School Sisters To Celebrate 300th Anniversary

March 6, 2023

Panhandle—The Franciscan Sisters of Christ the Light, formerly known as the School Sisters of St. Francis, will celebrate the 300^th anniversary of its establishment Saturday, March 25 with an 11:00am Mass celebrated by Bishop Patrick J. Zurek at St. Theresa’s Church, 110 Little Flower Way.

The Mass will be followed by a reception in the newly-renovated St. Joseph’s Parish Hall, to the south of the church.

According to the order’s website, panhandlefranciscans.org, the Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis were founded in Hallein, Austria by Mother Maria Hyacintha Zechner in 1723. Mother Maria and her mother, Theresia Triebenbacher, who was also a Secular member, lived in Hallein and were concerned about the children in the streets. Many were too poor to be educated by a private teacher that required tuition at that time and was mostly for boys, because public schools did not exist. Having received a good education themselves, the women began to gather the girls and teach them in their own home. These children had few opportunities for learning. Soon other women came to join them, and the Congregation of the School Sisters of the Third Order Regular of St. Francis was born.

Courageous and innovative, Mother Hyacintha worked actively in society instead of behind the walls of a cloister. This did not make her popular with church or local authorities. She considered her calling from God to be the priority and was willing to accept criticism and judgment. The Sisters of the Congregation persevered despite obstacles and setbacks.

“We are committed to the understanding of our foundress, who said ‘Gold must be tested in the fire, a person's love and patience through the cross and suffering,’” said Sister Mary Michael Huseman, OSF, a native of Nazareth and Regional Superior/Vocation Director. “The inner reference point of her deep Faith lies in the mystery of the cross and in following Jesus. She took upon herself the difficulties of life as a way to participate in the Passion of Christ. From this perspective, she was able to share in the hardships of the people and to help alleviate the sufferings of others.”

According to the June 28, 2015 Vocations Issue of The West Texas Catholic, in 1845, three Sisters moved to Vienna at the request of Austrian royalty to work in education. Empress Carolina Augusta asked for Sisters to come and teach the children of the military. The Bishop of Vienna later required the Sisters to establish a separate Motherhouse in Vienna. The request was fulfilled in that same year.

In 1931, the Sisters decided to extend the mission to the United States. They were able to learn English, work in a seminary, teach in schools, take classes and work as nurses in several cities, including: LaCrosse, Wisc.; Trenton, NJ; Youngstown, Ohio; Independence, Iowa and many more.

After working in many apostolates and being educated in the central and eastern United States, the Sisters were looking and praying for a place to create a Regional House for all the Sisters to be together. The Bishop of the Diocese of Amarillo at that time, Laurence J. FitzSimon, was looking for Sisters to staff a Catholic Children's Home, new Catholic Schools and eventually a new Catholic Nursing Home. In 1954, the School Sisters were invited to the diocese and migrated to Texas to begin new lives. The Sisters have helped to open and/or staff schools in Amarillo, Dumas, Borger, Levelland, Dalhart, Pampa and in other areas of the state.

St. Ann’s Nursing Home opened in 1963 and was staffed by the Sisters until it closed in 2012 after almost 50 years of service. The Catholic Children's Home was established in 1954, donated by the late Rose Gordon. After 40 years of loving and caring for the children that needed a temporary home, it closed in 1994. Many former residents still visit to remember and to see Sisters that cared for them.

In 2019, the Extraordinary General Chapter voted to move the Generalate to the Texas Region. It was officially established in Panhandle on Oct. 4, 2020, on the Feast of St. Francis.

In the last several months, the Congregation has changed its name to The Franciscan Sisters of Christ the Light.