Sr. Mary Lange, the founder of the Oblate Sisters of Providence, the first-ever Catholic religious order for women of African descent, has taken a significant step towards canonization in the Roman Catholic Church. The Dicastery for the Causes of Saints at the Vatican promulgated six decrees on June 22, recognizing the “heroic virtues” of five individuals and the martyrdom of 20 others killed in Spain in 1936. Among those acknowledged for their “heroic virtues” was Servant of God Mary Lange, who will now be known as “Venerable Mary Lange,” according to Vatican News.
The Oblate Sisters of Providence have been making headlines as of late. Sr. Wilhelmina Lancaster, a Catholic nun buried in Gower, Missouri, was initially a member of the Oblate Sisters of Providence before founding the Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles. Recently, it was discovered that Lancaster’s body had not decomposed in the four years since her death.
Elizabeth Lange, Sr. Mary Lange’s birth name, was born in Cuba in the late 18th century. She relocated to the United States in the early 1800s and settled in Baltimore, which would become her lifelong home. Lange was described as a courageous, loving, and deeply spiritual woman. Recognizing the lack of education available for African American children in Maryland, Lange, along with Maria Balas, started a school in their home in Baltimore’s Fells Point neighborhood. This endeavor eventually led to the establishment of the Oblate Sisters of Providence.
Father James Hector Joubert, a Sulpician priest, approached Lange and Balas after learning about the school they had started. He sought their assistance in founding a religious sisterhood dedicated to educating and caring for Black children. Lange and Balas accepted Joubert’s proposal, and with the addition of two more women, Rosine Boegue and Theresa Duchemin, they opened a Catholic school for girls in their convent at 5 St. Mary’s Ct. in Baltimore. The school, known as St. Frances Academy, is still operational today.
The Oblate Sisters of Providence became the first congregation of African American women religious in the history of the Catholic Church. Their mission was to educate and evangelize African Americans while also meeting the needs of the times. They provided education and care for orphans, educated freed slaves, nursed the terminally ill during the cholera epidemic in 1832, and offered assistance to the elderly. Lange served as the first superior general of the Oblate Sisters of Providence from 1829 to 1832 and again from 1835 to 1841.
Mother Mary Lange passed away on February 3, 1882, at Saint Frances Convent in Baltimore. Her influence can still be felt today within Baltimore’s Catholic community. The Oblate Sisters of Providence continue their work, and in 2019, the Archdiocese of Baltimore announced the opening of “Mother Mary Lange Catholic School,” the first new school in Baltimore City in 60 years. The school primarily serves students in Baltimore’s Poppleton neighborhood, with most students receiving tuition assistance and not necessarily being Catholics.
Sr. Mary Lange’s cause for canonization began in 1991. The process requires the verification of a miracle attributed to her intercession, typically involving a medically unexplainable healing. Once the Vatican approves the miracle, the person is declared “Venerable” and then undergoes further investigation with the requirement of a second miracle for canonization.
In conclusion, Sr. Mary Lange’s journey towards canonization is a significant step that recognizes her pioneering work as the founder of the Oblate Sisters of Providence and her dedication to educating and caring for African American children. Her impact is still felt today in the continued endeavors of the religious order and the establishment of Mother Mary Lange Catholic School.
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