In December 2010, at the invitation of Bishop Floro, the sisters of the Zimbabwean Region opened a new ministry on a remote mission station called Nesigwe, west of Harare, on a high, hot and dry plateau. Sister Christopher Angell, now aged 94 and very frail, was able to join the group which travelled by car down 50 km of bumpy dirt tracks to Nesiqwe for the opening celebration in March. The land is poor and services (electricity and water) non-existent.  The mission consists of several buildings including a pre-school that has never been operative, a social centre, a small church, a large hall, and houses for the priests and the sisters.  The two CJ pioneers are Srs Magna Maminimini CJ and Monica Mujera CJ. Already they have cleaned and equipped the house, sunk a bore hole, purchased a generator, and Sr Monica has begun to teach at the local diocesan school.  

2009 -2011 marks the 4th Centenary of the founding of Mary Ward's congregation, which began in London and St Omer in 1609.  The opening Mass took place on 29 January in York Minster, and Mass was celebrated in Westminster Cathedral on 23 January 2010. In October 2011, 1.200 members of the CJ and IBVM, with associates and friends shared a week of celebration in Rome. See the Jubilee 400 Pages on this website for an account of these great celebrations.  
The Jubilee years closed with the General Congregation in Loyola, October 2011. 

Jubilee 400 was celebrated in Rome from October 4th to 9th by 1,200 pilgrims, CJ and IBVM Sisters, Associates lay women and men co-workers, and friends.  The events of the week began with a re-enactment of Mary Ward's entry into Rome through the Flaminian Gate in 1621, and included the Papal Audience in the Piazza of St Peter's Basilica, Mass in the Basilica of S. Ignazio, a Symposium on Mary Ward, visits to Mary Ward places and to the CJ and IBVM Generalates, and several Concerts.  The choir of St Mary's School, Shaftesbury sang at a Mass in St Peter's Basilica and gave one of the evening Concerts.  Our thanks to the CJ and IBVM Generalates, who  worked together to make this week a most memorable celebration and a time to meet old friends and make new ones thoughout the whole Mary Ward Institute.

To see a day by day account of the Pilgrimage with some of the best photographs click HERE

To access all the photographs, the talks at the Symposium, and the homily at the Mass in S. Ignazio, click HERE

See the new CJ Social Ministry page on this website. It includes the activities of CJ Provinces worldwide, as well as those of the English Province.

St Joseph's, York is the community for the elderly frail  members of the CJ English Province who need 24 hour care.  It is run by Sr Agatha, Margaret Loftus, and a team of devoted nurses and carers, but up to now the cramped nature of the premises has made their task extremely difficult.  The completion of a much-needed extension coincided with the celebration of the Province Jubilees on 20 June, and the festivities began with a service of blessing in St Joseph's Chapel.  As well as the small but beautiful Chapel, the extension contains a fine sitting room and dining area, new bedrooms, wider corridors for wheelchairs, and various other much needed facilities, making space for better accommodation in the main house for the nurses as well as for the eleven Sisters.  The opening day was a most happy occasion for everybody, and a selection of photographs can be seen on the Gallery Page. Click HERE.  

A new book of Mary Ward source texts has recently been published by the Catholic Record Society, in preparation for the Jubilee 400 year 1609-2009: Mary Ward (1585-1645) A Briefe Relation with Autobiographical Fragments and a Selection of Letters, edited by Christina Kenworthy-Browne CJ, Boydell and Brewer 2008. The Briefe Relation, the earliest biography of Mary Ward, is thought to have been written  c. 1650 by Mary Poyntz, one of her closest companions,. A successful book launch was hosted jointly by the CRS and the CJ at the Bar Convent on 2 December 2008.  For an account of the launch and the speeches click here.  This book is available at a discount offer on the price from The Bar Convent, York.

The long awaited publication of Mary Ward and Her Foundation.The Source Texts to 1645 has now taken place.  Mary Ward und ihre Grundung. Die Quellentexte bis 1645, 4 vols, edited by Sr Ursula Dirmeier CJ, has been  published in Munster, Germany at the end of 2007.  The texts are presented in their original languages with full introductions and notes in German. For further information on this important collection, which was presented to the Holy Father in March 2008, see the new Talks and Documents page on this website. 

The Yorkshire Society, a large group of members and corporate members, seeks to honour the achievements of distinguished people born in Yorkshire by erecting Yorkshire Rose Plaques in places with which they were associated. Up to now these plaques have celebrated famous Yorkshire men. On 31 March 2007 the Society came to the Bar Convent to set up on the front wall a plaque for Mary Ward, the first woman to be so honoured.  This fine plaque, engraved by John Shaw on blue Welsh slate, has been much admired.