Continually called by the Father to complete the mission of Jesus, we follow in the footsteps of St.
Francis and Mother Mary Theresa to bring the gospel message into our hearts and to serve the church
through our consecrated life and the works of our congregation.
We continue the mission of Jesus through our individual, communal, and congregational endeavors in
education, health care, and pastoral and social services. Fidelity to our founding charism is the
directing principle which guides our congregation in the choice of its works.
As Franciscan Sisters of Chicago, we serve the people of God and give witness to the faithful love of
God for all of creation through our lives and through the works prompted by our charism:
- Education;
- Care of children, and the sick, aged, and infirm;
- Parish and other pastoral services; and
- Social services.
In the compassionate and loving spirit of Mother Mary Theresa, we seek out and assist especially the
materially poor among those with whom and to whom we minister in each of our works, distinguishing
and discriminating only by greater need.
We may not always have the means to relieve the material sufferings of the poor nor to address all
the concerns of our ministry, but we can always be generous with mercy and compassion. Whatever the
form of our individual ministry, we know that our task is to witness the goodness of God by our
consecrated lives and to transform the peoples of the world by loving them and their world.
Early Years of Ministry
Our ministerial witness as a religious congregation began with the establishment
of St. Joseph Home for the Aged in 1898, in Chicago, Illinois. In addition to
care of the elderly, the Sisters were engaged in the education and care of
children in various elementary schools and day care centers and one orphanage.
These facilities were located in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Wisconsin, Missouri,
Texas, and Pennsylvania. In the early 1900's, the Sisters were called to educate
the young as well as perform some domestic tasks while caring for the needs of the
elderly and women of all ages needing shelter.
Mid 1900's
While continuing to work in the fields of education and care of the aged, the
Sisters expanded their ministries into the area of nursing. Some of the Sisters
trained to become nurses and nursing instructors. For over thirty years, the
Sisters cared for the sick at various hospitals in Huron, Gregory and Martin,
South Dakota and trained others to work in this ministry of healing. The Sisters
were called to care for the young men who were residents of Father Flannigan's Boys'
Town and in 1949, the congregation's only high school was established.
Late 1900's
Toward the end of the 1900's, the need for directors and teachers in Religious
Education and parish ministry was on the rise, and a few of the Sisters entered
those ministries. While continuing in eldercare and elementary education,
interest grew in the welfare of the poor, women and children, which led some of
the Sisters to work in various social service areas in shelters, foreign missions,
and the establishment of St. Jude House, a shelter for the survivors of domestic
violence, in 1995. The Franciscan
Sisters of Chicago Service Corporation was established in 1988.
Present
The general chapter of 1998 called us to refocus our efforts to care for the
poor elderly, women and children. As the number of Sisters ministering in
education decreased, other forms of service in education evolved including the
Madonna Foundation. Our
services today have been largely expanded through our partnering with the laity
who share our mission and vision. Always open to the Holy Spirit and the needs
of the Church, our ministerial history seems to have come full circle. Eldercare
has once again become our corporate focus of ministry, and Sisters also serve in
other areas of need.
