The Hospital Sisters of St. Francis celebrated the Jubilee of eight sisters on June 4 in St. Francis of Assisi Church in Springfield. The Mass was celebrated by Bishop Thomas John Paprocki. Father John L. Ostdiek, OFM, who resides at St. Clare’s Villa in Alton, was the homilist.
“And now with a Jubilarian’s eye, look back on how the years in your religious life and ministry matured, blossomed in full,” Father John said in his homily. “Think back to your ministry, ‘To heal the broken-hearted … to bring good news to the poor … to tell the people that the Lord will save them.’ (Isaiah 61:1-11). Through countless efforts to care and even cure, you brought Jesus’ story of the Good Samaritan, the story of St. Francis of Assisi caring for lepers, and the example of many, many Hospital Sisters, into reality.”
This year’s Jubilarians are Sister Marciana Lynch, 75 years professed; Sisters Francis Kuo, Hugh Holtmann, Marianna Kosior, and Therese Fang, 70 years professed; and Sisters JoAn Schullian, Mary Immaculate Creedon, and Owen Marie McArdle, 60 years professed. Throughout their religious life, these sisters served in various capacities at their sponsored hospitals in Illinois, Wisconsin, China, and Japan, served in leadership, and served in cities throughout Illinois, Missouri, Louisiana, and Haiti. Jubilee marks the anniversary when a sister professes first vows in a religious community.
The Hospital Sisters of St. Francis is an international congregation of Franciscan Sisters founded in Germany in 1844, and their provinces include Germany, Poland, USA, Japan, and India. The American Province, based in Springfield, was founded in 1875 when sisters from Germany arrived and began a healthcare ministry. The province is the founding institute of Hospital Sisters Ministries which sponsors 14 hospitals and an integrated physician network across Illinois and Wisconsin through Hospital Sisters Health System.
The province sponsors a mission in Kemondo, Tanzania, Africa, and it sponsors Hospital Sisters Mission Outreach — a recovery and world-wide distribution medical supplies and equipment. In 2007, the Province opened Chiara Center — a Franciscan place of spirituality for individuals and groups seeking a retreat and conference center. For more information, visit www.hospitalsisters.org.