Corporate Stands

Solidarity with Immigrants, Refugees and Asylum Seekers
From our founding in 17th-century France, the Sisters of Saint Joseph have sought to respond to the needs of the times with courage, creativity and compassion. Our earliest Sisters went out into their neighborhoods to serve God and the dear neighbor without distinction—especially those who were poor, sick, marginalized or forgotten. They crossed boundaries of class and culture, embodying a spirituality of love and unity.

In our day, we recognize that the plight of immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers is one of the defining moral challenges of our age. Families are torn apart, human dignity is denied, and fear of the “other” is used as a strategy to divide communities. In the midst of this reality, we hear again the Gospel invitation and our founders’ call to become instruments of unioning love with God and with one another.

Compelled by our love for God and the dear neighbor, we commit ourselves to stand in solidarity with immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers here in the United States and throughout the world. We lament that countless human beings are being driven from their homelands because of poverty, lack of opportunity and employment, violence, war, persecution, and climate change caused by unjust global systems, many of which are directly influenced by U.S. policies. We decry the systemic racism and abuse of power which underlies and supports the inequality, exclusion and mistreatment of people of color and causes untold suffering to the human community.

We believe, as women of the Gospel, that the highest law is love. We pledge to use our resources and our prophetic voice to call on our elected leaders to advocate for just immigration reform and humane treatment of all those who are here in our country without legal status.

We urge one another to take personal steps, in loving prayer and action, to commit ourselves to ongoing education, advocacy and accompaniment of our immigrant neighbors.

We invite our Associates, Partners in Mission and all people of good will to stand with us as we commit to these principles and actions that will offer a future full of hope for all who are seeking welcome and a home in these United States.

We desire to live out this vision, encouraged and strengthened by our faith and our vowed commitment. We echo the sentiment of the US Catholic Bishops who wrote in their special pastoral message to immigrants: “We stand with you in your suffering, since when one member suffers, all suffer (1Cor.12:26). You are not alone!” (U.S. Bishops Special Pastoral Message to Immigrants, November 2025)  (May 1, 2026)

A Corporate Stand in Solidarity with Immigrants, Refugees and Asylum Seekers
Una Postura Corporativa en Solidaridad Con Los Inmigrantes, Los Refugiados y Los Solicitantes de Asilo 
A Corporate Stand in Solidarity with Immigrants, Refugees and Asylum Seekers Supporting Documentation
FAQ: SSJ Corporate Stand Corporate Stand in Solidarity with Immigrants, Refugees and Asylum Seekers

Human Trafficking
We, Sisters of Saint Joseph of Chestnut Hill, whose mission is one of unity and reconciliation, proclaim individually and corporately our opposition to the slavery of human trafficking in all its forms, and in every place where it exists. We affirm the dignity of all life; therefore, we join our voices with Pope Benedict XVI, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and all persons of good will who have denounced this international crime that exploits innocent and helpless victims, most of whom are women and children. At the same time, we commit ourselves to raise public awareness of the magnitude, reasons for and consequences of human trafficking, to work in collaboration with others to address and eliminate its root causes, and to support those who minister directly to victims of this crime. As women of the gospel, we challenge ourselves, our Associates in Mission, partners in ministry; and leaders in all sectors of society to take appropriate action to stem the tide of this gross violation of human rights. We endeavor to heal the pain that this difficult situation creates for poor, marginalized, and fragile members of the human family. (October 14, 2008)

Death Penalty
We, Sisters of Saint Joseph of Chestnut Hill, whose mission is one of unity and reconciliation, declare our opposition to the death penalty while reaching out in compassion to victims of violent crimes. We join our voices with our sisters and brothers from around the world who have denounced the use of the death penalty as a deterrent for crime and who consider the death penalty as a violation of human rights. (Corporate Stand Against the Death Penalty, December 10, 1998)

Apartheid
We, Sisters of Saint Joseph of Chestnut Hill, whose mission is one of unity, are drawn toward the reconciliation of all people with God and with one another. A basic commitment for us, as for all Christians and those dedicated to the welfare of humankind, is to work to change the conditions which cause poverty, suffering and oppression.

We deplore the patterns of discrimination which still exist and continue to grow in our own country and in the world, especially the institution of apartheid in South Africa which adversely affects every human right of the black people of that country.

We affirm and support those church and civic leaders who, acknowledging the relationship among all created life, have taken steps to dismantle the apartheid system in South Africa and thus eliminate the sufferings such a structure engenders.

We call upon members of our Congregation and those associated with us in ministry, we call upon our civic and church leaders to continue to take appropriate nonviolent action, especially support of strong economic sanctions against the South African government, to bring about the end of the destructive system of apartheid and to restore back the people of South Africa those economic, political, and social rights which belong to them as human persons. (1988)