Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist Locations
Meriden, Connecticut
Generalate and Motherhouse
The authorities of the Community are the spiritual touchstone for all the local communities of Sisters throughout the world. Their spiritual centering sets the pulse as the heartbeat which keeps all in rhythm as One Body. The Meriden center is known as the Motherhouse Community and comprises the Generalate and three local houses.
John Lateran Center
The John Lateran Center is a house of formation where postulants, novices and temporary professed Sisters learn the Franciscan way of life as expressed by the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist.
Paul VI Center
Paul VI Center, named in honor of Pope Paul VI who strongly promoted the dignity of human life, is a residence for perpetually professed Sisters and is the place of the community’s common chapel, the Chapel of St. John.
Chiara Center
Built in 1996, the Chiara Center is a house of formation for pre-postulants and a residence for women in the Land Program.
Apostolate
From its initial beginnings in the early 1970’s, the Meriden center has developed apostolic programs to serve the people of New England: Franciscan Life Center, Franciscan Home Care and Hospice Care, Franciscan Community Service-based Land Program, Synergic Systems, Franciscan Pottery and Franciscan Ever There Care. Sisters in the Meriden center not only serve in Franciscan-sponsored ministries but in the public arena, with other religious orders and with the Archdiocese of Hartford.
Boynton Beach, Florida
The Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist began serving in the Diocese of Palm Beach in June 2016 by ministering at St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary in Boynton Beach. Sisters work as director of the seminary’s ongoing formation program, director of music, coordinator of pastoral experiences, and professor of theology. The Franciscan Community, in the spirit of St. Francis who had a profound reverence for priests, is dedicated to developing collaborative relationships for the support of the priesthood.
Bridal Veil, Oregon
A restored villa surrounded by the beauty of forests and gardens in the Columbia Gorge serves as a community base for the Sisters and provides a setting for group meetings and children’s environmental camps.
Anyone who visits the Bridal Veil center becomes aware of the Franciscan mission of “rebuilding.” The dilapidated condition of the buildings in the early 1970s did not dissuade the Sisters from seeing the beauty hidden within the property. Untold hours of work by the Sisters and volunteers went into the restoration of the buildings and grounds. Today, the Bridal Veil center is a living, physical example of the greater Franciscan mission of rebuilding, a mission carried out through the center’s dedication to life education of the whole person.
Franciscan Montessori Earth School & St. Francis Academy
The Sisters founded the Franciscan Montessori Earth School & Saint Francis Academy in Portland in 1977. The creative curriculum provides innovative and time-tested Montessori education embued with Franciscan spirituality for young people ages 2½ to 14 years.
Falls Church, Virginia
Diocese of Arlington
Five Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist moved to Falls Church on August 28, 2006, to begin a new mission in the Diocese of Arlington at the invitation of Bishop Paul Loverde. The center is dedicated to promoting the dignity of the human person and family life. Sisters work in a local school, a parish, the diocese's home for retired priests, The Catholic University of America, and provide spiritual and theological guidance.
Lowell, Michigan
The Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist have lived on a 230 acre farm near Lowell, Michigan since the early 1970s, and have developed extensive relationships in the Grand Rapids area through their programs and outreach. Over the years, the farm has grown into an educational, counseling and music therapy center for people of all ages.
The Sisters raise their own beef cattle and maintain a large vegetable garden for food for the Community. The land was the site of a university student project to map the 230 acres using GPS and GIS technology. This project identified not only land formations and contours of the fields, but also underground drainage systems, power lines and cables to assist in future planning for land use.
The Sisters operate the Franciscan Life Process Center which has two campuses, on-site and in Grand Rapids. Sisters also serve in a local Catholic high school, and a nearby hospital.
Franciscan Life Process Center
This exciting educational and counseling center serves people in every stage of life from children through elderly. Services include counseling, music therapy and music education, art classes and workshops, land experiences, volunteer activities and many other creative services.
Something new is always happening at the Franciscan Life Process Center.
Burlington, Vermont
The Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist were invited by the Bishop of Burlington to serve the diocese beginning in 2018 at the Catholic Center at the University of Vermont in Burlington located on Lake Champlain. Actively engaging with students at the Catholic Center in events, discussions and liturgies is a mission the Community carries out with joy. A Sister also serves as a spiritual consultant and parish visitor for a local parish.
Pocatello, Idaho
Franciscan Family Life Center
The Sisters direct their energies in a variety of outreach services dedicated to strengthening family life. Frequently, the center sponsors workshops on Church documents related to family life, body theology and the dignity of the human person. The Sisters offer work experiences on their land for individuals, families and groups. The Family Life Center provides retreats for persons seeking greater depth in their spiritual lives and are available for educational and inspirational presentations.
Sculptures: A Workman's Parable. Sister Mona Brunner, FSE, with the help of local friends, designed numerous sculptures which adorn the gardens of the desert landscape at the Family Life Center.
Lewiston, Maine
The Franciscan Sisters began to serve the people of the Diocese of Portland in July 2021 at the invitation of the Most Reverend Robert Deeley. The Sisters are engaged as teachers, environmental education consultants and campus ministers for local Catholic schools. The Sisters continue to develop their mission as they learn about the needs of the Church in the Lewiston-Auburn area.
Vancouver, British Columbia
At the invitation of the Most Reverend J. Michael Miller, Archbishop of Vancouver, the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist returned to Vancouver in 2015 where they had served in the early years of the Community. Sisters work in Archdiocesan Offices. They frequently give presentations on the Church's teachings on family life, marriage, sexuality and Franciscan spirituality.
Assisi, Italy
The community is present in the land of St. Francis and St. Clare and serves the local people through translating services and scientific consulting services.
For pilgrims of all ages and youth groups seeking an experience of Franciscan prayer, the Sisters open to them the mysteries of the holy places in Assisi and the dynamic spirit of the Franciscan tradition.
The Sisters grow their own vegetables and care for their grove of olive trees through the seasons. The process of producing olive oil as analogous to the spiritual process of ongoing conversion is a way of Franciscan "hands-on" prayer for the Community.
Rome, Italy
The Community is blessed to have a presence in the heart of the universal Church where the Sisters work in Vatican offices and the North American College, teach and study at Catholic universities, and assist our Franciscan pilgrimages in discovering the heritage of our faith in the Eternal City.
See the Vatican web site to learn about the Church's activities and to access the documents of the Holy See. Visit the Vatican's YouTube Channel. The Vatican Library web site shares many of the Church's artistic and historic treasures with the world.
Holy Land
The Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist have had a presence in the Holy Land since 1978. Over the years, the Community has ministered in teaching, social work and counseling. Several years ago, at the request of parents, the Community founded near Bethlehem a therapeutic educational program, Holy Child Program, for children who were affected by experiences of trauma. Having trained local professionals on staff in providing services, the Franciscan Sisters relinquished the operation of the Program in 2008. Since then, the Bethlehem Holy Child Program, a corporation comprising Franciscan Apprentices, provides oversight for the local staff who are successfully carrying out the mission of the Program. The Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist continue as consultants and offer spiritual guidance.
The land of Christ remains an important place for the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist to live and work, as we carry out the mission Christ began on that very soil, made sacred by his life, death and resurrection. Over the years, the Community has served in the offices of the Latin Patriarchate and in the offices of the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land.
