“Finally, the day came! The long-awaited day,” Sr. Mary said, and added, “Years of discernment and a deep desire that the Mary Ward family would be one has come to pass.”
She continued, “I found the day momentous with an atmosphere of joy. All the people who spoke during Mass gave very moving reflections about the meaning of what we were celebrating.”
Credit: Sr. Mary Santrina Tumusiime, CJ/Nairobi
The Nairobi-based CJ member said the November 4 celebration in Loyola honoured “those who have walked this journey which we celebrate today; the faithful companions of Mary Ward who so desired to see this day.”
The transition, Sr. Mary went on to say, also stirred mixed emotions — “the letting go of what has been the familiar, the home, the known – IBVM,” and “embracing the new – CJ.”
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Credit: Sr. Mary Santrina Tumusiime, CJ/Nairobi
“I felt a deep invitation to trust in God who has walked with the Congregations for years and who now invites us into a new journey,” the Provincial leader of CJ members in Kenya, Tanzania, and Ghana told ACI Africa from Loyola, adding, “The future is in the hands of a loving Father and that is all that matters.”
While the official name changes, the Loreto identity will remain familiar in the region, she further said.
Sr. Mary Gitau (right). Credit: Sr. Mary Santrina Tumusiime, CJ/Nairobi
“Loreto will remain as the brand name of the Congregatio Jesu in our countries where IBVM had foundations. What will change is the official name – from IBVM to CJ,” Sr. Mary said, and continued, “What does not change is our commitment, our dedication, our joy, our freedom to do all for the greater glory of God in all places and at all times.”
For her, the merger is a reminder of the heart of Religious Life.
Credit: Sr. Mary Santrina Tumusiime, CJ/Nairobi
“Religious life is about serving God with joy and gladness; giving our whole lives to God; coming together as women who share the same charism and constitutions and who are bound in spirit by the same foundress,” Sr. Mary reflected in the November 4 interview, and added, “It is about being available for service to God’s people in our time.”
Sr. Mary Gitau (left). Credit: Sr. Mary Santrina Tumusiime, CJ/Nairobi
She concluded with a prayer drawn from Romans 12:5, “So in Christ, we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.”
Credit: Sr. Mary Santrina Tumusiime, CJ/Nairobi
“A new dawn, a new beginning”
For Sr. Mary Santrina Tumusiime, November 4 represents “a truly historic moment.”
Sr. Mary Santrina Tumusiime. Credit: Sr. Mary Santrina Tumusiime, CJ/Nairobi
“It is a new dawn, a new beginning. I have long looked forward to this day, as we, the members, have journeyed together in discerning and fulfilling the dream of our founder: that we may be one,” Sr. Santrina told ACI Africa from Loyola.
The Ugandan-born CJ member noted that the two Congregations had long shared one spirit. “The beauty of this transition lies in the fact that both IBVM and CJ share the same founder, the Venerable Mary Ward, and the same Ignatian spirituality. In truth, we were already one in spirit,” she said.
Credit: Sr. Mary Santrina Tumusiime, CJ/Nairobi
To friends and collaborators, Sr. Santrina assured continuity. “There is no cause for concern. The name Loreto will remain cherished and alive. What changes is simply the official name from IBVM to CJ,” she said.
The Nairobi-based CJ member told ACI Africa that “from henceforth, we are members of the Congregation of Jesus, known by different names across the world: Loreto Sisters in East Africa, the English Ladies in England, the Mary Ward Sisters in Zimbabwe, and many others.”
Credit: Sr. Mary Santrina Tumusiime, CJ/Nairobi
She added that the merger renews Mary Ward’s vision: “Rooted in the vision of Mary Ward, our foundress, this union renews our commitment to her prophetic dream — ‘Women in time to come will do much.’ Together, we continue her mission of defending and spreading the faith, serving God’s people with renewed unity and strength.”
“Our story has been incomplete”
In another November 4 interview, Sr. Maria Nyamusi told ACI Africa that the merger completes a long journey. “For a long time our story has been incomplete. We are very happy that we are now living the true dream of Mary Ward inscribed with the name of ‘Jesus,’ her first and last words,” Sr. Maria said.
Credit: Sr. Mary Santrina Tumusiime, CJ/Nairobi
She encouraged those adjusting to the new name, saying, “We are the same zealous women – more zealous than ever. Change of name is a positive evolution.”
“Congregation of Jesus is our new name. Loreto is a brand name; Congregatio Jesu will even be a greater brand,” the Kenyan-born CJ member added.
Credit: Sr. Mary Santrina Tumusiime, CJ/Nairobi
“I couldn’t hold my tears”
Tanzanian-born Sr. Oliva Oswald described the November 4 event as deeply moving.
