Our History

“Our Lord Jesus Christ suffering in the persons of a multitude of the sick and infirm of every kind, seeks relief at your hands.”

Bishop Claude Marie Dubuis, CCVI Founder

For more than 130 years, the Congregation of the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word has had as its charism the call to make the love of God, as shown in the Incarnation, a real and tangible presence in the world today.

Originating with the call from Bishop Dubuis, the congregation at its core lives the mission to actualize the saving and healing love of the Incarnate Word by promoting human dignity. In 1984 the Congregation embraced, as a direction for its ministries, a preferential option for the economically poor.  Our Missionaries are an extension of this mission and desire.

Incarnate Word Missionaries (IWM) was founded in 1987 as a result of six enthusiastic lay men and women with the aspiration to go out into the world and serve as missionaries. With the help of the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word, these trailblazers were able to plug into the important ministries and adopt the missionary spirit and Incarnational Spirituality of the Sisters.

Since 1987, Incarnate Word Missionaries has helped lay men and women discern their call to serve God in the presence of the poor and marginalized, and to prepare for this unique and transforming experience of service.  The people we serve have been blessed with the many talents and gifts of those who have answered this call and those who have served have been even more blessed with the gifts and wisdom of those they serve.  It is a transformational experience unlike any other that life holds.