History of the Daughters of St. Paul

The story of the Daughters of St Paul runs parallel to the story of the extraordinary development of the media in the 20th century, and to the story of the Church in this period.

It began in Northern Italy in 1915, when Fr James Alberione first gathered around him a small group of young women and girls whom he prepared to carry out the printing apostolate. He asked Sr Teresa Merlo to be our first Superior General.

It was through the faith and guidance of these two remarkable leaders that we received firm foundations and continued to grow.

Humble beginnings
Our congregation started out by printing and distributing Bibles and catechisms at a time when the Bible was not well known, nor its prayerful study encouraged among Catholics. The editorial and publishing aspect of our ministry quickly developed and soon afterwards our radio ministry evolved. In time we opened book centres so that people could easily find good Christian reading material and resources. The criteria for choice of content were always made with the view to promote the human and spiritual growth of the person.

Spreading out
In the early 1930s the Sisters began to move out from Italy so that, following the example of St. Paul, we could continue our mission in every corner of the earth. Today, our sisters can be found on five continents and in 50 nations with a total of 260 communities.

The Pauline Institute has 2,560 members and about 300 young women in formation. This international aspect of our Institute encourages a great love and respect for the diversity among cultures, and an emphasis on inculturation.

Over the years our ministry has continued to develop and change as society itself has progressed. Our founder encouraged us to learn and make use of the new forms of media as they emerge.

This spirit of change and adaptability is essential to the character of our Institute.
It gives us a very positive outlook on the future, and the courage to welcome the challenge of speaking about God in new ways to the people of each new generation.