s early as 1906, Mother Mary Cajetan Jankiewicz sought permission for a province in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where there existed a great need to shelter and educate orphaned Polish children. In 1907, ground was broken on Euclid and Ohio Streets, and three years later, a small section of the completed orphanage became the headquarters for a new province. Mother of Good Counsel Province was established on August 12, 1910, with a division of the first province in Detroit.
Beginning with Mother Mary Veronica Kurczewska as provincial superior, in 17 years and a succession of leadership, Mother of Good Counsel more than doubled again, adding 27 new establishments.
In search of space to house 500 sisters and to be near their field of endeavor, the Felician Sisters looked in Chicago, where they were teaching in 20 schools. In 1921, they purchased 30 acres of land north of Peterson Avenue and east of Crawford Avenue on Chicago’s Northwest side.
In the spring of 1925, Mother Mary Seraphim turned the spade to break ground, and by fall, the cornerstone was laid for the new provincial house. On May 30, 1927, the archbishop of Chicago dedicated the new convent, chapel, and high school. The central chapel accommodates 700 worshippers and features intricately carved oak altars and Austrian stained-glass windows depicting scriptural, Franciscan, and Eucharistic themes.
Mother of Good Counsel was officially transferred from Milwaukee to Chicago in 1927, with 533 professed sisters, 21 novices, and 30 postulants, overseeing 51 establishments across six states.
In response to the dire need for an orphanage, the Felician Sisters built a home for children in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, that would house 263 children by 1928.
This photo, taken in 1908, is of the first orphans at St. Joseph Home for Children.
The third Felician province in North America was first headquartered within the Home for Children, which they built in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
This photo was taken in 1908 and shows the building when it was only one-third complete.
The administration of St. Mary's Home in Manitowoc, WI, was transferred to Mother of Good Council Province. The home would later become known as Felician Village.
This photo is of the original St. Mary's Home building.
Fr. Francis S. Rusch requested the Felician Sisters to manage this orphanage in Niles, IL, on the northern border of Chicago. The school was home to 800 children by 1920.
In this photo, Sister Mary Thecla Mausiewicz is with children in the orphanage infirmary.
Mother of Good Counsel officially transferred from Milwaukee, Wisconsin to Peterson Avenue in Chicago.
This aerial photo of the provincial complex in Chicago was taken in 1930.
Felician Sisters were missioned as teachers to a Birmingham, Alabama community to assist a Passionist priest in his ministry to a marginalized African American community.
This photo taken in 1941, is of provincial superior MM Jolanta Pawlak (center) and her council attending a dedication ceremony for the new church built at the mission in Birmingham.
The Felician Sisters purchased the Centralia, IL hospital in 1947, updating and eventually rebuilding it in 1958. The name was changed to SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital in 1996.
This photo is of the original 22-bed hospital.
Sisters were missioned to the Santa Rosa Colony in Guanajuato, México to care for and teach youth exiled during WWII, many of whom were orphaned. In 1946, the sisters resettled 235 in Felician institutions in the United States.
This photo is of Sister Mary Jean D'Arc Szczawinski, who was placed in charge of the Felician mission, and children from the Santa Rosa Colony.
Felician Sisters entered California at the request of Fr. John English to staff an elementary school in the city of Pomona. A year later, they opened a high school and began staffing Sacred Heart Elementary.
This photo of Felician Sisters on the Pomona Catholic High School campus was taken in the 1950s. In 1953, this ministry was transferred to the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Province.
Sisters from Chicago joined other Felicians in Niteroi, Curitiba, and surrounding areas in Brazil to educate children of Polish immigrants who immigrated as a result of WWII.
Pictured is Sister Mary Virginia Armatowski, the first sister missioned.
Felician Sisters were sought to manage and staff the newly built Rosary Hospital in the small town of Corning, IA, a community without a healthcare facility.
This ministry was transferred to the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Province in 1953.
Felician Sisters were asked to operate a rural hospital in Yorktown, TX, if the community built it. The town knew the sisters as administrators of the local Catholic school and fundraised. Sister Mary Monica Peopinski served as the hospital's first administrator.
This ministry was transferred to the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Province in 1953.
Felician Sisters were sent to this coal-mining commune in France to provide education and catechesis for generations of exiled Polish people living there since World War I.
This photo shows the slag heap mountains in the commune. In 1971, the mission was transferred to the Felician Sisters of Our Lady of Czestochowa Province in Przemysl, Poland.
At the request of the community, the Felician Sisters built St Francis Hospital on their property in Milwaukee, updating and ensuring its viability over the decades.
This photo is of Sister Mary Alvina Gill (right), an associate vice-president and registered nurse.
Formerly, St. Joseph Home for Children, the ministry transitioned to become South Day Care Center and eventually as an academy for children six weeks through K-8th grade.
This photo is of SM Alvernia Witek, administrator of South Day Care Center at St. Joseph, greeting children in the 1970s.
A visionary psychologist, Sister Kim Marie Mis provided counseling services for children with diverse needs who face negative realities in their daily lives.
Sister Kim Mis with Deacon Rich Green at the blessing of United Stand’s first location, a former Greek Orthodox convent.
Felician Sisters invested in the Madre Angela Dental Clinic, which not only helped the immigrant community with dental issues, but also offered coats and shoes to the struggling clientele.
This photo is of Dr. Ramon A. Gonzalez, M.D. and his wife and partner, Rita Fortunato who founded the clinic in 1993.
