History of CSJB
Important as the work was, it was not the center of the founders' vision. Canon Carter and Mother Harriet envisioned a blend of the active and contemplative life.
The heart of the Community was, and is, the life of prayer. The Sisters' daily lives included Eucharist, the Divine Office throughout the day, and private prayer and meditation. |
Three years later, the Community built their first convent on Stuyvesant Square in New York City. From this base, the Sisters worked with immigrants through the Holy Cross Mission, with women from the streets through the Midnight Mission. They also founded schools, convalescent hospitals, orphanages, Holy Cross Church, and summer programs in the countryside for inner city mothers and their children.
In 1900 the Community bought land in Mendham, New Jersey and in 1908 St. Marguerite's orphanage was built there. A new convent followed in 1915, and the St. John Baptist School moved from New York City to Mendham |

Changes in society led the Community to shift its focus from large institutional works to a more flexible ministry. The orphanage became a retreat house. The school closed in 1983 and became a drug and alcohol treatment center for teenagers. As we closed the big works, the Sisters transformed the convent and grounds into a place of spiritual retreat. Over 2,000 visitors from all over the world seek prayer and renewal at the convent and the retreat house ever year. The work changes, but the spirit of the Community continues to call people to "prepare the way of the Lord."

"He must increase,
I must decrease"
(John 3:30)
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE HISTORY OF THE COMMUNITY OF ST. JOHN BAPTIST, YOU MAY ORDER VALERIE BONHAM'S NEW BOOK ON THE AMERICAN COMMUNITY, THE SECOND SPRING, BY CLICKING THE IMAGE BELOW:
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TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE HISTORY OF THE COMMUNITY OF ST. JOHN BAPTIST, YOU MAY ORDER VALERIE BONHAM'S NEW BOOK ON THE AMERICAN COMMUNITY, LIVING STONES, BY CLICKING THE IMAGE BELOW:
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TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE HISTORY OF THE ENGLISH COMMUNITY OF ST. JOHN BAPTIST, YOU MAY ORDER VALERIE BONHAM'S BOOK, A JOYOUS SERVICE BY CLICKING THE IMAGE BELOW:
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To order Valerie's other books on CSJB, A Place in Life: The Clewer House of Mercy 1849-83, and Sisters of the Raj: The Clewer Sisters in India please click on the images below or contact Sister Pamela.