Felician Sisters Celebrate 10th Anniversary of North American Province

November 21 is a significant date for the Felician Sisters. It marks their founding in 1855 and their arrival in North America in 1874; and on Nov. 21, 2009, the Sisters took another step in the evolution of their community as the eight North American provinces merged into Our Lady of Hope Province, effectively pooling their resources, the most important of which is the Sisters themselves, and allowing more to minister in “total availability.”

Dedicated to meeting the needs of the time, the Sisters adapt to meet the needs of the people. They have turned schools into outreach centers, orphanages into affordable housing projects and convents into homeless shelters. They continue to open new ministries, including Deo Gratias in Detroit and the Our Lady of Grace Affordable Housing Project in Delaware, and some of their current ministries, such as the Blessed Angela Spirituality Center in California and St. Felix Centre in Toronto, are expanding to meet the needs of victims of human trafficking, migrant families and the homeless.

In the spirit of St. Francis, the Sisters go where no one else will go, bringing compassionate service to the forgotten. In doing so, they have been innovative, creative and sometimes even counter-cultural. They serve immigrant families on the border and in detention centers. They not only minister to the marginalized; they live among them.  With an uncanny ability to adapt and an undaunted faith in God’s providence, the Felician Sisters stand ready to serve wherever and however they are needed.