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

A Reflection for the Third Week of Advent

| December 16, 2024

Christmas Presents or Christmas Presence? by SSJ Associate Stephanie Hall I recall when my now adult son was preschool age and, as a family, we attended the Christmas Eve children’s Mass at our parish. We often sat up front as it helped hold our children’s attention. A young, newly ordained priest was celebrating his first…

Sisters of St. Joseph, Saint Mary’s Home of Erie, and LECOM Health Begin Due Diligence Process

| December 13, 2024

Erie, PA (December 12, 2024) – Leaders from the Sisters of St. Joseph of Northwestern Pennsylvania, Saint Mary’s Home of Erie, and LECOM Health Institute for Successful Living have engaged in a due diligence process to evaluate the potential sale of Saint Mary’s at Asbury Ridge and the Sisters’ Community Living Center (CLC) to LECOM…

A Reflection for the Second Week of Advent

| December 9, 2024

Prophets of Hope by Rosemary O’Brien, SSJ “Hope is the thing with feathers That perches in the soul and sings the tune without the words and never stops at all.” ~Emily Dickinson Hope is the word that is perched in my soul these Advent days, as I try to sing the tune without the words….

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

Click Here