The Society of Saint Joseph of the Sacred Heart is a Society of Apostolic Life of Pontifical Right for men, whose members are known as Josephites. Headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland, the Society is an offshoot of the Saint Joseph's Missionary Society of Mill Hill, which sent missionaries to the United States in the 1870s to minister to the thousands of black Americans who had recently been freed from slavery. In 1871, Pope Pius X administered what was known as the Negro Oath, which would shape the modern-day Josephites. The oath stated, among other things, that the priest would "vow and solemnly declare that I will make myself the father and servant of the Negroes; nor shall I ever take up any other work which might cause me to abandon, or in any way neglect the special care of the Negroes." Four Mill Hill Missionaries, including Cardinal Vaughn, arrived in Baltimore, where the Cardinal consecrated this mission to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and named his missionaries the "Josephites," as Saint Joseph was revered as the first missionary. In Baltimore, the Josephites established a seminary, several parishes and schools, and worked to develop an interracial brotherhood. Missionaries would study at the college in Mill Hill, then travel to America on what was, for them, a foreign mission. In 1893, Cardinal James Gibbons of Baltimore offered to accept the Josephites as an independent organization, and Cardinal Vaughn agreed to the arrangement. Thus, while the Society of Saint Joseph of the Sacred Heart was created as a mission of the Missionary Society of Mill Hill, it is now an autonomous Catholic organization. Father John Slattery became the first Superior General of the new American Josephites, and would set the direction of the new Society. Begun as a mission to assist newly freed slaves in America, the Society grew into one that would take on the wider task of assisting all black Americans, one that continues to this day, including a mission in Nigeria.
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In 1966, the Society of Saint Joseph of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, formed to minister to black Catholics, proposed the Josephite Pastoral Center as a social action department that would engage in social justice issues to meet the needs of the poor in education, employment, housing and family life. Its history, mission, and a calendar of events are published to the site, and an online shopping area is included.
http://www.josephitepastoralcenter.org/
SAHS was built by the Archdiocese of New Orleans, and the building and land upon which it stands are owned by the Society of Saint Joseph of the Sacred Heart, who are responsible for the operation of the school, which was designed for the education of young men from black Catholic families in New Orleans, Louisiana. Its history, philosophy, admissions policies, and academic, sports, and school life programs are defined.
http://www.staugnola.org/
St. George’s College, Weybridge, and St. George’s Junior School are independent Roman Catholic co-educational schools that are open to students from other Christian traditions, but which was founded in 1869 by a Belgium order of priests called the Josephites, which still reside on the site and are active in school operations. Its history, school programs and prospectus, and admissions policies are put forth.
http://www.stgeorgesweybridge.com/
Established in England in 1866, the Society of Saint Joseph of the Sacred Heart had a special mission to minister to the thousands of people who had recently been released from slavery, and they continue to be committed to serving the African-American community. A history of the Society, its parishes, schools, institutions, and special ministries are set forth, and access to its Harvest Magazine are included.
http://www.josephites.org/
