Spirits on Fire 2025:

A Program Designed to Fan the Flames of the SSJ Charism

Communications

Left to right: James Tresner, Executive Director of Bethany Hill Place, Jane Boulet, Director of Development, and Tammie Charles-Pierre, Director of Human Resources for the Sisters of St. Joseph of Boston.

This past May, Tammie Charles-Pierre, Director of Human Resources, alongside James Tresner, Executive Director of Bethany Hill Place, and Jane Boulet, Director of Development for Bethany Hill Place, attended Spirits on Fire, a program created for lay leaders within the Sisters of St. Joseph community. By meeting with other lay people, they were given the unique gift of seeing how the Charism of the sisters is expressed across the country. Expressing love of God and the Dear Neighbor without distinction requires opening up, being vulnerable, and continuously learning to look through empathetic eyes, and this program served as a powerful catalyst for attendees.

Other partners in mission from our sponsored ministries have attended Spirits on Fire since its inception. This program has served as a powerful tool for teaching our charism for years.

With the moments fresh from “Immersion 2” of Spirits on Fire in her mind, Tammie shared her thoughts on the program.

“It was an amazing experience. Originally, when it all started, we thought it would be strictly work-related — but eventually we found out it was more personal,” she said.

Spirits on Fire was divided into two “Immersions” or mini seminars in which participants learned about the charism of the sisters and then explored how they could embody it themselves. Immersion 1 was in May 2024, and Immersion 2 took place this past May.

Above: the Spirits on Fire logo 

“In Immersion 1, there were several moments in which I went ‘Aha! I see myself in one of the sisters…’ It was filled with self-discovery and learning. Immersion 2 was more focused on our future self—how we were going to carry out the charism. In Immersion 2, we took what we learned from Immersion 1 and put it into practice. We created a vision board which is pretty much aligned with what you want to achieve as leaders… so on my vision board I put community activities, such as working at a food pantry.”

As she reflected on her experience at Spirits on Fire, Tammie said the one thing that really brought her back was the concept of Unity. “Drawing all into one, self-emptying love, all-permeating love, zeal, a listening heart, inclusive love…initially I saw all of these as separate elements, but throughout the immersion, it all started to fit into this broader sense of unity…” As she shared these thoughts, her eyes settled back on her vision board, which hung in her office, right above her desk.

Sisters and other partners in mission created Spirits on Fire out of a desire to enrich and educate lay people from the CSSJ community on the CSSJ charism. As laypeople become more active keepers of the spirit of the congregations they serve and are affiliated with, it becomes progressively more essential for them to be provided with a rich and complete background on the nature of the charism — and how to ignite it in the hearts and souls of those they serve, guide, and work alongside. Attendees, such as Tammie, are living testaments to the strength and beauty of this charism.

Spirits on Fire 2025:

A Program Designed to Fan the Flames of the SSJ Charism

Communications

Left to right: James Tresner, Executive Director of Bethany Hill Place, Jane Boulet, Director of Development, and Tammie Charles-Pierre, Director of Human Resources for the Sisters of St. Joseph of Boston.

This past May, Tammie Charles-Pierre, Director of Human Resources, alongside James Tresner, Executive Director of Bethany Hill Place, and Jane Boulet, Director of Development for Bethany Hill Place, attended Spirits on Fire, a program created for lay leaders within the Sisters of St. Joseph community. By meeting with other lay people, they were given the unique gift of seeing how the Charism of the sisters is expressed across the country. Expressing love of God and the Dear Neighbor without distinction requires opening up, being vulnerable, and continuously learning to look through empathetic eyes, and this program served as a powerful catalyst for attendees.

Other partners in mission from our sponsored ministries have attended Spirits on Fire since its inception. This program has served as a powerful tool for teaching our charism for years.

With the moments fresh from “Immersion 2” of Spirits on Fire in her mind, Tammie shared her thoughts on the program.

“It was an amazing experience. Originally, when it all started, we thought it would be strictly work-related — but eventually we found out it was more personal,” she said.

Spirits on Fire was divided into two “Immersions” or mini seminars in which participants learned about the charism of the sisters and then explored how they could embody it themselves. Immersion 1 was in May 2024, and Immersion 2 took place this past May.

Above: the Spirits on Fire logo 

“In Immersion 1, there were several moments in which I went ‘Aha! I see myself in one of the sisters…’ It was filled with self-discovery and learning. Immersion 2 was more focused on our future self—how we were going to carry out the charism. In Immersion 2, we took what we learned from Immersion 1 and put it into practice. We created a vision board which is pretty much aligned with what you want to achieve as leaders… so on my vision board I put community activities, such as working at a food pantry.”

As she reflected on her experience at Spirits on Fire, Tammie said the one thing that really brought her back was the concept of Unity. “Drawing all into one, self-emptying love, all-permeating love, zeal, a listening heart, inclusive love…initially I saw all of these as separate elements, but throughout the immersion, it all started to fit into this broader sense of unity…” As she shared these thoughts, her eyes settled back on her vision board, which hung in her office, right above her desk.

Sisters and other partners in mission created Spirits on Fire out of a desire to enrich and educate lay people from the CSSJ community on the CSSJ charism. As laypeople become more active keepers of the spirit of the congregations they serve and are affiliated with, it becomes progressively more essential for them to be provided with a rich and complete background on the nature of the charism — and how to ignite it in the hearts and souls of those they serve, guide, and work alongside. Attendees, such as Tammie, are living testaments to the strength and beauty of this charism.