Sisters of St. Joseph of the Sacred Heart
An Australian Catholic religious institute founded to provide education and practical support to poor and disadvantaged communities.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
The Sisters of St. Joseph of the Sacred Heart is an Australian Catholic religious institute founded in Penola, South Australia, in 1866 by Mary MacKillop and the priest and educator Julian Tenison Woods. Commonly known as the Josephites, and colloquially as the Brown Joeys because of their plain brown habit, the congregation was established around a practical mission: bringing Catholic education and pastoral assistance to children and communities that were poorly served, especially in rural and remote areas. The institute began when Woods invited Mary MacKillop and her sisters Annie and Lexie to help establish a school in Penola. The first classroom operated in a renovated stable and initially served more than 50 children. MacKillop adopted the religious name Sister Mary of the Cross and became the first member and superior general of the new congregation. Its early rule emphasized poverty, mobility, reliance on divine providence, and readiness to go wherever the need was greatest. Unlike many contemporary religious communities, the Sisters generally lived among the people they served rather than being concentrated in enclosed convents. Expansion was rapid. By the end of the 1860s the Sisters were operating schools in Adelaide and country South Australia, while also undertaking charitable work with orphans, neglected children, girls at risk, older people, prisoners, and people with incurable illness. The congregation subsequently established communities in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and New Zealand. Its organizational independence from individual diocesan bishops was unusual for the period and led to serious disputes. The institute was forced to withdraw from Bathurst and Queensland after conflicts over governance, while disagreements over the congregation’s rule contributed to a division between MacKillop’s brown-habited Josephites and a group associated with Woods that became known as the Black Josephites. The congregation received increasing recognition from Rome. MacKillop travelled to Europe in the early 1870s to seek approval for the rule and to study educational methods. The institute became a congregation of pontifical right in 1885, and its final ecclesiastical approval followed in 1888. Although MacKillop was removed as superior general in 1883, she later resumed the office and held it until her death in 1909. Her remains were transferred to a memorial chapel in North Sydney in 1914. Her canonisation in 2010 gave the congregation and its founding story broad international visibility. In the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, the institute’s school-based work continued but gradually shifted as the number of Australian religious vocations declined. The Sisters increasingly supported incorporated ministries and lay-led organizations serving spirituality, education, aged care, rural communities, First Nations reconciliation, refugees, families, people experiencing homelessness, and parish communities. Mary MacKillop Today, formed in 2018 through the merger of three Josephite-affiliated bodies, continues development work in Australia and several overseas countries, including programs in education, health, financial inclusion and livelihoods. The congregation also maintains Mary MacKillop Place in North Sydney, spirituality centres in several Australian cities, and other educational and community ministries.
History
The Sisters of St. Joseph of the Sacred Heart originated in Penola, South Australia, in 1866. Julian Tenison Woods, concerned about the lack of Catholic education in rural South Australia, invited Mary MacKillop and her sisters Annie and Lexie to help open a school. The first school was established in a renovated stable and served more than 50 children. Mary MacKillop made a formal dedication to God, adopted a simple black dress at first, and soon became the first member and superior general of the developing congregation. In 1867 MacKillop moved to Adelaide, where the congregation established a convent in Grote Street and opened another school at the request of Bishop Laurence Sheil. MacKillop took the religious name Sister Mary of the Cross. The new institute was dedicated particularly to educating poor children and adopted a plain brown habit, which led to the nickname Brown Joeys. Its rule emphasized poverty, communal service, dependence on divine providence and willingness to work wherever communities needed assistance. The early Josephites expanded throughout South Australia and Queensland. By 1869, more than 70 Sisters were working in 21 schools and charitable institutions. Their activities extended beyond classrooms to orphanages, homes for older people, assistance for neglected children and girls in danger, prison visitation, reform work and care for people with incurable illnesses. New foundations followed in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and New Zealand. Their preference for living in ordinary communities, rather than being confined to large convents, helped them serve rural populations directly. The congregation’s structure also generated conflict. Its constitution placed authority in a superior general and council rather than under the direct control of each local bishop. This arrangement was highly unusual in nineteenth-century Australia. Disputes with ecclesiastical authorities contributed to the Sisters’ withdrawal from Bathurst in 1876 and Queensland in 1880. There were also disagreements between Woods and MacKillop over revisions to the rule of life after MacKillop’s journey to Rome. Supporters of the two approaches became associated with brown and black habits, although MacKillop and Woods reconciled personally before his death in 1889. MacKillop travelled to Rome in 1873 to seek approval for the rule and to study educational practice in Europe. Roman authorities requested modifications to the original arrangements, including changes affecting governance and the expression of poverty. When she returned in 1875, she brought encouragement from Rome, educational materials, books and additional Sisters from Ireland. The congregation nevertheless continued to face opposition from some priests and bishops. MacKillop was removed as superior general in 1883 after a change in Sydney’s archiepiscopal leadership, and Sister Bernard Walsh succeeded her. In 1885 the institute became a congregation of pontifical right, followed by final approval in 1888. The Josephites continued establishing schools and convents across Australasia. MacKillop helped maintain links among the communities and resumed the role of superior general in 1899 after Walsh’s death. Her health deteriorated after a stroke in Auckland in 1902, leaving her partly paralysed, but she continued directing and encouraging the congregation. She died in North Sydney on 8 August 1909. Her remains were transferred from Gore Hill Cemetery to a memorial chapel on Mount Street in 1914, a site that became Mary MacKillop Place. During the twentieth century, the Sisters extended their educational and community-aid network, while the number of Australian vocations declined in the later decades. The congregation adapted by supporting ministries involving lay employees, boards and partners. From 1979, the wider Congregations of St Joseph maintained a presence at the United Nations as a non-governmental organization, with work addressing poverty, women and children, ecology, migration and environmental concerns. In Australia, Josephite initiatives also developed around Indigenous reconciliation, including the South Australian Province Reconciliation Circle and the Josephite Justice Office established in 2006. Between 2012 and 2014, several related congregations merged with the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart. In 2010 Mary MacKillop was canonised, an event that significantly raised the congregation’s public profile. In 2018, three Josephite-affiliated organizations merged to form Mary MacKillop Today, continuing development programs in Australia, Timor-Leste, Fiji and Peru. Current ministries include spirituality centres, schools, family services, aged care, rural and parish ministry, work with First Nations communities, refugee support and assistance for people experiencing poverty or homelessness.
