Franciscan Sisters of Allegany, NY

Staff and volunteers and St. Anthony’s and St. Joseph’s hospitals have been busy over the last few weeks.

St. Joseph’s Hospitals have created special displays for both Lent and Earth Month.

Mission Coordinator Katrina Gill tells us the display in the cafeteria is desert themed and includes a Lenten reflection.

Mission Coordinator Frances Siracusa tells us they created two new digital displays on the screens around the hospital related to “Care for Creation.”

Rebeca Prado, Coordinator Mission for St. Anthony’s Hospital, tells us that the last two Saturdays in March the hospital team and community came together to restore St. Anthony’s Hospital Family Garden, following last year’s devastating storms.

“It has been a true labor of love,” she says, adding, “Seeing the space come back to life has been nothing short of a blessing, especially because some of our gardener team members were also affected by the storms.”

On the last Saturday of March, they planted new seeds and Fr. Jackson Cleetus led a beautiful blessing ceremony, not just for the restored garden beds, but for a very special addition: A statue of St. Francis.

Rebeca says, “Having St. Francis, the patron saint of creation and all living things, now standing in our garden has made the space feel even more sacred, welcoming, and full of peace.”

In other hospital news, BayCare Health System has released its 2024 Report to the Community. As a nationally recognized not-for-profit health care provider, BayCare continued to invest to ensure its patients had access to the highest-quality, compassionate care; served as an essential community partner through devastating hurricanes; and provided vital care for those with limited access to health services. BayCare’s operating revenues grew to $6.27 billion in 2024, up from $5.5 billion in 2023. The health system rose in multiple rankings as a top employer in the region and nationally.  

You can find the full report here: 

Send your special prayer blessings to friends or loved ones this Easter with Mass enrollment cards from St. Elizabeth Mission Society. As members of the Mission Society, their intentions will be remembered at Easter Sunday Mass and in other Masses celebrated throughout the Easter season in the Motherhouse Chapel. They will also share in the prayers and good works of our Sisters in Bolivia, Brazil, Jamaica, Mozambique and the United States. 

As a sponsored ministry of the Franciscan Sisters of Allegany, the St. Elizabeth Mission Society shares in its spiritual aims, one of which is to advance the awareness of God's love. Donations given for the cards are used to support the ministries of the Franciscan Sisters of Allegany and their Associates who work to educate, heal, clothe, and feed those who are experiencing poverty in Bolivia, Brazil, Jamaica, Mozambique and the United States.

St. Elizabeth Mission Society Easter Mass Cards

By: Laura Whitford, St. Elizabeth Mission Society

Help the Jubilee Sisters "celebrate their journey" with a special Jubilee Mass enrollment card from the St. Elizabeth Mission Society. As members of the Mission Society, their intentions will be remembered at Masses celebrated throughout the year in the Motherhouse Chapel. As always, they will also share in the prayers and good works of our Sisters in Bolivia, Brazil, Jamaica, Mozambique and the United States.

As a sponsored ministry of the Franciscan Sisters of Allegany, the St. Elizabeth Mission Society shares in its spiritual aims, one of which is to advance the awareness of God's love. Donations given for the cards are used to support the ministries of the Franciscan Sisters of Allegany and their Associates who work to educate, heal, clothe, feed and be present for those who are experiencing poverty in Bolivia, Brazil, Jamaica, Mozambique and the United States.

Easter & Jubilee cards, as well as various other enrollment cards, can be ordered online at https://www.franciscanhope.org/shop/

or you can call the Mission Society office at (716) 373-1130 or e-mail the staff at StEliz.Office.Manager@FSAllegany.org

for more information about ordering the enrollment cards.

Easter & Jubilee cards will also be available in the Mission Society office. 

Marcia Falvey and Friends presented the concert “The Goodness of God” recently in the St. Elizabeth Motherhouse chapel. Marcia’s concerts are always one of the highlights of the holiday seasons. (Photo by Sr. Judith Terrameo)

Students from the St. Bonaventure Parish religious education classes visited St. Elizabeth Motherhouse recently to perform an Easter-themed play for the Sisters.

(Photos by Sr. Judith Terrameo)

The staff team from Allegany Franciscan Ministries in Palm Harbor, Florida, took a trip up north last week to better understand the history, tradition and vision of the Franciscan Sisters of Allegany.

They said the purpose of the trip was to learn about their Franciscan heritage and see it in action through visits to various sites in and around Allegany, including those who receive grants through AFM. Also, they hoped to develop personal relationships with key staff and the Sisters who live and work at St. Elizabeth Motherhouse (which they did even before they sent the cake).

On their first full day, they visited Mount Irenaeus, where they attended Mass and ate brunch. After that, they visited St. Bonaventure University, where they got a tour from one of the students who benefited from a grant they awarded.

Following the tour of the university, they visited The Warming House in Olean, one of their ACOR grant partners. Alice Miller Nation, director of university ministries at St. Bonaventure, conducted a tour and introduced them to some of the student meal coordinators. The Warming House is one of the oldest student-run soup kitchens in the country and has been operating for nearly 51 years.

