Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary
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| Established | 1845 |
|---|---|
| President | Sister Mary Jane Herb 2012–present |
| Residents | 200 |
| Staff | 245 |
| Location |
610 West Elm Avenue |
| Website | Official website |
610 West Elm Avenue
Monroe, Michigan 48162
The Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (I.H.M.) is a Catholic religious institute of sisters. It is divided among three separate . The original community of the institute is headquartered in Monroe, Michigan. The Motherhouse currently houses more than 200 sisters, more than 100 of whom require supportive care. The sisters originally began as teachers, but their ministries have become more diverse, including: Education in grade schools, high schools, colleges and universities, pastoral care in hospitals, long-term care facilities and other health care settings, parish ministry and outreach into poor communities, social services for poor and homeless families, working with those with AIDS, individuals in need, they provide spiritual direction and retreats, advocacy efforts to help people get the resources needed to fully participate in society, programs and services for older adults in a variety of settings, and the sisters work to improve the environment.
The beginnings of the institute came about in 1845 shortly after Father Louis Florent Gillet, C.Ss.R., arrived in Monroe, Michigan to become the pastor of St. Mary Parish. On November 10, Gillet and Theresa Maxis Duchemin, a member of the Oblate Sisters of Providence in Baltimore, established the institute in Monroe.
Father Gillet found that Monroe had no school for the daughters of the descendants of French Canadians, most of whom were Catholic. Father Gillet petitioned the local bishop, Peter Paul Lefevere, coadjutor bishop of Detroit, for a religious institute to assume teaching duties. The bishop declined, so Father Gillet invited three women to form a new religious congregation, which would become known as the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
The co-foundress and first religious superior of the Monroe community was Mother Theresa Maxis Duchemin, one of the first members of Oblate Sisters of Providence, the first religious congregation established in the country for women of African descent. On January 15, 1846, the first St. Mary Academy opened with 40 students.
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