Founders Day Kicks Off a Year of Festivities

As the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph officially entered into their 375th year of existence, the Brentwood Campus kicked off the festivities with their annual Founders Day celebrations on Tuesday, Oct. 15.

The day started with an informative breakfast for all Sisters and staff, followed by Mass at 11 a.m. and lunch at noon.

“We’re part of a global family of Joseph that includes 7,701 Sisters, 5,497 Associates, 34 Agrégées, and countless wonderful Partners in Mission in 47 countries across the world, and many of those wonderful people are gathered here today,” S. Tesa Fitzgerald ’64, CSJ, president of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Brentwood, said at the breakfast. “We, as a proud community of the Sisters of St. Joseph in Brentwood, will mark the milestone, along with our global families, all year long.”

A History in Queens

During breakfast, attendees learned about the history of the Sisters of St. Joseph as it pertains to their time in Queens, which began in 1860. Since their arrival in the borough, the Sisters created 69 ministries in 24 neighborhoods.

“The Sisters are looking to us and all their Partners in Mission to assist them in carrying their mission and ministries forward into the future,” Helen M. Wolf, Ph.D., director of Mission Integration, who hosted the Founders Day Breakfast.

“In many ways, we are living in an extraordinary and inspiring time in the history of the Sisters of St. Joseph, one in which a new awareness of mission is taking place,” Dr. Wolf continued. “This Founders Day Breakfast allows us to spend time learning about the heritage of the Sisters so we will be better able to carry on their vision both today and in the years to come.” 

Celebrations will continue throughout the year and culminate in the 375th Anniversary Celebration in Kansas City, Missouri, in July 2025.