A Tribute to Sr. Gloria Garcia

A Tribute to Sister Gloria Gracia,CSJ

By Sr. Marianne Sennick, CSJ

Sister Gloria Garcia, CSJ breathed her last on 2^nd February 2018 for her eternal life. She was a member of the Brentwood Sisters of St. Joseph, New York. Sister Gloria was one of the great personalities and has played an important role for the Global Family of St. Joseph.

Sister Gloria assumed the position of the CSJ UN NGO (Non-Governmental Organization Representative of the Congregations of St. Joseph at the United Nations) when Sister Mary Alban from Canada was called to ministry in Haiti, who had initiated the presence of the Sisters of St. Joseph at the UN.

At that time the Congregations of St. Joseph was represented at the UN’s DPI (Department of Public Information) at which NGOs would attend UN sponsored briefings on UN activities. She was a diplomat. She became active on the Executive Committee of the DPI.

She was well noted for her ability to work with UN Mission diplomats, the UN Secretariat personnel and other NGOs. She always believed that the MISSION of the CSJs was also the work of the UN.

The significant work of Sister Gloria at the UN was to obtain the highest status that Non- Governmental Organizations could obtain. She used her diplomatic skills to persuade the UN diplomats to award the Congregations of St. Joseph General Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council. On June 7, 1999, this status was awarded to the Global Community of CSJs.

As a result of Sister Gloria’s work at the UN as a representative for the Congregations of St. Joseph have access to high level meetings in all aspects of UN operations. Therefore our members can attend meetings in New York, Geneva, Vienna and other International Regional Commissions.

We the Global Family of JOSEPH today remain grateful to Sister Gloria Gracia for her great contribution and commitment for the Charism and mission of CSJs at UN.

Sister Gloria Gracia, CSJ, Brentwood Sisters of St. Joseph, New York

                                               with Justine Senapati , CSJ (Current CSJ UN NGO Representative)

Success Story: From Internship to UN Representative

This story tells of the work that our sister representative at our UN-NGO participated in prior to beginning her work at our NGO at the UN.

An example of successful project work at the grassroots level that leads to politics: MISEREOR has consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council and supports selected partners in raising concerns. For example, MISEREOR funded the training requested by Sister Justine Gitanjali Senapati CSJ (Congregation of the Sisters of Saint Joseph of Annecy) at Pax

Sr. Justine

Romana in Geneva on the functioning of the United Nations. The sister had previously led a project in the Indian state of Odisha. She was active there in the Kandhamal region, which is marked by Hindu fundamentalist violence, in particular by Christian Dalits (casteless, who are denied the most elementary rights). Many women, including some nuns, were raped and deprived of their livelihoods. 50,000 people hid in the woods. Sister Justine trained women in human rights work and empowered them to improve their own situation. Logically, in addition to the legal work done by Sister Justine, it is very important for women with experience of violence to be protective as well to provide security. Nonetheless, the representation of women increased at all Decision Levels. In particular, they engaged in peace initiatives. The Gender perspective has become an integral part of peacekeeping and attention has been paid to respect for human rights, especially for women and girls. With many houses, small farms and crops destroyed, traffickers had an easy time luring desperate people into the cities with the promise of "work". For women and girls, this meant forced prostitution. Sister Justine, together with the local authorities, sought her release from the sex industry. This succeeded only in individual cases. To draw attention to the terrible situation, she organized a Side Event at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva in June 2011, supported by MISEREOR, on trafficking in women. In order to navigate the complex system of the United Nations, she was assisted with the procedures of the Franciscans International and Pax Romana. Her authentic testimony was a success. The topic met with interest in the media and in politics. This encouraged her to complete law school in order to be more effective in advocating women's rights. We were pleased to hear that she was elected from a number of candidates to represent her Congregation Saint Joseph on the subject of women and girls/ Human Rights issues for five years from mid-2014 at the UN in New York. The congregation (CONGREGATIONS OF ST. JOSEPH) consists of 11,000 sisters in 52 countries.

A small project of MISEREOR with great effect!  Click here to view Sr. Justine's testimony.

Written by Anna Dirksmeier (Donor)

Attending the Global Coordinating Group 2017

Sr. Ieda (Chambery) Michele (USA- Buffalo, and Maria Goretti
 (Annecy) were the planning team for 2017

Once again, I had the privilege of going to LePuy, for which I am most grateful.  I stayed at the International Centre, where programs are held on our charism, guided tours are given of LePuy and a special Cultural Diversity program is held given several times for Sisters from all over the world. 

I walked the streets where our first sisters ministered and where they reflected/prayed/worshipped in the Notre Dame Cathedral.  It was so inspirational and motivating for me to then go to the Global Coordinating Group where Sisters of St. Joseph and Associates are represented from ALL over the world, numbering in the thousands. 

Srs. Monique (France), Gemma and Petr (Italy)

We talked about being the Family of Joseph that hears the heart of the world and responds to the needs of the world.  So, how can we support and collaborate with one another throughout the world?  One way that can be done is through our United Nations NGO representative.  After much discussion it was agreed that we commit ourselves to get information to this representative in a timely manner, who then can have an influence at the UN.   Also, we need to communicate information to our Congregations from this representative. 

Srs Anne and Loretta (Canada) and Justine (India at the UN)

Another avenue is through the International Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation Committee.  (I-JPIC).  We committed to be responsive to the core group who are trying to set up a system to communicate to/from the various CSSJ Congregations in the world.  Federations and Congregation that have only a few sisters in an area will look at ways they can collaborate with one another.  Within the group there was a unity of purpose and a growing connection among our ministries around the globe.



It was an energizing and motivating meeting.  Having translations in French, Spanish and English simultaneously made it quite interesting!

A New Way

I see a vision in 2030 of women not necessarily vowed religious, living in community, either actually in a Residence

together or at least that gather and pray daily and serve in ways determined by the need of the adjacent communities residents.  I see this as a sort of Beguine type experience where the ingress and egress of women in the daily work of the community is fluid, as in some live together. Some live with their families but pray and work with the community daily or mostly daily.  I would think the population this type of arrangement would appeal to is the older woman or the mid life woman who's children are nearly grown or who never had children.  Meaningful work and prayer would be the hallmarks of such a community.

How the sisters of St Joseph live now is close to this, however  I propose Incorporating non vowed laywoman in the community residences and daily community work and prayer, that this will help the charism live on and provide a

structure for it without the requirement of traditional training, novitiate and taking the formal vows of chastity, obedience and poverty.  The associates ceremony could be a good replacement for that.  There is so much more to figure out but convents could be full again of prayerful women who find strength in community but did not feel called to or didn't respond to a calling to religious life earlier in life.
Respectfully committed, Catherine Roberts, CSJA