Living Peace

The Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace were healers early on in their founding, starting healthcare ministries in both the United Kingdom and the United States. Many sisters have been nurses, caregivers or administrators of hospitals, nursing homes, and healthcare systems. In this issue, we bring you Sister Alphonsus Mooney, who received the Royal Red Cross decoration from King George V for her service during World War I.

by Pat Weidner, CSJP-A

Being an associate with the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace for the past 23 years has been so life-giving. My journey with the sisters began with my employment on May 30, 1994, when I became administrative assistant to the Provincial in St. Joseph Province, Sister Ann Rutan (RIP). Having been raised in a Catholic household and educated in a Catholic grammar school, I always had a deep respect for nuns and an admiration for all they do.

by Stephanie Peirolo, CSJP-A

We can’t be truly open to another person’s grief unless we have metabolized our own. To be effective partners in healing for others, we need to be engaged in the healing process ourselves. Not finished with it, not done, because some griefs may never be processed or complete in the way that society expects. But if we are engaged with our woundedness, we can be more helpful to others who are wounded.

by Frank McCann, Congregation Peace through Justice Facilitator

Franciscan Sister Laura Vicuña Pereira Manso’s diminutive size and beautiful smile disguise her formidable commitment and passion. Sister Laura is a descendent of the Indigenous Kariri people who no longer exist. She now lives one week each month with her religious sisters in Porto Velho, Rondônia, Brazil, and the rest of the month with the indigenous Karipuna people whom she accompanies.

by Kelly Marsicano, Communications Coordinator

Sustainable Peace Ministries was founded in 2019. The committee consists of representatives from each of the five sponsored ministries—Holy Name, Peace Care, St. Joseph’s School for the Blind, Waterspirit, and York Street Project—who gather quarterly to share best practices and sustainability efforts. Leaders meet to collaborate on resources and ideas for making each ministry more sustainable and contribute to the Congregation’s desire to live a “Covenant of Peace with Earth.”

by Kathy Galleher, Ph.D

Acknowledging and embracing our collective woundedness with tenderness can bring deeper peace within ourselves and allow us to bring greater tenderness and peace to others and the world. As priest and author Gregory Boyle writes, “Once we are reached by tenderness, we become tenderness.” Anything that brings healing and peace to our own hearts can bring healing and peace to the wider world.

by Melody Maravillas, Congregation Chief Financial Officer

With growing inequity, advocacy is needed now more than ever to remind the upper one percent about their relationship to Earth and the rest of the world. For the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace, shareholder advocacy is a crucial component of our Resources for Mission efforts. Each share of stock that we own is a voice. It represents influence and the power to raise awareness when wealth has been blinding.

Talking with Une-Hi Song

When I was younger, my mom always made us take our vitamins and eat our veggies. I was the only one of the four of us she never had to chase down to make sure we did. She also made us drink this dark herbal concoction she made in the crockpot that she learned from her father who was an herbalist in Korea. She told us stories about how he would go up the mountains every day and scavenge fresh raw herbs to sell to local pharmacies.