Tabernacle Societies
Encyclopedia
The Tabernacle Societies were lay Eucharistic Adorative
associations within Roman Catholic
parishes, principally in America
and Australia
, forming part of the ArchiAssociation of the Eucharist
under the guidance of the Association of Perpetual Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.
in Brussels
, Belgium
between 1844 and 1848 by Anne de Meeûs, the eldest daughter of the Belgian Minister of Finance Count Frederic de Meeûs. The foundation of the sisterhood followed an initial call to restore the parish church at Ohain, Belgium
. That church's fittings were totally worn out after fifty years of official neglect following the invasion of Belgium by the French Directory
in 1792, followed by an unsympathetic government under Napoleon and King William of the Netherlands
. By 1851 it had the approval of the bishops of Belgium. Within a few years a number of its members formed themselves into a putative religious congregation, that of the Dames de l'Adoration perpétuelle (Sisters of Perpetual Adoration), Miss de Meeûs becoming the first mother superior
; organisational approval from Rome
was blocked for a number of years under constraints imposed by the Risorgimento
.
In 1853 the society became an archconfraternity
for Belgium, and quickly spread to the nearby countries where it met similar needs and received similar privileges. In 1863 Pius IX granted the mother-society at Brussels the right to affiliate confraternities throughout the world, except in the city of Rome. This last restriction was removed when the mother-house of the Sisters of Perpetual Adoration was transferred to Rome, which then became the centre of the association. An archconfraternity with the same name and purpose already existing in Rome, but founded subsequent to that of Brussels, was merged with the latter. The statutes of the archconfraternity were approved by the Congregation of Bishops and Regulars
, 12 January 1880, and Leo XIII by a Brief of 21 June 1881, approved its transfer to Rome and right to affiliate; and by a Brief of 30 July 1895, granted it the title of Prima Primaria, raising the Mother Superior to the rank of Mother Superior General responsible directly to the Pope alone.
The eleventh Eucharistic Congress was held in Brussels in 1898 in the church in which the society was founded, and on that occasion a glowing tribute was paid to its work. In Belgium alone it had nearly 200,000 members. Special mention should be made of the association as it was maintained in convents of Religious of the Sacred Heart. The United States
convents were founded by Rev. Mother Mary Aloysia Hardey
, then assistant superior general of the Society, on the occasion of her visit in 1874, in connection with the Sodality of the Children of Mary, and it saw rapid growth in its work for poor churches. Paris
is the centre of the Archconfraternity of Perpetual Adoration and work for Tabernacles, founded there in the Church of St. Thomas Aquinas in 1846 and with affiliations in the dioceses of France and Algiers. It was approved by Pius IX in 1856 and made a confraternity in 1858.
However, since 1945 the vocation has greatly diminished and in 1972 the Association was unable to continue the perpetual adoration, renaming itself the Sisters of the Eucharist. As of mid-2007 the foundation was in the final stages of liquidation, there being a mere dozen remaining sisters of an average of around eighty years of age.
s which are made by women members of the society and given to poor churches, and the restoration of the Catholic Church after the rise of the liberal left-wing in Europe at the end of the eighteenth century and its expansion into the American mainland and Australia are to a great extent attributable to its work.
Eucharistic adoration
Eucharistic adoration is a practice in the Roman Catholic Church, and in a few Anglican and Lutheran churches, in which the Blessed Sacrament is exposed to and adored by the faithful....
associations within Roman Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
parishes, principally in America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, forming part of the ArchiAssociation of the Eucharist
Eucharist
The Eucharist , also called Holy Communion, the Sacrament of the Altar, the Blessed Sacrament, the Lord's Supper, and other names, is a Christian sacrament or ordinance...
under the guidance of the Association of Perpetual Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.
Ecclesiastical framework and history
This association was a sisterhood founded at Convent Van MaerlantConvent Van Maerlant
The Convent Van Maerlant is a former convent which consists of a church and a chapel on Rue Van Maerlantstraat in Brussels .In 1905, a compulsory purchase order for land for the Central railway station was made on the Rue des Sols, and this included the Brussels convent of the Sisters of Perpetual...
in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
between 1844 and 1848 by Anne de Meeûs, the eldest daughter of the Belgian Minister of Finance Count Frederic de Meeûs. The foundation of the sisterhood followed an initial call to restore the parish church at Ohain, Belgium
Ohain, Belgium
Ohain is a town in the Belgian municipality of Lasne, located in the province of Walloon Brabant.Marvin Gaye recorded his top selling album "Midnight Love" at Katy Studios in Ohain....
