Seven congregations of Sisters of St. Joseph to merge

Published: 2006-01-27

LA GRANGE PARK, Ill. (CNS) -- Seven U.S. congregations of Sisters of St. Joseph announced Jan. 23 that they plan to merge into a single new congregation in April 2007. The communities that will form the new Congregation of St. Joseph currently have 891 vowed religious and 548 nonvowed men and women associates. Sister Marianne Race, president of the Sisters of St. Joseph of La Grange, said, "The decision to form a new congregation grew out of our seven congregations' common origin, heritage, charism and mission from the original Sisters of St. Joseph who were founded more than 350 years ago in LePuy, France." Besides the La Grange congregation, which has 92 members, the other congregations involved are: Sisters of St. Joseph of Cleveland, with 123 members; Sisters of St. Joseph of Nazareth, Mich., with 257 members; Sisters of St. Joseph of Tipton, Ind., with 38 members; Sisters of St. Joseph of Wheeling, W.Va., with 83 members; Sisters of St. Joseph of Wichita, Kan., with 157 members; and Sisters of St. Joseph of Medaille, based in Cincinnati, with 141 members.

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