By Florida Catholic staff - Florida Catholic
Photographer: COURTESY | Brandon Duncan
Representing the Sisters of St. Joseph of St. Augustine at their motherhouse in the nation's oldest city, from left: Sister Mary Christine Zamorski, Sister Jane Stoecker, Sister Thomas Joseph McGoldrick and Sister Barbara Cekosh.
By Tracy Jones
Special
to the Florida Catholic
ST. AUGUSTINE | On a recent day at the Sisters of St. Joseph Motherhouse, a construction crew was working on repainting the property a sunny yet subdued ivory. The motherhouse is located in the heart of Old Town St. Augustine � and its historic surroundings reflect the deep roots of the Sisters of St. Joseph of St. Augustine.
“The fresh coat of paint is just one of many renovations to the motherhouse that was sparked not only by the city’s 450th anniversary, but also the 150 years that the congregation has served in St. Augustine,” said Sister Jane Stoecker, general superior of the Sisters of St. Joseph.
Photographer: COURTESY | Brandon Duncan
Sister Jane Stoecker, longtime principal at St. Mary Cathedral School in Miami, currently serves as general superior of the Sisters of St. Joseph of St. Augustine.
The congregation has sisters serving throughout the state of Florida in a variety of ministries. In Miami, six Sisters of St. Joseph minister fulltime: one serves as the archdiocese’s chief financial officer and chancellor for administration; one teaches at Immaculata-La Salle High School; and four others, including a novice, teach or work as administrators at Holy Family and St. James Catholic schools.
Three Sisters of St. Joseph also serve on the board of Mercy Hospital, which is sponsored by the congregation. They also sponsor the SSJ Health Foundation, a non-profit which supports the work of the St. John Bosco Clinic on the grounds of Corpus Christi Parish in Miami. The clinic provides medical care to the poor and under-insured in Miami-Dade County.
The sisters arrived in South Florida in 1905 to establish St. Catherine’s Academy, the precursor to Gesu School, just nine years after the church itself was founded � the oldest in Miami. In 1925, the sisters also founded St. Joseph Academy in Coral Gables, a year before the parish of Little Flower was established.
Founded by Father Jean-Pierre Medaille in Le Puy, France, in 1650, the Sisters of St. Joseph began with a small group of devout unmarried and widowed women, ranging from ages 15 to 46, who wished to share together in a life of prayer and service to the “dear neighbor.” Meeting with these women, Father Medaille listened to them and began to sense their zeal and complete dedication to the mission of union � the charism identified today with the Sisters of St. Joseph.
Shortly after the Civil War, the South was left with 6,000 freed slaves who were without religion or education. Bishop Augustin Verot of Savannah, who also served as Vicar Apostolic of Florida, reached out to the sisters in France. He requested eight strong sisters, with “a good head and solid virtue.”
The eight French sisters arrived on the shores of Picolata Landing, Fla. in September 1866. Within a few months they had learned English and were teaching and ministering to the “dear neighbors,” whom they grew to love and who loved them dearly in return.
But teaching African-American children � for whom they founded a school in 1898, St. Benedict the Moor in Lincolnville � led to the arrest of three of the sisters in 1916, when segregation was the law in Florida. A judge eventually dismissed the case.
Today, the sisters continue the same spirit and zeal of those who came before them. While for many years they served as teachers and nurses, the congregation has expanded their ministries in heeding the words of Father Medaille, “do whatever a woman is capable.”
“Today, we minister in schools and parishes as well as in diocesan offices,” said Sister Jane. “We minister as administrators, vocation directors, teachers, hospice caregivers, parish ministers, counselors, stained glass artists, architects, and archivists.”
As consecrated religious, there are non-negotiables that sustain them as they live their vowed life, she added. “We live a life of prayer in community, with time for meditation, sacramental participation and ministry. We come together intentionally to support one another for the sake of the mission and the glory of God.”
Used with permission of St. Augustine Catholic, the bimonthly magazine of the Diocese of St. Augustine. This article also has been supplemented with historical information obtained from the Sisters of St. Joseph, www.ssjfl.org.
FIND OUT MORE
The public television station in Jacksonville, WJCT, has produced a 60-minute documentary to mark the 150th anniversary of the Sisters of St. Joseph arrival in Florida. “A Legacy of Faith” premieres March 24 on Jacksonville public television, and eventually will be rolled out to other public television stations.
On Friday, Sept. 23 at 7 p.m., the documentary will be shown at Mercy Hospital, 3641 S. Miami Ave, Miami, on the eve of the feast of Our Lady of Mercy.
