Congregation of St. Joseph Cares for "Dear Neighbor"
When Sister Joan Lescinski, CSJ, joined the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet in 1965, she became part of a tradition that had begun 300 years earlier in LePuy, France. In 1650, Father Jean Pierre Medaille gathered a group of six women to form a religious community and answer God’s call to “do nothing that would separate ourselves from our Dear Neighbor.” The community would eventually grow in number and good works that traversed the globe—teaching children, caring for the sick, and ministering to their “Dear Neighbor” 
in whatever way was needed.
To support themselves, the sisters—who are believed to have been the first community of religious women in Europe to be neither cloistered nor habited—made lace for French aristocrats and royalty. With the proceeds, they were able to minister to those in need. By the mid-1700s, the growing community had learned a new language developed for the deaf, signing, and used it in ministering to the hearing impaired.
Their work was to come to a standstill for a dozen years during the French Revolution (1789-1799). The sisters, like all French Catholics, were forced into clandestine worship. Five St. Joseph sisters were executed by guillotine, along with other Catholics. While many religious orders failed to survive the revolution, the Sisters of St. Joseph remained steadfast. Mother St. John Fontbonne is credited with “refounding” the St. Joseph community after the revolution.
Soon after, news of the sisters’ ability to teach sign language reached St. Louis, Mo., where Bishop Joseph Rosati needed special help. Many deaf children had been born there because their mothers had contracted measles during pregnancy.
Deaf children presented a special challenge in the early 1800s, as they were assumed to be mentally impaired. Seemingly unable either to communicate or cooperate, these children were rejected by parents and orphanages. So in 1836 Bishop Rosati commissioned the Sisters of St. Joseph to come to the small town of Carondelet, Mo., to adopt and teach the children, thereby turning the fate of this young group around.
From their new home in Carondelet, the sisters spread rapidly throughout the United States and Canada, and now serve in 24 states and four countries. Continuing in the spirit of the original St. Joseph sisters, they are women of unity and reconciliation, committed to their relationships with their “Dear Neighbor.” Many today refer to this spirit, or charism, as “inclusive love.”
Sister Joan Lescinski continues her community’s ministry in education, in the spirit of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet.
For more information on the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, visit their web site: http://www.csjcarondelet.org.