Franciscan Sisters bring the Gospel message of love to those most in need for 150 years
The Missionary Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Conception celebrate their 150th Anniversary of Foundation this year, 2023. We have been blessed to minister to God’s people in many dioceses throughout the United States, and on five continents, bringing the Gospel message of love, in the Franciscan tradition of St. Francis and St. Clare, to those most in need. The Sisters, in their outreach to the people, shared their charism with its special emphasis on peacemaking, hospitality, and compassion. Their presence fostered welcoming and inclusive communities, with solidarity in service to and with the poor as their guiding star.
Mother Mary Ignatius Hayes, (Elizabeth Hayes), our Foundress, born on the island of Guernsey, was a convert to Catholicism. She established the first house of the Institute in a log cabin in Belle Prairie, Minnesota, in 1873. Her immediate aim was to open a school to address an obvious need in this far- flung outpost of largely French-Canadian settlers. She was an experienced educator, who spoke fluent French. Her ability to inspire this rural community resulted in the school opening a few months after her arrival! And so began a focus on formal education that would mark the American adventure up to Vatican II. That is not to say that other needs were overlooked. Those early Sisters were heroic women who believed in going the extra mile even at great personal cost. Following Vatican II, while education continued to be a focus, many Sisters felt called to respond to other challenges needing attention. These included, mainly: Pastoral Work, Social Work, and Catechesis.
While the challenge of educating the young, and the outreach to people in need were essential works for the Foundress, she understood that the spiritual nourishment and development of the novices and her young community were crucial. In her efforts to address this need, Mother Mary Ignatius was responsible for bringing the first Poor Clares to the United States. She traveled to Rome in 1874, and while there the idea of adding a contemplative branch of religious which would support her own young foundation, was crystalized. She overcame all obstacles and concerns placed in her path by the ecclesiastical authorities in Rome. When she finally set sail for the United States on her return journey to Belle Prairie, she was accompanied by two blood sisters, Poor Clares, Sisters Maddalena and Constance Bentivoglio and a chaplain appointed to attend to their spiritual needs once the Poor Clare monastery was established in Belle Prairie. Unfortunately, homesick and discouraged by stories of the rigorous climate and the hardships of frontier Minnesota, the chaplain on arrival in New York, petitioned to return to Italy. The Sisters, dismayed by this unexpected turn of events, remained in New York, and waited for directions from their superiors in Rome. They were directed to try to find a diocese willing to accept them. They eventually settled in Omaha, Nebraska. The Boston Poor Clares in Jamaica Plain, MA, trace their roots to this foundation and Mother Maddalena Bentivoglio is recognized as the Foundress of the Poor Clares in the United States.
Our first foundation in New Jersey was in 1899 in a small house on Sixth Street, near the Italian Church of the Most Holy Rosary in Jersey City. His Excellency, Bishop Wigger, Diocese of Newark, welcomed us. The parishioners of Holy Rosary were part of a wave of immigrants from southern Italy who had come to America in the 1880s. Mostly rural people, they had little formal education and were unskilled. Available jobs for them were among the most menial and poorly paid. To supplement the family income, wives, too, were obliged to work in sewing factories and in laundries. Fortunately for the people of Holy Rosary, the sisters understood their problems and worked hard to ease their burdens. First, they provided a day care center for the children and in 1900 opened St. Francis Orphanage Home in a rented facility adjacent to the convent. Unfortunately, the home, a wooden structure, was destroyed by fire in 1903. Thankfully, the sisters managed to get all the children out safely. The search was on for a new home. Providence stepped in. In 1904, Miss Sarah Kerrigan of the nearby town of West Hoboken bequeathed her estate to the diocese of Newark with the stipulation that it be used as an orphanage. Bishop O’Connor, who had succeeded Bishop Wigger, immediately placed the property at the disposal of the sisters. That same year, Saint Francis Home was relocated to West Hoboken, present day Union City. In the new spacious environment, the home flourished, and every effort was made to meet the social, emotional, spiritual, and educational needs of the children. Despite the challenges of WWI and the influenza pandemic of 1918 – 1919 and later the deprivations that all suffered during WWII, the home continued to meet the needs of the children. However, by the 1950s, the view among social scientists was that orphanages were artificial societies and foster homes and adoption centers gradually replaced them.
