[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 6 (Tuesday, January 10, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E44]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       HONORING THE SYLVANIA ORDER OF THE SISTERS OF ST. FRANCIS

                                  _____
                                 

                           HON. MARCY KAPTUR

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, January 10, 2017

  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 Order of the Sisters of St. Francis celebrated 
its centennial year in 2016. Our entire community honors the noteworthy 
contributions of the Franciscan's 100 years of noble service through a 
celebratory mass.
  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 which served as 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. They 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. 
They began 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 marginalize, 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 
celebrated 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 people.'' 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 art 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 kind and generous 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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