Who We Are

The Institute of the Incarnate Word (IVE) is a Catholic Clerical Religious Institute, its members are Priests, Sisters and religious Brothers. It was founded in Argentina on March 25, 1984 by Reverend Father Carlos Miguel Buela. Today it is spread through the five continents, working pastorally in 93 ecclesiastical jurisdictions in 44 different countries. Our vocation is to follow Christ more closely under the action of the Holy Spirit. We want to imitate Jesus Christ as perfectly as possible, principally by the fulfillment of our religious vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, spurred on by charity. At the same time, we want to manifest our love and gratitude to the Blessed Virgin, and therefore we make a fourth vow of Marian slavery.

On March 19th, 1988, Fr. Carlos Miguel Buela founded the Sister Servants of the Lord and the Virgin of Matará, female branch of the Religious Family of the Incarnate Word, in San Rafael, Argentina. It is a religious community of Diocesan Right and together with the IVE it is comprised of Sisters, Priests, Brothers and Third Order members. The two religious Institutes share the same charism, have twin constitutions and both include active and contemplative branches. The sisters now number over 1,250 members present in over 35 countries around the world.

Our Charism

The specific charism of our Institute requires all of its members to work in supreme docility to the Holy Spirit and according to the example of the Virgin Mary, so that Jesus Christ will be the Lord of all that is truly human, even in the most difficult situations and under the most adverse conditions; that is, it is the grace to know how to work concretely so as to extend the presence of Christ in families, education, the mass media, the scholarly, and in all other legitimate manifestations of human life. It is the gift of making each person “like a new Incarnation of the Word”, thus fulfilling our essential call to be missionaries and Marian.

Our Spirituality

Our spirituality seeks to be anchored in the sacrosanct mystery of the Incarnation. So we can say that our spirituality is that of the person of the Word and of His Mother, so that, in the Holy Spirit, we may become united to the Father. All the principles of our Institute’s spiritual life, as stated in the Directory of Spirituality, stem from the elucidation of the mystery of the Incarnate Word.

Marian Slavery

By this slavery of love, we offer Christ, through Mary, not only our bodies, souls, and goods, but also our good works (past, present, and future), together with their satisfactory and meritorious value. Thus, she may dispose of everything according to the will of her Son and for His greater glory. We are certain that we must go to the Incarnate Word through Mary, His Mother, and that she will form “great saints.”

Our Founder

Fr. Carlos Miguel Buela was born in Buenos Aires on April 4th, 1941 and was ordained a priest on October 7th, 1971. He taught Theology and Sacred Scripture in different seminaries and schools in Argentina, such as the Instituto Superior de Cultura Católica (Rosario) and the Universidad Católica Argentina, and he gave a valuable service in the parishes of Nuestra Señora de la Merced and Nuestra Señora del Rosario (diocese of San Martín, Buenos Aires). He has been spiritual director and professor in minor seminaries and in the Diocesan Seminary of San Rafael (Mendoza). In this diocese he founded the religious congregation of the “Institute of the Incarnate Word,” the female religious congregation “Servants of the Lord and the and the Virgin of Matará, and, also in this diocese, he founded houses of religious formation, contemplative life, works of mercy and schools.

Our Presence in Syria

We arrived to Syria in 2008 and have been, since then, serving in the Latin Vicariate, giving help and spiritual assistance to different congregations. During the war, the bishop asked our Priests to assist the families in Al-Midan neighborhood, and that is when we reopened Our Lady of Annunciation Church and Center (OLACC) in 2018, and have been Since then sharing the difficulties of daily life with our families. We have been close to the families by giving them different kinds of aid.

– Our congregation has two locations in Aleppo where it supervises several things and a house for our sisters in Damascus, which are:

1. The Latin Vicariate: where we provide several religious and spiritual aids such as:
   1. Different activities’ assistance in the Cathedral and spiritual support to female religious communities (Carmelites, Missionaries of Charity of Madre Teresa and our sisters).
   2. Residences: two buildings, one for female college students and the other for male college students. They are next to the Latin Vicariate and to the Colleges.
   3. The Incarnate Word brotherhood, and spiritual exercise.
   4. John-Paul Ⅱ formation center for youth skills development
   5. Secular third order of IVE
2. Our Lady of Annunciation Church and Center for Social Assistance and Development (OLACC)
3. In Damascus our sisters are serving in the Apostolic Nunciature…

• College students’ residence for females

It was established in 2008 upon the arrival of the sisters of ‘Our Lady of Perpetual Help’, the intercessor of the females’ residence. The number of the female residents, is currently 43, in addition, assistance is also provided to other female students staying outside the residence. It aims to provide Christian, humanitarian, and social growth to its residents; thus, the students need to commit to attending the weekly mass, the holidays, the weekly brotherhood gathering, and some other activities, which work in favor of achieving the aim. The residency provides gas, electricity, internet, food, heating, health care, etc. the sisters also help the students to provide their financial needs by proposing projects.

