zambia- Malawi) and the Bangueolu in Zamia. In 1912 itself, Revererand Father Etienne Larue was appointed titular Bishop of Tuburbo and was consecrated on April 1, 1913, in the Cathedral of Autun by Archbishop Villard, ordinary of the place. Bishop Larue became the first Vicar apostolic of Bangweolu, succeeding Bishop Joseph DuPont , who retired in Europe in 1913. On 6^th June 1934, Bishop Larue left Zambia for France due to ill health. He died at the Seminary of Tournus on 5^th October 1935. He was buried in the Church of St. Christopher in Brinnais in France.

    His virtues were eulogized by a former fellow student and close friend, the Right Reverend Gono, Bishop of Moulins. In his homily during the funeral Mass he spoke of Bishop Etienne Larue as a man of piety, humility and zeal in the following words:

    "For long to stay, the souvenir of Bishop Larue will remain among us as one of a saint, a holy missionary and an intercessor who will intervene from heaven to help those who are continuing the marvelous work he began so well."

FOUNDING OF THE CONGREGATION

    In 1918, a young catechumen girl namely; Ngosa Nshindano of Ipusukilo parish asked her parish priest Fr. Lassonery, Wf, if she could become a servant of God by becoming priest like him. The parish priest took the girl’s request seriously and reported the matter to Bishop Larue when he visited Ipusukilo Parish. In 1923, Ngosa was baptized as Therese by Fr. Alexander Roy (who later succeeded Bishop Larue). The request of Therese Ngosa Nshindano was revived by Bishop Larue who saw the need to start a local congregation of sisters. Bishop Larue asked the White Sisters to form Therese as a ‘Servant of God’ in 1926. Thus began the process of initial formation by Sr. Marie du Sauveur, WS as Novice Mistress and Fr. Eugene Welfele, WF as Chaplain. Therese Ngosa and others became the pioneer of the congregation of women to work among their own people according to the Cardinal Lavigerie’s vision and mandate of "initiating African women as religious, who would then take responsibility of evangelizing their own people…" On December 1929 for Novices:

Sr. Therese Ngosa - Ipusukilo

Sr. Elizabeth Kabanda - Mulobola

Sr. Magdalene Seraphina Santinya - Mozambique

Sr. Magdalenae Mbotwa – Kayambi,

made their first profession in the congregation of the Servants of the Infant Jesus as Bishop Larue named it.

AIM OF THE CONGREGATION

    According to Bishop Larue, the aim was " To bring about God’s glory, to make Him known and honored, dedicate themselves to the salvation of their own people."

BISHOP LARUES DIRECTIVES

Sisters were to be inspired by:

• To do God’s will
• Love prayer: he said, "Prayer is very important because it is through prayer you will receive the strength to work for God and to overcome all the evil and enemies. So pray always."
• Christian love or charity
• Simplicity
• Self denial and atonement for sins through devotedness to work, accepting hardships, putting up with physical ailments and suffering
• Accepting given work rather than choosing which work to do. Accept all work whether big or small: he said Always remember, that it is God who has sent us to do it."
• Concern for spiritual and material needs of the people

CHANGE OF CONGREGATION’S NAMES

    From the beginning of the congregation, the founder named it Servants of the Infant Jesus. Due to some misconceptions on the term of servant by local people, the name was changed to Sisters of the Infant Jesus later through Chapters, the Congregation’s name finally changes to Sisters of the Child Jesus.

BISHOP LARUE’S SPIRITUAL WILL

    "In union with our Lord Jesus Christ on the cross, I declare to die for the salvation of the souls in the Vicariate of bangweolo that the Holy Church committed to my frailty. I mean all the souls, Catholic and pagan alike, and I beseech them all for the last time, to have in view, throughout their lives, only one thing; to do God’s will for their own salvation."

    "I thank all the Missionaries of Bangweolo for their devotedness in the salvation of these dear souls. My last prayer here on earth for is that that they remain always united in the love of Christ and His Church, from which derives the fullness of all apostolate. With all my heart, I give to all and each one of them my last blessing, praying God to grant them the grace of union which will bind them in the blessed eternity."

    "To the Society of the White Father, and mainly to those who have been my Superiors and fellow workers in the apostolate, I express my last deep gratitude for all the good they have done to me with their advice and encouragement. I beg their pardon for all the wrongs and troubles I caused them. I renew my desire of dying in the love of God our Father. I recommend my pour soul to the prayers of all missionaries, neophytes (my children in the faith) and I abandon myself to divine mercy. Amen. "

REVIVAL OF THE CONGREGATION – BISHOP MARCEL DAUBECHIES 1945

    After the death Bishop Etienne Larue the founder of the congregation, the congregation went through some difficulties. Girls stopped joining the congregation due to political, economic and social problems. The country was struggling for independence, parents still wanted their girl children to be married as grand children were still more valued, there was a misconception that the name Servants of the Infant Jesus meant that the local sisters where just servants of the white sisters (Hence the change of name at a later stsge).

    The 8 sisters who were earlier professed in the 20s remained for about 20 years without followers until 1952 when a new group of Novices made their first profession. The sisters remained committed with the help of the White Sisters and in 1945 by Bishop Marcel Daubechies who took keen interest in the congregation again.

    It was Bishop Daubechies who revised the Founder’s Constitutions and Directory to bring them to the norm required by the Holy See and adapt them to the changes taking place in the country by then. In 1954, Bishop Daubechies had the joy of seeing the Congregation of the Sisters of the Child Jesus approved by Rome as a Congregation of the Diocesan Right.

    Bishop Daubechies helped with the spiritual as well as constructions physical structures of the congregation which included the Novitiate and the Mother House in Chilubula. He has been described as a real father of the sisters because of his love. He is regarded as the second founder of the congregation because he re-formed, re-organized and re-built the congregation. He remained close to the congregation until his death on 23^rd February 1988 aged 91 and was buried at Neufuilles near Soignies in Belgium.