​Saint Joseph High School History

Cardinal McIntyre from the Los Angeles Archdiocese asked the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet (CSJ) to establish a high school for girls in Lakewood. Saint Joseph High School officially opened on September 14, 1964 and Cardinal McIntyre dedicated SJHS on May 5, 1967.  The pioneer freshman class of 1964 with 103 students began school while construction was still in progress.

An additional class was added each year until the first graduation in 1968. Saint Joseph High School steadily grew to a peak enrollment of 864 in 2006. Presently there are 500 students and over 10,000 alumnae.

SJHS is sponsored by Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet and our connection to the Sisters is integral to who we are as a high school for young women. From the beginning until now, the charism of the Sisters has flourished in each of us and in how we educate each of our students--in an Ignatian-Salesian climate in which we strive for "excellence tempered by gentleness, peace and joy" (CSJ Consensus Statement).

The Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, and those who work with them, are called to live the charism of the Sisters—a charism of unity, reconciliation and service to the “dear neighbor without distinction.” Since 1964, Saint Joseph High School has journeyed with the Sisters in this mission. We invite all new members of our school community to join with us as we continue to strive for unity, reconciliation and service to the dear neighbor in the spirit of love, hope and zeal—our school motto.

Sister of St. Joseph of Carondelet History

The Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet trace their origin to Le Puy, France, where Fr. Jean Pierre Medaille, SJ, founded them in 1650, under the patronage of Bishop Henri de Maupas. The sisters dedicated their lives to serving the needy, orphans, prisoners, women, the sick, and the destitute. They taught women lace-making, enabling women to be self-sustaining members of society.  The community had rapid growth until the French Revolution when convents were suppressed and the sisters were forced to live as lay persons.

Five Sisters of St. Joseph were put to death by the French Revolutionaries, and among those imprisoned was Mother St. John Fontbonne, superior at Monistrol.  On July 28, 1794, Mother St. John Fontbonne was to be executed, but was spared when Robespierre’s government fell on July 27th. Thirteen years later Cardinal Fesch, Archbishop of Lyons, requested her to re-establish her religious community in his diocese. Through Mother St. John Fontbonne, the congregation maintains continuity with the community founded by Father Medaille and established in Le Puy by Bishop De Maupas.

The first Sisters of St. Joseph came from Lyons to America in 1836 in response to a request from Bishop Joseph Rosati for a group of religious to open a school for the deaf in St. Louis. Carondelet, a village on the outskirts of St. Louis, was destined to become the cradle of the American congregation. In 1860, provinces were established in St. Louis, Missouri; St. Paul, Minnesota; and Troy, New York. A fourth province was added in 1876 in Tucson and moved to Los Angeles in l903. Additional foundations were established in Hawaii in 1938, in Japan in 1956, and in Peru in 1962. Sisters of St. Joseph continue to minister all over the world.

The Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, and those who work with them, are called to live the charism of the Sisters--a charism of unity and reconciliation, service to the “dear neighbor without distinction,” and commitment to assist each young woman to become “all of which woman is capable.”