Members of the Sisters of St. Francis of the Martyr St. George serving in the Diocese of Peoria are pictured at a gathering earlier this year at St. Catherine Convent on Wagner Lane in Peoria. The community also has convents in Champaign and Rock Island in the Diocese of Peoria. (Provided photo)

EDITOR’S NOTE: The following account was submitted by the Sisters of St. Francis of the Martyr St. George, a community that has had a presence in the Diocese of Peoria since 1991 and currently has 15 members serving here.

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The Sisters of St. Francis of the Martyr St. George would like to announce the celebration of the 150th Jubilee of the founding of their congregation in Thuine, Germany in 1869. Over the years, we have served the Diocese of Peoria in many capacities, but not many people know of our humble beginnings. In light of this, the FSGM sisters would like to share the history of our community and some of the many blessings and graces God has bestowed upon our congregation over the last 150 years.

HUMBLE BEGINNINGS

Our foundress, Sister M. Anselma Bopp, and another sister were missioned from Strasbourg, a city bordering France and Germany, to Thuine, a small village in northern Germany on May 25, 1857. They were members of the Sisters of the Holy Cross, and were sent at the request of Father Gerhard Dall, the pastor of St. George the Martyr Parish in Thuine, to aid and care for orphaned children and the sick of the surrounding village.

Due to the political upheaval of the time, communication and travel to and from Strasbourg became more and more difficult. After much prayer and consideration, Sister M. Anselma, along with three other sisters, received permission to separate from their original congregation and dedicate themselves to the service of the people of Thuine.

The sisters lived in extreme poverty, thus, the new congregation adopted the Rule of St. Francis of Assisi and took their name from the parish church, St. George. Sister M. Anselma was appointed superior of the new congregation and assumed the title Mother. Their mission was to “be ready in obedience to God’s call,” and the spirituality of the congregation focuses on the Sacred Heart, striving to make Christ’s merciful love visible through service to others.

These services have expanded over the last 150 years and now include ministries in hospitals and health care centers, care of the elderly and young children, academic and religious education, parish work and social services, and missionary work in various countries.

 TO ST. LOUIS AND ALTON

In 1923, while keeping their Motherhouse in Thuine, the Sisters of St. Francis of the Martyr St. George sent the first missionary sisters to America. The first apostolic undertaking began at Father Dunne’s Newsboys Home in St. Louis, an institution for neglected boys. Unfortunately, due to the language barrier between the sisters and the young boys, it was realized early on that the sisters were unable to continue this work.

On April 1, 1925, the FSGM congregation purchased its first establishment in the United States — Nazareth Home in Alton. Over time, Nazareth Home became Saint Anthony’s Infirmary, then Saint Anthony’s Health Center and, as of November 2014, it is known as OSF Saint Anthony’s Health Center.

Over the next several decades, the sisters took on roles of education and other ministries and now serve in Missouri, Kansas, Illinois, Oklahoma, Ohio, and Nebraska, within 12 different houses. While the Motherhouse remains in Thuine, Germany, by the grace of God, the FSGM congregation now has sisters throughout Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, Albania, Cuba, Japan, Brazil, and Indonesia.

PRESENCE IN THE DIOCESE OF PEORIA

The Sisters of St. Francis of the Martyr St. George first came to the Diocese of Peoria in 1991. They began their service in Rock Island at Jordan Catholic School and Alleman Catholic High School. They have also served at St. Pius X Catholic Church, ministering to the needs of the parish. Currently, Sister M. Bernadette Morse and Sister M. Michael Reding teach at Alleman Catholic High School, Sister M. Clementia Toalson teaches at Jordan Catholic School and also serves as the St. Pius X Parish Director of Religious Education. Sister M. Magdalene Diaz offers pastoral care to parishioners of St. Pius who are homebound, in hospitals and in nursing homes.  She also visits women in prison.  A fifth sister, Sister M. Mercedes Diaz will begin teaching at Jordan Catholic School in January 2020.

In the summer of 1995, the first FSGM sisters began serving at St. Matthew Catholic School in Champaign.  Currently, Sister M. Jacinta Fecteau teaches fourth grade, Sister M. Elise Mierendorf teaches second grade, Sister Mary George Brown teaches music and band, and Sister M. Clare O’Connor is a teacher’s aide in the preschool.  In January of 2014 the sisters also began teaching at The High School of Saint Thomas More. Today Sister M. Bridget Martin is the principal there, and Sister Mary Francis Goodson teaches algebra and calculus.

In November 2014, Saint Anthony’s Health Center in Alton, then sponsored by the Sisters of St. Francis of the Martyr St. George, merged with OSF St. Francis Medical Center, sponsored by The Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis in East Peoria, becoming OSF Saint Anthony’s Health Center. With this new affiliation, the Sisters of St. Francis of the Martyr St. George share in the governance of the OSF Healthcare System and have served in various roles throughout the Ministry. Currently Sister M. Mikela Meidl serves as executive vice president of OSF Healthcare System, Sister M. Rosalinda Drees, is a nurse educator and teaches at Saint Francis Medical Center College of Nursing, Sister M. Ignatia Cooney, works as a nurse in the emergency department at OSF HealthCare Saint Francis Medical Center and Sister M. Pieta Keller, innovation engineer, serves at Jump Trading Simulation and Education Center and also teaches STEAM in the area Catholic schools.

The Sisters of St. Francis of the Martyr St. George invite you to share in their joy during this time of celebration. We are grateful to God, who in his fidelity over these 150 years has blessed and graced the congregation with many vocations and continues to multiply the works and apostolates of the sisters. We are also grateful to Bishop Jenky for his support and dedication to making the religious presence visible within the Diocese of Peoria as well as the priests, religious and laity who have welcomed, ministered to, and encouraged the FSGM sisters in this diocese.

For more information regarding the Sisters of St. Francis of the Martyr St. George, visit altonfranciscans.org.