Lesser Known Religious Orders: Alton Sisters

As I previously wrote, I thought I would do a series on Lesser Known Religious Orders. There are some really interesting ones out there that most Catholics have never heard of that are doing really amazing work. I thought I would start with one closer to home, as they are sisters that serve in my daughter's Catholic school. They are the Sisters of St. Francis of the Martyr St. George, also known as the Alton Sisters, as the mother house is in Alton, Illinois, which is not too far from the city of St. Louis, MO. In fact, as of this writing, one of the sisters in the wallpaper of their webpage's main page is the campus minister at my daughter's school currently. 

They are, of course, a variety of Franciscans. Franciscans, of course, follow in the teachings and charism of St. Francis of Assisi. The charism of the Franciscans is a spiritual gift that emphasizes the virtues and vows of charity, humility, and a deep love for all creation. This is inspired by the teachings and life of St. Francis of Assisi. This charism encourages a communal way of living the Gospel, focusing on service to the poor and marginalized while fostering a sense of fraternity among all people and creation.

Franciscans have a spirituality that is a little more free flowing with the love of creation. Some orders are very grounded and spiritual. Some use the Franciscan way as a crutch for all sorts of flaky "God is love" oobie doobie nonsense, but the ones that are well grounded and formed are delightful religious, as is the case with the Alton Sisters. They are some of the most joy filled sisters I have ever run across. 

From their website: 

The American Province began in poverty with many hardships. In St. Louis, Father Dunne was looking for Sisters to staff and operate Newsboys Home, an institution for unwanted and neglected boys. The Sisters arrived on December 28, 1923 but soon realized that they did not have the training to do this work. The next year negotiations began for the Sisters to purchase Nazareth Home, a residence for the elderly, in Alton, Illinois. On April 1, 1925, the Sisters moved to Alton, thus establishing the first Thuiner Franciscan house in the United States, renamed Saint Anthony’s Infirmary. By the turn of the century, this humble beginning, with five German Franciscan Sisters, would grow to 108 Sisters in fifteen houses in six states in America and over forty Sisters in twelve convents in Brazil.

In the US, they largely work in hospitals and Catholic schools as teachers and administration, largely around the Midwest and the Plains in the US. They also serve at the Priests' Retirement Homes like in the Diocese of Lincoln and other places.

For those interested the Martyr St. George refers to a early Christian martyr from Anatolia who was a Roman soldier who rose to being part of the Praetorian Guard. He seems to have been martyrs as part of the Emperor Diocletian's empire wide persecutions. Diocletian was interesting in that he was the only Roman Emperor to officially renounce his powers, retire from office, and largely lived his remaining few years in relative peace. 

 St. George was later made famous with the tale of St. George and the Dragon, which is a tale that did not seem to appear in any form prior to about 1100. While a great tale, the fact that no direct reference to St. George and the Dragon really existed for over a half millennium after the historical St. George makes the story probably either apocryphal or a retelling of several previous allegories of good and evil and finally attributed to the Martyr St. George. 

 Regardless, the image of a Christian saint defeating an evil dragon, real or allegorical, is indeed a very powerful image. One can see why such a personage would be chosen as the patron saint of a religious order. The Sisters of Saint Francis of the Martyr Saint George find such a good fight against the Darkness of the world. 

If you are so inclined to consider a vocation as an Alton Sister, you may contact:

     Sr. M. Karolyn, FSGM
     St. Francis Convent
     1 Franciscan Way
     Alton, IL 62002
     618.463.2757
     vocations@altonfranciscans.org