Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare - News & Updates

Summary Information

  • There are 98 vowed Wheaton Franciscan Sisters.
  • Forty-one lay men and women share the Franciscan spiritual journey with the Sisters as Wheaton Franciscan Covenant Members.
  • The Wheaton Franciscans sponsor more than 100 health, shelter and other human service organizations in Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin with approximately 22,000 employee/volunteer partners in ministry.
  • Individual Sisters’ ministries include: spiritual direction and retreats, sponsorship, Congregation/Province service, counseling, health care, parish ministry, pastoral care, social services, and housing.
  • The Wheaton Franciscans comprise the United States Province (Province of St. Clara) of the International Congregation of Franciscan Sisters, Daughters of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary.
  • There are 750 Sisters in the Congregation worldwide.
  • The Congregation headquarters (Generalate) is located in Rome, Italy.
  • There are four other Provinces and one Region:
    Province of the Sacred Heart in Salzkotten, Germany
    Province of St. Blandine in St. Martin, France
    Province of St. Francis, Aerdenhout, The Netherlands
    Province of the Immaculate Conception, Pematang-Siantar 21139 Sumut, Indonesia
    Holy Family Region, Santarem, Brazil
  • There are also two mission foundations of Sisters in Malawi and Romania.

Purposes of the Congregation

  • Prayer for the Church
  • Education of youth
  • Care of the sick and poor
  • Other works that meet the needs of the times

Provincial Council for the Wheaton Franciscans

Sr. Marge Zulaski, O.S.F., Provincial Directress
Sr. Patricia Norton, O.S.F., Assistant Provincial Directress
Sr. Alice Drewek, O.S.F., Councilor
Sr. Gabriele Uhlein, O.S.F., Councilor

Wheaton Franciscan Celebration Days

August 9 - Feast Day of St. Clare of Assisi
October 4 - Feast Day of St. Francis of Assisi
October 5 - Anniversary of the death of Mother Clara Pfaender, Foundress
October 30 – Founding of the Congregation
December 6 – Remembrances of the five Sisters who died in the wreck of the Deutschland
Feasts of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary – (Friday and Saturday after the feast of Corpus Christi)