hospitalsistersofstfrancis_vfdwcmvrnxfzeja9/Hospital_Sisters_of_St_Francis.js
banner left
banner right
title left
WHAT'S NEW
title right

In memoriam: Sister Arlene
November 26, 2023 3:07 PM


Sister Arlene Winkler, OSF, (94), died on November 24, 2023, at St. Francis Convent, Springfield, IL.

Sister Arlene, the former Mary Theresa, was born in Leipsic, OH, on June 21, 1929, the daughter of Louis and Lauretta (Lammers) Winkler. She entered the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis on March 6, 1949, and professed her first vows on October 4, 1951.

Sister Arlene was a 1960 graduate of St. John’s Hospital School of Nursing, Springfield. She earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing in 1971 from Marillac College, St. Louis, MO., and a master’s degree in gerontology in 1981 from Sangamon State University, Springfield, In addition, she earned certificates in hospice training, clinical pastoral education, and pastoral bereavement counseling. Sister Arlene served her community as a teacher, nurse, occupational therapist, and sacristan at St. Francis Convent. She also served as a nurse and hospice volunteer in HSHS hospitals in Springfield, Litchfield, and Highland. She was preceded in death by her parents, a brother, Donald Winkler, and three sisters: Hilda Hovest, Rose Schroeder, and Alvera Alt.

She is survived by several nieces and their families as well as her Franciscan Sisters with whom she shared her life for over 70 years.

Services and burial will be at St. Francis Convent. The Visitation will be held on Wednesday, November 29 from 4-7 p.m. with a Wake Service at 6:00 p.m. The Eucharistic Celebration and Rite of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Thursday, November 30 at 10 a.m. in the St. Clare of Assisi Adoration Chapel and burial will be in Crucifixion Hill Cemetery.

Click here to read her 2009 Feature story.

Staab Funeral Home oversees arrangements.


Our Franciscan Family is blessed
November 6, 2023 11:17 AM

We welcomed six new Associates on November 5, 2023, during the Eucharistic Liturgy in St. Clare of Assisi Adoration Chapel and Father Augustine Puchner, O.Praem. was the celebrant. The new Associates are Rick Kirchgesner, Tami Kirchgesner, Dan Krug, Marcia May, and Brandi Rawlins, Springfield, IL; and Kris Bents, Eau Claire, WI.

“More than 35 years ago, the Church identified ways to welcome men and women who desired a way to deepen their baptismal commitment by accepting God’s call to live according to Jesus’ Gospel but not profess vows,” explained Nancy Davis, Associate Coordinator. “One of the ways was through an Associate relationship to a religious community and in the Hospital Sisters’ tradition, our Associates seek to model themselves in some way in the spirit of St. Francis and St. Clare of Assisi and the example of our Sisters,” explained Davis.

These six Associates join a family of 115 Associates who embrace Franciscan values and the Hospital Sisters’ spirit while bringing the compassion of Jesus to others in ways that fit their lifestyle. Associates meet monthly to share their faith on spiritual and Franciscan topics, share in the Hospital Sisters’ spirituality, and join the Sisters in prayer, community, celebration, and ministry. Associates do not take vows.

Founded in 1987, Associates of the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis is a ministry that is open to baptized Christians 18 years or older with gatherings in Decatur, Effingham, Highland, Springfield, and Streator, IL; and Eau Claire, Green Bay, and Sheboygan, WI. For more information, please click here


Posted in Associates 2023 | 0 Replies
We welcome Kris Bents
November 6, 2023 11:14 AM

We welcome Kris Bents (Eau Claire, WI) to our Associate family. Kris is pictured with Nancy Davis, her sponsor.


Posted in Associates 2023 | 0 Replies
We welcome Rick Kirchgesner
November 6, 2023 11:13 AM

We welcome Rick Kirchgesner (Springfield) to our Associate family. Rick is pictured with Sister Trudy O'Connor, his sponsor.


Posted in Associates 2023 | 0 Replies
We welcom Tami Kirchgesner
November 6, 2023 11:12 AM

We welcome Tami Kirchgesner (Springfield) to our Associate family. Tami is pictured with Sister Trudy O'Connor, her sponsor.


