Celebrating 150 years in NSW
The Sisters of Saint Joseph celebrate 150 years of the Congregation’s presence in NSW since their arrival in Perthville on 16 July 1872. The Congregation of the Sisters of Saint Joseph, was founded by Mary MacKillop and Father Julian Tenison Woods in 1866 in Penola, South Australia. Its first ministry was the opening of a […]
Responding to a Call
The phone rang as I was locking up the house before going to Saturday night Mass. It was the bishop wanting to know if I would go to a country town, 400 kilometres away to train people in leading Liturgy of the Word with Communion. The parish had recently lost their priest, with no replacement […]
Feast of the Sacred Heart
For us as Josephites, celebrating the feast of the Sacred Heart (24 June) is intimately connected to God’s compassionate love. The Constitutions of the Sisters of Saint Joseph remind us: Mary MacKillop believed that God’s compassionate love symbolised by the Sacred Heart would become a reality for her sisters and the people with whom they […]
First Adelaide school opens in 1867
On 2 July 2022, the Sisters of Saint Joseph will celebrate 155 years since the opening of the first Josephite school in Adelaide, South Australia. “What,” they say, “can you expect from colonial girls, without any knowledge of a religious life, and no one to train them?”[1] Writing to Sister Mary MacKillop, Father Julian Tenison […]
Australian National Pilgrimage 2022
In the Footsteps of Mary MacKillop – Bookings for Australian National Pilgrimage Now Open Mary MacKillop Place and the Sisters of Saint Joseph of the Sacred Heart are delighted to welcome back pilgrims to its popular Australian National Pilgrimage: In the Footsteps of Mary MacKillop. The next pilgrimage will be running from 18 – 29 […]
Celebrating June Feast Days with Mary MacKillop
During the month of June, we have the opportunity as followers of Mary MacKillop, to recall and celebrate the great feast days of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (24 June) and St John the Baptist (25 June). Our Josephite constitutions expresses Mary’s hope that: God’s compassionate love, symbolised for Mary MacKillop by the Sacred Heart, […]
Sesquicentenary of the NSW Sisters of Saint Joseph 2022
This July, the Sisters of Saint Joseph will celebrate 150 years of the Congregation’s presence in NSW since their arrival in Perthville in 1872. The Congregation of the Sisters of Saint Joseph was founded by Mary MacKillop and Father Julian Tenison Woods in 1866 in Penola, South Australia. The first ministry of the Congregation was […]
World Communications Day 2022
World Communications Day was established by Pope Paul VI in 1967, in the wake of the Second Vatican Council, which sought to bring the gospel to light in the modern world. This annual celebration occurs each year on the Sunday before Pentecost. World Communications Day invites us to reflect on how we can best use […]
Laudato Si’ Week 2022: Explore – Embrace – Embody
In Australia, 16-24 May 2022 has been set aside as Laudato Si’ Week by the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference. The week culminates on 24 May, the seventh anniversary of the publication of Pope Francis’ encyclical letter, Laudato Si’: On Care for Our Common Home. Josephites have a long tradition of environmental and social awareness grounded […]
Aussie Camino Experience
Jim Phelan recently completed the ‘Aussie Camino’ and shares his experience with us. The Aussie Camino is a pilgrimage walk inspired by the life and journeys of Sisters of Saint Joseph founders St Mary MacKillop and Fr Julian Tenison Woods. It is an opportunity for participants to embark on a contemplative journey, visit scenic places, […]
There will be no such thing
Sr Mary-Ann shares a reflection on her favourite quote from Julian Tenison Woods. Father Julian Tenison Woods’ writings are sprinkling with delightfully lyrical and sometimes pithy pieces. I find myself returning to words he penned in 1880: There will be no such thing as sameness in the objects, no such thing as tameness in the […]
Reflecting on illness and death
Life blooms and suddenly… Monthly, weekly, and sometimes daily, we hear news of the death of yet another treasured, loved, Sister and friend. Sadness grips our hearts and minds. It feels as though our dreams and visions for the future are slipping away. Could it be that this Congregation, founded by Julian and Mary, is […]