1.07.2012

128 Years Ago Today - A story of Peace

Today is the 128th Birthday of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace. We celebrate January 7th as our "Community Day of Thanksgiving" because 128 years ago today our first Sisters professed their vows in St. Barnabas Cathedral. Our Constitutions tell our founding story well ...

In 1884 in Nottingham, England,
under the inspiration of the Spirit,
Margaret Anna Cusack, known as Mother Clare,
founded a religious congregation of women
... to promote the peace of the Church
both by word and work. The very name
Sisters of Peace will, it is hoped,
inspire the desire of peace and a love for it. - Constitutions 1884


This congregation had its origin
in the founder's response
to the social concerns and needs of the time.
Deeply moved by the sufferings of poor and oppressed people,
Margaret Anna Cusack sought ways to share her gifts with them:
... it did matter to me a great deal in view
of our common humanity, and in view of my
love of the poor, that I should do all I could
for those whom He had loved so well. - The Nun of Kenmare, 1888


Attracted by this commitment,
Honoria Gaffney, later named Mother Evangelista,
together with a few other women,
joined the new community.
Their faith and humility enabled them
to take great risks in serving their
sisters and brothers in need.

Edward Gilpin Bagshawe,
Bishop of Nottingham, accepted
and encouraged this young community.
At the first ceremony of profession on January 7, 1884,
he referred to the charism of the congregation
in these words:
To secure this divine peace for ourselves
and procure its blessings for [others] in
the midst of the sin, turmoil, and
restless anxiety of this modern world
is the object of your institute.
I was lucky enough to visit St. Barnabas Cathedral in Nottingham during my novitiate, and prayed in the very chapel where our first Sisters professed their vows and began the life of our community.

If you'd like to help me celebrate this important day and would like to know more about the history of community, why not watch the video our novitiate class produced to tell the story of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace, from our founding to today! (To play the video, just click the arrow in the box below.)



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