Sisters of Saint Joseph of Medaille
Encyclopedia
The Sisters of Saint Joseph of Medaille aka Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Bourg is a Roman Catholic congregation of women.
Its forebearer, the The Congregation of Sisters of Saint Joseph
was started in Le Puy
, France
by the Jesuit Jean Paul Médaille
and accepted by the bishop, Mgr. de Maupas, on October 15, 1650. The Congregation of Saint Joseph was disbanded during the French Revolution
. It was revived in 1807 at Lyon, during the Napoleonic regime through the efforts of Cardinal Fesch and Mother Saint John Fontbonne.
was established in the Diocese of Belley under the leadership of Mother Saint Joseph Chaney. In 1823 the sisters of the diocese formally separated from Lyon. They became a new independent diocesan congregation under the leadership of Reverend Mother Saint Benoit Cornillon and direction of Bishop Alexander Devie.
Sisters were sent from Bourg to establish house in the United States
. By 1962, the Bourg Congregation had six provinces, three in Europe
and three in the United States, with missions in Africa
and Latin America
.
In July 1977, the six provinces voted to become two separate congregations, one based in Europe, the other in America. On November 30, 1977, Rome officially declared the three America provinces to be a new Congregation in the Church: the Sisters of Saint Joseph of Medaille. The name Medaille was chosen because it is the family name of the Jesuit priest who helped found the Sisters in 1650 and because the Sisters were geographically located in the north, central and southern areas of the United States. Sister Janet Roesener of Cincinnati, Ohio was chosen the first superior general.
In 1986 and in 1994 decisions were made to merge the three provinces into five regions headed by a Congregational Leadership Office composed of a president and three general councilors, in Cincinnati. The five regions consist of Baton Rouge, Cincinnati, Crookston
, New Orleans, and the Twin Cities.
The Sisters of Saint Joseph of Medaille and six other Sisters of Saint Joseph congregations in the central United States announced they will form an entirely new congregation that will be called the Congregation of Saint Joseph. The new congregation will become a reality in April 2007 following completion of the necessary documentation and final approval from Rome. The seven founding congregations are the Sisters of Saint Joseph of Wichita, Kansas; Cleveland, Ohio; LaGrange, Illinois; Tipton, Indiana; Nazareth, Michigan; Wheeling, West Virginia; and Medaille, with centers in Louisiana, Cincinnati and Minnesota. The new congregation is expected to have a total membership of 891 vowed religious women and 548 non-vowed men and women associates when established in 2007.
, author of Dead Man Walking
Its forebearer, the The Congregation of Sisters of Saint Joseph
Sisters of St. Joseph
The title Sisters of St. Joseph applies to several Roman Catholic religious congregations of women. The largest and oldest of these was founded in Le Puy-en-Velay, France...
was started in Le Puy
Le Puy-en-Velay
Le Puy-en-Velay is a commune in the Haute-Loire department in south-central France.Its inhabitants are called Ponots.-History:Le Puy-en-Velay was a major bishopric in medieval France, founded early, though its early history is legendary...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
by the Jesuit Jean Paul Médaille
Jean Paul Médaille
Jean Paul Médaille was a French Jesuit missionary, and founder of an order of Catholic religious sisters.Médaille was born at Carcassonne, Department of Aude, France...
and accepted by the bishop, Mgr. de Maupas, on October 15, 1650. The Congregation of Saint Joseph was disbanded during the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
. It was revived in 1807 at Lyon, during the Napoleonic regime through the efforts of Cardinal Fesch and Mother Saint John Fontbonne.
History
In 1819 a foundation from the mother house in LyonLyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
was established in the Diocese of Belley under the leadership of Mother Saint Joseph Chaney. In 1823 the sisters of the diocese formally separated from Lyon. They became a new independent diocesan congregation under the leadership of Reverend Mother Saint Benoit Cornillon and direction of Bishop Alexander Devie.
Sisters were sent from Bourg to establish house in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. By 1962, the Bourg Congregation had six provinces, three in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and three in the United States, with missions in Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
and Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
.
In July 1977, the six provinces voted to become two separate congregations, one based in Europe, the other in America. On November 30, 1977, Rome officially declared the three America provinces to be a new Congregation in the Church: the Sisters of Saint Joseph of Medaille. The name Medaille was chosen because it is the family name of the Jesuit priest who helped found the Sisters in 1650 and because the Sisters were geographically located in the north, central and southern areas of the United States. Sister Janet Roesener of Cincinnati, Ohio was chosen the first superior general.
In 1986 and in 1994 decisions were made to merge the three provinces into five regions headed by a Congregational Leadership Office composed of a president and three general councilors, in Cincinnati. The five regions consist of Baton Rouge, Cincinnati, Crookston
Crookston
Crookston can refer to:*Crookston, Glasgow, Scotland*Crookston, Minnesota, United States**University of Minnesota Crookston*Crookston, Nebraska, United States*Crookston, Auckland, New Zealand...
, New Orleans, and the Twin Cities.
The Sisters of Saint Joseph of Medaille and six other Sisters of Saint Joseph congregations in the central United States announced they will form an entirely new congregation that will be called the Congregation of Saint Joseph. The new congregation will become a reality in April 2007 following completion of the necessary documentation and final approval from Rome. The seven founding congregations are the Sisters of Saint Joseph of Wichita, Kansas; Cleveland, Ohio; LaGrange, Illinois; Tipton, Indiana; Nazareth, Michigan; Wheeling, West Virginia; and Medaille, with centers in Louisiana, Cincinnati and Minnesota. The new congregation is expected to have a total membership of 891 vowed religious women and 548 non-vowed men and women associates when established in 2007.
Purpose
The general aim of these sisters is the glory of God through the sanctification of its members by means of the three vows. The special objective is the salvation and service of others through works of charity: elementary and secondary schools, hospitals, and social services.Training
The formation begins with a nine-month postulancy followed by a two-year novitiate. During the postulancy and the second year of novitiate an integrated liberal arts college program is simultaneously initiated with a thorough spiritual foundation. After first profession the first level of education is completed before entering into the apostolate.Schools
| Schools | Location | Gender | Established |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Joseph's Academy | Cincinnati, Ohio | Women's | 1915–1951 |
| Archbishop McNicholas (formerly St. Joe's) | Cincinnati, Ohio | Co-Educational | 1951–Present |
| St. Joseph's Academy (Baton Rouge) St. Joseph's Academy (Baton Rouge) St. Joseph's Academy is an all-girls Catholic school established in 1868 by the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Medaille. It is located on a live oak shaded campus in Mid-City Baton Rouge, Louisiana, within the Roman Catholic Diocese of Baton Rouge.SJA has been recognized three times... |
Baton Rouge, Louisiana | Women's | 1868–present |
Well-known members
Sister Helen PrejeanHelen Prejean
Sister Helen Prejean, C.S.J., is a Roman Catholic religious sister, a member of the Congregation of St. Joseph, who has become a leading American advocate for the abolition of the death penalty.-Death row ministry:...
, author of Dead Man Walking
External links
- Congregation of St. Joseph http://www.csjoseph.org/default.aspx