Our History
1866 - Founded in Kentucky
Following the Civil War in the United States, the Abbot of the Trappist Monastery at Gethsemani, Kentucky, asked three local women to operate a school for the girls who lived inthe surrounding area. When the women decided to become sisters, they pronounced their vows inthe presence of the Abbot and a Franciscan priest and were declared a Franciscan congregation.Seven other women asked to join them. Eventually, nine were sent to the Franciscan Sisters in Oldenburg, Indiana, for religious training.
1890 - Called to Iowa
The years in Kentucky were difficult. In 1890, Mother Mary Agnes Mooney, concerned for the welfare of the growing number of sisters amidst the destitute conditions, applied for admission to the Diocese of Dubuque where there was a greater need for sisters. The first group was sent immediately to open a school in Vail, where the congregation served until the school closed in 2003. By January 1891, their motherhouse was established in Anamosa and they added healthcare to their ministry, caring for prisoners suffering with smallpox.1891 - At home in Clinton Father James Murray asked for sisters to teach in the new St. Patrick Elementary School in Clinton. With his help, the tiny band moved their motherhouse to Clinton in 1893 and opened Mount St. Clare Academy, a school for girls, boarders and day students.
Expanding ministries
Answering the call of the Spirit in the voices of our sisters and brothers in need
- Between 1902 and 1922, the congregation undertook operation of three hospitals and schools of nursing in the region which operated into the late 1960s when they were sold or merged with other institutions.
- In 1911, more property was purchased in Clinton for an expanded mother house and academy. The original site was used briefly for a school for boys. In 1914, it was named Mount Alverno and converted to the first home for the aged in the area. The present facility was built in 1971.
- In 1918, Mount St. Clare College was chartered to prepare teachers for local and mission schools. It is now Ashford University.
- In 1943, the MSC Speech and Hearing Center opened to serve the special needs of local residents.
- By the 1950s, Clinton Franciscans were teaching in parish schools across the country.
- In 1960, we answered the call of Bishop Leonard Haggerty to open Mary, Star of the Sea School and a clinic in Freeport, Grand Bahama Island. We served the parish until 2001.
- In 1965, we opened a school in Chulucanas, Peru. Currently, one sister serves in diocesanad ministration.
- In 1986, we began our ongoing service on the Board of the Iowa Division, United Nations Association.
- In 1996, we began a ministry of development to sustain our work with persons in financial need.
- In 1999, we joined the Common Franciscan Novitiate, a shared venture among Francis can congregations nationwide for preparing new members.In 2000, we implemented a program of offering retreats at The Canticle for laywomen and men.
New ways to serve
- On the Feast of St. Francis, October 4, 1986, the Associate Partnership was begun with the covenanting of 13 laymen and women in Clinton. Today, Clinton Franciscan associates are active where sisters are ministering throughout the country.
- In 1993, native prairie grass seed was drilled into 6 acres of land surrounding The Alverno tostem erosion.
- In 1997, 35 acres surrounding The Canticle were seeded with native prairie grasses.
- At the 2000 General Chapter, we established a temporary commitment program, a new way for men and women to share our Franciscan spirituality and way life as "Sojourners."
- In 2001, we established the Clinton Franciscan "Center" for Active Nonviolence, a vehicle for assisting sisters, associates and others in living active nonviolence and in effecting systemic change.
- In 2002, we opened The Franciscan Dwelling Place in Chicago, a house of hospitality and discernment where sisters and others live a Franciscan way of life based on the gospel of active nonviolence and peacemaking that includes faith sharing, communal prayer and mutuality in community life and ministry in light of congregational values.
- In March 2003, we took a formal, corporate stand opposing the use of the death penalty and to promote its abolition worldwide.
- In July 2005, we took a corporate public stand opposing nuclear weapons.
Our home in Clinton - The Canticle
On April 1, 1997, the sisters moved into their seventh motherhouse, The Canticle, located at theheart of their property in Clinton. More than a convent, The Canticle is a center for spirituality and renewal, opening its doors for retreats, conferences and workshops. Surrounded by 50 acres of native tall grass prairie, The Canticle, built to "sit lightly upon the Earth," is an oasis of peace and contemplation.
Our corporate office
In March 2009, we moved our offices from the former Mount St. Clare to a new building erected near The Canticle for this purpose.
