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James Alberione | Thecla Merlo | Pauline Spirituality & Mission | Formation | E-mail Us

Who are the Daughters of St Paul?

The Daughters of St. Paul began in Northern Italy in 1915, when Fr 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 Thecla Merlo to be our first
Superior General. These two were remarkable leaders and it was through their faith and guidance that we received firm foundations and continued to grow.

Our beginnings were humble. We started out by printing and distributing Bibles and
catechisms in 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. 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.

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