A man of strong faith and unwavering trust in Divine Providence, Bishop Dubuis was convinced that the desperate needs of the sick and numerous orphaned children of his diocese could be met by the service of religious women. Having failed to get assistance from the communities in the United States, he wrote to several religious orders in France including his friend Mother Marie Angelique Hiver, Superior of the cloistered Order of the Incarnate Word and Blessed Sacrament in Lyons, France.
This call led to the establishment of two separate apostolic congregations initially focused on healthcare. Click here to read the rest of our story. .
Lyons, Major Seminary
July 21, 1866
To the Reverend Mother Superior of the Incarnate Word at Fourvières
Very Reverend Mother,
Jesus Christ suffering in a multitude of poor sick persons and infirm of every kind addresses you to be helped. He has already chosen to charge your community with works of spiritual mercy in our diocese so vast; today he begs you to accept the works of corporal mercy in granting us the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word to take care of our hospitals, works of providence and asylums. We beg you earnestly to be willing to form according to the rules of the Third Order of the Incarnate Word subjects that we will send to you with the consent of His Eminence and with the approbation of the chaplain. These are the favors which I ask of my daughters of the Incarnate Word through the intercession of His poor servant and your devoted friend,
P. M. Dubuis, Bishop of Galveston