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Founded atLe Puy, in Velay,France, by theRev. Jean-Paul Médaille of theSociety of Jesus (b. atCarcassonne, 29 January, 1618; d. atAuch, 15 May, 1689). He was admitted into theSociety in 1640, became noted as a teacher of rhetoric and philosophy before entering upon his career as a preacher, in which he distinguished himself by his great oratorical power, but most especially by his marvelous influence oversouls. He encouraged a few of his most fervent penitents toconsecrate themselves to the service ofGod, and addressed himself to theBishop ofLe Puy, the Right Rev. Henri de Maupas, a friend and disciple of the greatSt. Vincent de Paul. Thebishop invited the aspirants to assemble atLe Puy where shortly afterwards he placed them in charge of theorphan asylum for girls. On 15 October, 1650, he addressed them as areligious community, placed them under the protection ofSt. Joseph, and ordered that they should be called the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph. As their numbers increased, he gave them rules for their guidance, and as the congregation had been established in the diocese for theChristianeducation of children, he recommended that the teachers fit themselves especially for this important work. He also prescribed as their religious dress a black habit and veil, a blackcincture on which a largerosary is worn, a band of white linen across the forehead, and a white linen coif fastened under the chin. Later a white linen gimp was added.
In regard to the spirit by which the sisters were to be animated, Bishop de Maupas writes: "As I have found in theVisitation Order a sort of blessed predilection for the exact observance of the holiestlaws ofhumility and charity, I have decided to institute the Congregation of St. Joseph on the same model, and in the same spirit, as the Sisters of the Visitation before they adopted enclosure." The constitutions which Father Médaille wrote for the sisters are borrowed from the rules ofSt. Ignatius, the saintly founder adding observations from his own experience. According to the rule, each community was to consider as its superior thebishop of thediocese, who was to appoint a spiritual father to accompany him, or, in his absence, to preside at the election of superiors and perform such offices as the necessities of the community might require. Father Médaille prescribed three months, at least, for the probation time of apostulant, and four years fornovitiate training, two years preparatory, and two years after the making of thevows, which are final. At her profession, thenovice receives a brass crucifix, which thebishop presents with these words: "Receive, my child, the cross ofOur Lord Jesus Christ, to which you are affixed by the threevows as by so many nails; wear it openly on your breast as a most sure defense against the enemy; endeavour especially to carry it faithfully in your heart, by loving it tenderly and by bearing with delight andhumility this sweet burden, that faithfully living and dying in thelove of the cross withJesus, you may also triumph with Him in glory." The sisters devote three hours a day to their regular devotions. They recite the Office of the Blessed Virgin onSundays and feasts ofobligation. On other days, the Office of the Holy Ghost is substituted.
The successor of Bishop de Maupas, Bishop Armand de Béthune, approved the congregation, 23 September, 1655, andLouis XIV confirmed by letters patent the first establishments of the Sisters of St. Joseph in the cities ofLe Puy, St-Didier, and several other places in Velay. They were later introduced into the Dioceses ofClermont, Vienne,Lyons,Grenoble, Embrun,Gap, Sisteron, Vivier, Uges, and almost the whole ofFrance. Foundations were made also inSavoy,Italy, andCorsica.
In 1793 theconvents andchapels of the sisters were confiscated, their annals were destroyed, and the religious wereobliged to join communities in other countries, or to return to their respective homes in the world. The congregation has had itsmartyrs, three during thepersecution in Dauphiné, for refusing to take the civiloath, and two in anotherpersecution in Haute-Loire. During the reign of terror, several Sisters of St. Joseph died for the Faith, and several others escaped the guillotine only by the fall of Robespierre. Among the latter wasMother St. John Fontbonne, who in her notebook records the names of four Sisters of St. Josephimprisoned with her at St-Didier, five others in the dungeon of Feurs, and twenty inClermont and other parts ofFrance.
The first useMother St. John made of her liberty was to try to reassemble her dispersed community. She applied in vain to the municipality for the restoration of theconvent in which she had invested her dowry, and while awaiting the dawn of a brighter day, returned to her own home. Thevicar-general, the Rev. Claude Cholleton, invitedMother St. John to repair, in 1807, to Saint-Etienne to take charge of a little band of religious representing different communities which, like that of St. Joseph, had been disbanded during theRevolution. Other youngwomen joined the little household, all of whomMother St. Johnzealously trained according to the life and rules of the first Sisters of St. Joseph. The community prospered. In several places the Government approved of the return of the sisters to their long vacantconvents, and in some casesRevolutionary proprietors sold back to the sisters theproperty which had been confiscated. On reopening the mission at Monistrol,Mother St. John expressed greatjoy and satisfaction. The work of the congregation continued, the increase in numbers keeping pace with demands now made on every side forconvents andCatholicschools. Wherever obedience directed, thither the missionaries hastened, till representatives of the community might be counted in nearly every country inEurope, on the distant shores ofAsia, and in the fastnesses ofAfrica.
The recent upheaval inFrance is like history repeating itself in the spirit of theRevolution. Hundredsconvents,schools, andcharitable institutions, belonging to the Sisters of St. Joseph, have been suppressed, and the religious have beenobliged to seek safety and shelter in other lands. Consequently many new missions, in the remotest parts of theUnited States, have been recently opened. In 1903 four sisters who fled fromFrance at the beginning of the troubles there, sought and obtained hospitality at St. Joseph's Convent, Flushing. They remained nearly two years, or until they had sufficiently mastered the English language, and fitted themselves foreducational work awaiting them inMinnesota, where they have since opened three little mission houses.
