[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 145 (Monday, September 26, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1358]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   CELEBRATING THE CENTENNIAL OF THE SYLVANIA SISTERS OF ST. FRANCIS

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. MARCY KAPTUR

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, September 26, 2016

  Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize a momentous 
occasion in the life of the Sylvania congregation of the Sisters of St. 
Francis. The Sylvania Sisters of St. Francis are celebrating their 
centennial year in 2016 and Saturday September 24, 2016, the Sisters 
and our community came together in a centennial celebration honoring 
the Franciscans' 100 years of service in our community.
  It was Bishop Joseph Schrembs of the Toledo Catholic Diocese who 
initially requested religious sisters to teach the children of Polish 
immigrants in Toledo's Catholic Schools. On December 8, 1916, the 
Sylvania Franciscans were founded as a province of the Sisters of St. 
Francis in Rochester, Minnesota. The Sisters were stationed at St. 
Hedwig School in the North End of Toledo and a hub of Polish life in 
the city. After 89 acres of land was purchased in 1917 through the 
Rochester community, the Sisters were formally established in Sylvania, 
Ohio and were known as the Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate 
Conception and were led by Mother Adelaide.
  In the century that followed, the Sylvania Franciscans branched out 
from their original call to teach the city's Polish immigrant children 
to sharing the Franciscan presence in ministries spanning health care, 
housing, human services and pastoral care in addition to education. The 
Sisters' work is carried forth in eight states and the country of Haiti 
with 150 Sisters serving our human family. The Sisters' ministries are 
founded on the ``core values of reverence, service, community, 
stewardship.'' The Franciscan Sisters are called ``like Francis of 
Assisi to live the Gospel in joyful servanthood among all people. The 
Sisters of St. Francis of Sylvania, Ohio, as messengers of peace, 
commit themselves to works that reverence human dignity, embrace the 
poor and marginalized, and respect the gift of all creation.'' Living 
Christ's message described in Matthew 25:40 ``whatever you did for one 
of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.'' 
The Sylvania Sisters of St. Francis come to their centennial year as an 
integral part of our community. Their imprimatur is seen everywhere, 
from the beautiful elegiac campus in Sylvania, to the schools, caring 
services and hospitals in which they minister, and the Sylvania 
Franciscan Village which was established to integrate the Sisters' 
ministries.
  In addition to traditional ministries, the Sylvania Sisters of St. 
Francis are leading efforts toward peace and justice and restoring 
nature. The Sisters note, ``We believe that nature, the arts and 
culture, and the goodness around us nurture our souls and make us 
sensitive to Mother Earth and her peoples.'' It is that connection that 
truly defines the Sisters of St. Francis. A walk on the grounds of the 
Sisters of St. Francis is to behold the beauty of nature in all of its 
glory, to hear the silence and to feel God's presence everywhere.
  From the barracks and strawberry patch Mother Adelaide and the 22 
pioneering Sisters first established, the grounds of the Sisters of St. 
Francis now feature many buildings in which the Sisters live and work, 
shrines, grottos, a prayer garden, the Portiuncula Chapel and adjacent 
Lourdes University. Its mission-style buildings showcase stunning 
mosaics and works of arts crafted by the Sisters themselves. It is 
truly an oasis of peace and tranquility.
  St. Francis of Assisi said, ``Preach the Gospel at all times and when 
necessary use words.'' Throughout their one hundred year history the 
Sylvania Sisters of St. Francis have lived this truth. Their presence 
and their good works demonstrate Christ's path and God's deep love. As 
the Sisters go forth toward their next centennial, let us be mindful of 
the history, but with a vision for the future. Our community gratefully 
and enthusiastically joins with them to celebrate the life of this 
vital and cherished congregation that is the Sylvania Sisters of St. 
Francis.

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