2. Foundation in Ghent and the growth of the Congregation under the aegis of P.J. Triest 1805-1836).

The success of the new foundation had not escaped the notice of the religious and civil leaders of the city of Ghent. On 29 May 1805 Mgr. Fallot de Beaumont and the Prefect Faipoult accompanied by the Burgomaster Delafaille of Ghent went to visit the little convent in Lovendegem. They saw in Triest and his sisters the solution for the problems of the care of the terminally ill in Ghent and they asked Triest to consider extending his field of action in their town. Already in 1803 the town council had measured up the ancient Cistercian Abbey of Terhagen in the Rue des Meuniers, with a view to converting it into a hospice for the terminally ill. This abbey was now offered to the Sisters of Charity to serve as convent and as hospital. On 30th July 1805 Triest set off for Ghent with six sisters.

2.1. Terhagen and official approval.

Having been left empty for a long time, the abbey was practically uninhabitable. The city of Ghent paid for the most urgent repairs. The equipment in the hospice was of the most rudimentary but a few weeks later patients arrived. The majority of the patients were sent by the Hospice Commission in return for the payment of a sum of money, which, as it happened, was totally inadequate. The sisters had to ensure day to day care. The hospital could, in addition, accept patients on its own initiative. Some of these paid for their own keep, while for others appeals were made to benefactors. There was also a section set aside for the elderly who received board and lodging in return for payment. Beside the entrance to the hospice a pharmacy was set up which also provided medicines for the poor of the area. Life was very hard for the six sisters, at least in the beginning. There were many patients and there was a great need for beds and helping hands. Fortunately some new postulants entered soon.

At the beginning of 1806 Triest set off for Paris where he was received in audience by Cardinal Caprara, the Papal Legate and by Portalis, Minister of Religion. The Statutes were examined and on 25th June, he received the Emperor's approval of the Congregation. He set off home at once without waiting for the official recognition of the grant of Terhagen to the Sisters of Charity. The confirmation of this grant was assured by an imperial decree off 18 September 1806.

Shortly after his return Triest, with the approval of the Bishop of Ghent, established the Confraternity of the Sacred Heart in the restored chapel of the Convent which was semi-public. In 1806 the Bishop appointed Triest Superior General of the Sisters of Charity for life. On this same occasion he was given the title of honorary Canon of the Cathedral of Ghent. The fledging foundation in Ghent had got off to a promising start.

2.2. Papal and episcopal approval of the Constitutions and Rule (1816 - 1820).

The Congregation developed rapidly. In 1816 there were 83 sisters divided among the six houses in Flanders. A rule became more and more necessary. Basing them on the experience of the day to day living of convent life, P.J. Triest was to draw up the 96 Articles of the Constitutions. Armed with the Bishop's recommendation, in the spring of 1816 he set out for Rome with the aim of obtaining papal approval. By placing himself under the direct authority of the Pope, Triest was ensuring a solid basis and, at the same time, the possibility of extending his Congregation beyond the boundaries of the diocese of Ghent and even of Belgium itself. However he continued to recognise the authority of the Bishop and even stipulated in the Constitutions: "The Congregation is under the immediate authority of his Lordship the Bishop of Ghent". In this way was born a form of government, which was in fact an anomaly as far as the code of Canon Law was concerned. In 1958 this duality disappeared with the suppression, imposed by Rome, of the post of Superior General.

On 4th April 1816 P.J. Triest put his request before Pope Pius VII and after the introduction of a few modifications, the Constitutions were approved on 9 September of that same year. In the course of the following years Triest worked at the development of the Statutes and on 20 January 1820 the Bishop of Ghent gave them his approval.

