CICM Missionaries
The CICM Missionaries, officially known as the Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (Latin: Congregatio Immaculati Cordis Mariae) and often abbreviated as C.I.C.M, is a Catholic clerical religious congregation of Pontifical Right for men established in 1862 by the Belgian Catholic priest Theophile Verbist (1823–1868). Its members add the post-nominal letters C.I.C.M. to their names to indicate membership in the congregation.
| Congregatio Immaculati Cordis Mariae (Latin) | |
| Abbreviation | C.I.C.M |
|---|---|
| Nickname | Missionhurst |
| Formation | 1862 |
| Founder | Fr. Théophile Verbist, CICM |
| Founded at | Scheut, Anderlecht, Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium |
| Type | Clerical Religious Congregation of Pontifical Right for men |
| Headquarters | General Motherhouse Via S. Giovanni Eudes 95, 00163 Rome, Italy |
Members | 780 members (585 priests) as of 2021 |
Motto | Latin: Cor Unum et Anima Una English: One Heart and one Soul |
Superior General | Fr. Charles Phukuta Khonde, CICM |
Ministry | Home and foreign mission work |
| Affiliations | Roman Catholic Church |
| Website | cicm-mission |
The order's origins lie in Scheut, a suburb of Brussels, due to which it is widely known as the Scheut Missionaries. The congregation is most notable for their international missionary works in China, Mongolia, the Philippines, and in the Congo Free State/Belgian Congo (modern-day Democratic Republic of the Congo).
Presently, their international name "CICM Missionaries" is preferred, although, in the United States, the congregation is mostly known as Missionhurst.