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Sponsored Institutions

Since the earliest days of the congregation, the Sisters of St. Francis have sponsored a wide range of institutions. Rising to meet the changing needs of the community, these have ranged from health care facilities to educational establishments.

The term "sponsorship" as it applies to religious institutions implies the support of, influence on and governances for the ministries that continue the works founded by the congregation and express its mission in today's world. These institutions are staffed by Sisters and lay people. In some cases, day-to-day management is undertaken by a third party with specific expertise. However, the ultimate responsibility for the institution rests with the congregation.

Today, there are three institutions in Clinton which are directly sponsored by the Sisters of St. Francis:

• The Mount St. Clare Speech & Hearing Center
• The Alverno Health Care Facility
• Mount St. Clare Educational Foundation

Perhaps one of the most well-known institutions was Mount Saint Clare College which the Sisters established in 1918. Since that time, the lives of over thousands students were touched by the Sisters who taught there. In 2005, the college was sold to Bridgepoint Education and the name was changed to Ashford University. The Clinton Franciscans continue to be involved with Ashford and several have remained on the teaching staff.

While they are not sponsored by the congregation, it is worth mentioning four unique institutions at Ashford University which were inspired by members of the Sisters of St. Francis, Clinton, Iowa:

The Cortona Gallery at Ashford University is named in honor of Sister Cortona Phelan OSF, Ph.D - former president of Mount St. Clare College and of the Sisters of St. Francis, patron of the arts and sciences and co-founder of NETWORK, the National Catholic Social Justice Lobby, and of the Franciscan Federation.

Mullany Theater is named after Sister Hilary Mullany,who served as a professor of speech and drama at that school when it was Mount St. Clare College (MSC). Sister Hilary attended MSC College, and holds a Bachelor's and Master's of Fine Arts degree in theater from the Catholic University of America. She also holds a degree in liturgical music. In addition to her work at the University, Sister Hilary serves on the Board of Directors of the Clinton Area Showboat Theatre.

The former Mount St. Clare Convent became Regis Hall - a student residence hall named for Mother Regis Cleary, a past president of the congregation. Regis Hall is now also home to the MSC Speech and Hearing Center.