Felician Ministry
McGuire Memorial is one of the many ministries of the Felician Sisters of North America —a Franciscan community of women who are committed to fulfilling their mission of cooperating with Christ in the spiritual renewal of the world. The Felician Sisters have been ministering to God's people throughout Pennsylvania since 1888 in the areas of education, healthcare, and social service ministries.
Today, nearly 2,000 Felician Franciscan Sisters internationally are “answering God’s call to help people in need through both service and prayer.” Together, they continue to “defend the dignity of all human life and promote right relationships and responsible stewardship of creation.”
All ministries of the Felician Sisters of North America are guided by five core values, inspired by Saint Francis of Assisi and their foundress, Blessed Mary Angela Truszkowska.
Core Values
In all that we do and to all whom we serve, we affirm the dignity of all life; reach out in compassion, mercy and love to all God’s people; stand in solidarity with and in service to the poor, oppressed, and the vulnerable; engender a spirit of environmental stewardship in the care of all God’s creation, and strive to alleviate injustice in all its forms as we look to promote the common good. Each of our ministries throughout North America upholds and affirms these five core values—hallmarks of our Franciscan culture and identity:
- Respect for human dignity exhibited by a reverence for and commitment to promoting and protecting the dignity of all persons;
- Compassion characterized by an empathetic consciousness toward others expressed in caring service;
- Transformation characterized by an open heart and mind, leading to continuous improvement of all involved in our ministry;
- Solidarity with the Poor ensuring that the needs of the poor and vulnerable are met through advocacy and action;
- Justice and Peace forging right relationships, recreating a sustainable environment, promoting the common good—all in the pursuit of peace.
Called “Felician” because of their association with a Franciscan Capuchin of the sixteenth century, Saint Felix of Cantalice, the Felicians were founded by Blessed Mary Angela (then called Sophia Truszkauska) in Poland in 1855. While she began her work among the orphaned children in Warsaw, Blessed Mary Angela and her followers quickly adopted the approach still followed today: prayer linked with direct service.
Source: www.feliciansisters.org