| What
makes the IHM Congregation different from other
congregations of women religious?
The
identity of a religious congregation develops from its founders,
charism, history and the ways to which its members have responded
to the needs of people throughout the years.
The
IHM Congregation was founded by Theresa Maxis Duchemin, a woman
of Haitian descent born of unwed parents, and Louis Florent Gillet,
a Redemptorist missionary from Belgium. They began the IHM Congregation
in Monroe, Michigan and helped to shape the immigrant church of
the mid-1800s. The primary concern of the early IHM sisters was
the education and spiritual development of the people they served,
particularly those newly arrived from other countries.
The
IHM Congregation founders desired to retain and pass on to their
successors the influence and spirituality of St. Alphonsus Liguouri,
the founder of the Redemptorist order. This Alphonsian influence
has energized and shaped the IHM mission ever since then and is
seen in:
| - |
Our
continuous commitment to bring the Good News of God’s
love to the spiritually abandoned poor. |
| - |
Our
efforts to change structures of oppression and injustice
that maintain poverty. |
| - |
Our
firm belief in the expansive, love of God |
| - |
Our
utilization of the arts to bring beauty to the world and
lead people closer to God. |
Throughout our history
we have lived this Alphonsian spirituality by responding to the
needs of people in the United States in education, healthcare,
social services and pastoral care. Some of us have ministered
in Latin America and Canada as well.
As
IHM sisters we see ourselves as women who value gospel-based community,
centered in prayer and service. We cherish the potential for good
that comes when such a dynamic group decides to pool its talents,
resources, ideas and dreams toward a common goal. We are also
women who value one another’s gifts and take every opportunity
to celebrate them.
You
may gain a better understanding of what characterizes the IHM
Congregation by reading about our spirit and charism in Who
We Are and Our
History. |
