Officially recognized as a religious congregation on October 15, 1650, in Le Puy-en-Velay, France, the vocation or calling of a Sister of St. Joseph “required not only contact with others, but also communication – relationship,” Sister Pat Byrne explained. In her remarks at our Founders’ Day celebration last year, Sister Pat shared that, like today, Sisters “visited the ‘sick poor’ in their homes, taught catechism to children, looked after the church sanctuary, organized charity for those in need, kept small pharmacies, and taught skills essential to the local family economy: namely, textile work, particularly the production of silk ribbon and the famous lace of Velay.”
From those brave and humble roots, a global presence has grown from a shared desire, spanning generations, to unite neighbor with neighbor and all in God. This rich and beautiful history is now stunningly illustrated in a series of hand-drawn works of art by our dear friend and supporter, Kathy Rooney, who worked in collaboration with historian and researcher Sister Pat Byrne, a member of our congregation, and Kathleen Washy, our congregational archivist, to ensure as accurate historical representation as possible, both in the illustrations and the language that accompanies them.
The Sisters of St. Joseph were founded in the city of Le Puy-en-Velay, in a mountainous region of south-central France. By 1646, Father Jean-Pierre Medaille, S.J., had met a small group of women who sought to consecrate themselves to God and to service to the neighbor. He approached Henry de Maupas, bishop of Le Puy, to ask ecclesiastical approval for the new congregation.
On October 15, 1650, Bishop de Maupas officially established the Sisters of St. Joseph with six members. They were Francoise Eyraud, Clauda Chastel, Marguerite Burdier, Anna Chaleyer, Anna Vey, and Anna Brun.
Father Jean-Pierre Medaille, S.J., 1610-1669
Jean-Pierre Medaille was the founder of the Sisters of St. Joseph. He entered the Society of Jesus, also known as the Jesuits, in France in 1626 and was ordained a priest in 1637. In the course of his assignments in south-central France, he met several women who desired to consecrate themselves to God and to service of the neighbor.
At his request, Bishop Henry de Maupas authorized the foundation of the Sisters of St. Joseph on October 15, 1650, in the city of Le Puy-en-Velay. Father Medaille also authored a set of principles to guide the sisters in their life and work, including their original Constitutions.
After decades of preaching parish missions in Auvergne, Father Medaille died at Billom in 1669, and was acknowledged in some places as “Apostle” and “Saint.”
Mother St. John Fontbonne, 1759-1843
Born in Bas-en-Basset, France, Jeanne Fontbonne entered the Sisters of St. Joseph in 1778 in Monistrol. She received the habit and the name Sister St. John the following year and soon became superior. Then, the French Revolution forced religious congregations to disband.
Mother St. John was arrested and imprisoned until 1794, when she returned to her parents’ home. In 1807, she went to Saint-Etienne to undertake the formation of a religious group of women who, in 1808 formed the nucleus of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Lyon.
In 1836 she sent six sisters to the Diocese of St. Louis, Missouri – the first Sisters of St. Joseph to arrive in the United States. This earliest permanent establishment, in Carondelet, was the seed of numerous other Congregations of St. Joseph in the United States and Canada.