Sisters of Saint Joseph of Chambéry US-CT

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Sisters of Saint Joseph of Chambéry US-CT

As Sisters of Saint Joseph of Chambéry, we embrace Gospel values and strive to bring about unity in our world. We work for justice as a healing presence.

The North American Province owes its beginning to a lay woman, Jane Sedgwick, of Stockbridge, MA — a convert to Catholicism. She desired to establish a Catholic school in Lee, MA. In 1885, five sisters of Saint Joseph of Chambéry arrived in Lee to open the school. The rest, as they say, is history. The foundation spread roots into Connecticut and eventually into other parts of the United States.

With a View to the World: Today, Sisters of Saint Joseph of Chambéry respond to challenges that include: violence and abuse, oppression, conflict, hunger, homelessness, and alienation of families, to name a few. Our ministries extend across the United States from coast to coast. The North American Province is one of 14 worldwide provinces and four regions that form an international Congregation of more than 1700 Sisters and lay CSJ Associates. The center of our Congregation is in Rome. Other Provinces and Regions are located in Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, India, Italy, Mozambique, Norway, Pakistan, Sweden and Tanzania. Walking into the Future: We believe generous women today wish to share the vision of our early foundresses. Most likely, they are women like ourselves who desire to serve others, in God’s name. And no doubt, they are women of faith who possess great courage and a willingness to risk. We invite you to join us to make Jesus’ dream – "THAT ALL MAY BE ONE" – a living reality in our world.

03/19/2022

March 19
Feast of St. Joseph

“Giving the Gift of Self”

Today’s Feast Day of St. Joseph celebrates the patron of the Catholic Church. For the Sisters of St. Joseph of Chambéry, who take St. Joseph as their community patron, the Feast is a day of special joy and celebration.

Pope Francis describes St. Joseph as a gentle, loving father, obedient and accepting, a hard-working, quiet man who didn’t draw attention to himself. Joseph focused not on himself, but on Mary and Jesus.

In a similar way, we Sisters of St. Joseph of Chambéry model St. Joseph by giving ourselves in service to those in need. Our ministries include social service nonprofit works we run or upon whose Boards we sit.

Women and children, especially the poorest, have priority as we reach out in service. While we no longer administrate the hospitals we began in Connecticut, we continue to provide service as chaplains, mission leaders and Board members in St. Francis Hospital in Hartford and Saint Mary Hospital in Waterbury. You continue to find us engaged in pastoral work in parishes and carrying on retreat work.

Imitating St. Joseph, please join us as we observe the Feast of St. Joseph today by performing an act of kindness for someone, quietly and without recognition.

Photo: Sister Mary Ellen Lawley, CSJ, RN/Physical Therapist, offers support to a St. Francis Hospital patient on a tilt board, used to slowly return long term bed-ridden patients to an upright position. (Circa 1950s)

03/14/2022

Catholic Sisters Week
March 14
CSJ Associate Nancy Scanlon’s “Long, Meaningful Journey”

"I first met the Sisters of St. Joseph of Chambéry as a student at St. Francis Hospital School of Nursing, where I not only received an excellent nursing education but was witness to a group of Sisters - strong spiritual women, whose lives embraced values of kindness and compassion, always respecting and honoring the rights and dignity of each and every person.

Life has led me down many pathways, but I have no doubt those early days at St. Francis have been a major factor in the woman I have become and the personal and professional choices I have made.

Twenty-two years ago, wanting to deepen my own spirituality, I chose to become an Associate of the Sisters of St. Joseph.

I have always been attracted to their charism of inclusiveness and their efforts to stand up for, and respond to, the plight of the poor, the homeless, the disenfranchised, women and children, immigrants and multiple other social justice issues.

I have chosen to stand with them in their efforts to create a better world for all.

I will always be grateful for my association with this community. It has been a long, meaningful journey."
- Nancy Scanlon

For more info on how to join the CSJ Associates, visit https://sistersofsaintjoseph.org/sistersofsaintjoseph.php?category=24.

