Remembrance of Mother St. John Fontbonne
Refounder of the Sisters of St. Joseph
Reflection
Today we remember Jeanne Fontbonne, Mother St. John, who is honored as the one who refounded the Sisters of St. joseph after the French revolution. To read about this remarkable woman, click here.
Prayer
We thank You, O God, for the wonders You have worked through women of faith and courage throughout history.
Action
Jeanne Fontbonne courageously responded to her moment in history.
What are we called to do in our time? How can we respond?
Suggested Reading
“…this valiant figure was a woman of great adaptability and flexibility, a woman of courage and daring, a woman bold in her undertaking, not because she was sure of her own strength, but because she relied on God’s loving Providence, and she placed her trust squarely there…She guided the sisters in seizing every opportunity to serve God and the dear neighbor. She asked of each of her sisters that same attentiveness born of intimate union with God and a loving compassionate service of the neighbor.”
From Prayer Remembering Mother St. John
Suggested Reading
In whatever part of the world we may be, we are never exiled…in Europe, as well as in America, God is everywhere witness of our works and struggles…My entire wish is that you be saints, and that your communities be…edifying. I implore God to pour down upon you God’s choicest blessings and assist you always with God’s grace.
Letter from Mother St. John to the Sisters in the United States
In your undertakings, see to it that God alone is their inspiration and their goal.
From Maxims of Perfection of the Sisters of St. Joseph
We believe that we create the future as we move with the Spirit in giving full expression to our giftedness as women in the Church sharing equally in its mission—in living a life that is simple, prayerful, courageous and compassionate—in proclaiming with prophetic voice the Gospel to all people—in strengthening our corporateness as women in community—in demonstrating our belief in the dignity of the human person and the call to secure this dignity for all women and men—in expressing our solidarity with the poor and oppressed, in faith and hope we accept the challenges these beliefs imply.
Vision Statement, Sisters of St. Joseph
Empowered by God’s love, rooted in the Gospel of Jesus, faithful to the vision of one sacred Earth community, we live and work to bring all into union with God and one another.
Sisters of St. Joseph Mission Statement
We believe that all is one and that our call is to an active inclusive love that seeks this union with God and the sacred community of life that includes all of creation – air, soil, water, plants and animals. We see ourselves in union with this community that we hold as the neighbor through whom God continues to be revealed.
Sisters of St. Joseph Land Ethic Statement