Call to England and Beyond 

 
 
Geneviève Dupuis had a strong faith and faced the challenges of building up a new religious congregation with courage and zeal. The “story” began in 1835 when Fr. Tandy became Parish Priest of Banbury, Oxfordshire. He opened a school for poor children and was helped by Mary and Winifred Norbert who spoke very enthusiastically of Chartres, France, and the Sisters of St. Paul there. Fr. Tandy invited the Sisters from Chartres to come to Banbury. 
 
 
 
Sister Zoile (Geneviève Dupuis) with her companion, Sister Joseph Maria Sapiens, were appointed to this mission and in June 1847 they arrived in Banbury. She faced the difficulties of a foreign language, a different culture and material poverty but her vision was to form a community deeply rooted in Christ who would provide education for the poor. Under her wise leadership the congregation expanded and, during her lifetime, she opened 88 convents. The “motherhouse” moved to Selly Park, Birmingham, in 1864. 
 
 
In 1910 a teacher-training college was established in Selly Park. Staff and students were evacuated to Woodchester, Gloucester, at the outbreak of the Second World War.  
In 1954 the Sisters were invited to open a convent in South Africa, in the Rustenburg area. The Sisters ran a mission hospital and schools for primary and secondary school students and had an outreach to remote villages where they provided secretarial training and courses in varying life skills. 
 
Following the overthrow of President Ceausescu in 1989 the Sisters responded to an invitation to go to Romania. Initially they worked with street children and ran soup kitchens but were soon invited to open pre-schools, primary schools and a secondary school. Sisters are also involved with children and teenagers who have special needs. 
 
Two Sisters came to help with “Street Children” and babies suffering with AIDS in the hospital in September 1990 and worked in Bucharest. After two years as Volunteers the Sisters were invited by Archbishop Ioan Robu to begin our Mission in Romania. As well as working as volunteer teachers in Bucharest, the Sisters started a Summer School in Campulung in 1992, where they taught English to young people who came from many parts of Romania. In 1993 they were teaching in a parish preschool in Campulung, which developed into our Saint Iacob School a few years later. 
 
In 1995 the first Romanian Sisters were welcomed into the Novitiate. 
 
The mission of the Sisters of St. Paul is on-going and continues Geneviève’s vision of reaching out to the poor. 
 
In 1910 a teacher-training college was established in Selly Park. In 1946 the college moved to Rugby, Warwickshire and was known as St Paul’s College of Education, Newbold Revel. Unfortunately, due to government cut backs the college closed in July 1978. 
Newbold Revel College of Education 1946 - 1978 
 
In 1958 the Sisters facilitated the founding and training of a new Congregation of Sisters - the Sisters of St. Brigid. This Congregation is now autonomous. 
Sisters of St. Brigid 1958 -  
 
 
 
 
In 1995 the first Romanian Sisters were welcomed into the Novitiate. 
New Foundation in Romania began in 1991 
 
Plans to open a convent and school in Ireland (Kilfinane, Co. Limerick) were well under way when Geneviève died on 25th September 1903. 
The beginnings of the Congregation in Ireland in 1903 

 

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