History of FSA in the
United States of America
The Allegany Franciscans’ first ministry was to provide education to the children and young women of Allegany, NY, and the surrounding communities. In 1861, the sisters opened St. Elizabeth’s Academy, a boarding and day school that they ran out of their convent.
Study Hall at St. Elizabeth’s Academy, c. 1883.
A class of students from the “finishing” program at St. Elizabeth’s Academy, c. 1883.
The sisters also taught at the local elementary school. Through their connection with the Franciscan Friars, the Alleganies were soon invited to teach at schools in Winsted, Connecticut (1865), Buffalo, New York (1865), and New York City (1874).
In 1883, a group of secular Franciscan women in Boston reached out to the Allegany Franciscans. The secular Franciscans asked if the Alleganies would take over the administration of their hospital in Brighton, Massachusetts: St. Elizabeth’s Hospital. Although the sisters had no formal experience, they agreed to acquire the hospital and expand their ministry into healthcare. The hospital in Brighton was followed in 1891 by a similar hospital in New York City, also named St. Elizabeth’s. From these first two hospitals, the sisters developed a reputation for providing quality, compassionate care to all patients, regardless of their ability to pay.
In 1927, a wealthy Florida man named James Allison wrote to the Allegany Franciscans. His hospital in Miami Beach, Florida, was in financial trouble. Would the sisters come to Miami, run Allison Hospital, and save it from failure? After some consideration, the Alleganies decided to grant Mr. Allison’s request. They sent Mother Alice Henry to Miami Beach to take over the administration of Allison Hospital. With careful budgeting and shrewd business sense, Mother Alice saved Allison Hospital from financial ruin, earning her the nickname “Doctor of Sick Hospitals.” When Mr. Allison died suddenly in 1928, the Allegany Franciscans purchased the hospital and renamed it St. Francis Hospital.
Mother Alice Henry,
the “Doctor of Sick Hospitals,” 1879-1960.
St. Francis Hospital, Olean, NY, c. 1950
St. Francis Hospital, Miami Beach, FL, c. 1959
Mother Alice also helped to open St. Joseph’s Hospital (Tampa, FL, 1934), St. Anthony’s Hospital (St. Petersburg, FL, 1931), St. Mary’s Hospital (West Palm Beach, FL, 1942), St. Clare’s Hospital (New York, NY, 1934), and Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital (Camden, NJ, 1950). In addition to these hospitals, the Allegany Franciscans also opened St. Francis Hospital (1938) in Olean, NY, and they administered two hospitals in Providence, RI: St. Joseph’s Hospital (1937) and Our Lady of Fatima Hospital (1954). The sisters also opened and taught at several nursing schools. In each of these hospitals, Allegany Franciscans served as nurses, laboratory technicians, anesthetists, clerks, and administrators.
As the sisters’ healthcare ministry grew, so too did their work in education. By 1950, the Allegany Franciscans ran over fifty schools in the United States from Maine to Florida. The sisters taught all levels of education, from elementary to high school to teacher’s college to nursing school. They also taught students of all races and ethnicities, providing a quality education to students of color in the Jim Crow South.
Sr. Catherine Cahill's recount of the Klan burning the school in Carthage, MS
St. Joachim’s School, Carthage, MS, c. 1959
St. Joachim’s School, Carthage, MS, c. 1959
Piano lesson, St. Anne’s Academy, Winston-Salem, NC, c. 1959
In 1945, to meet rising standards for teacher training and certification, the sisters established St. Elizabeth Teacher’s College at the Motherhouse in Allegany, NY. In 1951, the Teacher’s College affiliated with St. Bonaventure University and became a foundational component of the university’s Department of Education. The Teacher’s College was officially absorbed into St. Bonaventure University in 1957, and an Allegany Franciscan, Sister Mary Anthony Brown, became St. Bonaventure’s first female faculty member.
In 1947, following the establishment of the sisters’ mission in Brazil, Reverend Mother Jean Marie Greeley established St. Elizabeth’s Mission Society to raise funds to support the sisters’ missions in Jamaica and Brazil. Later, the funds raised by the Mission Society would also be distributed to Bolivia and Mozambique.
In 1958, the Allegany Franciscans moved into their new Motherhouse, just up the hill from the original St. Elizabeth’s Motherhouse. Built to accommodate a congregation that was growing rapidly, the new Motherhouse also included a cloister. The Cloister, later renamed the Ritiro, offered interested sisters a more contemplative way of life. The cloistered sisters were advised by Thomas Merton, who corresponded regularly with the Sister-In-Charge, Elaine Bane.
Sr. Elaine's recording on life in the cloister
Prayer and reflection in the Cloister’s private yard, c. 1959.
Entrance procession to the new St. Elizabeth Motherhouse, 1958.
In later years, the sisters living in the Ritiro offered contemplative retreats to interested individuals.
In the years following the Second Vatican Council, declining membership prompted the Allegany Franciscans to slowly shift their focus away from large education and healthcare ministries. Many sisters continued to serve as teachers, principals, nurses, and hospital administrators. However, the congregation began to withdraw from administering schools and hospitals as fewer sisters were available to serve in them. Other sisters established new ministries to serve their local communities in a multitude of creative ways.
Groundbreaking for the Franciscan Center,
led by Sister Lucian Walsh, 1970.
One such ministry is the Franciscan Center. Built in 1970 along the banks of the Hillsborough River in Tampa, FL, the Franciscan Center welcomes people of all faiths, providing spiritual retreats, hospitality, and spiritual direction. The Franciscan Center is also home to the Sisters’ House, a place for lay women to connect and enhance their spiritual lives.
In 1977, the sisters established The Dwelling Place, a residence in the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood of midtown Manhattan that provided shelter for homeless women for 46 years. Along with food, clothing, and shelter, the sisters helped the women living at the Dwelling Place with their finances and directed them to social services as appropriate.
In 1987, following fifteen years of careful consideration and leadership, the Allegany Franciscans established their Associate Program. The Associate Program allows laypeople in the United States, Jamaica, and Brazil to partner with the Allegany Franciscans for the purposes of spiritual growth and the continuation of the charism.
In 1991, the sisters used the funds earned from the sale of St. Francis Hospital in Olean, NY, to establish St. Francis Ministries. One of the purposes of St. Francis Ministries was to benefit charitable works consistent with the historical health-related mission and ministries of the Congregation. In 2000, the sisters announced that St. Francis Ministries would be renamed the Lyle F. Renodin Foundation. The Renodin Foundation provides grants to nonprofit groups in Cattaraugus, Allegany, McKean, and Potter counties. Since 2002, the Renodin Foundation has awarded over 500 grants and distributed over $1.4 million to improve the quality of life of the region’s underprivileged.
In 1998, the Allegany Franciscans used funds earned from the sale of several of their south Florida hospitals to establish Allegany Franciscan Ministries. As with the Renodin Foundation, Allegany Franciscan Ministries provides grant funding to nonprofit partners in Miami-Dade, Tampa Bay, Palm Beach, Martin, and St. Lucie counties in Florida.
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In 2000, inspired by their care for both the Allegany community and Mother Earth, the sisters established Canticle Farm, a Community Sponsored Agriculture (CSA) Farm. Canticle Farm grows Certified Naturally Grown crops, donating a portion of the harvest to support community members struggling with food insecurity. It also provides educational programming to people of all ages.
Sisters Frances Cardillo and Eleanor Berret at Canticle Farm, c. 2000.
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