Called Forth By the Dear Neighbor

Volume II of the History of the Sisters of St. Joseph in the USA describes how sisters responded to the needs of their neighbors. Establishing congregations and institutions from New York to Hawaii and from Maine to Orange, California, thousands of Sisters of St. Joseph expressed their love of God through service to their neighbors as women of the Church. This history highlights individuals and congregations in the context of the history of the United States and the Catholic Church. While it may be of greatest interest to Sisters of St. Joseph, their associates and partners in mission, it also provides a window on the history of US women religious and the Catholic Church in the United States.

This work touches into the history of every congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph in the United States. It looks at each in order to elucidate the story of all. If one congregation is highlighted for its ministry in health care, its sister-teachers can recognize themselves in the story of another, and vice-versa. While the renewal experiences of congregations like Cleveland and Chestnut Hill may seem vastly different, once we get to the heart of their experience, it becomes clear that they were each discovering and being moved by the energy of the same Spirit in ways that were true to both their common charism and their unique historical, social, and ecclesial circumstances. While superficial manifestations of renewal seemed to reveal opposing approaches to living our charism, communal grace and the power of that charism was working through each congregation and would eventually bring us together in a deep unity, profoundly respectful of our diversity. The same is true for the diversity we find in all aspects of our stories: the deeper the story, the more particular it is and at the same time, the more universal.

Mary M. McGlone, CSJ, holds a Ph.D. in Historical Theology. Her latest book is Anything of Which a Woman is Capable, Volume 1 of the History of the Sisters of St. Joseph in the US. A regular columnist for the National Catholic Reporter and other publications, she is a Sister of St. Joseph of Carondelet.