THE HEART OF VENERABLE JEANNE CHEZARD DE MATEL

The Incarnate Word, in His infinite kindness, chose to call Jeanne Chézard de Matel, to begin an Order in which He would be adored in Spirit and in Truth. In view of this call, she answered: "I give myself and return to You through duty, and by love, all you have given me by charity and mercy. I abandon and surrender myself blindly in the paternal bosom of your divine providence." With this disposition of abandonment, Jeanne prepared herself to begin on July 2, 1625, in Roanne, France, this ORDER OF THE INCARNATE WORD.

After having founded many Monasteries, and having lived many historical events in France, at the request of Rev. Fr. P. John Odin, the Order directed its path to America on March 23, 1852 to the city of Brownsville, Texas. Four Sisters, arrived from the Monastery of Lyon, France, and were the first to begin the Order on this continent, where a shoot would sprout and, as in the Parable of the "Mustard Seed," with the care and work of the laborers, would become a big and leafy tree to give shelter to many communities and Sisters who have preceded us, and that will continue sheltering the young that the Incarnate Word wishes to call to His Order.

Madre Stanislas de Dieu

Once formed and established, the Community of Brownsville began to extend its branches into the Mexican Republic. In 1894, the Superior of the Community was M. Stanislas Dedieu, a French Sister who had come from the Monastery of Belmont and was God's instrument to show the fruitfulness of this Community, since she sent numerous Sisters to open houses in México and in Texas. She received a request from Msgr. Perfecto Amézquita y Gutiérrez for a Convent in México. Mother Stanislas and her Counselors decided to accept the request, and prepared four Sisters for that mission: Mother Inés García Martínez, (Mexican), as Superior; and the Sisters Benedicta Mallet and Martha Melania Williams (Texans and choir sisters); and lay Sister Irene Toussillon (French). These Sisters arrived in San Juan Bautista, Tabasco, México, August 16, 1894, to begin this important mission in Mexican territory. Six months later two more Sisters arrived: M. Teresa Solís and M. Ma. Concepción Solís Velásco, newly professed.

Other foundations that followed in México were: Puebla, Puebla (1896); Querétaro (1902); and San Juan Teotihuacan, Hidalgo.

On July 20, 1910, due to unhealthy situations in Tabasco, and at the request of Bishop Francisco Campos y Angeles, who had been transferred from Tabasco to Chilapa, Gro., the Community of Religious of the Incarnate Word moved to Chilapa. The trip was made in two groups, the second one arriving on January 25, 1911. The Community was formed by thirteen professed Sisters; one novice, Inés Méndez from Guadalajara; and one Postulant from México City.

After some years of a "golden age" for the State of Guerrero, the Mexican Revolution erupted, but diverted from political interests to religious persecution. Many Bishops, Priests and Religious were expelled from the country, and our French Sisters were among them.

On July 2, 1923, M. Ma. Concepción Solís and M. Ma. Rosa Ortega left Chilapa for México City, to receive a school that had been offered there; but, in God's plans, that was not to be. After listening to all the pros and cons in regard to the idea of making a foundation in México City, Bishop Miguel M. de la Mora told her, instead: "Mother, go to Matehuala, there is where the Lord wants you. It is already some time since I have been asked to staff a school with Religious there." Therefore, the Sisters left for Matehuala. The people were very happy to receive them, and they were very well cared for. M. Solís wrote to Msgr. Miguel M. de la Mora to report the pleasant experience, and at the same time she requested his opinion in regard to going back to Chilapa to bring the rest of the Sisters. The Bishop answered through a telegram: "Forget about traveling and call the Sisters." With this response, Mother sent a message to the Sisters who had been chosen for the foundation of México City, to leave for Matehuala instead.

In 1926, M. Ma. Concepción Solís went to México City, to take a Sister there who was seriously ill. During her stay in México City, she had the opportunity talk with a Priest, a Missionary of the Holy Spirit, who suggested the idea and the convenience of opening a school in the Capital. Believing it was God's will, she communicated the idea to the Community, and asked the Sisters to pray to the Holy Spirit for light to know God's will. In 1927, M. Ma. Soledad Camacho, was called to go to México City to begin the new foundation, together with other Sisters. It was agreed to open the school in the "Colonia Roma." Classes began February 3, 1927 and for about three months there were only eight students. But this reason alone did not stop the Sisters from working enthusiastically and with determination. And thus, their sacrifices bore fruit. By the end of the school year there were eighty students.

As in another Bethlehem, the Incarnate Word renewed His Birth in this humble house, poor and simple, in Chihuahua Street # 56, of "Colonia Roma," that, as the mustard seed, would be transformed, later on, into a leafy tree.

During the visits that M. Ma. Concepción Solis made to Brownsville, and in communication with M. Stanislaus, the idea of forming a Generalate was reinforced in the mind and heart of M. Solís. She took advantage of the time she was in the City of México to write to the other foundations of the Order to propose the idea of a Generalate. She received a negative response.

Without giving up hope, M. Ma. Concepción Solís proceeded with plans to establish the Generalate. She met with still more opposition. Bishop Francisco Campos y Angeles, wanted to establish a Generalate in his own Diocese of Chilapa, and to make the Convent of that city the Generalate, but was not willing to accept that the Communities in his Diocese would become part of another Generalate.