Posted in Associates 2023 | 0 Replies
We welcome Dan Krug
November 6, 2023 11:11 AM

We welcome Dan Krug (Springfield) to our Associate family. Dan is pictured with Sister Jomary Trstensky, his sponsor.


Posted in Associates 2023 | 0 Replies
We welcome Marcia May
November 6, 2023 11:09 AM

We welcome Marcia May (Springfield) to our Associate family. Marcia is pictured with Sister Janelle Athorp, her sponsor.


Posted in Associates 2023 | 0 Replies
We welcome Brandi Rawlins
November 6, 2023 11:07 AM

We welcome Brandi Rawlins (Springfield) to our Associate family. Brandi is pictured with Sister MaryAnn Falbe, her sponsor.


Posted in Associates 2023 | 0 Replies
In memoriam: Sister Jonette
October 5, 2023 1:42 PM


Sister Jonette Devlin, OSF (96), died on October 5, 2023, at St. Francis Convent, Springfield, IL.

Sister Jonette, the former Catherine Ann, was born in Springfield, IL, on June 17, 1927, the daughter of Francis and Anna (Unger) Devlin. She entered the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis on September 8, 1946, and professed her first vows on June 13, 1949.

Sister Jonette was a 1951 graduate of St. John’s Hospital School of Nursing, Springfield, IL. She earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing in 1954 and a master’s degree in nursing in 1971 from St. Louis University, St. Louis, MO. In 2014, she received the Distinguished Alumna Award from St. John’s College, Springfield, IL.

Sister Jonette served in nursing at St. John’s Hospital, Springfield, IL, from 1952 to 1953 and as a clinical instructor at St. John’s Hospital School of Nursing from 1954 to 1969. In 1971, she was assigned to St. Vincent Hospital, Green Bay, WI, as a critical care nurse and served there until 2013.

She was preceded in death by her parents, a brother, John, a sister, Mary, and a special cousin, Alvina Devlin Reiser. She is survived by a sister-in-law, Linda Devlin, several nieces and nephews, and their families, as well as her Franciscan Sisters with whom she shared her life for over 75 years.

Services and burial will be at St. Francis Convent. The Visitation will be held on Sunday, October 8 from 4-7 p.m. with a Wake Service at 6:00 p.m. The Eucharistic Celebration and Rite of Christian Burial will be celebrated by Father Richard Chiola on Monday, October 9 at 10:30 a.m. in the St. Clare of Assisi Adoration Chapel and burial will be in Crucifixion Hill Cemetery. A Memorial Mass will be held in the HSHS St. Vincent Hospital Chapel, Green Bay, on Wednesday, October 18, at noon.

2004 Feature Story

Staab Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.


Governance and Leadership
July 28, 2023 9:17 AM

 

We look to the future with changes in governance structure and leadership

The Hospital Sisters of St. Francis implemented a new governance structure and welcomed a new leadership team on July 15, 2023. Sister M. Margarete Ulager, OSF, General Superior of the Hospital Sisters of the Third Order Regular of St. Francis, announced the establishment of the U.S. Canonical House, the new governance structure for the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis in Springfield. Sister Margarete also announced the leadership team who will serve a three-year term: Sister Maureen O’Connor, OSF, superior, and Sister Anna Phiri, OSF, and Sister Janice Schneider, OSF, assistant superiors. (Pictured left to right: Sisters Anna, Maureen, and Janice)

Since 1903, the Springfield-based Hospital Sisters of St. Francis has been a province in their international community with a leadership team of a provincial superior who served with a small team of Sisters. Mindful of their decreasing membership and increasing age, and after evaluating their present and future needs, the Sisters recommended and received approval for this new structure from their leadership team in Muenster, Germany in 2023.

