Our Mission | Our History

Our History| History of the Visitation Salesian Network

Our History

The Order of the Visitation was founded in Annecy, France in 1610 by St. Francis de Sales and St. Jane de Chantal. Their initial vision for the Order was to gather in community women seeking a life of contemplative prayer while also ministering to the poor and the sick. At the time of the second foundation Francis was persuaded to alter his vision and to have the sisters of the Visitation become cloistered and religious.

Beginning with the daughter of Jane de Chantal, the sisters in Europe seemed to have educated young girls rather informally while following their monastic routine. Their parlors were frequently filled with women and men seeking spiritual direction. The writings of these two saintly founders are replete with sound advice for dealing with human relationships and the challenges of life, situations readily adaptable for those engaged in educating young people in the 21st century.

The first school sponsored by the sisters of the Visitation is the United States began in Georgetown, Washington, D.C. in 1799. AS the Order spread across the United States during the nineteenth century, schools were established in Alabama, Missouri, West Virginia, MInnesota, Maryland, Illinois, Kentucky, Washington State, Virginia and New York. Today six schools remain in Minnesota, Missouri, West Virginia, New York, Maryland and Washington, D.C.

AS the number of sisters engaged in the educational ministry in our schools has decreased, our communities have been finding ways to share the Visitation charism with the dedicated lay women and men who have partnered with them in their educational programs. To assist in this project, a ministry network was initiated in 1988.

History of the Visitation Salesian Network

The first meeting of the Visitation Salesian Network was held in St. Louis, Missouri in 1988 in response to the federation leadership's concern about the need to maintain the Salesian charism in our schools. In the intervening years, local Ministry Network teams have developed programs which have enriched our school environments and encouraged both teachers and students to embrace the tenets of Salesian Spirituality.

In 2003, the federation leadership appointed a Visitation Salesian Network Director. The responsibilities of this of.ce will expand to include working with all constituents within our school communities, from Board members right down to students, so that all policies and decisions will refect Salesian principles. The Director will be responsible for providing an evaluation which will ascertain that the Salesian charism is alive and well on every level of school life.

The Director will initiate and implement meetings for af.nity groups among our schools, including board members, administrators, faculty and staff. These professional meetings will be enhanced by moments of re.ection on our ministry as educators in the Salesian tradition.

In unity there is strength; therefore, we look forward to working together to respond to the Lord’s mission to bring his love and peace to others through our educational ministry. Salesian spirituality carries a powerful message to God’s people. It is our privilege to be carriers of this grace to the members of our school communities.