Called like Francis of Assisi to live the Gospel
in joyful servanthood among all people
Adapting our ministries in response to God's call
to serve the ever-changing needs of the human family
Join us at Queen of Peace Chapel
for Daily and Weekend Masses
In the Spirit of St. Clare, a woman of compassion
Justice & Peace
With our Mission always before us, the Sisters of St. Francis of Sylvania strive to live out our Directional Statement and our Peacemaking Initiative, by joining the global family in work for social change through lifestyle, prayer, ministries and advocacy efforts.
Ministries
Placing our individual gifts and talents in service of the needs of God’s people, we are engaged in such diverse ministries as education, healthcare, social services, religious education, media, law, art, parish and retirement ministries, and spiritual direction.
Prayer Focus
Our Lenten effort is to consider disciplines of prayer, fasting and almsgiving to protect God’s creation, embrace Gospel justice and nurture spiritual fulfillment. We reflect on practical opportunities for people of faith to apply the values of Christian Simplicity to everyday lives.
Experience
Regular tours of the Motherhouse grounds and special prayer services are conducted throughout the year. The Sylvania Franciscans provide several opportunities for prayer and contemplation, including mini-pilgrimages and Lent and Advent services.
Care for Creation
Watch Pope Francis’ video and hear his message about how we should take care of Mother Earth.
news and events
Called like Francis of Assisi to live the Gospel in joyful servanthood among all people, the Sisters of St. Francis of Sylvania, Ohio, as messengers of peace, commit themselves to works that reverence human dignity, embrace the poor and marginalized, and respect the gift of all creation.
stay connected
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The Sisters of St. Francis of Sylvania and the MultiFaith Council of NW Ohio invite you to attend a Universal Worship Service with the theme of 'GRATITUDE.' Monday, Nov. 19 at 6 p.m. at our Our Lady Queen of Peace Chapel.
Sister M. Verona Kurtzman, OSF - 1946-2018
A Welcoming will take place at 6:00PM November 18, 2018, Our Lady Queen Peace Chapel. Visitation lasts until 8:00PM.
Sister Verona's Funeral - 4:00PM November 19, 2018.
Visitation beginning at 9:30AM until the Funeral Mass.
Sister M. Verona Kurtzman died on November 12, 2018 at Rosary Care Center at the Motherhouse of the Sisters of St. Francis in Sylvania, Ohio. Sister Verona, came to Sylvania from Crestline, OH in 1961 to begin preparing to enter the Order by attending St. Clare Academy and Lourdes Junior College. She received an A.A. degree from Lourdes and attended food management courses at Fontbonne College in St. Louis, Missouri and Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. She later attended physical activity courses at Bowling Green State University and received a certificate as a Nursing Assistant with an emphasis in geriatrics from Automation Academy, Inc., Washington, DC.
Sister Verona made her first profession of vows in 1966 and professed her final vows in 1971. In her 52 years of ministry as a Sister of St. Francis, Sister Verona served in many different capacities. She had a knack for taking on new and challenging jobs with a generous amount of common sense and with enthusiasm, class and joy. She began her food service ministry as a dietary aide and moved into the role of manager of the Motherhouse cafeteria. She served as housekeeper and chef for retired Bishop Rehring and later did the same for Bishop Blair and the residents of the Toledo Diocese Chancery. Her years at Rosary Hall were spent in the dietary department, as a physical therapy aide, a nurse aide and enrichment assistant as well as a caregiver for individual Sisters. Sister Verona also served in pastoral care and was a patient escort at St. John Medical Center in Steubenville, Ohio. She was often seen walking the campus and enjoying the beauty of nature, praying at the various religious shrines and conversing with the people she met.
To know Sister Verona was to know someone who welcomed you into her life with gracious hospitality and often with a plan to go on an adventure somewhere be it out for a hot dog, a trip to a museum or one of the islands in Lake Erie. She loved big cities and spent many happy years of ministry in Detroit, Minneapolis and Washington, DC. Sister Verona will be dearly missed by her Sisters in community, her classmates, and her family, brothers John Kurtzman and Louie Kurtzman (Margy), and sister Joann Grubaugh (Dave), and many nieces and nephews.
Interment will be in Porta Coeli Cemetery on the campus of the Sisters. Memorial contributions may be made to The Sisters of St. Francis, 6832 Convent Blvd., Sylvania, Ohio.
Three rounds of Happy Birthday coming up this week for Sister Judy, Sister Pam and Sister Mary Peter!
#VeteransDay “God, please let every veteran of our nation’s armed forces feel truly and appropriately honored by the attention and appreciation of their fellow citizens. Let no one feel forgotten or neglected. #gratitude
Stay connected with the Sisters on Twitter for news, events and announcements. Be part of the conversation!
Three rounds of Happy Birthday coming up this week for Sister Judy, Sister Pam and Sister Mary Peter!
With Saint Francis, may we look at God’s world with the eyes of faith and find it filled with God’s footprints, not in sand but everywhere!
Looking for a place to honor our Veterans on Monday, Nov. 12? Stop by the Franciscan Center from 4 p.m. - 5 p.m. Lourdes University brings us Keynote speaker Harold Owens, Lt. Colonel, OHANG, (retired) who... https://t.co/EPdhy7XaSO
Sophia Counseling Center's 25th Anniversary Open House welcomed a full house of friends, staff, board and community members.
The latest article from our Sr. Karen Z - taking control of her #MultipleSclerosis https://t.co/htcnM3i292 https://t.co/htcnM3i292
Join the Sisters for upcoming events throughout the year.
Read about spirituality, prayer, justice, peace and more in several of our Sisters in weekly blog posts.
Becoming a hermit is a tempting idea!
Considering reaching out, to bring healing and harmony to our troubled world.
a way of life, love, learning, sharing, advocating, inspiring…
Original artwork, prints, cards, jewelry, prayer pillows, soaps, lotions and more…
created with love,
right here, by our Sisters
There are 10 members of the Sisters of St. Francis of Sylvania, Ohio celebrating anniversaries of professed religious life in 2018. Learn more about their more than 640 years of combined service!
The Sisters of St. Francis of Sylvania, Ohio are engaged in such diverse ministries as education, health care, social services, religious education and more. Meet one of our Sisters responding to the needs of our community and the world.
Let us pray God for each other, for in bearing each other’s burden of charity we shall fulfill the law of Christ.
– Clare’s Letter to Ermentrude of Bruges