Welcome to

Congregatio Jesu

We are a congregation of women religious sisters, founded by the Englishwoman Mary Ward in 1609. Today, inspired by her vision, we live and work worldwide as companions of Jesus in mission.

Following Jesus in the footsteps of Mary Ward

Freedom, justice, sincerity and felicity in action.

Inspired by the charism of Mary Ward and rooted in Ignatian spirituality, our community is committed to creating spaces where people can grow in faith and live in freedom. We believe that every person is called to a life of dignity, responsibility, and compassion, and we dedicate ourselves to ministries that foster these values.

Education, spiritual guidance, and works of mercy are at the heart of our mission. In schools, parishes, social projects, and beyond, we seek to accompany individuals and communities on their journey—encouraging them to discover their gifts, to cultivate justice, and to contribute to a more humane and peaceful world

Freedom

Justice

Sincerity

Felicity

Freedom

Justice

Sincerity

Felicity

Freedom

Justice

Sincerity

Felicity

Freedom

Justice

Sincerity

Felicity

News

Current information about our congregation

Here you will find the latest news, insights, and stories from our international congregation. We share what inspires us, what moves us, and how we live Mary Ward’s charism in today’s world.

13.02.2026 | General

Meeting of our development network

The commitment to professional development projects, supporting the poorest of the poor, giving dignity to human life, especially women and children, is an important mission within the Congregatio Jesu.

09.02.2026 | General, Mary Ward

Podcast series on Mary Ward and her life

During Mary Ward Week, student in Jhansi recorded a short podcast each day in honour of Mary Ward.

listen to the Podcast

08.02.2026 | General

8 February: St. Bakhita's Day

Our congregation and many collaborators in various countries all over the world are actively fighting to end human trafficking and supporting victims and survivors.

Learn more about our commitment

What we do

Responding to the needs of our time.

Our mission comes to life in many ways: through spiritual ministries, education, and diverse works of mercy. Each field reflects our commitment to accompany people, promote justice, and live Mary Ward’s vision in today’s world.

Education

The education of girls and young women has always been and will continue to be a key ministry, especially in those parts of the world where girls and young women are often deprived of the opportunity of an education.

Spirituality

Many of our sisters offer spiritual accompaniment in the Ignatian tradition, giving the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola ias well as guiding residential retreats, retreats in daily life in person and online. We offer a number of retreat centres where people can participate in a variety of retreats or come simply for quiet prayer and reflection.

Social / Development

Our social ministries cover a wide range of activities. Sisters are involved in health care as nurses, doctors, administrators, midwives, psychologists, they work in hospice care, in homes for the physically and mentally disabled, tend to orphans, the sick and the poor.

Pastoral

Many of our sisters are engaged in pastoral ministries, as permanent staff or volunteers. Some work in Mary Ward educational establishments, university, and hospital chaplaincies, others in parishes, planning and guiding prayer and liturgy. Others prepare people to receive the sacraments or are Eucharistic ministers.

Arts and music

We are proud to count artists, painters and musicians among our sisters. They have built a network of talented, inspiring and creative sisters and provide artistic responses to conversations and reflections across the congregation.

Health care

The health sector is extremely large and needs vary greatly in different parts of the world. That is why our sisters work in very different areas of the health sector.

JPIC

Justice, Peace and the Integrity of Creation are important for all members of the Congregatio Jesu. We are committed to these values in all our Provinces and Regions.

Intellectual and archives

The intellectual ministry includes all forms of theological, biblical and pastoral research and writing.

UN NGO Office

We are present at the United Nations, helping to encourage the human community to peaceful and respectful collaboration in a way that benefits all people and our planet.

“We are very happy that we can finally fulfill Mary Ward’s dream of a united congregation of women religious.”

Sr Veronica Fuhrmann CJ

“We believe that together we are stronger. We move forward filled with gratitude and a desire to serve God’s people in freedom and joy.”

Sr Carmel Swords CJ

“That they may become completely one”

Mary Ward

“The mercies of the Lord, I will sing forever.”

Teresa Ball

“In Illo uno unam. - In the One, we are one.”

Motto of Pope Leo XIV

Where we are

One congregation – many locations: Our presence across the world.

Our congregation is part of an international network inspired by our foundress, the Venerable Mary Ward, her vision and her charism. From Europe to Asia, from Africa to the Americas – we live and serve in many countries and cultures. What unites us is the base of our mission: to follow Jesus, to support people in faith and freedom and to respond to the needs of our time.

