Our Anti-Racism Committee founded its mission on that of the Congregation of St. Joseph: “The life and works of the Congregation are directed to a single end – The union of ourselves and all people with God and with one another in and through Christ Jesus.”
We work towards this in a number of ways:
Workshops and Training
We partner with organizations like Crossroads and ERACCE who provide in-house anti-racism workshops and training at our centers for sisters, associates, employees and others. At left is a Crossroads workshop being conducted at our center in Wichita.
Education and Outreach
We seek to educate and raise awareness around issues of race by engaging with the communities in which we live and work. We do this by publicly speaking out about systemic racism, committing our resources to support ministries and organizations committed to equality, inviting prominent authors, civic leaders and others to our centers to speak on issues of race, hosting and engaging in black history displays and events, etc. At left is Sister Juanita Shealey along with students from Saint Joseph Academy in Cleveland who joined her for a Black History Month event. Sister Juanita hosts a bi-weekly radio show and is a long-time champion of civil rights.
Ministry Work
Many of our sponsored ministries and individual sister ministries address elements of racism in our world. For example, Sister Helen Prejean and Ministry Against the Death Penalty work to end capital punishment, which statistics show disproportionately affects persons of color. Taller de Jose serves Chicago’s large Latino population by helping individuals navigate systems and match them to needed resources.
Statements of Support
In addition to the many ways we work towards anti-racism, the Congregation of St. Joseph also supports statements made by the U.S. Federation of the Sisters of St. Joseph and the the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR), organizations of which we are members. Read the most recent statement made by LCWR condemning the killing of George Floyd here.
