70th Anniversary of the Creation of the Province of Saint Joseph
“To remember is to live,” always referring to First Love.
Our history tells us where we come from and teaches us to understand where we are, while also making us reflect on where we want to go. What our first sisters did, learned, and created is now a fundamental part of who we are today. Remembering allows us to understand our identity.
We remember that the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and Guatemala were part of the Province of Saint Rose in Peru. It was on February 8, 1956, when the Holy See approved the creation of the new Province, under the patronage of Saint Joseph, established with its own structure and all the corresponding rights and duties, with the communities of the three countries definitively separating from the Province of Saint Rose. This February 8, 2026, we celebrate 70 years since the founding of our province, currently comprised of Mexico, Guatemala, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic.
Remembering the history of our Province of St. Joseph is fundamental to keeping alive our founding charism, our fidelity to the Gospel, and renewing our passion for service to God and to the most needy and excluded members of society. Remembering allows us to recall the creativity, courage, and boldness of the sisters who planted the first seeds of the Kingdom in this Province, seeds that grew little by little, sometimes without them even realizing it, because it was the work of the Spirit (Mark 4:26-28).
We know very well that each era has its own reality, and as a Congregation, guided by the Gospel and our Charism, we have tried to respond to the different realities that have arisen. As a Province, in recent years we have focused on reviewing our lives, our sisterly relationships, our mission, our structures… so that, from who we are and what we have, we can respond to the challenges of today’s world.
This February 8th, we offer a grateful remembrance of each and every one of the sisters who, through their unconditional dedication, have woven the colorful and varied history of our province. We also give thanks to all the people from different countries and communities who have identified and continue to identify with our charism and spirituality and who collaborate side by side with us so that the Kingdom of God may become a reality in the communities that cry out for justice, fraternity, peace, and inclusion.
Above all, we thank God for the charism entrusted to us by our Founders, who always invite us to recreate it in the most vulnerable places where life is threatened. We ask God, through the intercession of Saint Joseph, to grant us, as the gift of these 70 years, new vocations who fall in love with Jesus and who, guided by our charism and spirituality, joyfully dedicate their lives to serving those most in need. We also ask for perseverance and fidelity for those of us who have already consecrated our lives to the Lord through our congregation of Dominican Missionary Sisters of the Rosary.
As the Province of St. Joseph, we continue to commit to, believe in, and dream of a shared, synodal mission, where each person places at the service of others the gifts and talents the Lord has bestowed upon us.
We invite all the sisters of the Congregation and all those with whom we share our life and mission to celebrate with us the grateful remembrance of these 70 years, a sign of hope and joy among the diverse peoples with whom we have shared our Charism and Spirituality as Dominican Missionary Sisters of the Rosary.
THANK YOU, LORD!
Cabral Community, Dominican Republic
Province of St. Joseph
