The Sisters of St. Joseph’s 375th Anniversary

Honoring the Past. Embracing the Future.

At the heart of SJNY are its founders, the Sisters of St. Joseph, who celebrate a 375-year legacy of success and excellence.

In May 2025, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Brentwood were honored with the 2025 Trustees Award — one of the highest honors bestowed by the St. Joseph’s University, New York Board of Trustees. The award honors individuals and organizations who have made extraordinary contributions to the University, society at large or the advancement of academic knowledge. It is a description that fits the Sisters of St. Joseph to a tee.

The award was presented on stage during SJNY’s 2025 commencement ceremony to mark the 375th anniversary of the founding of their order, and in recognition of the enduring legacy, extraordinary efforts and profound influence that the sisters have had in the fields of education, ecology, justice and spirituality.

For nearly four centuries, congregations of Sisters of St. Joseph have left an indelible mark on the world and its people — including the nearly 49,000 alumni whose lives have been shaped by an education at St. Joseph’s University, New York.

Founded in Le Puy, France, in 1650 by six women and a Jesuit priest, the Sisters of St. Joseph set out to love God and serve the “dear neighbor” without distinction. They would plant the seeds for a calling that would expand through France until 1789. Revived after near extinction during the French Revolution, the number of congregations began to flourish again, including to the United States in 1836.

The Sisters of St. Joseph of Brentwood were founded in 1856 when Mother Austin Kean came to Brooklyn at the request of the Bishop of Brooklyn. This would one day lead to the opening of the St. Joseph’s College for Women in 1916, now St. Joseph’s University, New York.

The lives and careers of the Sisters of St. Joseph have been intertwined with the success of SJNY; they represent the past, are embedded in its present and integral to its future.

Over the course of St. Joseph’s history, three sisters have led the University as president: S. Vincent Thérèse Tuohy ’39, CSJ, Ph.D. (1956-1969), who was the first female in the role; S. George Aquin O’Connor, CSJ, Ph.D. (1969-1997); and S. Elizabeth A. Hill ’64, CSJ, J.D. (1997-2014). Countless other sisters have served — and continue to serve — as professors, administrators, committee and board members.

The sisters’ unique vision and lives serving the University reflect the SJNY’s five pillars — integrity, intellectual rigor, spiritual depth, social responsibility and service. This fall, as SJNY welcomes its newest cohort of students, the legacy of the Sisters of St. Joseph endures.