On May 24th 1887, five Sisters of St Joseph arrived to begin a foundation in Tasmania. These Sisters were: Sister Francis McCarthy, Sister Stanislaus Doyle, Sister Joseph Eather, Sister Teresa Prendergast, and Sister Patrick Nolan.

The founders of the Congregation, Father Julian Tenison Woods and Mother Mary MacKillop encouraged the Tasmanian foundation. Father Woods through giving missions in Tasmania recognised the island's dire need of country schools and Mother Mary through her hospitality to the Sisters when they stayed in Sydney en route.

In Tasmania, the Sisters lived in the spirit in which they had been founded; a way of life that was practical and flexible, serving the poor mainly by way of providing Catholic education for children of families in rural areas.

The first Josephite Convent and School was established at Westbury in 1887, the Sisters arriving apparently with little more than a large statue of Mary, to begin their work with true pioneering zeal. Westbury had not been their original destination as they had been invited by Monsignor Daniel Beechinor to set up a community in Launceston. When they arrived on 24th May, their proposed residence was not available and consequently, Archdeacon Hogan invited them to make their foundation at Westbury, some distance out into the country. By July of that year, their school, which charged fees of one penny per week, had 70 pupils.

Foundations followed at:

Westbury 1887, Forth 1889, Ulverstone 1889, Devonport 1891, Tunnack 1891, Oatlands 1893, Colebrook 1894, Zeehan 1894,Cygnet 1895, Richmond 1899, Franklin 1900, New Town 1908, Moonah 1932, Geeveston 1938.

In 1938, a Juniorate was established at Newstead; a pre-religious life experience of living together for young girls. This was later replaced by a boarding school for girls from country areas.

A Hostel for business girls was established in Launceston in 1946 and a junior boarding school for girls at Rowella was begun in 1947 with further communities being set up at:

Smithton (1951)
Rosebery (1958)

In 1960, the Sisters took over the Catholic School at Lenah Valley, the suburb adjacent to New Town. St Joseph's a Nursing Home for the aged, was built at New Town in 1968. In 1972, the Sisters took over responsibility for the Catholic School at Wynyard. In 1980, a Formation House was opened at Box Hill in Melbourne so that the Sisters could have ready access to tertiary studies in theology, scripture and pastoral ministry and to participate in a wide range of personal formation programmes. In 1986, the Sisters assumed responsibility for the parishes of Campbell Town and Penguin. These were followed by Oatlands (1994), Beaconsfield (1998) and King Island (2000). The Emmanuel Centre for Spirituality was begun in Newstead in 1988 and now has outreach programmes on the North West Coast and at Moonah in Hobart. To mark the Beatification of Mary MacKillop in 1995 the MacKillop Hill Spirituality Centre was opened at Forth.