Spermalie school Brugge

In 1836, Charles Louis Carton (1802-1863), inspired by Leo De Foere and with the approval of the Bishop of Bruges, founded a school for deaf and blind children, known as the Institute for the Deaf and Blind and later as the Royal Institute Spermalie. The institution was housed in the former Jesuit college on Spiegelrij. In 1840, Carton had the opportunity to purchase the old Cistercian Abbey of Spermalie on Snaggaardstraat. Together with the sisters, he founded a girls' boarding school and a kindergarten there in 1842. Following the Second Vatican Council, the religious and community life of the Sisters of the Childhood of Mary was characterized by renewal, spiritual reinvigoration, and a modification of the rule. In terms of apostolate, the congregation, stimulated by the increasing aging of the monastic community in the second half of the 20th century, decided to involve more laypeople in the management and organization of the institutions. The institutions were transformed into separate non-profit organizations. The services and/or educational offerings also underwent changes. Thus, the Royal Institute Spermalie evolved into a more broadly conceived medical-pedagogical institute. In 1968, the congregation also founded a "Non-Profit Organization for Hearing and Speech Rehabilitation." In 1973, laypeople were included in its management.

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