Connections - Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet

Dear Friends,
In Gratitude: A Way of Life,
Louise Hay and friends write
about living life through the lens of
gratitude. Hay says that she “always
makes a point of spending part of
each day thanking the universe.”
One of the many blessings
of serving in leadership is that we
often have the opportunity to view
firsthand the ministries in which
our sisters are involved. We can see
how they are living out the spiritual
and corporal works of mercy, and
how, in turn, their lives are being
enriched.
In this issue of Connections,
we see this reality in our sisters, Sisters Patrice Coolick, Jean
deBlois, Mary McGlone and Margaret Guzzardo. Each is
sharing her gifts and making a difference in the lives of our
dear neighbors. They, in turn, are ever so richly blessed.
Another gift that leadership affords us is the opportunity
to interact with the hierarchy where our sisters are in ministry.
Most recently, Province Leadership met with Archbishop
Robert Carlson, the newly appointed Archbishop of
St. Louis. While the main reason for our coming together
was the formalized blessing of our co-sponsorship venture
between the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet and
Benedictine Health System, Archbishop Carlson did spend
some time with Province Leadership, sharing his story of
priestly ministry.
From listening to his story, we learned of his commitment
to the poor and the elderly, his love for his brother
priests, his care and appreciation for women religious, and
most importantly, his commitment to spread the gospel
message of Jesus.
He also spoke of his openness to multi-faith dialogue.
We came away from this conversation with a renewed
commitment to pray for this good man so that together we
might all build up the Kingdom of God.
Finally, something that also touched our hearts recently
is House Resolution 441 that was passed at the end of
From the Province Leadership
St. Louis Archbishop, Robert J. Carlson (center), with Province Leadership (left to right): Sisters Helen Flemington,
Patty Clune, Pat Giljum, Suzanne Wesley, Nancy Corcoran and Jean Meier. (Not pictured, Sister Elizabeth Brown)
September, honoring the historical contributions of Catholic
sisters in the United States. Truly, this is not an honor that
is given to us alone. Although we stand on the shoulders of
dedicated women who have gone before us, nothing that has
been accomplished by women religious over the centuries was
done in isolation. One of the blessings for which we are ever
so grateful is that we work in collaboration with our sisters
and brothers in ministry—together we can and have made a
difference.
And so to you, we say thank you for all the ways that you
work with us and support us in our ministries. To you and for
you, we will always be grateful.
Province Leadership
Elizabeth Brown, CSJ Patty Clune, CSJ
Nancy Corcoran, CSJ Helen Flemington, CSJ
Pat Giljum, CSJ Jean Meier, CSJ
Suzanne Wesley, CSJ
Co n n e C t i o n s • Fa l l/Wi n t e r 2009
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