On October 22 the US St. Clare Region hosted a Pilgrimage Walk for Peace and Justice on our motherhouse campus.   We walked in silence stopping at 4 sites—the Our Lady of Fatima grotto, the Peace bell, one of the peace polls along the paved peace path and ending at the St. Clare garden.  At each location we prayed for migrants seeking safety and a better life.

Thanksgiving Donation Drive 2025

Gracias, Merci, Danke, Grazie, Xièxie, Gamsahamnida, Dziękuję, Terima kasih

In any language and every language, we are so grateful for the generous donations to our Wheaton Franciscan and Loretto Communities’ Thanksgiving Donation Food Drive. This year, we were able to donate a truck full of non-perishable food to meet the needs of approximately 40 families. In addition, we collected $2,415 in grocery gift cards and cash to help purchase perishable items. The Thanksgiving Donation Drive supports the needs of the Neighborhood Food Pantries based in West Chicago, IL. These donations help to make a difference in our world and are a witness of God’s love to our sisters and brothers in need.

150^th Anniversary of the Wreck of the Deutschland & the Birthday of M. Clara Pfaender

On Saturday, December 6, 2025 at 10:30 a.m. we remembered the Wreck of the Deutschland and commemorated the birth anniversary of our foundress, Mother Clara Pfaender.  We gave thanks for the courage and strength of these women who sacrificed their lives for others.  The five women who died in the wreck of the Deutschland have always been very special to all of us in the US Region.  We thank God every year for their willingness to come to our newly forming province in the US.  Although they never arrived here, their spirit has inspired our province and region over past 150 years.  May we continue self-giving for the sake of others. 

Our Christmas gift card drive was a wonderful success again this year, collecting 186 gift cards (worth $25 each) totaling $4,650. Because of the generosity of our Motherhouse faith community, each adult at Canticle Place (housing for persons living with HIV/AIDS) and Bethany House (housing for young refugee women and their young children) received $100, and each child received $75.

Canticle Place received $500 in cards to support residents throughout the year, and Bethany House received $950 to fund much-needed kitchen repairs and improvements. After sharing this information with the faith community, we also shared that Bethany House recently expressed the need to replace a clothes dryer that recently broke down.  After hearing this, a lady came forward to tell me that she would like to donate the money needed to buy a new dryer. We and the residents and staff of Bethany House and Canticle place are so grateful for this generosity and forsharing the spirit of the season!

Our focus theme for 2026 is Transformed Through Hope. The butterfly is a common symbol of transformation. The Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) has called all religious women’s communities to contemplation and action that has the power to transform our hearts so that we can transform the world. The divine presence within us and manifested in all creation blesses us daily with transforming grace.

On Sunday, January 4, 2026 members of the Wheaton Franciscan faith community joined an Interfaith Prayer Service for World Peace, held at North Central College in the nearby town of Naperville.  Our prayer was centered on nonviolence and active peacemaking.  In these troubled times, we are called to stand up, to show up, and to speak up for those who are suffering.  All religions teach faith that is rooted in compassion, justice and love.  Together we can create true peace in our hearts and in our world.

Wheaton Franciscan JPIC Office Statement On the Killing Of Renee Good

The militarization of law enforcement in U.S. cities must stop—now.

Life is a sacred gift, and the Gospel calls us to love even those with whom we disagree.  As Christians, we are bound to care for one another as brothers and sisters, without exception.  This call feels especially urgent in the wake of the killing of Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old U.S. citizen and mother of three, who was shot and killed on January 7, 2026 by a masked federal immigration enforcement agent I Minneapolis.  Read the full statement on our Wheaton Franciscan website JPIC page: Wheaton Franciscan JPIC Office Statement On the Killing of Renee Good • Wheaton Franciscans

Written by Sr. Beatrice Hernandez and CC Jeanne Connolly