About Us

About Us

We are an international group of Catholic women Religious serving in 16 countries. We desire to centre ourselves in God, who is constantly creating and recreating all that lives. We are called to widen the space of our tent, to walk humbly with others and be women of hope  ...read more about our thrust and direction for the next six years.

 


IJ Vision

Following in the footsteps of Jesus Christ, we seek to be present to people, respecting the dignity of all beings and the identity of each and every one.  ...read more  

Our IJ Founder - Blessed Nicolas Barre

Nicholas Barre was born on 21st October 1621 in Amiens, France. He was educated by the Jesuits and was an outstanding student. A brilliant future was assured but Nicolas wanted to be a priest  ...read more

He was  instrumental in the education of poor girls.   ...read more

Nicolas Barre - A lay person's perspective  ...read more

Significant events in Bl  Nicolas Barre's life and his influence on St John Baptist de la Salle.   ...read more

Listen to the  Hymn to Fr Nicolas Barre  in French and English,   Lyrics:  French,  English

Fr Barre's feast is on 21st October. Here are some prayers in preparation of the feast. 

         Here are some resources for Founder's Day Mass - another version.

Read his Prayer of Abandonment.

Our Foundress of the IJ Mission in Singapore - Mother Mathilde

Meet Mother Mathilde, a woman gripped by a sense of mission.  Her deep faith, courage, fortitude never deserted her in her struggle to bring her dream of education for women in Singapore and Malaysia into being  ... read more

There is another book on the  life of Mother Mathilde under Publications in the Resources page.

 

Our Institute History - 

Origins and life of the Institute in France 1662 - 1852

Our story begins in 17th century France with a young priest, Nicolas Barre, and two young women, Francoise Duval and Margueritte Lestocq. Moved with compassion for those living in great deprivation and who knew little about God, he sought ways of guiding them towards meaning and direction in their lives.   ... read more

Our History continues from 1852...

Our  story  in Singapore starts with Fr Beurel's request to the IJ Superior General, Mother de Faudoas to start a girls' school in Singapore. The first five French sisters set sail For Singapore but landed in Penang. Mother Mathilde with some  sisters then came to Singapore.


Long after the introduction of the Gospel at St Francis Xavier's visit to Japan in 1549, the persecution of Christians, the ban of all foreigners, another wave of persecution, did the sisters eventually arrive in Japan in 1872.


Two attempts to begin a mission  in Thailand saw an aborted expedition from France (to include some IJ sisters) to Siam. Another mission from 18885 to 1907 was short-lived, due to choler outbreaks and decreasing numbers of pupils. Eventually in 1957, the IJ sisters from Ipoh, Malaya started the present Thai community.


In the mid 1980s, a Japanese sister visited Negros, a very deprived area in the Philippines. Touched by the plight of the poor children, she went back to Japan, organised a team of both religious sisters and lay people to respond to the needs of the children and their families.  This same type of ministry is continued by Sr Neriza, a Filipina IJ  sister, since 2010, after her return from mission in Nigeria.

 

With the easing of Myanmar’s (Burma) “isolationist policy”, the apostolic nuncio at that time, Mgr. Luigi Bressen, invited the IJ sisters to help the local church. After a feasibilty study, IJ sisters and lay partners moved into Myanmar in 2001 and started the formation of local sisters, seminarians ans teachers.