A Quick Look at the Founding History
St. Francis of the Immaculate Conception
Peoria, Illinois
The Sisters of St. Francis of the Immaculate Conception were founded in the United States. The foundress, Mother Mary Pacifica Forrestal, (Margret Forrestal) had been a member of the Sisters of St. Francis of the Holy Family, Dubuque Iowa. She began to sense God was leading her to found a new branch of English-speaking Franciscans. She withdrew from the Dubuque community at the expiration of her temporary vows on August 14, 1887.
Margaret Forrestal then requested and obtained permission from the Archbishop of Missouri to teach as a Secular Third Order Franciscan in Palmyra, Missouri. Margaret and a staff of lay teachers had been hired. Led by Margaret, the Secular Franciscans taught in the school for two school terms.
In the fall of 1890, the Guardian of the Quincy Franciscan monastery met Archbishop John Lancaster Spalding and learned of a need to staff an orphanage in Metamora, Illinois. Archbishop Spalding accepted the offer for the small community to take charge of the orphanage. On November 15, 1890, Mother Mary Pacifica and her companions arrived at the founding site of her community. On February 2, 1891, these members professed vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, and the community was born.
News of the young community spread, and eager applicants began to arrive from near and far. New members came from local towns such as Canton, El Paso, Chenoa, and Peoria, Illinois, as well as Palmyra, Missouri. In 1902, Mother Mary Pacifica and Sister Mary Joseph set out for Ireland to recruit members and visit relatives. December 1, 1902, ten Irish women immigrated to Peoria to enter the novitiate. From 1902-1930, approximately 70 young women from Ireland joined American aspirants to become Sisters of St. Francis of the Immaculate Conception.
Scarcely had they begun their ministry with children at the orphanage when Mother Mary Pacifica was asked to consider serving the elderly. In 1892 St. Joseph’s Home was opened to serve the poor elderly. Having heard of Mother Mary Pacifica’s work in Peoria, Bishop Ryan of Springfield, asked Mother Mary Pacifica to establish a similar home in Springfield. St. Joseph’s Home of Springfield, formally opened in 1903.
From the congregation’s earliest years, education has always been one of its high priorities. With her phenomenal foresight and indomitable love of teaching, Mother Mary Pacifica shared Archbishop Spalding’s zeal for educational excellence. During the community’s history, the Sisters have served in 31 schools. The earliest one was opened in 1894 and the last in 1988. The Sisters were always open to making education a fun and rewarding experience.
The Sisters were also involved in parish religious education programs. Concerned about the religious education of children in rural areas, the Sisters developed a novel and creative venture that came to be called the Peoria-Aledo Plan. Described as a worksheet correspondence course geared to those not attending Catholic schools, the project was based on the Confraternity edition of the Catholic Messenger series published weekly by the George A. Pflaum Company. Students were required to read the publication and test their grasp of the material by answering questions on the work-sheet prepared by the Sisters. The work sheets were then brought to the next class for correction and discussion. At its height, the plan reached 85,000 subscribers all over the nation and even in some foreign countries.