France
France's Sister Emmanuelle dies at 99
Monday 20 October 2008
Sister Emmanuelle, a Catholic nun who dedicated her life to helping the poor, has died at the age of 99, according to a statement from ASMAE, an aid organisation she founded.
Monday 20 October 2008
By FRANCE 24 with AFP (text) / Kate Williams (video)Sister Emmanuelle, a Franco-Belgian nun known for her work with the poor in Egypt, Tunisia and elsewhere around the world, died Monday at the age of 99.
A representative from ASMAE, an aid organisation she founded, told AFP that Emmanuelle spoke of being tired but was not suffering from any particular illness. She died in her sleep overnight.
Born Madeleine Cinquin in Brussels on Nov. 16, 1908 to a French father and a Belgian mother, she spent her childhood in Paris, London and Brussels. In 1931 at the age of 22 she took her vows to become a nun at the Notre Dame de Sion congregation, choosing the name Sister Emmanuelle, meaning "God is with us".
In 1980, Emanuelle founded ASMAE, an organisation she described as "secular and apolitical", to provide health and education assistance to poor children and their families. Today, ASMAE is active in nine countries worldwide.
Noted in particular for her work with garbage workers in the slums of Cairo, in 1993 her superiors asked her to leave Egypt to retire in France.
A mass will be given in her memory in Paris. No date has been set as of yet.
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Our condolences
By Manuel M.Butardo - Guinayangan,Quezon 4319 Philippines
In behalf of the people of the Municipality of Guinayangan,Quezon,Philippines,which is one of the many benificiaries of Sister Emmanuelles' ASMAE schoolbuilding projects around the world, I wish to convey our deepest condolences to the family of Sister Emmanuelle and to the ASMAE for her passing awaywhich deeply saddened us.Our people will never ever forget the benevolence and kindness of Sister Emmanuelle.May she now enjoy her reward in heaven.May i also take this oppurtunity to thank the 5 French ladies who volunteered to construct said schoolbuilding...Manuel M.Butardo,former Mayor,Guinayangan,Quezon,Philippines