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CSJ Week started with a tribute to the past, a celebration of the present and then focused on the needs of the times and our vision moving forward — although it apparently wasn’t consciously planned that way, according to Shannon Green, director of the CSJ Institute at Mount Saint Mary’s University.  She’s not the only one who recognized that symmetry.

“As it does annually, this year‘s CSJ Week paid tribute to the spirit of the Sisters of St. Joseph — the desire to live inclusive, unifying love on behalf of the dear neighbor,” said trustee Sister Sandra Williams, CSJ, ’70. “This year, the week included honoring that spirit in the past and present, and challenging us to live it well now and into the future. The week was a blessed opportunity for the Mount community to remember who we are and who we want to continue becoming. As a Sister of Saint Joseph, I continue to be touched by the thoughtful and creative efforts that go into the planning for CSJ Week each year.”

Tribute to the past

The first event centered on a one-person theatrical work that Mount Saint Mary’s commissioned four or five years ago covering the life of Mother St. John Fontbonne, a central figure in CSJ history, as she was responsible for reestablishing the group after the French Revolution forced the sisters to disperse — or be imprisoned — for failing to abandon their loyalty to the Papacy over the French government.  Green had seen actress/playwright Tiffany Hoover deliver monologues focusing on other historic Catholic women, so she was a logical choice to transform herself into Mother St. John. Green provided Hoover with books to do her research, and she developed a 35-minute long monologue highlighting moments of her life.

“In the CSJ tradition, Mother St. John was one of the standalone figures,” said Green. “We have the six original founders whom we talk about collectively, but Mother St. John is someone we know a lot about in terms of a lot of the decisions she had to make in the face of violence and oppression.

“Four or five years ago, when the Institute was still young, my job was to create resources and to expose people in the community to parts of our tradition, and I thought this was another creative way for people to encounter this content. You don’t just want to hold lectures. I wanted the performance to be added to our portfolio of options.”

Hoover was ready to debut the monologue for the Mount during CJS Week in 2020, but the pandemic put an end to those plans. The playwright/actress was able to keep the material fresh by performing the monologue, or pieces of it, at Carondelet High School in the Bay area, where she lives. The school used the Mother St. John story for their school’s senior retreats.

After three years in the making, Hoover’s performance at the Mount was much anticipated, and it did not disappoint. The decision to offer this information in a theatrical piece was also appreciated by the audience. “I wasn’t familiar with Mother St. John Fontbonne’s story, so it was great to learn about the entirety of her life through the perspective of a performance rather than just listening to someone read about it,” says Juliana Nava, administrative assistant for the president’s office. “The actress inhabited the character, and the story was inspiring. I really enjoyed it.

“Our sisters are always so welcoming and represent the founding sisters, whose message has carried on through each generation until now. I loved seeing their reactions to the performance. It really touched them; some were crying.”

The audience was impressed by how well the actress embodied her character. “Tiffany Hoover used the art of theater and drama to illuminate the life of Mother Saint John,” says Krishauna Hines-Gaither, vice president of Equity, Diversity and Justice. “Her monologue brought depth to the biography and revealed the diverse roles that she was called to fulfill. The monologue also laid the foundation for what would become our CSJ heritage. Hoover's work was highly engaging, effective and memorable.”

Sister Kieran Vaughan, CSJ, ’64, found other, equally valid adjectives: “It was truly extraordinary, energizing and inspiring,” she said. “The events and the week are much appreciated.  It is clear that the vision, spirit and charism of the founding sisters are moving forward and are embedded here at the Mount.”

Green was pleased that Sister Kieran and other sisters were able to attend the performance alongside other members of the Mount community. For her, the most memorable part of the entire CSJ Week was watching the sisters’ reactions to this performance. “It’s something I will never forget,” she said. “They were not only able to encounter the story personally and ‘interact’ with Mother St. John, but they couldn’t believe that not one sister was involved in commissioning the work and bringing their heritage to life in such a way and that it’s all their lay partners now generating this kind of work. They were touched.”

Read about another CSJ event in which the discussion covered ways for the church to evolve in its social justice attitudes as well as what our CSJs and their supporters are doing to help members of the community.