“Cemeteries hold the stories of the people who have lived in the past ... people who have shaped our past.”

— Audrey Bierhans

“Cemeteries are like family albums. They commemorate the lives of the people who have gone before us.”

— Janice Cooper

February 11, 2024

Sister Bonnie Marie Kleinschuster lights a candle at the grave of Sister Constance Linhart — one of our Pioneer Sisters buried in St. Francis Cemetery — during our 100th Anniversary celebration in 2013.

A Lasting Legacy

Cemetery Improvement Project to Honor Late Sisters

When we sold Mount Assisi Convent — our Pittsburgh motherhouse complex — in 2019, the adjacent St. Francis Cemetery behind the building was not included in the sale. It remains the property of the School Sisters of St. Francis and, over the long term, will be maintained by the Diocese of Pittsburgh’s Parish Cemeteries Association even after the last of our Sisters is buried there. It is the final resting place of more than 140 Sisters, including some of the Pioneer Sisters who established our roots here in the United States in 1913.

As the cemetery is situated on a slope, access to it has always been somewhat limited, especially to those with mobility issues. Likewise, many of the statues are crumbling, and even the marble monument for foundress Mother Hyacinth Zahalka shows signs of severe sun damage. Therefore, our Provincial Council has started The Lasting Legacy Fund, a campaign to restore and renovate aspects of the cemetery that have degraded over decades of unpredictable Pittsburgh weather.

“This will be our perpetual footprint here,” says Sister Marian Sgriccia, provincial minister. “We owe it to our Sisters buried there to give them a monument worthy of their service.”

The Sisters have enlisted the help of a landscaping company for a plan to restore the statues and damaged headstones; improve the landscaping with new stones, trees and flowers; and upgrade access to the cemetery with more secure steps, additional handrails, and new benches for visitors. The goal is for the $60,000 project to commence with spring cleanup this year — but we cannot do it without your help.

We welcome donations of any size from our friends and alumnae to help us improve and maintain this lasting legacy and to respectfully honor our Sisters who, among their many ministries, established Mount Assisi Academy in 1928 and helped to shape and inspire its students over the course of five decades.

Contributions to The Lasting Legacy Fund may be made online by clicking here (choose Lasting Legacy Fund from the drop-down menu during the donation process). You may also send a check payable to School Sisters of St. Francis, 4900 Perry Highway, Suite 201, Pittsburgh PA 15229.

For more information, contact us at 412-761-2855 or administrationusa@schoolsistersosf.org.

Praying with the Psalms Series Starts This Week

In the psalms we learn to trust, worship, praise, thank and offer contrition. They show us life as it is — with its ups and downs, joys and sorrows. In the times of the Israelites, King David and Jesus, worshippers looked to these prayers to raise their awareness of God’s love. In our times, the psalms can speak to us, as well.

Throughout Lent and the coming Spring, Sister M. Virginelle Makos will again host Praying with the Psalms at Monocacy Manor in Bethlehem, Pa. Join her each month (February through May) for special programs that spotlight the psalms as centerpieces of prayer. The series begins this Thursday, February 15, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. in the first-floor conference room of the former St. Francis Center. Sessions also are set for Thursdays, March 21; April 18 and May 16.

You may register for single sessions or for the entire series. Freewill donations are accepted. To register by phone, contact Lauren Martin at 610-867-8890 or lmartin@schoolsistersosf.org.

More Upcoming Lenten Programs

Our Lenten series, Ever Ancient, Ever New: Lenten Practices for Our Modern Times, begins next Tuesday, February 20. The trio of programs lends contemporary relevance to the traditional Lenten practices of prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Select a single program, or register for the entire three-part series. Registration is $20 per session or $50 for the full series. For more details and online registration, click here or call 610-867-8890.

Attend In Person or Online!

Join in from wherever you live! All sessions are available for in-person or online attendance using Zoom. In-person gatherings will be in the first-floor conference room of the former St. Francis Center at Monocacy Manor, 395 Bridle Path Road, Bethlehem PA 18017.

Tuesday, February 20

6:30 to 8 p.m.

Lent Beyond ‘No Chocolate’

Tuesday, February 27

6:30 to 8 p.m.

Clearing a Path for the Common Good

Tuesday, March 5

6:30 to 8 p.m.

What Does God Require of Us?

We Send Our Blessings for Peace & All Good in the Week Ahead!