Foundations
During his travels as an itinerant preacher in war-torn south-central France in the 1640s, Father Jean-Pierre Médaille, S.J. (1610-1669), began to encounter women who wished to consecrate themselves to God and the service of their neighbor. At that time, consecrated religious life could only be lived by cloistered women, but these women sought to be fully available to God and to what they called "the dear neighbor".
After prayer and, inspired by the Eucharist, Fr. Medaille authored a set of principles to guide these women in this new life of prayer and service. At his request, Bishop Henry de Maupas of Le Puy-en-Velay, France, authorized the foundation of the Sisters of St. Joseph, which took place on October 15, 1650, birthing one of the first ‘apostolic’ orders of women in the Church.
The first six members were Francoise Eyraud, Clauda Chastel, Marguerite Burdier, Anna Chaleyer, Anna Vey, and Anna Brun.
The Congregation grew and expanded to other regions of France to approximately 150 houses by the beginning of the French Revolution in 1789.
Death and Re-birth
Born in Bas-en-Basset, France, Jeanne Fontbonne entered the Sisters of St. Joseph in 1778 in Monistrol, France. She received the habit and the name Sister St. John the following year and soon was asked to take on leadership. Then, the French Revolution forced religious congregations to disband.
Mother Saint-Jean was arrested for refusing to collaborate with the state on matters of the Church and was imprisoned until July 27, 1794, the date on which she escaped the guillotine thanks to the fall of Robespierre and the Terror that descended that very day. She then returned with other sisters to her parents' home. In 1807, she was called by Cardinal Fesch to Saint-Étienne, France, to undertake the training of a group of nuns. Under her direction, this group formed the core of the Congregation of the Sisters of Saint Joseph of Lyon in 1808.
In 1836 Mother St. John she sent six sisters to the Diocese of St. Louis, Missouri – the first Sisters of St. Joseph to arrive in the United States. This was the seed of numerous other Congregations of St. Joseph in the United States and Canada.
By the time of Mother St. John’s death in 1843 there were more than 3,000 Sisters of St. Joseph of Lyon in 244 houses in 13 French departments.
Global Missionary Expansion
A generation later, the Laicization Laws of France in the late 19th and early 20th centuries threatened to disband the sisters once again. Instead, Mother St. John’s successors used this crisis to respond to the growing call to foreign mission. Between 1891 and 1923 sisters were sent to Armenia, Greece, Mexico, Maine/USA, Egypt, Lebanon, and India.
In response to the call of Vatican II and at the beginning of the 21st century, the Congregation expanded to Benin, Senegal, and Ghana, in the Czech Republic, Honduras, and Sri Lanka. With the fusion of the Congregations of Saint Joseph of Bourg and Bordeaux with that of Lyon in 1996, we became present in Switzerland, Belgium, Burkina Faso, and Ivory Coast.
Wherever they went sisters created vibrant communities, welcomed vocations, and attracted lay partners who wanted to join them in their mission of unity and reconciliation. They establish critical institutions such as schools, health care centers and social service programs that served the poor and marginalized of every kind and sought to bring about the justice and peace announced by Jesus. They collaborated with local parishes and diocese in every form of pastoral service.
The Sisters of the Holy Family of Lyon became part of the Lyon congregation in 2023, enriching our lives and mission.
The Call Today
Today the Congregation is present in 16 countries served by sisters and a rich diversity of lay individuals and groups: associates, agrégées, Famille Saint-Joseph, Association des Fidèles, Amis du Père Médaille and many others, all eager to live and work so that «all may be one» (John 17, 21).
We share this mission with all Sisters of St. Joseph around the world who also trace their heritage back to Le Puy, France in 1650, and all people of good will who seek to ‘love God and neighbor without distinction’.
«Today as yesterday, our hope lies in our contribution, as weak instruments, to the building of a new world where all peoples, in their rich diversity, animated by the same spirit and children of the same Father, love one another, and form the people of God.»
(Sisters of St. Joseph of Lyon, Constitutions #90)
