In the United States, the Institute is present in Arizona, California, Illinois and Wisconsin.
In 1880, an invitation was extended to sister Teresa Dease (then in Canada) to open a community in Joliet, Illinois, and to begin a school there. In the course of time, Loretto provided staff for four parish schools in Joliet: St Mary’s, St Patrick’s, St. Bernard’s and Sacred Heart. After Mother Teresa’s death in 1889, the IBVM American Region continued to expand with the founding of new Academies in Chicago, Sault Ste. Marie and California.
Today, 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. The Institute in the United States is now present in Arizona, California, Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin.
They are committed to:
You can find more information about them on their website.
We are an international multicultural congregation of around 1,800 sisters present in more than 40 countries around the globe. Founded in 1609 by the Venerable Mary Ward, we are a group of unenclosed apostolic religious women, rooted in the Ignatian Spirituality.
We are working in different areas and projects – not out of ourselves, but because we allow ourselves to be sent by God. We form our sisters to be mobile and available, willing to go wherever they are sent. We expect them to strive, like Mary Ward, to have that inner freedom to respond to the call to leave all and follow Christ with passion and compassion.
“Vocation” – a word that tastes of MORE, of what Saint Ignatius of Loyola called “THE MAGIS”: Longing, meaning, fullness of life, a task and the experience of being needed. It sounds like someone who is calling me personally and with whom I can give my life a unique shape.
People all over the world are inspired and enthusiastic about Mary Ward and her way of following Jesus. There are different ways to join our network and become part of the wider Mary Ward Family.
Mary Ward once said: “I listened to God’s deep dream for me and felt a longing to respond.”
In this spirit, we invite you to pray with us. We offer a variety of prayers and material for reflection.
