Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary
Encyclopedia
The Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (IHM) (founded as the Daughters of the Most Holy and Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary) are a Catholic teach
ing order for women. The order was originally founded in Spain
in 1848 by Father Joachim Masmitjá as a means of rebuilding society through the education of young women.
, California
was visiting Spain. At that time, the bishop, Thaddeus Amat y Brusi
, asked for some of the sisters to come to California. Two years later, with Father Masmitja's approval, Mother Raimunda led nine others to the new California mission. Once there, the sisters set to work administering existing and building new schools as well as administering orphanages. Mother Raimunda served as the provincial of the California sisters until her death in 1900.
By 1906, the sisters were able to build their own motherhouse. Also in the early twentieth century, the sisters began looking to separate from the Spanish parent order. After several decades of ongoing negotiations and the help of Bishop John Cantwell
of Los Angeles
, the separation was completed in 1924 and Mother Genevieve was elected the first mother-general.
and its call for renewal of religious life, the IHM sisters took part in an experiment led by the psychologist Carl Rogers
(associated with the nearby Esalen Institute
) who was promoting the 'encounter group', or what Abraham Maslow
had referred to as 'Psychology Three.' In such encounter groups, under the direction of a facilitator, participants were encouraged to unmask their real feelings as they interacted with the other group participants. The first trial was held in 1966. With its apparent success, the experiment was begun en masse in 1967, with all the sisters and the schools they ran in the Los Angeles Archdiocese participating. These experiments took place in a general environment where already many orders of women elected to discard habits, organized community life, and most other attributes of an organized religious congregation and the encounter groups facilitated such changes in the IHMs.
James Cardinal McIntyre of Los Angeles insisted that if the IHM Sisters were to continue teaching in the schools of the archdiocese, they would have to maintain a number of rules he believed were essential to female community life. The sisters, in turn, objected to the Archbishop dictating their attribe, bedtimes, and hours of prayer. The Vatican congregation that oversaw religious life refused to intervene. Then-superior Anita Caspary
remained firm in implementing the reform and, on February 1, 1970, roughly ninety percent followed Caspary and were dispensed from their vows. They went on to form a non-canonical group that admits both men and women known as the Immaculate Heart Community. An ensuing property settlement left remaining IHMs with certain properties, while those exiting obtained control of Immaculate Heart College
and Immaculate Heart High School
. Virtually no IHMs remained in teaching positions in the archdiocese's vast parochial school system, forefront of the exodus of religious that was soon to affect the nation's entire Roman Catholic school system.
After failed attempts to resolve differences with those remaining in the rump congregation, a group relocated to the Diocese of Wichita
in Kansas
. These IHM sisters remain active as does the small congregation in California.
, Mexico
. Six years later, in 1917, the sisters were forced to leave due to the Mexican Revolution
. During a stop in their journey back to California, Bishop Henry Granjon
of Tucson
, Arizona
invited the sisters to stay and they accepted. From there, they began building schools and accepting postulants. Due to growth over time, in 1946 the sisters in Arizona became the Province of Saint Joseph. The IHM sisters remain active in both Arizona and Florida.
Teach
Teaching is the imparting of knowledge by a teacher or other knowledgeable person.Teach may also refer to:* A teacher * Téach , an Irish language term referring to a home or residence* Blackbeard , a notorious pirate...
ing order for women. The order was originally founded in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
in 1848 by Father Joachim Masmitjá as a means of rebuilding society through the education of young women.
Founding
Father Masmitjá of the Diocese of Girona founded the order in 1848 in an effort to alleviate the need for the education of children and girls in particular. After certain preparations, Father Masmitjá asked some of his more devout female spiritual directees to serve in a new religious order. With their acceptance of his offer, the Daughters were officially formed on July 2, 1848.Work in California
In 1869, Father Masmitja's friend the Bishop of MontereyRoman Catholic Diocese of Monterey in California
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Monterey in California is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese in the United States of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in the Central Coast region of California...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
was visiting Spain. At that time, the bishop, Thaddeus Amat y Brusi
Thaddeus Amat y Brusi
Thaddeus Amat y Brusi, C.M. was a Roman Catholic cleric who eventually became Bishop of Los Angeles, California.- Birth and Early Career:Amat was born in the Catalan capital of Barcelona, Spain on December 31, 1810. He was ordained a priest of the religious order of the Congregation of the...
, asked for some of the sisters to come to California. Two years later, with Father Masmitja's approval, Mother Raimunda led nine others to the new California mission. Once there, the sisters set to work administering existing and building new schools as well as administering orphanages. Mother Raimunda served as the provincial of the California sisters until her death in 1900.
By 1906, the sisters were able to build their own motherhouse. Also in the early twentieth century, the sisters began looking to separate from the Spanish parent order. After several decades of ongoing negotiations and the help of Bishop John Cantwell
John Joseph Cantwell
John Joseph Cantwell was the first archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles.Archbishop Cantwell was born in Limerick, Ireland. He was ordained priest for the Archdiocese of San Francisco on June 18, 1899 and was initially assigned as curate of Berkeley's St. Joseph The Worker...
of Los Angeles
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles
The Archdiocese of Los Angeles is an archdiocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the U.S. state of California. Headquartered in Los Angeles, the archdiocese comprises the California counties of Los Angeles, Santa Barbara and Ventura. The diocesan cathedral is the Cathedral of Our Lady of the...
, the separation was completed in 1924 and Mother Genevieve was elected the first mother-general.
Vatican II
During the late 1960s, in the wake of the Second Vatican CouncilSecond Vatican Council
The Second Vatican Council addressed relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the modern world. It was the twenty-first Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church and the second to be held at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. It opened under Pope John XXIII on 11 October 1962 and closed...
and its call for renewal of religious life, the IHM sisters took part in an experiment led by the psychologist Carl Rogers
Carl Rogers
Carl Ransom Rogers was an influential American psychologist and among the founders of the humanistic approach to psychology...
