VincentWiki:Ephemerides/5 June

1857: In Nantes, Fr. Jean-Baptiste Étienne embarked for Portugal. He was invited by the empress-widow of Brazil, aunt of the king of Portugal, to come to Lisbon to settle the details of the establishment of the Daughters of Charity in the Kingdom. In the middle of last century, the Lazarist province established in Portugal in 1736 and once so successful, was reduced to a single person of visitor, as a result of the 1838 decree abolishing all the religious orders on Portuguese territory. In 1856, a cholera epidemic devastated Portugal. King's aunt claimed the relief of the Daughters of Charity. Fr. Etienne agreed, but asked that the Priests of the Mission were restored at the same time. A royal decree expressly authorized the restoration of small company on the banks of the Tagus and Fr. Etienne then could go to resolve the practical application of this act with the Portuguese Government.

1870: A terrible fire ravaged Beyoglu (formerly Pera, a district of Constantinople). 5 000 buildings were destroyed and 40 000 people became homeless and utterly. At the Austrian hospital staffed by Daughters of Charity, Sister Kurth remained with heavily sick patients she did not want to abandon. Down in the chapel the ciborium remained in the tabernacle. When everything collapsed, this ciborium, full of waffers, was found standing on the heart of her dead body. She was 29 years.

1922: Election of Mother Inchelin as Superioress General. Before her generalate she was involved in vocational and spiritual formation of Daughters of Charity and open minded for collaboration between various religious communities and with lay nurses as well. In Saint-Joseph, where she returned after her generalate term, nuns from all orders, and lay non-graduates, were received for training courses she created to numerous Sisters preparing for Service of the Poor. She edited a handbook for hospitals and nursing homes care designed for Daughters of Charity. For several generations her instructions maintained in love of the Rules and the Company. In Lourdes she began the Union of Religious Hospitallers which was later extended in the Universal Church.

1939: In Hebo(Aligide Valley, Eritrea), a place where he died, assisted by two doctors and surrounded by many clergymen, including our confrere Fr. Valentino Ferrando d'Adigrat, Msgr Luigi Marinoni, vicar apostolic of Eritrea, recognized the remains of Justin de Jacobis.

1947 Election of Fr. William Slattery as twentieth Superior General of the Congregation of the Mission. He entered the Congregation on June 10, 1913 in Princeton, New Jersey, United States and became the first successor of St. Vincent de Paul who was not French. Daughters of Charity were lead by Mother Lepicard and then succeeded by Mother Blanchot and Fr. Castelin and Jamet as Directors General.