The Religious of Jesus Mary (Religieuses de Jésus-Marie) is a Roman Catholic religious congregation for education. It was founded at Lyon, France, in October, 1818, by Claudine Thévenet,[1] in religion, Mary of St. Ignatius (Marie Saint Ignace). She was canonized in 1993;[2] her feast day is February 3.
The constitutions were approved by Pope Pius IX, 31 December 1847. The object of this congregation was to give girls a Christian education conformable to their social position. For this purpose the religious have boarding-schools and academies.
In France, before the expulsion of 1901, they were at Lyon, and at Le Puy, Rodez, and Remiremont. The mother-house was transferred to Rome in September 1901.
In 1842, Lyons sent a colony to India, where twelve houses were set up, including ones at Bombay, Poona, Lahore, Simla, and Agra (see Convent of Jesus and Mary). In 1850 the first house in Spain was founded at Tarragona; then followed other foundations, at Valencia, Barcelona, Orihuela, S. Gervas, Alicante, and Murcia. In 1902, Spain sent a colony to found houses in Mexico City and at Mérida, Yucatán.
The first house of the congregation in America was founded at St-Joseph, Levis, Quebec, Canada, in 1858. In 1876, Sillery, Quebec became the provincial house of America. Canada has four other houses, at St-Gervais, St-Michel, Trois-Pistoles, and Beauceville.
In 1876, several sisters left Sillery to open houses in the United States. The first foundation was that at Fall River, Massachusetts. The house at Manchester, New Hampshire, was founded in 1881; then, at Woonsocket, Rhode Island, a boarding school and two parochial schools. At Providence, the religious set up a convent and two parochial schools. In 1902, several nuns left the mother-house in Rome, to establish the congregation in New York City. The foundation of a young ladies' academy at Kingsbridge in the northwest Bronx quickly developed into a century of service at St. John's Parish and School where more than 200 RJM sisters dedicated countless years of educational service to thousands of local Catholic boys and girls. Notable educators among the sisters were Mother Mary Catherine (Kenny), Mother Camillus and Mother Regis.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed (1913). "Religious of Jesus Mary". Catholic Encyclopedia. Robert Appleton Company.