Franciscan Center changes sponsorship

Franciscan Sister Joanne Schatzlein, director of the Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi in Wisconsin, called it “truly a gift of God” that the Ellicott City-based Our Lady of the Angels Province of the Conventual Franciscans has taken over sponsorship of the Franciscan Center in Baltimore from the Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi. 

The transfer was announced Nov. 29 to coincide with the feast of All Saints of the Seraphic Order, the 800th anniversary of the signing of the 1223 Rule of St. Francis which marked the founding of the Franciscan order.  

The Franciscan Center was founded in 1968 by the Franciscan Sisters of Baltimore, a women’s religious community that merged with the Milwaukee-based Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi in 2001.

Since its establishment, the Franciscan Center has been a cornerstone in Baltimore, delivering vital services such as food, clothing, emergency aid, counseling and technology training. The approach aims to assist individuals in achieving self-sufficiency.

The decision of Our Lady of the Angels Province to assume sponsorship followed an invitation from the Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi. The Conventual Franciscans, an order of priests and brothers, embraced the invitation, as the sisters gradually divest themselves from certain communities.

“Our brothers’ overwhelming hospitality and their assurance that we will remain part of their family into the future affirm that we are entrusting the Franciscan Center to the right group of Franciscans,” Sister Joanne told the Catholic Review.

To commemorate the transition, a special Mass was held at the Shrine of St. Anthony in Ellicott City Nov. 29. 

“We think it’s a perfect fit for our friars and are really looking forward to working there,” said Conventual Franciscan Father Michael Heine, minister provincial of Our Lady of the Angels Province. 

The Conventual Franciscans have been actively involved in the center’s activities in the past, supplying fresh produce from Little Portion Farm in Ellicott City. 

Angela Hall, assistant executive director of the Franciscan Center, highlighted the 24-Hours of Cooking and Serving program, where 4,000 fresh meals were prepared and delivered to various communities in need.

This culinary event extended its reach beyond the Franciscan Center, providing meals to homeless encampments, winter shelters, senior homes and selected local nonprofits. The center’s staff and volunteers worked together to deliver meals at midnight to places such as hospital emergency rooms, police stations, fire departments and public works teams. Thirty chefs, each contributing at least two hours, prepared a variety of dishes, including Italian-style meatloaf, jerk-roasted turkey, coffee-rubbed roasted brisket, and brown-sugar-glazed pit ham. 

The Franciscan Center has undergone significant renovations and physical improvements in recent years, including an indoor dining room, a client choice pantry, a training kitchen, a computer lab, an education center, a clothing intake room and a new Mace Street entrance, representing a significant evolution.

The Franciscan Center, sponsored primarily for spiritual support by the friars, will maintain its independent operation. Father Heine emphasized the friars’ goal of upholding the Franciscan spirit, contributing to the board and cultivating a stronger connection with the broader Franciscan community.

“We’re really excited, and the friars are very excited that we’re doing this,” he said.

Email Adriana Montes at amontes@CatholicReview.org

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