Aston, PA—Sister Frances Acton, OSF, (formerly Sister St. William), 96, died in Assisi House on Thursday, September 24, 2026. She had been a professed member of the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia for 71 years. Born Frances Teresa Acton in Wilmington, Delaware, Sister Frances was a member of Holy Rosary Parish and a graduate of P.S. DuPont High School. She entered the congregation in 1953 and professed her first vows in 1955. She earned a BS in English from Villanova University and an MA in Community Leadership from Regis University. She ministered primarily in education and pastoral care.
Sister Frances served in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia for more than 50 years. She began her ministry in education, spending a combined 18 years teaching elementary grades at St. Elizabeth School, St. Benedict School, St. Mary of the Assumption School in Manayunk, and St. Aloysius School in Pottstown. She also taught for seven years at Little Flower High School in Philadelphia. Her years of service in the archdiocese also included parish ministry at St. Benedict, work in the congregation’s Finance Office in Aston, and later volunteer service in the Charism Office. In 2017, Sister Frances became a resident of Assisi House, where she served in prayer and hospitality ministry until her death.
Additional ministry includes one year in parish ministry at St. Joseph Church in Charleston, South Carolina; three years as Director of Faith Development in Burgaw and five years in Carolina Beach, North Carolina; three years as a pastoral assistant at St. Elizabeth Parish in Ravenna, Kentucky; and nine months in administration at St. Francis Convent in Ringwood, New Jersey.
All services will be held in Assisi House on Thursday, October 1, 2026, and will be livestreamed. A Christian Wake Service will be held at 9:30 A.M. followed by viewing. Mass of Christian Burial will be at 11 A.M., and burial will follow in Our Lady of Angels Cemetery in Aston. Sister Frances is survived by her nieces and nephews, and her Franciscan family. Donations in her name can be made to the Sisters of St. Francis Foundation, 609 S. Convent Road, Aston, PA 19014.
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Read a more personal write-up on Sister Frances here soon.
The livestream will begin on Thursday, October 1 at 9:30 A.M.
