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Ursulines of Bruno
Box 195
Muenster SK S0K 2Y0
Tel: 306-682-1717 – Fax: 306-682-3819
ursulines@sasktel.net
Today
Ursulines of Bruno live their vocation in Canada and in Brazil. They bring the wisdom of age to ministries in parish and diocesan work, in a Canadian aboriginal community, and in massage therapy and to volunteer work, including areas of justice and peace. One sister works in “Earthcare Connections,” which demonstrates methods of reverencing creation, a community focus adopted in 1998. In Brazil the sisters serve in parish ministries, catechesis, and liturgy. They also assist the poor with nutrition and with navigating systems of control. They work in addictions programs, nursing, massage and Reiki.
As a small community experiencing the needs of advancing age, they also serve one another. They have joined other congregations and lay professionals in planning a facility of retirement suites in Saskatoon to be attached to an existing nursing home.
History
Ursulines from Haselünne, Germany, responded to an invitation from Benedictine monks in western Canada in 1913. They arrived in St. Peter’s Colony in Muenster, in the Province of Saskatchewan, to provide Christian education to pioneer families in this German settlement area. Seven more sisters came from Germany in 1914. That year the community opened a school in Bruno, Saskatchewan. The Canadian foundation became independent in 1916 as the Ursulines of Bruno.
The sisters taught in parish schools which later became public schools. With their European background came a strong emphasis on the arts, which flourished most noticeably in their private academy for girls in Bruno. The number of Ursulines peaked at 105, enabling them to accept work in the Catholic school system of the most western Canadian province of British Columbia at a time when Catholics were by far the minority of the population there.
Since 1968, responding to a call to missionary work in Latin America, the Ursulines of Bruno have participated in a diocesan mission in northeastern Brazil. Initially their mission concentrated on parish work. It has continually expanded to address more urgent current needs.
Countries where the congregation is present
Canada, Brazil