History

Home

Who We Are

History

Spirituality

Mary's Corner

Mission

Vocation /Formation

SMSM Profiles

News-Happenings

News - Pages

1 - Jubilee

2 - Conference

3 - Mission

4 - Pilgrimage

5 - New Council

MMT

Questions

Store

Contact Us

Click here or on image for a download PDF file of our history.

Please wait for video to completely download before playing. This video's run time is 5:32.

Marist Missionary Sisters claim eleven women as our Pioneers. Our roots go back to the Society of Mary which was recognized as a Congregation in 1836. They were known as the Marist Priests who were given the responsibility to evangelize the Pacific Islands of Oceania.

A few years after the martyrdom of St. Peter Chanel (Marist Priest) in 1841, two women of the Island of Wallis sent a letter to France asking the Marist Fathers to send women to help them and their children. Marie Francoise Perroton was inspired to leave France and travel to the Pacific. She worked with the women and children for twelve years before being joined by two other women. Between 1857 and 1860, ten women from France joined her as missionaries in Wallis, Futuna, New Caledonia and Samoa. These eleven women, our Pioneer Sisters, form our origins.

Over the years ,women from many countries followed in their footsteps. Our Congregation finally received official Church recognition in 1931, and became known as the Missionary Sisters of the Society of Mary.