Who We Are

Who We Are

Sisters of St. Joseph of BostonWho We Are

Celebrating more than 145 years of service in the community, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Boston are ordinary women from all walks of life. We work for unity and reconciliation where there is brokenness, helping people become whole and holy, individually and together. Also known as the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph (CSJ), we are a Catholic community with over 500 women who are sisters, associates, agregees and partners in mission sharing in Christ’s unifying love.

Our Mission

We are ordinary women from all walks of life. Our special focus is to work for unity and reconciliation where there is brokenness, to help people become whole and holy, individually and together.

We Sisters of St. Joseph are women receptive to the stirrings of the Holy Spirit of Love. Together with our associates we are called to live in right relationship with all creation. We are a community of women whose mission is to realize the prayer of Christ that all may be one. In community and prayerful contemplation we listen to this Spirit and move always toward profound love of God and love of neighbor without distinction.

In 2005 we articulated this mission with renewed
hope for the future in the following statement:

Enflamed
with the compassion of God,
we Sisters of St. Joseph of Boston,
women of the Church, rooted in the Gospel,
together with our Associates,
are impelled by the active, inclusive love of God to:
deepen our relationship with God and the dear neighbor
without distinction;
foster prophetic communion;
and journey into the future
with Sisters of St. Joseph and Associates
throughout the world
and with all God’s Creation.

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Our Rich History

When the first Sisters of St. Joseph arrived in Boston in 1873, they found a city where unemployment, poverty and illness marked the daily life of working classes. Today, we are part of the U.S. Federation which includes approximately 6,500 members of 16 congregations throughout the U.S. and 14,000 members worldwide.

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Our Spirituality

Consensus Statement of the Sisters of St. Joseph

Stimulated by the Holy Spirit of Love
and receptive to Love’s inspirations,
the Sister of St. Joseph moves always towards
profound love of God
and
love of neighbor without distinction
from whom she does not separate herself
and
for whom, in the following of Christ
she works in order to achieve unity
both of neighbor with neighbor
and neighbor with God
directly in this apostolate
and
indirectly through works of charity
in humility – the spirit of the Incarnate Word
(Philippians 2:5-8)
In sincere charity – the manner of St. Joseph
whose name she bears
in an Ignatian-Salesian climate:
that is, with an orientation towards excellence
tempered by gentleness, peace, joy.

– From the central ideas of Jean-Pierre Médaille, SJ, As drawn from the Primitive Constitutions

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Our Spirituality

Spirit and Purpose (excerpts from Boston CSJ Constitution)

Called first by Christ,
we call one another to follow him
as he is revealed to us in the Gospel,
and in the people, events, and circumstances of our lives.
In simplicity and joy,
we celebrate the meaning of our Christian life
 and make the celebration of the Lord’s Supper
the center of our religious life.
We look to Joseph
as our model of justice, gentleness, and humility,
extending, as he did, a cordial charity toward all.
Responsive to the stirrings of the Spirit in our midst,
we move into the future
through rhythms of prayerful reflection,
discernment, and action.