Credit: Sr. Mary Santrina Tumusiime, CJ/Nairobi
“To me it is a day of mixed feelings. I couldn’t hold my tears, and I cannot tell why, but something within me drove me into tears,” Sr. Oliva said, adding, “Later I was okay after joining my meditations with our founder Mary Ward who wanted us to be one.”
Credit: Sr. Mary Santrina Tumusiime, CJ/Nairobi
The Nairobi-based CJ member told ACI Africa that the merger calls for renewal and openness. “New things are coming which may call me to do away with my old ways and fit in the old yet new way of doing things in the CJ way,” she said.
Sr. Oliva added, “Friends should know that the name is not changing God’s mission. The mission of propagating faith remains. Women at the heart of the Church remain.”
Credit: Sr. Mary Santrina Tumusiime, CJ/Nairobi
She continued, “We continue walking together in unity, love, and joy – keeping Mary Ward’s values of integrity, sincerity, freedom, and joy.”
Alluding to the theme of the ongoing Catholic Church’s 2025 Jubilee Year “Pilgrims of Hope”, Sr. Oliva said, “As pilgrims of hope, it is my prayer that this union strengthens the unity we already have… that we may continue dreaming big by moving where the need is greatest and become better witnesses of the Gospel.”
Credit: Sr. Mary Santrina Tumusiime, CJ/Nairobi
“A new beginning”
For Sr. Anne Kinyanjui, the November 4 merger signals gratitude and renewal. “The day for me means a new beginning,” Sr. Anne said, and added, “We thank God the celebration went on well. The big thing was the reality of Loreto IBVM ceasing to be and all of us belonging to one congregation – the Congregation of Jesus.”
She acknowledged that some would need time to adapt. “This reality may take time to sink, since the name Loreto will remain in all our institutions. This is what they have known over the years and so we have to understand them.”
Credit: Sr. Mary Santrina Tumusiime, CJ/Nairobi
“Change is inevitable,” the Kenyan-born CJ member reflected, adding, “My message to the people of God is that it is for the greater glory, and I believe that service to God’s people remains key, and hope that we will even do more.”
“A new era of shared ministry”
Sr. Patricia Ndunge, Kenyan-born CJ member serving in Ghana’s Obuasi Catholic Diocese, described the November 4 merger as “a significant milestone.”
Credit: Sr. Mary Santrina Tumusiime, CJ/Nairobi
“It’s the beginning of a new era of shared ministry, mission, and community life,” Sr. Patricia said, and added, “It is a time for celebration, prayer, and reflection on the unity and shared charism – an opportunity for us members to recommit to the mission and values we share.”
Looking ahead, she noted, “Integration begins – the start of a process of integrating systems, processes, and cultures, which can be a time of excitement and growth. It’s also a time for reflection on the journey that has brought us to this point and anticipation of the future opportunities and challenges that lie ahead.”
Credit: Sr. Mary Santrina Tumusiime, CJ/Nairobi
A global family united
With the canonical merger in effect from November 4, the Congregatio Jesu unites some 1,800 sisters worldwide under one name and one spirit – the charism of Mary Ward, the 17th-century Englishwoman, who envisioned women religious “doing much” for the Gospel in freedom and fidelity.
Credit: Sr. Mary Santrina Tumusiime, CJ/Nairobi
For the Loreto Sisters of Eastern Africa, it is a moment of gratitude and recommitment. As Sr. Mary Gitau summed up in her interview with ACI Africa referring to Romans 12:5-15, “Pray with us. Pray for us. May the reality of the second reading today become realized in us – ‘So in Christ, we though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.’”
ACI Africa was founded in 2019. We provide free, up-to-the-minute news affecting the Catholic Church in Africa, giving particular emphasis to the words of the Holy Father and happenings of the Holy See, to any person with access to the internet. ACI Africa is proud to offer free access to its news items to Catholic dioceses, parishes, and websites, in order to increase awareness of the activities of the universal Church and to foster a sense of Catholic thought and culture in the life of every Catholic.
Credit: Sr. Mary Santrina Tumusiime, CJ/Nairobi
Sr. Veronica Fuhrmann. Credit: Sr. Mary Santrina Tumusiime, CJ/Nairobi
Credit: Sr. Mary Santrina Tumusiime, CJ/Nairobi
Sr. Carmel Swords (left) and Sr. Veronica Fuhrmann. Credit: Sr. Mary Santrina Tumusiime, CJ/Nairobi
Credit: Sr. Mary Santrina Tumusiime, CJ/Nairobi
Sr. Mary Gitau (left). Credit: Sr. Mary Santrina Tumusiime, CJ/Nairobi
