OUR HERITAGE
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Jérôme Le Royer and Marie de la Ferre left to the Congregation a rich heritage which has been preserved, thanks to the conservation of original documents which include the Decretals of the Confraternity of the Holy Family (1636) and the 1643 Constitutions.
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Who are we?
The first Daughters of St. Joseph lived with and passed on to us what they received from Jérôme Le Royer and Marie de la Ferre. The first chapter of the 1643 Constitutions, dictated by the Lord to Jérôme Le Royer, sets forth the nature of the mission and spirit of the new institute:
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Mission
The Daughters of Saint Joseph must be persons entirely consecrated to God to serve Him piously in the exercise of the spiritual life; and in the practice of perfect charity towards their neighbour, and in a special dedication to the service of Jesus Christ in the persons of the poor who are His members.
(From the 1643 Constitutions, as quoted in the 2002 Constitutions, p. 7)
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Spirit
The spirit of this family is that of the holy liberty of the children of God, which renders the religious attentive to self, faithful to God, pure in her life, simple in her intentions, gentle in her conversation, cordially united with her sisters, tenderly charitable towards the sick poor, stable and unshaken in the midst of all circumstances and events of her life, desirous above all to be pleasing to God.
(From the 1643 Constitutions as quoted in the 2002 Constitutions).
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Spirituality
The spiritual path proposed by Jérôme Le Royer is laid out in the Statutes of the Confraternity of the Holy Family of which the community of the Daughters of St. Joseph forms a part. This path emphasizes devotion to the Holy Family and the example of the first Christians.
By first addressing Saint Joseph, the Christian who became a member of the Confraternity could then have access to Mary. Together, Joseph and Mary would then become intermediaries, who would help one enter ever more deeply into the mystery of Jesus Christ. By these means one would come to adore and glorify the Blessed Trinity.
Following the example of the first Christians, the members of the Confraternity of the Holy Family were called to be united by the bonds of Christian charity and to live a life of great attachment to God. By forming one body in Jesus Christ they would thus contribute to the building of unity in the Church for the good of all.
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Charism of the Congregation
The R.H.S.J. today continue along the route laid out by their founders in a society and Church in continual transformation. In the 1990 Chapter, the specific charism of the congregation was formulated as follows:
The Religious Hospitallers of St. Joseph are called to live the liberty of the children of God, as women of faith, incarnating Christ’s tender compassion in serving His members, especially the poor, sick and the most needy, in union of charity ...
in the sense that this expression had in the 17TH century, “union with one another as members of the Body of Christ”.
(T. Radcliffe, Que votre joie soit parfaite, p. 48).
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Actualization of our charism
In the “liberty of the children of God” and “union of charity,” the sisters actualize their charism and commit themselves in the diverse apostolates of which “priorities are determined by suffering and underdevelopment, absence of religious witness and professional services.” (2002 Constitutions).
While continuing their mission with sick and elderly persons and/or those suffering from a handicap, they also serve disadvantaged and poor persons, those suffering from chemical dependency or alcoholism, abused or rejected women and their children. The sisters want to be builders of unity and liberty in their milieu whether through their participation in the life of the local Church, home visiting, faith education, literacy programs, spiritual accompaniment, etc.
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The section “R.H.S.J. Community Foundations” gives a view of the diversity of apostolates of the Congregation throughout the centuries up to the present day. |
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