SISTER OF MARY AND JOSEPH AND OF MERCY
Sister of Mary and Joseph and of Mercy – Sister Bernadette Anaïs, M.J.M. Soeur de Marie-Joseph et de la Miséricorde
Foundresses: Marie-Thérèse de Lamourous ( Soeurs de Miséricorde ) Mother St. Augustine (Anne Quinon) (Soeurs de Marie-Joseph)
Places: Soeurs de Miséricorde – Bordeaux, France; Soeurs de Marie-Joseph – Dorat, France *When united as the Soeurs de Marie-Joseph et de la Miséricorde – Dorat, France*
Years: Sisters of Miséricorde – 1800 A.D.; Sisters of Marie-Joseph – 1841 A.D. Sisters of Mary and Joseph and of Mercy (a union of the two Orders) – 1971 A.D.
Her Charism: This Order was formed like two streams that fed on the same source from the Heart of God and united in a single clear water: that which lets us see the Mercy of God through this Sister’s actions, Her charism of Mercy is lived with people suffering from great moral poverty: prisoners, prostitutes, and unwed mothers. Thus, the mysteries of Compassion, Incarnation, Justice, and Redemption resonate for her in a special way. As a midwife who is centered on the redemptive mystery of Christ and His Merciful Love, she neither judges nor condemns; but saves. This “glimmer of hope” is a witness of that love for victims who have been harmed or injured by life and rejected by society and she helps to restore their faith, hope, and dignity.