Congregation of Jesus and Mary
With a big heart and great love.
Since 1643, the Congregation of Jesus and Mary has carried a twofold mission: to proclaim the Gospel and form priests after the Heart of God, serving the Christian life of all the baptized.
John Eudes · 1601–16801643 · A founding vision
John Eudes had been a priest of the French Oratory since 1625. Trained in the school of Pierre de Bérulle, he devoted his apostolate chiefly to preaching missions in towns and villages, seeking to renew faith and the life of the Church. In 1641, he laid the foundations of the Order of Our Lady of Charity to welcome and help abandoned women in great distress rebuild their lives. On March 25, 1643, in Caen, John Eudes gathered companions who committed themselves to the formation of priests while continuing parish missions.
The Congregation of Jesus and Mary, commonly known as the Eudists, was born from this inspiration. Moved by the love of Jesus, John Eudes carried in his heart the hardships and needs of the men and women of his time. Following his example, the Eudists seek boldly to open paths that help the Kingdom of Jesus grow in diverse cultures and contexts.
Discover his writings →Two complementary commitments
Bearing witness to the Gospel through daily life, prayer, teaching, and pastoral service.
Accompanying parish communities and reaching people in their everyday lives.
Nurturing the faith of all members of the People of God.
Helping bring about justice and peace, signs of the Kingdom of God, with particular care for vulnerable people.
Taking part in the formation of all members of the Church: priests, deacons, consecrated persons, and lay faithful.
Accompanying each person in discerning their vocation.
Helping form pastoral workers in diocesan seminaries, spiritual centers, and other educational settings.
This twofold apostolic purpose is set out in Articles 10 and 23 of the Congregation’s Constitutions.
A society of apostolic life
Priests, deacons, and laypeople, whether incorporated or associated, share in prayer, experience, and apostolic commitment. Community life helps each person grow in charity and serve alongside others. It offers mutual support, discernment, and sharing: the mission is nourished by prayer and by the experience of living together.
Associates bring their experience and share in the Eudist spiritual heritage. The diversity of vocations, generations, and cultures enriches this family and its presence in the world. Incorporated members and associates each bring their gifts to a common apostolic commitment in a spirit of shared responsibility.
The Congregation is present on four continents and benefits from the great cultural diversity of its members. This presents a challenge in communities and at international gatherings: how can each person make their voice heard and welcome another’s culture and unique experience? When this happens, the Kingdom of God grows, and our communities become prophetic signs in a fractured world.
Attentive to the signs of the times, the Congregation fully embraces the ecclesial vision of the Synod on Synodality as the most fitting way to live the Gospel and the mission. Incorporated and associate Eudists welcome the Holy Spirit, who enables them to listen to their brothers and sisters as they sincerely seek how to live the mission in today’s world.
The more it is shared, the more it grows! The Eudists and the institutes that recognize themselves in the heritage of Saint John Eudes continue to study and share his texts. They also explore more deeply what happens when his writings are received: new spiritual and apostolic experiences that renew personal faith and missionary enthusiasm.
An international family
In Europe, Africa, the Americas, and the Philippines, the Eudists adapt their service to the needs of local churches. Each community contributes to a shared mission, enriched by its culture. Associates share in the Eudist spiritual heritage and contribute their apostolic experience.
The Congregation has nearly 470 Eudists in 20 countries, including 140 in probation (a first commitment). More than 1,000 associates—lay people, priests, and permanent deacons—share responsibility for the Congregation’s spiritual heritage, fraternal life, and apostolic experience.
The Congregation has been engaged in education since 1653! Today, Eudists work in around fifty schools worldwide. In 1992, Fr. Rafael García-Herreros founded UNIMINUTO University in Bogotá. It has more than 110,000 students and is present in almost every department of Colombia. It also helps establish Eudist university institutes in Côte d’Ivoire, Benin, and Togo.
The Congregation is organized into five provinces and two vicariates, with 73 local communities living the mission together. Incorporated members, those in probation, and associates serve the formation of seminarians, priests, and lay people in the Congregation’s own institutions or in cooperation with dioceses.
The Congregation was founded on March 25, 1643, in Caen.
After the upheaval of the French Revolution, it was reestablished on January 9, 1826.
In 1883, Leo XIII sent the Eudists to Colombia, where they went on to establish many seminaries throughout Central and South America.
The Canadian mission began in 1890, with seminaries and colleges in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Quebec, followed by the North Shore mission in 1903.
In 1958, the Eudists settled in Côte d’Ivoire at the bishops’ invitation to found the seminary of Abidjan, leading to substantial growth in Africa.
In 2006, the mission opened in the Philippines, with much promise for the future.
Figures updated from the presentation supplied by the Congregation.
One vocation, many faces
“We want to show the proud and joyful face of who we are as Eudists, with the great richness of our differences across Provinces and generations. We want to embody with joy what it means to be Eudist—as an incorporated member or an associate, as a man or a woman, in our diverse cultures and social situations—welcoming the other person’s contribution as a revelation of my own identity.”
Our communities around the world
When Saint John Eudes died on August 19, 1680, the Congregation of Jesus and Mary had about forty members, who would later be called Eudists. At that time, they ran six seminaries in Normandy and Brittany and led parish missions. In 2022, the Eudists in France lived in eight communities, serving priestly formation, education, parish ministry, spiritual life, and many diocesan needs.
Visit the website ↗The Eudist Province of Colombia spans six countries: Mexico, Honduras, and the Dominican Republic in Central America; and Colombia, Brazil, and Ecuador in South America. The Eudists lead spiritual centers and parishes, where they help form lay missionary disciples and contribute to the initial and ongoing formation of diocesan priests.
Visit the website ↗The Eudists played a leading role in the religious and social history of North America. Their influence was felt through the establishment of religious communities, the formation of priests, parish missions, and the founding of houses and seminaries. They left a lasting mark on the Church in Canada and helped preserve the French language in Quebec and Acadia.
Visit the website ↗In Venezuela, the Eudists live out their mission in several ways: proclaiming the Gospel through teams of lay missionaries, serving on diocesan seminary teams, animating basic Christian communities, and taking on parish responsibilities.
Visit the website ↗The Eudists have been present in Africa since 1958. Today they have communities in Côte d’Ivoire, Benin, Togo, Burkina Faso, and Kenya. Their ministries include initial and ongoing priestly formation, spiritual centers, works of mercy in health care and with children, higher education in vocational and agroecological fields, and parish ministry.
Visit the website ↗The Minuto de Dios foundation was established by the Eudist priest Rafael García-Herreros to serve a wide range of needs. The Eudists contribute to primary, secondary, and university education, as well as to immediate relief after disasters and long-term solidarity efforts such as building entire neighborhoods and supporting small businesses. They run support centers for people living with HIV, operate radio and television networks, and proclaim the Gospel through the grace of the Charismatic Renewal. They also work for peace and the country’s reconstruction and serve in parishes. The Province is present in Colombia, Nicaragua, and Peru.
Visit the website ↗The Vicariate of the Philippines was established when it separated from the Province of North America. From 2006 to January 2024, North American Eudists worked with Filipinos to develop this mission of evangelization and formation. It now includes several incorporated members and seminarians.
Visit the website ↗