Franciscan Sisters of Our Lady of Lourdes
When Maria Catherine (Mother Alfred) Moes was called to Minnesota in 1877, establishing a congregation had never crossed her mind. In fact, Mother Alfred has a rich history of leadership even before she stepped foot in Rochester. She originally set sail in 1851 from Remich, Luxembourg, and first joined the Marianites of Holy Cross in Notre Dame, Indiana, in which she began her new life as a religious sister. In 1865, she founded the Congregation of the Franciscan Sisters of Joliet in Joliet, Illinois. When Bishop Thomas Foley called for a new Mother General in 1876, Mother Alfred decided to leave the Congregation in Joliet, and moved around the Midwest, establishing schools and academies along the way. Rochester was one of her destinations in which she did just this. However, in 1877, there were some unfortunate disputes between Mother Alfred and Bishop Foley over finance regarding Rochester’s new academy. In the end, Bishop Foley ordered Mother Alfred and the other Sisters who had also moved to Rochester to separate from the Joliet Congregation.[i]
Prompted by the separation, Mother Alfred and the other Sisters requested and were granted permission to establish the Franciscan Sisters of Our Lady of Lourdes in Rochester in 1878. The Sisters continued their work by establishing Saint Marys Hospital in 1889. (To read more about the establishment of Saint Marys Hospital, visit The History of Saint Marys Hospital.)
Following these beginning years were the years of vision (1903 – 1928). Although the Rochester Franciscans have congregated together since the late 19th century, the Congregation received approbation as a papal Congregation in 1912. Furthermore, the Mayo Clinic, which was a separate entity from Saint Marys Hospital at the time, opened. In the following decades, an increasing number of Sisters joined the Rochester Franciscans. This allowed for the years of expansion (1942 – 1964), in which more hospitals were constructed in Minnesota and Ohio. Furthermore, in 1955, the first group of Sisters moved into the new motherhouse – the current Assisi Heights. (To read more about the move and the building, visit Assisi Heights.)
What followed, however, were the years of challenge (1965 – 1976). Many of these challenges came as a result of the major changes in religious life that went into effect after Vatican II. (To read more about these changes, visit The Second Vatican Council page.) As a result, Sisters began leaving religious life. Furthermore, the community saw a decrease in young women joining religious life. (To read more about the decrease in sisters, visit The Deeper Call To Stay.) This led to the next set of years (1977 – 1999), centered on refocusing. In these years, there was the major integration of Saint Marys Hospital and Mayo Clinic in 1986.
[i] Peterson, Sister Ingrid, Keeping the Memory Green (Rochester: Ingrid Peterson, OSF, 2013), 3-10.