Praying and Acting for the Sake of all Creation
In the past one hundred and fifty years, humans have made many unreasonable demands on our planet. Recognizing our earthly home and its many forms of life are becoming ever more vulnerable, the Sisters of St. Joseph and Associates commit ourselves to caring for our common home by being “ever mindful that not only we but also all of creation lives and moves and has its being in God.”
This commitment – first made in 1988 by the Congregation – anticipated Pope Francis’ 2015 encyclical, Laudato Si, “On the Care of our Common Home,” in which he drew attention to the need for responsible care for creation by posing this question:
“What kind of world do we want to leave to those who come after us, to children who are now growing up?” (#160)
As we celebrate our 150th anniversary, please join us in prayer and in action on behalf of the health of our planet and the survival of future generations of God’s creatures, including the children of the world.
– Sister Anne Clifford
Stewarding Creation in Baden
In 1901, our Sisters moved from Ebensburg to Baden where they continued to maintain the property as a farm. They raised chickens, pigs, cows and horses. They grew corn, oats, cabbage, peas, beans, beets, Swedish turnips, tomatoes, lettuce, endive, rhubarb, horse radish, strawberries and much more. They tended grape arbors and planted fruit and shade trees.
The fruits of their labors helped to sustain the Sisters and the boys who boarded at Mount Gallitzin Academy. To assist with the chores on the sprawling land, our Sisters provided jobs for immigrants, which was especially valuable to them during the Depression.