Boston
In 1873 the Sisters of St. Joseph ofBrooklyn opened their firstschool atJamaica Plain, in theArchdiocese of Boston, and three years later established there anovitiate, which was transferred successively to Cambridge (1885), Brighton, and Canton (1902). The mother-house is still at Brighton. The sisters were soon in demand throughout the archdiocese, and now (1910) number 300, in charge of an academy, 12parochialschools, aschool for the deaf, and an industrial home for girls. They have 7000 children under their care.
Brooklyn
In the spring of 1856 the Right Rev. John Loughlin, firstBishop ofBrooklyn, applied to the mother-house at Philadelphia for sisters, and two religious were named for the new mission, joined during the same year by a sister fromBuffalo. St. Mary's Academy, Williamsburg, was opened on 8 Sept., 1856, and in the following year aparochialschool was inaugurated. In 1860 the mother-house,novitiate, and boardingschool were removed to Flushing, Long Island, whence the activity of the sisters was gradually extended over the diocese. In 1903 the mother-house andnovitiate were again transferred to Brentwood, New York, where an academy was opened the same year. The community, now (1910) numbering over 600 members, is represented in over 50parishes of thediocese, in which the sisters preside over 8 academies, 50parochialschools, 3orphan asylums, a home forwomen, and 2hospitals, having under their care 11,000 children, not including 1300orphans. They teachChristian doctrine in many Sundayschools besides those attached to theschools under their charge. In nearly all the mission houses are evening classes for adults to whom the sisters give religious instruction. They also visit the sick in theparishes in which they reside.
Buffalo
The Sisters of St. Joseph were introduced into theDiocese of Buffalo in 1854, when three sisters from Carondelet, St. Louis, made a foundation at Canandaigua, New York. Two years later one of these sisters was brought to Buffalo by Bishop Timon to assume charge of Le Couteulx St. Mary's Institution for the instruction of deaf mutes, which had lately been established. Thenovitiate was removed from Canandaigua to Buffalo in 1861. The community developed rapidly and soon spread through different parts of thediocese. By 1868 the sisters were sufficiently strong to direct their own affairs, and elected their own superior, thus forming a newdiocesan congregation. In 1891 the mother-house andnovitiate were removed to the outskirts of the city, where an academy was erected. The congregation, which now (1910) numbers 285 members, also has charge of 28parochialschools in thediocese, 3orphan asylums, a working boys home, an infants' asylum, and a home forwomen and working girls. The sisters have under their care 5000 children, not including 470orphans and deaf mutes and 600 inmates of their various homes.
Burlington
In 1873 the Rev. Charles Boylan of Rutland,Vermont, petitioned the mother-house of the Sisters of St. Joseph at Flushing, Long Island, for sisters to take charge of hisschool. Several sisters Were sent, and anovitiate was opened at Rutland, 15 October, 1876. The congregation now (1910) numbers 75 religious, in charge of an academy attached to the mother-house, 6parochialschools, one in the Diocese of Pittsburg, and a home for the aged, with 36 inmates. The total number of children under the care of the sisters is 1700.
Chicago
The Sisters of St. Joseph were established at La Grange,Illinois, 9 October, 1899, by two sisters under Mother Stanislaus Leary, formerly superior of thediocesan community at Rochester, New York. On 14 July, 1900, thecorner-stone of the mother-house was laid. The sisters who now (1910) number 65, are in charge of an academy with an attendance of 100 and aschool for boys.
Cleveland
The Sisters of St. Joseph of theDiocese of Cleveland are chiefly engaged in theparochialschools. They number about 80 and have charge of an academy and 13parishschools, with an attendance of 4500.
Concordia
In 1883 four Sisters of St. Joseph arrived at Newton,Kansas, from Rochester, New York, and opened their first mission. After remaining there a year they located atConcordia,Kansas, in the fall of 1884, and established the first mother-house in the West, in what was then theDiocese of Leavenworth. The congregation now numbers 240, in charge of 3 academies, 2hospitals, and 26schools, in theArchdiocese of Chicago and the Dioceses of Marquette,Rockford,Kansas City,Omaha, Lincoln, andConcordia. The sisters have about 4000 children under their care.
Detroit
In 1889 Sisters of St. Joseph from theDiocese of Ogdensburg established a new congregation at Kalamazoo, Michigan. Thenovitiate was transferred, in 1897, to Nazareth, a hamlet founded by the sisters on a four-hundred-acre farm. The congregation, which numbers 187, has charge of ahospital, trainingschool for nurses, normalschool, a home for feeble-minded children, anorphan asylum, and several othereducational institutions, besides supplying teachers for 7parishschools of thediocese. The sisters have about 1600 children under their care, including 200orphans.
Erie
This congregation was founded in 1860 by Mother Agnes Spencer of Carondelet,Missouri, who, with two other sisters, took charge of St. Ann's Academy atCorsica,Pennsylvania, wherepostulants were admitted. In 1864 ahospital was opened at Meadville, and the sisters took charge of theparochialschools of that city. Later anorphan asylum, ahospital, and a home for the aged were erected in the city ofErie. Villa Maria Academy was opened in 1892 and in 1897 was made thenovitiate and mother house of the Sisters of St. Joseph in the Erie diocese. The congregation now numbers 210 members, in charge of 14parochialschools, attended by 3900 children, in addition to the other institutions mentioned above.
Fall River
In 1902 nine Sisters of St. Joseph from the mother-house atLe Puy took charge of theschool in theFrenchparish of St-Roch,Fall River,Massachusetts. The accession of other members from the mother-house enabled the community to take charge of three otherschools in the city attached toFrenchparishes. In 1906 St. Theresa's Convent was formally opened as the provincial house of the community, which was legally incorporated in the same year, and anovitiate was established. The sisters now number 43, in charge of fourparochialschools, with an attendance of about 1200.
Fort Wayne
The Sisters of St. Joseph, with their mother-house at Tipton, number 60, in charge of an academy and 5 parochialschools, with an attendance of 1000.
