The Sisters of St. Joseph of Sault Ste. Marie
Meet the Sisters of St. Joseph of Sault St. Marie!
Sisters of St. Joseph of Sault St. Marie
Our Story
Where it all began
The roots of the Sisters of St. Joseph date back to mid 17th century France, in the town of Le Puy. A number of widows and young women were anxious to try to alleviate the suffering caused by civil and religious strife. A travelling Jesuit missionary, Father Jean Pierre Medaille SJ, became associated with them. This tiny nucleus of women began to live very simply in small groups, sometimes only three, and with no distinguishing mark to set them apart. They began to offer what spiritual or material service they could.
In 1650, this emerging community was officially recognized as the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph in Lyon. It grew and flourished, spreading to many parts of France for more than a 100 years until the time of the French Revolution. During the “reign of terror”, many Sisters were imprisoned or scattered to their family homes. Five Sisters of St. Joseph were guillotined in Le Puy.
A new beginning
In 1807, Mother St. Jeanne Fontbonne—herself a survivor of the Revolution—was entrusted with the mission of rebuilding the Sisters of St. Joseph.
Thirty years later, in 1836, the Congregation spread to North America, settling first in St. Louis, Missouri. The tree below outlines the founding of the various congregations.
In Canada, new houses were soon founded in Sault Ste. Marie, Sudbury, and North Bay. The Sisters played a pioneering role in the province by opening the first separate schools and establishing hospitals where no one had gone before. Carrying on the tradition of all Sisters of St. Joseph, this youngest group—centered at its Motherhouse in North Bay—extended its presence to small communities around Lake Superior and across Manitoulin Island.
Purpose
The life and works of our congregation have as their purpose:
The union of ourselves
and all the people with God
and with one another
in and through Christ Jesus
Our sacred space includes two chapels.
Our outdoors are also sacred and includes a grotto, labyrinth, and many places to pray and reflect.
Mission and Ministry
Our mission as Sisters of St. Joseph flows from the purpose for which the congregation exists:
we live and work
that all people may be united
with God and with one another
It is rooted in the mission of Jesus, the same mission which continually unfolds in his church:
'that all may be one,
As You, Father, are one in me,
And I in you
I pray that they may be
Oneinus..! Qn.17.21)
Contact Information
