Sister Rosie Coughlin shares stories and history of the Sisters of St. Joseph

“My mother attended the Summer Retreats offered at the Sisters of St. Joseph nearly every August,” said Sister Rosie Coughlin. “After 8^th grade, she asked if I would want to visit and perhaps attend high school here. I visited and fell in love with this place.”

Sister Rosie was the youngest child of Bob and Bertha Coughlin of Kentland, IN. She attended St. Joseph Elementary School in Kentland through 8^th grade.

During Sister Rosie’s senior year, she entered the St. Joseph Convent here on campus. In 2017 she celebrated 70 years as a Sister of St. Joseph.

The Sisters of St. Joseph were founded in France in 1650 by Fr. Jean Pierre Medaille at a time when most orders were cloistered. Fr. Medaille wanted sisters to minister among the people. Six women were formed in spirituality by Fr. Medaille. Because he didn’t want the Sisters to stand out, they wore the clothes of the day and worked among the people.

These Sisters were charged with the practice of all spiritual and corporal works of mercy of which a woman is capable.

“Which is all of them,” Sister Rosie commented.

The Sisters ministered to the needy and the poor, people described as ‘the dear neighbor,’ an expression the Sisters of St. Joseph continue to use today.

Living in Le Puy, France the Sisters made ribbon and lace to support themselves. They also taught others to make lace.

Sister Rosie was grateful to have visited the Motherhouse in Le Puy several years ago, even though they were remodeling the site and couldn’t provide tours.

The Congregation grew for nearly 150 years before the Reign of Terror during the French Revolution. During this time, they disbanded, their convents and chapels were confiscated. Their religious superiors encouraged the Sisters to return to their family for a time for safety.

Mother Saint John Fontbonne re-established the Congregation in 1807 in Lyon, France.

The Sisters of St. Joseph of Tipton were founded in 1888 by Sister Gertrude Moffitt at St. John the Baptist Parish in Tipton, Indiana. In 1904 the St. Joseph Academy was built on this property. A second building, the St. Joseph Convent, was built in 1910. St. Katharine Hall was built in 1932 to house the gymnasium, auditorium and home economics department. In 1958, St. Joseph Junior College was established for postulants and novices.

As the Order grew in the 1950s, the St. Joseph Motherhouse was built as a residence for the Academy boarders, and as a home for the Sisters in administration and the retired Sisters.

When the second Vatican Council gave the church laity more opportunity to be involved in the church in 1965, it gave women the opportunity to serve without being a Sister.

At this time, in keeping with the intent of their founder, the Sisters of St. Joseph returned to wearing ‘the dress of the day’ as they had in the 1650s.  

As Sister Rosie described, “The Sisters wore the dress of the day in 1650 and didn’t change, even as fashion and trends changed. So, those clothes became the habit. Now we wear the same clothes as other women so as to not stand out as was the charge of our initial formation in Le Puy.”

Now, their ‘habit’ is a cross with a lace inset that harkens back to their lacemaking roots in France.

After Vatican II, many sisters left Tipton. The St. Joseph Academy closed in 1972, and there were fewer novices for the Convent. The Academy building was razed in 1978 followed by the Convent in 1982.   

While Sisters left the order, Sister Rosie was sure to point out, the women did not leave service.

“They just found different ways to serve,” she added.

In the early 2000s, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Tipton prayerfully discerned how to continue as an order. Ultimately, in 2007 they joined with six other midwestern communities of Sisters of St. Joseph to form The Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph.

Since 1982, they have also brought on Associates—men and women who desire to live in union with God, with one another and with creation. Associates are deeply engaged in living the Congregation’s mission. This program is still active. To find out more, visit csjoseph.org/as-an-associate/

Sister Rosie served as an elementary teacher in Noblesville, Marion and South Bend for 18 years. She then spent six years in Catholic Charities in Kokomo where she placed more than 40 children in adoptive homes. She earned a master’s degree in social work from Loyola University and worded six years in outpatient mental health before coming back to the Motherhouse to do administrative work. Then she joined the staff of Hospice of Miami County, Ohio as chaplain, social worker and bereavement coordinator. She returned to Central Indiana to serve as chaplain at Mercy Hospital in Elwood, a role she held for 14 years. After retiring in 2008, Sister Rosie volunteers in ministry and is in residence at St. Joseph parish in Elwood, IN. She is a frequent visitor to the St. Joseph Retreat & Conference Center. 

The Sisters of St. Joseph operated this facility in Tipton as a retreat and conference center until the Motherhouse closed on March 27, 2013 when only 14 sisters remained at the property. In 2016, the Diocese of Lafayette purchased the property and began renovation. The St. Joseph Retreat & Conference Center opened September 26, 2017.