Ogdensburg
In 1880 several sisters from the mother-house atBuffalo made a foundation at Watertown, New York, which was later strengthened by the accession of another sister from the Erie mother-house. From Watertown as a centre missions were opened in other parts of thediocese. The congregation, which now numbers about 75 members, has charge of severalparishschools, the Immaculate Heart Academy at Watertown, which is the mother-house, anorphanage, and aschool for boys, having about 1100 children under its care. In 1907 the sisters established a mission at Braddock,Pennsylvania, for work in theparochialschools there.
Philadelphia
In 1847 the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, in response to an appeal ofBishop Kenrick, sent four members of the community to Philadelphia to take charge of St. John's Orphan Asylum, until that time under the Sisters of Charity.
TheKnow-Nothing spirit, which had but a short time previously led to the Philadelphia riots, to the burning anddesecration of churches and religious institutions, was still rampant, and the sisters had much to suffer from bigotry and difficulties of many kinds. Shortly afterwards they were given charge of severalparochialschools, and thus entered on what was to be their chief work in the coming years. By the establishment, in October, 1858, under the patronage of Venerable Bishop Neuman, of a mother-house at Mount St. Joseph, Chestnut Hill, the congregation in Philadelphia began to take a more definite development. When, in 1863, the Sisters of St. Joseph of St. Louis formed a generalate, approved later by theHoly See, the congregation of Philadelphia, by the wish of thebishop, preserved its autonomy. During the Civil War, detachments of sisters nursed the sick soldiers in Camp Curtin and theChurch Hospital, Harrisburg; later, under Surgeon General Smith, the had more activeduty in the floatinghospitals which received the wounded from the southern battle-fields. When the number of religious increased to between three and four hundred, and the works entrusted to them became so numerous and varied as to necessitate an organization more detailed and definite, steps were undertaken to obtain thepapalapprobation, which was received in 1895. The Sisters of St. Joseph of Philadelphia now (1910) number 626 professed members, 64novices, and 31postulants, in charge of a collegiate institute for the highereducation ofwomen, an academy and boarding-school, 42parishschools, and 2 high schools in theArchdioceses of Philadelphia and Baltimore, and the Dioceses ofNewark and Harrisburg, and 4 asylums and homes. The number of children under their care, including those in asylums, is nearly 26,000.
Pittsburg
In 1869, at the petition of thepastor of Ebensburg,Pennsylvania, three sisters were sent there to open a day-school and a boarding-school for boys. The accession of new members enabled the sisters to meet the increasing demands made upon them, and they now number 175, in charge of 23schools in theArchdiocese of Baltimore and the Dioceses ofPittsburg,Cleveland, andColumbus, with an attendance of 6075; they also conduct ahospital and 2 boarding-schools. In 1901 the mother-house was transferred toBaden,Pennsylvania.
Rochester
In 1864 four Sisters of St. Joseph fromBuffalo opened an asylum fororphan boys at Rochester. Three years later theDiocese of Buffalo was divided and that of Rochester created, and the following year, 1868, the Rochester community dissolved its affiliation with the Buffalo mother-house and opened its ownnovitiate and mother-house at St. Mary's Boys' Orphan Asylum, later transferred to the Nazareth Academy, Rochester. The number of institutions now directed by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Rochester has risen to 50 (1910): 5 privateeducational institutions, including a conservatory of music and art; 5charitable institutions, including 3orphan asylums, ahospital, and a home for the aged; and 40parochialschools, including one high school. The community numbers 430 members, in charge of 15,000 children.
St. Augustine
In 1866 eight Sisters of St. Joseph from the mother-house atLe Puy were sent to St. Augustine, at the request ofBishop Verot, to teach the coloured people, recently liberated by the Civil War. In 1880 anovitiate was established, and about the same time, owing to the departure of theSisters of Mercy from the city, the training of the impoverished whites also devolved on the new community. In 1889 connection with the mother-house inFrance was severed, and many of the French sisters returned to their native land. The sisters now number about 105 in charge of 6 academies, 14 day-schools, and 1orphanage. They have under their charge about 1438 white and 240 coloured children, and about 35orphans. The mother-house of the Florida missions is at St. Augustine.
St. Louis
In the year 1834 the Right Rev. Joseph Rosati of St. Louis,Missouri, called at the mother-house of the Sisters of St. Joseph atLyons and askedMother St. John Fontbonne, the superior, to send a colony of her daughters to America. The financial aidnecessary was obtained through the Countess de la Roche Jacquelin. Arrangements were soon perfected, and on 17 January, 1836, six sisters sailed from Havre and, after a perilous voyage of forty-nine days, reachedNew Orleans, where they were met by theBishop of St. Louis and Father Timon, afterwardsBishop ofBuffalo. They arrived at St. Louis on 25 March. The house, a small log cabin, which was to be the central or mother-house of the future congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, was located at Carondelet, a small town six miles south of St. Louis. At the time the sisters arrived at St. Louis, thishumble house was occupied by the Sisters of Charity, who there cared for a feworphans soon after transferred to a new building. While waiting for or their home, they received a call from Cahokia,Illinois, where azealousVincentian missionary desired the help of the sisters in his labours among the French and Creole population of that section. Three religious volunteered for this mission. The people among whom the sisters laboured in St. Louis were poor and rude, and apparently destitute of any taste for either religion oreducation. These obstacles seemed but to increase thezeal of the sisters, and by degreespostulants were received,parochialschools and asylums opened, and new works begun in various parts of thediocese. As early as 1847 foundations were made in other sections of theUnited States. In 1837 the first American member of the order, Ann Eliza Dillon, entered thenovitiate, proving of great advantage to the struggling community, with her fluency in French and English. She died, however, four years later. The community increasing in proportion to its more extended field of labour, a commodious building was erected to answer the double purpose ofnovitiate and academy, the latter being incorporated in 1853 under thelaws of theState of Missouri.
