The Congregation of the Sisters of the Cross had its humble beginnings in the year 1838 in a small village called Chavanod in the beautiful mountainous region of Haute Savoie in France. The situation created by the French Revolution and the Industrialization of Europe affected very much the Socio-economic conditions of France and especially the region of Savoie. At this Time, there lived at Chavanod, a pious, energetic and devoted person: Claudine Echernier, belonging to an extremely poor family. In the presbytery of Chavanod, she began to gather around her, children and young girls of the parish, in order to teach them reading, writing and catechism. Fr. Peter Mermier, a Zealous priest and Founder of the Missionaries of St. Francis de Sales was deeply moved by the poverty and illiteracy that prevailed among the poor in the society and he sought for ways and means to remedy the situation. He envisaged the founding of a new type of religious congregation which would permit poor young girls to live a consecrated life in the midst of the world. During a Mission he preached at Chavanod in 1838, where he met Claudine Echernier. Some of the Girls who came to her every Sunday were animated by the fervour that she communicated and yearned to dedicate themselves totally to God and to the service of his people. The intuition of Fr.Mermier and his apostolic sense enlightened by the Holy Spirit and stimulated by the needs of the times, permitted this nucleus of young girls gathered around Claudine, to become the first community of the “Sisters of the Cross”