The Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary (IBVM) is an international congregation of Catholic Women Religious. It opened the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary – Loreto Generalate (IBVM NGO) office in New York in September 2003, having received Associate Status with the Department of Global Communications (previously Department of Public Information) of the United Nations. In 2015 IBVM NGO was granted special consultative status with the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).
In October 2017, IBVM NGO began collaborating with the Congregation of Jesus (CJ), also founded by Mary Ward. The two merged as one in November 2025. The IBVM NGO at the UN represents the interests of the global CJ network, including its members on six continents, associates, co-workers, current students, teachers, parents, communities, and more than a million alumni of our schools.
The worldwide CJ Network is present at the United Nations where the voice of civil society is of increasing importance in multilateral decisions aimed at encouraging the human community to peaceful and respectful collaboration in a way that benefits all people and our planet.
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The Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary (IBVM)
Feature Image: Giovanna Muha CJ (Romania), Fionnuala Lynch CJ (Ireland), Cynthia Mathew CJ (India), Janet Palafox CJ (Australia) and Sarah Rudolph CJ (Canada).
