WELCOME

SISTERS OF ST. JOSEPH

of Northwestern Pennsylvania

Come to the Waters, is a history of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Northwestern Pennsylvania written by Leonie Shanley, SSJ, and Mary Francis Becker, SSJ, on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the Sisters of St. Joseph in the Diocese of Erie in 2010. Click here to explore the book.

News

We remember . . . Elizabeth “Betty” Ruza, SSJ

| December 18, 2023

Elizabeth (Betty) Ruza, SSJ, age 87, of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Northwestern Pennsylvania, died on December 15, 2023. She was in the 69th year of her religious life. Sister Betty, formerly Sister Mary Olive, was born in Erie, Pennsylvania, on April 1, 1936, the daughter of the late Stephen and Anna Ruza. She…

Sisters in the Sun Bench Blessing

| October 23, 2023

A lovely fall morning greeted the Sisters of St. Joseph and generous donors, family, and friends who gathered for a liturgy and blessing of the benches that were donated during the Sisters in the Sun Bench Campaign. Following the liturgy, Fr. Jerry Simmons shared a faithful blessing in front of the SSJ Community Living Center:…

Sisters of St. Joseph Join LCWR in Solidarity with the People of the Middle East

| October 23, 2023

“Never has the use of violence brought peace in its wake. War begets war, violence begets violence.” Pope Francis, Angelus, September 1, 2013. The Sisters of St. Joseph of Northwestern Pennsylvania join with the members of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) and in solidarity with the global community of faith, standing in the…

Maxims — A Modern Take

More than 360 years ago, Father Jean Pierre Médaille, SJ, composed the Maxims of the Little Institute, 100 short sayings to help the first Sisters of St. Joseph grow in virtue. We share them here, along with contemporary translations developed by Susan Wilcox, CSJ, Brentwood, and a group of her students.

MAXIM 12

ORIGINAL

Choose to bear all the evils of time rather than the least of eternity, all the evils of nature rather than the least deprivation of grace, since all kinds of reasons illumined by faith teach you to live according to this truth.

Original Maxim 12
as written by Fr. Médaille

MAXIM 26

ORIGINAL

Seek in everything God's contentment and not anything else, and the better to practice this, remember in the entire living out of your life, in desolation, in sick¬ness, etc., to desire God's greater contentment without giving a thought to your own interests.

Original Maxim 26
as written by Fr. Médaille

MAXIM 54

ORIGINAL

Empty yourself of all human respect and of the least blameworthy concession, and declare, with a generous heart, never to yield in anything that would be against God's will.

Original Maxim 6
as written by Fr. Médaille

MAXIM 81

ORIGINAL

Whatever the virtue you recognize in yourself, never turn away from a true fear of God, conscious that his judgments are unfathomable and that his appraisals are quite different from ours.

Original Maxim 81
as written by Fr. Médaille

Read all Maxims

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