Community News

News regarding the Wheaton Franciscans Community

2021 Jubilarians

In 2021, we are grateful to celebrate and rejoice with our 5 Sister jubilarians and one Covenant Companion jubilarian. We celebrate their lives and their commitment to living Gospel values. To learn more about each Jubilarian click the button with their name.      70 Years      Sr. Dorothy Birk What attracted you to the Wheaton Franciscans?I was taught by Franciscan Sisters and Franciscan Fathers. During my high school years, Father Jesper Maus, a friend, introduced me to Sister Hyacinth at St. Anthony’s Hospital. Sister was the one who convinced me to go [...]

2021 Jubilarians2021-06-10T21:08:52+00:00

Laudato Sí Week

“for we know that things can change” (LS 13)      Laudato Sí Week - May 16-24, 2021On May 24, 2020, the fifth anniversary of the encyclical, Pope Francis announced a Special Laudato Si’ Anniversary Year from 24th May 2020 – 24th May 2021.“I invite all persons of goodwill to adhere to it, to take care of our common home and our more fragile brothers and sisters”, said the Pope.Pope Francis urges all people of good will to take urgent action against the injustice of climate change and the ecological crisis, to protect the poor, and future generations. His encyclical [...]

Laudato Sí Week2021-05-21T17:16:00+00:00

Earth Day 2021

     When life around the world returns to normal, our world cannot return to business-as-usual. So much damage has been done, but that does not mean we have to continue that legacy. We have the ability to make a difference in every industry, but that can only happen when we work together to #RestoreOurEarth. We are excited to be part of EARTHDAY.ORG’s #RestoreOurEarth campaign for the 51st Earth Day! A more sustainable world requires efforts in every aspect of our society and that starts with YOU. Join us in the fight! Get started today by checking out the many [...]

Earth Day 20212021-04-23T18:41:56+00:00

Remembering Sr. Mary Patrick Salm

     February 14, 1930 - December 2, 2020           Memorial MassThursday, December 10. 2020Service Begins at 10:00 AMvia LivestreamBurialAssumption CemeteryWinfield, Illinois    Click For Livestream Link    Click For Reflection          Obituary:On December 2, 2020 Sister Mary Patrick Salm breathed her fullness into the abundant love of her life: God. She walked Earth for 90 years with the goodness who she knew as Trinity: One who is Love, Beloved and Lover. And thus she grew in wisdom, grace, service, humor, simplicity and mysticism as our “Sister” Pat!She was destined to [...]

Remembering Sr. Mary Patrick Salm2020-12-11T23:28:15+00:00

Celebrating the 160th Anniversary of our Founding

On October 30th of every year, the international congregation of the Franciscan Sisters, Daughters of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary (known in the United States as the Wheaton Franciscans), celebrate the founding of their congregation. It was on this day in 1860 that Konrad Martin, Bishop of Paderborn, Germany, approved the Constitution of the new congregation, written by its foundress, Mother Clara Pfaender. It was not a usual occurrence to have a woman religious write the bylaws, statues, and constitution of a newly found women’s religious community in Prussia at that time. Yet, such was the relationship and [...]

Celebrating the 160th Anniversary of our Founding2020-10-30T17:45:07+00:00

Election 2020: For the Common Good

“I ask everyone with political responsibility to remember two things: human dignity and the common good.” Pope Francis As a community of Franciscan hearted people, we join with others in expressing our deep concern about the state of our nation and the future of our democracy. We share the belief that we are facing one of the most consequential elections of our lifetimes in a nation that is increasingly divided. We are offering this website page as a resource for prayer and inspiration as we accept the role of compassionate, respectful, and responsible citizenship for the sake of the common [...]

Election 2020: For the Common Good2020-11-03T16:21:19+00:00

Homeless Bees Visit OLA Garden

In mid-September, Mary Krystinak, Director Our Lady of Angels and Sisters Healthy Living, received an urgent email reporting, “The Bees are Swarming!” The email included pictures of hundreds of bees in a cluster, hanging pendulously from a branch above the current beehive.Fortunately, Mary was in route to the OLA gardens for her weekly visit. She called our beekeeper, Alphonse Scepurek, to advise him of the emergency. You may recall that earlier this year, only a few weeks after the installation of our new hive, we experienced a swarm, and we did not arrive in time to discourage the bees from [...]

Homeless Bees Visit OLA Garden2020-10-23T19:12:38+00:00

Remembering Our Sisters Who Have Gone Before Us

The Transitus of St. Francis is celebrated by Franciscans around the world as it marks Francis’ “passage from death into new life”, the literal meaning of the word Transitus in Latin. The evening ritual held on October 3, usually consists of readings of Francis’ death. During the service, one has the experience of being with a beloved as they die. In a death-denying society, during a time when one needs to sign legal documents to not have medical technology intervene to keep a body technically alive, it is quite a welcomed change. It returns us to the reality that death [...]

Remembering Our Sisters Who Have Gone Before Us2020-10-02T20:04:32+00:00

Announcing The New Regional Community Leadership Team

Dreaming, Daring, DeepeningCreating a vibrant, shared community  With abundant joy and deep gratitude, the Wheaton Franciscan Community is happy to announce the new Regional Community Leadership Team. On Saturday, September 12, 2020, the feast of the Holy Name of Mary, the St. Clare Regional Community called forth three sisters to be the leaders of the newly created Region. They are Sr. Melanie Paradis, Regional Directress; Sr. Glenna Czachor and Sr. Rose Mary Pint, Team Members. We are grateful to Srs. Melanie, Glenna, and Rose Mary for their willingness to serve and to share their gifts and their wisdom with the [...]

Announcing The New Regional Community Leadership Team2020-09-18T14:48:53+00:00

Season of Creation 2020

Jubilee for the Earth Today we begin our annual celebration of the Season of Creation. The Season of Creation is celebrated around the world and in many faith traditions. The season begins on September 1, the Day of Prayer for Creation, and runs through October 4, the Feast of St. Francis, who is the patron saint of ecology in many traditions. The ecumenical steering committee that plans and promotes the season each year put it this way: "The Season of Creation is a time to renew our relationship with our Creator and all creation through celebration, conversion, and commitment together. During the Season of Creation, [...]

Season of Creation 20202020-10-02T21:23:16+00:00
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