Francis lived in the 12th century, and he might never have been heard of except that his responses were so radical to be right for all times, including our own.

Faces with an imperfect world, he didn't follow any new movement or idea.  He simply lived the gospel following in the footprints of Jesus.  His joyful dedication drew others to the simplest way of life.

He was the world's first premier environmentalist.  He had a profound understanding of the goodness and connectedness of all of God's creation and was able to relate to the wolf, bird, leper, sultan, royal and peasant with the same gentle courtesy.  He recognized the sun, moon and stars as his brothers and sisters.

The foundress of our particular Francisan congregation, Catherine Daemen, was born in 1787 in the village of Laak in the southern part of the Netherlands. She lived in a period of great religious and political unrest. An event of great importance occurred in her early life in the city of Maaseik, when the Franciscan Capuchins returned from exile and introduced her receptive mind to Franciscan spirituality. By 1817 she made her perpetual profession in the Third Order Secular of St. Francis as Magdalen. She often referred to this as the greatest day of her life, since it was then that she made her total surrender to God.

Three more women joined her in 1827 and M. Magdalen was inspired to begin a community of religious sisters. In 1835 they moved to a large abandoned house outside the village known as the "Kreppel." This became the foundation of our Congregation.

From the Netherlands, the Congregation moved outward, and now brings a Franciscan Memberspresence to Germany, Poland, Indonesia, Brazil, the United States, Italy, Mexico, Guatemala, the Philippines, and Africa.

Our international headquarters are in Rome, while our foundation in Redwood City is the headquarters of one of the three U.S. Provinces. Our Province serves in California, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Nevada, and Chiapas, Mexico.