Eternal Gardens in Balagtas, Batangas City pays tribute to St. Mary Euphrasia, founder of the Religious of the Good Shepherd (RGS), by naming one of its areas in her honor.
“We chose to name our new area The Court of St. Mary Euphrasia as a tribute to the founder of the Good Shepherd Sisters, whose missionaries found their way to Batangas City more than 100 years ago,” said Numeriano B. Rodrin, president and chief operating officer of Eternal Gardens.
The Court of St. Mary Euphrasia at Eternal Gardens Balagtas is a 4-hectar expansion area found at the rightmost section of the park. It features various types of memorial properties, such as Lawn Estate, Garden, and Family Estate. It is also the future site of the fourth branch of Eternal Chapels, a provider of complete mortuary and chapel products and services, which is a sister company of Eternal Gardens.
Aside from being honored at Eternal Gardens Balagtas, there is also a St. Mary Euphrasia Parish located at De Joya Capitol Village in Barangay Kumintang Ilaya, Batangas City where the founder of the Religious of the Good Shepherd is venerated by devotees.
Religious of the Good Shepherd
Born Rose Virginie Pelletier on July 31, 1796, St. Mary Euphrasia joined the religious life at age 18 when she entered the Sisters of Charity of the Refuge in Tours, an order devoted to caring for girls and women in difficulty, where she took the name Sr. Mary Euphrasia. She became superior of the convent at age 29.
While she was superior, Sr. Mary Euphrasia formed a contemplative group of penitent women who wished to live a cloistered life. The Sisters earned their living through intricate embroidery of priest vestments and production of altar bread. This group is known today as the Contemplatives of the Good Shepherd.
To extend the reach of their mission, Sr. Mary Euphrasia established the Generalate, which made it possible for the congregation to send Sisters to other parts of the world. The international Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd received approval from Pope Gregory XVI on January 16, 1835, and thus began the spread of their mission across the world.
The first Irish RGS missionaries arrived in Batangas City from Burma (now Myanmar) on October 12, 1912 to continue the mission of the Congregation. Today the Philippines is already a province of the RGS, but upon its formation in the country, the Congregation was under the Motherhouse in Angers, France where it was originally founded by St. Mary Euphrasia in 1835.
St. Mary Euphrasia’s died on April 24, 1868. Her example of zeal, compassion, and courage continues to inspire her sisters today as they continue her work and carry out the mission of the Congregation. St. Mary Euphrasia was canonized by Pope Pius XII on May 2, 1940. We celebrate her Feast Day today, April 24.