The Franciscan Sisters of the Poor have been blessed with the mission to heal the wounds of Christ through love and service, especially to the poor and needy.

Blessed Frances Schervier, moved by the love of God, was directed by Christ to found the congregation to heal His wounds. Her charism (gift of healing given by God) has been extended in the tradition of the congregation since its beginning in 1845.

As Frances worked among the poor she more radically understood her divine mission. Frances' charism called her to a giving of herself and her congregation to the healing of all persons, especially the poor and the suffering. This gift deeply penetrated her being. "In the poor and suffering , I recognized my Divine Saviour as clearly as if I had seen Him with my bodily eyes." It is Blessed Frances' charism and mission, to see Christ in the poor and to heal His wounds, that is the very core of being a Franciscan Sister of the Poor.

Today, the Franciscan Sisters of the Poor serve in Brazil, Italy, Senegal, and the United States. They are healers in a broken world, continuing the charism of Blessed Frances Schervier.

Every four years the Sisters meet at a General Chapter to pray, to plan for the future, and to decide as a Congregation how the Spirit of God is leading them to serve and be with the poor.