I just posted something for today, but I cannot let this good news go by without saying anything. The new Congregation of St. Joseph, made up of seven formerly autonomous congregations, finished its first General Chapter last week. I got some of the scoop from my friend Marie, who was actually elected to serve on the leadership team. And I also found more info on the Wheeling SSJ web site, which I’ve excerpted here:
A new congregation of Catholic Sisters approved by the Vatican effective last March 19th, distinguished its first official meeting in Chicago over the weekend with a powerful statement of promise to work for systemic change to diffuse the world’s most threatening global problems.
The delegates at the meeting elected seven members to the Congregation’s first central leadership team. They are: Nancy Conway, CSJ, of Cleveland; Marguerite O’Brien, CSJ, and Kathleen Durkin, CSJ, both of Wheeling, W.Va; Pat Bergen, CSJ, of LaGrange Park, Ill.; Jean Masterson, CSJ, of Cincinnati; Marie Hogan, CSJ of Kalamazoo, Mich.; and Jeanne Cmolik, CSJ of Cleveland. For legal and canonical reasons, the first person elected, Nancy Conway, is designated president.
In the Congregation’s statement, its members and lay associates promise:
• to surrender their lives and resources to work for specific systemic change in collaboration with others so that the hungers of the world might be fed.
• to recognize the reality that Earth is dying, to claim oneness with Earth and to take steps now to strengthen, heal and renew the face of Earth.
• to network with others across the world to bring about a shift in global culture from institutionalized power and privilege to a culture of inclusion and mutuality.
• to be mutually responsible and accountable for leadership in the congregation.
Here’s a picture of the new leadership team.
The new Congregation of St. Joseph, a multi-state community of women religious, has elected these women as its first central leadership team. Standing (l to r) Nancy Conway, CSJ, Cleveland; Marie Hogan, CSJ, Detroit; Kathleen Durkin, CSJ, Wheeling, W. Va.; Jean Cmolik, CSJ, Cleveland. Seated (l to r) Jean Masterson, CSJ, Cincinnati; Marguerite O’Brien, CSJ, Wheeling W. Va.; and Pat Bergen, CSJ, LaGrange Park, Ill.
I will be praying for the new congregation and the new leadership!
Hey! A familiar face… I remember meeting Marie… how cool!
Good luck to her and the rest of y’all. Exciting times, though I’m sure you have your work cut out for you!
How about PREACHING the Gospel? Witnessing to Jesus Christ? How is it that these nonsense statments flow out of these religious communities and NEVER mention the name of Jesus?
Melissa,
A couple of things I’d like to address in response to your post…
I would guess that the statement you refer to is really more of an internal reminder for the members of the congregation than an external press release. As such, there may be a lot more behind than the statement than might appear on first glance.
I’m not a member of this congregation, so I cannot speak for them. However, my experience of our own Chapters and Assemblies is that the Gospel of Jesus is central to our deliberations. Perhaps we take this a little too much for granted…perhaps the tendency to not be more explicit is an overcompensation…not wanting to fall into a trap of false religiosity…I don’t know. It’s a good question…
Whether or not the statement is explicitly “Christian” enough, I can’t help but think that feeding the hungry, caring for the earth, and striving for justice and mutuality are core Gospel values. Just because many non-Christians embrace these values doesn’t make them any less Christian, in my humble opinion.
Thanks for giving us something to ponder.