Franciscan Hospitaller Sister of the Immaculate Conception

Franciscan Hospitaller Sister of the Immaculate Conception –  “Franciscan Hospitaller”          Congregaςão das Irmãs Franciscanas Hospitaleiras da Imaculada Conceição

“A Sister to the poor – A face of the tenderness and mercy of God who works with and for love.”

Sister Luci Benedita of Our Lady of the Snows, F.H.I.C.

Motto: “Lucere – To be luminous and to luminate like a reflection of the light of God “Fovere” – and to warm, protect, care for, and promote life

Founders: Rev. Raimundo dos Anjos Beirão (who became for Portugal what Vincent de Paul had been for the France of his time) and Blessed Maria Clara of the Child Jesus

Place: Lisbon, Portugal

Year: May 3, 1871 A.D.

Her Charism: A child of the beatitudes, this Sister follows the spirituality of St. Francis of Assisi, a man of joy and a lover of nature, who lived extreme poverty, humility, and simplicity after the example of Jesus Christ. As a Hospitaller, she is the presence and expression of the mercy and tenderness of God in this wounded world and her charity knows no bounds – it is at the core of her being. Animated by the love of God, she lives in community, making a home by living in love, unity, and fraternal sharing. Like the Immaculate Virgin, humble servant of Our Lord, she offers herself to God with an undivided heart to make of her life a generous “Yes” and to take Jesus to the world. This Sister is alert, vigilant, dedicated to and lives “hospitality” through education, healthcare and social work serving the poor, elderly, sick and orphans across the globe. She is especially dedicated to sheltering the unprotected and abandoned. As a vibrant part of the Church’s prophetic-missionary dimension, she hears the cry of those who have nothing and nobody. Whomever she serves, her life touches them with profound humility, kindness, and an open joyful spirit and she treats everyone well. Basically this Sister’s life is a gift of love, hope and comfort. She is a woman with a compassionate heart, a welcoming spirit, missionary feet, open hands, and a life that bears fruit for the Kingdom of God. Where there is good to be done, she will do it.