The next day, FSA Archivist Ellen Winger took the team on a tour of St. Elizabeth Motherhouse while sharing history about the Sisters’ work in hospitals, schools and other ministries in Brazil, Jamaica, Bolivia, Mozambique, as well as the United States.

Sr. Ann Wachter, with help from Srs. Sharon O’Neil and Carol Kenyon gave the visitors a history of, and better understanding of, the Franciscan Ritiro, which started in 1959. They explained how they live a life of contemplative prayer within the larger Congregation and how that has changed – and hasn’t changed – throughout the years.

After dinner, when the team had a chance to meet with Sisters and talk about AFM’s mission, Ellen led them on a tour of St. Bonaventure Cemetery, where she shared even more FSA history. While there, they got a chance to pay respects to Sisters they knew personally such as the recently deceased Sr. Joan Dawson.

The next day – when they got “treated” to some very un-Florida-like weather (Yes. Snow.) – the team met with Laura Whitford, President of the Dr. Lyle F. Renodin Foundation and St. Elizabeth Mission Society, and visited Canticle Farm, another ACOR grant partner.

AFM team members who made the trip are Faith Pullen, Vice President of Operations; Erin Baird, Director of Grants; Brittney Frazier, Director of Leadership, DEI & Capacity Initiatives; Dr. Diedre F. Houchen, Director of Climate Justice & Care for Creation; Carla Batts, Grants Administration & Quality Manager; and Stephen Goodell, Administrative & Grant Services Coordinator.

To date, Allegany Franciscan Ministries has awarded 5550 grants to 1855 organizations totaling $126 million.

The Olean Rotary Club presented the Franciscan Sisters of Allegany with its “Service Above Self” award at a dinner celebration on April 8 at Woodside Tavern on the Range in Allegany. Franciscan Sisters in attendance were Congregational Minister Sr. Margaret Magee, Associate Minister Sr. Melissa Scholl, Sr. Judith Terrameo, Sr. Mary Lou Lafferty and Sr. J. Miriam Natale. They also invited partners in mission: Director of Pastoral Care Rev. Carrie Wolfe, Director of Nursing Amy Booker and Mission Society/Renodin Foundation staff members Laura Whitford and Codie Strawcutter.

Pictured L-R: Local Minister Sr. Judith Terrameo, Sr. Melissa Scholl, Sr. Mary Lou Lafferty Sr. Margaret Magee, Olean Rotary president Paula Bernstein & Immediate Past District Governor Scott Marcin

A representative for State Senator George Borrello, George Fillgrove, provided a proclamation recognizing the Sisters’ contributions to the community.

“Service Above Self” is the principal motto of Rotary because it best conveys the philosophy of unselfish volunteer service. Rotary Immediate Past District Governor Scott Marcin spoke about Rotary’s mission and purpose, and it was easy to draw parallels between their work and the work of the Franciscan Sisters. Rotary is “a global network of more than 1.2 million neighbors, friends, leaders, and problem-solvers who see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change – across the globe, in our communities, and in ourselves.” 

Local volunteer Dan Spring assisted in the presentation of the award by sharing his experiences with the Sisters. He mentioned the many times the Sisters at the Motherhouse have donated handmade goods for raffles for local fundraisers, donated proceeds from items sold in their gift shop and also have contributed furniture when local families have experienced house fires or needed help starting a new home. Additionally, the Dr. Lyle F. Renodin Foundation, a sponsored ministry of the Franciscan Sisters, provided a grant to Rebuilding Together. Dan is a volunteer with this organization that builds ramps to make homes accessible to those with disabilities. He told a moving story of how Renodin funds helped build a ramp for a man to be able to go home one last time before he passed away to visit his family at Thanksgiving.

Olean Rotary Area Governor and President Paula Bernstein presented the award to Sr. Margaret Magee, who accepted it on behalf of the Congregation. She spoke of FSA co-foundress Rev. Mother Mary Teresa O’Neil’s directive to “respond to the needs of the people” as being the ongoing call of the Congregation. She said that everything received is a gift from God and that the Allegany Franciscans have touched many lives in giving back to the communities they’ve been in. Acknowledging that the Sisters can’t, and don’t want to, do it all by themselves, she recognized the other “sisters,” other women, in attendance who are active in the Sisters’ ministries. Laura Whitford and Codie Strawcutter with the Renodin Foundation, which provides funding support to the local community; Rev. Carrie Wolfe who is the spiritual coordinator at the Motherhouse; and Amy Booker who is the head of nursing at the Motherhouse. In closing, she said, “We are all sisters together. I think of all the other women and men who minister and work with us to continue this goodness. We thank you for this award, and we share it with so many other people. I hear the values and all that Rotary does and know that we do it, too! And that’s what builds a better world.”

Pictured L-R: Amy Booker, Sr. Judith Terrameo, Rev. Carrie Wolfe, Sr. Melissa Scholl, Sr. Mary Lou Lafferty, Sr. Margaret Magee, Olean Rotary President Paula Bernstein, Laura Whitford, Codie Strawcutter & Immediate Past District Governor Scott Marcin