Pictured are Nancy, far left, with three other CSJ Associates at a Bingo event they sponsor for Sisters of St. Joseph living in the Provincial house; and Nancy with a Sister who just won at Bingo.

03/13/2022

100 Days of Prayer
Days 53-59
This week’s 100 Days of Prayer series from the Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange starts with a prayer for our brothers and sisters in Ukraine.

Day 53
Sunday, March 13
God of Peace, protect those suffering in Ukraine and in other conflicts. Change the hearts of those choosing violence and power over the well being of their sisters and brothers. We humbly ask You to provide a way out of war.

Day 54
Monday, March 14
I pray with gratitude for Catholic Sisters who continue to model how to stand up to injustice and walk alongside those who are marginalized or treated unfairly by systems that exploit or weaken them.

Day 55
Tuesday, March 15
Today I pray for ways to help our common home. Grant me wisdom to apply knowledge to care for the earth and all who share it; steadfast resolve to change habits over a long period of time; and inspire others to do the same.

Day 56
Wednesday, March 16
I pray for a calming of the chaos that feels ever-present in our wounded world today. Dismantle war, violence, racism, disunity and more that cause division, ignorance, poverty and suffering. Inspire me to restore relationships.

Day 57
Thursday, March 17
God of Justice, illuminate my awareness of those being treated unfairly. Alert me to ways to advocate for people in need, and to follow though with government officials who can make lasting impacts for the better.

Day 58
Friday, March 18
Today I pray for all those who must flee to a new land for safety. Protect their travels and let them find places of welcome. Wipe away any fears that people may hold against them. Restore their families and homelands.

Day 59
Saturday, March 19
ST. JOSEPH’S DAY – Compassionate God, fill the hearts and minds of fathers and families everywhere, that they may know they are loved first by You. May this love flow outwardly to unite and care for all people.

Download the weekly flier by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange:https://100daysofprayer.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/100-Days-of-Prayer_2022_03_13-19.pdf

03/13/2022

CATHOLIC SISTERS WEEK
March 13
Sisters with Vision and Empathy

Responding to the coronavirus has been a learning lesson for Hartford-based House of Bread (HOB) staff, volunteers, and its clients, with founders Sisters Maureen Faenza and Theresa Fonzi leading the way through the pandemic.

Carl Zyskowski, who has served on the HOB board for 30 years, currently as president, said Sisters Maureen and Theresa, affectionately known as “M&T” have shown the board how to respect and understand their challenged and needy clients, and to adapt to formidable circumstances.

“From the AIDS crisis to refugees to the pandemic, they help us learn from ‘our dear neighbor,” Carl said.

At HOB, founded 42 years ago, staff, volunteers, and clients adjusted to the pandemic early on. The program offers a soup kitchen, day shelter, food service for children, education for low-income women seeking career opportunities, and English literacy.

When the soup kitchen was prohibited by the state from serving hot meals to clients at dining room tables, the staff boxed meals for clients to pick up. (Before the pandemic, they served 200 hot meals a day in the dining room.) The program also responded to issues of food insecurity by supplying groceries to neighborhood residents who lost wages when their jobs were shut down.

“God put M&T on earth for a season,” Carl said. “They’ve helped people make some amazing comebacks. The Sisters’ vision has always adapted to the needs of the poor, which don’t stay the same.”

Pictured are the HOB kitchen and kitchen staff.

03/12/2022

Catholic Sisters Week
March 12
Helping A Student Grow and Change

In seventh grade, Randall Womack enrolled in Intensive Education Academy, the Sisters of St. Joseph-sponsored school, leaving public school to escape bullying.

At first, he said, being a student at IEA was "rough because I had difficulty adjusting to the new environment due to bullying and stuff that happened in the past. But a short time after attending IEA, I changed my ways."

He credits "different teachers and God" for helping him grow and God for helping "change my ways."

At IEA, his classes in music, math, English, and writing, in addition to choir practice, helped shape his budding Christian rapper career, which began at age 13. Randall released his third Christian rap album, “Love & Resurrection,” on Jan. 15, 2022, in honor of his late grandmother Rose Womack's birthday. (You can find Randall's album, Love & Resurrection, at
https://www.christianlyfe.net/?fbclid=IwAR37-pcfJywyuDqbD3Ucm0JAeYxnByqiF5LgdLkCZIF0mpFsNmggDveq6Ps and hear him on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LX8L1yHbPMc.)

