Sylvania Franciscans Elect New 2025-2029 Leadership Team
After a four-day Chapter of Elections, the Sisters of St. Francis of Sylvania, Ohio voted in their new Leadership Team, which includes Sister Sharon K. Derivan, OSF, as Congregational Minister, Sister Nancy Surma, OSF, serving as Assistant Congregational Minister, Sister Rebecca Rutkowski, OSF, in the role of Congregational Councilor, and Sister Patricia Gardner, OSF, as Congregational Councilor.
Formal installation will take place on 11 a.m., June 29, 2025, in Queen of Peace Chapel. The ceremony will be live streamed here.
This is the 21st Chapter of Elections in the Sisters’ 109-year history. Every four years, the Sisters take leave from their ministries across the states to return to the Motherhouse in Sylvania, OH to convene, pray, reflect and ultimately vote for new Leadership. Congregational Leadership is tasked with making significant decisions for the congregation, ensuring the welfare of their 94 Sisters, and overseeing the Sylvania Franciscan Foundation and their many sponsored ministries, which include Lourdes University, Bethany House, Sophia Center, Rosary Care Center, Welcome House and Convent Park apartments independent senior living.
Sisters of St. Francis Launch $5M Solar Initiative to Honor Legacy of Environmental Stewardship
Sylvania, Ohio — April 22, 2025 — The Sisters of St. Francis of Sylvania have officially launched the largest solar energy project in Sylvania and one of the largest for a non-profit organization in Northwest Ohio. This significant investment represents a major commitment in their enduring mission of caring for creation and advancing ecological sustainability. The installation—designed and managed by Elevated Energy—will significantly reduce the campus’s carbon footprint, cut energy costs, and create a lasting, visible expression of the congregation’s values.
Part of a broader $5 million solar vision, the first major phase is slated for completion by September 2025 and includes a solar canopy in the campus parking lot. Once complete, this year’s solar project will reduce 328.2 metric tons of carbon emissions annually, save $63,000 in yearly energy costs, and help power the Sisters’ mission-driven campus with clean, renewable energy for decades to come.
“This project is a public and permanent expression of the Sisters’ mission,” says Sustainability Coordinator Sara Grunberg. “The Sisters have always stepped forward to do the work in front of them – in education, healthcare, and helping the poor and marginalized. At this moment in history, we are responding to Pope Francis’ Laudato Si’ encyclical that calls each of us to care for the earth and care for the poor. It’s the right thing for us to do right now.”
Driven by Pope Francis’ Laudato Si’ encyclical, the solar energy initiative supports:
- Ecological Economics through efficient energy investments
- Environmental Education via community engagement
- Community Empowerment through social reinvestment of cost savings
This new initiative is part of the Sisters’ larger seven-year commitment to Laudato Si’ and to the Sylvania community that has been their home since 1916. The announcement follows several years of steadfast sustainability actions on campus, including the launch of an advanced composting program, planting over 100 trees, a thriving beekeeping initiative, and over 500 lbs of fresh produce donated from the Grateful Harvest Community Garden. Together, these efforts reflect a faith-based commitment to both ecological action and community care.
Rooted in the call of Laudato Si’ and guided by the words of Foundress Mother Adelaide—“To see beauty in everything, we must respond to it”—the initiative blends faith, action, and ecological responsibility.
July 2023
The Sisters of St. Francis of Sylvania, Ohio congregation has been approved for one of the Ohio Historical Markers by the Ohio History Connection office. SOSF was one of 22 applicants approved this year of the 53 that were submitted.
Lucas County has 69 numbered markers; and the SOSF marker will become the third for the City of Sylvania, as we will join #55-48 “Harroun Family Barn” and #62-48 “Centennial Terrace & Quarry/Fossil Park.”
Of the 1,750 existing markers in Ohio, only three designate religious congregations: The Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati founded in 1829 (Hamilton County); The Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur founded in 1840 (Hamilton County); and The Ursulines of Brown County founded in 1845 (Brown County)
The Ohio History Connection has from now through late 2024 to get the markers finalized and installed. Once we receive our marker, we will schedule a dedication.
