October 21, 2025

Sisters of St. Joseph mark 375 anniversary of founding

REGIONAL
By Sharon Roulier

SPRINGFIELD — On Sunday, Oct. 19 Springfield Bishop William Byrne celebrated a  Mass at Sacred Heart Church honoring the Sisters of St. Joseph of Springfield as they marked the 375^th anniversary of the founding of their religious community in Le Puy, France in 1650.

The event was attended by the sisters, agrégées, associates and members of other religious congregations in the diocese, as well as supporters of the order.

Bishop Byrne was the principal celebrant of the Mass. He was joined at the altar by Monsignor Christopher Connelly, Monsignor George Farland, Deacon William Kern, Father Christopher Malatesta, Father Jack Sheaffer, Father John Connors and Franciscan Father John Koziol.

During his homily, Bishop Byrne thanked the Sisters of St. Joseph for their service in the diocese since they arrived to teach at St. Patrick’s School in Chicopee in 1883.

“It is truly an honor for me to preside at this anniversary Mass,” the bishop said, addressing the sisters. “My heart, like every single heart in this church, is filled with gratitude for your friendship, your love and the grace that you have given to each of us.”

Sister of St. Joseph Elizabeth Sullivan, president of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Springfield, spoke before the Mass, detailing the history of the founding of the order.  Six young women, under the direction of a Jesuit priest, Father Jean Pierre Medaille, formed a religious community designed to “serve the dear neighbor.”

The women were allowed to leave the cloistered life and branch out into the city, working with women to teach them lace making and to read and write in order to sustain themselves.

In 1789 the French Revolution forced the dispersal of the Sisters of St. Joseph and at least five. sisters faced the guillotine. However, after years of war, Napoleonic France was unable to deal with the vast social problems resulting from conflict, and agreed to the reestablishment of some orders, including the Sisters of St. Joseph.

Mother St. John Fontbonne reorganized the community in Lyon, France, and it soon expanded in both numbers and ministries.

In 1836, The Countess de la Rochejaquelein sponsored six Sisters of St. Joseph to travel to America in response to a request from Bishop John Rosati of St. Louis, Mo. The six arrived in Missouri, founding missions in Cahokia and Carondelet in the first year. From there, the sisters moved to many parts of the United States and Canada.

The Sisters of St. Joseph of Springfield were founded in 1883 following a request by the pastor of St. Patrick Parish in Chicopee Falls. The priest needed help starting a parish school. Seven sisters from the New York congregation moved to the Springfield area. The small community grew slowly but steadily while serving as educators to poor immigrant children in central and western Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

And in 1928, the Sisters of St. Joseph established the College of Our Lady of the Elms in Chicopee.

Sister Sullivan said the sisters continue to build on the principles of their founding sisters in Le Puy today.

“We have a strong concern working with immigrants and a serious concern about what’s happening to the refugees,” she said, in an interview with Catholic Communications following the Mass. “It’s all part of the justice issue which you will find strongly in the Gospel. Even our church, the Catholic Church, is a strong supporter of social Catholic justice. So just another avenue to help us in ministry and continuing our mission.”

Sister Sullivan said the day brought with it a mixture of emotions for many of the sisters.

“To see the number of people and the things that have been said about us is exceptionally humbling and I just view that as another example of God’s graces in our lives,” she said in an interview with Catholic Communications.

The mission of the Sisters of St. Joseph has spread worldwide and expanded beyond education to include social service programs, healthcare home services and wherever a need is found.

During the Mass a presentation of items from the congregation’s archives painted a picture of the rich history of the community. Among the treasures were: a bell run at St. Patrick’s School in Chicopee from 1880-1970; a statue of Mother St. John Fontbonne; a painting of a kitchen in Le Puy; a lace pillow from Le Puy; a Norman Rockwell painting entitled “Little Orphan at the Train,” featured in Good Housekeeping May 1951, for which Sister of St. Joseph Mary Annunciata Kerrigan of Rutland, Vt., modeled for the artist; Constitutions pour la Petite Congregation des Filles de Saint Joseph, 1966, in French; Constitution of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Springfield, current edition; Maxims of the Little Institute of the Sisters of St. Joseph, translated by the Federation of the Sisters of St. Joseph International Research Team in 1975; Community of St. Joseph booklet, artwork by Sister Kathleen Imbruno, SSJ; and Necrology by Month of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Springfield; August 2024.

Following the Mass a reception was held on the grounds of Sacred Heart Church.

A video version of this story will be on an upcoming edition of “Real to Reel” which temporarily airs Sunday mornings at 6:30 a.m. on WWLP-22 NEWS.