In 1946, seeking a new home outside of urban St. Louis, the Franciscan Sisters were led to the Hurley Family Estate in rural DuPage County, Illinois. Captivated by its natural beauty and its convenience to their ministries, they made it their home and headquarters, becoming known as the Wheaton Franciscan Sisters.
In 2025, as we marked 70 years of sacred presence at the motherhouse and chapel, we pause in deep gratitude—for the land that welcomed them, for the many Indigenous tribes who blessed this land before them, for the trees and creatures that inhabit it, and for the spirit of stillness that has sustained prayer, community, and contemplation through the decades. The Wheaton Franciscans expressed this gratitude in their Land Acknowledgment Statement.
Wheaton Franciscan Sisters Land Acknowledgement Statement
The Wheaton Franciscan community is located on the ancestral homelands of the Council of Three Fires—the Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi peoples. Many other Indigenous tribes, including the Fox, Ho-Chunk, Illinois, Kickapoo, and Miami also resided on or migrated through this land.
As a Franciscan community with a spirit of reverence for Earth, we
acknowledge the Indigenous peoples who lived in relationship with this land and cared for it for generations until they were forcibly removed. We honor with gratitude their care and ongoing contributions to this place.
We respect the history, culture, and diversity of Indigenous peoples as well as their presence now and in future generations.
We are inspired to carry on the legacy of land stewardship in the spirit of
living deeply in relationship with Earth, so that gratitude and appreciation of Indigenous peoples remain alive in us and in all who walk this land.
We are committed to supporting Indigenous communities and working with them to develop partnerships that honor their enduring legacy and their current work in this region.
This draft was last updated 5-19-25 by the FOL Circle. The original draft was approved in September of 2023 at the Regional Assembly.
