Bishop García Ibáñez: "The Cuban people are eager to know God better".Sister Lucia, the visionary of Fatima, is now VenerableThe Dicastery for the Causes of Saints has recognized the heroic virtues of the Servant of God Mary Elizabeth Lange, who was born in San Domingo in 1789. Not much is known about her parents, but it is believed that her mother was the daughter of a plantation owner, while her father was a mulatto slave on the hacienda.
During the revolution in Haiti, her family fled to Santiago de Cuba. There Elizabeth received a thorough education and, at the beginning of the 19th century, she emigrated to the United States, where she remained until her death.
School opening
After passing through South Carolina and Virginia, Lange settled in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1813. There he observed the deficiencies in the education of African-American children. While it is true that some Protestant communities and churches had schools open for them, the demands of the growing population were far greater than the services available. Faced with this situation, Elizabeth opened a school in her own home.
At the same time that Lange was teaching, a priest named James Nicholas Joubert was looking for solutions to help girls in the city get an education. When he met Elizabeth and her companion, Marie Balas, he suggested founding a religious community to care for the little ones. The two women had been thinking for some time that they wanted to consecrate themselves to God, so they agreed and Father Joubert immediately began the process of opening the foundation.
First community in Baltimore
On July 2, 1829, the first community was formed in the Oblate Sisters of Providencewith Lange as superior. The order began with only four sisters and 20 students, but by 1832 there were already 11 consecrated sisters.
In addition to educating children, the Oblates opened a home for orphans and centers to care for the elderly. They also taught adult women how to work in the evening and helped widows in need.
Legacy
Mary Elizabeth Lange dedicated herself to the care of children and the sick in her community until her death in 1882. Her reputation for sainthood began immediately after her death and the legacy she left behind is so crucial that her name was included in the Maryland Women's Hall of Fame.
The life of the foundress is an example to be followed for the oblates today. They themselves consider that the charism of the community is clearly reflected in the life of Lange, who embodied the spirit that enables them "from total trust in God, to bring joy, healing and the redemptive love of the sufferings of Jesus to the victims of poverty, racism and injustice, despite contradictions, prejudices and pain".
