Summary of the life of Saint Claudine Thévenet and the foundation of the Congregation of the Religious of Jesus and Mary.

Saint Claudine was born in 1774 in the French city of Lyon to a family that prioritized Gospel values. She had a happy childhood with siblings who loved her and called her “Glady”. Her last words imprinted in her heart, “Forgive, Glady, as we forgive,” had a significant impact on her life, opening her heart to the active goodness of the Lord. She felt a longing to proclaim the Father’s affection and love to everyone around her, especially neglected children and youth.

Saint Claudine began her mission by caring for two sixty-year-old orphans, and in 1818, she responded to God’s call by dedicating herself entirely to Him.

Thus, Claudine founded a new family in the Church: The Congregation of the Religious of Jesus and Mary.

Claudine’s educational concept made her a woman with a futuristic vision, transforming violence into forgiveness, sadness into joy, abandonment into acceptance, and ignorance into culture.

When she surrendered her spirit in 1838, her final words summarized her life of giving and completely surrendering to God: “How good the Lord is.”

In Aleppo

we are a team of five people in the city of Aleppo. We have 325 families, most of whom are elderly and in very poor conditions. We care for them and provide for their needs (monthly living expenses, rent, etc.) based on the aid available to us and the specific needs of each family. Especially after the earthquake in February 2023, where assistance was provided to 18 affected families (clothing, medicine, food vouchers, meat or chicken coupons, etc.). A recreational day activity was organized for 275 elderly individuals in Aleppo.

Under our supervision in Syria:

– The Christian Hope Centre in Syria, in addition to the micro–Projects Department, provides jobs for hundreds of families.

– The Montessori Centre in Aleppo is being prepared to create a stimulating environment that facilitates a child’s development of skills, awareness, creative thinking, problem-solving abilities, critical thinking, time management skills, and focuses on a child’s freedom and independence while respecting the child’s natural psychological development in society through the use of appropriate tools and space to help develop these skills …

In Damascus:

We are a team of 10 people caring for over 300 families inside Damascus. Additionally, when receiving any type of aid, we distribute it to hundreds of families within the city of Damascus and its countryside – including food aid, food items, cash assistance during the time of COVID-19, fuel, school fees, stationery, clothes for all Syrian provinces as Christmas gifts for several years, etc. We also intervened with displaced persons from Aleppo and Latakia after the earthquake in February 2023 by providing psychological support, cash assistance, medications, clothing or food vouchers for 6 months for 18 families.

The Hope Centre within Damascus (a training centre targeting youth, women, men, and children, offering courses in psychological and social support or training courses for Christian formation leaders since October 2018 until now) – within the Hope Centre, there is a department for micro-projects where young men and women are helped to start their own projects, especially a project to provide 25 beneficiaries with mobile maintenance tools to start their own work, thus enabling them to support their families. The idea was also repeated in Ma’arouneh (rural Damascus) with courses on women’s health and psychological support, as well as a course on organic farming and distribution of agricultural tools to 20 farmers to start their agricultural projects on their lands.

Centre of B Dina Belanger for Healing through Music and Art includes 250 children aged between 14 and 18 years old since 2019 until now.

A centre in Kashkoul (rural Damascus) is being equipped to include a small sewing workshop, a section for music and art, a section for counselling and spiritual accompaniment, and listening.

We continue on the path, holding spiritual meetings for youth at our residence, which we have maintained and repaired, accommodating 47 students annually, as well as:

• The Family of Jesus and Mary.
• 100 young men and women in the Maronite Church.
• 100 families in Barzeh, rural Damascus.
• Working with the Jesuits groups (CVX).
• In the years 2020-2021-2022-2023, hours of Eucharist adoration to encourage families to pray and worship.