Therefore, with the necessary ecclesial permission, in 1959, St. Francis Home transitioned into Saint Francis Academy. Today, the academy is at full enrollment, is a National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence, and is fully Accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. Other schools in the archdiocese in which we have been privileged to serve include: St. Anthony Parochial School, West Hoboken; John Paul II School, Hoboken; Holy Trinity School, Hackensack; Our Lady of Mount Carmel School, Tenafly; The Academy of Saint Therese, Cresskill. The latter two schools were under the auspices of the Carmelite Fathers and their respective parishes were also served by our sisters in the following capacities: Ministry to the Homebound and Hospital Visitation; Ministry to the Bereaved; Director- RCIA Program. One of our sisters was also privileged to serve as Parish Minister in Saint Joseph Parish, Bogota.
In all educational endeavors, a concerted effort was made to involve parents in the education of their children. Personal development of the student body at each school was a priority of the faculty who provided regular reflection periods, coordinated outreach to the needy, and supervised community service projects. Students grew in their awareness of the spiritual and social dimensions of Christian living. We salute these schools for their many achievements and for their outstanding performance at contests in religion, art, music, dance, oratory, dramatics, and science.
On another plane, over 100 years ago, in 1920, the Missionary Franciscan Sisters purchased 25 acres of land at Knickerbocker Road, Tenafly, to have a place of rest and recuperation for sisters recovering from surgery, illness, or simply needing a break. As one might expect, just about everything has changed since then. Gone are all traces of a working farm. The two original buildings have been razed. However, the purpose for the purchase has endured. A well designed nursing unit is in place, staffed with professional nurses, supported by competent, friendly and compassionate assistants. Modern buildings housed, at their peak, roughly forty retired active sisters and about 20 sisters cared for in the infirmary. The main ministry is a ministry of prayer. Requests for prayer pour in from all parts of the archdiocese and indeed from far beyond its borders.
In the late 1950s, a young Sister Mary Trinity Kenny was assigned to Tenafly. Cancer had already deprived her of the use of three fingers. To provide a focus for her, and an outlet for her considerable talents, creativity, business and management skills, she was encouraged to focus on her gifts. She opened a small gift shop. The gift shop prospered and became a venue, too, for spreading the Good News and offering comfort and direction to the many who came for a meaningful gift for baptism, first communion, confirmation, marriage, and all sorts of special events. Over the years, Sister Trinity expanded the ministry of the gift shop to raising consciousness in regard to the needs of the poor. In 1980, with the help of an ever growing band of committed volunteers, the first of 20 – five Annual Lenten Soup Suppers, was begun. The response of the people was phenomenal. To accommodate the crowds, St. John’s Parish, Bergenfield, offered their parish hall. Over the years, this outreach was instrumental in providing substantial assistance to many charities. Sister and her volunteers also responded to natural disasters not only within the United States but also, for example, to relieve the suffering of the people of Haiti following the devastating earthquake there.
Her committed lay group of men and women, formed a beautiful bond of friendship with the active, retired sisters that gave spirit and energy, laced with love and laughter, to this truly gospel enterprise.
The mission could not have been carried out without the warm support of the surrounding parishes. We thank the Carmelite Fathers of Mount Carmel Parish, Tenafly, where our convent, Our Lady of the Angels, lies. From the beginning, up to the 1990s, the priests served as our chaplains, celebrating daily Mass, attending to the needs of the sick, officiating at funeral services, and as spiritual directors called us to holiness of life. We, also thank the pastors of St. Therese of Lisieux Parish who were always so supportive and gladly stepped in to fill a need as required. They were happy to publish the ads in their church bulletin for the Walks for Hunger, the outdoor Rosary Procession in May, and the Good Friday outdoor Stations of the Cross. We are so grateful to them. Beginning in the early 1990s, the pastor and priests of St. John’s Parish, Bergenfield, and the SMA Fathers from their monastery on Bliss Avenue, Tenafly, shared in attending to all our spiritual needs. Both of these communities have been untiring in their support and guidance. Thank you. We are truly grateful.
As we begin the 150th Anniversary Celebration, we want to thank you all for the truly blessed experience of ministering among you. Our wishes are best expressed by the touching words of St. Paul: I thank my God every time I remember you, constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you. (Philippians 1:3).
Featured image: The Missionary Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Conception minister to God’s people in many dioceses throughout the world, bringing the Gospel message of love, in the Franciscan tradition of St. Francis and St. Clare, to those most in need. Shown clockwise are St. Clare, St Francis and Mother Mary Ignatius Hayes, (Elizabeth Hayes), the Foundress. (MFIC/Photo)
