Heritage Sites
Mother House
In 1829, St. Mary Euphrasia, at that time a sister of the Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Refuge, established a community in what was the Tournemine Indian textile printing factory, on the site of the present-day Mother House. In 1835, it became the Generalate for the newly established Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd on which all its communities depended. It is where the Congregational Leader and her team resided until their relocation to the new Generalate in Rome in 1966.
Over the years, the property has expanded to welcome growing numbers of sisters, partners-in-mission, and other visitors. Today the Mother House continues to be a significant place promoting an appreciation of our spiritual heritage through the oratory (the sacred space of the bedroom and office of St. Mary Euphrasia), archives, museum, chapel, hostelry, tunnel, and grounds. All aspects encourage spiritual journeys and research work on our origins, legacy, and spirituality to be experienced.
Retreat, Reflect and Recharge
Visitors and pilgrims can connect with the roots, history, and journey of the Congregation by visiting our sites and facilities.
Good Shepherd Museum
Open to the public since 2016, in the building where the sisters settled on their arrival in Angers in 1829, the museum traces the history and the mission of the Congregation from St. John Eudes and St. Mary Euphrasia Pelletier to the current mission of the sisters and partners-in-mission. It shares our story, mission, and advocacy work through artifacts, documents, pictures, and multimedia.
The Tunnel
Having bought the former St. Nicholas Abbey in 1854, St. Mary Euphrasia built this 55-meter-long tunnel between May and August 1855. It was a creative and practical solution to connect the Mother House and the Abbey and enable sisters access to the Abbey – which was situated outside the convent enclosure.
Spirituality Center
The Spirituality Center ensures the coordination of spiritual animation for the Congregation: retreats, pilgrimages, individual and group accompaniment, days of reflection, training sessions, etc. Its role is to share the human and historical spiritual heritage of the Congregation and to encourage research.
Chapel Tombs
This small chapel consecrated to the Immaculate Conception was built in 1835 thanks to the generosity of Countess Geneviève d’Andigné. It holds the tomb of St. Mary Euphrasia. Four later congregational leaders also buried here: Sr. Marie-Pierre de Coudenhove, Sr. Marie-Marine Verger, Sr. Marie-Domitille Larose, and Sr. Marie-Ursula Jung.
The Oratory
St. Mary Euphrasia lived, worked, and died in this room. Here, some of her personal objects are kept, such as her habit, her shoes, and a portrait of her. The mailboxes that she had made to organize the voluminous correspondence she received from convents all around the world are still intact today.
Hostelry
A place of sharing and conviviality, the Hostellerie Bon Pasteur welcomes individuals, families, friends, and groups for food and accommodation. This remarkable heritage site surrounded by a park offers time for personal or spiritual reflection or simply to learn more about the history of the Congregation.
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In the Footsteps of St. John Eudes
Those wishing to follow in the footsteps of St. John Eudes can visit the Basilica of Notre Dame de la Recouvrance in Tourailles where his parents offered and consecrated their yet-to-be-born baby to Jesus and the Virgin Mary.
A visit can also be made to the little church in Ri dedicated to Our Lady where St. John Eudes was baptized on November 16, 1601, and where his family attended mass.
The original convent in Caen founded by St. John Eudes for Our Lady of Charity was destroyed in 1944 but a visit can be made to Cormelles-le-Royal where the sisters built their new convent following the end of the Second World War. Two communities of sisters remain in this building where visitors can also access the small museum on site.
In Caen, pilgrims can visit the house (pictured) where St. John Eudes opened his first Eudist seminary in 1643. This is also the place where he died on August 19, 1680. Today, tribute can be paid to St. John Eudes at the church of Notre Dame de la Gloriette where his remains are preserved in a crypt.
La Florida, Peru
The Congregation has had a presence in La Florida, Peru, since the early 1980s. Aguchita was sent on mission here in March 1988 to work and strengthen the team of sisters who had been working on projects promoting women’s empowerment in the area. On September 27, 1990, Aguchita was killed in the village along with five other people by members of the Shining Path.
Following Aguchita’s murder in the village her remains were brought to the Jesuit Church of La Inmaculada in Lima where her Requiem Mass was held on October 6, 1990. However, in 2018, the Congregation transferred her remains from Lima to La Florida where she had said she always wanted to remain, even after death.
Today, pilgrims can visit and pay tribute to Aguchita in the church in La Florida where her beatification ceremony took place on May 7, 2022.
There is also a building in the town’s main square that still holds the imprint of the bullets from the tragic day that Aguchita was murdered. It reminds people of what took place but also serves as a symbol of hope that never again will their people experience such violence.
Porto, Portugal
Porto has become an important place of pilgrimage for those who seek to deepen their devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus through the life, virtues, and work of Bl. Maria Droste, also known as Sr. Mary of the Divine Heart.
It is to Porto that, in 1894, she was appointed as community leader at the convent on Rua de Vale Formoso, which housed over 100 girls.
Here, Bl. Maria Droste became well known for having influenced Pope Leo XIII to consecrate the world to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Today, our sisters continue to live in community here, offering pilgrims a space for prayer in one of two chapels, a spirituality center, and a small museum with relics of Bl. Maria Droste.
The incorrupt body of Bl. Maria Droste is exposed for public veneration in the Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Ermesinde, northern Portugal.