Because of the rapid growth of the institute and the increasing demand for sisters from all parts of theUnited States, the superiors of the community were by 1860 forced to consider means best adapted to give stability and uniformity to the growing congregation. A general chapter was convoked in May, 1860, to which representatives from every house of the congregation in America were called. At this meeting a plan for uniting all the communities under a general government was discussed and accepted by the sisters and afterwards by many of thebishops in whosedioceses the sisters were engaged. This plan, together with the constitutions, revised so as to meet the requirements of the new condition, was presented to theHoly See for approval. In September, 1863,Pope Pius IX issued the letter of commendation of the institute and its works, holding the constitutions for examination and revision by the Sacred Congregation of Bishops and Regulars. The firstdecree ofapprobation was granted 7 June, 1867, and ten years later, 16 May, 1877, adecree approving the institute and constitutions was issued by the Sacred Congregation of Bishops and Regulars. On 31 July, 1877,Pius IX, by specialBrief, confirmed the institute and constitutions of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet. Thus, with the sanction of theChurch came the unification of communities in variousdioceses with the mother-house at Carondelet, now in the city of St. Louis.
The congregation is at present (1910) divided into four provinces: St. Louis, Missouri;St. Paul, Minnesota; Troy, New York; Los Angeles,California. The St. Louis province comprises the houses of the congregation in theArchdioceses of St. Louis andChicago and the Dioceses of St. Joseph,Kansas City,Indianapolis,Peoria,Belleville,Alton,Denver,Marquette,Green Bay,Mobile, and Oklahoma. The province of St. Paul includes the houses in theArchdiocese of St. Paul, Minnesota, and the Dioceses ofWinona andFargo, North Dakota. The province of Troy is formed of the houses established in the Dioceses ofAlbany andSyracuse, New York. The province ofLos Angeles comprises the houses of the Archdiocese of San Francisco, the Dioceses ofTucson,Arizona, and Los Angeles,California. The superior general and four general councillors, elected every six years by the whole congregation, form the general governing body, assisted by a superior provincial and four provincial councillors in each province. The provincial officers are appointed by the general officers every three years, as also are the local superiors of all the provinces. In each provincial house, as in the mother-house, anovitiate is established. The term, ofpostulantship extends from three to Six months, the term ofnovitiate two years, after which annualvows are taken for a period of five years, when perpetualvows are taken. All are received on the same footing, all enjoy the same privileges, and all are subject to the same obedience which assignsduties according to ability, talent, and aptitude. Although an interchange of members of the various provinces is allowed and made use of for general or particular needs, the autonomy of each province is safeguarded. The constitutions, while establishing on a solid basis theidea of a general government, allow no small share of local initiative and carefully provide for local needs. In this way too much centralization or peril to establishments working in accordance with local and special exigencies is fully guarded against. The congregation now (1910) numbers 4 provinces, with 1802sisters, in charge of 125educational institutions, including colleges, academies, conservatories of music and art, andparochialschools, with an attendance of 40,848; 17 charitableeducational institutions, includingorphan asylums, Indian, Coloured, and deaf-muteschools, with an attendance of 2121; and 10hospitals, with an average of 8285 patients.
Savannah
The Sisters of St. Joseph were established atSavannah in 1867, in charge of the boys'orphanage, and soon afterwards were constituted an independentdiocesan congregation. In 1876 theorphanage was transferred to Washington,Georgia, and with it the mother-house of the congregation. The sisters now number about 65, in charge of an academy, 2 boarding-schools for small boys, and severalparishschools, with a total attendance of over 500.
Springfield
In September, 1880, seven Sisters of St. Joseph were sent from Flushing, Long Island, to take charge of aparochialschool at Chicopee Falls,Massachusetts. They were followed, two years later, by seven sisters for Webster, and in 1883 by twelve more for thecathedralparish, Springfield. In 1885 the Springfield mission was constituted the mother-house of an independentdiocesan congregation. The sisters are in constant demand forparochialschools and now (1910), with a membership of 300, conduct 19, with an attendance of about 9000. In 1889 they took charge of theschool atWindsor Locks in theDiocese of Hartford, from which, in 1908, they were recalled to the Springfield diocese. The curriculum of their boarding-school at Chicopee embraces a normal course. They also visit the sick and take charge of Sunday-school classes. Since 1892 the sisters have devoted themselves particularly to the work of establishingCatholic high schools, and high-school courses are connected with practically all theparochialschools under their supervision.
Wheeling
In 1853 seven sisters from Carondelet,Missouri, opened a privateorphanage andhospital inWheeling, and in 1856 took possession of a building chartered by the Assembly of Virginia for ahospital. From 19 October, 1860, the community was independent of the St. Louis mother-house. During the Civil War thehospital was rented by the Government and the sisters enrolled in government service. After thewar and the reorganization of thehospital on its present lines, the sisters extended their activities to various parts of thediocese; they now number over 100, in charge of 3hospitals, 12schools and academies, and 2orphan asylums, with about 1700 children under their care.
