Activities:
Sisters of St. Joseph of Tarbes share the following together as a community:
- Prayer: in Prayer, our life is nourished and centered at the Eucharist.
- Moments of silence and personal encounter with the lord through personal prayer
- As well as a strong devotion to their patron St. Joseph
- Teaching: the young girls go through theoretical, reflective and practical lessons in formal and informal classes, that cover the part of their training and schooling on the essence of religious life, as well as other formative aspects like Spiritual/human growth and development perspective., learning Music Singing practice give additional taste and cheer to their moments of praise and creativity.
- The charism and spirituality of the SJT is also natured through fraternal moments and activities such as
- welcoming & celebrating one another’s life,
- recreation and always together in communion with each other
- Work and active productivity: Like all other SJT communities, and the rest of our brothers and sisters in the contemporary world, the sisters and the formees here earn their living through work and active productivity for example in the farm and other domestic works.
SJT Formation
To become a member of the sisters of St. Joseph of Tarbes -Kenya, young women of: ages between 18 and 28 years, who have completed high school education with minimum mean grade of C (plain), or a certified diploma course on Accounting, Secretariat, Catering, ECDE, HR among others, to kindly get in touch with our vocations directress, Sr. Emily Muthoni Muraga on 0729036112, or through filling the contact form or sending an email to any of the contacts on the home page for further direction. Our formation house in Kenya is situated at Muringato village, near Nyeri town in the Catholic Archdiocese of Nyeri. Here at the formation house community, the sisters and the Formees are normally involved in various activities that make up their formation and growth in the Charism. Like all other SJT communities, they live and do everything together as a family.
Our formation stages are as follows:
- Aspirancy – 6 months to 1 year
- Postulancy – 1½ years
- Novitiate – 2 years
- Juniorate – 6 years
Who is a religious Sister?
A religious sister is a woman who has answered a call from God to live her life dedicated to spreading the Gospel message of love of God, love of self, and love of one another. She does this through the particular charisma or gift of her religious community. A sister is about building community, deepening her relationship with God, and ministering to others through her work. She does this through her efforts to listen to God’s continual call in obedience, to live life in a simple manner, and to be a loving presence as expressed through her commitment to celibacy.
A sister may work in a variety of ministries, depending on her community’s mission and charism. Or, if she belongs to an enclosed community, she may work within her monastery providing necessary services there. Being a sister is not about what one does, however. Rather, it is a way of life, a way of being.
A sister is a woman who continues to respond to God’s call, a call to become more like God by dedicating herself to prayer, her sisters, and the work of her community. A sister is a woman who loves deeply, caring for the needs of those around her–her family, her community members, those to whom and with whom she ministers, and the world at large. Through the specific charism of her community, a sister brings to those she serves another view of the face of Christ. She strives to be that presence of Christ in all she does and in all she is.
Where do I begin? What is God calling me to do with my life? What would it be like to be a sister of St. Joseph of Tarbes? Do I have the gifts and qualities to live as a sister? Do I have the passion and enthusiasm to live simply? We are happy to assist you in discerning your life’s choice. Is God calling you to service in the Church as a Sister of St. Joseph of Tarbes, we are here to assist you at this important point of your life.
To explore more about a call to the Sisters of St. Joseph of Tarbes, we invite you to contact our vocation Directress who can help you to understand your call and also learn more about us.
Vocation Directress
P.o. Box 21022 – 00505
Nairobi Kenya
Tel: +254 729036112
Email: sjtvocdirectress@gmail.com
THE VOCATION OF ALL CHRISTIANS:
As a lay associate
Jesus said, “The harvest is great, but the labourers are few.” All men and women are called to the kingdom of God; all men can be saved in Christ. But how can they believe unless they know Christ? And how can they know Him unless they hear about Him? Now let us hear how St. Peter describes the vocation of every Christian. Reading “1 Peter 2:1-10”
‘’I made your name known to them, and I will make it known, so that the love with which you loved me may be in them and I in them”. (Jn. 17:26)
Who Are the Lay Associates?
The lay associates are believers who take seriously their baptismal commitment, who wish to grow in their faith and who join the sisters of saint Joseph of Tarbes in living the charism and spirituality of the congregation.
Who Can Be A Lay Associate?
Men and women, baptized Christians, who wishes to live the Gospel values, and is attracted by the Gift of our charism. They feel that they are called by the Lord to accept and to live according to this Gift of communion, the source of which is the love of the Trine God. They have a deep desire to be associated or linked to the charism, spirituality and Mission of our SJT Religious family.
They will remain in the state of life they have chosen, keep their profession or field of work, maintain themselves and will continue their public life. They will live their commitment assumed in faith, love and service. By sharing the SJT charism and spirituality, they participate in the same mission of the sister becoming builders of communion. Their relationship with the congregation is of an apostolic order.
The sisters of Saint Joseph of Tarbes (SJT) Lay Associates, by their link to the Gift of the Charism, live in consistency with this gift as laity. This experience is fundamental for their commitment to be lasting.
WHY SJT LAY ASSOCIATES IN OUR CONGREGATION
- A call from the word of God
The following biblical texts from the Apostolic Exhortation CHRISTIFIDELES LAICI’’, (Pope John Paul ll , 1988) enlighten us to welcome the SJT lay Associates:
1.1. Vocation and mission of the laity in the church and in the world, workers of the vineyard
a) Matthew 20:3-4 ‘’ He went out again to the market place at nine o’clock and saw some men standing there doing nothing, so he told them, ‘you also go and work in the vineyard, …’’
b) Matthew 13:38 ‘’… the field is the world; the good seed is the people who belong to the kingdom …’’
c) Luke 10:1 ‘’ After this the Lord chose another seventy-two men and sent them out two by two, to go ahead of him to every town and place where he himself was about to go.’’
1.2 The Laity are part of the Lord’s vineyard, called to relive the same communion of God
a) John 15:5 ‘’ I am the vine and you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will bear much fruit …’’
