Becoming a Sister of Saint Joseph
A woman considering membership in the Congregation as a Sister of Saint Joseph, after due consultation may begin a ‘journey’ which provides her with opportunities for personal discernment and immersion in Josephite spirituality, community and ministry.
The Journey: She is accompanied on the journey by a Sister of Saint Joseph who acts as a discernment guide. The journey takes as long as is needed for her and the Congregation to discover whether God’s call to her is to be a Sister of Saint Joseph.
Vowed Life: As a Sister of Saint Joseph she will profess publicly the vows of chastity, poverty and obedience and live them according to the Constitutions of the Congregation. With the support of the Josephite community she will express her vows in a life of joyful, loving commitment to God’s mission. Her ministry will be particularly among those for whom Mary MacKillop and Julian Tenison Woods founded the Congregation – those people struggling in their lives, those with scarce resources, those on the edges and those often overlooked in our society.
As a Sister she will be mobile for the sake of the mission, meaning she may be called to live and minister in places far away from her hometown or country.
For more information, please visit the Contact Us page and select Become a Josephite in the Enquiry Type option.
Becoming an Affiliate
Affiliation with the Sisters of Saint Joseph – Private Vows
The practice of women and men making private vows to God has a long tradition in our Church. Some people feel called to this form of consecrated life living in the Josephite spirit and in affiliation with the Sisters of Saint Joseph.
The Journey: The individual explores God’s call to private vows in affiliation with the Congregation and after consultation may enter a journey of immersion and mutual discernment of call. Each individual is accompanied by a Josephite discernment guide and discerns how to live a life of chastity, poverty and obedience in the spirit of the Josephite Charism.
Rule of Life: The person called to private vows writes a personal Rule of Life to encapsulate the spirit in which they intend to live their consecration. Whilst being in close relationship with the Sisters, they are self-supporting financially. In the context of their own lives, they are fully committed to a life of prayer and participation in God’s mission for justice, healing, care of our Earth, inclusiveness of all peoples especially those whose dignity has been diminished.
Affiliation Agreement: The affiliation relationship between the individual and the Congregation is mutually explored and shaped into an Agreement. This means that there is a close, mutual relationship between the Sisters and the person, with a sharing of life, spirituality and ministry. While the person’s vowed consecration will initially be for a year, it may be renewed for a longer time and even for life.
For more information, please visit the Contact Us page and select Become a Josephite in the Enquiry Type option.
Affiliation with the Sisters of Saint Joseph – Covenant
A woman or man, single or married, may sense that God is calling them to deepen their baptismal call to discipleship through a Covenant with God in affiliation with the Sisters of Saint Joseph.
This Covenant: The call to live the Josephite life through a covenant and affiliation flows from the person’s baptism as an invitation to follow Christ in a specific way. It signifies a formal commitment to God “to live justly, to love with compassion and to walk contemplatively in life” (adapted Micah 6:8). People seeking this pathway will write their promises as a Covenant with God to be lived out in the spirit of the Josephite Charism and in close relationship with the Sisters of Saint Joseph. The Congregation will appoint a Discernment Guide to accompany them in the immersion and discernment journey.
Affiliation Agreement: The person discerns with the Sisters of Saint Joseph the shape of their affiliation and draws up an Affiliation Agreement with them. In relationship with the Congregation through participating in community life, events, committees and gatherings that involve the Josephite Spirituality, Mission and Community.
As a ‘Covenant Josephite’ the person will remain self-supporting and live in their own home. The person reverences their work as ‘ministry’ and has a consciousness of those that are vulnerable and disadvantaged.
For more information, please visit the Contact Us page and select Become a Josephite in the Enquiry Type option.