375th Anniversary
The Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet join with our fellow Sisters of St. Joseph congregations in celebrating the 375th anniversary of our founding.
In 1650, six ordinary women, under the guidance of Jean-Pierre Médaille, SJ, joined together in community under the patronage of St. Joseph in Le Puy-en-Velay, France. These six women had a common desire to grow in their love of God and serve the unmet needs of the people around them, whom they came to call their “dear neighbors.” From their humble beginnings in a small kitchen, the order grew to include communities all over the world.
As a part of our 375th Jubilee Anniversary Celebration, we’ve asked our sisters and charism partners to write blog posts reflecting on integral parts of our history and spirituality, illuminating how these symbols and traditions continue to shape our present and future.
What is a maxim?
Have you ever heard the expression “actions speak louder than words”? What about “don’t judge a book by its cover”? Or maybe “better late than never”? These are maxims! According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, a maxim is a “general truth, fundamental principle, or rule of conduct.”
Written by Father Jean-Pierre Médaille, SJ, the Sisters of St. Joseph have one hundred maxims that offer guidance for their growth into deepening relationship with God, others and self.
Maxims for the Sisters of St. Joseph
Creating the “Little Design”
When the “Little Design” of Father Jean-Pierre Médaille, SJ began to take shape in the mid-1600s, there was only one form of religious life available to women: the cloister. Groups of women had tried to create apostolic congregations, focused on ministry and service to the people of God, but they had been shut down or shut behind the doors of a convent.
Building the foundations of what would become the Sisters of St. Joseph, Father Médaille carefully described a new community of women in service of the dear neighbor. These women had no monastery but lived together in a “common life.” The Règlements instructed the women to leave their house only “to go to the churches, to visit the sick, hospitals, prisons, and to perform other exercises of charity.” This strict sounding rule left a loophole wide enough for the women to address any and every need. Many chose to wear widow’s black so that they could move about in public unaccompanied and minister to the poor.
Finally, in 1650, six women of the “Little Design” joined together in community under the patronage of St. Joseph in Le Puy-en-Velay, France. Offering their lives in service to God and the dear neighbor, this religious community devoted themselves to the needs of ordinary people, living among them.
Maxims for the First Sisters
First published in 1694, Father Jean-Pierre Médaille, SJ composed one hundred short sayings called the “Maxims of the Little Institute” to shed light on and guide the sisters in striving for holiness and virtue and capture the core of the spirituality of the Sisters of St. Joseph. Using a literary form popular at the time, Father Médaille wanted all to develop the habits of heart and mind that were “in Christ Jesus.” The maxims were both practical and inspirational.
The one hundred maxims can be sectioned into five parts. Maxims 1-11 present the spirituality of the Sisters of St. Joseph. Maxims 12-43 emphasize our relationship with God, maxims 44-61 emphasize our relationship with others and maxims 62-90 emphasize our relationship with self. Maxims 91-100 provide a summary of our spirituality. It is important to note that although this maxim structure breaks down the maxims into separate categories of relationship with God, others and self, we do not see these relationships as separate from one another.
The first sisters handed these maxims down within the congregation. Meditating on and praying with the maxims, the original sisters cemented Father Médaille’s maxims as integral parts of the spirituality of the Sisters of St. Joseph.
Maxims for All
Father Jean-Pierre Médaille, SJ also wrote the “Maxims of Perfection.” The first part of the Maxims of Perfection, published in 1657, is believed to be a reformulation of the original Maxims of the Little Institute given to the first Sisters of St. Joseph. Father Médaille intended for the Maxims of Perfection to reach a broader audience. They were published for all Christian souls “who aspire to great virtue.”
The Maxims of Perfection are more fully developed and organized into chapters. The second half of the Maxims of Perfection, published later in Father Médaille’s life in 1672, was added as an exercise for “stripping self of self, putting on Christ Jesus and imitating him in his hidden and public life in the form of prayers and conversations with the Savior himself.”
The Maxims Today
Today, the maxims of Father Jean-Pierre Médaille remain an integral part of our spirituality. Sisters of St. Joseph around the world meditate, reflect, pray with and strive to live by his maxims.
Adaptations Over Time
As languages changed and adapted over time, so did our Maxims! Here is Maxim 84 in French, English, contemporary English and reinterpreted by the students of Sister Susan Wilcox, CSJ:
Maxim 84 in French:
- “Ne devancez jamais la grâce par quelques empressements indiscrets; attendez paisiblement le moment dans la paix, et suivez-la quand elle viendra à vous avec une grande douceur et du courage.”
Maxim 84 in English:
- “Never go ahead of grace by an imprudent eagerness, but quietly await its movements, and, when it comes to you, go along with it with great gentleness, humility, fidelity, and courage.”
Maxim 84 in contemporary English:
- Wait to be led by grace. Follow it when it comes.
Maxim 84 reinterpreted by students of Sister Susan Wilcox, CSJ:
- Put on the brakes! And wait for grace.
Further Reflections on the Maxims
Maxims of the Little Institute – original translation, a modern version, and a commentary: This document really consists of three resources. The first part contains a translation of the text of the maxims, as adapted by Marcia Allen, CSJ. The second part is a reinterpretation of the maxims by students of Susan Wilcox, CSJ, written in modern colloquial language. Finally, a commentary by Mary Helen Kashuba, SSJ on these maxims includes their origins and provides insight into how to read and pray with them.
Video Series: The Maximed Life by Sister Marcia Allen, CSJ. A member of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Concordia, Sister Marcia Allen presents a nine-part series that helps viewers to read the maxims in contemporary context and in the context of one’s own life circumstances.
Responding to the Maxims: A Spirituality Revisited by Sister Claire Olivier, CSJ. Written by a Sister of St. Joseph of Orange, this booklet presents a response to the challenge of the Maxims of Perfection, using contemporary language and metaphors.