An infant in the Mother & Infant Care Program in Mongu, Zambia

To celebrate 2,000 years of the Incarnation of the Lord, the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word marked the new millennium by establishing a mission in Africa. After examining the possibilities of expanding to Haiti, Ghana or Zambia, the Sisters chose Zambia. In Zambia, the Incarnate Word Sisters responded to the greatest need in working with the poor, helping people live and die with dignity, caring for orphans and vulnerable children, and providing formula to newborns to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS. December, 2006, was a defining moment for the Congregation because the Sisters learned that the first baby in the Mother & Infant Care Program tested negative for HIV/AIDS. The Incarnate Word Sisters are now saving lives in Africa one baby at a time.

Our Story

A mother with her child, Sister Rosa Margarita Valdez, and nurse Dorinda Escamilla in Mongu, Zambia Our Congregation was founded in San Antonio in 1869 in response to a request from Bishop Claude Marie Dubuis. Bishop Dubuis needed assistance in caring for the victims of cholera and yellow fever in the rough Texas frontier. He wrote to Catholic Sisters in his native France asking for help.

Our Lord Jesus Christ, suffering in the persons of a multitude of sick and infirm of every kind, seeks relief at your hands.

Three sisters traveled from France to assist Bishop Dubuis and founded the Congregation of the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word. They faced many hardships, including epidemics, natural disasters and persecution, but with God’s help they persevered. Those first Sisters believed, as we do, that God wanted them to continue what Jesus did when he was on earth: be the human presence of God’s love to those in need.

The mystery of the Incarnation, that God in the person of Jesus Christ became human and lives among us, is the foundation of our lives, our spirituality and our ministry. Jesus revealed God’s love in the world in real and tangible ways; we strive to do the same. Through sponsoring a variety of ministries, our Congregation serves diverse communities in many geographic locations.