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READING EAGLE
Friday May 3, 2019 11:51 PM 
Bernardine Franciscan Sisters celebrate 125 years of ministry
The order's Motherhouse is adjacent to the Alvernia University campus in Reading.
WRITTEN BY SUSAN SHELLY - READING EAGLE CORRESPONDENT 

Four Polish religious sisters and a novice disembarked from a ship in New York City on Oct. 16, 1894, with little idea of what lay before them.  Led by by Sister Veronica Grzedowska, who is considered the founder of the Bernardine Franciscan Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis in America, the women made their way to a parish in Mount Carmel, Northumberland County, where they had been called to teach children of Polish immigrants who had settled there.

A century and a quarter later, the Bernardine Franciscan Sisters, many of whom reside in the Motherhouse adjacent to Alvernia University, still are teaching and welcoming immigrants, as well as providing a variety of other ministries in the United States and abroad.  “We are trying to be open to the needs of the Church today,” said Sister Marilisa da Silva, congregational minister of the Bernardine Sisters who also serves on Alvernia University's board of trustees. “We are working to build relationships as we go out to the people.”  The Bernardine Franciscan Sisters have been observing their anniversary year with special services and events, with a closing Mass set for Oct. 19 at the Motherhouse.  

How the Bernardines came to be based in Reading is its own story.  About a year after arriving in Mount Carmel, the sisters began experiencing conflict with the pastor there regarding duties they felt were contrary to their rule. Two sisters traveled by train to Harrisburg to meet with the bishop of the diocese, from whom they planned to seek permission for transfer to another parish.
A heavy downpour occurred on the return trip to Mount Carmel, and the train stopped for the night in Reading. Alone in a strange city and not able to speak much English, the sisters found their way to the nearby Polish church of St. Mary on South 12th Street.
They were welcomed there and offered residence in exchange for teaching the children of the parish, an opportunity they gratefully accepted.  “There was some sort of storm or something, and the train stopped in Reading, and they had to spend the night,” said Sister Rose Colette Rowe, archivist for the Bernardine Franciscan Sisters. “They went to St. Mary's parish and ended up staying there for a while.”  

In addition to teaching, the Bernardine Franciscans began taking in orphans. Their accommodations were small, however, and there was little room for the order to grow.  To accommodate their growing numbers, Mother Veronica, as she had become known, purchased Ridgewood, a former convalescent home near what is now the Flying Hills development.  The community moved in 1898, but it quickly became clear that conditions at Ridgewood were not ideal. Water and firewood had to be carried to the house, and students and teachers faced a mile-long walk to school and back every day. Still, the community continued to grow, and space again became an issue.  When a generous donor offered Mother Veronica a 10-acre piece of farmland near the center of Reading, she accepted, and a new Motherhouse was built on what is known as Mount Alvernia.

The order grew rapidly, and the sisters soon opened a grade school, then a high school, to serve the children they cared for. In 1958, they established Alvernia College as a liberal arts college.  “It has been a real journey,” said Sister Rose Colette. “We've seen an awful lot of changes in 125 years.”  The interrupted train journey that brought the sisters to Reading may have been inconvenient at the time, but has had a fruitful ending. Nearly 3,000 students are enrolled as undergraduate or graduate students at Alvernia University, and the sisters continue to faithfully serve the community and beyond.

In addition to hosting many programs and diocescan events at the McGlinn Conference Center at the Motherhouse, the Bernardine Sisters offer several educational ministries in Reading and Chester.  They also minister in the Dominican Republic, Brazil, Liberia and Mozambique.

As they celebrate their 125th anniversary, they will continue to contemplate its significance and the good that has come from their ministry in Reading.  “It is a blessing to be immersed in the whole history of what has happened here,” da Silva said.

Contact Susan Shelly: life@readingeagle.com.

About the Bernardine Franciscan Sisters
For over 120 years the Bernardine Franciscan Sisters have answered God's call to serve his people.Their ministry was to educate immigrants and care for orphans. Later, their commitment expanded to include teaching children in Catholic schools, establishing foreign missions in Brazil, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Liberia and Mozambique, establishing retreat centers and working in the medical field.
Today, they continue to follow in the spirit of St. Francis and Mother Veronica by ministering through social work, immigrant programs, peace and justice service and in parish communities. Recently, they have invited men and women to join them in serving God's poor by establishing the Volunteers in Mission Program, or VIM.


READING EAGLE
THURSDAY OCTOBER 18, 2018 10:11 PM 
Bernardine Franciscan Sisters celebrate anniversary
A Mass will be held in Reading to kick off the 125th anniversary year of the religious order.
WRITTEN BY READING EAGLE


A Mass was held Tuesday at the Motherhouse of the Bernardine Franciscan Sisters, 450 St. Bernardine St., to kick off the 125th anniversary year of the Bernardine Franciscan Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis in the United States.

Mother Veronica Grzedowska, a native of Poland, came to Reading in October 1894 with three other nuns and established the religious order's first permanent home and ministry.

"We intend to mark these 125 years by honoring the past, celebrating the present and embracing our future," said Sister Marilisa Helena da Silva, congregational minister of the Bernardine Sisters.

Ministries in Reading include the Mother Veronica Resource Center that is a welcoming place for immigrants and other members of the community who want to learn English, pursue GEDs or become citizens. The Doorway of Hope Project is an early learning program for Latino and Haitian children at St. Joseph's Parish in Reading.

Other ministries include the McGlinn Conference Center at the Motherhouse, which hosts many Alvernia University programs and diocesan events.

The sisters also operate the Bernardine Center in Chester, an outreach social services agency offering educational programs.

The sisters also minister in Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Mozambique and Liberia.

All Bernardine ministries are rooted in Franciscan hospitality and the social teachings of the Catholic tradition.

Presentations, pictures, Power Point presentations, videos and a collection of oral history will be part of the anniversary year.

On Nov. 2, an All Souls Prayer Day service will be held in the Motherhouse chapel and in the congregational cemetery as well as in local areas where Bernardine Franciscan sisters serve.
Throughout the anniversary year of 2019, there will be special prayer services for major feasts special to the history and tradition of the sisters. These events will be held at the Motherhouse and in local areas where the sisters serve. These feasts will include the Feast of Mother Veronica on Jan. 13, the Feast of St. Bernardine on May 20, the Sacred Heart of Jesus in June and the Feast of St. Francis on Oct. 4.

Each sister in the order will receive a historical reflection journal for use during the anniversary year. In addition, all Bernardine Franciscan sisters will have the opportunity for spiritual renewal through a weekend retreat. U.S. retreats will be held at the McGlinn Conference Center in Reading or in the retirement facility of St. Joseph Villa. The first retreat will be in February. Bernardine sisters Patrice Klausing and Roberta Agnes McKelve will conduct the retreats. Retreats also will be offered for sisters in other countries.

A multi-day assembly for communal discernment will be held next month in Brazil and in June in Reading. The event will allow sisters to pray together, celebrate, have dialogue and set direction for ways to continue their mission in Jesus' name.

Bishop Alfred Schlert of the Diocese of Allentown will celebrate the closing Mass of the anniversary year at the Motherhouse in Reading on Oct. 16, 2019. Many guests will take part in the closing liturgy and festivities.

The AD Times

Bernardine Franciscan Sisters will Kick Off 125th Anniversary Oct. 16
Dioceses of Allentown
VOL. 30, NO. 15
AUGUST 9, 2018
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