Franciscan Sisters of Allegany, NY

News & Updates

August 25, 2025

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FSA Band Photo

As promised, here’s another band picture taken during Chapter. Sisters Aldenir, Judith and Rosimeire.

New Healthcare Community - Oliver Station

The Michaels Organization and Virtua Health have collaborated to create a housing and health care community in the Whitman Park neighborhood of Camden, New Jersey. The vibrant campus – called Oliver Station – integrates beautiful, affordable senior housing with a Virtua primary-care practice on the ground floor. The community is less than a half-mile from Virtua Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, the health system’s hub for specialized care, including advanced cardiovascular and organ transplantation services.

At 2:30 into the video you’ll start to see an aerial view of Our Lady of Lourdes in the distance. About 10 seconds later you’ll see a close-up of the statue on top of the building.

Presidential Elections in Bolivia

From Sisters Elvira Donaldson and Maria Miranda:

Our heartfelt thanks to all our Sisters and Associates for joining us with their prayers at such an important time for our country.

On Sunday, August 17, the people came to cast their vote in a peaceful environment and with a lot of hope for a change of government that lasted 20 years.

The results were against all odds; it really surprised everyone in the country that the last of the candidates is the first. This arouses distrust about the veracity of this political party.

Whatever the truth, what is sure is that on October 19 the second round will be held between the two candidates with the most votes. One that seems to represent the Left because of certain similarities with the current government and the other that represents more hope for better days.

Please continue to pray for us to get out of the crisis in which we are living. May God have Mercy on our people.

Largo Grande Mission Video

Sr. Tere is sharing this video of our hard-working, but fun-loving sisters in the Lago Grande mission in Brazil.

The Franciscan Center is hosting an ecumenical prayer service to honor the World Day of Prayer for Creation.

The World Day of Prayer for Creation on Monday September 1 marks the beginning of the Season of Creation, which continues through October 4 (the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi) and is a time for Christians to unite in prayer and action for the care of the Earth.

The prayer service is from 2 to 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday September 3, via Zoom, with Br. Louis Canter, OEF.

Speaking of The Franciscan Center, we couldn’t resist sharing this picture of executive director Brian Lemoi decked out for Tropical Bingo. Aloha, Brian!

There is no cost. You can register here:

With the final seedings for the 2025 growing season wrapping up and preparation for winter high tunnel production beginning, Canticle Farm executive director and grower Steph Beneng has updates on how they used grant and award money.

She says they’ve been reflecting on the tools and infrastructure that are saving the workers and volunteers a huge amount of labor. One of the tools is the Paperpot transplanter (pictured behind her). She said it’s been a game changer already and they are still learning how to use it to its full potential. She explained that the Paperpot transplanter allows one person to do a project in minutes that would otherwise take a few hours.

Steph also said fabrics have been an excellent investment. Shade cloth has reduced the heat in two of the high tunnels, allowing them to produce lettuce mix and spinach into mid-July. They started using a specialized insect netting over any crops sensitive to cabbage worms or flea beetles, decreasing the stress on those plants when they are young. While they have used row cover before, this new design of hoops and netting allows the farm staff to easily lift the covering to harvest the crop and then slide down the cover again. Pictured is the onion crop thriving in the ground cover, which is permeable, allowing moisture to enter and then conserving it. Funding came from the iCAP Core award from the WNY Foundation.

They also invested in a new trellising method, which allows them to lay the spent tomato vines across the wickets so the harvestable fruits are at their level for easy harvesting.

Steph said next year they are hoping to invest in more irrigation equipment, adding that this year’s dry weather has shown they are under-equipped to handle prolonged periods without rain. She said they currently have 20 percent of the equipment they need and any donations to this project would be welcomed.

In 2024 Canticle Farm received two tool and equipment grants: one from Allegany Community Outreach (ACOR) through Allegany Franciscan Ministries, and the other through the F. T. and Anna C. Manley Trust. They allocated these funds toward field crew efficiency improvements, including speeding up the transplanting and produce washing and simplifying the tomato and cucumber trellising systems.

Franciscan Federation Webinar

Former St. Bonaventure University President Sr. Margaret Carney will be participating in a webinar panel honoring six decades of the Franciscan Federation’s commitment to the Franciscan movement.

Alongside a moderator representing the next generation of Franciscan leadership, the panel will reflect on the history, values, and evolving call of the Franciscan charism in these times.

The 90-minute webinar is scheduled for 7 p.m. September 29 via Zoom.

Cost: Pay what you can (Suggested $30)

You Can Register Here!

News from BayCare

New Emergency Department

BayCare is expanding access to its emergency care by building a new freestanding emergency department in Hillsborough County, Florida.

The 12,000-square-foot facility in Valrico, Florida, will house 15 spaces for treating patients.

The freestanding emergency department will have its primary affiliation with St. Joseph’s Hospital-South in Riverview. It will also have a direct connection to St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital in Tampa.

Construction of the Valrico facility is planned to begin later this year, with its opening expected in 2026.

