Founders and Heritage

Our founders and the heritage we carry

The Good Shepherd story begins in Caen in 1641, grows in Angers in 1829, and takes root in Bengaluru in 1854. It is a heritage of merciful love that keeps reaching those most in need.

St. John Eudes founded the Order of Our Lady of Charity in 1641 so that women and girls in crisis could find refuge, dignity, and a place to begin again with the Heart of Jesus.

St. Mary Euphrasia Pelletier expanded that work in Angers, earned papal approval for a generalate in 1835, and by 1854 sent Sisters to Bengaluru. The fifteen communities of the South West India Province are heirs to her zeal.

Founders

Saints and sisters who shaped our heritage.

From Caen to Angers to Bengaluru, the Good Shepherd mission has always responded to women and girls whose dignity was threatened. These stories keep us grounded in merciful love and reconciliation.

Heritage

St. John Eudes (1601-1680)

Founder of the Order of Our Lady of Charity, Caen 1641

A parishioner named Madeleine Lamy challenged John Eudes to build a home for girls who would be lost without direction. He answered by founding the Order of Our Lady of Charity so that every woman could rediscover her dignity, rooted in the Hearts of Jesus and Mary.

Gave the sisters a fourth vow of zeal for the salvation of persons so that mercy would be more than words.
Opened the first refuge in Caen for women emerging from trauma, poverty, or exploitation.
Promoted devotion to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary and renewed the Church in seventeenth-century France through missions and formation.
Inspired the contemplative-apostolic rhythm that still animates Good Shepherd prayer and ministry.

Heritage

St. Mary Euphrasia Pelletier (1796-1868)

Foundress of the Good Shepherd Congregation, Angers 1829

Mary Euphrasia entered the Order in Tours, founded the Sisters of St. Magdalen, and later opened the House of the Good Shepherd in Angers. She believed the mission needed a unified structure to reach every cry from the margins.

Secured papal approval in 1835 for a generalate, giving rise to the Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd.
Sent sisters wherever they were requested, overseeing 110 foundations by the time she died in 1868.
Canonized in 1940; her motto "one person is of more value than a whole world" guides the congregation today.
Strengthened the contemplative branch (Sisters of St. Magdalen) so prayer and apostolic mission would remain inseparable.

Heritage

Heritage in South West India

Bengaluru foundation (1854) to today

Responding to Bishop Charbonneau of Mysore, Mary Euphrasia sent five sisters to Bengaluru in 1854. Their presence grew into the South West India Province, linking contemplative prayer and apostolic ministries across Karnataka, Kerala, and New Delhi.

Early missions sheltered girls, unwed mothers, and women escaping trafficking, mirroring the founders' first refuges.
The province now includes education, health care, residential care, and social action ministries with partners-in-mission.
Fifteen communities and 134 sisters continue the founders' charism of merciful love for the most vulnerable.
The province shares in the congregation's special consultative status with ECOSOC, bringing local realities to global advocacy tables.

Founders Timeline

Moments that shaped the Good Shepherd founding story.

This timeline focuses on the lives of St. John Eudes and St. Mary Euphrasia—highlighting the decisive steps that gave birth to the Good Shepherd charism before the wider global and provincial milestones you see on the History page.

1601-1680

St. John Eudes listens to the cry

Moved by Madeleine Lamy's plea to "build a house for these poor girls," John Eudes founded the Order of Our Lady of Charity in 1641 in Caen and gave the sisters a fourth vow of zeal.

Caen, France

1796-1829

St. Mary Euphrasia ignites a new branch

Mary Euphrasia entered the Order in Tours, founded the Sisters of St. Magdalen in 1825, and opened the House of the Good Shepherd in Angers in 1829 to expand refuge for women and girls.

Tours and Angers, France

1835

Generalate approved

Pope Gregory XVI approved the Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd with a central generalate so that missions could respond swiftly wherever they were needed.

Rome, Italy

1854

Mission arrives in Bengaluru

At the invitation of Bishop Charbonneau, Mary Euphrasia sent five sisters to Bengaluru, laying the foundation for the Good Shepherd presence in India.

Bengaluru, India

1868-1940

Legacy of 110 houses and canonization

By Mary Euphrasia's death in 1868, 110 houses existed worldwide. In 1940 she was canonized, affirming the global impact of the founders' vision.

Heritage Narrative

Heritage, for the Good Shepherd family, is the lived memory of merciful love. It is passed on through stories of refuge, courageous risk-taking, and partnerships that mirror the hospitality of our founders.

Charism of merciful love

Our founders discovered in Jesus the Good Shepherd a merciful love that restores dignity. This heritage invites us to be a reconciling presence for women, girls, and families who have experienced violence, exploitation, or exclusion.

Prayer and apostolic action are inseparable; contemplative communities intercede while apostolic sisters accompany people on the margins.
The fourth vow of zeal urges us to go where the need is greatest, without counting the cost.

Heritage that crosses continents

The same spirit that built refuge homes in Caen and Angers sent five sisters to Bengaluru in 1854, inspired the Sisters of St. Magdalen, and continues to animate the South West India Province.

Local communities in Karnataka, Kerala, and New Delhi mirror the original houses of welcome opened by St. John Eudes and St. Mary Euphrasia.
Partners-in-Mission, alumnae, benefactors, and collaborators extend the Good Shepherd charism beyond convent walls.

Today's call

The heritage entrusted to us shapes safeguarding commitments, eco-spirituality, digital safety for girls, trauma-informed care, and lay leadership formation. It is a living story rather than a memory.

Fifteen communities and 134 sisters in South West India stand in solidarity with survivors of trafficking, domestic workers, migrants, and students.
As an NGO in special consultative status with UN ECOSOC, the province connects local realities with global advocacy for justice.

Keep Exploring

Carry the Founders' legacy forward in prayer, story, and service.

Explore the Heritage and Timeline hub, walk with Partners-in-Mission, or discern Formation and Vocations so that merciful love reaches new generations.

Heritage & Timeline Partners-in-Mission Formation & Vocations