Religious communities in Saint Maurice parish
Dominican Sisters of the Presentation
This community of three sisters belongs to the French Province of an international Congregation founded in 1696, in the Beauce region, by Blessed Marie Poussepin “for the good of the Parish, to educate the young and to care for the sick poor...”. She established her Community in the spiritual tradition of Saint Dominic, for evangelisation through works of mercy, attentive to the needs of the people of her time.
This was the seed of what would become the Congregation of the Dominican Sisters of Charity of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin.
The community in rue de la Barre
After two years of building work, the Résidence Saint-Dominique, known for many years as the Foyer Familial de la Jeune Fille (a hostel for young women), reopened its doors on 1 October 2012.
The Résidence Saint-Dominique lies at the heart of the historic centre of Tours. Its location is ideal in every respect: religious (close to the Cathedral, the student chaplaincy, the diocesan house, etc.), practical (close to the station, a few minutes from rue Nationale, etc.) and cultural (close to the Fine Arts Museum, the music conservatoire, the theatre, the Les Studio cinema, etc.), offering our residents every opportunity for study, spiritual searching and relaxation.
The Résidence Saint-Dominique is run by the Dominican Sisters of Charity of the Presentation. The sisters who make up the community wish to be a welcoming, joyful and available presence for each student, offering them a setting conducive to study, to self-discovery and to encountering others.
To this end, furnished studios of 20 to 28 m2 are available to students. Weekly gatherings (shared meals, talks, round-table discussions, among others) aim to create a friendly atmosphere of trust and fellowship between the students and the religious community, supporting their intellectual, human and spiritual growth.
The community living at the Résidence has its own living space, with a life built around a few key elements: personal prayer and community worship (which anyone who wishes may join), fellowship, service, and openness to others and to the world. We also want to remain attentive to what is offered and undertaken in the Parish and in the diocese.
7 rue de la Barre, 37000 Tours: 02 47 20 53 49
Ursuline Sisters of the Roman Union
The community is made up of 2 fraternities, one in Tours (4 sisters) and one in Beaugency (9 sisters).
2 other Ursulines also live in a care home in Tours, the Maison Ste-Claire.
In Tours, we serve education for the sake of evangelisation, in many different ways (pastoral work, groups sharing the Word of God and discussing the Writings of Marie of the Incarnation, welcoming visitors at the Marie of the Incarnation museum, spiritual accompaniment for individuals or on retreats, diaconal service, catechesis for people with special needs, pilgrimages to the Holy Land, Cas’Angela for 9 female students...).
Through our community apostolic project, we seek, like Saint Angela, to “respond freely and openly to the needs of the world, especially of the poor and the most vulnerable (…) and to make choices so as to be agents of change with availability and creativity” (General Chapter 2019).
In the spirit of Saint Marie of the Incarnation, we wish to let the Spirit of Jesus lead us in trust, so as to bear witness that “Love is his Name”.
A little history... The Ursulines arrived in Tours in 1622. Ten years later, the community welcomed among its members a woman from Tours, Marie Guyart, a great mystic better known as Marie of the Incarnation, who would become the first Ursuline missionary in Canada. It was on the occasion of her beatification by Pope John Paul II in 1980 that the Ursulines, who had been dispersed during the Revolution, returned to Tours. Marie of the Incarnation was declared a saint on 3 April 2014 by Pope Francis, as a founder of the Church in the New World.
LITURGY OF THE HOURS
- LAUDS at 8.30 am every day except Saturday; Sunday at 9 am
- VESPERS at 6.30 pm every day
12 rue du Général Meusnier - TOURS Tel.: 02 47 20 01 68 - osu.tours@gmail.com
