“We find those who can enumerate very particularly all that Jesus Christ said and did, but what does He care for that? He said and did so, not that we should recount it in words, but show him in our lives, in our daily practice.” - Catherine McAuley, Foundress of the Sisters of Mercy

Saint Joseph’s College commits itself to serving the needs of our community and beyond with the recognition that our perspectives are shaped by religion, nationality, experience, culture, status, and more. Unjust social structures dehumanize individuals and groups, devalue human life, alienate peoples from one another, escalate violence, engender poverty, and degrade our environment.  In order to confront them, we embrace and actively promote dignity, equality, and solidarity as vital expressions of our Core Values, the Critical Concerns of the Sisters of Mercy, and Catholic Social Teaching.

Hannah Michael, student research

Our Core Values

The mission of Saint Joseph’s College calls us to make our core values visible in our daily interactions with one another.  These values include integrity which requires a concern for the common good, a commitment to a community that embraces radical hospitality and inclusive relationships, respect for each member of our community, compassion and mercy for those who are excluded, and addressing injustices within and outside of our community.

Our Mercy Heritage

As an institution founded by the Sisters of Mercy, Saint Joseph’s College shares in their mission to “see Jesus in the most marginalized people and take a vow of service to perform works of Mercy that alleviate suffering.”  Drawing upon their long standing concern for justice and service to the poor, the Sisters of Mercy have articulated critical concerns which guide Saint Joseph’s College’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.  They are the earth, immigration, non-violence, racism, and women.

Our Catholic Identity

The Roman Catholic Church is a culturally diverse global institution with the most growth now taking place in Africa, Asia, and South America.  In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, it created schools in America to serve immigrant populations for whom access to education was being denied.  The Christian practice of hospitality finds its origin in the ministry of Jesus who welcomed outcasts and the marginalized.

These values, individually and together, are expressions of the Church’s commitment to justice as articulated in Catholic social teaching. The foundation of this body of teaching is that all persons are imprinted with God’s image which confers upon them an incomparable dignity that is to be respected and protected without condition.  That is, justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion are intrinsic to Saint Joseph’s Catholic identity.

Dignity

“There are three things the poor prize more highly than gold, tho’ they cost the donor nothing; among these are the kind word, the gentle, compassionate look and the patient hearing of their sorrows.”  - Catherine McAuley

Every person is created in the image and likeness of God. For this reason everyone possesses an intrinsic and inalienable dignity that transcends cultural, social, and economic differences. Respect for and protection of this dignity is the foundation for a just society.

Equality

“A community in which universal charity reigns is ... capable of surmounting all difficulties.” - Catherine McAuley

All persons possess equal rights that flow from their transcendent dignity. Therefore, society should be structured to protect these rights. Equally, we are called to act in solidarity with others to ensure these rights, especially for the vulnerable and marginalized.

Solidarity

“For I need not tell you how deserving of praise that society must be which directs all its efforts and aims to the special end of helping the poor and relieving the sick in every way...” - Catherine McAuley

We are each other’s neighbor: interconnected as one human family and responsible for each other’s welfare. As individuals and as communities we are also called to work together for the common good, advocating for the just distribution of the earth’s resources which are intended for the benefit of all humanity.

Contact

Office of Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
jedi@sjcme.edu
(207) 893 - 7707

Who We Are

Two people smiling and holding pink cotton candy in an outdoor setting with trees in the background, embodying a sense of joy that reflects the spirit of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion. Saint Joseph's College of Maine