The Sisters of St. Francis of the Martyr St. George is a Roman Catholic Congregation of consecrated women whose spirituality is derived from St. Francis of Assisi. Mother M. Anselma Bopp and Father John Gerard Dall founded the Order in Thuine, Germany, in 1869. The Order expanded to the U.S. in 1923 with the founding of a Provincialate and Novitiate in Alton, Illinois, which continues to be the location of the Provincial House. They are also located in other areas of Illinois, Missouri, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Kansas, New Jersey, Ohio, Washington, D.C., and Wisconsin, as well as on missions in Brazil and Cuba.
The main charism of the Sisters of St. Francis of the nartyr St. George is to “make the merciful love of Christ visible”—i.e., to be the hands and feet of Jesus Christ to show the world His love for each person. The Sisters have particular devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Mass, the Eucharist, Scripture, the Liturgy of the Hours, and the Stations of the Cross. They live out these charisms by celebrating Mass daily and having Benediction and exposition of the Blessed Sacrament daily from 6:30 a.m. until 8:30 p.m. and all night on Fridays. They set aside time daily for Scripture meditation and pray the Liturgy of the Hours, the prayer of the universal Church, 4 times daily. The Sisters also meditate on the Way of the Cross and pray the rosary daily.
Their Franciscan Spirituality follows St. Francis of Assisi’s particular love for the Incarnation and Passion of Christ, as well as adoring and receiving the Holy Eucharist. An additional charism that expresses their love for the Passion of Christ is the Cross prayer. St. Francis prayed with his arms outstretched before the Crucifix, and the Sisters imitate this action as a prayer of abandonment and surrender to God’s Will.