Aston, PA—Sister Eleanor Francis Filist, OSF, (95) died in Assisi House on November 25. She had been a professed member of the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia for 73 years. Sister Eleanor Francis (Helen Bertha Filist) was born in Philadelphia where she was a member of St. Ladislaus Parish and a graduate of Hallahan High School. She entered the congregation in 1938 and professed her first vows in 1940. She earned a B.S. in Business Education in 1955 from Marywood College in Scranton. She ministered in primarily in education on both elementary and secondary levels.
Sister Eleanor Francis ministered in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia for 50 years. She taught at Resurrection School in Chester (1944-1946), Hallahan High School (1946-1947, 1949-1957, 1972-1985), St. Stanislaus School in Lansdale (1947-1949). At St. Mary School in Schwenksville she served as a librarian and secretary (1985-1987). From 1990-2011 she volunteered at Assisi House, the congregation’s retirement residence in Aston, first as a sacristan and later as a mobile librarian. In 2011 she became a resident of Assisi House where she served in prayer ministry until her death.
Additional ministry experiences included teaching at Holy Ghost School in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, (1939-1944); St. Stephen School, Baltimore (1957-1961); and at McCorristin High School, Trenton, New Jersey, (1965-1972). Sister Eleanor Francis also ministered for seven years in Barranquitas, Puerto Rico. She taught at Monsenor Willinger Academy in Barranquita (1961-1965) and did catechetical and clerical work at Santa Maria de los Angeles (1987-1990).
All services will be held in Our Lady of Angels Convent Chapel, 609 S. Convent Road, Aston, Pennsylvania, 19014 on Monday, December 2. A Christian Wake Service will be held at 10:30 A.M. followed by viewing. Mass of Christian Burial at 12 noon. Burial will be in Our Lady of Angels Cemetery in Aston. Sister Eleanor Francis is survived by her nieces, nephews, cousins, and by her Franciscan family. Donations in her name can be made to the Sisters of St. Francis Foundation, 609 S. Convent Road, Aston, PA 19014.
