The Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis

Living to Love and Serve Others

Being a member of this religious community has given me an awesome opportunity to live and work among like-minded people who want to serve GOD and HIS PEOPLE with all their hearts with the GREATEST CARE AND LOVE! Being a nurse before I entered, I've always enjoyed helping people; most patients usually get well enough to go back to their lives with their families and friends. However, sometimes the only thing we can do is to care for them as they prepare for death.

One patient stands out in my mind. One day, I was working on a Medical-Surgical unit and was asked to help care for a lady who was dying of cancer. A C.P.A. and I went into the room to care for this patient who was extremely weak and was getting a high concentration of oxygen. The lady's son and daughter-in-law were in the room. After we were finished with our assignment, the lady's son asked me to stay behind for a while and pray with them. As I stood there with the family, we joined hands in a circle of prayer around their mother. After the family offered their prayers for her, I began to offer mine. I felt very sad for the great sense of impending loss this family was preparing to undergo. I was also feeling sad, because I felt helpless as I knew there was not much more we could do for this patient and her family. I began to pray silently to God for the right words to say. As ALWAYS, GOD gave me an awesome insight that would hopefully bring them some hope and consolation. God reminded me to remind them that -- "In God's House, there are many dwelling places!" As I began to pray, I asked God to bless all at the bedside and to give this loving and courageous patient and her family the confidence to truly know in their hearts that there truly is a lovely dwelling place awaiting this lady who was preparing for her last hours on this earth.

I think most of us in the medical profession really "BELIEVE IN" and feel very passionate about what we are doing for the good of our patients. Most of the time, they get better and resume their lives-but, sometimes, their lives are coming to a close here on earth, and it's up to GOD and us to be there with a kind word, prayer, encouragement; whatever it takes, to give to others when on the surface there doesn't seem to be anything else left to give. God truly touched my heart that day and helped me to understand that HE is in charge of all situations in our lives, and that it's a great gift to rely on HIM! Of course, we must do our part with all the care and love we can give, but it's the truth of bringing GOD into whatever crisis that is happening that truly brings the Peace, Joy, and Love that is beyond all human understanding!!!

Our Work in Governance in our Apostolate

Our work in governance and guidance of our healthcare apostolate stems from our religious consecration. Through the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, we empty ourselves to live for God alone and to be His instrument here on earth. This is key to our governance. None of our Sisters will claim to be gifted with the corporate wisdom of running a healthcare system, but we do strive to be gifted in the wisdom of God through the emptying of ourselves.

We have Sisters in several areas of leadership throughout our healthcare apostolate. Our efforts in governance not only ensure that the strategic direction of our work enable our mission to grow but also to ensure that there is a culture of caring and compassion at all levels. We work very hard to keep up on the complex and ever changing healthcare environment and strive to provide quality healthcare to all that come to us for care.

Our faithfulness and adherence to the Church teachings encompass not only our life lived as a religious but also how we govern and guide our apostolate. Having the majority vote from Sisters allows us to ensure that this is preserved.

Primary to our healthcare apostolate are the Ethical and Religious Directives (ERD’s) of the Catholic Church. These ERD’s are core to all the business we transact. If we are not able to assure ourselves that there will be complete adherence to the ERD’s on a particular issue, we will walk away from the transaction.

While it is very important to have Sisters at a direct patient care level, it is also essential to have Sisters in governance. In close partnership with our lay leaders, our input and influence help preserve the work that we have been entrusted with by the church and in the manner our religious community was founded…“with the greatest care and love.” Each Sister makes a difference, but Sisters in governance have their efforts reach the entire organization versus one patient and one encounter at a time.

Our apostolic life flows from our life of prayer. It is one that changes work into prayer, and prayer becomes the very heartbeat of our life. Conscious that our apostolate bears fruit only to the degree that we are united to Christ, we permeate our entire apostolic activity with a religious spirit and fill our religious life with apostolic love. Only when our life is rooted in faith, hope, and charity, can we bring Christ to others.

The life of Christ reflected in Saint Francis inspires us to devote ourselves to care for the sick with great charity and joy. We are solicitous for the spiritual, physical, psychological and social well-being of the sick, for Jesus said, “Whatsoever you do for these, the least of my brethren, you do for me” (Mt 25:40).