About Our Logo
The logo for the SSJ Neighborhood Center is a visual embodiment of the center’s mission. To this end, each element of the design is significant in conveying the mission and the vision of this sponsored ministry of the Sisters of Saint Joseph. Below is a synopsis of each element.
Two Figures
These figures portray the relational nature of the center. Whatever ministry is carried out by the SSJ Neighborhood Center, relationships and relationship building lie at the core of our mission. Intertwined with one another, these figures greet one another with open arms, holding one another up and ready to receive what the other has to offer. As a sponsored ministry of the Sisters of Saint Joseph, the SSJ Neighborhood Center is grounded in a charism of unioning love. United with each other as dear neighbors, the figures represent the work that is done on a ministerial level and also within the Cramer Hill neighborhood as neighbors of diverse backgrounds are drawn together to build and foster community.
Heart
The heart’s interior spiral hearkens to the foundational value of spirituality at the Center. Founded by and steeped in the spirituality and charism of the Sisters of Saint Joseph, the SSJ Neighborhood Center holds spirituality as a core value; this is reflected not only in the nature of the ministry offered but in the very programming of the center, which seeks to offer time and space for spiritual exploration, sharing, and growth among individuals and within the community.
The call to love of God and love of neighbor without distinction places love and compassionate care at the center of the SSJ Neighborhood Center’s mission. For this reason, the symbol of a heart is central to the center’s logo. Positioned between the two figures, the heart is modeled on a voice bubble and alludes to the center as a place where Love is spoken and shared. This is seen in the programs and the very nature of the center.
Circular Spiral
Used as a framing device for the Neighborhood Center’s logo, the circular spiral represents multiple facets of the mission and ministry of the SSJ Neighborhood Center. While the spiral within the heart alludes to spiritual deepening, the circular spiral represents the communal call of the center. Both spirals (in the heart and as a backdrop) begin and end at the same place- the center or core of the mission of the center- and lie at the very heart of what the center strives to achieve.
Moving both outward and inward, the circular spiral visualizes the center’s mission to go out into the community- circling the city of Camden (and specifically the Cramer Hill neighborhood) with love- as well as the Center’s desire to deepen relationships through ongoing efforts to welcome those on the margins and to strengthen communal connections.
Made up of multiple parts/arcs, the spiral is not a singular line, but instead represents the work of many parts and people in creating the whole. Community building (and sustaining) requires the consideration and inclusion of these many and varied pieces. As part of its mission, the SSJ Neighborhood Center seeks to connect the multiple facets of this community and to empower collaboration, among individuals and community organizations within Camden, for the service of all. By highlighting the many pathways of connection, this backdrop (the circular spiral) encourages us to embrace the diversity of ideas and experiences in the world today, so that “all may be one.”