(associated with the nearby Esalen Institute
Esalen Institute
Esalen Institute is a residential community and retreat in Big Sur, California, which focuses upon humanistic alternative education. Esalen is a nonprofit organization devoted to activites such as meditation, massage, Gestalt, yoga, psychology, ecology, and spirituality...
) who was promoting the 'encounter group', or what Abraham Maslow
Abraham Maslow
Abraham Harold Maslow was an American professor of psychology at Brandeis University, Brooklyn College, New School for Social Research and Columbia University who created Maslow's hierarchy of needs...
had referred to as 'Psychology Three.' In such encounter groups, under the direction of a facilitator, participants were encouraged to unmask their real feelings as they interacted with the other group participants. The first trial was held in 1966. With its apparent success, the experiment was begun en masse in 1967, with all the sisters and the schools they ran in the Los Angeles Archdiocese participating. These experiments took place in a general environment where already many orders of women elected to discard habits, organized community life, and most other attributes of an organized religious congregation and the encounter groups facilitated such changes in the IHMs.
James Cardinal McIntyre of Los Angeles insisted that if the IHM Sisters were to continue teaching in the schools of the archdiocese, they would have to maintain a number of rules he believed were essential to female community life. The sisters, in turn, objected to the Archbishop dictating their attribe, bedtimes, and hours of prayer. The Vatican congregation that oversaw religious life refused to intervene. Then-superior Anita Caspary
Anita Caspary
Dr. Anita Marie Caspary was an American nun and onetime mother superior who led the largest single exodus of nuns from the Roman Catholic Church in American history to found a lay women's organization known as the Immaculate Heart of Mary Community.A "cradle Catholic" who took her vows in 1936 as...
remained firm in implementing the reform and, on February 1, 1970, roughly ninety percent followed Caspary and were dispensed from their vows. They went on to form a non-canonical group that admits both men and women known as the Immaculate Heart Community. An ensuing property settlement left remaining IHMs with certain properties, while those exiting obtained control of Immaculate Heart College
Immaculate Heart College
Immaculate Heart College was a private, Catholic college located in Los Angeles, California.The college was established in 1916 by the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary ten years after they had founded Immaculate Heart High School on the property....
and Immaculate Heart High School
Immaculate Heart High School (Los Angeles)
Immaculate Heart High School is a Catholic, all-girl, college preparatory school located in the Los Feliz neighborhood in Los Angeles, California, at the intersection of Franklin Avenue and Western Avenue. There are 200 students in the middle school and 521 in the high school . It is located in...
. Virtually no IHMs remained in teaching positions in the archdiocese's vast parochial school system, forefront of the exodus of religious that was soon to affect the nation's entire Roman Catholic school system.
After failed attempts to resolve differences with those remaining in the rump congregation, a group relocated to the Diocese of Wichita
Roman Catholic Diocese of Wichita
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Wichita is a Roman Catholic diocese in Kansas. It was founded on August 2, 1887, and covers Allen, Bourbon, Butler, Chase, Chautauqua, Cherokee, Cowley, Crawford, Elk, Greenwood, Harper, Harvey, Kingman, Labette, Marion, McPherson, Montgomery, Morris, Neosho, Reno,...
in Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
. These IHM sisters remain active as does the small congregation in California.
Work in Arizona
In 1911, five sisters from Spain and two from California were sent to start a school in MazatlánMazatlán
Mazatlán is a city in the Mexican state of Sinaloa; the surrounding municipio for which the city serves as the municipal seat is Mazatlán Municipality. It is located at on the Pacific coast, across from the southernmost tip of the Baja California peninsula.Mazatlán is a Nahuatl word meaning...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. Six years later, in 1917, the sisters were forced to leave due to the Mexican Revolution
Mexican Revolution
The Mexican Revolution was a major armed struggle that started in 1910, with an uprising led by Francisco I. Madero against longtime autocrat Porfirio Díaz. The Revolution was characterized by several socialist, liberal, anarchist, populist, and agrarianist movements. Over time the Revolution...
. During a stop in their journey back to California, Bishop Henry Granjon
Henry Regis Granjon
Henry Regis Granjon was a French-born prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Tucson from 1900 until his death in 1922.-Biography:...
of Tucson
Roman Catholic Diocese of Tucson
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Tucson is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the southwestern region of the United States. It comprises nine counties of the state of Arizona, making it the fifth largest diocese in the continental United States in terms of area...
, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
invited the sisters to stay and they accepted. From there, they began building schools and accepting postulants. Due to growth over time, in 1946 the sisters in Arizona became the Province of Saint Joseph. The IHM sisters remain active in both Arizona and Florida.
California
- Immaculate Heart High School (Los Angeles)Immaculate Heart High School (Los Angeles)Immaculate Heart High School is a Catholic, all-girl, college preparatory school located in the Los Feliz neighborhood in Los Angeles, California, at the intersection of Franklin Avenue and Western Avenue. There are 200 students in the middle school and 521 in the high school . It is located in...
, est. 1906 - Immaculate Heart CollegeImmaculate Heart CollegeImmaculate Heart College was a private, Catholic college located in Los Angeles, California.The college was established in 1916 by the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary ten years after they had founded Immaculate Heart High School on the property....
, 1916-1981 - Alverno HIgh SchoolAlverno High SchoolAlverno High School is an independent, Catholic, college-prep high school for girls located in the Sierra Madre/Pasadena area of Southern California.-History:Alverno High School was originally the home of prominent Los Angeles physician Walter Jarvis Barlow...
, est. 1960