We are honored to have had the opportunity to spend two days filming with the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (IHM) in Monroe, Michigan.
IHM co-founder Mother Theresa Maxis Duchemin was born in Baltimore in 1810 to a Haitian mother and a British father. She was well-educated and articulate in both French and English. She was part of the early community of the Oblate Sisters of Providence, the first congregation of women religious of color in the world. For a time, she also served as their superior.
Missionary priest Louis Florent Gillet, CSsR, sought women religious to provide a Catholic education to the girls of Monroe, a young but growing city along the River Raisin. Mother Theresa, fearing for the future of the Oblate Sisters, left Baltimore to join Father Gillet in the establishment of a new congregation of women religious. She and two other women became the first members of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, on Nov. 10, 1845.
The congregation grew slowly but, over time, became well known for its educational works.
By 1906, the practice of sending some IHM postulants to the University of Michigan for advanced study began. This created a foundation of highly educated, critical-thinking, dynamic sisters who would become the educators of thousands of Catholic children from diverse immigrant families well into the 1960s.
While this historical reflection is important to our story, even more relevant is how today, in 2025, these highly educated women spread the liberating word of Jesus while representing the strong life ways of Mary. Today, the IHM Sisters are deeply involved in many facets of society, working to protect the environment, eradicate the causes of injustice and oppression, and bring attention to the horrors of human trafficking. Of course, at the core of all this is their spiritual teachings and leadership. Their global missionary work is well respected. They have impacted the many oppressed sectors of our global society in places including Grenada, the West Indies, Honduras, Ghana, West Africa, and Kenya. After the fall of Saigon, they assisted Vietnamese orphans and refugees.
Also joining us for a sit down talk was awarded winning journalist / author Patricia Montemurri. Patricia is the author of several books and Free Press stories about the history of sisters and spirituality here in Michigan.
Our sit-down interviews over the past two days were truly inspiring and educational. We are sure their history and mission will be an important story of our film The Calling.