Programs 2026
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Roots and Wings
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May 18-26, 2026by invitation only
The program begins at 5 p.m. on May 18 and ends after breakfast on May 26.
Roots and Wings is a global ongoing formation for mission program for Sisters of Saint Joseph world-wide preparing for or who have recently made Perpetual Profession of Vows, inviting them to deepen their connection to our shared origins while continuing to discern their place in its ongoing mission. Through historical immersion, reflective exercises, and communal discernment, participants explore the foundational charism, recognize how it is lived today, and envision the paths the Spirit opens for the future. Integrating memory and identity (“the roots”) with imagination and mission (“the wings”), the program helps each Sister embrace the heritage she carries and the new horizons to which she is called—so that together, for the life of our world so deeply in need of this mission of union, we may continue to embody the active inclusive love at the heart of the global Saint Joseph family.
Register by April 18, 2026
Registration Form
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Sr. Michelle Lesher SSJ, a Sister of St. Joseph of Philadelphia (USA) was director of formation for her congregation before she was elected to the Leadership Council. She was also a professor and member of the Mission and Ministry Department at Chestnut Hill University in Philadelphia. Michelle is passionate about accompanying those with a connection to the charism and mission of the Sisters of St. Joseph.
Sr. Raymonda Saadé is a Sister of St. Joseph of Lyon and is of Lebanese nationality. She holds a Master’s degree in Education and a Bachelor’s degree in Theology. She currently serves as novice mistress, chaplain at Saint Joseph University of Beirut, and a member of the National Committee for University Pastoral Ministry in Lebanon. She provides spiritual accompaniment at both the personal and community levels and also collaborates in parish pastoral ministry.
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Stepping into the Past, Living in the Present, Journeying toward the Future
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A program for Associates, Agrégées, Partners in Mission, and Friends of the Joseph Family
June 2-8, 2026
The program begins at 5 p.m. on June 2 and ends after breakfast on June 8.Welcome to Le Puy! Come and enjoy an exciting opportunity to discover, in fresh ways, the history, spirituality, and charism of the Family of Joseph as it unfolds for a new day. Come and listen to the ageless echo of the footsteps of the first members on the cobble-stone streets of France. Let them touch your soul. Explore the resonance and relevance of the echo from the past animating us to life in the present. Journey, with others, into the promise and hope of an evolving and unknown future at the very heart of this beautiful and dynamic charism. Come to appreciate ever more deeply your special place, your own call and journey into the mystery of relationship with God and with others. Embrace anew the spirituality that calls us always to “expansive and inclusive love” in the realities of the contemporary world. This seven-day program will integrate prayer, reflection, presentations and sharing, visits to special sites in the story of the Family of Joseph and the enjoyment of “walking together” in the movement of the Spirit. Come and be in Le Puy!
Suggested Contribution:
655 to 755 Euros (if paid with cash)
675 to 775 Euros (if paid with a bank transfer)
Register by May 2, 2026
Registration Form
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Sr. Mary Rowell, CSJ, is a Sister of St. Joseph in Canada and is vocation and first formation director for her Congregration. She currently works in retreat and environmental ministries at Villa St. Joseph in Cobourg, Ontario. In that capacity, Mary provides presentations and retreats across Canada and the United States, many of which focus on the CSSJ charism for all members of the “Joseph Family”. Mary also facilitates general chapters for various Congregations.
Formerly, a nurse and nurse educator Mary has been privileged to work in the United Kingdom, and in ophthalmology and blindness prevention programs in Bangladesh, China, India, various countries in South East Asia and in Romania.
Mary has a Bachelor’s degree in philosophy, a Masters in Medial Law and Ethics from the University of London in the U.K. and a doctorate in Theology from the University of Durham, U.K.
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Hospitality of the Heart
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June 12-18, 2026
The program begins at 5 p.m. on June 12 and ends after breakfast on June 18.At the very heart of CSSJ Charism and Spirituality is the call to hospitality. At the birth of the Congregation, during its early years, at the time of its renaissance following the French Revolution, and in its global expansion members of the Family of Joseph have provided a home in the Spirit in hard times.
When we gather together in Le Puy we “come home” in a very real sense. The experience welcomes us to explore deeply the embrace and activation of Charism in days very similar to our own. We can “feel” the faith, love, creativity and courage of the early women as they responded to the signs of their times. In turn, we are inspired anew to create welcoming space in our difficult and transitional times.
Through pilgrimage, prayer, presentations and sharing, the program draws us beyond common and limited understandings of hospitality for mission in a new day. In the light of our charism we will reflect on God as the Source of Hospitality, reception of the gift of Divine Love, hospitality to the self, an evolving understanding of love of the “dear neighbor” including all of creation, and hospitality to an unknown future. A warm “welcome home” to all members and friends of the Family of Joseph!
Suggested Contribution:
655 to 755 Euros (if paid with cash)
675 to 775 Euros (if paid with a bank transfer)
Register by May 12, 2026
Registration Form
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Sr. Mary Rowell, CSJ, is a Sister of St. Joseph in Canada and is vocation and first formation director for her Congregration. She currently works in retreat and environmental ministries at Villa St. Joseph in Cobourg, Ontario. In that capacity, Mary provides presentations and retreats across Canada and the United States, many of which focus on the CSSJ charism for all members of the “Joseph Family”. Mary also facilitates general chapters for various Congregations.
Formerly, a nurse and nurse educator Mary has been privileged to work in the United Kingdom, and in ophthalmology and blindness prevention programs in Bangladesh, China, India, various countries in South East Asia and in Romania.