• College students’ residence for males (Jesus Worker Convent)

     It was established in 2014, and it is located in the first floor of a two-floor building, next to the Latin Vicariate. It provides a residence to 35 male students, as well as the necessities of living (gas, electricity, internet, food, heating, health care, etc.) The residence also aims to provide the correct Christian, humanitarian, and social growth to the students so that they could flourish in their Christian and social lives.

Both residences are provided to the students for a nominal rent; thus, we can collaborate with those students for the benefit of their futures, and also indirectly help their families with the overwhelming expenses of studying far from home.

• John Paul Ⅱ Formation Center for Youth Skills Development

In the same building as the males’ residence, in the ground floor we are building a Center (John-Paul II), it is currently under renovation which will take between three to four months to be completed and after that the center will be available as a youth center and also a study zone for students of all different backgrounds and religions. The aftermath of the war has left many of the parents unable to bear the education expenses, and here comes the role of the center, for it will provide:

• • Computer lab: for engineering courses, designing courses, computer programs’ courses, and accounting courses;
  • Study zone: with three halls;
  • four classrooms: for English and French language courses, life skills’ courses, private courses in many different college fields, and workshops;
  • Meeting’s hall: for spiritual formation for Christians;
  • Resting room: for students to sit, relax, and take breaks.

• The Incarnate Word gatherings

     It was established on March 20, 2021. Its aim is to call people to join the congregation, and to bring the youth closer to church and introduce them to their duties towards God and the church. During the gatherings, the priests and the sisters give religious and social subjects, and arrange activities in the religious holidays. There is also ‘spiritual exercise’ and an ‘overnight’ once a year, in addition to multiple activities a year. The gatherings are being held once every other week currently; however, starting from the next semester, the gatherings will be held weekly.

• Secular Third Order

     We Usually have lay members who are closer to the priests and sisters, and who also share the spirituality of the Congregation. Our group was founded, in Aleppo, on July 16, 2018. The Third Order is made up of lay members who wish to participate in our mission and live our spirituality in the midst of the world, they live with the intention of being a new incarnation of the Word in everyday life, in their homes, in their workplaces, among people, and in every aspect of the world in which they live. The number of the members in Aleppo is currently 14, most of which are families (married).  The members who officially became a part of the Third Order are asked to pray for the entire Religious Family. The Third Order has various levels of belonging, from a total consecration to God through the profession of private vows, while living in the world, to a simpler participation in the spiritual goods of the religious family.

• Our Lady of Annunciation Church and Center

      We reopened (OLACC) immediately after the liberation of this area in Aleppo on 2018, located in Al-Midan neighborhood (an area that witnessed some of the strongest clashes during the war). Since then, we have been working to fulfill the people’s necessities by helping them with the most important needs through different programs such as:

• Pastoral care: our main mission is to show people the love of God through several programs: Catechism, and recreational activities for children and teenagers.
• Educational programs: daily-tutoring to all school grades for 200 students, summer school, sports, painting courses, language courses.
• Emergency aid: market vouchers, cash assistance, clothes, furniture, houses’ reconstruction, medications, surgeries, food and hygienic baskets, diapers for babies and elderlies, special attention to the elderly who live alone (ready-to-eat meals delivered to 240 elders three days a week, visits by ladies who clean their homes; cute and dye their hair; and look after them), batteries for lighting, in-kind assistance.
• Recovery and livelihood program: vocational training (which teaches people a craftsmanship so that they could open a business), micro-credits project (which helps people in opening a business and gives them the opportunity to be self-dependent so that they would not need external help), and Professional courses.

Our aim in this small church and lovely community is to show people the Love of God and to make this love known to everyone. And due to the special situation of our families, our aim is to also be close to them and try to be instruments of His Mercy