Sœur Emmanuelle
Encyclopedia
Sœur Emmanuelle born Madeleine Cinquin, was a Belgian
and French
nun
(she was later honoured with Egyptian Nationality in 1991).
, Belgium, the daughter of a French father and a Belgian mother. Her parents were wealthy lingerie manufacturers. At the age of six she saw her father drown
. She was educated at the Sorbonne
, earning a degree in philosophy
. In 1929, she took her religious vows and became a nun in the Congregation of Notre-Dame de Sion
.
With the 1930s, she started working as a teacher at Notre-Dame de Sion high school in Istanbul
where she lived until the 1960s, with teaching engagements of several years in Tunis
and Alexandria
in between.
In 1971, she witnessed the impoverished conditions of the trash collectors
in Cairo
, Egypt
, and decided to live among them. She remained there until 1993, when she returned to France
. It was upon her return that she gained the status of a media sensation in France, as she was well received by audiences and talk-show hosts.
In addition to her charity work, she was known for her unorthodox religious views, including her approval of the use of contraception
and of the idea of allowing priest
s to marry
. She was voted one of the most popular people in both France
and Belgium
, and has been compared to Mother Teresa
, although she herself regarded the comparison as "ridiculous". In 2003, French television
broadcast Soeur Emmanuelle: An Exceptional Woman. In 2005 she ended in fifth place in the Walloon version of Le plus grand Belge
(The Greatest Belgian).
She died on October 20, 2008 in Callian
in her sleep from natural causes at the age of 99, less than four weeks from celebrating her 100th birthday.
Les Amis de Soeur Emmanuelle (The Friends of Sister Emmanuelle) is a charitable organization based in Brussels.
French Singer Calogero dedicated a song to her named "Yalla" which means move on, move forward in Arabic something she was famous for saying, the song was sung to her for her 98th birthday.
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
and French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
nun
Nun
A nun is a woman who has taken vows committing her to live a spiritual life. She may be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent...
(she was later honoured with Egyptian Nationality in 1991).
Life
She was born in BrusselsBrussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
, Belgium, the daughter of a French father and a Belgian mother. Her parents were wealthy lingerie manufacturers. At the age of six she saw her father drown
Drowning
Drowning is death from asphyxia due to suffocation caused by water entering the lungs and preventing the absorption of oxygen leading to cerebral hypoxia....
. She was educated at the Sorbonne
Sorbonne
The Sorbonne is an edifice of the Latin Quarter, in Paris, France, which has been the historical house of the former University of Paris...
, earning a degree in philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
. In 1929, she took her religious vows and became a nun in the Congregation of Notre-Dame de Sion
Congregation of Notre-Dame de Sion
The Congregation of Notre-Dame de Sion is a Roman Catholic religious order of women founded in France in 1843 by Theodor Ratisbonne, encouraged by his brother Alphonse Ratisbonne, with the purpose of promoting the conversion of Jews to Christianity. The congregation established several educational...
.
With the 1930s, she started working as a teacher at Notre-Dame de Sion high school in Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
where she lived until the 1960s, with teaching engagements of several years in Tunis
Tunis
Tunis is the capital of both the Tunisian Republic and the Tunis Governorate. It is Tunisia's largest city, with a population of 728,453 as of 2004; the greater metropolitan area holds some 2,412,500 inhabitants....
and Alexandria
Alexandria
Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...
in between.
In 1971, she witnessed the impoverished conditions of the trash collectors
Zabbaleen
The Zabbaleen are a minority religious community of Coptic Christians who have served as Cairo's informal garbage collectors for approximately the past 70 to 80 years. Zabbaleen means "Garbage people" in Egyptian Arabic...
in Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, and decided to live among them. She remained there until 1993, when she returned to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. It was upon her return that she gained the status of a media sensation in France, as she was well received by audiences and talk-show hosts.
In addition to her charity work, she was known for her unorthodox religious views, including her approval of the use of contraception
Birth control
Birth control is an umbrella term for several techniques and methods used to prevent fertilization or to interrupt pregnancy at various stages. Birth control techniques and methods include contraception , contragestion and abortion...
and of the idea of allowing priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
s to marry
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
. She was voted one of the most popular people in both France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, and has been compared to Mother Teresa
Mother Teresa
Mother Teresa , born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu , was a Roman Catholic nun of Albanian ethnicity and Indian citizenship, who founded the Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta, India, in 1950...
, although she herself regarded the comparison as "ridiculous". In 2003, French television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
broadcast Soeur Emmanuelle: An Exceptional Woman. In 2005 she ended in fifth place in the Walloon version of Le plus grand Belge
Le plus grand Belge
Le plus grand Belge , was a television show on the Belgian French-speaking public channel RTBF. In the program the audience could vote for the greatest Belgian by using the website, sending an SMS or using the telephone...
(The Greatest Belgian).
She died on October 20, 2008 in Callian
Callian, Var
Callian is a commune in the Var department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.-See also:*Communes of the Var department*-References:*...
in her sleep from natural causes at the age of 99, less than four weeks from celebrating her 100th birthday.
Les Amis de Soeur Emmanuelle (The Friends of Sister Emmanuelle) is a charitable organization based in Brussels.
See also
- Maggie Gobran
French Singer Calogero dedicated a song to her named "Yalla" which means move on, move forward in Arabic something she was famous for saying, the song was sung to her for her 98th birthday.