Mary has a Bachelor’s degree in philosophy, a Masters in Medial Law and Ethics from the University of London in the U.K. and a doctorate in Theology from the University of Durham, U.K.
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Lentils and Lace
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June 24-30, 2026
The program begins at 5 p.m. on June 24 and ends after breakfast on June 30.Integral Ecology is a concept which recognizes that our actions on Earth are inseparable from our economic, cultural, and spiritual ways of being. It reflects and supports the legacy of Pope Francis', and now Pope Leo XIV’s, emphasis on synodal care for the Earth and care for the poor. Integral Ecology also reflects the Sisters of St. Joseph charism of unifying one’s love of God, Creation and the Dear Neighbour.
A visit to the sacred setting of Le Puy-en-Velay offers a unique encounter with the Sisters’ charism and history. By exploring the origins of the global St. Joseph family, we have a singular opportunity to grapple with the twinned cries of the Earth and the poor, while being in hope-filled community.
This program will draw on the stories found in Le-Puy’s unique natural history and call participants to be recharged through interactive exercises of “caring, sharing, and daring”. Throughout, we will focus on our past, present, and future planetary relationship so that, at the program’s conclusion, participants will feel re-energized to begin, or continue anew, in consistent education, advocacy, and action in their home countries.
This 7-day program will include prayer, reflection, a heritage meal, as much time outdoors as possible, and walking visits to historic sites in Le Puy-en-Velay. It is appropriate for all engaged in the work of the Sisters, including staff, Sisters, Associates, agrégés, and other partners in mission.
Maxim #18
Live from the place of “one desire” --- where God and you dream the same dream.
Suggested Contribution:
655 to 755 Euros (if paid with cash)
675 to 775 Euros (if paid with a bank transfer)
Register by May 24, 2026
Registration Form
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Sabrina M. Chiefari, BES, is currently the Integral Ecology Specialist for the Sisters of St. Joseph of Toronto’s Ministry for Social Justice, Peace, and Creation Care.
As a long-time Environmental Educator, her work centers on community engagement, outdoor education and ecological well-being. She uses story-telling, local engagement, and spirituality to help all people understand how to act wisely towards our air, water, earth, and each other.
She earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Studies from York University, completed an internship with the Quebec-Labrador Foundation, and spent almost 15 years with the Toronto & Region Conservation Authority delivering diverse formats of educational programming. She’s also authored a number of short, fictional stories, and articles in Canada and the US, and has facilitated several professional development workshops among colleagues in Ontario.
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Mission Alive!
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September 5-12, 2026
The program begins at 5 p.m. on September 5 and ends after breakfast on September 12.This program offers a pilgrimage for lay partners in mission and provides an immersion experience into the original spirit and global dimension of the charism and spiritual tradition of the Sisters of Saint Joseph. If you are associated with one of the ministries founded by the Sisters of Saint Joseph as an administrator, staff person, board member, or supporter, this program is for you! Come deepen your learning, nourish your imagination and strengthen your conviction in participating in a world-wide movement that fosters union with God in drawing all into one. The week-long experience offers a rhythm of presentations, interactive participation, prayer, and visits to historic sites in Le Puy-en-Velay. A day trip to Lyon is also included.
Suggested Contribution:
655 to 755 Euros (if paid with cash)
675 to 775 Euros (if paid with a bank transfer)
Register by August 5, 2026
Registration Form
Read more about this program
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Sr. Dolores Clerico, SSJ is a Philadelphia Sister of Saint Joseph (USA) with ministry experience in the academic, parish, diocesan, and congregational arenas. She is a frequent speaker, workshop presenter, and retreat facilitator for sisters, associates, and partners in mission throughout the United States and annually at the International Centre.
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The Lace is Not Yet Finished
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September 14-21, 2026
The program begins at 5 p.m. on September 14 and ends after breakfast on September 21.By the power of the Holy Spirit, the hearts of a small group of women in Le Puy-en-Velay were enflamed by God's call to reach out to people suffering from devastating poverty, pervasive violence, and stifling oppression. These women found their home in the Gospel and in the teachings of the itinerant Jesuit, Jean Pierre Médaille. They found that God was present among them, at work within them, and in love with the world in which they lived. They joined together in 1650 as followers of Jesus to become the community of God's Great Love, the Sisters of St. Joseph.
In each generation since, the Holy Spirit has awakened God's compassionate presence in the hearts of women to respond to the ever-changing needs of the people of God.
In this program participants will get in touch with and claim once again the transformative power of this charism in our midst and into the future. They will also explore the streets of Le Puy-en-Velay and visit and pray in the original Kitchen, Living History Centre, Cathedral of Notre Dame du Puy, Chapel of St. Michel d'Aiguilhe, Eglise du Collège, and Tree of the Martyrs. Then they will travel to Lyon to visit the Heritage Room and graveside of Mother St. John Fontbonne. The Lace begun in 1650 is not yet completed. The threads are now in our hands. We are challenged to be responsive to the grace poured out in our world to reveal God's great love.
Suggested Contribution:
655 to 755 Euros (if paid with cash)
675 to 775 Euros (if paid with a bank transfer)
Register by August 14, 2026
Registration Form
Read more about this program
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Sr. Jane Delisle, CSJ is a Sister of St. Joseph from Orange, CA, USA. Jane has come to Le Puy-en-Velay many times with sisters and staff from the Orange Health Systems.
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We offer you many opportunities at the centre throughout the year including:
- Guided pilgrimages and programs
- Group visits
- Individual visits
- Private retreats
- Personalized reflective days
We look forward to welcoming YOU!
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For More Information
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Centre International St. Josephcentre.internationalwanadoo.fr
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