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Our Charism in the Church Today
We, the Sisters of the Incarnate Word and Blessed Sacrament of Victoria, Texas, are women of the Church, who, in our communal living, seek to focus on the Person of the Incarnate Word through adoration, witness, and the Extension of the Eucharist by service to others in a spirit of charity and simplicity.
Our mission is to extend the Incarnation in today's world by living the Gospel of Love, proclaiming the Good News and building the Kingdom of God. Impelled by love to share the Incarnate Word's mission of bringing God's kingdom to be, we joyfully seek to serve those in need, through an apostolate of Christian education and care of the sick as determined by the current needs of the church. -
Our Mission
Since our basic mission in the Church is to give glory to the Father through total dedication to and union with the Incarnate Word, we lovingly labor to become more like Jesus Christ, the Way, the Truth, and the Life. In accordance with the charism of Jeanne Chezard de Matel, our Foundress, we also endeavor to draw others to share in the graces of the Incarnate Word.
Jesus Christ radically touched the lives of His contemporaries through His oneness with the Father. As we whole-heartedly respond to the Father's call, we become co-laborers with Jesus in bringing God's kingdom to be, touching the lives of our contemporaries with His Love. Flowing from our oneness with the Incarnate Word, our apostolate in the Church precisely involves:
- special adoration and imitation of the Incarnate Word;
- special adoration of the Blessed Sacrament;
- special reverence for Mary, the Mother of the Incarnate Word;
- an apostolate of Christian education and care of the sick determined by the current needs of the Church.
Impelled by love to share the Incarnate Word's mission of bringing God's kingdom to be, we joyfully seek to serve those in need, with whom Jesus closely identified Himself. Likewise, attempting to fill up what is wanting in the Body of Christ, we offer ourselves in prayer and denial of self-will for the conversion of sinners.
Called in the Church to witness to the Incarnate Word's presence in the world, we generously exert every effort to radiate Christ's peace and love in all areas of our apostolate. With Jesus we strive to accept unconditionally all persons who enter our lives, showing special concern for the poor.
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Pro-life Activities
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Our Story: Incarnate Word's Call Leads to TexasThe birth of Jeanne Chezard de Matel, November 6, 1596, in
Roanne was an answer to prayer. Her mother, Jeanne, had previously had four pregnancies, in which the babies were still born or died at or soon after birth. The couple longed to have a family, and they prayed and sacrificed for this intention.
Their prayer was heard, and in spite of many complications during the pregnancy, little Jeanne was born. The precocious young girl delighted her parents and had a happy childhood in spite of her too-often absent father who held a position in the King's court in Paris. She was also plagued by a severe recurring malaria-like illness which left her moody and irritable.
She was a pious young girl and except for a period during her teen years when her attention was diverted from her religious practices, Jeanne continued to grow in love of God and prayer.
During her twenties, she spent six years trying to discern hervocation . One day during her prayer, she was told, "I have destined you to institute an order in my name." She would later learn, through prayer, that the title of the new Order would be "Incarnate Word" and that she was to carry the name of the Incarnate Word to the ends of the earth. In response to this request, Jeanne began the Order on July 2, 1625, in Roanne, France. Before her death in 1670, this great mystic, writer and spiritual director had established houses in Lyons, Grenoble, Avignon, and Paris.
After Jeanne's death the Order continued to bring the Incarnate Word to the people until theFrench Revolution during which the Order was dispersed. After the war, Father Stephen Denis brought together several of the dispersed members and restored the Order which continued to grow in France.
In response to an invitation from Bishop Jean Odin, the first Bishop of Texas, Mother St. Claire Valentine and three companions left their native France and founded the first American convent in Brownsville on February 26, 1853. These valiant women soon increased in number and were asked to expand northward. Consequently, the house in Victoria was founded by Mother St. Claire Valentine and five
companions on December 21, 1866. From this foundation, The Sisters of the Incarnate Word and Blessed Sacrament of Victoria, Texas, along with Sister Congregations in Corpus Christi and Houston, Texas, and Cleveland, Ohio, and with many Sisters in Mexico, now serve in the Americas, Europe, and Africa. They serve primarily through
ministries of prayer,Christian education , and health care according to the needs of the Church today. -
International Incarnate Word Formation Symposium
The Incarnate Word and Blessed Sacrament of Victoria hosted the Incarnate Word Formation Symposium for Sisters in Initial Formation on January 20-22 at Incarnate Word Convent. Representatives from Corpus Christi, Mexico City, Houston CCVI's and Victoria joined together to learn about the heritage of the 150 years of Incarnate Word presence in Victoria and the life of Mother St. Claire Valetine, American Foundress of the Sisters of the Incarnate Word and Blessed Sacrament.
Pictured ab0ve: Mother St. Claire (Sister Emiliana Grafe) discusses Texas mission with Mother Angeligue, IWBS Superior (Sister Colette Kouba) in Lyon, France, in 1852. -
Sisters Pray at Cemetery on All Souls' Day
A group of IWBS Sisters prays at the cemetery for those who have gone before us. -