We are but travellers here
“We are but travellers here!” These words of St Mary MacKillop tell the story of those who have walked through the doors of St Joseph’s House of Studies in Lyneham since it opened in 1969. This House, once a home for Sisters of Saint Joseph in training, was reopened in June 2020 as MacKillop House, […]
Prison Chaplaincy
Sr Virginia writes about her ministry and experience as a Prison Chaplain. I have worked as a Prison Chaplain for nearly four and a half years; three years at Long Bay Correctional Centre, and currently at Lithgow in NSW, a maximum-security prison for adult men. I see my role as ‘walking alongside’ the men, while […]
Goodbye Gippsland
After 120 years of faithful, loving service, on Tuesday 31 January, 22 sisters including Victoria-Tasmanian Regional Leader, Sr Sue McGuinness, made their way to St Joseph’s in Warragul, Victoria for a farewell from the Diocese of Sale. Sr Madeleine White’s move to Melbourne at the end of 2022 marked the end of the Josephite presence […]
Profile on Sr Josephine Mitchell – Former Teacher and Educator
For newly professed Sr Josephine Mitchell, her first teaching post in 1954 was in the small community of Burringbar located in the top eastern corner of NSW. “It took over 24 hours to get there on the train from Sydney,” says Josephine, now aged in her 90s.
Celebrating the Gift of Education
150 Years of the Sisters of Saint Joseph Education in NSW This Teacher’s Day (28 October) we come together to say ‘thank you’ and celebrate the contribution, achievements and leadership of teachers. It is an opportunity to take a moment to recognise the impact of educators in all our communities. Education is a ministry close […]
Sea Sunday 2022
Sr Mary with seafarers working on container ships and gas tankers that deliver fuel and cargo to Port Botany. “No Seafarers, No Shipping, No Shopping” With Sea Sunday approaching on 10 July, we are challenged once again to reflect on the lives of seafarers. Seafarers and fishers are critical to global trade. They toil daily […]
A shave for a cure
The World’s Greatest Shave is an annual fundraiser for the Leukemia Foundation. The money raised goes towards vital research and to giving emotional and practical support to Australian families facing blood cancer. This year is my fifth time participating in the World’s Greatest Shave and at this stage, I’ve raised $2660. Once again, I truly […]
A Venture into Missionary Work
Vanimo, Papua New Guinea 1965 Fifty-eight years ago this month, four Sisters of St Joseph from Goulburn, New South Wales set out to undertake missionary work in the far north west of Papua New Guinea. In 1960 the Franciscan bishop of Aitape asked the Passionist Fathers to take responsibility for missionary work in the north […]
Josephite Prison Ministry History
In June 1867, young Mary MacKillop and her companion, Rose Cunningham, made their very first Josephite foundation in the city of Adelaide with a view to providing a catholic education for children whose parents [were] in humble circumstances. [1] In their bags they carried a manuscript copy of the Rules of the Institute of St. Joseph […]