Celebrating in Loyola
Since 4 November 2025, the two branches of Mary Ward’s Institute are officially and legally One.
IBVM and CJ will shape their future together as Congregatio Jesu.
Learn more about our merger.
History in the making
Members of the united congregation celebrate this special day in Loyola, Spain, the birthplace of Saint Ignatius.. From now on, the around 1,800 sisters living and working in over 40 countries worldwide will follow Jesus in the footsteps of their common foundress, the Venerable Mary Ward, as one congregation of religious women – closely connected to many lay friends and companions.
Freedom
Justice
Sincerity
Felicity
Freedom
Justice
Sincerity
Felicity
Freedom
Justice
Sincerity
Felicity
Freedom
Justice
Sincerity
Felicity
Celebrate with us and watch the recording of the livestream
Here, you will find photos of the celebrations in Loyola: the solemn Mass with all its elements, the symposium and time together, as well as the recordings of our livestreams.
To celebrate the merger between IBVM and CJ, we have assembled photos of the sisters from all our Provinces and Regions, as well as portraits of the General Superiors throughout the centuries, into a large mosaic. Together, they form the familiar portrait of the Venerable Mary Ward. A powerful sign of sisterhood and solidarity.
To visually express our new, united path, we have given our cross a new colour. Green represents nature but stands also for hope, growth and harmony. It is associated with freshness, fertility and new beginnings. Green is the colour of the liturgy during normal times – when the mission is done.
In 1609, Mary Ward, an Englishwoman who received a revelation from God to be a trailblazer for women religious, founded a new and innovative religious congregation. In the “Institutum”, as she called it in the first draft of the new congregation’s rules, women religious were to live according to the same rules and spirituality as the Jesuits founded by Ignatius of Loyola in the previous century.
How we live and what we do
We see mission as a participation in the sending of Christ into the world: “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” (John 20:21) As Ignatian women, mission is at the very heart of the life of our congregation. We understand our call to the consecrated life as part of the universal mission of the Church.
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.
