This year for Mary Ward Week*, in celebration of the Jubilee Year of Hope, the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary / Loretto Sisters (IBVM) and Congregation of Jesus (CJ) recognize Mary Ward as a Pilgrim of Hope. We honour her tenacity and determination to realize God’s dream for her and her Institute, no matter the cost or obstacle she encountered. Her life embodies the call of Pope Francis to be a Pilgrim of Hope. In Spes non confundit, he writes:
Everyone knows what it is to hope. In the heart of each person, hope dwells as the desire and expectation of good things to come, despite our not knowing what the future may bring. Even so, uncertainty about the future may at times give rise to conflicting feelings, ranging from confident trust to apprehensiveness, from serenity to anxiety, from firm conviction to hesitation and doubt.
No doubt Mary Ward experienced this range of emotions as she faced the suppression of her Institute even as she fully believed in God’s call to her and the contribution her Institute could make to a world in need. Her absolute confidence in God’s will gives us, her members and the world, an example of hope in adversity.
We reflect on her life and charism and ponder her gift to the Church and world today. We recall her boldness of vision: called to work for the greater glory of God, to found her Institute in the same manner and form as the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits), grounded in Ignatian spirituality and the Spiritual Exercises, freedom of movement, governed by women, and in service of the Church and world.
As followers in her footsteps, the members of the IBVM and CJ strive to be women marked by the virtues of freedom, justice, sincerity, and joy. We seek to be free from attachment to earthly things, free for all good works, and free to ‘refer all to God’, that is, to find God in all things and in all things find God. We are graced with justice – striving for the greater good, sincerity – that ‘we appear as we are and we are as we appear’, and we joyfully live a life of service in relationship with God and others.
A Pilgrimage of Hope
2025 is a special year for the IBVM and CJ. As was shared in a previous InsightOut post by Sr. Evanne Hunter, the two congregations are moving towards merger. 2025 is the year it will become a reality. During Mary Ward Week, then, we celebrate not only Mary Ward as a Pilgrim of Hope but the entire pilgrimage of hope toward merger the two congregations have been undertaking.
Since our founding in 1609 by Mary Ward and her companions, several branches of the Institute developed due to circumstances of history and geography. This was not the dream of our founder and, during the past century, the call to union was strong and several mergers/re-unions occurred. Notable milestones along the pilgrimage toward merger include:
- 1900: Gonzaga Barry, founder of the Australian Province of the IBVM pushed for merger/union at a meeting in Rome with the leaders of all Mary Ward foundations
- 1953: Reunion of the CJ German-speaking branches
- Merger/reunion of IBVM Irish groups with Rathfarnham, Dublin: Omagh (1934), Navan (1969), Fermoy (1987)
- 1983: First meeting of the General Superiors of the IBVM and CJ branches in Rome – North American branch, Roman branch, Irish branch
- 2003: Merger/reunion of the North American branch and Irish branch to become the Loreto branch (IBVM)
- 2019: Formal process of discernment and reflection toward Becoming One
- 2022: Unanimous votes to formally move toward merger at the General Congregations (meetings) of the IBVM and CJ
Timeline to Merger
Just as in the past, the pilgrimage toward merger in 2025 will be marked with milestones along the way:
- January 23 – 30: Mary Ward Week 2025, celebrating Mary Ward as a Pilgrim of Hope
- February to July: A worldwide Spiritual Journey of prayer and reflection, open to our associates, alumni, and any friends who would like to pray with us
- July 31: Feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola, on which each IBVM sister will take a formal vote to join the CJ
- November 4: Our official merger date, pending an affirmative outcome. November marks the founding of the Loreto branch in 1822 in Ireland by Teresa Ball, and will also be the day on which IBVM sisters become CJ sisters
Will the merger be messy at first? Probably! We are following a new path and many unknowns lie ahead of us. Our name in Canada will formally become the Congregation of Jesus, although we will remain known as the Loretto Sisters. With this change in name, however, comes something much more significant. The merger offers us an experience of renewal, of ressourcement – a return to the roots of our charism, mission, and spirituality, affirming their significance for the world today. It is an opportunity to read hope in the ‘signs of the times’ and share our enthusiasm for our life and mission. Together, as one global Congregation of Jesus, we will discover and deepen a shared sense of identity. The merger allows us to experiment with new practices and customs, to learn from other cultural experiences of the charism and mission. We find hope in the evolution of Mary Ward’s Institute, trusting in God’s will for us, and joyfully living Mary Ward’s dream become reality.
Our Invitation to the University of St. Michael’s College
We invite our colleagues and friends at USMC to join us in preparation and celebration this year: Pray with our booklet for Mary Ward Week. Watch for an invitation to join our Spiritual Journey. Pray for our vote on July 31st. Celebrate with gusto on November 4th!
Beginning January 31st, visit ibvm.ca/becoming-one to join us in the pilgrimage toward merger.
* From January 23rd (Mary Ward’s birthday in 1585) until January 30th (the date of her death in 1645), the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary/Loretto Sisters (IBVM) and Congregation of Jesus (CJ) celebrate Mary Ward Week, in honour of our founder.
Read other InsightOut posts.