Spirituality of Peace

Religious Life in its essence is a loving response to the mysterious divine initiative of an overwhelmingly compassionate God. Our hunger and longing for union with the Holy dwells deep in our hearts, calling us over and over again to respond. The Christian life is about giving oneself for others in the way of the self-emptying Jesus. Because of Jesus, we are drawn out of ourselves in union with the joys, sorrow and suffering of the whole human family.

Christ is our peace,
the source of our power.
United with him
we engage in the struggle
against the reality of evil
and continue the work
of establishing God’s reign
of justice and Peace.

— Constitution 2

What is unique about the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace and our Associates is our spirituality – a gospel spirituality — pursuing justice, we seek God’s gift of peace. 

Recognizing gospel peace as both gift and task,
we believe that prayer is fundamental to our life.
Our intimacy with God
unifies our prayer and activity
so that we are moved to action by prayer
while action urges us to pray.
In unity with the church
and with all creation
we give praise and thanks to the Giver
of all gifts.
We open ourselves to the liberating
power of God
whose Spirit leads us to peace.

— Constitution 28

Contemplative engagement invites us to experience God as relational and in that realization we recognize the mutuality of all relationships: with all of creation, with all living beings and with our common home, Earth itself. Everything is connected. This worldview shapes our prayer, our actions and our spirituality.

The spirituality of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace is grounded in the conviction that we are guided by the Holy Spirit. We are called to pursue peace through justice at this time in history. As the Spirit hovered over the chaotic waters in the Book of Genesis, so we believe that the Spirit presses on and compels us into the future. We acknowledge that the inspiration and motivating energy behind our mission and works is Love.