The Sisters of St. Francis of the Neumann Communities were part of the kick-off event for the inaugural National Catholic Sisters Week March 8 through 14 at St. Catherine University in St. Paul, Minn. The university received a three-year Hilton Foundation grant to help bring greater visibility to the contributions of women religious, as part of Women’s History Month (March). Sister Caryn Crook, Franciscan ecology coordinator at Alverna Heights in Fayetteville, N.Y attended the event along with Maggie Byrne, campus minister at Syracuse University. They joined women religious and young women from across the country for a weekend of storytelling, workshops and prayer.
Read about the event in The Catholic Sun.
National Catholic Sisters Week in the the news
Read about National Catholic Sisters Week at ncronline.org.
Read about National Catholic Sisters Week and how social media helps women connect at pittsburghcatholic.org.
Who are the Sisters of St. Francis of the Neumann Communities?
From the traditional works in education and health care, we have expanded our ministries to meet today’s needs.
• campus ministry
• parishes and diocesan administration
• social justice services and counseling
• congregational leadership
• prayer ministry, honoring the many requests
for prayer submitted to the sisters
Here are just some examples of what we do and where we are:
Sister Marie Joette Ebert
Sister Concetta Fabo
Sister Davilyn Ah ChickPrincipal
Ewa Beach, Hawaii
Sister Maryann ArgusMath Teacher/Technology
Syracuse, N.Y.
Sister Jean BarrettPastoral Associate
St. Petersburg, Fla.
Sister Margaret Carney
Sister William Marie Eleniki
Sister Suzanne Susany
Sister Marie McTarnaghanPrayer Ministry
Williamsville, N.Y.
Sister Joanne Gangloff
Sister Catherine ThomsonCentenarian
Pittsburgh, Pa.
Sister James Ann Germuska
Sister Michele Jackson
Sister Jonathan LunskisRadiologic Technologist
Pittsburgh, Pa.
Sister Agnes KaczmarekShelter Assistant
Albuquerque, N.M.
Sister Jeanne Karp
Sister Margaret Christi KarwowskiAdjunct Professor
Washington, D.C.
Sister Marcella NachreinerInformation Technology Manager
Williamsville, N.Y.
Sister Rosaire Kopczenski
Sister Beth Niederpruem
Sister Eileen MagillCEO, Christian Housing
Pittsburgh, Pa.
Sister Lastenia Paz ReinaNurse Technician
Lima, Peru
Sister Helen Paul PodeslaBusiness Manager
Mt. Vernon, N.Y.
Sister James Peter RidgeoCoordinator of Medical Services
Syracuse, N.Y.
Sister Colette Walter
Sister Conchetta LoPrestiPastoral Minister
Adjunct Professor
Interpreter for Deaf
Cheektowaga, N.Y.
Sister Grace SnyerClaims Processor
Pittsburgh, Pa.
Sister Mary Ann MishurdaPastoral Minister
English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher
Lubbock, TX
Our history
Historically, all these communities share the same Franciscan heritage that grew out of a Philadelphia congregation founded by Sister Mary Francis Bachmann, Sister Mary Margaret Boll and Sister Bernardina Dorn with the guidance of St. John Neumann (then Bishop of Philadelphia) in 1855. Embracing this Franciscan legacy, today we remain rooted in the Gospel as we serve God’s people with reverence, justice and compassion.
Furthering the legacy of Saint Marianne Cope
St. Marianne Cope, a Sister of St. Francis of the Neumann Communities, was canonized Oct. 21, 2012. She is the first Franciscan woman from North American to be canonized, and only the 11th American saint. A woman of great valor, this beloved mother of outcasts, spent her early years in central New York where she served as a leader in the field of health care, education and of her own congregation. Responding to a call to care for the poor sick on the then Sandwich Islands, she devoted 35 years to caring for those afflicted with Hansen’s disease on Kalaupapa, Molokai, Hawaii.
Visit our official website to learn more about the life and ministry of St. Marianne Cope and the canonization process.
How can you be more involved?
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Sister Caryn Crook, Franciscan ecology coordinator at Alverna Heights in Fayetteville, N.Y will attend the National Catholic Sisters Week kick-off event at St. Catherine University along with Maggie Byrne, campus minister at Syracuse University and the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry.
Since this is a new venture, networking with other communities of women religious and young college-age women together, is exciting and will be a great benefit to all. Just think of the ideas and enthusiasm that will abound during this weekend!