The religious community, the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary of Immaculata, was founded in 1845 in Monroe, Michigan by two pioneering spirits, Mother Theresa Maxis and Father Louis Florent Gillet. Today spread throughout various states and onto the continent of South America, the members continue to serve God’s faithful through multiple roles central to a congregation committed to ”proclaim the Gospel message in the spirit of Jesus the Redeemer . . . offering compassion to all God’s people” (IHM Mission Statement). The charism of the IHM community comes alive in various settings through the ministries of Sisters dedicated to their vowed consecration, nurtured by prayer and the Eucharist, and sustained by following a community way of life. Varied ministries focus on the corporate apostolate of Catholic education from pre-K through college and beyond, extending to catechetical, pastoral, hospital and prison ministries, parenting programs, counseling, literacy instruction, adult spirituality programs, care of the sick and elderly, retreat work and campus ministry as well as outreach in times of need. In keeping with their original animating spirit, the sisters strive to live lives of joyful service, to promote and strengthen Gospel values, and to offer compassion to all God’s people.
The Sisters in the Immaculata branch who number just over 500 are predominantly centered in North America in the states of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia, Florida, Georgia, New Hampshire, and Texas, with two missions in Peru in South America. While the members serve predominately in the congregation’s corporate apostolate of Catholic education in all its varied forms, they also work in the associated fields of catechetical, pastoral, hospital and other ministerial settings. You can find them offering support in parenting programs, counseling, literacy instruction, adult spirituality programs, care of the infirm and housebound, retreat work, and campus ministry. In their lives and in their work, they continue to offer “praise, love, thanksgiving” to God as they carry out the Gospel mandate of Jesus, the Redeemer, “Go and teach all nations!”
RESOURCES FOR IHM COMMUNITY HISTORY (as of March 1, 2020)
Books written by Immaculata IHM Sisters
Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (1845-1967) by Mother Maria Alma Ryan, I.H.M. 1967
Thou, Lord, Art My Hope! (The Life of Mother M. Theresa, A Pioneer of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary) by a Member of the Congregation. 1961
WITNESS: One Response to Vatican II by Sister Margaret Mary Baney, I.H.M. 1987
Renewed Vision: Vatican II to the Millennium, 1962- 2006 by Sister Marie Hubert Kealy, I.H.M. 2008
We Walk on Their Shoulders by Sister Maria Corona Crumback, I.H.M. 1995
An Amazing Adventure (The Story of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Written and Illustrated for Children) by Sister Patricia M. Dailey, I.H.M. Illustrated by Lauren McIntyre. 2018
Books Written by Scranton and Monroe IHM Sisters
Paths of Daring, Deeds of Hope (Letters by and about Mother Theresa Maxis Duchemin) Edited by Sister Margaret Gannon, I.H.M. 1992
Pilgrim Let Your Heart Be Bold (Mother Theresa Maxis Duchemin, IHM) by Sister Margaret Gannon, I.H.M. 2018
The Story of the Founding of the Congregation or the Sisters Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and Their Work in the Scranton Diocese by a Member of the Scranton Community. 1921
Achievement of a Century: The Motherhouses and Missions of the Congregation of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary — Monroe, Michigan. (1845 – 1945) by Sister M. Rosalita, I.H.M. 1948
No Greater Service. The History of the Congregation of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary — Monroe, Michigan. (1845 – 1945)
Edited by Sister M. Rosalita, I.H.M. 1948
