Piety
The Sisters of St. Joseph's understanding of piety went beyond that of religious devotion. Piety for the Sisters was best exemplified through their works of charity and dedication to the community they served. Over the years such examples came in many forms and had a great historical impact.
In 1918, during the Influenza outbreak, the Sisters often risked their own lives, in many cases succumbing to the infection themselves, to help those who were dying of the disease. Many of those Sisters came from an educational and academic background and, as such, had no nursing or medical experience. The call to aid was shared by various orders of Catholic Sisters.
A book entitled, Works of the Sisters During the Epidemic of Influenza, provides a detailed account of personal experiences and the efforts of various congregations of sisters, including the Sisters of St. Joseph, towards minimizing the effects of the epidemic.
Their toil during the flu epidemic is but one of many historical examples of the devoutness and piety of the Sisters of St. Joseph, and of the Catholic Sisters in general. Aside from their roles as nurses they have also taken on those of teachers, mentors, counselors, and caretakers.
The Sisters taught in parish schools, conducted health clinics and supported those that society had deemed forgotten and unworthy. These brave women devoted, and continue to devote, their lives to a higher power and higher purpose.
