Sr. Deborah Krist’s first encounter with the Sisters of St. Francis was during her secondary school years. Little Flower was, like many diocesan high schools, staffed by various congregations of sisters. So…what led Debbie to the Franciscans? “I experienced a joyful spirit in our sisters that could not be contained—and I resonated with it, she explained. “I researched other congregations and visited their motherhouses but the Glen felt like ‘home’ to me.”

During her early years in the congregation, Debbie ministered in elementary education. In a 2005 article by Pete Kennedy in the Bridesburg Star, she reflected on what she saw as the focus of education. “The thing that was really important to me was to have the children feel good about themselves, to really develop their self-image.”  Read more