Our Special Saints
At our very core, we are Franciscans, modeling our lives after Francis and Clare of Assisi. Their likenesses adorn our sacred spaces, and their lives have inspired us to live in intimate union with God while remaining true to our vows of poverty and ministering in service to the poor and otherwise needy. Still, there are other saints — some from which we take our baptismal and religious names — who inspire us, walk beside us and hold special places in our collective spirit. As today we observe All Saints’ Day, some of our Sisters share their personal connections with other special saints.
“Faith is to believe what you do not see. The reward of
faith is to see what you believe.”
damian of molokai
Born: January 3, 1840
Died: April 15, 1889
Canonized: October 11, 2009
Patron Of: People with Leprosy
“Asking me to name my favorite saint is like giving 7-year-old me a shiny copper coin and walking me into the penny-candy store. Just one? Today I would have to go with St. Damian of Molokai. He wanted to be a missionary. They said missionaries were needed in Hawaii, so off he went. He was ministering among the people in a normal pastoral situation, and someone said they needed someone to go to Molokai, the leper colony. So off he went. To his dismay, once he was there, he learned that he would not be allowed to leave the island. By the time the law was made less harsh, he had contracted leprosy, so he was still ‘condemned’ to share the life of his ‘children.’ He was acclaimed by some, but also maligned by others. He remained unfazed. His trust was in God, and he just responded day by day to God’s call.”
— Sister Nancy Celaschi
always at my side
“I don’t really have a favorite saint, but I do pray to my mother and dad very often because I believe that they are in heaven and are looking after me. My mother and dad were close to Jesus when they were living, and now they are close to Him in eternity. They always help me.”
— Sister Amata Shina
IN PRAISE OF ST. JOSEPH
Feastday: March 19
Patron Of: The Catholic church, unborn children, fathers, immigrants, workers, pilgrims, carpenters, engineers, realtors, against doubt and hesitation, happy death
“My favorite saint is St. Joseph. My father died when I was a baby, and my mother never remarried. I grew up with no father figure. One day at age 9, I decided it was time I had a father. I opened the Bible, lit a candle (which I wasn’t allowed to do), said a prayer and solemnly declared St. Joseph as my father. He and I have been special buddies ever since.”
— Sister Barbara Ann Webster
“St. Joseph is important to me, as he watched over Jesus and Mary. He did it quietly and with great love. To love and to be loved is the greatest joy on earth.”
— Sister Cecilia Jacko
Óscar romero
Born: August 15, 1917
Died: March 24, 1980
Canonized: October 14, 2018
Patron Of: Persecuted Christians
“One of my favorite saints is St. Óscar Romero. As a Jesuit priest and then bishop in San Salvador, Óscar Romero was an advocate for the poor and spoke up against the injustices that he saw in society. He died a martyr because of his advocacy for the poor.”
— Sister Frances Marie Duncan
carlo acutis
Born: May 3, 1991
Died: October 12, 2006
Beatified: October 10, 2020
Patron Of: Computer Programmers
“My brand new favorite is Blessed Carlo Acutis, a 15-year-old from Milan, Italy. He celebrated his first Feastday on October 12, 2020. His body is incorrupt and lies in state in Assisi. I suggest we ask Carlo to keep us safe through this pandemic.”
— Sister Pat Marie Buranosky
blessings from SAINT JOHN PAUL ii
Born: May 18, 1920 | Died: April 2, 2005
Canonized: April 27, 2014
Patron Of: Young Catholics and families
Over the years, while attending meetings and gatherings at our international headquarters in Rome, our Sisters have been blessed to have audiences with popes. Sister Elaine Hromulak thinks back with particular fondness to an encounter with Pope John Paul II nearly 30 years ago. Her niece had just welcomed an infant son, 8 months old at the time, who was born with several impairments. “I said, ‘Holy Father, I have a favor to ask.’ I told him about the baby and asked him to pray for him. He asked me his name, touched my face and said, ‘I will pray for Baby Joey.’”
“Baby” Joey is now 29 and thriving, which Sister Elaine attributes in no small part to those promised prayers. “I feel so blessed that a saint touched me,” she says. The moment was captured in the photo above.
Sister Irene Novak feels equally blessed by her encounter with the former pope turned saint. “Saint John Paul II was exceedingly knowledgeable yet exceedingly humble. I like knowing I was able to hold the hand of a saint.”
“We cannot all do great things, but we can do small things with great love.”
elizabeth ann seton
Born: August 28, 1774
Died: January 4, 1821
Canonized: September 14, 1975
Patron Of: Catholic Schools
A favorite saint of mine is Mother Elizabeth Seton. I really like her a lot because she was a wife, a mother, a born-again Catholic, a foundress, a founder of a community of Sisters, and a founder of the Catholic school system. When she was canonized, I was in Texas, and I’ve read the book of her life at least twice.
— Sister Lois Jean DiFalco
a saint to be?
Born: September 26, 1911
Died: May 4, 1993
Our international congregation is in the process of seeking beatification for Sister Eliška Pretschnerová, general superior from 1970 to 1983. Sister endured persecution, arrest and interrogation during atheistic Communist rule in Europe in the 20th Century. Many of our American Sisters knew her, served under her and loved her.
“I know that Sister Eliška is not listed in the Book of Saints, but she is one in my book. I pray to her daily and ask her to help me. My parents, Joe and Ann, are also two of my favorite saints who help guide my family and me daily. I often say, ‘Sister Eliška, Mom and Dad … please pray for us!’”
— Sister Roselyn Kuzma