Sister Suzanne Lesniewski was born in Chicago on February 15, 1937, the daughter of Pearl (Januchowski) and Harry Lesniewski. After attending SS. Peter and Paul Grade School in Chicago, Suzanne went to high school at St. Francis Academy in Joliet. She earned a BA in history from the College of St. Francis and an MA […]
In the midst of a dark and quiet winter’s night, our beloved Sister Verene Alvina Girmscheid, followed the heavenly star that would lead her home to God. Born on January 6, 1935, she became the very best gift that her parents Theresa (Marx) and Robert Girmscheid could offer to the Christ Child. In the company […]
“Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some stay for a while and leave footprints on our heart, and we are never, ever the same.” Flavia Weedn Leaving footprints in our world epitomizes the life of Sister Vivian Whitehead who began her 95-year journey on August 14, 1927, on the southeast side of […]
Sister Mary Carlene Howell was born in Chicago, Illinois, on June 12, 1934, to Frances (Fisher) and Gilbert Howell. She was Baptized, Gwendolyn and given the name Mary Carlene upon her entrance to the novitiate of the Sisters of St. Francis of Mary Immaculate in Joliet, Illinois. Carlene has one brother, Durk and a sister, […]
To view Sister Carlene’s service, download and extract the video from the zip file. Link to file: https://www.dropbox.com/s/8yc3cwwoxhnmzty/SrCarleneHowell.zip?dl=0 When you click the link, you will see a box to Download the file. Once downloaded you will be able extract the file and view the video. If you have any problems accessing or viewing the file, […]
On a beautiful fall day, honoring the Feast of St. Francis, the Sisters of St. Francis handed out apples to the students at the University of St. Francis.
AS FRANCISCANS DEDICATED TO MAKING PEACE, LET US PRAY: God of love and peace, we hold the people of Ukraine in our hearts during these horrible days of war. We join with all the peoples of the world who choose respect over terror, life over death, plowshares over swords, […]
We have an opening for a part-time musician at Our Lady of Angels Retirement Home in Joliet, Illinois for our 4 p.m. Mass on Saturday and 3-4 times during the week. Applicants should be proficient on the keyboard, be able to be a leader of song and be familiar with both contemporary and traditional liturgical […]
Reflection for Memorial Service for Sisters Who Died During COVID: 2020-2022 August 2, 2022 Jeanne Bessette, OSF We have so much to celebrate together today: The feast of Our Lady of the Angels celebrated worldwide by the Franciscan family, especially commemorating the little chapel – the Portiuncula – that became the center of St. Francis […]
So many of our sisters came to know us during grade school. Patricia Ann Wagner felt drawn to being a teacher, a Franciscan sister and a musician while she was a student at St. Pascal School in Chicago in the 1930s and 1940s. There she was encouraged by both teachers and her parents to pursue […]