Wichita
In August, 1887, four Sisters of St. Joseph were commissioned to go fromConcordia,Kansas, to open aparochialschool at Abilene,Kansas, at that time in theDiocese of Leavenworth. The following year the Right Rev. L. M. Pink,Bishop ofLeavenworth, decided that those sisters should belong to hisdiocese exclusively, and in so doing they became the nucleus of a newdiocesan community of the Sisters of St. Joseph, having their mother-house established at Abilene, under the title of Mount St. Joseph's Academy. The community increased in numbers and soon branched out, doingparochialschool work throughout the diocese. In 1892 the name of theDiocese of Leavenworth was changed toKansas City,Kansas, and for the time being the Sisters of St. Joseph werediocesan sisters of theDiocese of Kansas City. In 1896, when the redivision of the three Kansasdioceses Concordia,Kansas City, and Wichita, was agitated, Bishop Fink ofKansas City, to keep the Sisters of St. Joseph of hisdiocese within the limit of hisjurisdiction, had their mother-house transferred from Abilene to Parsons. But after the division was made, the following year, Abilene was in the Concordia diocese, and Parsons was in the Wichita diocese, and the mother-house of the Sisters of St. Joseph being in Parsons, the community belonged to the Wichita diocese, having mission-houses in both theDiocese of Concordia and theDiocese of Kansas City. Since that time the name of theDiocese of Kansas City has been changed to its original name:Diocese of Leavenworth. In 1907 a colony of these sisters opened a sanitarium at Del Norte,Colorado, in theDiocese of Denver. At the present time (1910), the sisters, who number 200, have charge of 3hospitals, all in the Diocese of Wichita, and 18parochialschools, including one in theDiocese of Leavenworth, one in theDiocese of Kansas City,Missouri, and 3 in connection with the sanitarium at Del Norte,Colorado.
Hamilton
In 1852 five sisters from the mother-house atToronto established a foundation atHamilton, where they at once opened anorphanage and began their work in theparochialschools of the city. During the cholera epidemic of 1854 the sisters cared for those afflicted. On the erection of theDiocese of Hamilton in 1856, the community became a separatediocesan congregation, and a few months later anovitiate was established atHamilton. By the passage of the Separate Schools Bill in 1856 the sisters were given control of theeducation of theCatholic children of the city. The congregation gradually extended its activities to other parts of thediocese and now (1910) numbers 155 religious in charge of 2hospitals, 2 houses of providence, and 12schools, with an attendance of 2300.
London
The community of Sisters of St. Joseph atLondon was founded in 1868 by five sisters from the mother-house atToronto, who opened anorphan asylum the following year. On 18 December, 1870, the congregation became independent, with anovitiate of its own, and on 15 February, 1871, the Sisters of St. Joseph ofLondon, Ontario, were legally incorporated. Several missions were opened in various parts of thediocese, and in 1888 ahospital was established atLondon, to which was attached a trainingschool for nurses. The sisters now (1910) number 131, in charge of 10 mission houses, including 9hospitals, 12schools, anorphan asylum, and a house of refuge for the aged; they have about 2200 children under their care.
Peterborough
In 1890 several sisters from the mother-house atToronto established a house atPeterborough, which became in turn the nucleus of a new congregation. The community now (1910) numbers 200sisters, in 14 houses, in charge of an academy 3hospitals, 2orphanages, a home for the aged, and 10 separateschools, in the Dioceses ofPeterborough and Sault Ste-Marie. They have over 1000 children under their care.
Toronto
The mother-house of the Sisters of St. Joseph atToronto was established fromLe Puy,France, in 1851. The congregation now comprises 266 members, in charge of 3 academies, 1 high school and 22 separateschools, with a total attendance of 5025; 5charitable institutions, with 900 inmates; and 1hospital, with an annual average of 2900.
THE SISTERS OF ST. JOSEPH
InEngland the Sisters of St. Joseph devote themselves entirely to the work of teaching. The mother-house of the English congregation is atAnnecy inSavoy, where the sisters possess the very cradle of theVisitation Order. They have Seven houses inEngland and one inScotland, under the provincial house andnovitiate forEngland, which was founded in 1864, at Newport, Mon. The congregation now numbers 60, in charge of 10 elementary day and boarding-schools, with an attendance of about 2000. InScotland, at Blair's College, 15 sisters have charge of the household arrangements and work of the college.
InIndia the sisters havehospitals, homes,orphanages, etc., just as they have inFrance, and they also go out to nurse the sick in their own homes. In BritishIndia there are about 70 sisters in 7 houses, the provincial house andnovitiate being at Waltair, with which are connected a day-school, boarding-school, nativeorphanage, native day-school, dispensary, and anovitiate for natives. In other parts ofIndia the sisters conduct a primaryschool, a boarding and dayschool, an intermediateschool forHindus, with an attendance of 200, a home for Rajpootwidows and another home forwidows, a workshop forwidows andorphans, and 4orphanages. At Palconda are two sisters who serve as catechists andsacristans. In all these missions the primary, secondary, and intermediateschools are under the Government. In some theorphanages are aided or wholly supported by the Government. Everywhere remedies are given to the sick natives, and the work of infantbaptism of natives is carried on. When natives enter the congregation, thenoviceship is made apart from theEuropeans, but they are treated in every way as members of the community. The work of the nativenovitiate is only in its infancy, and it is hoped that the native sisters will in the future be most useful with the native population. The Indian foundation was made in 1849.
Sisters of St. Joseph of Bourg
In 1819 a foundation from the mother-house of the Sisters of St. Joseph atLyons was made atBelley; anovitiate was opened and houses were established in other parts of thediocese. In 1823, at the desire of theBishop ofBelley, the sisters of thediocese were constituted an independentdiocesan congregation. The mother-house was transferred to Ain, in 1825, whence houses were founded at Ferney Gap,Grenoble,Bordeaux, and elsewhere. In 1828 and again in 1853, Bishop Devie obtained the approval of the French Government for the new congregation. By 1865 the number of members had reached 1700, and the congregation was established throughoutFrance, the principal academies being at Bourg, Paris, Boulogne-sur-Seine, andMarseilles.
In 1854 the sisters were sent from Bourg to establish a house at Bay St. Louis,Mississippi, in theDiocese of Natchez. In 1863 anovitiate was opened atNew Orleans, and later one was established atCedar Point, Hamilton County,Ohio. The sisters are now in charge of 15educational institutions, including several academies, as well as coloured and Indianschools, a home for working girls, and an industrialschool, with about 1800 children and youngwomen under their care.
