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Journeys in Contemplative Living

Who are the Allegany Franciscans?

Who are the Alleganies?

The Franciscan Sisters of Allegany are an American-founded community of apostolic women religious. Founded in 1859 by Reverend Mother Teresa O'Neil in Allegany, NY, the Congregation's original mission was to educate the Catholic youth in the local parishes. As membership grew, the sisters expanded from Allegany to serve in other parishes in New York and New England.

Apostolic

(adj.) [in religious communities] 

Engaged in active ministries in the outside world. 

For the Allegany Franciscans, these active ministries include: education, healthcare, and social justice advocacy.

From the beginning of the Congregation's history, the Allegany Franciscans have consistently demonstrated a unique sense of adaptability, as well as a willingness to embrace the guidance of the Holy Spirit, even when that guidance challenged the sisters to evolve as a Congregation.

In 1879, this Congregation of northern sisters answered a call from Jamaica to accept a group of Scottish Franciscans serving in Kingston into the Congregation. In so doing, the Allegany Franciscans became the first American congregation to have a mission abroad. In later years, the sisters would add missions in Brazil and Bolivia to their community.

In 1883, the sisters were again challenged to expand their ministry when they were asked to take on the administration of a hospital in New York City. Although the Allegany Franciscans at that time were teachers by trade, they nevertheless embraced the challenge. Over the years, the sisters built a reputation for providing excellent patient-centered care. They founded numerous hospitals of their own, expanding their ministries into Florida and the southern United States in the process.

"Respond to the needs of the people."

-Reverend Mother Teresa O'Neil

Yearning for a Contemplative Way of Life

Yearning for Contemplation

Contemplative

(adj.) [in religious communities] 

Focused on prayer, both individual and communal, as well as prayerful reading of Scripture. 

Contemplative communities tend to live in greater solitude than apostolic communities

The Poor Clares

(n.) Colloquial term for the Order of St. Clare, a contemplative order of women religious founded by St. Clare of Assisi, follower and contemporary of St. Francis of Assisi.

For the first hundred years of the Congregation's history, the Allegany Franciscans were an exclusively apostolic community of women religious. If a sister felt called to a contemplative way of life, the only option that she had was to transfer to a different community of sisters. In the case of Franciscan sisters, this transfer was often made to the Poor Clares. 

Often, a sister who transferred to the Poor Clares transferred back to the Franciscan Sisters of Allegany. Other sisters opted to spend time with the Poor Clares on retreat before deciding not to proceed with the transfer. In their hearts, these sisters were Alleganies, but their hearts also yearned for solitude, prayer, and contemplation.

By the 1950s, it was clear that in a select group of Allegany Franciscans, there was a deep longing to engage in a contemplative way of life while remaining in this Congregation. True to the Congregation's open and adaptable nature, Reverend Mother Jean Marie Greeley, General Superior, dreamed of creating a Cloister within the community to allow those sisters to follow where the Holy Spirit was leading them.

Listen to Ritiro Sisters describe how the Contemplative Way of Life called to them

Sister Carol Ann's Vocation - FSA Archives
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Sister Eleanor's Vocation - FSA Archives
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Sister Sharon's Vocation - FSA Archives
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Sister Anne's Vocation - FSA Archives
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Sister Beth's Vocation - FSA Archives
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"We simply closed the door."

Cloister Beginnings

Listen to Elaine Bane, OSF, first Sister-In-Charge in the Cloister, describe the Alleganies' early contemplative life, as well as how she began her correspondence with Thomas Merton.

Cloister: Beginnings and Development - Elaine Bane, OSF
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"The Idea of a Ritiro is a Good One."

Merton Correspondence

1958:

Cloister Opens

1959:

Vatican II announced

1962:

Elaine's first letter to Merton

1967:

Gethsemane Retreat

1968:

Death of Merton

Sister Elaine's correspondence with Merton occurred at a time of enormous upheaval in the Church. The first session of the Second Vatican Council was mere months away from opening, and there was much debate surrounding how much the Church should hold onto its traditional ways of operating, and how much it should be willing to grow and evolve. 

Merton's correspondence with Sister Elaine shows us a person who passionately felt that the Church should not shy away from a natural evolution such as the growth the Alleganies were experiencing by opening the Cloister. He was keen to support religious communities that wished to explore contemplative living. This led to the idea of holding a retreat in Gethsemane, Kentucky, for contemplative women religious, hosted by Merton.

Explore Sister Elaine's summaries of her correspondence with Merton.

Explore Sister Elaine's collection of photos of the retreat in Gethsemane, KY.

Celebrate Everything - Sister Carol Ann
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Inner Freedom - Sister Carol Ann
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Be Who You Are - Sister Ann
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Search - Sister Ann
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Common Sense - Sister Eleanor
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The Modern Ritiro

Modern Ritiro

The late 1960s were full of change for the Franciscan Sisters of Allegany. The traditional habit was modified, religious names became optional, and sisters were given much more freedom of choice in their ministries and lives. The Cloister was no exception. One of the most notable changes was the replacement of the term "Cloister" with "Ritiro".

Prior to Vatican II, the Cloister was an enclosed community within the Congregation. Although sisters freely chose to enter and leave the Cloister, during their time in the Cloister, they were cut off from much of the outside world. After Vatican II, the Ritiro evolved to serve as home to a group of "full time" contemplative sisters, but it also began to host spiritual retreats to teach others the contemplative methods of prayer.

Today, the Ritiro is home to five sisters. The sisters living in the Ritiro maintain a simple, contemplative lifestyle, but they are also come and go from the Ritiro itself throughout the day. They serve as a house of prayer, host spiritual retreats, and take part in a weekly silent, hourlong prayer vigil for peace.

Listen to the Ritiro Sisters' thoughts about Contemplative Life today

Freedom to Adapt - Sister Sharon
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Adopting Eachother's Families - Sister Beth
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Future of Contemplation in Religious Life - Sister Carol Ann
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Hunger for Contemplation - Sister Ann
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The World is Our Family - Sister Carol Ann
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There's Always a Place for Contemplation - Sister Eleanor
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