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Bernardine Franciscan Sisters

An Intercultural Congregation of Women Religious

Social Justice, Peace and Earth Care

As Bernardine Franciscan Sisters, 
we ascribe to Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation.

The pursuit of Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation (JPIC) is one of the chief priorities of the Franciscans and flows naturally from the life of St. Francis and the Franciscan movement that he inspired in pursuit of the Gospel Life.

Francis’s love of Jesus inspired him to public preaching, and to take on the concerns of others. He reached out to the leper, the poor, and the marginalized, recognizing Christ’s presence in them. He proclaimed God’s love and peace, actively fostering reconciliation between warring parties. In all of creation, he perceived God’s love and beauty. His life was marked by intense religious experiences, which drew him deeper into the mystery of God. Francis made the message of God’s love understandable to ordinary people.

In the book Francis of Assisi: A Model for Human Liberation, Leonardo Boff gives a great deal of insight on how “some aspects of [Francis’] life make him particularly relevant for our times.” Among these traits is Francis’ “living out of universal kinship,” one that Boff views as particularly “crucial today when all cultures and religions encounter one another and can generate con-flict and even war, due to lack of dialogue and true encounter.”

From Francis and the early friars, with their simple greeting of “Pace e Bene” (Peace and All Good) up to our current days, Franciscans have held the title “heralds of peace.” The violence of our world and the shattered lives of so many continue to cry out simply for peace. Franciscans and Franciscan-hearted people are needed more than ever to be entry points of God’s healing peace. - US Franciscans

Issues We Care About

We therefore support efforts for global peace and work toward reconciliation, advocating those changes, which promote justice.
  • Private Prison Corporations 
  • Immigrant Dignity
  • Human Trafficking - Modern Slavery
  • Violence Against Women Act
  • Health Care
  • Gospel Living
  • Carbon Footprint
  • Immigration Reform
  • Catholic Climate Covenant
  • Catholic Social Teaching
  • The Safety and Wellbeing of All
  • Ending Gun Violence
Calling for an End to Gun Violence
The School Sisters of St. Francis stand alongside our friends and colleagues at the Leadership Conference for Women Religious (LCWR) in calling for an end to gun violence and in urging our legislative leaders to enact effective measures to address the epidemic in our nation.

"LCWR Calls for End to Gun Violence"

The recent mass shootings in our country impel us to once again beg all citizens and all elected leaders to end the rampant rage and division that have overpowered the nation and too often result in mass, indiscriminate violence. We are a nation that promises a life free from fear, and yet we seem unable to stop the epidemic of hate that has overwhelmed us. As we have been carrying in our own hearts the pain being endured by families who have lost loved ones and those wounded through gun violence, we bring in as well those impacted by these latest attacks.

What we are witnessing today is being called stochastic terrorism -- the use of mass public communication, usually against a particular individual or group, which incites or inspires acts of terrorism which are statistically probable but happen seemingly at random. The demonization of groups through mass media has been shown to result in violent acts because some who hear this speech interpret it as promoting targeted violence. We insist that society be protected from such acts of terrorism. We are called to confront rhetoric that stokes racism and hatred of anyone perceived to be “different” than we are. We are all responsible for monitoring our own language and actions and calling attention when the language and actions of others cross the line.

We implore all legislative bodies to pass legislation that effectively prevents gun violence. We call for the passage of laws that ban assault weapons, require universal background checks for all gun sales, provide funding for gun violence prevention research, and makes the trafficking in weapons a federal crime.
While mass shootings capture our attention, we cannot forget that they are only part of the pervasive violence perpetrated by use of firearms. Most major cities see shooting deaths regularly, and suicides, domestic violence, and accidents caused by guns are pervasive in all parts of the country. According to the Gun Violence Archives, so far this year more than 8,734 people were shot to death and more than 17,300 people were injured in more than 33,000 incidents. Those numbers do not include firearm suicides. While the horror of mass shootings captures our attention, gun violence persists day after day and its massive scale goes unnoticed.

The deeper causes of violence must be addressed by us as a nation, and we must put our resources there immediately. Only by focusing on the multi-layered foundations of violence will we succeed in making our nation a safer and less fearful place for all.
As the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR), we pledge our support to end the scourge of rage and hatred that has gripped our nation and we will be unfailing in our efforts to call for legislation that works to end gun violence quickly and effectively.

LCWR is an association of leaders of congregations of Catholic sisters in the United States. The conference has nearly 1350 members, who represent more than 44,000 women religious in the United States. Founded in 1956, LCWR assists its members to carry out their service of leadership to further the mission of the Gospel in today’s world.

Contact: Sister Annmarie Sanders, IHM; LCWR Director of Communications asanders@lcwr.org | 301-588-4955

Bernardine Sisters Protest Berks County Detention Center 

Once a month members from the Interfaith Witness meet at the Berks County Detention Center to protest its existence. Sisters Roberta Ann Leskey, Maria Bartos, Joelle Mrozoski, and Cara Garofalo participated in this event on May 19, 2019.

Bernardine Franciscan Sisters Response to the US Administration's Policy on Immigration at the Border

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: GEMMA JABLONSKI, COMMUNICATIONS@BFRANCISCAN.ORG, 484-334-6957
DATE: JUNE 25, 2018

BERNARDINE FRANCISCAN SISTERS

READING, PENNSYLVANIA – The Bernardine Franciscan Sisters are heartbroken and horrified by the recent actions of our country’s government to separate babies and children from mothers and fathers at the U.S. Mexico border. We join our voices with millions of concerned citizens around the world who see this as a violation of basic human rights, a founding principle of our democracy. We stand with our Holy Father Pope Francis, and the Catholic clergy, men and women religious, and people of good conscience in the United States in condemning this violation of international law, and we pray that the implementation of any policies that separate youth from their families be revoked immediately.

We are grateful to our Diocese of Allentown Bishop Alfred A. Schlert for his recent statement that appeared on the first page of the Reading Eagle: Diocese condemns separating families. The debate is no longer about zero-tolerance immigration policy, but about “human dignity and doing the right thing for innocent children, about the sanctity of the human family and the integrity of the moral compass of our country and its people.” Let us, as consecrated Franciscan women called to live the Gospel, pray for an end to this terrible situation, and take action on behalf of the poor and defenseless in society by calling our senators and representatives and demanding justice and mercy.

“Who Is My Neighbor in a Climate Threatened World?”

2018 Feast of St. Francis Program - 
By Catholic Climate Covenant
415 Michigan Ave NE
Suite 260
Washington, District of Columbia 20017
(202) 756-5545
Contact: Paz Artaza-Regan Paz@CatholicClimateCovenant.org

Every October 4th, the Feast of St. Francis (FOSF) celebrates the saint who saw all created beings as his brother or sister. Inspired by this example, Catholic Climate Covenant produced a free 90-minute catechetical program to help parishes, schools, and faith communities explore how they can better care for creation and the poor. Please know the Feast of St. Francis Program can be used on October 4th or any date of your choosing.

To access the full program, please download the following:
1) Facilitator Guide - Includes all the instructions, scripts, links, and materials you or another facilitator will need for a successful 90-minute Feast of St. Francis program.
2) Participant Program Guide - Includes everything that a participant will need – readings, prayers, meditation guide, and discussion questions. This is the printable version of the program.
3) A Further Information and Action Resource: We have compiled a list of resources on climate change and migration/refugees for further study and action. Each participant should be given a copy to take home.
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