The congregation of the little Servants pf Mary Immaculate (LSMI) was founded in 1850 by Edmund Bojanowski in Poland. He dedicated his life to the service of those in greatest need in the Archdiocese of Poznan, Poland, then under foreign occupation.
Born in the Villa Grabonóg on Nov. 14, 1814, Edmund Bojanowski was the son of devout, patriotic landed gentry. After his studies, he heard the cry of the suffering of the deprived and became a servant of abandoned children, the sick, and of those most in need. He shared with them his material goods, and dedicated to them his spiritual gifts, his literary and pedagogical talents.
He undertook various initiatives, organizing day nursery schools, a home for orphans, relief for the sick, village libraries and activities. Edmund Bojanowski interpreted the Gospel literally and his life expressed this in acts of love, of respect, and of dedication to the service of others.
These values and skills were transmitted to the religious family, the Little Servant Sisters of the Immaculate Conception, which he founded on May 3, 1850 to provide for the needs of the people. The very title is linked to that of the Blessed Virgin Mary, to whom he was devoted.
In his last testament, Edmund Bojanowski repeated his recommendation of simplicity and mutual love to his sisters, telling them that the rest the Holy Spirit will teach them. He passed on Aug. 7, 1871, at Górka Duchowna in the shadow of the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Consolation. Pope John Paul II declared him Blessed in Warsaw on June 13, 1999.
Today the Little Servant Sisters of Stara Wies, near Brzozow, are worldwide. Besides Poland and the United States, the congregation is represented in Rome, Germany, Moscow, and on missions in Moldova, Ukraine, Russian Eastern Siberia, and in Zambia, South Africa, Malawi and Tanzania. The sisters regard their service -especially to children, the deprived, the sick and the elderly- as their main mission received from God through their founder Blessed Edmund Bojanowski. In 2018 the congregation celebrated 90 years in Africa and 70 years in South Africa.
The Little Servants of Mary Immaculate (LSMI) South Africa