Visit from the Little Daughters of St. Joseph
The Little Daughters of St. Joseph, a religious community of sisters from Kenya, recently spent five weeks in Brainerd, immersing themselves in parish and community life from late September through October. Sister Margaret, Sister Caroline and Sister Lucy were invited by the Religious Sisters Committee of the Diocese of Duluth, which hopes to one day establish a permanent community of sisters within the diocese.
The Little Daughters of St. Joseph, a religious community of sisters from Kenya, recently spent five weeks in Brainerd, immersing themselves in parish and community life from late September through October. Sister Margaret, Sister Caroline and Sister Lucy were invited by the Religious Sisters Committee of the Diocese of Duluth, which hopes to one day establish a permanent community of sisters within the diocese.
Led by Deacon Mike Knuth, the committee includes priests, deacons and lay members from both Brainerd and Duluth. During their visit, the sisters engaged in prayer and discernment, seeking to understand whether the Brainerd area would be a good fit for their mission — and, most importantly, whether there is a need for their unique charism and apostolates.
The Little Daughters of St. Joseph were founded in 1894 by Father Joseph Baldo in Verona, Italy. While their motherhouse is now located in Rome, the community has grown to include numerous convents across Africa. Established under the patronage of St. Joseph, the sisters embrace a charism rooted in “evangelical littleness and compassion toward the poorest of the poor.” Their spiritual life is anchored in the pillars of littleness, simplicity and silence, which guide their mission and daily prayer.
The sisters live out a mission to care for the spiritual and physical needs of the poor; they do this through their apostolates, which are an expression of their charism. This includes working with the youth in parishes and schools as catechists. They work in health centers and hospitals; they operate orphanages in Africa, work as social workers and run a refugee camp in Uganda. They also have retreat centers where people can come for retreats, meetings or youth events.
During their five-week visit to the Brainerd area, the Little Daughters of St. Joseph immersed themselves in parish and community life. They attended events hosted by the Brainerd Deanery, including the St. Francis School Foundation Dinner, and visited food shelves, Bridges of Hope and nursing homes. They also served meals to the homeless and spent meaningful time with families, students and parishioners — visiting public and Catholic schools and homeschool groups and participating in faith formation activities. Sister Caroline reflected, “Many young people have never seen a sister; maybe our presence here could inspire more vocations.”
Sister Margaret emphasized that all of their work must flow from an outpouring of prayer and contemplation. “We start with God,” she said, “then we take Jesus to the people we serve.” Even in active service, the sisters remain spiritually centered. “This is not for our growth,” she added, “but for the greater glory of God.”
As part of their discernment process, the sisters are exploring which apostolates are most needed in the Brainerd area and how the community is already living aspects of their charism. They envision their presence here as a “collaborative mission with the community.” Sister Margaret shared that she sees their charism of compassion aligning harmoniously with the Diocese of Duluth’s emphasis on healing, hope and joy. “Our message,” she said, “is to bring hope and dignity and to improve the spiritual welfare of the people.”