At 26, he is working on a fourth album. He writes and practices in his apartment and records in a studio, with his cousin of Quiet Mindz Productions assisting him with up-tempo beats.

A graduate of IEA class of 2014, Randall has performed in Connecticut, Chicago, Ohio, Atlanta, Florida, and Rhode Island. He can be seen rapping in a 2013 segment on WTNH (News 8) featuring him earning his Eagle Scout badge.

To give back, Randall has attended many IEA fundraisers, paying his own way. It's his way of saying thanks to the Sisters of St. Joseph who founded the school and lay staff who helped him “change his ways.”

03/11/2022

Catholic Sisters Week
March 11
Family Values

All of Leo Gallagher’s 10 children were born at St. Joseph Medical Center in a span of 12 years, from March 1959 to February 1971.

But the family’s relationship with the hospital, and the Sisters of St Joseph who founded it, didn’t begin with the birth of his brood. In fact, it started with his parents.

St. Joseph’s is also where Leo was born, and his parents were active in the St. Joseph’s Hospital Auxiliary. His mom worked in the gift shop and Leo’s late wife was active in the auxiliary.
(In 1998, Stamford Health System acquired Saint Joseph Medical Center. Stamford closed the hospital and converted it into an outpatient facility.)

Leo was known around the hospital not just because he was a frequent father, but because of his particular occupation. “They knew me well. I was in the funeral business in Stamford.” His son, Leo III (in photo), now runs the business.

The family was loyal to the hospital and to the sisters because of their strong Catholic values, he said.
“My whole family supported the nuns,” he said,

Pictured is (the late) Sr. Francis Agnes, nursery supervisor, holding Leo’s son, Leo III, just after he was born on July 17, 1961.

03/10/2022

Catholic Sisters Week
March 10
“We Were One”

Back in the 1980s, when Maria Adriana Roscio was a 5-year-old immigrant from South America enrolled in Our Lady of Sorrows (OLS) in Hartford, she remembers classmates representing a variety of cultures: Hispanic, Latino, African American, Irish, Italian, and more.

And she also remembers that the Sisters of St. Joseph who administered the school and taught there fostered an environment of inclusion, she said.

“Racism didn’t exist,” she said. A Puerto Rican classmate translated for her in class until she learned English. A Cuban classmate tutored her in reading. All of this orchestrated by the Sisters.

Today Maria Adriana, who goes by Adriana, owns New England Dance in Cromwell, where students from diverse backgrounds gather to learn tap, ballet, jazz, and hip-hop, among other forms. In business for 24 years, she also offers yoga, meditation and summer camp.

Adriana left OLS after sixth grade when her family moved to Rocky Hill and enrolled her in public school, where she experienced “culture shock,” she said.

“I had a very hard time adjusting,” adding she enrolled her son in Catholic school.

“The nuns at OLS really gave us that unity,” she said, by their example in and out of the classroom. “I pray every day and thank God for my health and all the blessings. We were one.”

Maria Adriana Roscio dances on the grounds of the closed Our Lady of Sorrows school in Hartford. In the class picture, she is the one in yellow in the front row of seats.

03/09/2022

Catholic Sisters Week
March 9
Caring for Earth, Caring for You

Pope Francis, in his encyclical Laudato Si, invites all persons, regardless of their faith persuasion, to listen to the
“Cry of the Poor and the Cry of the Earth.”

Sisters in the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Chambéry have been working with our International Justice and Peace group to educate our Sisters, Associates and co-workers around the issues of environmental justice.

Since the encyclical, we have taken actions to conserve water, manage food waste, consider our consumer habits, eliminate single use plastics, and increase our recycling.

While these campaigns have been successful, much more needs to be done to preserve the planet we call home.

Of the many successful efforts of “Caring for Earth, Caring for You,” one of the themes for Catholic Sisters Week 2022, we have increased our use of refillable water containers to reduce plastic production and waste, and have eliminated our use of Styrofoam cups by using glass or ceramic coffee mugs.

