Sisters Of Saint Francis Of Rochester, Minnesota
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The Sisters of Saint Francis of Rochester, Minnesota is a
Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
religious congregation A religious congregation is a type of Religious institute (Catholic), religious institute in the Catholic Church. They are legally distinguished from Religious order (Catholic), religious orders – the other major type of religious institute – i ...
for women. The congregation was founded in 1877 by Mother Mary Alfred Moes in the Diocese of St. Paul of Minnesota. The motherhouse, which is in
Rochester, Minnesota Rochester is a city in Olmsted County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. It is located along rolling bluffs on the Zumbro River's south fork in Southeast Minnesota. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a popul ...
, is called Assisi Heights.


History

In 1876, Sister Mary Alfred Moes, along with her birth sister, Sister Barbara (Catherine) Moes, and 23 other Franciscan Sisters from
Joliet, Illinois Joliet ( ) is a city in Will County, Illinois, Will and Kendall County, Illinois, Kendall counties in the U.S. state of Illinois, located southwest of Chicago. It is the county seat of Will County, Illinois, Will County. It had a population of ...
, came to Rochester, Minnesota, to establish Our Lady of Lourdes School. However, in 1877, a dispute over finances regarding the new academy led Chicago Bishop Thomas Foley to direct the sisters to separate from the Joliet Community. The congregation founded Saint Marys Hospital (Rochester), which is now part of the
Mayo Clinic Mayo Clinic () is a Nonprofit organization, private American Academic health science centre, academic Medical centers in the United States, medical center focused on integrated health care, healthcare, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science ...
. The grounds were purchased by the
sisters A sister is a woman or a girl who shares parents or a parent with another individual; a female sibling. The male counterpart is a brother. Although the term typically refers to a familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingly to r ...
, and the building was erected under the supervision of the Mother Superior.Amberg, Marion. "Mayo Clinic: The Franciscan Connection", ''St. Anthony Messenger'', Franciscan Media
Sister-nurses tended to the sick, cooked the patients’ meals, did the laundry, stoked the furnace and even used the hair of convent horses to make surgical sutures. The Sisters also continued their work in education, staffing parochial schools in Minnesota and beyond, while also establishing academies in Owatonna and Rochester. Their work included post-secondary education, and in 1894, they founded what would become the
College of Saint Teresa The College of Saint Teresa was a Catholic women's college in Winona, Minnesota, United States. Previously a women's seminary, it became a college in 1907 and was operated by the Sisters of Saint Francis of Rochester, Minnesota until its clos ...
in
Winona, Minnesota Winona ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Winona County, Minnesota, United States. Located in bluff country on the Mississippi River, its most noticeable physical landmark is Sugar Loaf (Winona, Minnesota), Sugar Loaf. The population was 2 ...
."Our History", Sisters of St. Francis, Rochester, Minnesota
/ref>


Present day

Many Sisters work in areas of social service, spiritual care and service abroad. Others continued their ministries in health care and education. The Sisters operate schools and a clinic in
Bogotá Bogotá (, also , , ), officially Bogotá, Distrito Capital, abbreviated Bogotá, D.C., and formerly known as Santa Fe de Bogotá (; ) during the Spanish Imperial period and between 1991 and 2000, is the capital city, capital and largest city ...
,
Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...
. They also run a spiritual retreat center in
Janesville, Minnesota Janesville is a city in Waseca County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 2,256 at the 2010 census. U.S. Highway 14 serves as a main route in the community, running east–west, south of Janesville. County Road 3 runs north–sou ...
. As of 2004, there were about 300 members of the congregation.Galbally, Erin. "Despite shrinking numbers, the Sisters of St. Francis continue to thrive", Minnesota Public Radio, December 31, 2004
/ref>


See also

* Florence Church Bullard * St. Francis, Minnesota *'' Women of Mayo Clinic''


Notes


References

* Kraman, OSF, Carlan. ''Odyssey in Faith: The Story of Mother Alfred Moes''. Rochester, MN: Sisters of St. Francis, 1990.


External links


Sisters of Saint Francis of Rochester, Minnesota
{{coord, 44, 02, 26, N, 92, 28, 48, W, display=title Catholic female orders and societies Congregations of Franciscan sisters Christianity in Minnesota Roman Catholic Ecclesiastical Province of Saint Paul and Minneapolis Buildings and structures in Rochester, Minnesota Religious organizations established in 1877 Catholic organizations established in the 19th century Catholic religious orders established in the 19th century 1877 establishments in Minnesota Mayo Clinic people Women in Minnesota