Sisters of the Congregation of Saint Joseph History
The Charism (or spirituality) of the Congregation of St. Joseph is unity. “We live and work to bring all people into union with God, each other and all creation.” (CSJ Core Constitutions)
The journey of the Congregation of St. Joseph began in the 17th century with six women in the war-ravaged city of Le Puy, France. These women wanted to unite their call to a profound inner life with God with an equally profound love for their desperately poor neighbors. At the time, women religious were not permitted to actively serve the needs of others. But this small, fledgling group had courageous mentors, Fr. Jean Pierre Medaille, SJ, and Bishop Henri de Maupas, who took risks to nurture their founding vision. The new Congregation enjoyed rapid growth, expanding into eighteen houses during the first decade. By the time of the French Revolution, almost 150 years later, the Sisters had spread to twelve dioceses in the southeast corner of France.
In 1789, religious communities were forbidden by the state. The convents and chapels of the communities were confiscated. In 1793, The Congregation of Saint Joseph was disbanded during the French Revolution and was re-established in 1807 by Mother St. John Fontbonnein Lyon, France. As word of the sisters' services and good deeds grew, dioceses throughout France requested the services of the order. Later, bishops in newly established dioceses in the United States asked for their assistance.
In 1836, six Sisters of St. Joseph arrived in the United States to establish a Motherhouse in Carondelet, near St. Louis, Missouri. Once established, the Congregation began to spread throughout the United States and Canada. Our own Cleveland Congregation was founded through the vision of Mother St. George Bradley. Settling first in Painesville, Ohio, the Sisters opened their first house in 1872.
In 1890, the Cleveland CSJ community moved west to Cleveland, opening Saint Joseph Academy and a convent in the Tremont neighborhood. In 1899, the Sisters purchased a large tract of property on Cleveland’s far west side that today includes Saint Joseph Academy, River’s Edge at St. Joseph Center, Saint Joseph Village, and St. Joseph Hall. The current school building was constructed in 1927. The Academy Center was built in the 1996, and later a sports field and track were added.
In 2007, seven congregations from across the country and Japan came together to form the new Congregation of St. Joseph. Together there are 41 ministries including three high schools: Saint Joseph Academy, Cleveland, Nazareth Academy in La Grange, Illinois and Saint Joseph’s Academy in Baton Rouge, Louisana. The Congregation is headquartered on campus at Saint Joseph Center.
Today, as in their past, CSJ members and their associate members work to recognize and respond to the needs of their “dear neighbor” throughout the world. Their ministries include: education, pastoral and campus ministry, literacy, work with homeless and battered women, shelters for women, crisis nurseries, hospitals, staffed telephone prayer lines, work with the deaf, mentally challenged adults, and Native Americans, drop-in centers. They are engaged in community organizations and advocate for peace and justice.
Call it the spirit of the founder, the spirit of the Gospel, the Holy Spirit, or all of these, it is a spirit which enables the Congregation of St. Joseph to heal, to reconcile, to love, and to be receptive to the challenges, gifts, and visions of all those whom they meet and serve.
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