S. Joyce Williams (1924-2006) High School Science
Sister Joyce Wiliams was born on August 23, 1924, in Summit Mississippi to Joseph and Mary (Dickey). Her interest in religious life began when she volunteered at the Catholic interracial organization Friendship House in Chicago, and became a Catholic in 1944. Although her application to enter the monastery was rejected by the Prioress, Williams was granted enough financial aid to attend College of St. Benedict and became a student in 1944. There were only two Black students at that time. She graduated in 1948 with a B.A. in biology. After the third time, she was accepted to join the community in 1949. Sister Joyce started working as a high school biology teacher and pursued a master's degree in biology, earning an M.S. at the University of Notre Dame in 1964. She did additional graduate work at Morgan State College in Baltimore, MD, University of Iowa, Howard University in Washington, DC, and St. Cloud State University. She taught high school science for 17 years in the St. Cloud area before she pursued “individual apostolate” work among the poor and Black in Cleveland, Ohio. This was a very different role from the other Sisters who worked and lived in groups. Her desire was to work with the African-American community. She served as a coordinator of Project BRIDGE and as National Director of Educational Services with the National Catholic Conference for Interracial Justice (NCCIJ) and traveled to Rome for social justice meetings related to the Bishops’ Synod. She also founded a shelter named “Sojourner Truth” to help teenage girls who dropped out of school. She was awarded an honorary doctorate in human letters from the Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, in 1973, where she addressed the graduates. Sister Joyce taught biology and algebra at Harlan Community Academy in Chicago from 1973 to 1993.
Sister Joyce was a special consultant for the Archdiocese of Cleveland, a board member of the National Catholic Conference on Interracial Justice, and a member of the Board of Directors of the Black Sisters Conference. Later in 1971, Sister Joyce was appointed director of Educational Services at the National Catholic Conference for Interracial Justice (NCCIJ). Continuing this job in 1973, she helped to develop a national model program to deal with high school dropouts.
Sister Joyce was recognized with CSB's Alumnae Award in 1977. She was chosen to receive the Alumnae award because she demonstrated Christian beliefs and had fully dedicated herself to her work. In 1988, the College of St. Benedict established the Joyce Williams Scholarship for minority students. Sister Joyce retired in 1994 and came back to Saint Benedict’s Monastery. She was engaged in services for her community until a stroke in January 2000 forced her to move to St. Scholastica Convent. She served there as she was able until her death on November 29, 2006.