- 2018
Mary MacKillop Today established
[1]Three Josephite-affiliated development bodies merged into a single organization.
- 2010
Mary MacKillop canonised
[1]MacKillop became the first Australian canonised saint.
- 1914
MacKillop’s remains moved to the North Sydney memorial chapel
[1]Her remains were transferred to the chapel that became part of Mary MacKillop Place.
- 1909
Death of Mary MacKillop
[1]The founder died in North Sydney on 8 August.
- 1888
Final approval
[1]The Holy See gave final approval to the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart.
- 1885
Pontifical-right recognition
[1]The Josephites became a congregation of pontifical right.
- 1873
MacKillop travels to Rome
[1]She sought ecclesiastical approval for the congregation’s rule and observed educational methods in Europe.
- 1867
MacKillop becomes the first superior general
[1]The new congregation expanded from Penola to Adelaide, where it opened schools and adopted its distinctive brown habit.
- 1866
Congregation founded in Penola
[1]Mary MacKillop and Julian Tenison Woods founded the institute and opened its first Catholic school in a renovated stable.
Products and positioning
A community-based Catholic ministry focused on education, social justice, spiritual formation and practical service to disadvantaged communities, with a distinctive legacy associated with Saint Mary MacKillop.
heritage and spirituality centre
Mary MacKillop Place
A North Sydney pilgrimage, heritage and spirituality site centred on Saint Mary MacKillop’s tomb and memorial chapel. It includes a museum, accommodation and conference facilities, and provides visitors with historical and spiritual programs connected with the founder and the Josephite tradition.
spirituality and retreat services
Mary MacKillop Spirituality Ministry
A network of spirituality centres and programs offering reflection, retreats, education and community experiences inspired by Mary MacKillop and the Josephite charism. Centres operate in several Australian locations, including Adelaide, Melbourne, Hobart, Perth and Sydney.
international development and social programs · 2018
Mary MacKillop Today
A Josephite-affiliated development organization formed in 2018. Its work includes education, health, financial inclusion and livelihood initiatives in Australia and partner communities in Timor-Leste, Fiji, Peru and other locations.
secondary education
Mary MacKillop College
A Year 7–12 girls’ school in Kensington, South Australia, operating within the educational legacy associated with Mary MacKillop and the Sisters of St Joseph.
family and disability support
St Anthony's Family Care
A community service focused on nurturing and supporting children and young adults of all abilities, reflecting the congregation’s continuing emphasis on practical care and inclusion.
Marketing campaigns
- 2018Mary MacKillop Today consolidation
Australia · Timor-Leste · Fiji · Peru
Three Josephite-affiliated organizations combined their development and social programs under the Mary MacKillop Today name.
Outcome. The merger created a unified organization for education, health, financial inclusion and livelihood initiatives.
- 2006Josephite Justice Office
Australia
The Conference of Josephite Leaders established an advocacy office focused on justice issues and community engagement.
Outcome. The office provided a coordinated platform for Josephite social-justice advocacy.
- 2003South Australian Province Reconciliation Circle
Australia
Josephite and Carmelite women began meeting with Aboriginal mentors to support justice, dialogue and reconciliation in Indigenous affairs.
Outcome. The initiative became an ongoing expression of the congregation’s commitment to First Nations reconciliation.
Brand decisions
2018
Merge affiliated development organizationsM&ABackground
Mary MacKillop International, the Mary MacKillop Foundation and the Josephite Foundation had overlapping development and social-service activities.
Action taken
The three bodies merged to form Mary MacKillop Today.
Aftermath
Programs continued under one organization in Australia and several overseas countries.
1873
Seek Roman approval for the rule of lifeStrategyBackground
The congregation’s rapid growth and disputes over its structure made formal ecclesiastical recognition important.
Action taken
Mary MacKillop travelled to Rome to present the rule, consult with church authorities and study educational practice.
Aftermath
The rule was modified, contributing to disagreements with Woods, but the congregation later received pontifical-right status and final approval.
Recent events
- 2018
Josephite-affiliated development bodies merge as Mary MacKillop Today[1]
M&A
Mary MacKillop International, the Mary MacKillop Foundation and the Josephite Foundation combined their work in a single organization supporting development and social programs.
- 2010
Mary MacKillop is canonised[1]
Other
Mary MacKillop was canonised by the Catholic Church, becoming Australia’s first canonised saint and bringing renewed attention to the congregation’s history.
- 1888
Final approval of the Sisters of Saint Joseph of the Sacred Heart[1]
Regulation
The congregation received final approval from the Holy See after years of development and disputes concerning its rule and governance.
- 1885
Congregation receives pontifical-right status[1]
Other
The Josephites were recognized as a religious congregation of pontifical right during the pontificate of Pope Leo XIII.
- 1866
Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart founded in Penola[1]
Other
Mary MacKillop and Julian Tenison Woods established the congregation and its first school in South Australia.
Sources2 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/sisters-of-st-joseph-of-the-sacred-heart · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled