{"id":23484,"date":"2025-11-05T14:15:21","date_gmt":"2025-11-05T14:15:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/communications.amecea.org\/?p=23484"},"modified":"2025-11-05T14:15:21","modified_gmt":"2025-11-05T14:15:21","slug":"kenya-institute-of-the-blessed-virgin-mary-and-congregation-of-jesus-unite-in-historic-merger","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/communications.amecea.org\/index.php\/2025\/11\/05\/kenya-institute-of-the-blessed-virgin-mary-and-congregation-of-jesus-unite-in-historic-merger\/","title":{"rendered":"KENYA: Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Congregation of Jesus Unite in Historic Merger"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sr. Jecinter Antoinette Okoth, FSSA<\/em><\/p>\n

The Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary (IBVM), commonly known as the Loreto Sisters, and the Congregation of Jesus (CJ) officially merged into a single congregation on Tuesday, November 4, 2025, bringing to fruition a dream envisioned by the foundress of both congregations, Venerable Mary Ward.<\/p>\n

Following years of prayer, reflection, and discernment, the formal proclamation of the merger took place during a special Mass in Loyola, Spain, presided over by Fr. Arturo Sosa, the General Superior of the Society of Jesus.<\/p>\n

The unified congregation, which has become a canonical and legal reality, will now be known as the Congregation Jesus, bringing together approximately 1,800 sisters worldwide who are committed to continuing the mission of evangelization, education, and service, inspired by Mary Ward\u2019s Charism and the spirituality of St. Ignatius of Loyola.<\/p>\n

Proclaiming the merger during the Holy Mass on Tuesday, the General Superior of the Congregation of Jesus, Sr. Veronica Fuhrmann, said, \u201cWe are very happy that we can finally fulfill Mary Ward\u2019s dream of a united congregation of women religious with the same constitutions as those of the Society of Jesus.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThroughout history, but especially during the last years, we have journeyed in close connection. We share the same charism, values, and understanding of mission. Seeing this union now realized not only in sisterly and spiritual but also in canonical and legal terms fills us all with great joy and deep gratitude,\u201d Sr. Fuhrmann added.<\/p>\n

She reflected on the spiritual significance of the historic event and described it as a moment of joy rooted in Ignatian spirituality.<\/p>\n

She reminded the Sisters that this \u201cUnion of minds and hearts\u201d is a precious gift that must be \u201ccarefully and lovingly nurtured\u201d to remain strong in the face of future challenges.<\/p>\n

Drawing from St. Ignatius\u2019 Spiritual Exercises, she noted that joy is a key sign of spiritual consolation, saying, \u201cWhen we are truly joyful, this joy permeates all areas of our being and actions\u2026 Joyful people seek communication and encounter; they radiate hope and confidence, and can face the future without fear, even if it is challenging.\u201d<\/p>\n

Besides, she added, \u201cTrue joy always has a transcendent character; it reaches beyond earthly things and ultimately leads to God. Today is such a day of joy, and we are compelled to share and spread it as we embrace our shared future with a generous yes.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the Sisters celebrated the day\u2019s liturgy, they renewed their vows as an outward sign of their unity in faith, reaffirming their openness to be faithful companions of Mary Ward.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe ask the Lord to shower His blessings upon our united congregation, upon this new phase in our history, and to keep us in this joyful \u2018Union of Minds and Hearts\u2019 for His greater glory and the good of those to whom we are sent,\u201d Sr. Fuhrmann concluded.<\/p>\n

The Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Congregation of Jesus trace their origins to the early 17th century through the pioneering vision of Mary Ward (1585\u20131645). The 2025 merger marks the full realization of Mary Ward\u2019s dream: a united congregation of women religious living and serving under one constitution, one spirit, and one mission, a milestone of hope, unity, and faith for the universal Church.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sr. Jecinter Antoinette Okoth, FSSA The Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary (IBVM), commonly known…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":23485,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23484","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-amecea-news","category-kenya"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/communications.amecea.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23484","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/communications.amecea.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/communications.amecea.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/communications.amecea.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/communications.amecea.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23484"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/communications.amecea.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23484\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23486,"href":"https:\/\/communications.amecea.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23484\/revisions\/23486"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/communications.amecea.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23485"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/communications.amecea.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23484"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/communications.amecea.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23484"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/communications.amecea.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23484"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}