by Laraine Crowe. Published by AFT Press. Reviewed by Marie Skidmore

This book traces the history of the Diocesan Sisters of St Joseph of Goulburn, NSW, from their beginning in 1882 when they were established from the Perthville Congregation. It tells a story of the Sisters’ resilience, pastoral presence and love for local community, while facing squarely difficulties of the time. The latter included constant upskilling to meet educational requirements of the State; the impact of the financial depression; and in the 1960s leading a strike.

In 1917 the establishment of the new Diocese of Wagga Wagga created an anomaly for these Goulburn Diocese Sisters, who applied for papal approbation. Due to World War I and administrative difficulty, achieving this took from 1932 to the documented definitive approval of their Constitutions in 1963!

Meantime, relationships with other Diocesan Sisters of St Joseph strengthened into a Federation; educational facilities were administered in partnership with other religious orders and a study of the original charism was initiated with the renewal of religious life after Vatican II. This led to the fusion of the Goulburn Congregation with the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart in 2012. So a desire to be united with their Sisters of origin was fulfilled.

I appreciated the structure of the book which traced the presence of the Sisters in various towns from their beginning until the present day, as well as the clear presentation of the socio-economic context that existed at the time. While I would have appreciated some photos, I recommend this as an excellent record of the evolution of a women’s religious life in Australia from the late 19th to the early 21st century.