PROVIDENCE — The Sisters of St. Joseph, an order committed to serving their “dear neighbor” so that “all may be one,” trace their origins to Le Puy, France where they were founded in 1650. Their mission is taken from John 17:21, when Jesus prays “that all may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world will believe that you have sent me.”
Despite persecution during the French Revolution, the sisters maintained a commitment to education and social service that would be revived by Mother St. John Fontbonne in Lyon in the 1800s. In 1836, Mother St. John Fontbonne sent a small group of sisters to establish a community at Carondelot, Mo., their first presence on American soil.
From Carondelot the Sisters of St. Joseph spread throughout the United States, and in 1883 the pastor of St. Patrick’s Church in Chicopee Falls, Mass., requested that the sisters establish a presence in the Springfield region. Seven sisters moved from the New York congregation to establish a parish school, beginning what has become a robust community of sisters spread throughout the dioceses of Springfield, Mass.; Providence, R.I.; Fall River, Mass.; and Rutland, Vt.; as well as parts of Uganda and Louisiana. Today, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Springfield comprise about 220 members serving in education as well as pastoral and caregiving roles at schools, parishes, childcare centers and elderly care centers around New England.
The sisters’ relationship with the Diocese of Providence began in 1889 when Mother Cecilia Bowen, foundress of the congregation of Springfield, ventured into Rhode Island to establish St. Joseph Convent in Newport. The sisters began their service of teaching at the nearby Hazard Memorial School, later establishing Sacred Heart Grammar School in Pawtucket in the early 1890s. The Sisters of St. Joseph would continue a tradition of teaching and serving as principals in Rhode Island Catholic schools for the next century, with about 450 sisters serving in 18 different schools, including St. Rose of Lima, Warwick, St. Francis, Hillsgrove, St. Catherine’s Academy, Newport, and St. Lucy’s, Middletown.
Sister Joan Hawkins, SSJ, of Pawtucket reflected on her time as a student at Sacred Heart Grammar School during a recent interview with Rhode Island Catholic. “I was drawn [to the Sisters of St. Joseph] because they weren’t only our teachers, they were always very personal with you,” said Sister Hawkins, who made the decision to follow her own vocation to the Sisters of St. Joseph during her sophomore year of high school. “They encouraged your work, your vocation. They were very kind.”
Sister Hawkins professed her final vows with the Springfield congregation in 1956, teaching in Massachusetts before being assigned to St. Francis School, Hillsgrove, where she taught and served as principal until her retirement in 1995. She experienced firsthand the reformed standards for religious life implemented by the Second Vatican Council, which brought profound changes to the lifestyle and mission of the Sisters of St. Joseph in the Diocese of Providence. The majority of the congregation moved out of convents to live independently among the community, continuing their mission in lay clothes as opposed to their former identifying habits.
“It was very different — a big adjustment,” said Sister Hawkins.
The sisters also adjusted their mission, placing a great emphasis on social justice concerns like alleviating poverty and the environment. The late Sister Ann Keefe, SSJ, well-known for her community activism in Providence and beyond, implemented this expanded mission by founding or cofounding nearly two dozen organizations in ministries ranging from arts education to AIDS patient care. Sister Ann was honored for her work in August with the re-dedication of the Elmwood Post Office in her name.
Other members of the congregation, like Sister Judith Carvalho, SSJ, have made Catholic teaching on ecology a major part of their work. When she was left to care for her family farm in Portsmouth after her father’s sudden death, Sister Carvalho said she was able to incorporate her religious ministry into farm work by reflecting on the spirituality of the environment and donating produce to local food pantries. The sisters supported her new mission, recognizing the need for an expanded outreach beyond Catholic education.
“I feel the Sisters of St. Joseph have always been about service, not judging,” said Sister Carvalho, who discovered her vocation while attending St. Catherine’s Academy, Newport. “It doesn’t matter who you are. The older I get, the more I feel strongly about that.”
Though the number of Sisters of St. Joseph in the Diocese of Providence has declined in recent years, 10 sisters continue to live in Rhode Island, some still serving in active ministry. In many cases, the greater integration into the local community has allowed the sisters to expand the reach of their religious mission. Sister Hawkins now serves as a tutor in the after-school program at Washington Park Community Center, Providence, where she works primarily with students from Alan Shawn Feinstein public elementary school who may not otherwise have the opportunity to meet a religious sister. The students, she said, are often curious about the religious lifestyle, asking her about her cross or her habit of attending Mass every morning.
“The exposure is good because there’s someone out there [teaching the students] aside from lay people,” said Sister Hawkins. “It means a lot to me to make sure that I am known as a religious sister.”
The Sisters of St. Joseph of Springfield recently launched a capital campaign to continue to support their mission of offering social services and education to others so that “all may be one,” and to support the sisters retired from active ministry. The campaign committee for Rhode Island expects to have more information about local gatherings within the next several months. In the meantime, they ask that all friends and colleagues of the Sisters of St. Joseph continue to offer their prayers and support.
