Still Shining

The ‘Gleam on the Hilltop’ HAS new life as Mt. Assisi Place

Mount Assisi Convent, the Pittsburgh home of the School Sisters of St. Francis since 1928, was sold in August 2019 to a group of local investors who are repurposing the buildings while also carrying forward the sisters’ Catholic mission of service. Marian Hall Home, an 81-bed personal care home located on the property, has new management and a new name, Mt. Assisi Place.

The sale comes amid a time of transition for religious communities around the region and nationwide. Due to aging membership and fewer sisters in the workforce, upkeep of large motherhouse buildings has become fiscally and physically unmanageable. The median age of the School Sisters of St. Francis is 79.1. The community now has 66 members who serve in Pennsylvania, Texas, New Jersey, Rome and South Africa.

When the sisters put the building on the market in 2017, they did so with their mission in mind. They sought a buyer who would continue their commitment of service to those in need, in this case the elderly. For 106 years and as their mission states, the sisters have ministered to their neighbors according to the needs of the time. The community’s primary ministry was teaching in Catholic schools but has, over the years, evolved to include elder care, retreat ministry, parish outreach and education, and social service.

“Our mission of caring for elderly was the most important thing in this process,” says Sister Marian Sgriccia, provincial vicar and administrator of Marian Hall Home since 2000. “We feel very strongly that the new owners are committed to carrying forward that mission.”

The sisters’ presence continues to be felt at Mt. Assisi Place, where two sisters remain on staff as nurses and artifacts of the community’s century-long legacy in the Pittsburgh area are displayed throughout the building. Queen of Angels Chapel, built in 1968 as an addition to the convent, continues to host daily Masses coordinated by the sisters. In addition, 14 sisters are in personal care at Mt. Assisi Place.

“On a day-to-day basis, our residents won’t see much change,” says Sister Marian. “Life will continue in the way they are used to.”

The same is true of Marian Hall’s nearly 50 employees, Sister says, who are now employees of Mt. Assisi Place.

As for the alumnae who roamed its halls before Mount Assisi Academy closed in 1978, the change is bittersweet. Although the buildings will no longer be exclusively associated with the sisters, the personal care home has long been a haven for aging parents and relatives of former students. A few also work and volunteer at the complex.

The sisters retain ownership of a large brick home at the foot of the property, known as San Damiano Convent, while also renting back Little Flower House, a large frame house adjacent to the main convent and included in the property sale. The Provincial Offices have moved to rented space nearby in Ross Township.

The sisters continue to operate three sponsored ministries – St. Francis Center for Renewal and the Monocacy Farm Project in Bethlehem, Pa., as well as the Franciscan Resource Center in San Angelo, Texas. The sisters of the United States Province continue to serve in Pittsburgh, Bethlehem, Erie and West Lawn, Pa.; in Somerset, Paterson and Lawrenceville, N.J.; in San Antonio and San Angelo, Texas; in Barberton, South Africa; and in Rome.