The Sisters of St. Joseph were established atSuperior, Wis., in 1907 by seven sisters fromCincinnati. They now number 21, in charge of 3schools, with an attendance of 225.
In 1904 a colony of French sisters was sent out from Bourg, andschools have since been opened among theFrenchCanadians inMinnesota andWisconsin. In theDiocese of Duluth they have 2 academies with an attendance of 220.
Sisters of St. Joseph of Chambéry
After the reconstruction of the congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph atLyons, byMother St. John Fontbonne a colony of sisters was sent toChambéry, inSavoy, in 1812. The tide ofanarchy andrevolution had wrought awful havoc inFrance, and theeducation of youth, especially the children of theworking classes, was the special work devolving on the Sisters of St. Joseph. Theworks of charity, the care of the sick inhospitals, of the aged andorphans, and the visitation of the sick in their homes, were also carried on as prior to theRevolution. The original habit was somewhat modified and became about what it is now in the French houses, consisting of a black dress, veil and underveil, woollencincture, wooden beads strung on brass and fastened to thecincture, a brass crucifix on the breast, and a linen coronet, front, and gimp. In 1843Mother St. John Marcoux, superior since 1812, resigned her office, which was assumed by Mother Félicité, under whom the congregation continued its extraordinary development. More than eighty houses rose beneath her hand, and when, in 1861, a state normalschool was opened at Rumilly,Savoy, it was placed in charge of the sisters.
Meanwhile the Chambéry sisters had been constituted adiocesan congregation, but as years went on a stronger administration becamenecessary. The rule was therefore revised to meet the requirements of a generalate, andpapalapprobation was granted in 1874 byrescript ofPius IX. Under the new form of government the congregation is subject to a superior general, whose term of office is six years and is divided into provinces, each possessing anovitiate. Thenovices, after two years probation, make annualvows for two years, after which they bind themselves by perpetualvows. The rule is based on that ofSt. Augustine.
The province ofDenmark, whither the sisters were sent in 1856, has its seat atCopenhagen, and now numbers 400 members, in charge of flourishingparochial and privateschools and a largehospital in the capital, withschools,orphan asylums, andhospitals, on a smaller scale, scattered all over the kingdom. From Copenhagen sisters were sent toIceland, where they have aschool, give religious instruction, visit the sick, and, during the proper seasons, repair to the fisheries on the coast to nurse sick sailors. In 1901 this province opened a house atBrussels, where the sisters have a large publicschool under the Government. TheBrazilian province, founded in 1859, has several flourishing academies, besides day-schools for the upper classes,schools fornegroes,hospitals,orphanages and foundling asylums, and one home forlepers. The sisters number about 250, under the provincial house at Itu. In 1862 sisters were sent to establish aschool atStockholm, and in 1876 to Gothenburg. TheNorwegian province, dating from 1865, with seat at Christiania, has over 180 sisters. The province ofRussia, founded in 1872, withnovitiate at Tarnapol, Galicia, outside the frontier, has establishments at St. Petersburg,Moscow, and Odessa: two large academies, a day-school, anorphan asylum, ahospital, a home for the aged, etc. In 1876 the Sisters of St. Joseph ofRome, founded fromTurin in 1839, were annexed to the Chambéry branch; the province now (1910) comprises 15 houses, mainlyeducational institutions. InRome itself the sisters have an academy, with 100 pupils, 2 day-schools, and one poorschool.
At the request of theCongregation of Propaganda, and with the approval of theBishop ofSpringfield, five sisters were sent, in 1885, to Lee,Massachusetts, for work in theparochialschools. As their activities developed chiefly in theDiocese of Hartford, thenovitiate, which had been temporarily established at Lee, was, in 1898, transferred toHartford, Connecticut. The number of religious, then 44, has now (1910) reached 155, in charge of 9schools attended by 2100 pupils, 2hospitals, with an annual average of 4200 patients. The sisters also instruct about 1000 children inChristian doctrine, and have the domestic care of the Hartfordseminary and La Salette College in the same city.
In 1902 many French houses of the order were closed by the Government, in consequence of which a large number of sisters left for the foreign missions chieflyDenmark andRussia. The province ofSavoy: previously in charge of 52 establishments, has now but 14. The entire generalate comprises 1670 members.
Sisters of St. Joseph of St-Vallier
In 1683, at the request ofMgr Jean-Baptiste de la Croix Chevrière, Count of St-Vallier, laterBishop of Quebec, two sisters of St. Joseph fromLe Puy took charge of ahospital recently founded by him at St-Vallier (Drôme). As the new community grew in numbers, it also devoted its attention to theeducation of youth. In 1890 the approval ofPope Leo XIII was obtained for the rules of the congregation. When religious teaching was forbidden inFrance, the sisters, with the permission of Archbishop Begin of Quebec, took refuge in his archdiocese (1903), establishing the Provincial house at St-Jean, Port-Joli, where a boarding-school for girls was opened. The sisters now number about 50, in charge of ahospital, an academy, and 6 model elementaryschools. In 1905 they were placed over a modelschool in the city of Quebec, where they Opened anovitiate, the first reception taking place the following year. The sisters inFrance are still in charge of 3hospitals.
