These words flow from our hearts after 50 years of life given to God in our family of the Franciscan Sisters of the Poor.

We thank God, our Congregation and all those people who have accompanied us along the way. We thank God for God’s faithfulness and for the gift of our vocation. We thank our Congregation who has been for us a caring mother throughout the various stages of our journey. We thank all the people we have met, especially the poor, who have given us the concrete opportunity to serve God daily.

We felt the powerful trust of the Congregation and the support -- even during times of struggle and suffering. During these years we have been given many chances to come to know our Sisters, to travel, to share with our Sisters who are abroad. We are also grateful for the opportunity today to celebrate in Canada with our relatives and all the Italian emigrants. It is great to see that the small branch continues to grow through the new generations!

We rejoice and exult for being able to continue to say our yes to God, who is the source of all good!

- Srs. Letizia, Beata, Regina

As someone once said in a movie, “The first 30 years of religious life are the toughest, the rest are all downhill...” Arriving at 25 years of consecrated life is quite an achievement, but thank God I do not feel that I spent all these years in the midst of sorrows and suffering (though there have been some). So the quotation is not the same as reality, or at least not true to my own experience.

What can I say about these 25 years? I received so many graces, gifts, friends. I received these beautiful things and also -- among the most important and precious moments – there were times when suffering knocked on my door. I tried to find God’s grace also in these moments.

I have grown not only in age and grey hair, but also in skills and hopefully in maturity. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to be a daughter of Mother Frances and share my journey with all of you!

- Sr. Anna Ingoglia

The time that has gone by since then seems like no time at all. Yet if I look at all these past years the days that went by are so many! The inner joy seems to be the same as 25 years ago: deep, authentic, present in all dimensions of my being, but my sense of wonder is different.

“Who am I and who are you, Lord?” Now I understand this means a little bit better. Who knows how much more I will learn in the many or few years I have left to live?

I experienced an over flowing abundance of grace every time my infidelity and sin could have slowed down your plans. How many times you sewed up my wounds and the ones I caused. Many of these wounds are already embroidered designs, while others will someday become embroidered.

Deep down, I already knew that I could not doubt your love. The trials were too many. I am not surprised, because I saw your love flow like rivers in the inner cities, and I encountered you in the least likely places. I saw you at work among my brothers and sisters who have been wounded by life and anger.

You told us that you came for the sick, the marginalized, but we do not really believe this. It is too overwhelming for human beings to feel they are loved for what they are, unconditionally, without deserving it, and without needing to do anything to deserve it.

My surprise today is for the love of my sisters in my religious family. In spite of myself, in spite of everything, I feel loved. Actually my sisters love me even more because of the history – at times complicated – that we wrote together. For them I feel a love that is deeper than love toward a family connected by blood.

Now I know why. The charism of Mother Frances permeates with its healing power our mutual love that we seek before anything else, in spite of the struggles. This love then becomes healing and redemptive, and spreads among us like concentric circles. Through your graces this love reaches out to humanity and the entire cosmos.

- Sr. Mariapia Iammarino