Pictured is an artist’s rendering of BayCare’s future freestanding emergency department in Valrico.

2025 PEOPLE® Companies that Care

BayCare Health System has been named one of the 2025 PEOPLE® Companies that Care, ranking No. 17 nationally.

BayCare is the top-ranked health care system in the country. Several of our sisters, including two members of the incoming leadership team, Sr. Cathy Cahill and Sr. Pat Shirley, serve on BayCare boards of directors.

“BayCare’s 33,000-plus team members are our greatest asset. Every day, they deliver compassionate care within our hospital walls and throughout the communities of West Central Florida to improve the health of all we serve,” said BayCare President and CEO Stephanie Conners. “I’m grateful to each and every team member who contributes to BayCare’s extraordinary culture and to the exceptional care and outreach that made it possible for us to be named to this list.”

The PEOPLE® Companies that Care list is highly competitive and recognized as one of the most respected measures of purpose-driven workplace culture in the nation.

Bentley the St. Joseph's Therapy Cat

We saw this face and knew we had to introduce you to Bentley, St. Joseph’s Hospital-South’s new therapy cat.

Bentley, a Chinchilla Persian, thrives around people, handles noise well, and loves new environments, making him perfect for the job.

Kathy, Bentley’s handler and owner, is also a pet therapy volunteer at the hospital. She says, “Bentley has a calm, inquisitive disposition and he loves people. He’s just a ‘chill cat’ and that makes him a very good therapy pet.”

This picture of former St. Elizabeth Motherhouse residents is featured in the Summer 2025 edition of Bonaventure Magazine.

Hundreds of sisters who attended the Leadership Conference of Women Religious event walked through downtown Atlanta on August 14 to pray for social and environmental justice.

During the “Outdoor Pilgrimage of Hope” the walkers paused at three locations, each dedicated to a key issue – forced migration, climate change and racism.

FSA Associate Minister Kathy Maire attended the LCWR conference.

Photo courtesy of Communicators for Women Religious

You can read an article on the “Outdoor Pilgrimage of Hope” here:

St. Elizabeth Motherhouse Annual Sock Hop!

The Activities and Dietary departments hosted a sock hop last week in St. Elizabeth Motherhouse, and everyone had a blast. Along with 50s music and decorations it included a menu of burgers & fries, hot dogs, onion rings and root beer floats. Sr. Sharon and Fr. Dominic went cruisin’ to the photo booth while Sr. Barbara and Catrina from Activities, dressed in poodle skirts, took to the dance floor.

In their wisdom-filled book, “Conversations at the Well: Emerging Religious Life in the 21st-Century Global World: Collaboration, Networking, and Intercultural Living,” Sisters Jung Eun Sophia Park, SNJM and Teresa Maya, CCVI explore the liminal and emerging spaces opening up to religious life today. Their contributions are a deepening reflection on and response to this period of change, transition and transformation.

RFC invites those wishing to take up these themes and discernment more intentionally to join us for the fall series of Ongoing Formation Circles. Utilizing topics drawn from “Conversations at the Well,” and focused on community living, the Circles will include monthly input from Sophia and focused small group discussion.

Ongoing Formation Circles: Fall 2025 Series

Building New Ways of Religious Life

We sense that God calls us to live a new way of religious life, which is deeply rooted in God's invitation to deepen love for the world through our consecrated life and living fully in community. It is imperative to converse with one another for our vocation. In these conversation circles, we will share insights on some of the aspects of community living as religious, the three vows, and leadership that we all are invited to, regardless of our ministries.

Session One

Thursday, September 18, 2025 from 2 to 3:30 p.m. ET (1 to 2:30 pm CT)

A New Way of Religious Life in the 21st Century

Session Two

Thursday, October 16, 2025 from 2 to 3:30 p.m. ET (1 to 2:30 pm CT)

New Understanding of Three Vows

Session Three

Thursday, November 20, 2025 from 2 to 3:30 p.m. ET(1 to 2:30 pm CT)

Virtues of Leadership

Registration deadline: September 8, 2025

Ongoing Formation Circles are free thanks to the generosity of our 2024 annual appeal donors. If you would like to make a donation to help us continue offering programs like as this, please visit:

RFC Donation Page

For more information about

Ongoing Formation Circles...

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Grants focus on improving health, wellness and quality of life in marginalized communities. Applicant organizations must have an active and direct affiliation with the Franciscan Sisters of Allegany or Allegany Franciscan Associates (i.e. where the FSA members/associates are present as sponsor, trustee, staff, or volunteer), or your organization must be a ministry of Trinity Health.

ACOR Grant awards are for a one-year term and may total up to $10,000. The application process involves two-steps: an LOI application and a full grant application. The LOI application deadline is September 25, 2025.

ACOR Grant Fall Cycle is Open!

Allegany Franciscan Ministries is accepting applications for its ACOR Grant Program Fall Cycle. ACOR Grants provide short-term support to nonprofit community-based organizations and projects that extend the mission and vision of the Franciscan Sisters of Allegany.