“修文德以来之”——圣女小德兰与中国本土女修会德来小妹妹会

“Cultivate Civil Culture and Virtue to Attract People”:St.Thérèse of Lisieux and Little Sisters of St.Theresa of the Child Jesus,an Indigenized Woman Catholic Congregation in China

在天主教历史上,有多位德兰(也译为德肋撒)修女,以她们的德行、内修与实践被后人记诵,其中最著名的有三位:第一位是亚维拉的德兰(St.Teresa of Avila,1515-1582),即圣女大德兰,她曾创立十几所修院①;第二位是里修的德兰(St.Thérèse of Lisieux,1873-1897),即圣女婴孩耶稣小德兰(Thérèse de l’Enfant-Jésus),因其信仰的单纯与仰赖.

In 1910s the biography of St.Thérèse of Lisieux had been introduced to China,years before she was canonized in 1925.More biographies appeared in China in 1920s.Following the model of St.Thérèse,at least two women congregations were established under her name in China.The Little Sisters of St.Theresa of the Child Jesus was one of them.This congregation,together with the Little Brothers of St.John the Baptist,were among the earliest indigenized congregations in Chinese Catholic history,and both were founded by Fr.Vincent Lebbe.They shared the same motto:“Total Sacrifice,True Love of others,Constant Joy.”Based on newspaper articles and memoirs,the author traces different publications of biography and spirituality of St.Thérèse of Lisieux in the Republican China,revealing the founding history of this congregation and the formation of its spiritual tradition.The radicality of this motto are in accord with St.Thérèse’s austere,humble,and prayerful life.And the spirituality of St.Thérèse helped to form the characteristic of Little Sisters.The effort to indigenize by the Little Sisters can be identified in the naming of the congregation,the dialogue between Sino-western Classics,and self-identification as Chinese.Asceticism,family structure,prayerfulness and Chineseness are the four ideals for this indigenized woman congregation.In imitation of the spirituality and practice of St.Thérèse of Lisieux,these ideals were each realized.