The Sisters of Christian Charity (SCC) have announced the election of Sister Mary Joseph Schultz, SCC, as the Congregation’s thirteenth Superior General. The election took place during the 25th General Chapter, which was held from August 25 to September 14, 2025, in Paderborn, Germany.
Sister Mary Joseph was elected on September 8, 2025, and will now lead the international Congregation – with Sisters in North America, South America and Germany – succeeding Sister Maria del Rosario Castro, SCC.
The role of the Superior General is to provide spiritual and administrative leadership to the Sisters of Christian Charity globally, continuing the mission of their foundress, Blessed Pauline von Mallinckrodt.
During her 53 years as a Sister of Christian Charity, Sister Mary Joseph has held roles in education, pastoral ministry and leadership.
A native of Poughkeepsie, NY, Sister Mary Joseph earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education from Felician University in Lodi, NJ, and a Master’s Degree in Pastoral Ministry, with a concentration in Youth Ministry, from Seton Hall University, South Orange, NJ.
For seven years, Sister Mary Joseph served as the President of Assumption College for Sisters in Mendham (now in Denville), NJ. Her teaching career included assignments at:
- Elementary Schools: St. Nicholas (Jersey City, NJ); St. Joseph (Mendham, NJ); Holy Family (Florham Park, NJ); St. Patrick (Chatham, NJ); St. Cecilia (Rockaway, NJ); and St. Mary (Pittston, PA).
- High Schools: Delone Catholic High School (McSherrystown, PA); Bishop Hoban High School (Wilkes-Barre, PA); Central Catholic High School (Reading, PA); and Central Catholic High School (Allentown, PA).
Prior to her election as Councilor General from North America in 2019, Sister Mary Joseph served as a Pastoral Associate at Sts. Peter and Paul in Hoboken, NJ, and at the Church of Christ the King in New Vernon, NJ. She has also served at St. Paul Inside the Walls Center for Evangelization in Madison, NJ, and in Provincial Leadership in Mendham, NJ.
The General Chapter also elected new Councilors General on September 10, 2025: Sister Mary Amata Reifsnyder, SCC, (succeeding Sister Mary Joseph as North American Councilor General), Sister Clara Schmiegel (Germany), and Sister Maria Adriana Mateos (South America).
Sister Mary Amata is a graduate of Bethlehem Catholic High School in Bethlehem, PA, and earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Cedar Crest College in Allentown, PA.
A Sister of Christian Charity for thirteen years, Sister Mary Amata is a Registered Nurse, certified in Ambulatory Care, whose experience spans various healthcare settings, including:
- Holy Family Convent, Danville, PA.
- Sacred Heart Convent, Wilmette, IL.
- The SCC Motherhouse in Paderborn, Germany.
- North Hudson Community Action Corporation, Passaic, NJ.
- St. Joseph’s Health Paterson, both at DePaul Ambulatory Center and in the Palliative, Geriatric and Community Medicine department.
The Congregation of the Sisters of Christian Charity was founded by Blessed Pauline von Mallinckrodt in Paderborn, Germany, in 1849. The sisters serve in education, healthcare, pastoral, social and retreat ministries in the United States, Germany, Argentina, Uruguay and Chile. The Motherhouse of the SCC North American Province is in Mendham, NJ.