Anne Eugenie Milleret, was born in Metz, France in 1817, of a family of little faith but who was passionate about politics and social justice.  Her life here was carefree.  She spent her time playing with her brother in the wide open fields and with her mother; she visited the poor families and the sick that lived nearby.  This was where her social orientation was born.

        Marie Eugenie's First Communion, at the age of 12, was a life-changing experience of grace.  Upon receiving the host, she suddenly felt herself lovingly taken up before the very Presence of God.  Throughout her life, she would speak of this mystical experience as what sustained her and gave her strength in time of great trials.        

        When she was 13, her father lost all his money, their beautiful estate was sold, her parents separated and the family split up. She went to live with her mother in Paris.  Two years later, her mother caught cholera and died within a few hours/  Grief-stricken helpless, and lacking in spiritual comfort, the 15 year old Anne Eugenie now faced a new world completely stripped of everything and everyone dearest to her.  

        For almost 4 years, she stayed with two different families, outwardly having a goof time but inwardly alone and restless, searching for the meaning of life.  Anne Eugenie, now 19, found herself in the Cathedral of Notre Dame, in Paris.  There, listening to a talk on the Incarnation, by a young and popular preacher, called Lacordaire, she was converted to Christ and the Church.  She found that he Gospel made sense of her life, and decided to give her life to Jesus Christ. Another priest, Fr. Combalot, persuaded her that the best way to collaborate with Jesus in making the world what God wanted it to be, was to start a new religious family dedicated to education - the Religious of the Assumption.  

        Preparing herself by study and prayer, Anne Eugenie, choosing Marie Eugenie as her religious name, became a Foundress at 22 with 4 other young women.  A woman of vigorous faith, responsive to the needs of their time but with her gaze fixed on the future, she longed for the extension of God's Kingdom and believed that the transformation of society could be achieved through living the Gospel values.  She taught that faith in Jesus Christ impels us to be involved in contemporary social issues.  All action should flow from a life of love and prayer.  

        The Religious of the Assumption unite contemplation with the various aspects of education.  The source of their apostolic dynamism is found in their life of prayer, adoration, and their strong community life.  Today, the Congregation is in 34 countries in 4 continents.