. That church's fittings were totally worn out after fifty years of official neglect following the invasion of Belgium by the French Directory
French Directory
The Directory was a body of five Directors that held executive power in France following the Convention and preceding the Consulate...
in 1792, followed by an unsympathetic government under Napoleon and King William of the Netherlands
William II of the Netherlands
William II was King of the Netherlands, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, and Duke of Limburg from 7 October 1840 until his death in 1849.- Early life and education :...
. By 1851 it had the approval of the bishops of Belgium. Within a few years a number of its members formed themselves into a putative religious congregation, that of the Dames de l'Adoration perpétuelle (Sisters of Perpetual Adoration), Miss de Meeûs becoming the first mother superior
Abbess
An abbess is the female superior, or mother superior, of a community of nuns, often an abbey....
; organisational approval from Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
was blocked for a number of years under constraints imposed by the Risorgimento
Italian unification
Italian unification was the political and social movement that agglomerated different states of the Italian peninsula into the single state of Italy in the 19th century...
.
In 1853 the society became an archconfraternity
Archconfraternity
An archconfraternity is a Roman Catholic confraternity, empowered to aggregate or affiliate other confraternities of the same nature, and to impart to them its indulgences and privileges.-Status and operation:...
for Belgium, and quickly spread to the nearby countries where it met similar needs and received similar privileges. In 1863 Pius IX granted the mother-society at Brussels the right to affiliate confraternities throughout the world, except in the city of Rome. This last restriction was removed when the mother-house of the Sisters of Perpetual Adoration was transferred to Rome, which then became the centre of the association. An archconfraternity with the same name and purpose already existing in Rome, but founded subsequent to that of Brussels, was merged with the latter. The statutes of the archconfraternity were approved by the Congregation of Bishops and Regulars
Congregation (Roman Curia)
A congregation is a type of dicastery of the Roman Curia, the central administrative organism of the Catholic Church....
, 12 January 1880, and Leo XIII by a Brief of 21 June 1881, approved its transfer to Rome and right to affiliate; and by a Brief of 30 July 1895, granted it the title of Prima Primaria, raising the Mother Superior to the rank of Mother Superior General responsible directly to the Pope alone.
The eleventh Eucharistic Congress was held in Brussels in 1898 in the church in which the society was founded, and on that occasion a glowing tribute was paid to its work. In Belgium alone it had nearly 200,000 members. Special mention should be made of the association as it was maintained in convents of Religious of the Sacred Heart. The United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
convents were founded by Rev. Mother Mary Aloysia Hardey
Mary Aloysia Hardey
Mother Mary Aloysia Hardey, R.S.C.J., was an American Religious Sister of the Society of the Sacred Heart...
, then assistant superior general of the Society, on the occasion of her visit in 1874, in connection with the Sodality of the Children of Mary, and it saw rapid growth in its work for poor churches. Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
is the centre of the Archconfraternity of Perpetual Adoration and work for Tabernacles, founded there in the Church of St. Thomas Aquinas in 1846 and with affiliations in the dioceses of France and Algiers. It was approved by Pius IX in 1856 and made a confraternity in 1858.
However, since 1945 the vocation has greatly diminished and in 1972 the Association was unable to continue the perpetual adoration, renaming itself the Sisters of the Eucharist. As of mid-2007 the foundation was in the final stages of liquidation, there being a mere dozen remaining sisters of an average of around eighty years of age.
Activity
The members pledged themselves to spend an hour each month in adoration before the communion host and to pay yearly dues into a fund for the benefit of poor churches. The contributions were used to purchase materials for vestmentVestment
Vestments are liturgical garments and articles associated primarily with the Christian religion, especially among Latin Rite and other Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, Anglicans, and Lutherans...
s which are made by women members of the society and given to poor churches, and the restoration of the Catholic Church after the rise of the liberal left-wing in Europe at the end of the eighteenth century and its expansion into the American mainland and Australia are to a great extent attributable to its work.