The Sisters of St. Joseph of St. Augustine were honored by the Jacksonville City Council with a proclamation declaring June 7 as Sisters of St. Joseph of St. Augustine Day in recognition of their nearly 160 years of service in Catholic education, health care and outreach to people in need throughout Northeast Florida.

Councilman Dr. Rahman Johnson, a longtime parishioner of the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, presented the proclamation during a ceremony at St. Pius V Parish in Jacksonville. He also announced plans to designate the corner of State and Lee streets as “Sisters of St. Joseph of St. Augustine Place.”

The intersection was selected because it marks the original site of St. Pius V Catholic Church and School, where the Sisters of St. Joseph served as the school’s first teachers and administrators.

“It was a no-brainer for me as a councilman and a Catholic,” Johnson said. “It is a time to celebrate all the work the sisters have done for our area and in shaping its history.”