Overview of our locations

Platzhalter Bild

El Salvador

The mission in El Salvador has been startet from Austria. It is lead by Sr. Martha Zechmeister CJ. Sr. Martha has been teaching systematic theology for ten years, focusing on theological anthropology and spirituality at the UCA, the Universidad Centroamericana ‘José Simeón Cañas’ in San Salvador. She lives in the capital of El Salvador together with students who could not afford a university diploma without the CJ's support.

Mauritius

In 1845, at Mgr Collier’s request, Mother Teresa Ball sent eight Irish Loreto Sisters to open the first catholic school for girls in Mauritius. The beginnings were tough. The heat was difficult to bear in the religious attire of the time: black serge habits. There were also financial constraints. Nowadays, the mission is carried out by a group of 22 sisters and many lay collaborators.

South Africa

The congregation is active in South Africa since 1878. Today, the sisters are actively engaged in different ministries: education, community development, pastoral, HIV/Aids projects …

Zambia

Our presence in Zambia started in March 2006, when two sisters from South Africa began a new foundation in the Diocese of Mongu.

Vietnam

Sisters have lived in Ho Chi Minh City for over 15 years and work in various ministries. Some of them are involved in managing St Mary’s Hostel for disadvantaged young Catholic women from the countryside who go to university or college in the city. Others are missioned to Vinh Loc – Binh Chanh, a very poor area on the outskirts of Ho Chi Minh City where they are involved in pastoral work, providing meals, and teaching.

Timor-Leste

‘Courage to Move’ invited Provinces to look at the needs of their neighbouring countries. This call was at the beginning of this mission that started in 2006.

South Sudan

The mission in South Sudan was established in 2008. Loreto Rumbek is made up of a kindergarten, a primary school, a secondary school and a Primary Health Care Centre.

Tanzania

In the late 1990’s, a request to go beyond the Kenyan boundaries arrived to the Loreto Sisters from the archdiocese of Mwanza in Tanzania.

Ghana

In Ghana there is a small Loreto presence, established by sisters from Kenya. They are working in a kindergarten and schools for girls.

Kenya

The sisters in Kenya work in different ministries: mainly in various schools, but also in social work and advocacy for women. The commit themselves to fighting against female genital mutilation and offering social-economic empowerment of the vulnerable people in urban informal settlements.

Australia

It was 19th July 1875 when the story of Loreto began on Australian soil. It had taken 59 days by ship from Ireland for Mother Gonzaga Barry and her companions to arrive in Victoria, Australia. Since then, the Australian part of our congregation has grown. These days, their seven schools across the continent are mainly staffed by wonderful lay women and men; however, many of the sisters are still involved through membership of Boards, participation in celebrations, conducting staff formation sessions and retreats, as well as past-pupil associations …

Mozambique

A new Mary Ward initiative and inspiration has been launched in Mozambique by the CJ in Zimbabwe thus opening a new page in serving the marginalized, caring for the sick and the young.

Zimbabwe

The apostolic mission of our sisters in Zimbabwe is carried out through education, health and parish ministry. They also work at the level of pre-school and primary school, in CJ owned institutions or in collaboration with the diocese or with the Jesuits.

Mongolia

The mission in Mongolia was founded by the Korean Province in 2004. Currently three Korean sisters are involved in the CJ Mission in Ulaanbaatar.

Korea

The first CJ house was opened in Seoul in 1964 with a group of Korean sisters who had done their initial religious formation in the Middle European Province. Shortly afterwards, a second house was opened in Daejeon. The sisters today are committed in a variety of ministries: education, nursing care, pastoral and spiritual ministries, and care of the poor and underprivileged.

Myanmar

In 2017 the Korean Province began a process of discernment regarding the possibility of establishing a mission in Myanmar. Two sisters moved into a rented house in June 2020, after having spent a year and a half learning the language of the people and becoming acquainted with their culture.

Philippines

The study house in Manila welcomes young sisters who studying theology and family counselling. Other communities are involved in pastoral and social ministries.

Chile

In 1934, three sisters from Augsburg and Bamberg arrived in Chile, in the north of the country. They started a school for girls in the following year. Since then, other German sisters arrived as missionaries. Today, there are sisters living in seven communities all around the country. Educational ministry is still the main apostolate of the Province. There is also an apostolic community in a rural area, working in pastoral and social projects of the parish.

Argentina

Sisters from Germany and Hungary were the first CJ women to go to Argentina. Today, our sisters are present in Plátanos, San Andrés de Giles, Cerritos and El Caburé. They are committed in ministries of formal and informal education, health care, social work, spiritual and pastoral ministry, counselling/accompaniment, domestic work, prison chaplaincy, etc.

