Note 109 — Chapter VII · THE TEACHING CONGREGATIONS.—JESUITS AND JANSENISTS.

Religious congregations, as known in France, are associations of persons who, consecrating themselves to the service of God, make a vow to live in common under the same rule. Many of these congregations devote themselves to the work of teaching, and these are of two classes, the authorized and the unauthorized. For example, the “Brethren of the Christian Schools,” founded by La Salle, is an authorized, and the “Society of Jesus” an unauthorized, congregation. From statistics published in 1878, it appears that there were then in France, 24 congregations of men authorized to teach, and controlling 3096 establishments; and 528 similar congregations of women, controlling 16,478 establishments. At the same time there were 85 unauthorized congregations of men, and 260 unauthorized congregations of women, devoted to teaching. (P.)