The congregation was founded in France in 1832 by Saint Emilie de Vialar, a young woman of noble origin, who since her earliest age was enraptured by the desire to consecrate her life to God and the service of the needy, independently of race, religion and culture.
This charisma is born from the contemplation of the mystery of the Incarnation : “God loved the world so much that he gave it his Only Begotten Son”. The revelation of this mystery to Joseph (Matthew 1, 20 “Do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home”) and its implication in the life of Mary’s future husband, associates him with the mission for which the Son of God was made Man. This is the reason for the name chosen by St. Emilie for the congregation.
The sisters of St. Joseph of the Apparition first arrived in the Holy Land on an invitation of the Franciscans in 1848, six months after the restoration of the Patriarchate in Jerusalem. They were entrusted with the educational mission in the Holy Land schools, which they continue to carry out in Jerusalem and Jaffa.
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Sr. Maura McNamara, S.J.A.
Gerusalemme
Monastery of Foyer Saint Joseph
66, Rehov Haneviim
P.O.B. 771
91007 Jerusalem, Israel
Tel. +972 (02) 5383632
Fax. +972 (02) 5382926
e-mail: provisrael@bezeqint.net