When M. Ma. Concepción Solís was named Superior of the Community of Puebla in 1918, she submitted her idea to form a Generalate to the Chapter Vicar, Msgr. Enrique Sánchez Paredes, who was favorable to the project. Counting on his support, M. Solís got in touch with the Superiors of the Order in the Republic of México to propose anew her idea. This time her proposal was not only rejected, but she had to suffer harsh criticism and humiliations.

In 1925, a circular letter from the Community of Victoria, Texas was received, requesting the presence of the Superiors of the Order to treat issues related to the same. M. Ma. Concepción Solís attended the reunion in which the idea of a Generalate was discussed, but not finding the proposals made there feasable for México, she gave up for the moment.

During her stay in Matehuala, she could continue working on the idea that was pressing her. There, she counted not only on the authorization of Bishop Miguel M. de la Mora, but he also had offered to take the petition to the Holy See himself.

After concluding the foundation of México City, M. Ma. Concepción Solis was named Superior of that Community. There, she resumed the formal plans for the Generalate, having successful results.

The houses of Chilapa, Matehuala and México City had always been united, in the desire to form a Generalate. In order to make it a reality, M. Ma. Concepción Solís, sent a document to the three houses, so that the Sisters could give their free consent to the proposal to form the Generalate.

The petition was sent to Rome in January of 1929, accompanied by letters from the Bishops of Chilapa, Matehuala, and México City. From that day forward, prayers were continuously said for the success of the petition.

M. Ma. Concepción Solís

Being in the midst of revolution, the Sisters were going to suffer many aggressions. On February 13, 1929 (Ash Wednesday), five Government Officials entered the School unexpectedly and took positions in strategic places of the School. They began to remove medals and crucifixes from the necks of the students. One took possession of the telephone and another of the superintendent's office. This one received the day's mail, and it was among these letters that a very important document from Rome had arrived. This aggression lasted six long hours. Fortunately, the document was left among some papers, as something without importance and the Sisters could save it.

Once the storm calmed down, and the school was reorganized, M. Ma. Concepción Solís let the Communities know that Rome had granted permission for the Generalate, and asked them to elect two Sisters by Community as Delegates to attend the FIRST GENERAL CHAPTER, that was to take place April 17, 1929.


The first request came from Mother Ma. Guadalupe Beltrán, superior from the Community of Matamoros, Tamaulipas. She arrived in México City on July 18, 1929.

Shortly after, the Community of Matamoros, Tamaulipas requested to merge with the Generalate, receiving its decree from Rome on March 9, 1930. For reasons hard to explain, this Community did not continue in the Generalate, and on July 8, 1931 it became again an independent Community.

On February 3, 1930, M. Gertrudis Torres, from the Monastery of Puebla, which at that time belonged to the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word, was admitted into the Generalate.

On March 7, 1930, Sisters Loreto Centeno and Ma. Del Rosario Villaverde arrived from the Community of Querétaro.

In the month of June, the request was received from Sister Ma. Del Sagrado Corazón Ruiloba from the Community of Brownsville, Texas to be admitted into the Generalate.

Later, Sister Concepción Barrera, from the Community of Corpus Christi, was admitted, together with Sisters Ma. Guadalupe Araiza and Asunción Robledo, who had remained in San Antonio, Texas, since the persecution in México.

In March of 1934, the Community of Ixtlán del Río, Nayarit, was accepted. Two years later, this Community moved to Mazatlán, Sinaloa, and later on to Sayula, Jalisco, where there is still a Community.

M. Encarnación Palos requested the merger of the Community of Rosario de Santa Fe, Argentina in 1936.

Sister Bernard Meehan, from the Community of Corpus Christi, Texas, requested permission from Rome, to join the Generalate. But in 1938, wishing to found a Community in Ireland, requested her separation.

Mother Juana González, superior of the Community of Encrucijada, Cuba, requested the merger of that Community, which was accepted in 1944.

In July 1950, Sister Rosa Ma. Martínez, from an independent house in México City, became part of the Generalate.

The independent houses of Taxco and Buenavista de Cuellar requested incorporation into the Generalate, and were officially admitted on September 24, 1960 when the document from Rome was executed.

The Sisters from the Community of Tlapacoyan, Veracruz, requested to merge with the Generalate. This took place in their Chapel, with the Apostolic Delegate, Msgr. Luigi Raimondi present, as well as the Bishop of Papantla who read the decree from the Sacred Congregation, on October 16, 1961.

In 1962, the merger of the Community of Ometepec, Guerrero took place. Bishop José del Pilar Quezada presided at the ceremony of the reading of the decree of merger.

Mother Marie de L'Encarnation Metz, superior of the Lyons Generalate in France, and M. Ma. Angela Ledesma Martín, with vision towards the future and a desire to respond to the call of the Church, requested the merger of their Generalate to the Generalate in México City. The Decree from Rome was received on October 7, 1970; and was executed in the Convent Chapel in Lyon by the Archbishop Cardenal Renard. With this event, we can say that the treasures of the writings and objects that belonged to Venerable Jeanne Chézard de Matel were opened, not only for the Congregation of México City, but also for the whole Order.

More Sisters, some still living, have come from different Generalates or independent houses of the Order, which, according to God's Will has continued to grow.

At present the Congregation has fifty-eight Communities, in ten countries, on three continents.

Presently, there are 435 members in the Congregation, including: 360 Perpetually Professed Sisters; 37 Sisters in Temporary Vows; 22 Novices; and 16 Postulants.

"I contemplate with delight the houses of my Order, where I will be worshipped in spirit and in truth." We ask that this desire of the Incarnate Word be a reality in the whole Order.