The Institute of the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist (FSE) 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. The motherhouse is in

Meriden, Connecticut Meriden is a city in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States, located halfway between the regional cities of New Haven, Connecticut, New Haven and Hartford, Connecticut, Hartford. In 2020, the population of the city was 60,850.Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Hartford The Archdiocese of Hartford is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Hartford, Litchfield and New Haven counties in the U.S. State of Connecticut. The archdiocese includes about 470,000 Catholics, more ...

History

The Institute of the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist was founded by Mother Rosemae Pender, FSE on December 2, 1973, as a result of a period of renewal within the

Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration The Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration (FSPA) is a Roman Catholic religious congregation for women whose motherhouse, St. Rose of Viterbo Convent, is in La Crosse, Wisconsin, in the Diocese of La Crosse. The Franciscan Sisters of Perpetua ...

La Crosse, Wisconsin La Crosse is a city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of La Crosse County. Positioned alongside the Mississippi River, La Crosse is the largest city on Wisconsin's western border. La Crosse's population as of the 2020 census w ...

which led to a divergence of outlook within that Congregation. Mother Rosemae Pender and Mother Shaun Vergauwen served as Mother General and Vicar General, respectively, from the beginning until 2005. In 2002, the

Franciscan Brothers of the Eucharist The Franciscan Brothers of the Eucharist is a Roman Catholic, Franciscan public association of the faithful directed toward becoming a religious institute for men. The association was founded in 2002 in the state of Connecticut, United States, as a ...

was founded in Meriden as a complement to the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist. From 1976 to 2004, the

religious sisters A religious sister (abbreviated ''Sr.'' or Sist.) in the Catholic Church is a woman who has taken public vows in a religious institute dedicated to apostolic works, as distinguished from a nun who lives a cloistered monastic life dedicated to pra ...

operated the ferry terminal and store on

Shaw Island Shaw Island is the smallest of the four San Juan Islands served by the Washington State Ferries. The island has a land area of and a small year-round population of 240 ( 2010 census). During the summer time, weekends swell with other resi ...

, part of the

San Juan Islands The San Juan Islands are an archipelago in the Pacific Northwest of the United States between the U.S. state of Washington and Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. The San Juan Islands are part of Washington state, and form the core of ...

in the state of

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

. As of 2018, the congregation had about eighty members.

Apostolate

*Franciscan Life Center, Meriden, Connecticut: provides a variety of services including counseling, education, and youth programs. *Franciscan Home Care and Hospice Care, Meriden, Connecticut: is licensed to provide home health care services including nursing, physical therapy, and home health aides, in almost two dozen Connecticut towns. * In Oregon, the Sisters operate the Franciscan Montessori Earth School, founded in 1977. The community has thirteen different centers around the world, including the United States, Jerusalem, Rome and Assisi. The Sisters teach at universities, work in hospitals, operate a school in Bethlehem and work at the Vatican. The Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist share the original founders with the

and the

Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi The Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi is a Catholic religious congregation for women founded in 1849. The motherhouse is in St. Francis, Wisconsin, in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. The Sisters share their original founders with daughter congrega ...

St. Francis, Wisconsin St. Francis is a city in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 9,161 at the 2020 census. History St. Francis Seminary was established in what is now the city in 1845. The Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi establishe ...

References

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External links

Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist
Congregations of Franciscan sisters Institutes of consecrated life Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Hartford Catholic Church in Connecticut New Haven County, Connecticut Christian organizations established in 1973