Franciscan Spiritual Center

Information may not be reliable

Mission Statement: Franciscan Spiritual Ministries is a ministry sponsored by the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia. Rooted in Gospel values and in the prophetic spirit of Francis and Clare, we seek to provide environments, experiences, and resources which enable persons to meet God in both stillness and activity. With hospitality, simplicity, and joy, we welcome all as brother and sister.
Vision Statement: In the Franciscan tradition, we will share/create a place of simple beauty and hospitality that will support and deepen the comtemplative spirit.
See a Presentation of our Pilgrimage to Assisi

History of the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia in Oregon
The Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia came to Baker City, OR, at the request of Archbishop William Gross in 1885, to open St. Francis Academy, a school for immigrant children and to work as nurses in St. Elizabeth Hospital. Soon Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia were sent to Pendleton to open and teach in St. Joseph Academy. They opened St. George Indian School and St Francis Academy in Tacoma in 1888. In 1912, the Jesuits requested that some Sisters come to Tacoma, WA, to instruct small boys at St. Leo School. By the mid-1920s, the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia were working as educators in Spokane and Tekoa, WA, and Klamath Falls, OR. In 1925 they opened St. Patrick School in Portland, OR. Over time, the Sisters opened homes for orphans, nursing homes, hospitals, many more schools and convents as residences for teachers in the West.

In the late 1940s, the Sisters purchased the Corbett mansion and property on Palatine Hill, adjacent to Lewis and Clark College. The wooded site served as a novitiate for decades until it was converted to a retreat center in 1981. The Franciscan Renewal Center served thousands of people over the years with classes, individual retreats, spiritual guidance, parish retreats and other activities. In 2000, the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia administration decided to sell the land and buildings to Lewis and Clark because of the financial strain of building maintenance. The spiritual ministry of some of the Sisters was resurrrected in 2002 when they created the Franciscan Spiritual Center in Milwaukie, Oregon.
"In the Franciscan Tradition, we will share/create a place of simple beauty and hospitality that will support and deepen the contemplative spirit."