E-News

Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet

Albany Province

E-News

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As Sisters of St. Joseph, we treasure writings from our very beginnings in seventeenth century France called the Maxims of the Little Institute. These maxims are short and pithy statements which capture our CSJ spirituality and charism, yet because they were written so long ago, the wording is a bit outdated. So Sr. Susan Wilcox, a CSJ from Brentwood NY, decided to update our Maxims by asking her high school class in downstate New York to rewrite them. Here is our Maxim 13: “Go out there and make the Creator of Universe look amazing!”

Jesus made God look amazing when he told his disciples that they were light and salt, when he healed the sick and infirmed, when he fed multitudes, and when he overcame death with resurrection! In the same way, every minute of our day, you and I have an opportunity to make God look amazing.

For centuries, Sisters of St. Joseph have taken this maxim very seriously. I think that if you are reading this E-News, you will agree that our sisters make God look amazing. Our sisters, like Sr. Danielle Bonetti and Sr. Doreen Glynn, who went to the border to serve immigrants, show us that God cares so deeply for persons suffering from injustice. Sr. Mary Anne Heenan, who The College of St. Rose awarded the Carondelet Medal at Commencement 2021, reveals to us that God is amazingly faithful. And Sisters Kay Ryan and Lauren Vandermark, who built Shaker Pointe at Carondelet, show us how creative and courageous God can be.

So too, you our donors and benefactors make God look amazing by your dedication to our legacy and mission. In you, we see God’s generosity and kindness. As humanity continues to walk through these months of vulnerability, continuing to face COVID, experience an environmental crisis, and witness unimaginable violence and racial injustice, we your Sisters are even more grateful for your faithfulness to us. We honor you. We promise to pray for you. Thank you. May our amazing God bless you and all your loved ones.

Blessings,

Sister Joan Mary Hartigan, CSJ

For the Province Leadership Team

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As I start my new journey as the Director of Mission Advancement, I feel blessed to be part of the Sisters of St. Joseph community and to learn of the many stories behind the “faces” of our Sisters. Each one is a different story of inspiration, strength, knowledge and hope. However, each story is rooted in mission with vows of serving the “dear neighbor” without distinction. Each Sister uses her gifts generously and embraces the command of Jesus: they pray, heal, teach, love and forgive. The Sisters of St. Joseph are leaders, educators, administrators, builders, healers and advocates of justice who have dedicated their lives to exercise “all of the spiritual and corporal works of mercy of which woman is capable.” Today they walk with the immigrant, work for justice, care for the uninsured, and mentor and teach our next generation, always there providing community support through their mission and ministry. As we embark on this path together - I wish to share these special stories and ask that you partner with us, sharing your generosity to help carry out their mission.

Sincerely,

Silvia Edmonds

They live every day helping others without seeking praise and recognition.

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A Summer Collage of our work for Justice:

There is no one season for promoting Justice. The call to work toward the coming of God’s reign of love and compassion is an ever present call. These photos of our sisters “working” for justice also celebrate this beautiful green season of spring into summer.

Sisters Doreen Glynn and Danielle Bonetti recently volunteered at Annunciation House helping serve migrants in El Paso.

Sisters Danielle and Doreen travelled to serve migrants in El Paso. They shared photos of some of the many murals they saw there.

Members of the Albany Province Justice Committee (left to right: Sisters Doreen Glynn, Francine Dempsey, Honora Kenny and Danielle Bonetti) joined the Freedom Unshackled Coalition and other faith and justice groups and area politicians in the Capital Region and New York State for a press conference and rally to demand that the Governor's office use its executive power to grant clemencies four times a year to 50 men and 50 women each time, totaling 400 clemencies per year. We need a system based on redemption, not on retribution and revenge.

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The sisters on our Justice Committee helped others at the Provincial House take action to support the For the People Act. They called their U.S. Senators in support of voting rights protections.

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Congratulations Sister Mary Anne Heenan!

Sister Mary Anne Heenan has always deflected praise for her accomplishments, saying, “We did it together" or “It takes a village.” This is partly true, of course, but Mary Anne’s gifts of zeal, creativity, and the amazing ability to remain unflappable in any situation have always been gifts she shared with the Sisters of St Joseph and far beyond.

When in 2021 the Board of Trustees of the College of Saint Rose awarded Mary Anne its highest honor, the Carondelet Medal, all of us rejoiced. Mary Anne had served generously as member and then Vice Chair of the Saint Rose Board for many years. Then, when the chair position was unexpectedly vacated, Mary Anne moved into that position with her usual grace. It was not an easy time and surely not a small challenge. Mary Anne did what she always does: she served with transparency, humility, and a forward-looking stance. She brought the Board and Saint Rose through a time of transition.

Mary Anne was well prepared for this challenge. Education has always been her passion, whether serving as a high school principal, diocesan superintendent of schools, or senior consultant with a firm specializing in strategic planning for schools nation wide. She was also tapped to serve as Chair of the Board of Directors of St Mary’s Hospital in Amsterdam and was called to other boards too numerous to mention but all of them part of non-profits serving the dear neighbor.

When the Sisters of St Joseph selected Mary Anne as Province Director, it was with full knowledge of Mary Anne’s very special grace to see both a big picture and each individual person in the picture. We have always asked our leadership to call us to the more, to invite, challenge, and encourage.

Saint Rose knew what it was doing . Congratulations, Mary Anne.

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CONGRATULATIONS Sisters Kay Ryan and Lauren Vandermark

On July 1, the Shaker Pointe at Carondelet Board of Directors, staff and residents had a wonderful goodbye celebration for Sisters Kay Ryan and Lauren Vandermark, who were the master visionaries, builders, founders and Executive Directors of the senior living community with 198 units sponsored by the Sisters of St. Joseph, Albany Province. Congratulations on a job well done, sisters!