Foreign Missions

Africa

The Sisters of St. Francis of the Neumann Communities have responded to the needs of people in Kenya, East Africa through four ministries provided on the mountainous slopes of the ever-growing village of Timau..

1) St. Elizabeth School - A pre-school and lower primary school for orphans, disadvantaged, squatters, migrants, and the poor with 232 students.

2) St. Clare Technical School - Trains youth in skills for future livelihood, including metalwork, carpentry, dressmaking, tailoring, machine knitting, masonry, and computer studies.

3) Development – Friend and fundraising for construction of needed buildings relevant to the needs of the sisters’ ministries.

4) Christian Foundation for Children and Aging (CFCA) – Based in Kansas, the sisters have been collaborating with CFCA since 1995 to address the most basic human needs, i.e. food, clothing, nutrition, shelter, and education. Home visits are a core part of the program, as well as school and institutional visits. For more information, visit www.cfcausa.org.

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Peru

The sisters partner with a dedicated local staff of 40 committed Kenyans and collaborate with the principals and directors of many other educational and medical institutions to assist with needed services for their clients. From time to time, overseas volunteers also assist in a very big way.

Sisters of St. Francis serve in Peru Responding to Pope John XXII’s plea to all religious congregations to increase labors in the mission fields, three sisters departed from Syracuse in January 1967 to begin work in Peru. Initially, the sisters staffed a school on a large sugar plantation in the village of Paramonga. By 1976, ministries were developed to meet the educational, pastoral and health needs of the people in fishing villages along the Pacific coast and in mountain missions high in the Andes. In each village where sisters ministered, the local people were trained to be able to continue the work, so the sisters could move into another area of need. Today, two North American and two native Peruvian sisters minister in the Diocese of Lima and in the newly formed Diocese of Lurin, just south of Lima.

Sister Francis Clare works in an extremely poor village, Quebrada Verde, located on the south side of Lima. Her major project is managing St. Rose of Lima Montessori School and in preparing the teachers. The first class began with 21 preschool students in March, 2005. (Presently the capacity is twenty but they just couldn't say no.)

Sister Christina Flores serves as supervisor of religion at the Diocese of Lima. She helps the religion teachers prepare better classes. In Peru, religion is taught in all public and parochial schools. Christina is a registered psychologist and donates her services in the parish. She also serves as director of the formation program – teaching native Peruvians who would like to become sisters.

Sister Lastenia Paz-Reina serves in ministry as a nurse technician at the Naval Hospital in Lima.

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Puerto Rico

In 1931, the sisters’ love and concern for those who are most in need inspired five Franciscans to travel to the mission fields of Puerto Rico to educate the poor at Colegio San Antonio, where 128 students were enrolled at the elementary and secondary levels.

Subsequently, additional schools were opened and staffed by the sisters including:

Escuelita San Francisco in Ceperos, 1936
Colegio Santa Cruz School in Trujillo Alto, 1945
Nuestra Señora de la Altagracia School in 1964
Colegio Nuestra Señora del Pilar, Río Piedras, 1972

Through the years, the sisters have reached out in service to people in need in Puerto Rico by providing religious education, as well as healthcare for persons with leprosy and those with Alzheimer’s disease.

Currently, three sisters serve in education ministry in Puerto Rico:

Sister María Luisa Cassellas Jovet, registrar, Colegio San Antonio
Sister María Ramón Santiago, director, Colegio Santa Cruz
Sister Marianita Zabala, guidance counselor, Colegio San Antonio

In all, more than 100 sisters have answered God’s call to service in Puerto Rico. Together, they continue to share their gifts of education and the love of God with thousands of people on the island.