Sense of the Church

“And so we do all that we do truly and only to serve the Church and to become one Eucharistic Body filled and embraced by a soul with an ‘anima Ecclesiastica’ – that is, a soul filled with the dimensions of the Church.” – Mother Rosemae Pender, FSE, Mother Foundress

As we serve the Church in specific places in the world, relating to one person at a time through “little portions” in the manner of St. Francis, we do so always in light of the larger scope of the universal Church, the Body of Christ. This lively “sense of the Church” shapes the Community to maintain perspective that our part is only a part, that our charism is one of many, and that our prayer and actions must serve to enrich the whole.

Collaboration

The Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist seek to collaborate with lay persons, deacons, priests, bishops, and men and women religious as a way of rebuilding the Church of our day. Responding to the critical need of the Church to form priests to meet today’s challenges, Sisters work in seminaries in the United States and in Rome.

Feminine Complement

Called to be Women of the Church and to bring a dynamic feminine complement to relationships with members of the clergy and hierarchy, the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist, in the spirit of St. Francis, reverence the sacred gift of the ordained priesthood. We are grateful for the collaborative spirit and support of our local bishops and priests in the dioceses in which we serve:

Franciscan Brothers of the Eucharist

The Franciscan Brothers of the Eucharist, approved by the Archdiocese of Hartford as a Public Association of the Faithful, were founded with the intention of being aggregated to the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist as the men’s branch of the order.

The Brothers live near the motherhouse of the Franciscan Sisters in Meriden, Connecticut, and share in daily Mass and prayer with the Community. As the Brothers engender new life within the Franciscan tradition, they respond to the challenge to renew the vocation of Religious Brothers within the Church. To learn more about the vocation of Brother, see Identity and Mission of the Religious Brother in the Church by the Sacred Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life.

Promoting the Call of the Lay Faithful

The Community works closely with the lay faithful in their call to live and promote the Church’s teachings on marriage and family life and to be a light of hope and an evangelizing influence in the professional, secular milieu.

Franciscan Apprenticeship Program

Franciscan Apprenticeship offers lay persons an opportunity to learn and to live the Franciscan way of prayer and of life within the secular milieu in collaboration with the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist. After a period of formation, Apprentices make a life commitment to live Franciscan spirituality.

Fostering Religious Life: Vision for the Future

The Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist work in complement with other communities of Religious women and men to strengthen a vision for the full flowering of Religious Life in the Church today. Frequently the Sisters are called upon to consult and collaborate with fellow Religious in a spirit of friendship and mutual support. These life-giving relationships form a web of trust and strength for the future growth of collaboration among the various charisms.

Our Mother General and Vicar General are members of the Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious and have served on the Board of Directors.

Since 1998 the FSE Community has been a part of the Franciscan Common Venture, a collaborative effort of four Franciscan communities.