For more ideas on reducing plastic waste at home, visit: https://www.unicef.org/armenia/en/stories/9-ways-reduce-plastic-waste-home.

03/08/2022

Catholic Sisters Week
Today – March 14
Sr. Dolores Lahr: New Superior General, Sisters of St. Joseph of Chambéry

We kick off Catholic Sisters Week with a question-and-answer interview with Sister Dolores Lahr, the newly elected Superior General of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Chambéry (CSJ). From West Hartford to Rome, Italy, Sister Dolores Lahr answered the call to lead the Sisters of St. Joseph of Chambéry worldwide in what she views as a “rapidly changing global society.”

At the end of February, Sr. Dolores, a member of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Chambéry (CSJ) North American Province, based in West Hartford, Conn., began an eight-year term as Superior General of the global CSJ congregation based in Rome, Italy. She was elected Dec. 5, 2021, in Nemi, Italy, by the 30th General Chapter of the congregation since its foundation in 1812.

Sister Dolores succeeds Sister Sally Hodgdon, also a member of the CSJ North American Province, who served since 2009 as the first Superior General from the United States. A native of Stratford, Conn., Sister Dolores most recently served as Executive Director of Mission Integration at Saint Mary’s Hospital in Waterbury, Conn., one of three Connecticut hospitals founded by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Chambéry. The hospital now is part of Trinity Health Of New England.

Her qualifications also include a papal recognition. In 2019, Archbishop Leonard Blair, of the Archdiocese of Hartford, Conn., awarded Sister Dolores papal honors from the Holy See. The honor recognizes strong Catholic faith and daily witness to Christ. Archbishop Blair said Sister Dolores sought “compassion and justice for all in these recent years.” Sister Dolores served as Victims’ Assistance Coordinator at the Archdiocese’s Office of Safe Environment.

Sister Dolores answered many questions about her new role. Below is an abbreviated version. Please enjoy the full Q & A at: https://sistersofsaintjoseph.org/blogMore.php?Sr.%20Dolores%20Lahr%20Q%20and%20A-15

How many sisters and Associates are there in the Congregation? Where are they located? What is an associate and how are they ‘related’ to the Congregation?

Our congregation numbers just under 1,400 Sisters worldwide with a complement of 1,375 CSJ (lay) Associates.

Sisters and Associates are located in many parts of the world, on the continents of Europe, Asia, North and South America. CSJ Associates are women and men who desire to live out the charism of the sisters of St. Joseph of Chambéry.

Some are directly involved with ministries of the sisters; all live out the charism in their daily lives, whether actively in a ministry, or in the ministry of prayer.

Do you have a sense of any priorities for the Congregation you will address over your 8-year mandate?

We set priorities, or ‘Calls,’ as we term them. They are the result of months of consultation with our sisters in each Province, Region, Mission who were directly involved in surfacing issues.

The months-long process of discussion and reflection of many possible priorities resulted in a decision by Chapter delegates to move forward with 3 ‘Calls:’ Community Immersed in the Spirit, Interculturality, and Protection of All Creation.

Pictured are Sister Dolores Lahr, second from left, new CSJ Superior General, with Sister Sally Hodgdon, whom she succeeded.

03/08/2022

Catholic Sisters Week
Today – March 14
Join us in special intercessory prayers based on Genesis 1
March 8
During this Catholic Sisters Week, we gratefully lift up the women religious throughout the years who have brought the Lord’s light into our broken world. Their work, done as the hands and feet of Christ, is a reflection of Christ’s grace and mercy, thus we pray…

March 9
During this Catholic Sisters Week, we thank our Lord and Savior for the gift of the sky, giving us promise for humanity’s future. Such hope is manifested through the work of women religious who have continually reached out to the lost, the overlooked and the needy, sharing their faith and confidence in the Lord’s peace and purpose, thus we pray…

March 10
During this Catholic Sisters Week, we show appreciation for the associates and oblates who are as the earth, seas, plants and trees, fulfilling and enriching our world. The diversity and compassion they bring to their work enhances life throughout the globe, helping all of creation to better abide with our Lord, thus we pray…

