Bernardine Franciscan Sisters

The Bernardine Franciscan Sisters are a Roman Catholic congregation of women religious whose central offices and motherhouse are located at 450 St Bernardine Street in Reading, Pennsylvania. Members of the congregation profess vows within the Franciscan tradition and follow the Rule of the Third Order Regular of Saint Francis, living in community and dedicating their lives to prayer, service and works of charity. The Reading campus serves as the administrative and spiritual center of the congregation in the United States, housing leadership offices, residential and health care facilities for members of the community, a chapel and a range of supporting departments including development, communications, vocations and mission advancement.

As an association and religious organization rather than a commercial business, the congregation's work is organized around ministry. Sisters have historically served in education, health care, parish and pastoral work, social services, spiritual direction and retreat ministry, and direct outreach to people living in poverty. Individual sisters serve in a variety of settings across Pennsylvania and beyond, while the Reading property functions as the home base to which members return for assemblies, retreats, jubilee celebrations, formation programs and community life.

Historical Background

The congregation traces its roots to the Franciscan movement in Poland, where communities of women following the Third Order Rule were associated with the Bernardine friars, so named for Saint Bernardine of Siena. That Polish heritage shaped the congregation's early identity, its devotional life and its initial mission in the United States. In the late nineteenth century, sisters traveled from Poland to serve Polish immigrant families settling in the coal regions and industrial towns of Pennsylvania, where they opened parish schools, cared for orphans and supported newly arrived families adjusting to life in a new country.

As the American branch of the community grew, it established its motherhouse in Reading, Berks County, which has remained the congregation's home for more than a century. From that base the sisters expanded into teaching, hospital work and social ministry in Pennsylvania and other states. The street address itself, St Bernardine Street, reflects the long association between the neighborhood and the congregation. Over the decades the community has also sent sisters to international mission assignments, and the membership today reflects that global reach, with sisters whose backgrounds span several continents.

Ministries and Sponsored Works

The Bernardine Franciscan Sisters are known in the Reading area and across the region for founding and sponsoring institutions that continue to operate today. Education has been a defining commitment, including the founding of a Catholic college in Reading that has since grown into a university, along with elementary and secondary schools staffed by sisters over many generations. Health care has been a second major sphere of service, with the congregation historically involved in hospital and long term care ministry in Pennsylvania and other states.

Beyond sponsored institutions, sisters and their colleagues carry out direct service in areas such as adult literacy and English language instruction, food and clothing assistance, immigrant and refugee support, prison ministry, hospital and hospice chaplaincy, care for older adults, and advocacy on issues related to poverty, human dignity and care for creation. Franciscan spirituality emphasizes simplicity, peacemaking and solidarity with those on the margins, and these themes are reflected in the ministries the congregation chooses to support and in the priorities set by its leadership.

The congregation also maintains a charitable foundation and development office that raises funds for the care of retired and infirm sisters, for the formation of new members and for mission work. Donors, alumni of sponsored schools, parishioners and neighbors are among those who contribute to these efforts.

The Chapel and Campus in Reading

The motherhouse campus includes a chapel that serves as the center of daily prayer for the community, where the Eucharist, the Liturgy of the Hours and periods of silent prayer structure the rhythm of the day. Liturgies at the chapel are typically open to guests, and visitors from surrounding parishes and neighborhoods attend alongside members of the community. The building and grounds are noted locally for their architecture and for the quiet setting they provide, and the campus is used for retreats, days of reflection, memorial services, jubilee Masses and other gatherings.

Because schedules for liturgies, tours and events can change, and because portions of the campus include private residential and health care areas for sisters, visitors are encouraged to call ahead at +1 484-334-6957 or to consult the congregation's website at bfranciscan.org for current Mass times, event listings and guidance on arranging a visit. Groups interested in touring the property, using meeting space or scheduling a speaker are generally asked to make arrangements in advance.

Ways to Connect

• Vocations inquiries for women discerning religious life, including information on the stages of formation and opportunities to visit the community
• Associate and partnership programs that allow lay women and men to share in Franciscan spirituality and ministry while living their own vocations
• Volunteer opportunities supporting outreach programs, events and the daily life of the campus
• Prayer requests, which the community receives and remembers in its daily intercessions
• Charitable giving, memorial and honor gifts, and planned giving through the congregation's development office
• Attendance at public liturgies, retreats and seasonal celebrations held on the Reading campus

Location, Parking and Accessibility

The property is located in the southern part of Reading, within Berks County, and is accessible from major routes serving the city and the surrounding communities of Shillington, Wyomissing, Mohnton and Kenhorst. On-site parking is available for visitors, which is a practical consideration for those attending liturgies or events. The site offers a wheelchair accessible entrance and a wheelchair accessible parking lot, making it easier for guests with mobility needs to attend services and gatherings.

Visitors planning a first trip may find it helpful to allow extra time to locate the correct entrance on a campus of this size, and to confirm event details by phone. Staff and community members are accustomed to assisting guests, including those visiting for personal prayer, family celebrations, research into the congregation's history or inquiries about ministry and service opportunities.