History
September 8, 1946: Bishop Dominic Maria Hồ Ngọc Cẩn officially established the Daughters of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary – Bùi Chu at Trung Linh, Bùi Chu, Vietnam. Despite many initial hardships and challenges, the Bishop patiently guided, supported, and formed the congregation of sisters.
November 27, 1948: Bishop Dominic Maria, the founding bishop, was called home to the Lord after an acute illness.
1949: The first General Chapter elected the first Superior General. Mother Maria Catarina became the Congregation's first Superior General.
July 15, 1954: Following the partition of Vietnam, a number of Rosary Sisters migrated from North to South Vietnam. On July 18, 1954, they arrived safely at Bạch Đằng Port in Saigon. Of the Congregation's 129 sisters, 90 moved to the South while 39 remained in the North.
In South Vietnam, the Congregation established its motherhouse at 302 Thánh Mẫu Street (now 94 Bành Văn Trân Street), Chí Hòa Parish, Archdiocese of Saigon, with 90 professed sisters and 13 novices.
May 3, 1962: According to a directive from the Sacred Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith, the congregation in South Vietnam came under the jurisdiction of the Archdiocese of Saigon. Thus known as the Daughters of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary -Chi Hoa.
February 20, 1967: At the invitation of the Archbishop of Philadelphia, 12 Vietnamese Rosary Sisters left their homeland to begin ministry in Philadelphia, USA. Today, the Queen of Peace Province (USA) has its provincial headquarters in New Orleans.
April 30, 1975: The historic events of 1975 marked a new chapter in the Congregation's history. The sisters dispersed to various regions, sharing the lives of local communities through different forms of work while gradually continuing the Congregation's mission in education, evangelization, pastoral ministry, social service, and charitable works.
July 4, 1995: The Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life confirmed by official letter that the Southern branch of the Rosary Sisters remained under the Archdiocese of Saigon, in accordance with the 1962 decision of the Sacred Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith.
Throughout many stages of history, the Sisters of Our Lady of the Rosary expanded their presence and ministry throughout numerous dioceses in Vietnam and abroad. The Congregation grew spiritually, achieved greater financial stability, developed stronger community life, and experienced increasing vocations. As the sisters served in diverse cultural and social settings, it became necessary to restructure the Congregation's governance to better facilitate inculturation, adaptation, and collaboration with local Churches and communities, thereby serving people more effectively.
October 3, 2003: The 18th General Chapter, held at Chí Hòa, Ho Chi Minh City, elected a new Superior General and General Council for the 2003–2007 term. It also established two provinces:
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Annunciation Province – Vietnam
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Queen of Peace Province – United States