Cuba

The CJ presence in Cuba is the result of interprovincial collaboration between the three Latin American provinces: Argentina, Chile and Brazil, the province of Spain and the current Latin European Province ( union of the ex-provinces of Italy and Romania). The provinces collaborate either by sending members or by providing financial resources to support the life and mission of our sisters.

Peru

The sisters in Peru empower young women, care for people in vulnerable situations, and fight for human rights through comprehensive education and personal and spiritual development.

Albania

Fighting against poverty and human trafficking are the main focal points of our mission in Albania. Roma families and those who lost their belongings during the latest heavy earthquake are in the middle or our relief services.

Canada

In Canada, our sisters are knows as “Loretto Sistsers” (with double t). Nowadays, their work includes outreach to the poor, ministry to prisoners, retreat work and spiritual direction, work with refugees, parish ministry and a variety of other works as needs have arisen.

USA

Loretto Sisters in the United States Province are serving in a variety of ministries beyond the classroom, working in various pastoral ministries and among the disadvantaged and marginalized.

Bangladesh

Our sisters began working in Chittagong and Dhaka in 1845. Today, they focus on education and health care.

Nepal

The first sisters arrived in Nepal in 1926. Today, they run different projects to help the local population, especially those traditionally discriminated, such as the Sukumbasi population.

India

The history of the CJ Foundation in India in 1853 is intertwined with the history of the Munich foundation, as it was a response to the plea of the Bishop of the city to send missionaries to India. They did their first foundation in Bankipore (Patna), considered the mother house of the Institute in India.

Ireland

In Ireland, Loreto is well known for its schools. However, Loreto Sisters in Ireland also work in other ministries such as in hospitals, prisons, prayer and retreat ministry, chaplaincy, counselling, ...

Ukraine

Since the beginning of Russia's war against Ukraine, the sisters have been supporting internally displaced persons, helping families who have been particularly affected by the war, as well as children in kindergardens, the elderly and sick.

Spain

In Spain, both branches of our congregation have been present so that nowadays, we have two Provinces.

Italy

The Houses with their Schools and Boarding Schools, which were part of the Italian Province, were founded on the idea of lay people sensitive to the educational needs of girls and were then entrusted to the CJ Sisters.

Hungary

CJ Sisters arrived in Buda from St Pölten in Austria in 1770 at the invitation of the Empress Maria Theresa. They looked after the holy relic of St Stephen and opened a school. A few years later, they moved to Pest on the other side of the river Danube and took over the present house and church. At present, some sisters work as teachers, others in spiritual accompaniment, youth work, pastoral ministry and anti-trafficking work.

selfie of 5 CJ sisters in Vienna

Austria

If there is somewhere where you can follow the long history of Mary Ward Women, that's in Austria. Today, the sisters are living and working in Vienna and in St. Pölten.

Romania

The first Mary Ward sisters came to Romania from Bavaria in the mid-19th century. Up until the beginning of the communist era they ran large schools for girls. With the downfall of communism in 1989, the CJ sisters were able to build on a strong foundation and the number of young women wanting to enter the CJ increased rapidly.

Slovakia

Mary Ward established a house in Pressburg, now Bratislava, in 1628 with the intention of establishing a school for girls. Today, some of the sisters teach in schools and at university. Others are involved in pastoral work, health care, social work, spiritual accompaniment and spiritual exercises.

Czech Republic

Mary Ward had attempted, unsuccessfully, to found a house in Prague in 1628. It was not until 1921 that the CJ were able to re-establish a presence in this part of Europe. During the communist period, Slovak sisters also worked in Horní Maxov and Košátky in Bohemia. Today some Slovak sisters still work in the Czech Republic.

Germany

Germany is one of the counties with the longest history of our congregation. Mary Ward herself founded houses in different cities. Today, the sisters are focussing on missions in spiritual accompaniment, pastoral and social work as well as commiment for justice, peace and the integrity of creation.

England

Traditionally, the main ministry in England has been school-based teaching. Today, the sisters are involved in a wide range of ministries; including giving the spiritual exercises and spiritual accompaniment, so encouraging and helping people in their search for God. The training of adults in theology, working in safeguarding in the Catholic Church, volunteering in schools and hospitals and social and pastoral ministries supporting justice and peace.

Brazil

In Brazil, the Congregatio Jesu is present in São Paulo, Pará, Paraná e Piauí, and they are focused in Education, espiritual work and social and pastoral work.

Join the Circle of Friends

Come join in the open circle! There are women and men all around the world who feel at home with Mary Ward’s spirituality and live her values of Justice, Peace, Sincerity, Verity (Truth), Felicity and Freedom.

Join the Mary Ward Family!

Contact us

We look forward to hearing from you and will be happy to answer any questions you may have about life in the Congregatio Jesu.

communications@congjesu.org