Who are we?
We are the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word, a Congregation of women religious of different ages, with diverse gifts and talents. Our mission is to actualize the saving and healing love of Jesus, the Incarnate Word.
Coming from many countries and cultures, we are united by our call to live Jesus’ mission of love and service through the promotion of human dignity, especially among those who are most vulnerable.
We have lived this mission, responding to the needs of the times, since our founding in 1869 by Bishop Claude Marie Dubuis in San Antonio, Texas.
Our Founder
Our Founder, Bishop Claude Marie Dubuis, the second Bishop of the diocese of Texas, was a native of France who came to missionary Texas in 1846. He knew from first-hand experience the needs of his flock, especially the sufferings that resulted from the Civil War and the scourge of yellow fever and cholera.
Our Heritage
Inspired by our founding call, we continue serving the people of God and responding to the needs of the times. Our history is a testament of the deep faith and courage of the three young women who came to minister to the people of South Texas.
“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, Founder
The Heritage Center
The Heritage Center is a new and evolving ministry of the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word. It is a place to hold and honor the stories of those who have participated in the mission of Jesus through the ministries of the Congregation. It is also a place for formation, evangelization, and outreach.
Here, our guests are invited into a sacred space to experience the healing love and mercy of God through stories, reflection, prayer, art, and music, growing in an awareness of each person’s dignity as revealed by Jesus, the Incarnate Word. We trust that our visitors will leave inspired and emboldened, to participate themselves in the building up of the Kingdom of God, here and now.
This “sacred space” also offers opportunities for members of our local and city communities to share in educational, musical, spiritual, and prayer experiences together. These are occasions for persons of all backgrounds and beliefs to be, grow, and celebrate together.
The physical spaces in the Heritage Center include the Chapel of the Incarnate Word (Motherhouse Chapel), gallery spaces immediately adjacent to the Chapel, the Blue Hole (headwaters of the San Antonio River) and the Brackenridge Villa / Sweet House, which holds the story of the foundation of our Congregation through words, photographs, and artifacts.
Exhibit hours are:
Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday: 10:00 am – 3:00 pm
The exhibit is also open on special occasions.
Archives
The Congregational Archives is maintained to collect, organize, preserve, and provide access to records pertaining to the origin, history, spirit, charism, and continued growth of the Congregation and its ministries. Containing documents and artifacts dating from our origins in1869 to the present, it provides evidence of our living history in the present and for future generations.
The Archives contains many types of records, including annals, correspondence, memorabilia, artifacts, scrapbooks, newsletters, photographs, oral histories, audio and audiovisual recordings, spiritual works, and architectural heritage.
Also included are “Sisters’ Works,” created by members of the Congregation since 1869. These are intellectual and artistic expressions, such as books, papers, autobiographical writings, theses, dissertations, poetry, and visual arts.
The Archives are available for research by appointment only.
Monday through Friday: 9:00 a.m.– 5:30 p.m.
Telephone: (210) 826-7142
We are located in the Heritage Center of the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word.
4503 Broadway, San Antonio, Texas 78209-6299