We are the Congregation of the Sisters of the Sorrowful Mother, Third Order Regular of St. Francis of Assisi, a religious community of women who desire to live the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Through our profession of poverty, celibate chastity and obedience, we seek to further the kingdom of God.
The Rule and life of the Brothers and Sisters of the Third Order Regular of St. Francis is our foundational rule. We follow Jesus as Franciscan religious, according to the vision of our foundress, Venerable Mother Frances Streitel of the Cross.
We revere Mary, Mother of Sorrows, whose title we bear, and we look to Mary, virgin and mother, as a model of faith, contemplation of God’s word, humble discipleship, and tender compassion (Our Way of Life # 1-3)
Our Origin
Our origin is embedded in the spiritual journey of this woman who is known today as Venerable Mother Frances Streitel of the Cross; whose quest of faith was to know and to do God’s will. First in 1866, the then named Amalia entered the Franciscan Institute of Maria Stern and became Sr. Angela. Then in 1882, Sr Angela experienced an interior call to leave and go to Carmel, she receives the habit and is named Sr Petra. In June 1882, praying before the Sacred Heart, “In spirit I beheld two mountains rise… in one I recognized Carmel; in the other Alverno…Both mountains arched themselves into one…. The call I received sounded like this: “To unite the active life with the contemplative”.
Sister Petra realized God was calling her to something different. She left Carmel. In 1883, Mother Frances Streitel, attentive to God’s action in her life and eager to do His will founded the Sisters of the Sorrowful Mother.
Link: Mother Frances website
Our Charism
“To unite the active with the contemplative”. (Letter 39# 8)
Fidelity to our charism continues to shape our specific mission within the Church. This faithfulness calls forth continual renewal of spirit, development of our charism, and appropriate adaptation to today’s apostolic needs that are integral to our spiritual heritage.
“Prayer and work must go hand in hand and like twin sisters, strive to remedy the spiritual and social misery of mankind, teaching it again what it means to pray and work”. Letter 39 (86), # 8
Leadership
The elected General Council includes (from right to left) Sr. Samuela Maria Rigon, General Superior; Sr. Julie Marie Peters, Assistant General Superior; Sr. Maria Vinton, General Councilor; Sr. Anna Maria Buchini, General Councilor.
Wise leadership proceeds from the awareness that “all authority comes from God” (Romans 13:1) and it is a sacred trust that must be exercised with accountability.
Regional and Delegation Superiors
Sr. M. Arminda de Paula Camargo
Delegation Madre Francisca Streitel (Brazil)
Sr. M. Beate Nieberler
Delegation Deutschland (Germany)
Sr. Elisabeth Maria Knapp
Delegation Österreich zur hl. Theresa von Avila (Austria)
Sr. Gillian Angela Marie Jerome
St. Francis of Assisi Delegation (Caribbean)
Sr. M. Lois Bush
St. Clare of Assisi Region (U.S.A./ Dominican Republic)
Sr. M. Marcella de Marco
Delegation Italy
Local Communities in Tanzania report directly to the General Superior.