Guyana is located on the northeast coast of South America next to Venezuela on the Caribbean. As the only English-speaking country in South America, our mission in Guyana joins Canada and the United States as part of our Province of the Immaculate Conception.

The IVE Priests have been working in Guyana since 1995, and it had long been our desire to found a convent of our sisters there as well. After lengthy preparation, our sisters began the mission on January 23, 2007.

To reach the parish, the sisters took a 12-hour flight from New York City, a two hour trip by mini-van, and a ride on the speed boat (ferry) in the hot, humid weather typically found on the Equator. Our sisters finally got to the parish where they were greeted by our priests at St. Francis Xavier parish in Charity and then went directly to their new convent to get to work: cleaning, organizing and preparing the beds with mosquito nets. Once settled, the sisters began to familiarize themselves with the people of the 9 communities along the Pomeroon River and Essequibo Coast who are under the care of our religious family.

Popular Missions
Since 2003, visiting priests, seminarians, sisters and lay volunteers have been leading summer missions in Guyana. Popular missions are periods of intensive parish evangelization according to the method of St. Alphonsus Liguori with the goal of the “conversion of sinners.” During this time, the missionaries visit houses, bring the Sacraments to the sick, and hold daily oratories for children and youth. These events renew the communities of our religious family along the Essequibo Coast.