ASIA/CHINA - The Sisters of St. Joseph have been in service to society for 120 years

Shi Jia Zhuang (Agenzia Fides) - They are a presence that is leaven for the Church and society: the Sisters of the Congregation of St. Joseph of the Diocese of Shi Jia Zhuang (in the province of He Bei) celebrated the 120th anniversary (1891-2011) and 20 years since the restart of pastoral work (1991-2011). According to what the congregation bulletin said, many priests, religious sisters and laity took part in the events organized to celebrate the anniversaries.
In 1891, Mgr. Jules Bruguière CM, then Apostolic Vicar of Zheng Ding (today Shi Jia Zhuang), founded the congregation for the pastoral needs of the territory. The sisters work in the field of catechism, primary education and charitable works such as orphanages. In 1925, the congregation had already grown to 120 religious sisters, among whom 111 had professed vows, 7 novices and 2 postulants. During the Chinese Cultural Revolution, the congregation was forced to stop its activities until the reopening in 1991.
According to data reported to 2001, the congregation today has 24 religious sisters who professed perpetual vows and 5 temporary vows. They are all active in the parish ministry in the service of evangelization and charity, observing the charism of their founder. (NZ) (Agenzia Fides 05/01/2012)