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Some Frequently Asked Questions
1. What do the letters CSJ mean after your names?
The letters CSJ stand for the "Congregation of St. Joseph", and show that the woman using them is a vowed member. In the Federation of the Sisters of St. Joseph there are other communities which also use CSJ or SSJ as their identifying initials. Most of us Sisters of St. Joseph are "related" through sharing the same founder/foundresses in France (see "Our Story")
2. Do you have to be Catholic to be a sister?
Yes, to be a vowed member a woman must be a baptized Catholic. To be an Associate a person does not have to be Catholic, or even female! We have about 850 vowed sisters and 500 men and women Associates in the Congregation of St. Joseph. All of us work together for the sake of the mission and to promote our charism of active, inclusive love in the world.
3. If I've been married, can I still be a sister?
Women who have been widowed or divorced are welcome to seek vowed membership with us if there are no canonical impediments to vowed life. For a woman who was married and then divorced, that would mean she must have an annulment. If a woman has children, they must be independent, self-supporting adults before she could begin to discern membership as a sister. A woman seeking membership in any religious community must have the capacity and willingness to commit herself to live a chaste, celibate life.
4. Why don't you wear habits any more?
When the Sisters of St. Joseph were founded in the seventeenth century, almost all other religious congregations of women were monastic and, therefore, were confined to their monastery. Our congregation was founded in a new way by women who wanted to go out among the people to help meet the needs of the time. During that period of history, in order to be safe, women needed to be accompanied by a man to be out in public. The only women who could walk safely and unattended by a male were widows, who dressed in an identifiable way. Our first sisters dressed in the same manner as widows of that period so they could be on the streets, unquestioned, doing God's work. Eventually, like other religious communities of the time we retained and modified this dress, calling it a habit. The Vatican II Document on Religious Life mandated that religious communities of women return to the spirit of their founder. In the spirit of our founders (see Our Story), that meant we were not to be separated from the neighbor whom we served. In the sixties, after much prayer, conversation and negotiation we determined that the truest way for us to dress as Sisters of St. Joseph is in the manner of those with whom and for whom we work. In this way, we do not separate ourselves from our neighbors.
5. Do you own your own "stuff"?
Part of being a sister is sharing our monies and our possessions in common. For example, the cars we drive, the computers we use, etc. all belong to the Congregation at large, not to individuals. Our salaries go into a common fund, which supports all of the sisters and our ministries. Part of being a sister is learning to live simple and to share our resources with those around us. The value behind this is very different from the predominant value found in our culture today!
6. Do you get a paycheck?
Some Sisters have salaried positions in the ministries in which they work. Some sisters work for organizations which can only offer a stipend, but whose mission supports the poor and furthers our own mission in the world. Some sisters' ministries support the congregation's internal work, so they receive no "salary" at all. Pooling our monies in a common fund allows us to participate in all of these kinds of ministries.
7. Do you live in a house?
Some of us live in small groups, some live in congregational centers, and some sisters live alone. Each sister chooses the living situation that is the best for her within the context of her ministry and of the ongoing discernment of the community. Wherever she lives, community life is an important value in the life of a Sister of St. Joseph. Sisters living together plan to share meals , prayer, and how they are experiencing God in their lives, which we call "Sharing the State of the Heart." Building good community together is as important to us as being involved in ministry.