2.3. Government of the Congregation.

The Superior General was, as mentioned above, appointed for life by the Bishop of Ghent. Beside him there was a Reverend Mother General elected for a period of six years by the professed sisters of the Mother house and the superiors of the other houses, each accompanied by one sister. The Reverend Mother could be re-elected without any special procedure. The two Superiors governed the Congregation together. There was, however, a division of tasks between them. The "Reverend Father’s sphere was in particular the material and financial. He managed everything to do with property, such as the purchase of houses or land, loans, mortgages, etc. The "Reverend Mother" was chiefly responsible for the religious life and welfare of the Sisters. In this she was assisted by the Sister Vicaress, also called second superior, who replaced the Reverend Mother when absent. At her side there were 4 sisters, appointed by the Superiors General, whose office was that of counsellor. The Superiors General also appointed the local Superiors. The latter were responsible for the Sisters of their community and for the day to day running of their convent. They were required to account regularly to the general government.

2.4. The daily life and work of the sisters.

"The hallmark, or distinctive characteristics of the Sisters of Charity are: exact observance of the Rule, gentleness in all their demeanour, evangelical simplicity, perfect union among themselves, charity towards every kind of unfortune, silence, complete submission of heart and mind, love of work, finally complete detachment from everything..." This 96th and last article of the Constitutions lists the four vows pronounced by the Sisters viz... poverty, chastity, obedience and the exercise of works of charity. Emphasis was at the same time laid on exact observance of the Rule. This comprised the Constitutions and Statutes, which determined the Sisters' lives right down to the smallest detail both on spiritual and material level.

The Rule followed by the Sisters was strict. Their life was one of work and prayer, which began at 4 o'clock in the morning. After three hours of prayer, daily Mass and Chapter, the Sisters were allowed a modest breakfast, after which the day's work began. This lasted till 6.30 p.m. and was interrupted only by examination of conscience, the hours of the Office and dinner followed by recreation. Once work was over a meditation was scheduled before the evening meal. After evening recreation Compline was said, proceeded by an examination of conscience. The Sisters went to bed a little after 8.00 p.m. A strict silence was observed in the convent except during the recreations. The Sisters were to a large extent cut off from the outside world; they were not allowed to leave the convent. An article of the Constitutions, however, refers to caring for the sick in their own homes but this was soon withdrawn. From this time on the sisters never left the house. Visits were rare and allowed only to parents and guardians, letters were read by the superior before being despatched or received; Outsiders were not allowed into the convent itself but only into the guest quarters. The vow of poverty was strictly observed. The sisters possessed nothing of their own and each year changed beds, books, crucifixes, and rosaries, in a word all they had at their disposal. The superiors lived like the Sisters and were specially warned of the dangers inherent in the management of goods and money. The Constitutions and Statues described in detail the physical aspects of the Sisters' lives: clothing, food, sleep, cleaning ... The sisters had to obey their Superior in all things but Triest also stipulated: "As the Sisters must be prompt to obey, so the Superiors will be slow and cautious in commanding, and will proceed rather by proposal than by order". Besides, all the Sisters without distinction had to obey the Rule.

The life of prayer was also closely regulated. The Rule laid down which Office had to be said, how much time must be devoted to meditation, to the examination of conscience and to personal prayer, the frequency of confession and communion, etc. Each year the Sisters made a ten-day retreat and in each house a novena was made to reflect on the local situation. Right from the beginning perpetual adoration in honour of the Sacred Heart of Jesus was organised in the Congregation. Triest himself outlined a system to ensure its survival. This adoration still goes on.

The organisation of the work within the convent entailed the creation of a whole series of posts. Besides the superior, there were counsellors, a zelatrice, a bursar, a hostess, a "mistress of the sick", a "mistress of the wardrobe" and a "portress". One or more sisters were assigned to the kitchen, waiting at table, work in the chapel, general cleaning and the laundry.

Of course the sisters had their work outside the enclosure, in the care of the sick or in teaching. There was a series of special rules to cover these services. The Nursing Sisters were expected to carry out all the tasks in the hospital or hospice and to care for all the patients with gentleness and charity. As a rule the care of the sick took precedence over attendance at Office. The "Mistress of the Sick" was in charge of the nurses and organised the work. She had to be strictly obeyed. No real training was provided, the sisters acquired their skills on the job.

