“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden."  - Mt. 5:14

Our Community History -- The Beginning of the Congregation

‍In 1723, a young woman and her mother saw the children in the streets near Salzburg, Austria that were too poor to be in the public school that required tuition. Their parents were working all day at the salt mines, and the children had no one to educate them or to watch out for them during the day. Maria Hyacintha and her mother, who were Third Order Franciscans, took it upon themselves to begin educating the young girls in their home. 

This was an amazing venture at the time for our Mother Foundress as most poor girls were not educated. She taught them reading, math, and the catechism. She also made sure the students could learn a trade for their future livelihood, such as sewing or needle point.

Soon other women joined them in this adventure, and so the Congregation began!

Years of Suffering and Uncertainty
The first years of our Congregation in the 1700's and early 1800's were very difficult. Various people tried to suppress the Order - the local teachers were not happy to have a school for the poor, especially when their own paying students chose the Sister's school over the public school because of their excellence. Sometimes the local bishops decided there was no need for a new Order. Finally after about 100 years, the Sisters were given official approval because of the support of the Empress of Austria, Carolina Augusta.  

Motherhouse Moved to Vienna‍In 1845, three Sisters moved to Vienna at the request of the Empress to teach the children of the military there. The Bishop of Vienna later required the Sisters to establish a separate Motherhouse in Vienna. Mother M. Xaveria fulfilled the request in that same year. 

Coming to America

‍In 1931, our Sisters extended the mission to the United States. The Sisters were able to learn English, work in a seminary (laundry and cooking), teach in schools, take classes, and work as nurses and teachers in several cities, including LaCrosse, Wisconsin; Trenton, New Jersey; Youngstown, Ohio; Independence, Iowa, and other cities.



 

Argentina

In 1939, a region was established in Argentina. The Sisters spread the Franciscan spirit through their apostolates of schools, youth ministry, hospital work, a boy's home, and various other life-impacting ways. We treasure our hermanas in our sister region in South America.








Texas (back to the history in the States)

‍After working in many apostolates and being educated in the central and eastern United States, the Sisters were looking and praying for a place to create a Regional House for all the Sisters to live together. It happened that the bishop of the Amarillo diocese was looking for Sisters to staff a Catholic Children's Home, new Catholic schools, and eventually a Catholic nursing home (St. Ann's opened in 1963). So in 1954, the School Sisters migrated to Texas to begin their new lives and establish the Texas Region. Since then, we have been fundamental in the opening and staffing of schools in our diocese and in other areas in the state.  

The Catholic Children's Home was established in 1954, donated by the late Rose Gordon. After 40 years of loving and caring for the children and teens that needed a temporary home, it was closed in 1994 due to government regulations. We have so many good memories from there. Our now grown-up children that lived there stop by from time to time to reminisce and to see the Sisters that used to care for them.

The Texas Region is now the home for the General Leadership of the Congregation.

The founding grace of Mother Maria Hyacintha Zechner was Franciscan in essence and transformative in effect. She tried to be the face of Christ to many through prayer and Gospel living.

The purpose of the Congregation, according to the foundress, was first for the glory of God and secondly for the sanctification of the members. Through our relationship with God and each other, we are called to bring the light of Christ to the world today.

Mother Hyacintha belonged to the Secular Franciscan Order before she founded the Congregation. This revealed the deep desire that her daughters would be rooted in the Franciscan spirit through conversion, love, hope, and joy.  Our consecration to Jesus gives us freedom to serve the needs of the world.

School Sisters of St. Francis
aka: Franciscan Sisters of Christ the Light
 

- Be the Face of Christ Today, Become the Gospel - 

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."   - Jn. 10:10

WE ARE FRANCISCANS IN LOVE WITH GOD AND HIS PEOPLE

- Be the Face of Christ Today.  Become the Gospel. - 
‍
* Union with God in prayer
* Missionary Spirit   
* Active evangelization and service
* Education
* Love for the Eucharist and Marian devotion   
* Strong community life
* Selfless love and joyful sacrifice 
 

"Living in community is both rewarding and demanding. Each member of a religious community will need to compromise, adjust, forgive, and be forgiven, over and over. 

Common life gives us the opportunity to live with a group of intensely committed Christians who will support, encourage, and love us, and expect the same in return as we serve others. Now that I’ve lived in community for a number of years, I thought I’d share with you just what that experience is like because it might help you make a decision about whether you are called to religious life.

Let’s start with a definition. What is a community? What does common life look like?  A religious community is a group of women or men who have been called together by the Holy Spirit to give their lives to one another and pledge to live a religious life of freedom in obedience, poverty in simplicity, and chastity in celibate intimacy, as they serve the Lord.”   

Father Douglas-Adam Greer, OP

We may be ardent Franciscans, but we can learn much from our Brothers and Sisters in other orders and congregations, as you can see above!  Father Greer put it so beautifully that we borrowed his words.  Since we are created in the image of God, we were made to love and be loved.  Community Life is a very important part of our religious life.  From common prayer to shared meals, apostolates, and recreations, being a community member is an art.  And it takes time to develop that art.