If there’s one person who is comfortable talking about leadership among the St. Joseph Workers, it’s Sister Suzanne Herder, who heads the program. It’s her job to select the future leaders from among the crop of young women who present themselves yearly before the SJW interviewing board. If she does her job well, the Sisters will find the right kind of raw material to work with.          “The St. Joseph Worker program,” Sister Suzanne says, “is for young women who would like to be mentored into leadership. We can help them accomplish that goal by assigning them to work in various community organizations. But if they want to make a difference in the world, they must find their own authentic style of leadership.'

 
       "While they’re with us, we help them find their own voice, speak their own truth, recognize their own values, and then share them with other people. We hope to foster in them the courage they need to work as dynamic leaders who can bring about positive social change.” 

        There’s a compelling reason why the Sisters of St. Joseph feel the need to mentor a group of young women in the ways of social justice. Today, the average age of the 300 or so CSJs in St. Paul is about 75 years. Fewer women want to take vows these days, even if they do have a desire to live a life of service to others. And although the number of nuns in the U.S. has more than halved in the last 40 years, it’s evident to the Sisters here that the need to work for positive social change has not halved. Instead it has increased exponentially. As a result, the Sisters began the St. Joseph Worker program in 2002. They conceived it as a parallel universe to the CSJs, offering the chance for young women to live in community and make positive social change ——just as Catholic Sisters do ——but without the obligation of permanent religious vows. (Or even the requirement to be Catholic.

The program began five years ago with just two volunteers. This year there are 13 Workers. They are in their early twenties, just past college and looking for something positive to do with their lives. In many cases, they were raised in homes where social causes were discussed nightly over pot roast. Workers are recruited annually from all around the country. They often encounter the CSJs for the first time at a volunteer service fair. In spite of their deep appreciation for the spirituality that enfolds and supports them, the St. Joseph Workers don’t feel the need to profess vows. They are content to pursue their commitment to social change as laypeople ——bolstered by the room and board, the $100 monthly stipend, the health insurance, and the two free classes at the College of St. Catherine. Not to mention the lifelong spiritual mentorship the Sisters offer them in exchange for their year of volunteerism. Continued...

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