April 17, 2007

CHICAGO - A new congregation of Catholic Sisters approved by the Vatican effective last March 19th, distinguished its first official meeting in Chicago over the weekend with a powerful statement of promise to work for systemic change to diffuse the world's most threatening global problems.

More than 400 delegates representing a total of 857 women religious also elected the Congregation's first leadership team for a six-year term and approved a provisional constitution.

The delegates at the meeting elected seven members to the Congregation's first central leadership team. They are: Nancy Conway, CSJ, of Cleveland, Ohio; Marguerite O'Brien, CSJ, and Kathleen Durkin, CSJ, both of Wheeling, W.Va; Pat Bergen, CSJ, of LaGrange Park, Ill.; Jean Masterson, CSJ, of Cincinnati, Ohio; Marie Hogan, CSJ of Nazareth, Mich.; and Jeanne Cmolik, CSJ of Cleveland, Ohio. For legal and canonical reasons, the first person elected, Nancy Conway, is designated president.

In the Congregation's statement, its members and lay associates promise:

• to surrender their lives and resources to work for specific systemic change in collaboration with others so that the hungers of the world might be fed.
• to recognize the reality that Earth is dying, to claim oneness with Earth and to take steps now to strengthen, heal and renew the face of Earth.
• to network with others across the world to bring about a shift in global culture from institutionalized power and privilege to a culture of inclusion and mutuality.
• to be mutually responsible and accountable for leadership in the congregation.

According to Sister Nancy, the meeting, known in church terminology as a General Chapter, is the congregation's highest governing body. "Our statement to work for systemic change is our sacred promise to God and to each other," she explained. "This is how we experience the Spirit's call to be God's great love in the world today."

The new Congregation of St. Joseph draws its membership from seven formerly independent congregations, namely, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Cleveland, Ohio; LaGrange Park, Ill.; Medaille (Cincinnati, Baton Rouge and Minnesota); Nazareth, Mich.; Tipton, Ind.; Wheeling, W. Va.; and Wichita, Kan. Although independent, all traced their roots back 357 years to the first Sisters of St. Joseph founded in Le Puy, France in 1650. All maintained fidelity to the original Sisters of St. Joseph mission of unity: uniting neighbor with neighbor and neighbor with God.

For more than four years, those congregations had been in discussions involving all members in inter-congregational meetings, focus groups and opportunities to offer input for designing a new congregation. In December 2005 and January 2006 all seven voted to voluntarily become the new congregation.

"Fundamentally, the desire 'to be and act more as one' drove our journey to become one Congregation," Sister Nancy recalled. "We knew we could do more together than any of us could do alone.

"I think we each entered that first General Chapter meeting, mentally, as members of our founding congregations," she continued. "But there is no question that we experienced a powerful transformation in our prayer- and work-filled days together.

"When we saw what we had accomplished together in creating and committing ourselves to such strong and bold promises," Sister Nancy concluded, "and when our election yielded a geographically diverse leadership team so smoothly and naturally, we knew and felt that, now, we truly are one - the new Congregation of St. Joseph. We see the reality of how much more we can do together than we could ever do alone."

Central offices for the Congregation of St. Joseph are in Cleveland. Officially, the new leadership team members assume their responsibilities August 6, 2007 - the Church's feast of Christ's Transfiguration. Until then, the existing presidents of the founding congregations will continue to serve as an interim leadership team and work with the incoming leadership in a transitional mode.

The new Congregation of St. Joseph Leadership Team: Standing (l to r) Nancy Conway, CSJ, Cleveland, Ohio; Marie Hogan, CSJ, Nazareth, Mich; Kathleen Durkin, CSJ, Wheeling, W. Va.; Jean Cmolik, CSJ, Cleveland. Seated (l to r) Jean Masterson, CSJ, Cincinnati, Ohio; Marguerite O'Brien, CSJ, Wheeling W. Va.; and Pat Bergen, CSJ, LaGrangePark, Ill.

Congregation of St. Joseph
Founded 2007

Centers include

*Cleveland was founded in 1872 by three sisters who came to the Cleveland Diocese to serve as teachers at St. Mary, Painesville. Central offices for the Congregation of St. Joseph will be located here.

*LaGrange was founded in 1899. This Community Center is found in LaGrange Park, on the outskirts of Chicago.

*Medaille was a province of Bourg, France, until its founding as a U.S. congregation in 1977, with centers in Ohio, Louisiana and Minnesota.

*Nazareth was founded in 1889 by sisters who came to Kalamazoo, Michigan, for the purpose of establishing a hospital.

*Tipton was founded in 1888 in response to a call from St. John the Baptist Parish in Tipton, Indiana.

*Wheeling was founded in 1853 by four sisters from Carondelet (St. Louis) who came at the invitation of Bishop Whelan to assist with the newly established Wheeling Hospital.

*Wichita was founded in 1888 at the request of the Bishop of Leavenworth, established in Wichita in 1900. In 1950 a center was established in Japan in response to the need for medical services.

Congregation of St. Joseph Centers

• Cleveland, Ohio

• LaGrange, Illinios

• Medaille, Ohio, Louisiana, Minnesota

• Nazareth, Michigan

• Tipton, Indiana

• Wheeling, West Virginia

• Wichita, Kansas and Japan