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As sponsors, we publicly identify with, exert appropriate influence on, and provide various levels of support to these ministries. In so doing, we fulfill our responsibility of stewardship for our heritage, mission, and resources.
- Our SistersUp Close and Personal
Sr. Geralda Meskill’s acquaintance with the Sisters of St. Francis began when her older sister, Sr. John Helene, entered the congregation. Sr. Geralda and her siblings enjoyed accompanying their parents to visit the convent in Mallow in County Cork. “The convent was familiar territory to me,” explained Sr. Geralda. She eventually joined the congregation as did her younger sister, Sr. Ellen Mary.
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609 S. Convent Road, Aston, PA 19014
(610) 459-4125.
Justice and Peace
Justice and peace initiatives, along with caring for creation, involves using our voices to stand up against the injustices in our community and in the world. In order to do this, our sisters minister with those who have a need, attend rallies, write letters and make phone calls to government officials, take corporate stands, and much more. We look to and support the Franciscan Action Network (FAN) as a collective Franciscan voice amplifying St Francis of Assisi and his call for compassion for the poor and for creation over 800 years ago.
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Why do we engage in Justice and Peace Issues?
As Sisters of St. Francis, part of our mission states that we “respond with diverse gifts in a spirit of collaboration and of mutual service to the needs of others, especially the economically poor, the marginal, and the oppressed. Seeking to participate in the Spirit’s action in the world, we direct our personal and corporate resources to the promotion of justice, peace, and reconciliation.
Our Corporate Stands
The Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia voted to take corporate stands against the death penalty, war, and human trafficking, along with one for immigration reform. We stand firmly grounded in Catholic social teaching and in our Franciscan heritage and tradition. These corporate stands act as concrete ways of affirming our belief in nonviolence and on taking “the necessary steps to be a healing, compassionate presence in our violent world, especially with…those who have no voice.” Our Corporate Stands
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Active Actions
Close the School of the Americas
The JPIC Committee of the Sisters of St. Francis have long been involved in trying to call for the closing of the School of the Americas at Fort Benning, Georgia. The JPIC committee is endorsing the SOA Watch Convergence at the Border which begins in one week. While our physical presence may not be possible, we are asking you to join in the October 7-11 activities through your prayerful support. Those who gather will stand at the border for justice and demand fundamental change in U.S. policies beyond elections:
- End US military, economic, and political interventions in the Americas.
- Demilitarize the borders.
- Eliminate systems that criminalize and kill migrants.
- Respect, support and treat with dignity and justice those most vulnerable especially those who are poor.
Please join us in prayer.
For 2017 World Peace Day, Pope Asks to Focus on Nonviolence
“At the beginning of this New Year, I offer heartfelt wishes of peace to the world’s peoples and nations, to heads of state and government, and to religious, civic and community leaders. I wish peace to every man, woman and child, and I pray that the image and likeness of God in each person will enable us to acknowledge one another as sacred gifts endowed with immense dignity. Especially in situations of conflict, let us respect this, our “deepest dignity,”[1] and make active nonviolence our way of life.
“On this occasion, I would like to reflect on nonviolence as a style of politics for peace. I ask God to help all of us to cultivate nonviolence in our most personal thoughts and values. May charity and nonviolence govern how we treat each other as individuals, within society and in international life. When victims of violence are able to resist the temptation to retaliate, they become the most credible promoters of nonviolent peacemaking. In the most local and ordinary situations and in the international order, may nonviolence become the hallmark of our decisions, our relationships and our actions, and indeed of political life in all its forms.”
