IWBS Mission
As the Order of the Incarnate Word and Blessed Sacrament, our Incarnational spirituality impels us to continue to respond to the social mandate of the Gospel. We join in the mission of Christ proclaiming the Good News of God’s unconditional love that desires the fullness of life for all. We work to bring about a Christian wholeness in each person and a Christian unity among all.
HISTORY OF THE ORDER
Born in Roanne, France, in 1596, Jeanne Chezard de Matel was a mystic, author, teacher, spiritual director and theologian. In love with the Incarnate Word, she pursued the desire of her life, to “extend the mystery of the Incarnation,” by founding the Order of the Incarnate Word and Blessed Sacrament in 1625. She understood her vocation as a call to encounter the loving Word of God incarnate in Jesus, and then to enflesh that Word in ministry. During her life, Jeanne established four monasteries in France: Avignon in 1639, Grenoble in 1643, Paris in 1644, and Lyon in 1655. Jeanne de Matel died in September 1670, leaving her sisters a wealth of writings for guidance.
The Sisters of the Incarnate Word and Blessed Sacrament came to Texas in 1852 and to Corpus Christi in 1871. For over 150 years the Sisters have served in a variety of educational and spiritual ministries for the people of South Texas.