THE SISTERS OF ST. JOSEPH
Established at 45 rue Notre-Dame de Lourdes,Montreal. After the blessing of thebishop of thediocese (Mgr Bourget had been obtained, the institute was founded on 2 April-the feast of the Patronage of St. Joseph 1857, by the Sulpician father, Antoine* Mercier. It object is to aid theclergy in spiritual and temporal matters, both by the ministry ofprayer and by discharging certain manual services, such as the manufacture ofliturgical vestments and ornaments, and the manufacture, repair, and bleaching of the linen destined for the service of the altars of the various churches, etc. Missionaries without resources and poor seminarians are special objects of the charitable attentions of this community. Always under the direction of theSulpicians, to whose assistance and devotion it is indebted for its prosperity, this little institute had the consolation of seeing its existence and regulations canonically approved by Mgr Bruchési,Archbishop ofMontreal, on 20 September, 1897. The community at present numbers 65 professed sisters, 6novices, and 5postulants.
LITTLE DAUGHTERS OF ST. JOSEPH
In 1901 about forty sisters, all of Polish nationality, branched off from the School Sisters of St. Francis whose mother-house is atMilwaukee, and after obtaining thenecessarydispensation from theHoly See through the efforts of Archbishop Messmer, in April, 1902, organized themselves into the PolishFranciscan Sisters of St. Joseph, with their mother-house at Stevens Point in theDiocese of Green Bay. They have since increased to nearly two hundred members, in charge of tenschools. They live under the rule of theThird Order of St. Francis, and their particular object is theeducation of the young inCatholicschools.
JOSEPH J. FOX
Founded in 1798, byAnne-Marie Javouhey at Seurre, inBurgundy. The foundress was born in 1779, at Chamblanc, near Seurre, and though only ten years old, she frequently fetchedpriests to the dying, at the risk of her own life, in theRevolution of 1789. Nine years later she, with the help of aTrappist Father, founded a small congregation at Seurre, for the instruction of children and for nursing the sick and taking charge oforphans. The congregation was intended to be on the same lines as the third order of theTrappists. In 1804Pius VII passed through Seurre, after crowningNapoleon Bonaparte as emperor inParis, and receivedMother Javouhey with three of her community and blessed them. In 1809Mother Javouhey made her profession, after nine years' preparation, and, having received the habit, was appointed superior-general of the congregation. Thenovitiate was established at Cluny, and henceforth the congregation was known as the Sisters of St. Joseph of Cluny.Mother Javouhey died in 1851. The sisters undertake all kinds of charitable Works, but they devote themselves especially to missionary labours and theeducation of the young. Their rule was approved byPius IX and confirmed byLeo XIII. The foundress was declared Venerable by theHoly See, 11 Feb., 1908. The sisters now number about 4000, and are widely spread over the world. The mother-house is inParis, and there are numerous houses of the congregation in various parts ofFrance; there are houses also inItaly,Spain,Portugal,Belgium,England,Scotland,Ireland,Chili,Peru, the East and West Indies,India, and Ceylon. In 1816 the congregation spread to the East and West Coasts of Africa, Fiji, New Caledonia, and Victoria (Australia). Altogether 45,000 children are beingeducated by the sisters, and 70,000 poor and sick are cared for by them in their various institutions, which now (1910) number 385. Thirty-one of the sisters perished in the terrible catastrophe atMartinique, in 1902, when the town of St-Pierre was wrecked by a volcanic eruption. InEngland the sisters have one house at Stafford, where there is anovitiate for the English-speaking subjects; there is a high-class day-school attached to theconvent. There are three houses inScotland, all in Ayrshire, with which are connected a boarding-school and 4 elementaryschools, attended by 500 children. The sisters number 27.InParis the famoushospital of Pasteur is under the care of forty sisters of this congregation. (SeeLife of Rev. Mother Javouhey, Dublin, 1903.)
FRANCESCA M. STEELE
This institution, founded in the year 1884 atNottingham,England, by the Right Reverend E.G. Bagshawe [thenbishop of thatdiocese, now (1910)Archbishop ofSeleucia], with rules and constitutions under the authority of theHoly See, has for its special object the domestic and industrial training of girls (chiefly of theworking class) with the view to promote peace andhappiness infamilies, in union with and in imitation of the Holy Family ofNazareth. In addition to this, the sisters are employed ineducating the young, instructing converts, visiting the sick poor, and caring fororphans, the blind, and the sick inhospitals. The administrative body is composed of a superior general and five councillors elected for six years. There are no lay sisters. The postulancy lasts for six months and thenovitiate for two years, after whichvows are taken for three years, and then perpetualvows. The habit is black, with ascapular of the same colour, a black veil and white linen kerchief, domino and forehead band, a leatherncincture, and a five decaderosary beads. A silver ring is given at the final profession. Novices wear a white veil during thenovitiate. In March, 1895, the constitutions were submitted to theSacred Congregation of Propaganda by the founder, and in the September following theDecree "Lauda" was obtained. At present the institute has three houses inEngland: the mother-house situated atNottingham, a house at Grimsby in the same diocese, and one at Hanwell in theArchdiocese of Westminster. The sisters teach in theparish elementaryschools atNottingham and Hanwell, and have a middle-classschool attached to eachconvent. In Grimsby, besides a middle-classschool, there is a girls'orphanage and a steam laundry, which is a means of maintenance as well as of training in that branch of household work. The younger children attend theparishschool.
