Josephite nuns in time of healing

SPECIAL MOMENT: The blue scarves symbolise the reunion of the Sisters of St Joseph and were clearly evident at a special Mass at St Mary's Church in Wanganui on Saturday.PICTURE/BEVAN CONLEY240813WCBRCNUN02

This weekend will be remembered as a time of healing and of beginning for several hundred Josephite nuns who gathered in Wanganui.

Two days of celebration, at times heavy with symbolism, marked the final reunion of two orders of nuns, who had become separated in 1876.

Wanganui has been a stronghold of the Sisters of St Joseph of Nazareth, know as the "Black Joes" because they wore the black habit. The other faction were the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart, know as the "Brown Joes" because those sisters wore brown habits.

The habits are no longer worn but now the two congregations have become one with the "black Joes" deciding four years ago to rejoin their sisters.

The split 137 years ago, happened in the New South Wales town of Bathurst when the bishop wanted complete control over the sisters. But their founder, Mary MacKillop, wanted to retain control and she was backed by Rome.

As a result, the two groups adopted different habits, names and emblems even though they were doing the same work. That was mainly in the areas of education and welfare, with women and children, especially in poor and isolated places in Australia and New Zealand.

Sister Catherine Shelton, of Wanganui's Sisters of St Joseph of Nazareth, said the weekend was a symbolic one for everyone.

"It has been an amazing experience. There were so many people here and not just the Sisters of St Joseph but their families and friends as well," Sister Catherine said.

"And it was such a joyful occasion. We often meet up but there's nothing like an event like this to really lift your spirits."

She said for the Wanganui sisters it was both a healing and a beginning. "We no longer exist as separate congregations. We are now part of a bigger congregation. But it's the beginning of a whole new journey for us all."

Those who attended this weekend were recognisable in their distinctive bright blue scarves

"They first appeared in 2010 during the canonisation of Mary MacKillop in Rome," Sister Catherine said.

"We wanted a recognisable symbol because we no longer wear the habit, and we wanted something that could be seen in a crowd and something that symbolised unity among the different Josephite congregations who hadn't yet reached a stage of fusion," she said.

She said the scarves would probably be retained by the sisters. Among overseas visitors was Sister Clare West, of Melbourne.

Sister Clare said she was a "Brown Joe" and she said the weekend was the final step in healing a rift among the order.

All the sisters will now wear distinctive symbols again, signifying a unity among their congregation. "They are in different forms, too. Some will be within an oval and others will carry a simple cross," she said.

The "Black Joes" let go of their emblems at a special Mass at St Mary's Catholic Church on Saturday, and took on the former emblem the sisters carried.

After another mass at St Mary's yesterday there was a morning tea. Later about 80 of the sisters made a bus trip, looking at sites of historical significance for the order. They also went to the Kaiwhaiki marae, which has had a long association with the Sisters of St Joseph.