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New Congregation of Catholic
Sisters
Pledges to Affect Global Issues
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,
11 women preparing for vows and 511 lay associates 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;
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; Marie Hogan, CSJ of Kalamazoo, Mich.; and Jeanne
Cmolik, CSJ of Cleveland. 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, 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, a multi-state community of women religious, has elected
these women as its first central leadership team. Standing (l to
r) Nancy Conway, CSJ, Cleveland; Marie Hogan, CSJ, Detroit; Kathleen
Durkin, CSJ, Wheeling, W. Va.; Jean Cmolik, CSJ, Cleveland. Seated
(l to r) Jean Masterson, CSJ, Cincinnati; Marguerite O'Brien, CSJ,
Wheeling W. Va.; and Pat Bergen, CSJ, LaGrange Park, Ill.
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