March 11
During this Catholic Sisters Week, we acknowledge those who are discerning, as they allow themselves growth through the process. Just as the sun, moon and stars, there is a cycle to the progression, one that embraces introspection and wisdom, service and enrichment, thus we pray…

March 12
During this Catholic Sisters Week, we reflect on the variety that God brought forth in the creatures in the sea and creatures that fly. Similar to this diversity is that of the donors and benefactors of women religious, those who have such different reasons for their generous giving yet feel called to support and encourage, thus we pray…

March 13
During this Catholic Sisters Week, we recognize the people of the earth, especially those who are served by women religious. Throughout the globe, the needs are many, so the service and compassion of women religious must be ongoing, freshened by God’s love flowing through and into those in need. May our Lord reach the hearts of those who are serving and being served, thus we pray…

March 14
During this Catholic Sisters Week, we acknowledge that, on the seventh day, God rested. Thus, we realize what is needed is a day for celebration, a Sabbath time for rejoicing in all that has been done and time for refilling our souls, bodies and minds for the work yet to come. We thank our God for the blessing of service done and ask for guidance on service to come, as women religious continue to devote themselves to Christ’s work on our earth, thus we pray…

03/07/2022

First Week of Lent Reflection
In Scripture, we read: “Remove from your midst oppression, false accusation, and malicious speech; if you bestow your bread on the hungry and satisfy the afflicted…then light shall rise in the darkness…God will lead you across the parched land, and you shall be like a watered garden whose water never fails.”

In T.S. Eliot’s “Little Gidding V” we find a hint of the water that never fails. He writes, “At the source of the longest river, the voice of the hidden waterfall…heard, half-heard, in the stillness between the two waves of the sea. Quick now, here now, always - a condition of complete simplicity, costing not less than everything.”

What will it ‘cost’ us to alleviate the sufferings of others, of attending to what is lacking in another person’s life: food, water, relationships, security, love? That list embraces the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. Will we accept the ‘cost’ of paying attention to the ‘dear neighbor'?

This first week of Lent, reflect on the works of mercy to discover how you might be a source of water, bringing life in some way to those in need of any kind.

03/06/2022

100 Days of Prayer
Days 46-52
This week’s 100 Days of Prayer series from the Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange starts with a prayer to help make us proponents of the dignity of human life.

Day 46
Sunday, March 6
Gracious God, I pray for all people, that their lives and dignity may be protected. Guide me to advocate and stand against the death penalty and work to create laws that respect the dignity of every person.

Day 47
Monday, March 7
Today I pray for my brothers and sisters in Ukraine, whose lives have been overturned by senseless war. May they be embraced by Your loving care and protection. May world leaders find a peaceful resolution immediately.

Day 48
Tuesday, March 8
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY – God of love, I pray in gratitude for all women. Bless them as they work tirelessly to bring peace into their homes. Give them resilience to be instruments of Your compassionate justice.

Day 49
Wednesday, March 9
Today I pray for my brothers and sisters suffering from the uncertainty of mental illness. May they be afforded the resources needed to address their needs, and understanding and compassionate care from those who love them.

Day 50
Thursday, March 10
Merciful God, watch over my dear neighbor in need of safe and affordable housing and for families in danger of losing their homes. Guide me to work toward building communities that create space for all.

Day 51
Friday, March 11
Today I pray for divine protection for all who are exploited, enslaved, forced into labor, trafficked into sexual slavery and denied their freedom. May they be liberated and restored by Your love.

Day 52
Saturday, March 12
God of Creation, guide me to be more like St. Francis of Assisi, protector of Your creation and lover of animals. Lead me to protect Your creatures on the verge of extinction and live in a way that nourishes all life.

Download the weekly flier from the Sisters of St. Joseph of Orangehttps://100daysofprayer.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/100-Days-of-Prayer_2022_03_06-12.pdf

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650 WILLARD Avenue
Newington, CT
06111

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http://www.sistersofsaintjoseph.org/

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