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International Education Network
Compa in Brazil and worldwide
Compa has a history that, although it goes back four centuries, é fascinante e animadora. Sua leitura nos permite compreender sua proposta sempre atual e inovadora e, portanto, sua permanência no tempo.
In Europe at the beginning of the 17th century, when integral education was not even considered, especially when it came to women, Joan of Lestonnac, born in 1556, in Bordeaux, France, felt uneasy in the face of that reality and, from its experience of faith, she feels called by God to carry out the mission of educating girls and young women. From her hands and her passion for education, the first school dedicated specifically to the education of women was born, with a Project that has lasted until today. For this, Joana faced obstacles of all kinds, starting with the prejudices of the time in relation to the education of women.
In her mind and in her heart, the project of a Religious Congregation was also born, approved on April 7, 1607, by Pope Paul V, as the first female religious order dedicated to education.
Born into a family with a Catholic father and a Calvinist mother, Joan learned at an early age about dialogue and respect for diversity of thought and belief. Niece of the humanist philosopher Miguel de Montaigne (1533-1592), she inherited the best of Humanism and printed the values of Christian Humanism in the Educational Project.
A paixão de Joana pelo ensino, seu entusiasmo pela vida e pela cultura e sua profunda espiritualidade continuam inspirando as instituições da Companhia de Maria nos 28 países onde se encontra.
Joan of Lestonnac was canonized in 1949 by Pope Pius XII.
The Companhia de Maria started its presence in Brazil in 1936, with a group of nuns from Spain. The foundation of the Colégio da Companhia de Maria de São Paulo (Compa) took place on the day December 12, 1957, the day of Our Lady of Guadalupe. He started his activities in a small house, located at Rua Baltazar da Veiga, in the Vila Nova Conceição neighborhood, from where he later moved to the Rua Afonso Brás, nº. 847.
The Company of Mary was expanding. In the different countries and cultures in which it finds itself, like Joana de Lestonnac, it faces the challenge of adapting to each time and place. With a true passion for education and for young people, Joana often said that she wanted “to have a thousand lives to put them at the service of the educational mission”. Today, the Sisters of the Company of Mary, together with thousands of lay educators around the world, in harmonious partnership, are the "a thousand lives" that St. Joan of Lestonnac desired.
- Colleges: 86 units with a total of approximately 62,000 students.
- Social Works: 31 units with approximately 10,500 people served.
- Social Projects: 34, serving approximately 275,000 people.
- University residences: 11, which serve close to 600 university students.
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