When you donate to the Sisters of St. Francis on #GivingTuesday, you support those whose lives of selfless service are a gift to so many.
Every day our sisters dedicate their time, prayers, hearts and hands to help men, women and children most in need. Our sisters serve as educators, social workers, nurses, care givers, counselors, and prayer partners — most often as volunteers or with very little pay to meet their own needs.
Many people who are sick and poor depend on our sisters for help. In turn, our sisters depend on your support. Your gift will help us make life better for people in need.
Those in need depend on our sisters. Our retired sisters depend on you.
Eighty-eight of our sisters live in western Pennsylvania; their average age is 82 years. The sisters living in our health care unit and assisted living floor at the regional house in Millvale need a new nurse call system. In 60 bedrooms, we need new pull cord stations and hardware so that sisters can communicate with nursing staff and receive the urgent care they require. Your gift helps keep our senior sisters safe.
Those who grieve depend on Sister Pat. She depends on you.
As a Hospice chaplain at St. Francis Healthcare System, Sister Pat Schofield comforts countless patients and their families during their life’s final journey. “I try to bring the good Lord to others, so they may have peace and joy throughout their lives,” says Sister Pat, who has served in pastoral care for more than 10 years. “This has always been my love — caring for the sick and the elderly,” she says. “I have a Franciscan heart.” Your gift helps Sister Pat comfort the dying and grieving.
The hungry depend on Sister Anne. She depends on you.
Sister Anne McNulty spent years as a teacher, hospital chaplain and counselor with Catholic Charities. But this down-to-earth sister always yearned to be a farmer, growing produce to feed the poor and needy. This year, Sister Anne became part of a project that transformed almost six acres of vacant inner city property into a thriving urban farm. This season she helped cultivate and harvest more than 36 varieties of vegetables and herbs. Your gift helps Sister Anne feed the hungry.
Those in need depend on Sister Pat. She depends on you.
The parish community of St. Lucy’s in Syracuse’s Near-Westside reaches out to help people in need in their own backyard. In this economically challenged neighborhood, Sister Pat Bergan leads parish peace and justice outreach — assisting people who are homeless, immigrants, and families in need. Sister Pat is willing to do anything to help others — even shaving her head to help raise money for the fight against childhood cancers. Your gift helps Sister Pat champion the needs of the poor.
Babies depend on Sister Michael. She depends on you.
For two hours each weekday, Sister Michael Stroyer experiences the joy of new life as she feeds, rocks and plays with infants at Mount Alvernia Day Care and Learning Center. “It keeps me young!” she says, and “It gives me the opportunity to love them at times when they need it.”
God’s creatures depend on Sister Mede. She depends on you.
At age 70, Sister Mede Hutchinson continued to follow God’s call and became a certified veterinary assistant. Your gift helps Sister Mede and our other sisters care for animals and the humans who love them.
People who hunger for prayer depend on our sisters. Our sisters depend on you.
Sister Mary Agnes Phillips is one of many sisters involved in special prayer partner relationships through our Adopt A Sister program. Marilyn, who has adopted Sister Mary Agnes, says since adopting her first and second grade teacher, her spirituality has been enriched in ways she could never have imagined. “My spiritual life has never been better,” she says. “May God bless the Sisters of St. Francis.” Your gift helps Sister Mary Agnes and our other sisters pray for and support people in need.
Those with mental health needs depend on Sister Michele. She depends on you.
Blessed with the gift of listening, Sister Michele Jackson has always shared that gift with others. “People would come to me, and want to talk. They needed to know that someone cared,” explains Sister Michele. Her gift of empathetic listening led her to earn a master’s degree in pastoral counseling. Today, as a therapist, Sister Michele helps people deal with major life issues such as marriage and family relationships, personality disorders, anxiety and depression, grief and loss. Her goal is to bring clarity into people’s lives and lead them to a place where they can find peace and hope. Your gift strengthens Sister Michele’s ability to comfort those who are overwhelmed by life’s struggles.
The elderly depend on Sister Angelita. She depends on you.
Sister Angelita Molina uses her skills as a seamstress to serve senior adults who need clothing repaired. Each Tuesday, she packs up her sewing machine and heads to Alverno Apartments in Millvale (on Thursdays, she visits John Paul Plaza atop Pittsburgh’s Polish Hill). Here, she sews pillows, alters clothes and shares conversation and prayer with the residents. “Sewing is a ministry and as part of this ministry, I bring the word of God to others,” she says. Your gift helps Sister Angelita continue to serve the elderly.
The hungry depend on Sisters Alice and Pat. They depend on you.
When Sisters Patricia Fogle and Alice Halterlein visit Starbucks in Pittsburgh’s Ross Park Mall each week, they are on a mission — to pick up baked goods from the leftovers bin. When they deliver those treats to local food pantries, homeless shelters, and social service agencies, they bring a little sweetness into the lives of people in need. “It really makes their day,” says Sister Patricia. “Their faces just light up each time we walk in with the pastries.” The gift of Franciscan hospitality offered by Sisters Patricia and Alice during their visits is the icing on the cake!
Inner city youth depend on Sister Margaret Patrick. She depends on you.
Each year, hundreds of inner city youth get to experience summer fun and God’s creation at Camp Alverna. Your gift helps Sister Margaret Patrick continue this life changing ministry.
The homeless depend on Sister Bea. She depends on you.
To help combat Hawaii’s growing homeless, as administrator of Our Lady of Keaau retreat center in Wainaue, Hawaii, Sister Bea Tom created Mother Marianne’s Farm, a Christian homeless tent community. Your support helps Sister Bea and other sisters feed, clothe and bring hope to the homeless.
The poorest of the poor depend on Sisters Joanne and Bea. Our sisters depend on you.
AIDS, unemployment, drought, overpopulation and death are just a few of the humanitarian issues that threaten people in Kenya, Africa. Here, Sisters Joanne Gangloff and Bea Leising aid hundreds of impoverished children by educating them, feeding them nutritious meals and giving them medical and dental assistance. Thanks to our generous donors, Sisters Joanne and Bea have accomplished so much, but more than 300 children still need help. Your gift helps Sisters Joanne and Bea provide hope to children in Kenya.
The homebound depend on Sister Jeanne. She depends on you.
As a home health nurse, Sister Jeanne Karp provides compassionate healing care to people recently discharged from the hospital. Your support helps Sister Jeanne and other sisters for whom unconditional love is a way of life.
The sick depend on Sister Ann Helene. She depends on you.
She’s known as the staff’s “ray of sunshine” in the palliative and memory care units of the skilled nursing facilities where Sister Ann Helene Koenig offers pastoral care. For years she was an educator and principal. Now she teaches people to know that God is with them, that they are not alone, and that they have the support of people who really care for them. In caring for residents and their families during times of need, Sister Ann Helene has forged a strong and beautiful bond. Your gift helps Sister Helene to bring God’s love to those who are sick.
