Congregation
Today, more and more people are seeking inspiration, for positive role models, and for meaning in their lives. Many women have found this and more in our religious community since 1844.
Origin and development
The origin of the Congregation lies in northwest Germany, in Telgte near Muenster. In the mid-19th century, poverty was abundant in rural regions, and health care was limited, especially in remote villages and on farms. To recognize the need and take do something about it was the goal of Father Christopher Bernsmeyer, OFM, a Franciscan priest who served in Telgte, and of several young women who were willing to devote their lives to the service of God and the care of the sick.
Thus on July 2, 1844, Father Christopher founded the “Hospital Sisters of the Third Order Regular of Saint Francis” and admitted a small group of novices. The new community combined the Franciscan way of life with nursing to people in their home which was innovative at the time. If a peasant family was in need because the mother was ill or had died, the Sisters would live and work on the farm with them instead of returning daily to their convent.
?!Our Congregation’s name is multi-faceted: Our Sisters belong to a religious community (congregation) which was founded for the care of the sick. Among the many Congregations associated with St. Francis of Assisi, first orders are for priests; second orders can be traced to St. Clare of Assisi and are for women; and third orders originally described the movement from which the Franciscan Brothers and Sisters emerged. Regular means that life follows a rule written by St. Francis of Assisi.
Our first Sisters provided a need in the care of the sick. Their commitment was so impressive that it inspired other women to join them. The Congregation grew rapidly and thus led to the founding of its first hospital in Telgte as early as 1848 while many more hospitals and nursing homes in Germany followed. In 1853, the Motherhouse moved to the St. Mauritz area of Muenster and the Sisters became known as the Mauritz Franciscans.
Based in Muenster, the Sisters were committed to helping people in need all over the world. They risked their lives as nurses in war hospitals and epidemic areas and founded locations in Silesia (now Poland), the United States of America, Japan, and India. At times they also served in the Netherlands, as well as in China, the Czech Republic, Haiti, Taiwan, Tanzania and in the U.S.A. states of New Mexico, Arizona, and Louisiana. Between 1930 and 1960, about 3,500 Sisters were at the service of the sick and needy in this international Franciscan women’s Congregation.
This commitment continues today, even though the overall membership in the Congregation is declining: In Germany, only a few young women still choose religious life while more do so in Poland, Japan and India. Therefore, the works and values of the Sisters are now supported and carried on by many lay men and women co-workers.
Ministries
In accordance with the founding mission of finding helpful answers to the respective needs of the time, the tasks of the Congregation have continuously developed and expanded. Today, in addition to caring for the sick and the needy, education is of great importance: The Sisters are involved in nursing education as well as in health and school education, both as teachers and by building schools.
In addition, the Congregation supports medical and social projects, and is committed to supporting equality, and the protection of women – the latter especially in India.
?!Women in leadership positions? Of course. Female leadership has been the practice in women's Congregations since the Middle Ages, and was the custom in the institutions founded by the Franciscan Sisters. Both the nursing as well as the overall management of the hospital departments and other facilities were in the hands of the Sisters. Thus, women religious had more career opportunities than women who weren’t in a religious community. In Germany, married women were not considered legally competent until 1969. And until 1977 if they wanted to have a job they had to ask their husband’s permission. At that time, Sister M. Ambrosina Bettmer was in charge of St. Francis Hospital in Muenster with several hundred working Sisters and lay employees.
In the Congregation’s European locations, our Sisters receive more and more requests from lay women who are looking for spiritual orientation and for more meaning in their lives. Wherever possible, these women are invited to share some time with the Sisters in their convents, where they are offered as much peace, space, and individual companionship as they need.
Taking care of the Sisters in illness and old age is also one of the Congregation’s ministries. The vows a Sister takes were a two-fold promise: professing her Perpetual Vows, the Sister binds herself to God and to the community, promising to place her life and labor at His service. In return, she receives the promise that she will be supported by the Congregation during and after her active service. Thus, a Franciscan Sister does not have to fear being alone in old age; she knows that she will be respected and cared for until the end of her life.
Formation
All women who are interested in leading their life within the Franciscan religious community go through a multi-level religious education of at least six years. This time of formation leads from postulancy to the novitiate, and then to temporary vows (juniorate), and finally to perpetual vows.
Formation is a time of spiritual and practical preparation for religious life, but also a time of discernment, both for the candidate and for the Congregation. Is the candidate sure that she wants to commit her life to the service of God and those in need? And can the Congregation see that the candidate is called to live in this community, and is suitable for the challenges and ministries of religious life?
An international standard applies to the process of formation which is defined in the Congregation’s General Directives and is continuously updated.
Whoever says with Francis, ‘This is what I want, this is what I seek, this is what I long to do from the depths of my heart,’ and strives to live according to this word, shows the vocation to Franciscan life and healing service in our community.
General Constitutions, 73
In addition to religious formation, all the Sisters receive vocational training or study at a university in order to be prepared for active ministry in a field of service. Traditionally, all Mauritz Franciscans first trained as nurses before they received specialized training.
Many Sisters work in the care of the sick as well as in pastoral care. In addition, there are doctors, teachers and lawyers. Moreover, when the Sisters assume leadership responsibilities in their respective professions or within the Congregation, they are prepared for their tasks through additional training (e.g. nursing management or international management). International assignments in other locations are prepared with language courses.
Our Congregation follows the principle of lifelong learning:
General Constitutions, 67
“We have the responsibility to develop our dispositions in such a way that our witness becomes effective and fruitful. This includes a lifetime of spiritual, intellectual, personal and professional formation.”
Franciscan Tradition
In the early 13th century, St. Francis of Assisi was committed to peace, justice and the preservation of God’s creation. As a simple friar, he practiced and preached humility and charity, and he devoted himself to caring for the sick and for outcasts.
St. Francis’ values, which have guided our lives since the foundation of our Congregation in 1844, are even more relevant today and shape our international mission statement:
We are members of an international, multicultural congregation of Franciscan Sisters. We are committed to living the Gospel in the spirit of St. Francis of Assisi, our founder Father Christoph Bernsmeyer, OFM, our first Sisters and all who follow them. We are committed to the common mission of bringing Christ’s healing presence to humanity and supporting creative ways of responding to people in illness, poverty and need. We bear witness to our Franciscan spirituality by showing reverence for all creation, living and promoting peace and justice, and respecting the dignity of all people. We are committed to a simple lifestyle in community. We feel challenged by the values of the Third Order Regular: conversion, contemplation, poverty, humility.
Life stories
Entering a religious community is a life decision in which vocation plays an important role. Here you can find out how our Sisters’ lives were shaped, and how they are fulfilled in Christ:
