Daughters of Mary and Joseph celebrate 100 years in LA at anniversary Mass

In a quiet moment after Mass, Sister Linda Peters reflects then smiles.

Her order, the Daughters of Mary and Joseph (DMJ) are celebrating a century of service in California,  and she’s been there for more than half of it.

“I’m thinking of the older sisters that have gone, the songs we sang and all the people we have worked with and I’m so grateful,” said Sister Peters, DMJ. “There’s a wonderful spirit in the church, isn’t there!”

Some 400 people joined the sisters for the milestone Mass held Oct. 11 at St. John Fisher Catholic Church in Rancho Palos Verdes. Sixteen of the 22 DMJ sisters were in attendance, each wearing a rose corsage and getting plenty of warm wishes from parishioners and lay associates, fellow women religious, and celebrant Archbishop José H. Gomez.

“It’s a great blessing for our archdiocese to have the sisters for 100 years,” said Archbishop Gomez. “They have helped people reflect on our call to be faithful disciples of Lord Jesus Christ because that’s what they are…They have extraordinary grace.”

Over the years, the DMJs became known for their work in education, mental health, and restorative justice ministries, guided by their order’s charism, which emphasizes making God’s love visible outside of church walls. 

Sister Teresa Groth, DMJ, is Executive Director of Francisco Homes, one of the sisters’ best-known ministries in Los Angeles. The network provides shelter and support to men after long term incarceration. 

“One case that stays with me was when a son [just paroled] was saying to me, ‘I can’t really concentrate because I haven’t slept in the last 48 hours.’ And the mom says, ‘I haven’t slept in 48 years.’,” recalled Sister Groth. “It’s a reminder we are just instruments of mercy in God’s hands.”

William Monahan says he’s living proof of that mercy. Following the Mass, he escorted guests via golf cart from the parish to the reception at neighboring Mary and Joseph Retreat Center.

“The sisters saved me,” explained Monahan while driving through the peaceful grounds. “I was running down the wrong path, doing drugs and drinking. They gave me a chance and trusted me even with being an ex-con. I haven’t touched alcohol or drugs in over eight years.”

Also present — and full of gratitude — were Catholic school graduates. Doug Cooper is now the Executive Director of the Catholic Education Foundation of Los Angeles, the tuition assistance arm of the archdiocese. He says his life was greatly influenced by the sisters both at home and school. His aunt was a DMJ sister, and so was his principal at St. Paul the Apostle in Westwood.

“I was privileged to be the student council president in eighth grade…And every day, for one year, Sister Stella [Enright] called me Mr. President,” said Cooper. “
To provide that type of encouragement and support to a young man really made me feel good about my future and that really nothing was out of reach.”

Education was one of the order’s primary goals when founded in 1817. A young Belgium priest, Canon Constant Guillaume Van Crombrugghe, wanted to lift girls out of the cycle of poverty. With the help of a lay woman, he formed a religious community dedicated to teaching the needy.

The order eventually expanded its focus and spread to other locations including Southern California in 1926. Following the invitation of then Bishop John J. Cantwell, seven sisters launched their ministry at St. Augustine School in Culver City. More sisters followed and by the 1950’s, they were teaching at a dozen schools.

Many of the DMJ were Irish like Sister Nuala Briody. She first encountered the Daughters of Mary and Joseph in her homeland and was instantly intrigued.

“They talked about their classes that had left in California and how much they loved the children and how they missed them,” said Sister Briody. “That kind of language was very strange to me. I was used to very stoic sisters…and I never got the idea that they would miss us. So the Daughters of Mary and Joseph won my heart.”

As the California community grew, the sisters opened the Mary and Joseph Retreat Center in Rancho Palos Verdes in 1962, one year after St. John Fisher was founded next door. It was initially designed as a novitiate but seeing a wider need for spiritual renewal, the sisters opened their doors to everyone.

The ability to adapt is a characteristic of the sisters' charisma and led to one of their biggest changes after Vatican ll.

“We found the habit very much isolated us from people…so with much reflection we just didn’t do it,” said Sister Linda Webb, DMJ. “If the structures were helping us give life we stayed with them. If they were becoming a hindrance, then we began to evaluate.”

She went on to say that even without a habit, people usually connect the dots.

“There’s an inner peace, an inner joy that I suppose comes from our prayer life. I think part of it is when we interact with people, we really pay attention to them.”

Diane Martinez, former Mayor of Paramount and Catholic school alum couldn’t agree more. She describes her DMJ teachers as strict but caring.

“I recall Sister Madeline [Sheehan] teaching the students the Irish jig…Sister Stanislaus [O’Sullivan] patiently teaching my friends and myself how to crochet,” said Martinez. “And while they took our education and our faith very seriously, they also knew how to bring joy, laughter and wonderful experiences into our lives.”

Over cake and coffee at the reception, the sisters thanked the crowd for their ongoing patronage. Looking to the future, the women, now in their golden years, would like to welcome new members. But don’t misunderstand.

“My prayers for the community, regardless of what age we’re living, is that we are growing in our relationship with God, with His people and His creation,” said Sister Briody. “...We don’t know what ‘retire’ means.”