The recommendation for a new governance structure follows two decisions regarding the Sisters’ Springfield property and their healthcare ministry. In January 2022, the Sisters entered into an agreement with the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois in which the diocese assumed ownership and responsibility for St. Francis Convent at 4849 LaVerna Road, Springfield. The Sisters will continue to live on the property indefinitely through a long-term lease agreement. Second, on July 2, 2015, the Sisters received Vatican approval for Hospital Sisters Ministries to assume sponsorship of Hospital Sisters Health System (HSHS) and its related organizations in Illinois and Wisconsin. Established under Church law as a public juridic person, Hospital Sisters Ministries is governed by a board accountable to the Church. This action follows a national movement in Catholic healthcare in which religious communities transition leadership to men and women who are formed in the highest governance of Catholic healthcare.

Sister Maureen O’Connor, OSF, is a native of Springfield, IL, and is a graduate of St. John’s Hospital School of Nursing. She holds a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Marillac College, a master’s degree in nursing from the University of Colorado Denver, and an MBA from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She began her career as a registered nurse in HSHS hospitals in Illinois and Wisconsin. From 1988 to 2007, she served as the provincial secretary and treasurer of the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis. From 2007-15, she served as provincial vicaress and from 2015-23 she served as provincial superior. She made her first profession of vows in 1968.

Sister Anna Phiri, OSF, is a native of Chipata, Zambia. She holds a diploma in religious studies from Regina Mundi, Rome, Italy, a master’s degree in religious sciences from Gregorian University, Rome, and a certificate in spiritual direction. She made her first profession of vows with the Teresian Sisters in 1973 and served for 10 years with her community’s leadership team in Malawi. She transferred to the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis in 2003 and served as the membership invitation minister. Since 2008, she has volunteered at HSHS St. Mary’s Hospital, Decatur, IL, in spiritual care and with other organizations in Decatur.

Sister Janice Schneider, OSF, is a native of Olney, IL, and she holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Illinois at Springfield, a master’s degree in business administration from Lakeland College, and a master’s degree in health care mission from Aquinas Institute of Theology. Sister Janice began her career in accounting at HSHS hospitals in Illinois and Wisconsin. From 2007-15, she served as the provincial secretary and treasurer of the Hospital Sisters and from 2015-23 she served as a provincial councilor and canonical treasurer. She made her first profession of vows in 1992.

The Hospital Sisters of St. Francis is a congregation of Franciscan Sisters founded in Germany in 1844. Their Provinces include Germany, Poland, Japan, and India, and a Canonical House in America. In 1875, Sisters from Germany arrived in America and began a healthcare ministry. The Sisters provided healthcare services in Illinois, Wisconsin, Missouri, Arizona, New Mexico, Louisiana, and Indiana, along with China, Japan, Taiwan, Tanzania, and Haiti. It is the Founding Institute of Hospital Sisters Ministries which is the public juridic sponsor of HSHS – a multi-institutional healthcare system in 14 communities in Illinois and Wisconsin with 15 hospitals, health centers, and clinics, nearly 2,300 physician partners, and more than 14,000 colleagues. In addition, the Sisters founded St. John’s Hospital School of Nursing, now St. John’s College, in 1886 and it is the first Catholic nursing school in the United States. In 2002, the Sisters founded Hospital Sisters Mission Outreach which collects medical supplies and equipment from hospitals across the Midwest and makes them available to healthcare facilities in low-resource areas around the world. The Sisters also founded the Franciscan Apostolic Center in 1974 and Chiara Center in 2007 – both of which served as retreat and conference centers for people of all faith traditions.



Categories
Recent Posts
Posted: November 26, 2023 3:07 PM In memoriam: Sister Arlene
Posted: November 6, 2023 11:17 AM Our Franciscan Family is blessed
Posted: November 6, 2023 11:14 AM We welcome Kris Bents
Posted: November 6, 2023 11:13 AM We welcome Rick Kirchgesner
Posted: November 6, 2023 11:12 AM We welcom Tami Kirchgesner
Posted: November 6, 2023 11:11 AM We welcome Dan Krug
Posted: November 6, 2023 11:09 AM We welcome Marcia May
Posted: November 6, 2023 11:07 AM We welcome Brandi Rawlins
Tags

Hospital Sisters of St. Francis 4 849 LaVerna Road, Springfield, IL 62707 (217)522-3386
Directions
Contact
Facebook
footer right



Click to Print this Page