The Mission of MBI
The mission of the Margaret Brennan Institute – a ministry of the IHM Sisters of Monroe, Michigan – is to nurture the spiritual seeker in all of us as we explore the intersection of faith and culture through webinars and other online resources.
The Origin Story of MBI
The Margaret Brennan Institute (MBI) was established by the IHM Sisters of Monroe, Michigan, in 2016 to explore the areas of spirituality, Church and culture. The congregation wanted to create a forward-looking institute in the name of one of their members, Sister Margaret Brennan, IHM, who was visionary and always attuned to people’s questions of God and the intersection of faith and culture.
The Institute was created to be sin fronterars, no bricks and mortar walls, no boundaries on the vast exploration and adventure of spirituality, Church, and culture. It is designed to be open to the Spirit and nimble in following her.
The Institute engages this exploration in a variety of ways such as conferences, workshops, research and collaborative efforts with other faith traditions and religious communities. Most recently, the Institute has focused its efforts on having an online presence through which to continue this exploration. In 2021, the Institute began offering webinars and is now present at the website, social media and other digital platforms.
Margaret Brennan, IHM
Margaret Brennan in whose name the institute was founded, was an extraordinary woman. She was a pioneer theologian, mother of the House of Prayer movement, spiritual director, teacher, mentor, and prolific scholar.
She was a Catholic sister belonging to the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Monroe, Mich. She was also prophetic leader across the sisterhood of U.S. Catholic Sisters and nuns and beyond.
She was a woman who embraced life fully, prayed, laughed and loved, and strived always to be most fully herself in God.
“In trying to understand any person whose life has unquestioned national and even global impact, it is tempting to see them in terms larger than life. Fortunately, Margaret never made that mistake about herself and, in her deep self-knowing, even in her final hours, she taught one final lesson to those whom she had touched for close to a century: who you are ultimately is more important than what you do.” from a National Catholic Reporter article by Dr. Margaret Susan Thompson, IHM Associate
from a National Catholic Reporter article by Dr. Margaret Susan Thompson, IHM Associate
Learn more about Sister Margaret.
- Biography and remembering of Sister Margaret published by the IHM Sisters
- A video tribute to Sister Margaret
- “Sr. Margaret Rita Brennan’s leadership has lasting influence for US women religious” by Margaret Susan Thompson, PhD, in National Catholic Reporter (May 2, 2016)
- “Sr. Margaret Brennan stood strong in Vatican II call to renew religious life” by Sister Joan Chittister, OSB, in Global Sisters Report (May 2, 2016)
- “Brennan remembered as ‘wonderful gift to the whole church’” by Dawn Araujo-Hawkins in Global Sisters Report (April 28, 2016)
The IHM Sisters
MBI is a ministry of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (IHM) of Monroe, Michigan. We, the IHM Sisters are Catholic women bound together in faith. We live the liberating mission of Jesus. We act on insights from study, prayer and contemplation. We trust in divine providence and our calling, and we are willing to take risks for the sake of the future. We work to bring about peace, justice and sustainability.
We’re Here for You
You are most welcome to explore the website and to join in conversation whenever you wish. If you’d like to connect with us directly, please send us a message on our contact page.
