Common Undertakings of Josephites in Australia and New Zealand
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The liquid amber planted by Central and Federation Leaders at Baulkham Hills |
While the Sisters of St Joseph in Tasmania remain a Congregation in our own right, we have, since 1967, been part of the Australian-New Zealand Federation of Sisters of St Joseph. Over the years, there has been much interaction between the five federated Congregations of Sisters of St Joseph and the Central Josephites.
In the ‘90s, the Josephite Justice Network was established with representatives from all Congregations. Its purpose is mainly to educate our Sisters and those with whom we work about justice issues and to encourage all to act for justice, particularly in our own local areas.
More recent happenings include Retreats for Josephites offered across Australia and Aotearoa-New Zealand, a combined website, joint activities around World Youth Day in Sydney in 2008 as well as the Josephite Leaders Social Action Office which operates out of Canberra.
The Josephite Leaders' Social Action Office (JLSOA) was established to research and advise Leaders on issues of social concern.
The Vision of the JLSOA is:
To enable Josephite Leaders
to be effective in challenging structures
that block the way to justice and equity,
and to represent an ethical
and well-grounded viewpoint in our society
Its Mission is to:
Be faithful to our Josephite option for people who are poor,
and to our Josephite emphasis on justice and equity.
The Josephite Journeying Group is a combined group of Federation andCentral Josephites which was formed in 2006 to work at grass roots level to promote closer relationships amongst all Australian and New Zealand Sisters of St Joseph. This group has been responsible for mounting a series of retreats offered for Josephites across Australia and Aotearoa-New Zealand.
Josephite Archivists and Josephite Historians are two other groups which work across all six Josephite Congregations.
Following an historic meeting of the leadership teams of all Sisters of St Joseph in Australia and New Zealand at Baulkham Hills in August 2008, a Conference Of Josephite Leaders was set up with the vision:
Strengthening the bonds for Mission
Acting as one for today’s Church and World
The establishment of the Conference has enabled decisions for Josephite mission to be made together by the six congregations that have served the people and the local Church of Australia and New Zealand, especially in rural areas and poorer parts of cities since the foundation made by Mary MacKillop and Fr Julian in Penola in 1866.
