Sisters of St. Joseph 175th Anniversary in the United States

March 25th marks the 175th Anniversary of Sisters of Saint Joseph arriving in Saint Louis, MO. From here their ministry spread quickly across the United States and Canada and many other places in the world.  

A few years ago I prepared a prayer for our Sponsored Ministries. I've adapted it a bit for this anniversary. You can download it here.
 

I've also asked a Sister Jeanne Marie, a friend of mine from the Carondelet-Albany Province, if I could share some prayer cards she prepared for a meeting we were at last November. They have pictures and quotes about each of the first sisters who came to the New World as well as Mother St. John Fontbonne and the Countess de la Rochejaquelin. She is the woman who donated the money to make it possible for the sisters to come to America. You'll learn a little about her in the prayer. Here is the link to the prayer cards.


May we all celebrate the 175th anniversary of these amazing women on whose shoulders we stand. In particular Happy Anniversary to the Sisters of Saint Joseph of Carondelet. Click on their name to watch their video: Serving A World In Need. Learn about our founding in 17th century France and the modern day mission and ministry of the Sisters of Saint Joseph.

Visit our CSSJ U.S. Federation site to learn more about Sisters of Saint Joseph throughout the U.S. There are also links to The U.S. Federation of the Sisters of Saint Joseph is a dynamic union of all the Sisters of Saint Joseph of the United States who claim a common origin in the foundation at LePuy, France in 1650. Today there are approximately 6,500 vowed members as well as 2,500 Associates in the United States. World-wide there are over 13,000 Sisters of Saint Joseph in over 50 countries.

Sisters of St. Joseph Leave France for New World 175 years ago today



Chapel Candles, Fouviere Hill, Lyon, France 

 Today is the 175th anniversary of when the first Sisters of St. Joseph departed from Lyon to come to "The New World." I've attached a short prayer service that was originally written during the Bearers of the Tradition Institute in Concordia, Kansas.



The story of the Sisters of St. Joseph leaving Lyon and eventually arriving in St. Louis is told in a couple of books. Comunidad para el Mundo by Mary McGlone, CSJ, was written primarily to tell the story of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet's presence in Peru. However Chapter 3 offers a well researched account of this event. Another delightful book that I've just finished reading is titled Like a Swarm of Bees, by Sister Carol Anne O'Marie, CSJ, from California wrote Like a Swarm of Bees. Wikapedia explains that she finished the manuscript shortly before her death in May 2009. Written to fulfil both a prophecy and a promise spoken in 1805 by Abbe Piron of St. Etienne, France, fortold that the Sisters of St. Joseph would increase in number and "like a swarm of bees" spread everywhere. Both books are well worth reading.