The Sisters of Saint Joseph of the Sacred Heart continue God’s mission by immersing themselves in the midst of life to empower others and bring hope.
Our Congregation was founded in Penola, South Australia on 19 March 1866 – the feast day of St Joseph – by an Australian woman Mary MacKillop and an English priest Julian Tenison Woods.
The Sisters of Saint Joseph were different from other religious congregations living in Australia during the late nineteenth century. The Sisters lived in small groups of two or three in country areas often where there was no established Catholic Church structure. From the beginning Mary and Julian encouraged Sisters to share the lives and the concerns of people with whom we minister with a particular focus on education.
Held in God’s hospitable heart we draw strength to respond to places of violence, fear and insecurity in our world, the places of incompleteness and limitation in ourselves and in the spirit of our Founders we continue to meet the needs of our time. We are a Congregation of women who live with feet on the ground, nurturing life.
Today, Sisters are engaged in pastoral work as well as in professional roles which include teaching, administration, social services, law, psychology, nursing, aged care, community development, adult education and support for new arrivals in Australia and New Zealand.
The Josephite charism is shared by all who live the Gospel with a Josephite heart.
To learn more about the history, work and legacy of the Sisters of Saint Joseph you’re invited to view an interactive historical timeline here.
These videos provide more detail on the story of Mary MacKillop, Julian Tenison Woods and the Sisters of Saint Joseph.