In education there was a strong emphasis on unity among the Sisters themselves and between them and their pupils. The latter had to be treated with affection and charity. Corporal punishment was banned and so were other harsh punishments. Strict supervision of the pupils was expected always. The aim of these rules was to give the teaching sisters guidance in the exercise of their calling and to foster in their pupils orderliness, discipline, and a sense of the Divine. This tough life of work and prayer nevertheless exercised a strong attraction. The combination of a monastic discipline quasi-Bernardine with a life of service to the poor and sick in the tradition of St. Vincent, became for many the response to the call to a life consecrated to God and one's neighbour.

2.5. Achievements at the time of P.J. Triest's death (1836)

On 24 June 1836, P.J. Triest died after a short illness. He left a great void but his work went on. The Congregation of the Sisters of Charity had developed in these 33 years and had become a robust Congregation numbering 196 members and 15 houses spread throughout Belgium.

Twelve of these houses ran a hospice for the terminally ill where 610 patients in all were cared for. For the most part the Charity Board (the O.C.M.W. of today) paid for their keep. This did not cover all their expenses and so nearly everywhere a certain number of residents was accepted and appeals were made to benefactors. Most of the patients did not leave the hospice after their admission. The name "Hospice for Terminally Ill" was, alas, justified. In addition to these hospices the Sisters of Charity had a 45-bed hospital in Renaix. The two houses in Ghent had an annex in the form of a pharmacy, which distributed medicines to the poor of the district for free.

In three places in the country there were institutions for mentally ill women, who totalled 145. The Congregation had undertaken psychiatric care in Ghent when, in 1807, Triest had been appointed a member of the Commission for Order and Economy. In this capacity he came face to face with the way the mentally ill were treated in the "Hospice no.8", in the Korte Violettenstraat, close to the Zandpoort (known locally as Zottepoort, the Fool's Gate). The inhuman conditions of the patients confined there prompted Triest to propose to the Hospices Committee the transfer of the care of these patients to his Congregation. On 4th April 1808 he accompanied to the hospice four sisters who at once set about improving the living conditions in the institution. Having in mind the scientific approach to the care of the mentally ill, P.J. Triest appointed the young doctor Joseph Guislain as Medical Director of the asylum. It was thus that this Institute, together with that of the Brothers of Charity was for quite a time the only one in the Low Countries to enjoy the services of a Psychiatrist. In 1829 P.J. Triest and Dr. Guislain together worked out a set of rules for the homes for mentally ill. At its heart was the idea that the patients responded to patience, tact and kindness. Another apostolate of the Sisters of Charity was education. The Congregation was responsible for the education of 1148 pupils divided up among 7 free schools for poor children and in seven "Flemish schools". In a few places classes were held on Sundays for children who could not go to school during the week because they were working at home. There were also 5 boarding schools for more prolonged education and in which the common language was French. The children in these schools were essentially middle-class.

In addition, the Congregation was involved in special education. At this time, the "abnormal" were divided into three groups: the mentally ill, the deaf and the blind. The distinction between "mentally handicapped" and "mentally ill" had not yet been made, with the result that mentally handicapped children were cared for in homes for the mentally ill. It is doubtful whether any particular educational approach had been devised for them, as had been done for the deaf. In the course of 1819, P.J. Triest decided to open a school for deaf-mutes. With this in mind he sent Jeanne Verhulst, later Sr. Vincentia, to the National Institute for Deaf-Mutes in Paris, to acquire suitable methods of teaching reading. On her return to Ghent and after making Profession she became Head of the Institute for Deaf-Mutes which opened its doors on 6 March 1820. This Institute, financed by the Congregation, was the first of its kind in Belgium. The fees for many of these children were paid by their local Charitable Boards or by benefactors. The method principally used was sign language with the aim of drawing the deaf-mutes out of their isolation. A few years later a similar institution was opened in Brussels. On the of death of Triest the two institutes counted together 78 pupils. This meant that the Sisters of Charity were educating 20% of all the deaf-mutes in Belgium. In Brussels five blind children were also being educated, a sector which was later to be developed.

In all in 1836 the Sisters were educating 1478 normal or deaf children, looking after 900 sick or mentally ill patients, 53 orphans and had charge of two pharmacies. The development of all these services would be continued during the superiorship of Benoît De Decker, P.J. Triest's successor.