Healthcare

In the spirit of Mother M. Anselma, we spend ourselves for the sake of others.
In this way, we give witness to the value of life, which can be taken for granted in our present society.
Caring for others, especially those who are sick, always entains a gift of self.
We not only care for our patients and residents, but we are able to participate in their suffering through our work.
We see serving in Catholic health care as vital in our day.
May God continue to bless the work He has entrusted to us that we may continue to "see in the sick our Lord Himself"

Currently, our Sisters are serving the healthcare apostolate in these locations:

Saint Francis Day Care Center

Saint Francis Day Care Center was established on March 3, 1980 in order to provide care for the children of the Alton area. The Center is licensed by the State of Illinois for children between the ages of 6 weeks and 10 years with a maximum of 150 children; however, the Center may not offer enrollment for all ages within this age range at all times. The Center offers a full-time and part-time program year-round for children between the ages of 6 weeks and 5 years. The Center also offers a summer program for school-aged children which may include children up to 10 years of age. We provide breakfast and lunch for the children, as well as a snack in the morning and afternoon.

We want to help children grow spiritually, intellectually, and socially by providing an environment that will stimulate and create interests. We want to encourage and give many occasions for children to explore the mystery of God’s creation through nature and other materials, helping him or her to be at home in this world. 

Our 30+ lay staff members are dedicated to providing quality care and loving services to all of our children. Many of our staff members have worked at the Center for 15+ years. With the Sisters, our staff strives to make Christ’s merciful love visible—even to the smallest. Our pro-life, pro-family atmosphere imparts to our parents a sense of peace that their child is being loved and nurtured while they are at work. We are blessed with a number of families that are beginning a second generation tradition at Saint Francis.

For more information on St. Francis Day Care Center, click here.

Education

Since the time of Mother M. Anselma, when she first began her work in Thuine, Germany our Sisters have been involved in the education of children and youth. We began our mission in the United States when our Sisters came to St. Louis, Missouri, and began assisting with Father Dunn's Newsboys Home in the 1920's.

Our education apostolate in America began in earnest in the 1980's. Now we teach at several schools throughout the United States. The Sisters assist in forming children as young as six weeks old in our St. Francis Day Care Center to teaching in higher education.

As Spiritual Mothers, we seek to bring these young hearts to the Heart of Christ. Rooted in our call as Brides of Christ, we work to share our love of the Church and her sacraments with our students and their families  by cultivating a Catholic culture and spreading the New Evangelization.

Currently, our Sisters are teaching in the following locations:

Supporting Bishops, Priests and Seminarians

Following our Founder St. Francis, we recognize in our service to the Church, his reverence for priests. 

He used to say to his brothers, 

“We have been sent to help the clergy toward salvation of souls. Know, brothers, that the fruit of souls is most pleasing to God, and it can be better obtained by peace with clerics… Therefore, be subject to prelates… and sons of peace for the clergy” (cf. Celano II, 146). 

Our service to priests began in the summer of 1987 at the invitation of Bishop Glennon P. Flavin of the Diocese of Lincoln, Nebraska. The Bishop wanted our Sisters to staff Bonacum House, the newly built residence for retired priests which currently has twelve apartments.  It is fitting that our introduction to the care for clergy began as a grateful service for them in their later years.

Our work in Bonacum House was soon followed by a similar apostolates in the Diocese of Metuchen, New Jersey, in 1989, and later in Washington, D.C., in 1995. This was eventually followed by similar apostolates in the household of the Archbishop of St. Louis as well as that of the Archbishop of Philadelphia. We served in various different bishops, cardinals and nuncios households, always seeking God's will in the "sign's of the time's" like Mother M. Anselma and seeing how we could serve the church and priests like St. Francis.

However, God’s designs are always full of surprises! The sending of four Sisters to Havana, Cuba, in January 2011, for service at St. Charles and St. Ambrose Seminary, brings us full circle.  Beginning with service to retired priests, we find ourselves called to nurture the initial growth of priestly vocations.

What a blessing and privilege it is to serve and support our priests and bishops in all these ways.  By caring for them in their needs, we benefit from the many graces that flow from their hands which sanctify us and the world they touch through our Eucharistic Lord.

"Let the whole of mankind tremble
     the whole world shake
     and the heavens exult
when Christ, the Son of the living God,
     is on the altar
     in the hands of a priest."

-St. Francis of Assisi

Care for Universal Church

through our direct service to Prelates

During the course of a day in our particular apostolate, at times we provide hands, so that those whom we serve are free to proclaim the word of God.  At other times we are able to provide the ears and the voice, so that those whom we assist are free to extend their hands.  And at other times, we provide the eyes - searching and finding - so that what is found can be handed on.  Also we fold, stuff, seal, stamp and set on its way correspondence that is meant to reach you—whomever the recipient is intended to be.  And, too, we reach out to you...in welcome.

To the best of our ability, whatever is asked of us –whatever the needs are—we are simply ready to do. 

More often than not, the work we do is done behind the scenes and, in that, we find great joy in our service, as we recall the hiddenness of our Blessed Mother during her life here on earth and how it was always her desire that the one upon whom others set their gaze is on the Person of  her Son—Jesus Christ.  The fact that she was always there for Him, is something that was surely known to Him.  

Mary, Queen of Apostles, pray for us that our faithfulness and service will be a support to all the members of His Body as we help to build up the kingdom of God.

Adoring His Heart - Adoration Sisters

An Apostolate of Adoration

When we can no longer be active in an apostolate, we get to become what we call an Adoration Sister. These Sisters spend time before Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament in our San Damiano Adoration Chapel in Alton, Il. These Sisters pray every day before the Blessed Sacrament and bring many intentions with them. Below are quotes from our Sisters who have shared the intentions that they bring with them each day, the importance of prayer in their life and vocation, and the richness that comes from living a life faithful to Christ. We are grateful for these "prayer warriors" who intercede on our behalf: for the needs of our Congregation, the Church and the world. 

"When I go to the Adoration Chapel I pray for many people: parents, family, people who are sick, those who are good to us, those who take care of us, and anything that I am asked to pray for. I want to pray before the Blessed Sacrament because God is there and I know that the He died for me. I want to come to Him and thank Him for this."

"When I went to Brazil as a missionary I knew we needed Jesus or we could not do our work there. We had so many intentions with our work, the people there, and for our Sisters to continue the work we had started through evangelization. I would always go to the Chapel to pray in between my work. I prayed that all might come to Jesus. The people there had a strong faith."

"Prayer depends very much on the Catholic family. My parents were very Catholic and my Father would always take us to Church, which was far away. At that time we never talked about going to Confession, or going to Mass. We just went and that was understood."

"I pray a holy hour every day in our Adoration Chapel. Sometimes when I’m praying people will come up to me and tell me their prayer intentions. I pray for whatever people need or ask for. During my time there I always pray for family, those living and deceased; for neighbors, and for our Sisters."

"I want to pray in front of the Blessed Sacrament in the Chapel because He is there! When I pray most of my intentions are for good Priests. It is so important for us to pray for them. We need them for Mass, for Confession, to be in schools, for religion. I also pray for the Church which means for the people, the priests, and for everybody."