Ordo Immaculatæ Conceptionis | |
 | |
| Abbreviation | OIC |
|---|---|
| Nickname | Conceptionists |
| Formation | 1511; 514 years ago (1511) |
| Founder | Saint Beatrice of Silva |
| Founded at | Toledo,Spain |
| Type | Religious Order of Pontifical Right for women |
| Members | 1,409 members as of 2020 |
| Website | www.concepcionistas.info |
TheOrder of the Immaculate Conception (Latin:Ordo Inmaculatae Conceptionis), abbreviatedOIC and also known asthe Conceptionists, is aCatholic religious order of Pontifical Right for nuns founded bySaint Beatrice of Silva. For some years, they followed thePoor ClaresRule, but in 1511 they were recognized as a separatereligious order, taking a new rule with the name Order of the Immaculate Conception. (In some areas they are still known as the Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Conception.)[1]
The order was founded in 1484 inToledo,Spain, bySaint Beatrice of Silva, a noblewoman ofPortugal and sister of the Franciscan friar,Blessed Amadeus. On the marriage of PrincessIsabel of Portugal with KingJohn II of Castile, Beatrice had accompanied the future Queen, her cousin, to the court of her new husband. After the marriage, however, her great beauty aroused the jealousy of the queen, for which she was imprisoned.[2] During that time of incarceration, Beatrice experienced anapparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary, telling her that she wanted Beatrice to found a new Order in her honor.
Beatrice escaped with difficulty and took refuge in theDominican convent at Toledo. There, for thirty-seven years, she led a life of holiness, however without becoming a member of that order. In 1484, Beatrice, with some companions, took possession of aconvent in Toledo set apart for them byIsabella I of Castile.[2]
In 1489, by permission ofPope Innocent VIII, the nuns adopted theCistercian rule,[3] bound themselves to the daily recitation of theDivine Office, and they were placed under obedience to theordinary of thediocese.[2] In 1501,Pope Alexander VI united this community with theBenedictine community of San Pedro de las Duenas, under therule of St. Clare,[4] but in 1511Julius II gave it a rule of its own and put them under the protection of General Minister of Friars Minor, for this reason the nuns were called Franciscan Conceptionist. Specialconstitutions were drawn up for the Order in 1516 by CardinalFrancisco de Quiñones. It was the foundress,Beatrice of Silva, who chose the whitehabit, with a whitescapular and blue mantle.[5]
A second convent was founded in 1507 at Torrigo, from which, in turn, were established seven others. The order soon spread throughPortugal,Spain,Italy,France; Spain's colony ofNew Spain (Mexico), starting in 1540[6] and as well as in Portugal's colony ofBrazil. (That community, however, later separated to become areligious congregation of missionary sisters of theThird Order of St. Francis.). At its height there were some 2,000 convents of the order throughout the world.[5] As of 2020, there were about 1,400 members in 127 houses.[7]
The foundress, Beatrice of Silva, wascanonized byPope Paul VI in 1976.[5] In 2019,Pope Francis gave his approval to the declaration of the martyrdom of Maria del Carmen and 13 companions, all Conceptionists, who were killed in Madrid in 1936 during the Spanish Civil War.[8]
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TheSecond Vatican Council had instructed all religious institutes to go back to the inspirations and goals of their founders and to make sure that their current orientation and lifestyles of the communities were in keeping with these.[5]
Through the studies done byMercedes de Jesús Egido y Izquierdo (1935–2004), a new direction was developed and tried on an experimental basis at her convent. After a trial of two years, newconstitutions were drawn up out of the experience, which were submitted to Rome and approved by theHoly See in 1996 for this order, removing from it the noticeable Franciscan influence imposed upon it.[5] Egido successfully argued that the foundress' vision was that of a life lived in imitation of the virtues of the Blessed Virgin Mary. She has become seen as a second foundress through her efforts. The process for seeking Egido's canonization was formally opened at the Monastery of the Immaculate Conception and St. Beatrice in Toledo on 8 November 2011.
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This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Conceptionists".Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
