- April 12, 2021
By Jenny Beatrice, Director of Communications
The Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet of the St. Louis province are proud of the five educational institutions they founded: Avila University, Fontbonne University, St. Joseph’s Academy, St. Joseph Institute for the Deaf and St. Teresa’s Academy. In order to ensure their impact on Catholic education continues for generations to come, the sisters have established St. Joseph Educational Ministries (SJEM).
SJEM is a Vatican-approved entity called a ministerial public juridic person (MPJP) that will take on the sponsorship role for these five institutions. A MPJP is a canonical term for a group of persons who together further the mission of the church. This group of persons consists of individual members, appointed by the St. Louis Province Leadership, who demonstrate a commitment to Catholic education ministry in the CSJ tradition.
On March 25, the inaugural group of members of SJEM were commissioned to their roles during a prayer service held in Holy Family Chapel at the motherhouse in St. Louis. Leaders from the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet and the schools were on hand to witness these 12 dedicated individuals, both sisters and lay leaders, make their commitments to serve the mission of providing quality Catholic education in an environment that challenges the students to grow in faith, knowledge and respect for self and others and in the service of the dear neighbor without distinction.
“I am thrilled that the commissioning happened on the Feast of the Annunciation when Mary said ‘yes’ to the call she received,” says Sister Rita Marie Schmitz, SJEM member.
“On this day 185 years ago, our first sisters arrived in St. Louis from France. They responded to a call that helped to spread religious life around the world. And here we are today responding to a call to guarantee the Catholicity and CSJ heritage of our five educational institutions into the future.”
SJEM members are:
David Armstrong, CSJA
Nan Bone, CSJA
Cheryl Broekelmann
Santa Cuddihee, CSJA
Marie Joan Harris, CSJ
Amy Hereford, CSJ
David Kerr
Susan Lenihan, CSJA
Barbara McCormick, CSJA
Barbara Moore, CSJ
Marcia Niedringhaus
Sister Rita Marie Schmitz, CSJ
“These 12 men and women are deeply committed to the schools and the spirit of the Sisters of St. Joseph,” says Sister Mary Flick, director of the member formation program.
“Together, they bring a variety of gifts and experiences in education that will serve the mission of SJEM.”
In the spirit of Vatican II, SJEM’s lay members will respond in a new way to their baptismal call as part of
the educational ministry of the church. “It gives us the opportunity to live out our baptismal promise, to use the spiritual gift we were given,” says Cheryl Broekelman, executive director of iHear and St. Louis operations for St. Joseph Institute for the Deaf.
Members are charged with responsibilities such as applying Catholic theological tradition, the CSJ heritage and Catholic social teaching to life; identifying and implementing mission-driven activities on the campuses; and taking a leading role in dialogue with church leaders. To prepare for this responsibility, the members are participating in ongoing formation to foster their understanding of the Catholic faith and the CSJ charism as well as their unique role as ministers.
Sister Mary says, “Formation is essential to ensuring that our SJEM members understand our Catholic tradition so that they can apply it to the works of our schools as well as the challenges they face. We want them to grow confident in living out their Catholic identity and the values of the Sisters of St. Joseph that mark our institutions.”
While knowledge is important, even more central to formation is the sense of community the members are nurturing among themselves.
“As a group, we have prayed, read and discussed readings that allow us to share our unique gifts with one another. Collectively, we will become one,” says Cheryl. “We are not in this alone. We have the sisters and each other to continue the sisters' work.”