The Sisters of St. Francis of Penance and Christian Charity is a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

religious congregation A religious congregation is a type of religious institute in the Catholic Church. They are legally distinguished from religious orders – the other major type of religious institute – in that members take simple vows, whereas members of religio ...

for women. A third order secular group, the

sisters A sister is a woman or a girl who shares one or more parents 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 refer to ...

are not

cloistered A cloister (from Latin ''claustrum'', "enclosure") is a covered walk, open gallery, or open arcade running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle or garth. The attachment of a cloister to a cathedral or church, commonly against a ...

nun A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 599. The term is o ...

s but active in the world, having historically been primarily involved in teaching, although they have participated in the care of the sick and poor, hospital work, mission work, and other activities.

History

The international congregation was founded by Mother Magdalen (Catherine) Daemen (1787–1858) in 1835Sisters of St. Francis
''Buffalo Academy of the Sacred Heart'', Buffalo, NY: Buffalo Academy of the Sacred Heart, 2014, Retrieved 10 March 2014. in the town of

Heythuysen Heythuysen (; li, Heitse) is a town in the south-eastern Netherlands. History It was first mentioned in 1383 as Heythusen, and means "houses on the heath". It was located on the road from Venlo to Antwerp, and between the Bevelandse beek and th ...

in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. The Sisters were asked by Jesuit priests in Buffalo to come and serve the Roman Catholic families of German descent who were living there. In 1874, the first three missionary sisters, accompanied by General Superior Mother Aloysia Lenders, arrived in Buffalo, New York. The Sisters began serving in the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Buffalo The Diocese of Buffalo is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church headquartered in Buffalo, New York, United States. It is a suffragan diocese within the metropolitan province of the Archdiocese of New York. The Diocese of Buffalo incl ...

. There are now ten provinces, worldwide, with the central administration in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

Provinces

*Generalate (Central administration) - Rome, Italy *St. Francis Province - Redwood City, California, USA *Sacred Heart Province - Denver, Colorado, USA *Holy Name Province -

Stella Niagara Education Park Stella Niagara Education Park is a coeducational Catholic elementary school, convent, and hospitality center located in the hamlet of Stella Niagara within the town of Lewiston, New York. It was founded in 1908 by members of the Sisters of St. ...

Lewiston, New York Lewiston is a town in Niagara County, New York, United States. The population was 15,944 at the 2020 census. The town and its contained village are named after Morgan Lewis, a governor of New York. The Town of Lewiston is on the western bord ...

, USA *Province of Divine Providence - Heythuysen, NetherlandsAbout the congregation
''Sisters of St. Francis of Penance and Christian Charity'', Redwood City, CA: Sisters of St. Francis of Penance and Christian Charity, 2010, Retrieved 10 March 2014. *Christ the King Province - Ludinghausen, Germany *Mary Immaculate Province - Nonnenwerth, Germany *Mary Help of Christians Province - Orlik, Poland *St. Clare Mission - Tanzania, East Africa *Holy Trinity Province - Indonesia *Sacred Heart of Jesus Province; Immaculate Heart of Mary Province; and Our Lady of Providence Province - São Paulo, BrazilSisters of St. Francis of the Providence of God
'' Sisters of St. Francis of the Providence of God'', Sao Paulo, Brazil: Sisters of St. Francis of the Providence of God, 2014, Retrieved 10 March 2014. *Holy Name Province - Chiapas, Mexico The province in Tanzania is designated as an international mission.

Additional ministries

The Sisters of St. Francis of Stella Niagara (Holy Name Province, USA) additionally minister in the American states of Ohio, West Virginia, New Jersey, and Florida. They also operate a school, convent, peace site, and hospitality center in New York State.Stella Niagara Education Park
''Stella Niagara Education Park'', Stella Niagara, NY: Stella Niagara Education Park, 2009, Retrieved 10 March 2014.Stella Niagara Education Park (SNEP)
''Sisters of St. Francis of Penance and Christian Charity: Holy Name Province'', Stella Niagara, NY: Sisters of St. Francis of Penance and Christian Charity: Holy Name Province, 2014, Retrieved 10 March 2014.
''Sisters of St. Francis of Penance and Christian Charity: Holy Name Province'', Stella Niagara, NY: Sisters of St. Francis of Penance and Christian Charity: Holy Name Province, 2014, Retrieved 10 March 2014.History
''Stella Niagara Education Park'', Stella Niagara, NY: Stella Niagara Education Park, 2009, Retrieved 10 March 2014. The school is known as

. International ministries of the congregation exist in other countries throughout the world. Currently these are located in Argentina, Belarus, East Timor, Guatemala, and Mexico.

References

External links

Sisters of St. Francis of Penance and Christian Charity: St. Francis Province, Redwood, CASisters of St. Francis of Penance and Christian Charity: Holy Name Province, Stella Niagara, NYSisters of St. Francis of Penance and Christian Charity: Leudinghausen, GermanySisters of St. Francis of Penance and Christian Charity: Orlik, Poland
{{Authority control Catholic female orders and societies Congregations of Franciscan sisters Religious organizations established in 1835 Catholic religious institutes established in the 19th century 1835 establishments in the Netherlands

History

Provinces

Additional ministries

See also

References

External links