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Our History

In 1843 Antonia Lampel, a Third Order Secular Franciscan, began the Congregation of the School Sisters of Saint Francis in Graz, Austria, with the support and approval of her diocesan bishop, Most Reverend Sebastian Zangerle. Antonia had witnessed the need for educating girls, whose proper formation and upbringing would benefit not only the girls but also future families, the Church, and society. Already imbued with the love of God, Franciscan spirituality, and a desire to respond to the needs of the time, a new charism came to birth through the establishment of this religious congregation.

Two sisters from Bohemia joined the congregation, becoming Sisters Jacoba and Hyacinth Zahalka. By 1888, they were able to establish a new foundation for the School Sisters of Saint Francis in their homeland. As the congregation there grew and strengthened, requests came for Sisters to serve among the Slovak people in the United States. Sister Hyacinth and Sister Georgia Cerny sailed for America on October 30, 1911. This new beginning rooted itself in Pittsburgh.


Mount Assisi Convent

In less than ten years the Sisters were staffing schools in Slovak parishes in Pennsylvania, and welcoming American Sisters. In 1928, Mount Assisi Convent in Bellevue was completed, and Mount Assisi Academy, a high school for girls, was established there in 1938.

In elementary education, the Sisters continued to add more parish schools in eastern Pennsylvania, West Virginia, New Jersey, and Massachusetts. Vocations also continued to flourish and, in 1947, Monocacy Manor was established in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The Bethlehem Province also experienced growth in schools and Catechetical programs. A high school for girls, Saint Francis Academy, was built in 1957. The grounds of Monocacy Manor also house a spacious and beautiful Retreat Center.

Although the Pittsburgh and Bethlehem Provinces shared a common beginning, they walked different paths over the years. As the century turned, however, collaboration increased between the two groups, and the sisters began to seriously consider merging. After much discussion and prayer, the members came together in October 2005 and, as a result, they overwhelmingly agreed to create the United States Province. The General Administration of the School Sisters of Saint Francis concurred and, in conformity with the Church's canon law, the United States Province was formally created on January 1, 2007.


First Leadership Team of the United States Province

The administration of the United States Province is entrusted to five Sisters of the Order of Saint Francis. At this time, the team is comprised of (left to right):

The School Sisters of Saint Francis in the United States have faced many challenges in the past, and will undoubtedly face many more. Following in the footsteps of Saint Francis and Mother Hyacinth Zahalka, our Sisters continue to embrace the journey that was begun long ago.