New Congregation of St. Joseph Pledges to Affect Global Issues
Wednesday,April, 18 ,2007
Our Pastoral Associate, Sister Jane Frances Mannion, CSJ, is a member of the new Congregation of St. Joseph. At their initial leadership discernment meeting, they pledged to affect the global issues of our day.
TIPTON – A new congregation of Catholic Sisters that the Vatican just approved effective March 19th, completed 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, 11 women preparing for vows and 511 lay associates also elected the Congregation’s first leadership team for a six-year term and approved an provisional constitution.
The new congregation’s first elected team is composed of Nancy Conway, CSJ and Jeanne Cmolik, CSJ both of Cleveland, OH; Marguerite O’Brien, CSJ, and Kathleen Durkin, CSJ, both of Wheeling, WV; Pat Bergen, CSJ, of LaGrange Park, IL.; Jean Masterson, CSJ, of Cincinnati, OH; Marie Hogan, CSJ of Nazareth, MI
As one of it’s first acts, the Congregation made 4 Generous Promises. 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 our 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 her 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.”
When participants heard a reading of the final statement, the entire assembly stood, applauded and cheered.
The new Congregation of St. Joseph draws its membership from seven formerly independent congregations, namely, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Cleveland, LaGrange, Medaille, Tipton, Wheeling, and Wichita. 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.”
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.
More than 400 delegates representing a total of 857 women religious, 11 women preparing for vows and 511 lay associates also elected the Congregation’s first leadership team for a six-year term and approved an provisional constitution.
The new congregation’s first elected team is composed of Nancy Conway, CSJ and Jeanne Cmolik, CSJ both of Cleveland, OH; Marguerite O’Brien, CSJ, and Kathleen Durkin, CSJ, both of Wheeling, WV; Pat Bergen, CSJ, of LaGrange Park, IL.; Jean Masterson, CSJ, of Cincinnati, OH; Marie Hogan, CSJ of Nazareth, MI
As one of it’s first acts, the Congregation made 4 Generous Promises. 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 our 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 her 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.”
When participants heard a reading of the final statement, the entire assembly stood, applauded and cheered.
The new Congregation of St. Joseph draws its membership from seven formerly independent congregations, namely, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Cleveland, LaGrange, Medaille, Tipton, Wheeling, and Wichita. 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.”
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.