The first foundation in America was established in 1885 at the request of the Right Reverend Bishop Wigger of theDiocese of Newark, N. J., who became deeply interested in the work of the institute, and was convinced of the great good which could be effected by a community devoted to the protection and training of poor girls for a life of usefulness in the world. The place selected for this object was in St. Peter's Parish, Jersey City, in charge of theJesuit fathers, where the sisters met with atrue friend and supporter in the saintly Father McAtee, S.J. (d. 1904), to whosespiritual direction and kind encouragement were, by theProvidence of God, due the successful labours of the young community. St. Joseph's Home, Jersey City, anorphanage, is the principal home of the province: with itsnovitiate at Englewood, N. J. Here there was a large building erected for the benefit of girls, where they could spend their summer holidays. It is beautifully situated on the Palisades overlooking the Hudson River. The blind were first taken in charge in a small building in Jersey City, on the site of which the present Institute of the Blind stands. The growing needs of this institutionobliged the purchase of otherproperty in the neighbourhood, and now men,women, and children, are cared for in separate buildings. In theschool the children are taught by the improved methods of raised letters and the point system, while the older inmates are employed in various branches of industry. For greater facilities and the accommodation for girls a second house was opened in Jersey City, where industrial classes are held on four evenings in the week, and instruction given in plain sewing, dressmaking, millinery, and cooking. The "Orphans' Messenger and Advocate of the Blind", a quarterly magazine, printed premises on the of St. Joseph's Home, by theorphan boys, under the direction of a proficient master, is the chief source of maintenance for these charities, especially for the blind. It has a wide circulation in theUnited States andCanada. From this province houses were founded on the Pacific Coast, the first (St. Joseph's Hospital) being established in 1890 at Bellingham, Washington (Diocese of Seattle). Later on other foundations were made inBritish Columbia (Diocese of New Westminster), namely ahospital at Rossland, another at Greenwood, and a day and boardingschool at Nelson. Recently a house for girls was opened atSeattle, Washington. The houses in the West form one province, which has its ownnovitiate.
E.G. BAGSHAWE
Founded at St. Hyacinthe,Canada, 12 Sept., 1877, by thebishop of thatdiocese, Louis-Zéphirin Moreau, for theChristian instruction of children and the visitation and care of the sick. Civil incorporation was granted 30 June, 1881, andcanonical institution 19 March, 1882. The activities of the congregation are confined to the Diocese of St. Hyacinthe, in which 180 sisters are engaged, with about 3000 children under their care. LeCanada Ecclésiastique (Montreal, 1910).
With mother-house atMarseilles, founded at Gaillac,France, in 1830, by Mine Emilie de Vialard, for all kinds of charitable work. The institute spread rapidly from the beginning, and although some of the houses inFrance were closed during theFrench Revolution, they now number over 100 in various parts of the world, with over 1000 sisters. The congregation received the approval of theHoly See, 31 March, 1862. The sisters have one house inEngland, at Whalley Park,Manchester, where 10 sisters devote themselves to the care of invalided ladies, for whom they opened a home there in 1905; they also nurse in private houses. They now have about 20 branch houses in the British colonies, in the principal towns in British Burma,Malta,Cyprus, atBeirut, and inAustralia, in all of which places there are high schools, homes for the aged andorphanages under the charge of the sisters. There other branches inItaly,Greece, South Africa, and the Holy Land. The number of sisters varies in each of the colonial houses from 15 to 20. At the request of theBishop of Perth, the sisters opened their first house in Western Australia at Freemantle, in 1854, where also later established anovitiate. They how in Western Australia 6 communities with 56 members, in charge of 6schools, with a total attendance of 1100. The sisters also visit the poor. (See STEELE,Convents of Great Britain, St. Louis, 1902; andAustralasianCatholic Directory for 1910, Sydney.)
A purely Australian foundation, established at Penola, South Australia, in 1866, by Father Julian Tennison Woods and Miss Mary Mackillop, in religion Mother Mary of the Cross (b. 1832; d. atSydney, 8 Aug., 1909). Father Woods (d. 1886), a man of burningzeal and apious director ofsouls, endeavoured to found two religious congregations, one for men, which failed, and one forwomen, which succeeded beyond his hopes. About 1866 he placed at the head of the latter Miss Mackillop, whom he sent to the Sisters of St. Joseph atAnnecy,Savoy, to learn their rule. As much opposition was raised to his project, the founder went toRome and obtainedpapal sanction. Since then the numerous communities of this congregation have been placed by theHoly See under thebishops of thedioceses in which they work. Most of the young men who have risen to parliamentary fame owe their earlyeducation to these sisters. Theirschools receive no government grant, in spite of which they are superior to the free secularschools. The sisters, in communities of two or three, did the pioneer work in the mission field ofAustralia, seconding the labours of theclergy so ably that there have been few defections from the Faith. They are the mainstay of missions visited by apriest only once a month or once in three months, In cases where a year has elapsed between the visits of apriest, the sisters have toiled on, keeping up the day-school and onSundays gathering the children forcatechism and therosary, and the people for the reading of a sermon, thus preparing them to receive thesacraments on the arrival of apriest. The mother-house of the congregation is atSydney, New South Wales. The sisters number 650, in charge of 117schools, with an attendance of 12,500, and 12charitable institutions, includingorphanages and refuges, an industrial home, a girls' reformatory, etc. The work of the sisters extends over theArchdioceses ofSydney,Adelaide,Melbourne, and Wellington, the Dioceses ofArmidale, Wileannia,Port Augusta, Bendigo,Sale,Auckland,Christchurch,Dunedin, and Rockhampton, and the Abbey Nullius ofNew Norcia. The Sisters of St. Joseph of the Sacred Heart of theDiocese of Bathurst, who have their own constitutions, number 250 in 54 houses.
APA citation.Steele, F., Sisters of St. Joseph, Little Daughters of St. Joseph, Fox, J., & Bagshawe, E.(1910).Sisters of Saint Joseph. InThe Catholic Encyclopedia.New York: Robert Appleton Company.http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08511a.htm
MLA citation.Steele, Francesca, Sisters of St. Joseph, Little Daughters of St. Joseph, Joseph Fox, and Edward Bagshawe."Sisters of Saint Joseph."The Catholic Encyclopedia.Vol. 8.New York: Robert Appleton Company,1910.<http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08511a.htm>.
Transcription.This article was transcribed for New Advent by Tom Burgoyne.In memory of Father Baker, founder of Our Lady of Victory Homes.
Ecclesiastical approbation.Nihil Obstat. October 1, 1910. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor.Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York.
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